From Kopblog
It was great to get our CL group games off to a winning start with Tuesday`s 2-1 victory at Marseille. Picking up the three points, particularly away from home, eases the pressure and effectively leaves us just needing to win our home games to qualify for the next stage. I`m not underestimating the other teams in our group but I also think it`s important for us to try to secure our qualification for the next phase as soon as we can.
They say 10 points is usually the target and now that we`ve got our first three in the bag and a home game against PSV next, we could be well on our way to that figure soon. An early qualification for the next round would allow us to put our entire focus back on the Premiership all the sooner and perhaps allow us to ease up a bit in the last one or two group games, which could be important in the big scheme of things, but of course I`m sure Atletico and the other teams in the group will have a thing or two to say about that.
As for the game itself, I was also pleased to hear both Rafa and Gerrard giving an honest assessment of our performance afterwards by saying there was plenty of room for improvement, instead of trying to gloss over things. It`s refreshing to hear such straight-talking in the modern game and while we would all agree that the result was the most important thing, there`s no disguising the fact that it was another below par display.
It was really a game of two halves. I thought we did well in the first. After falling behind to a sloppy goal, once again the team showed its character to fight back and equalise with a magnificent strike by Gerrard and then take the lead with a well retaken penalty by the captain. That got us to the break with our noses in front and you felt from there we just needed to see the game out in the second half and maybe pick them off on the counter, the kind of thing we`ve done so often in the past that you would think we would be able to do it in our sleep.
However, we made really hard work of it. Maybe there were a few tired legs after our efforts against the mancs and we also had Gerrard and Torres still recovering their fitness, but there`s no doubt many of our players just weren`t at the races in the second period of the game. It was very frustrating to watch us inviting danger by constantly giving the ball away and making Marseille look like a better side then they actually are, and in the end we had Pepe Reina to thank for us escaping with all of the points. I was surprised that Rafa didn`t bring on Alonso at some stage as he would have been an ideal candidate to put his foot on the ball and get us some control in midfield, particularly when Gerrard went off, but at the end of the day we got the win and that`s the important thing.
Outside of our defence and Gerrard, I thought Babel had a very good game. I know he missed a couple of chances to wrap the game up but I still think it was one of his better games and I was impressed with his tracking back and willingness to help out the defence, which is a good sign that he is developing nicely. The rest of the team was pretty average and one player that certainly doesn`t seem to be developing nicely is Lucas.
As I`ve said before on this blog, I think any player, particularly a young player, deserves to be given a season before judgement is passed on them. In earlier blogs I noticed some people had already expressed some doubts about the young Brazilian and I`ve got to say, I share their concern. I`m not writing the lad off just yet and of course we all hope he will develop into a star player in our midfield, but it has to be said there`s been precious little evidence of it so far.
I think Liverpool fans are extremely patient with new players, especially young ones. But even so, we all like to see a performance or at least a few glimpses here and there of what they might be capable of in time, for us to hang our hat on. We`ve seen plenty of these signs from Babel and some of our other young reserves when they`ve been given a chance but I can honestly say I`ve seen nothing from Lucas as yet and he`s certainly been given plenty of chances.
Tuesday`s game was another opportunity for him and again he didn`t deliver anything of note. As a defensive midfielder, I haven`t seen that he is particularly adept at breaking up the play or winning the ball from the opposition and as an attacking midfielder, I don`t recall seeing anything particularly exciting about his passing or shooting either.
As I said earlier, obviously we all hope the lad will come good and I`m certainly not trying to make a scapegoat of him but I made a point in a blog over the summer that still bugs me and I think it`s still a valid one. Last season we loaned out Danny Guthrie, a young central midfielder from our reserves. He played a full Premiership season in a struggling Bolton side and earned a lot of plaudits for his performances, in fact I think he was one of their best players. This was a young English midfielder that really tried to make the most of his opportunity and I honestly don`t think the lad could have done any more to impress. And yet we tamely sold him for 50p and a funsize Mars bar to bloody Newcastle, a club that seems to be in an even bigger mess then we are, in fact what`s been going on there has been such a Carry On, I think they should rename their ground Sid James`s Park!
For me, Guthrie is hardly the finished article but he has showed a lot more promise in his performances for Bolton and now at Newcastle, then anything Lucas has shown in his many opportunities for us so far. As a back up to our first choice central midfielders I know which of the two I would have preferred. However in fairness to Rafa, he was given assurances that Gareth Barry would be joining us as an option but then the owners and Parry refused to back his judgement. So as things stand it looks like Lucas is our cover and it`s high time that the lad started to fulfil the manager`s faith in him with some decent performances. Time will tell!
In other matters, I read an interesting report yesterday which said that since our defeat at Wet Spam last January we have won more league points than any other team in the Premiership. I must admit that I wasn`t aware of that but it is yet more evidence of the fact that we always tend to be a lot stronger in the second half of a season. In previous years it has always been our slow starts to a campaign that have cost us dearly but thankfully we have stated this one well and have an opportunity to keep it going when Stoke come to Anfield at the weekend.
Stoke have certainly come a long way in recent seasons. I remember going to a game at their old stadium the Victoria Ground years ago. I wouldn`t say they were a small team back then, but I remember spending ages looking for a crowd to follow and walking around the ground trying to find the entrance until I finally found this old guy outside and asked him where can I get in? He told me to head around the next corner and there would be two queues, a long one and a short one. And just as I started to walk away he said, “make sure you get on the short one, the long ones for the chippy!”
But times have certainly changed for Stoke and they have started the season pretty well. Even though this fixture should bring us another precious three points, we can`t afford any complacency and I think Rafa needs to play all of his big guns to ensure the victory and he can then rest them all and bring on the tea-ladies for our Carling cup tie with Crewe next week. Stoke present us with a different type of challenge then we have faced in our games so far.
They are likely to be a team that will try to park their team bus in front of the goal to try to keep us at bay. It`s these types of games that have occasionally given us a lot of trouble in the past and it will be interesting to see how our current side will go about the task of opening them up. Riera has looked promising in his couple of appearances so far and if he is to be the answer for us on the left, this might be an ideal game for him to show us what he can do. As much as I like Dynamo Dirk, I think we might be better served playing Babel on the right in this one and use our pace on the flanks to carve them open.
Their most effective weapon in attack is the incredibly long throw of Rory Delap who can put the ball into the six yard box with a throw-in from almost anywhere inside an opponent`s half. So I think this might be an ideal game to bring Sami Hyypia back into the side as our most effective header of a ball, to counter this threat. I`d also keep a close eye on Fuller who can make the most of any opportunities that come his way and Carra will need to be on his toes to keep him under control. But all things considered my money`s on us getting through their defence and winning this one 3-0.
A quick word on the other big game of the weekend between the chavs and the mancs. I notice the vast majority of people have voted for a draw in this one on my site poll on the right of the page and I agree. I think the worse result for us would be a manc victory. They have started the season slowly but a victory at the weekend would restore a lot of their confidence and they have a good run of games coming up afterwards. A chav victory wouldn`t be the worse result for us as it would do serious damage to the mancs chances of equalling our record number of league titles. But I think a draw would be best as it would leave the mancs 8 points behind us (assuming we win our game) and it would also give us a little bit of breathing space ahead of the chavs, so I`ll go for a 1-1 draw in that game and I`m hoping for lots of lovely heavy challenges and red cards!
Keep the Faith
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