Wednesday 30 January 2013

(A) Arsenal - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League
                                  Wednesday 30th January 2013
                                               The Emirates
                                       Arsenal VS Liverpool


There is no time whatsoever for anyone to dwell on what happened at Oldham as we go to Arsenal for potentially one of the defining fixtures of the season. The next two games are arguably our most difficult and if we can get through them without any real damage then we'll be set up to make a run at the top four. Losing tonight would all but put an end to that.

If nothing else, what should have happened after our FA Cup defeat is that everyone should be completely focused on this game and getting back to winning ways as quickly as possible. There's a tendency to take Arsenal too lightly - especially by me - but the truth is that until we can oust them, they are above us for a reason. Their degree of mental instability might be far and above any of the problems we have right now but that doesn't discount the sheer quality that they have at their disposal. The Gunners are a side as likely to give a game to you as anything else but tonight I don't want us to give them that chance. We must take it from them right at the start.

The signing of Coutinho now complete, albeit far too late for any part in this game - which is a shame, I think it would have been a good one for him to make a late cameo in - we're going to have to go back to what we know works best in order to get something from this game. That means three rather than four attackers and a midfield headed by Jordan Henderson so he is able to get in their faces. This will be a game where space will be at an absolute premium so we cannot allow Arsenal the room that we afforded Manchester United.

Most importantly tonight, I'm really hoping that Rodgers gets it right from the start. Regardless of scoreline, every match we've played away from home against a team above us so far this season it's involved a major shake up at half time. While it's a positive thing that Rodgers has it in him to be bold enough to make those changes, I think tonight we need to be brave enough in our approach so that they aren't necessary.

As is ever the case with a high profile encounter, this one result will change the complexion of Brendan Rodgers and our season thus far. Sometimes that's not entirely fair or accurate but the difference between being potentially four points off fourth and level with Arsenal and being ten with Manchester City still to play on Sunday is huge. I'm expecting a massive reaction from the players after an embarrassing performance against Oldham. Prior to that things were really starting to look up, a team that could seemingly score at will and had bags of potential. I really hope we see that Liverpool tonight.

Sunday 27 January 2013

(A) Oldham - Pre Match Thoughts

FA Cup
                                   Sunday 27th January 2013
                                             Boundary Park
                                Oldham Athletic VS Liverpool

There's nothing like the presense of a real underdog to strengthen the resolve within a team. Of course, the - horrifying - alternative is that they shatter your confidence completely.  Nobody other than those associated with Liverpool Football Club will be wanting a win for us today because the cup upset - the giant killing - is one of footballs great events. The thing about that however is that when it all comes down to it, no-one else actually matter. It's all about the well being of Liverpool, as we look to get a step closer to Wembley and the final in May.

Our squad - despite being in the immediate process of reinforcement - still isn't the biggest. Certainly not to be able to withstand three games in seven days - two of which are against three of the Premier League's top two last year - without any drop off in quality. This nonsensical idea of disrespecting the FA Cup - regardless of result - means very little but the very real notion of winning a trophy is one that appeals greatly, despite everything that went on last year. With Arsenal waiting on Wednesday, as ever a balance must be struck.

With changes in mind there are certain names that spring immediately to mind. I really want to see Sebastian Coates get some much needed game time as well as Fabio Borini, who would be incredibly well served to get himself on the scoresheet. Conversely, because of the importance of the game at the Emirates in midweek other players are ruled out of contention for fear of burn out on a less than ideal pitch. I would be very surprised if one of Agger, Lucas and Gerrard took to the field this afternoon.  Sturridge could make history with his fourth goal in four stars and I'm sure Suarez will be foaming at the mouth to get on as I expect him to be on the bench.

Games like this are never the highlight of a players career (unlike our opposition for some of whom this may be true) but in order to get to those days, you must first get the job done here.  It was just over a year ago that we played Oldham at Anfield and on that day they took the lead. Though we went on to win comfortably that day, if we are to be slack enough to give them that kind of momentum it will take one hell of an effort to wrestle it back.

