(H) Manchester City - Pre Match Thoughts

                                                      Premier League

                                            Sunday 26th August 2012
                                                  Anfield

                                Liverpool VS Manchester City

What is often referred to as momentum in sport can sometimes be attributed to the domino effect.  Winning - and losing - becomes a habit and as such, results in the immediate past have an effect on those in the future.  Having beaten West Brom last week Brendan Rodgers' men would be feeling confident, knowing that any result against the champions would be a positive.  Now there's a little more pressure on the side to get something and give the season the kick start it needs.

Because I'm an idiot who uses backwards logic, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if our record in this game wasn't as good as it is.  It's been nearly ten years since since Man City have emerged victorious at Anfield and when you consider the great strides they've made in that time it's not a bad run at all.  I have this impending sense of "they're due one", which shouldn't impede the thought process of a rational person as often as it does.  If they're going to win, it will because of the sheer weight of great players they have on display.  Fortunately for us they're missing arguably their greatest threat.  Sergio Agüero is out of the game and I'm sure - along with the rest of us - Jamie Carragher must be ecstatic.

The subject of Liverpool's number 23 has been one of great debate over the last seven days.  His performance after being brought on last Saturday will have only increased the volume of his detractors.  There's no doubt whatsoever that big games bring out the best in Carra but I feel that playing him today would be a severe regression, for the club and especially Sebastián Coates.  If we are ever going to learn about the credentials of the man - regardless of how raw his talent is - now is that chance.  Should he fail and we go on to lose, Rodgers will have at the least learned something whereas going with the safe option in Jamie Carragher not only do you lose that knowledge, the question will still need to be asked of Coates somewhere down the line.  

In spite of all the pessimism that's been floating around recently, it is after all our first home game of the season - one that I always look forward to.  Last year, Anfield wasn't so much a fortress as an all you can eat buffet for teams to come and gorge themselves on as many points as they saw fit.  Opposition goalkeepers in particular thrived, although today were up against one in Joe Hart that doesn't really need any more building up.  Of the many things that we have to put right, the home form is at the centre of all that.  It's the foundation to which the success of all Premier League teams - regardless of ambition - is based.  I don't know whether it's an advantage or not that we're playing all these big games at Anfield so early on in the season but if we do manage to get through it relatively unscathed then it may be just the confidence boost that we need when the likes of Wigan and Stoke come to town.

For all the excitement that our new signings have generated - and Sahin does titillate the footballing taste-buds - it's a product of the Melwood academy that's everybody is talking about.  Raheem Sterling has a long career ahead of him, but it does feel as if we're at the point where his story starts to come good.  I  watched the Hearts game again recently, he's the kind of player whom you could very easily get carried away with.  Not only does he deserve his place in the squad but has to be pushing for a first team place.  Starting him today - much like Coates - could be a little bit of a risk, but definitely one worth taking.

Both managers are known for the pragmatic approach to which they oversee their respective teams.  With that in mind it's not too much of a stretch to suggest that we may be in for a real tactical battle today.  While that's very possible, I think that this game may very well fly in the face of that and be a very high tempered affair.  The home crowd will be rocking and as such with high profile contests like these, we'll ride that wave of support and get in their faces very early on and not let off.  Having said that, the problem with Manchester City - more so than pretty much any other side in the league - is that they have the talent at their disposal to score at any time, regardless of how they're playing at the time.  A clean sheet in this game will be very hard earned, for either side.

Against certain teams, it's fairly easy to predict what will happen.  Both City and Liverpool are teams that bring with them a certain unpredictability although Mancini has moved great strides into making them a very cohesive, consistent unit over the last few years.   I know that we have the quality to disrupt them, Lucas in particular shone so brightly in this fixture last year that it virtually nullified all his doubters in one consummate ninety minute performance.  There are still questions to be asked, such as whether Steven Gerrard can bounce back from his performance against West Brom and how big a part - if any - will Andy Carroll have to play following Borini's ninety minutes against Hearts in midweek?  Whether we win or lose there will be people claiming it's either the end of the world or we're the greatest team ever.  Though I'm not a fan of going overboard, I sincerely hope it's the latter.

(A) Hearts - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Hearts 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool Goal: Andy Webster (78 O.G)

Those expecting a classic were always going to be let down.  Much had been made prior to kick off of the inferiority of both our opponents and the league that they play in and as such, Tynecastle was always bound to be a little boisterous.  The starting line up had a nice blend of youth and experience, more or less as we expected.  Borini got his chance to impress in his favoured position and I was really looking forward to seeing what Sterling could do.  He didn't disappoint.

