A couple of days has passed now since our 5-0 victory Spurs, but such was the impact of this result, Liverpool fans all over the world are still basking in its glory. Thankfully this result just confirms what many of us believed since the start of the season, Liverpool will be crowned champions in May. Of course that's not actually what this means, no single game played in December could confirm that no matter how impressive. What this result does so however is give Brendan Rodgers a base camp or platform on which he can build. It gives him a reference point he can use in future to point doubters toward to assuage their skepticism Up till now we had seen glimpses at best of where we might be headed. We had witnessed some good periods of play, strong halves and fought to gain some confidence building results but up until Sunday we were yet to put all these aspects together into one 90 minute performance.
Expectations can only have been raised by such a performance and that is not only natural it is exactly what we need, we don't have to feel like pretenders to the thrown anymore. This results shows that our current league position if fully justified and has been achieved through our own merits. Everyone connected with the club is obviously on a high right now but there is an imminent test for Rodgers to prepare for immediately. It's his job to ensure that confidence isn't allowed to morph into complacency. He won't need to look too far as a reference point for disappointment, the recent abject performance against Hull will remind everyone how quickly a club seemingly on the crest of a wave can change to one being touted as pretenders. A win against Cardiff at home this coming Saturday is expected and has to be considered a must. Anything less than 3 points pretty much wipes out the achievements in London. Once Cardiff leave Liverpool we embark upon preparations for an extremely difficult Christmas period which includes away fixtures versus both Chelsea and City. We need to make sure they leave empty handed
Now for somewhere talking points from the Spurs game...
Pressing
I think the most frustrating part of the season, so far, for me has been the pressing. We've been inconsistent at best with regard to pressing. Although results have been good I've frequently worried that it would be impossible for us to control games in the manner proffered by Rodgers unless we were able to master this vital component of that style. Sundays performance more than tempered my concerns as we harried or opponents into mistakes in dangerous areas time after time. One or two players focussing on pressing is what has caused us trouble in previous games. Against Spurs we got the team approach spot on, with the midfielders and Suarez responding to triggers instantaneously to hunt the opposition in packs. After almost 1.5 seasons it seems the pressing style mentioned by Rodgers upon his appointment may be starting to come together.
That Flanagan Goal!
I honestly can't tell you the last goal I enjoyed so much. Of course it was a great goal, made all the better by smashing in off the bar but mainly because of the pure and unbridled joy all over the face of the young Liverpuddlian. He looked like he had been introduced to the action directly from the Kop ten minutes beforehand. I think by now everyone has identified his improvement leaving few questioning his credentials as a Liverpool player. His primary role is not that of a goalscorer but having dangerous players all over the pitch is what marks or great sides.
See, we’re better without Gerrard
I’ve heard this said by plenty of people in the aftermath of the game and I want to speak about it briefly. My opinion is that rather than this game providing proof that Steven Gerrard should be dropped from the starting 11, this game showed that we now have several options in midfield, Gerrard is just one of them. In many situations he can still be the best option but maybe this doesn’t have to be every week anymore. 1 for 1, we still dont yet have any 1 individual midfielder who can provide the magic that Gerrard has the ability to bring, in fairness very few teams do, but in his absence the sum of the alternatives can be better in his absence. Players like Henderson and Allen certainly stepped up to the plate in this instance ably supported by Sterling and Lucas but of the players just named, 3 are lacking in the experience needed and 1 is still trying to rediscover his best form after coming back from injury. Inexperience can bring the inconsistency that Hendo, Allen and Sterling have shown so-far in their Liverpool careers and the experience provided by Gerrard can guide them through these difficult stages. Regardless of that even, his statistics still show he is a fine addition to our squad. If the learnings from this game enable Rodgers to bench his Captain due to fatigue, poor form or purely tactical reasons in future, well that to me is an improvement on the season so far.
Quick hits
Sakho was immense, he quickly seems to
finding his feet in the league . He looks strong powerful and comfortable on
the ball. Once acclimatised I really feel he will become one of the strongest
defenders in the league
Sterling had without doubt his best
performance in the first team to date. He looked hungry, he pressed
relentlessly and showed great skill in tight situations at times. He needs to
maintain this form though as plenty will remain unconvinced after 1 (albeit
excellent) performance.
The form of
both Lucas and Johnson improved again for this game. Neither was impeccable but an
improvement was needed and it was given. Lets hope this continues
Another cameo
from Alberto who also seems to be
finding his place in this side. He is showing signs of becoming a viable first
11 option. He has a long way to go yet but passes like the one for Suarez’s 2nd
will live long in the memory.
Clean Sheet...... well it was about bloody time!
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