I'm not expecting an easy game, despite the gap between us in terms of resources and league position. It's just not in the Liverpool DNA - certainly of the teams I've seen in my lifetime - to steamroller lower league opposition. Having said that I fully expect us to have the kind of quality in terms of players and chances so that the final third of this game be rendered almost inconsequential. Their task is to put themselves in the history books of Oldham Athletic. Our job is to make sure that doesn't happen.

Saturday 19 January 2013

(H) Norwich - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League
                                  Saturday 19th January 2013
                                                  Anfield
                                       Liverpool VS Norwich

In the run of fixtures that will see us travel to all of last seasons top three, it could be argued that this is the most important. It's our most likely source of a victory and how we need one after last weeks defeat at the hands of Man United. Failure to pick up three points today with City and Arsenal to come would feel like a disaster and send those nervous voices into panic mode. In that sense we must make sure it doesn't happen.

All eyes are on the teamsheet today for it might be the most offensive line up we've been able to field for quite some time. I think it's likely that we'll play Sturridge and Suarez up front with Sterling completing the attacking three as Borini continues his comeback from injury but it is possible we could go in with three forwards or even the suggested possibility of including all four of them. Unlikely as that sounds right now - for it would seriously impact our midfield and invite them onto us in that area a little - there will come a time when we'll have to unleash it and the prospect however reckless sounds mouthwatering indeed.

For one member of our attacking force, this team represents a chance to continue a run which has seen him score six goals in his last two encounters. Admittedly they were both away from home but Luis Suarez appears to have acquired the taste for canary blood and today that will be something I hope continues. His comments in the week have all but assured he will not be given any leeway in regard to refereeing decisions but when you consider that in the reverse fixture he was fouled three times in the same move and still didn't get a penalty, maybe he's used to it by now. Also, with all Norwich eyes being on Suarez, Sturridge may be able to repeat what happened last week and pick up the scraps. It's good to finally have attacking options.

Norwich and Chris Houghton have slipped under the radar for much of this season. In the exact same way that they were earning plaudits for their good results and fantastic play last year, this time around all that seems to have been taken for granted somewhat. After we went to Carrow Road and beat them convincingly, victories over Man United and Arsenal followed. They've had their rocky period as all teams in this league do but they're a deceptively simple prospect and also what with the weather as of late being incredibly cold this could easily be a game which we're made to pay for a lack of concentration.

They may not be the most fashionable of opponents but we need to treat this one like it's a cup final. Getting points on the board is imperative at this stage of the season and what's more a win today would also represent another two points gained on last season as this was another one of those frustrating draws at Anfield.  We've got more than enough in terms of ability and now there's the added bonus of there being some variety to our play rather than it all coming down to Suarez. After the disappointment of last week, only three points will do. Otherwise we could be looking at a very bleak winter indeed.

