Well ...... what can I say? More of the same really. Liverpool were playing... we all got excited..... we watched the game...... we were all disappointed. Thats it really, although there was one major difference in that this game didn't really mean anything. We knew before we kicked off that we had qualified for the knockout phase of the UEFA cup, we even knew that win, lose or draw we would qualify as group winners. As such, i'm sure most never expected this to be a rollercoaster of a match, we did however expect some form of performance. It was a European night, at Anfield so even if nothing else pride was at stake.
Even before kick off things werent looking good there was the usual confusion caused as usual caused by statements from Roy Hodgson. In the run up to the game Roy said “Fernando Torres will be involved in the game, as will Pepe Reina and our centre-backs. Pepe Reina likes to play, he would like to play in this one and I’m not going to be the one who says to him, ‘You want to play, so you don’t play.’ So he will start the game and Brad Jones will be the second goalkeeper.” However when the team was named it seemed that something had changed because Fernando Torres had been relegated to the bench, Pepe Reina wasn't even in the matchday squad. After the game Roy explained Torres' ommission thusly "Following discussions with the conditioning people, they persuaded me to see the error of my ways. "I had a vision of Fernando going out there, having a great 45 minutes, it being good for his confidence, maybe scoring a goal and giving him a little lift."I was only going to play him for 45 minutes. He didn't play against Aston Villa and he was quite looking forward to playing."But when we sat down and we started to talk about it again, it seemed to me the disadvantages or potential disadvantages far outweighed any potential advantage." This seems strange in that if true, you have to ask why was he on the bench if it was decided prior to the game that he was never going to play. Now the simple fact is I completely agree that it was unnecessary to play Nando and risk injury in a game which meant nothing, but why make such a bold statement prior to the game? It was a case of putting your hand out to get slapped, the statement had the potential to make Roy look silly, and in the end, the statement did make him look silly.
So anyway, on with the crux of the article the Positives and Negatives.
POSITIVES
Martin Kelly: One of these days, definitely at some stage during the season I will have to tot up who appeared in the different sections of this feature each week and when I do I am sure Martin Kelly will have been one of the most occuring positives. His performances have been a shining light this season and this game was no exception. He attacked with verve and defended like a more experienced player. Regardless of the teams erratic form Martin Kelly has been consistent through the season.
Jonjo Shelvey: Another youngster performed well in the circumstances, he's only 19 but he looked stronger than his years aswell. He chased lost causes, put in hard tackles and played some creative intelligent passes and it was his strongest performance in a Liverpool shirt so far. Prior to the game the press had been comparing Jonjo to Steven Gerrard, I think that is most definitely pre-mature but in fairness he is a promising footballer who i am sure will improve if he is handled in the right way.
Aurellio's Return From Injury: Fabio Aurellio made his latest comeback from Injury against Utrecht and played pretty well, for a comeback game. We have been crying out for some competition for Konchesky at left back and it seems we finally have some. Hopefully Aurellio will come back into the squad, or at least push Konchesky to improve his current standards.
NEGATIVES
Joe Cole: Joe had a particularly poor game against Utrecht, he was wasteful in possesion and gave the ball away cheaply on most occasions. He also missed Liverpool's best 2 chances of the night, both inside the 6 yard box. Joe is having a crisis of confidence, we really need him to step up soon. There is no doubt that a fit, confident, on form Joe Cole would definitely mean an improvement to our play.
Poulson: I'm not going through it again, Poulson did his usual thing........
The Hamster Face Rub: You know when Liverpool are playing shite and your pissed off beyond belief and the camera goes on the dugout, you'r hoping to see your manager in total control dishing out instructions, reassuring you that he knows how to turn it around, but what do you see on Liverpool's bench? The Hamster Face Rub thats what! Its that rub Roy does with both hands where he vigarously rubs his face as if to warm up his brain, it makes him look like a man who has no idea what is going on. unfortunately i cant take credit for this term but it is pretty accurate.
No comments:
Post a Comment