Liverpool 0 Aston Villa 1: Rodgers fails to learn lessons from Villa and Chelsea

No excuses, we were awful. Out manoeuvred, yet again by Paul Lambert, this time with his Rottweiler Roy Keane in tow.  Pressing high up the pitch, pressuring Steven Gerrard, swarming all over the midfield.  There was very little imagination or creativity on show with the midfield stifled for room.  

It's a performance that supports the theory in some quarters that Liverpool's stellar performances were boosted by the lack of European football. Champions League qualification for the first time in five years and coming of the back of the international break Brendan Rodgers chose to drop Sterling to the bench and surprisingly start with Adam Lallana and Markovic.

Surprising because Lallana hadn't played a top class game since the World Cup and Markovic hadn't started a Premier League game since his transfer from Benfica in the close season, so starting one rather than both seemed the more sensible option.

Not for the first time we struggled to impose ourselves on a well-structured midfield set up to neutralise our well-oiled attacking game. The disappointing aspect was our inability over 90 minutes to change the style of play to cope with the wall of defence which Aston Villa presented us with and just as in the infamous Chelsea game we failed ingloriously to breakdown an apparent impenetrable wall which made the much maligned Senderos and Cissokho look world class in comparison to our poor defending at set pieces.

The game should have been over as contest after fifteen minutes. Villa deservedly took the lead after a bright start from a corner where Lovren was embarrassingly out muscled by Senderos who headed goal ward. The resultant block by Manquillo dropped to Agbonlahor who prodded home. It could have been last season, hell even the season before, but not what we were expecting this season with the outlay for Lovren and Sakho and the expectation following the Spurs victory. Minutes later Senderos sauntered on to another corner and unbelievably shot wide with the goal at his mercy. 

The Liverpool defence who were counting on the organisational skills of Lovren were it complete disarray defending from set pieces.

On the quarter hour yet another superbly delivered Westwood corner caused more consternation, when the very ordinary Mignolet punched straight to Weimann who fortunately sliced his volley.

Even in the early stages with Coutinho struggling to impose himself and Lallana and Markovic showing up in impressive flashes Raheem Sterling's most have already been at the forefront of Rodgers mind. At only nineteen, he alongside Sturridge are Liverpool's preeminent players.

The loss of Daniel Sturridge is a devastating blow. His movement, quicksilver footwork and his interchange with Henderson and Sterling plays a major part in Rodgers game plan. That's not to say Balotelli was lacking as Liverpool's lone striker, but the support he received was sporadic with Markovic and Lallana not able to get close enough to the Italian as Sterling and Sturridge had done against Spurs. The striker was given some rough treatment with little protection, particularly from Hutton and Senderos, but to his credit he kept his head.

When we are on the front room there is no better sight in the game, but when that is negated Rodgers fails to adapt and appears powerless to change and he must grasp the nettle.  We have to learn to mix it or use different formations when our A game is being subdued and it has to be soon with teams cottoning on to this and Chelsea (although it's early days) powering clear.

Moreno, on the cusp of half-time powered into the area in similar position to his Spurs strike, but inexplicably tried to find Markovic when a shot was surely the better option. The second-half cried out for a change of emphasis and Sterling introduction on the hour managed to raise the temperature especially as the youngster was mowed down by the brutal Hutton.

Coutinho has had a poor start season following a blistering pre-season. He flourishes in space and was disappointing until Sterling entered the fray, but by then the die was cast. In saying that Coutinho produced a piece of impudence turning Alan Hutton inside out before curling a shot against the post which was as good as it got.

There was no method in the madness even when Borini and Lambert replaced Markovic and Balotelli respectively for the last 20 minutes with Lambert seemingly positioned out on the right rather in a central berth. Steven Gerrard, who had pretty ineffectual match, remained in his quarter-back position until the final throes instead of trying to effect change further forward in the last 20 minutes.

With Rodgers having very little confidence in Lucas and the injury to Emre Can, he appears to have very little wiggle room in terms of converting to a 4-4-2 with Gerrard no longer having the legs to play centrally in a two. It's worrying aspect because this is a Liverpool team susceptible to strong arm tactics and more so without Joe Allen yesterday where the midfield seemed bereft defensively and unable to apply any directness and control.

Last season we were able to get away with a draw through force of will. This time we were lucky to get away with a one-nil loss.

Teams:
Liverpool: 22 Simon Mignolet, 19 Javi Manquillo, 6 Dejan Lovren, 17 Mamadou Sakho, 18 Alberto Moreno, 8 Steven Gerrard, 14 Jordan Henderson, 50 Lazar Markovic (71 mins), 10 Philippe Coutinho, 20 Adam Lallana (Raheem Sterling – 61 mins), 45 Mario Balotelli (Lambert – 71 mins)

Substitutes: 1 Brad Jones, 3 Jose Enrique, 4 Kolo Toure, 9 Rickie Lambert, 21 Lucas, 29 Fabio Borini, 31 Raheem Sterling

Aston Villa: 1 Brad Guzan, 21 Alan Hutton, 14 Philippe Senderos, 2 Nathan Baker, 23 Aly Cissokho, 8 Tom Cleverley (Carlos Sanchez – 86 mins), 15 Ashley Westwood, 16 Fabian Delph, 11 Gabriel Agbonlahor (Darren Bent – 90+1 mins), 10 Andreas Weimann (Charles N'Zogbia – 72 mins), 18 Kieran Richardson

Substitutes: 5 Jores Okore, 7 Leandro Bacuna, 19 Darren Bent, 24 Carlos Sanchez, 28 Charles N'Zogbia, 31 Shay Given, 40 Jack Grealish

Attendance: 44,689