Thursday 17 January 2013

Playing By The Numbers

An entity can moves either forward or backward but the composite sum of its parts may move in many different ways, all in an attempt to create some momentum. Because standing still is the fast track to failure actions are taken in any direction to prevent inertia. Whether or not those individual pieces are broken or not capable of doing that job that is required of them can only be seen over time.
Progress is defined by the distance one travels between their starting point and an ultimate goal. For Liverpool, the intermediate goal is a swift return to Champions League football and using the money that brings with it to attract the right players to the club that would allow it to challenge for the title. Simply engaging in a round robin contest for fourth place is not enough. In regard to that aim, the idea of finishing in the top four is too narrow-minded a view and does not address any of the problems that would inhibit Brendan Rodgers and his team move on to the next level should they find themselves in a position to qualify for the Champions League at some point. There must be a better way to measure how far the team has yet to go.
The table never lies, so says the cliché First and foremost, the notion of fourth place as a barometer gets thrown out of the window immediately, for there have been many different points tallies that would get you to that financially sacred hallmark. In 2003-04, Gerard Houllier’s last season in charge of Liverpool and one that would eventually set them up on the road to Istanbul with a top four finish and entry to the qualifiers, 57 points was the mark (Liverpool finishing on 60, Everton on 56). To put some perspective on how much things have changed since then, last year Liverpool in a unanimously condemned campaign amassed 52. Rather unsurprisingly, fourth become a lot harder to reach.
Setting a benchmark in terms of a points tally seems so simplistic it veers on condescension. Before a team sets out to finish first or seventeenth, they must first assess how many points are required and then set about amassing them in the best way possible. The only difference between those challenging higher up the table than those scrapping for survival will be the room for error within those targets. In recent history there has been a leveling out of the quality within the top division. Those teams that possess talented players are more evenly spread than they were some five or six years ago. This is not a reflection on the quality, more so an indication of the task teams are faced with in increasingly difficult financial climate.
City and Chelsea are exempt from this while sides like Spurs and Everton have caught up in addition to the decline over time of Arsenal and Liverpool. With that being said there’s a number of teams vying for what appears to be one space at the head of the table in regard to English football. The gap between what’s required for a third and fifth place finish appears to be getting smaller all the time. It’s gone from twenty points at the end of 08-09 to just five. Both then and now the line appears to be around the seventy point mark. Even that – which might not be enough – would still require an additional 29 points from the remaining sixteen games, a consistency which has evaded Liverpool for some time. So is there nothing left to aim for? Not quite.
Undertaking a journey like this, it’s very easy to see the long road ahead and feel overwhelmed by the amount of work still left to do. There are some out there unsure as to whether all this change has been for the better. People get angry – sometimes understandably so – about mistakes that have been made, both now and in the past. In a sport so unpredictable as this however, the human factor cannot be ignored and it’s near impossible to go through 38 games and be completely error free. Once they’re done, there is no erasing them from history and the easiest thing to do is to put them right as soon as possible. In terms of the disastrous league season, Brendan Rodgers is doing just that.
Of the 22 games Liverpool have played last year, they have gained points overall on the equivalent fixture. It becomes very difficult when factoring in the three relegated sides and who to assign them to so in this case every possible scenario has been explored with each of Reading, Southampton and West Ham playing the part of Wolves, Bolton and Blackburn. So far the results vary but all off them see more points accrued, with a maximum return of being seven points better off.
The potential problem with looking back this way is that because of how bad things were in the league Rodgers may be being given too low a bar to overcome. All that depends on how high he goes above it, which is something to be judged in the summer. If the trend of turning the disappointing defeats into wins (Fulham & Wigan at Anfield, QPR away) continues then it won’t be by a few points that the target is beaten and it will be much closer to the grander prize of the aforementioned seventy point mark which could earn Liverpool a top four place. Even if the team came fifth or sixth with a total like this, it would represent a massive turnaround. Something that will be heavily impacted one way or another by what happens in the coming weeks.
Having to go to Old Trafford as well as the Emirates and the Etihad in quick succession was never going to easy. The idea of picking points up at these places is a difficult one, let alone when all three come in quick succession Following the defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, a huge emphasis will be placed on the visit of Norwich to Anfield this Saturday. It’s importance is not just on getting back on track in the face of a difficult run of games but also it’s another chance to pick up more points on last, even more so when doubled with the fact that anything less than a win at Arsenal the following week represents a loss.
Whatever happens in the games against Norwich, Arsenal and Manchester City – it is the following chapter that will come to define Brendan Rodgers’ first year in charge of Liverpool. Three home games with a trip to Wigan sandwiched in between; West Brom, Swansea and Tottenham. These four games put together accrued an abysmal total of three points in the previous season, meaning that a solitary victory in any of those games will match it. Only one team of the twenty in the Premier League matters right now and those above it can do what they want, so long as Brendan Rodgers and his men continue to pick up points wherever they can. For now Liverpool can ignore the table and concentrate on winning. Maybe then at the end of the campaign it will make for happy reading.

Sunday 13 January 2013

(A) Manchester United - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League
                                   Sunday 13th January 2013
                                              Old Trafford
                              Manchester United VS Liverpool


It's a place which strikes fear into the weak hearted. A stadium like no other, for many an opponent is already beaten just by it's sheer presence. Coming here represents the biggest challenge in English football. It's a task no-one is expecting us to complete and for that reason I cannot wait for the game to begin. When the stakes are like this, with nothing to lose and everything to gain, when Liverpool Football Club is backed into a corner; one which we are not expected to get out of, that is when we are at our most dangerous. I am not afraid.

The pressure that comes with this fixture cannot be underestimated. Not just for the players but the officials. With the perception being that United are more often than not being favoured by referees and this being one they want to win more than most, it is up to Howard Webb to make sure that he is not intimidated by the crowd of levity of the occasion itself. Having taken charge of a world cup final, some would say that's unlikely to happen. Others would say that this is likely to be more intense than a world cup final.

From whichever angle you care to gaze upon, it's hard not to focus on Luis Suarez. Whether you're focus is on the negative and the potential for controversy or - like me - you see his ability as the key to an unlikely victory. I'm not sure as to whether Rodgers will be bold enough to go with Sturridge up top as well as Suarez and although I'd like to hope we have that kind of courage I can fully understand should we opt to have him on the bench. There's also the very remote possibility that Fabio Borini who has returned to training as of late is well enough to make the bench, which would be a massive plus for us in terms of options. United don't have the best of defensive records this season but we're hardly best placed to capitalize on that. We need all the firepower we can get.

I don't know what seems more improbable. The fact that Robin van Persie went from Arsenal to Manchester United in the first place or that he appears to have gotten even better than he was last season. Of all the players in world football right now I think only three (Falcao, Messi & Ronaldo) would strike more fear into the heart of a defence and given his ability to put away even so much as a half chance I'm not sure whether we're going to be able to keep him out. This could be a game in which we're going to have to punch ourselves out and attempt to come out on top of a goalfest because of the level of attacking power they have at their disposal. Keeping van Persie quiet will be no guarantee of anything, but it will go a long way toward getting something from the game.

Brendan Rodgers has an opportunity. He is not expected to win this game and as such we should be able to play with a great deal of freedom. I would like to see a glimpse of the future here today for even though the gap between the two clubs may be vast right now the hope is that our football can be something of a leveller. If we can come here and impose our will on them in the same way that we did at Anfield then the future looks very bright indeed. Even if we fall short and are caught valiantly on our sword, at least we will have tried. Regardless of what happens however, no matter how much they may hurt us and revel in that fact, it won't be all over at the end of the game. As a matter of fact, we've only just begun.


Sunday 6 January 2013

(A) Mansfield - Pre Match Thoughts

FA Cup
                                   Sunday 6th January 2013
                                                  Field Mill
                                     Mansfield VS Liverpool


It's that time again. A weekend where the cliche is king. The third round of the FA Cup and a chance for a member of the lower leagues to match up with footballing royalty. Being paired against a non league side, we are the giant looking to not be killed. Losing is unthinkable. Impossible. Football - and especially this competition - does have a way of ignoring those kind of things. But not today. Surely.

Losing the final last year and what happened in the aftermath removed the gloss from what was a very memorable campaign. A last gasp winner over Manchester United and a glorious come from behind victory over Everton in the semi final. These games and memories should never be diminished for those feelings of joy were a reward unto themselves  What happens now is that we create new ones, some that could perhaps burn even brighter and end up with the right result at Wembley in May.

There isn't a lot anyone can say about our opponents for fear of patronising them or trying to laden the occasion with insincere significance. The cup does provide these clashes of disparity and a welcome break from the monotony of playing the same faces week in week out. I may not know much about the club or their players but that's the joy of it and I'm looking forward to the game as it's a journey into the unknown.  Also, having played against lower division sides in the past and the disdain with which they have for us it's nice to see Mansfield show support for the 96.  A touching gesture and one which makes me think very highly of them.

With no game in midweek, the door is open for Rodgers to play as strong a side as he likes. The likelihood is that due to the nature of what we're expecting from our opponents - both in terms of mentality and conditions - and also the fact that a trip to Man United awaits next Sunday, that more than a few players will find themselves being rested. Gerrard, Agger, Skrtel, Reina, Lucas, Allen, Downing, Johnson, Sterling the list of candidates for omission is long. I expect Coates and Carragher to come in at center back and any number of changes around them. Wisdom, Pacheco, Robinson, Coady, all could feature pending the managers approval. Up front however is where we'll see the most intriguing activity. Suarez might want to play but will have to settle for a place on the bench. Today should mark the debut of Daniel Sturridge. I'm looking forward to seeing him and really hoping he can hit the ground running.

Every passing spectator who doesn't have Liverpool at heart will be hoping for an upset and though the task may be daunting, every tackle that's won and every chance they can create will give them hope. Regardless of circumstance it's eleven against eleven and as such the onus is on Liverpool to make that superiority count. I'm hoping we can do that early and often, purely for atheistic sake more than anything else. The longer the game goes without a goal the scrappier it will get. If we score quickly, we may score often. I can only hope that it's going to be as comfortable on the pitch as it is in my mind.

Wednesday 2 January 2013

(H) Sunderland - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League
                                        Wednesday 3rd January 2013
                                                  Anfield
                                   Liverpool VS Sunderland


We come into the new year still cautiously optimistic but all the same worried about the consistency - or should that be lack thereof - in terms of league performance. The good wins over Fulham and QPR were mixed in with abominable performances and results against both Aston Villa and Stoke. What we need to do now is buck the trend and put another good on the board. Let's start 2013 in the right way and not be playing catch up from the beginning, shall we?

Over the years, Sunderland have amassed a seeming litany of managers whom aren't exactly at the top of my Christmas card list. Roy Keane, Steve Bruce and Martin O'Neill. Just the thought of them is enough to send a cold shiver down my spine. Surprisingly, most of my rage is saved for the incumbent Sunderland manager for at least the other two aren't regarded as footballing geniuses when their record suggests otherwise. Having watched Sunderland's struggles this year I can't help but raise a smile. O'Neill is a decent motivator and credible tactician certainly, but the style he employs (without the same criticism levelled at Stoke or an Allardyce side) I can't help but enjoy them.

After enduring a terrible run of form earlier on in the season, Sunderland appeared to have woken up with back to back victories including one over current champions Manchester City. Spurs then went to the Stadium of Light and beat them on Saturday so they'll be looking to bounce back. Their record at Anfield isn't too bad in recent seasons either with each of their last two visits ending in frustrating draws. Coming to Anfield and escaping with a point last year on the opening day was the beginning of what would be a season littered with home disappointments. I'm looking to see us underline our commitment to reclaiming Anfield by making sure that doesn't happen again.

Our luck with injuries (or specifically Jose Enrique's) continues to disrupt the flow of the team. Moving Stewart Downing to left back could disrupt the decent run of form he has found himself in and so it could mean a return to the side for Andre Wisdom. That would in turn mean a potential unsettling of Glen Johnson and moving him over to the left hand side so as ever the question of balance remains ever pertinent.  Other than that the team more or less picks itself, with the exception of whether Rodgers will go for Allen or Henderson as I imagine Lucas will come back into the team following his rest against QPR on Sunday.

This appears to be one of those times during a season which we've failed to capitalize on so many times. The fixture itself isn't exactly the most difficult - in spite of the threat presented by Stephen Fletcher - and we're coming into it on the back of a resounding victory. Confidence and common sense would suggest that there is only one winner tonight but I'm all too aware of our power to stumble when there appears to be nothing which would make us fall over. Including this game there are two others to be played at Anfield in January and the other fixtures loom large (away at Manchesters United and City as well as Arsenal) as such we cannot afford to show any mercy.