The first few minutes were always going to be about riding a wave.  West Brom did it on Saturday and - being a European game - Hearts were always going to come out of the blocks hard.  There was very little in those opening exchanges that gave any cause for alarm, save for a less than accomplished attempt at a tackle from Jonjo Shelvey.  For all the talent Shelvey does posses, this is one area of the game he needs to drastically change.  In particular the way he dives into these challenges, referees in the Premier League will not tolerate it.

Hearts controlled the early stages, without ever testing Pepe Reina in goal.  We kept the ball in patches, mostly playing through the left hand side and using Raheem Sterling as an outlet.  It's easy to forget just how young and raw Sterling is because for all the athleticism he possesses, there's a great deal of intelligence there in how he'll hold up the ball when necessary and go for the opposition's throat at other times.  Our only other player who had a great deal of possession was Charlie Adam, booed mercilessly throughout - by the opposition! - and certainly looking like a man with a point to prove.  It must be frustrating for all concerned, as Adam looks like a player whose confidence in himself is unyielding and feels the need to show it every time he's on the ball.  That he actually needs to prove to Brendan Rodgers this very point may encourage him to play this way even more, I can't think he's one that will ever subscribe to the theory of keeping it simple.

Ten minutes in and Hearts had Reina scrambling for the first time in the match.  The direct - in your face - style that they were implementing perfectly didn't translate to the creation of any real openings but as a result of their pressure had a succession of set pieces and speculative efforts from the edge of the penalty area.  This in turn made their fans turn up the volume even more and for large period of time we were simply unable to get a hold of the ball, let alone keep it.  If Brendan Rodgers was to be pleased about anything, it was that for all of their bluster the score was still goalless.

Having seemingly weathered the storm, we began to get a real foothold in the game and the pace of Sterling was a constant menace for the Hearts defence to have to deal with.   The home support become a little subdued as a result of our growing presence in the game but we were still a little untidy.  Neither Adam, Shelvey or Spearing got onto the ball with any real authority which forced Henderson to help out in that area of the park and in turn made Borini's task that much harder.  To his credit, he ran along the back line very well and was always an option for whomever had the ball.  Better supply and we might have been able to make more of the game than the few half chances that had been created.

After being pushed onto the back foot somewhat, Hearts turned up the pressure a little toward the end of the half.  Considering what happened at the weekend in being caught by a sucker-punch right on half time, it was important not to have a repeat.  As it happened, the reverse nearly came true.  Sterling's great vision saw him cut out a ball across the back line and put him through on goal.  Rather than take the shot himself he unselfishly laid the ball off to Fabio Borini, whose shot cannoned off the post.  It would have been the perfect end to a disjointed first half from our perspective and even though we had hardly been at our best, the game was still there for the taking.

With the second half underway, Hearts again went for it.  I thought we looked a little sharper from the restart and matched them very well despite the roars of the partisan home crowd.  Away from home - especially in Europe - you're going to have to accept that the opposition will have either the ball or dictate certain aspects of the game and as such all you can do is play well enough not to succumb to anything while under said pressure.  We did that quite well for the most part, and there was always room to step up a level and take it away from them.

Attacking wise, it was all about Raheem Sterling.  He continued to show why he's so highly rated and performances like these will do no harm to the general excitement surrounding him at the moment.  It was difficult to get a head of steam and exert some concerted pressure because the midfield were lacking in any real quality.  Charlie Adam was wasteful but at the very least he was direct and kept trying to make something happen.  Jonjo Shelvey on the other hand was lost completely, looking like he didn't really know what his role in the team was.  He was in that difficult "not quite defensive, not quite attacking" role in the middle of the park but will certainly have to do better than this if he wants more first team opportunities.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention.  If Brendan Rodgers is to make the most out of the players that he has at his disposal, playing the way he wants them to play, then the question of what he is to do in the full back area is one that keeps reappearing.  Bringing on Stewart Downing for Jack Robinson at the sixty minute mark was a bold move to say the least.  If the Europa League is to be a competition for which you experiment with the level of players that are used, then it can also be a chance to try little things like having Downing at left back - something which could in theory work to great effect against the lesser sides, given the system.

Though our first change may have been unusual, the second was much more straightforward.  Joe Allen came on for Jay Spearing, giving an assurance of passing to our indifferent midfield.  There's something - whether it's a mental thing or not - about having a player who simply doesn't give the ball away with regard to how at ease everyone around suddenly becomes.  When you hear Rodgers talk about resting with the ball, with Joe Allen it's easy to see how that works across the team.  With the game winding down, you could have been forgiven for thinking that Liverpool were actually winning such was their relaxed attitude in possession.  Of course, the return leg at Anfield next week made it so that there was no need to go overboard in chasing a winner.  And then the goal came.

We had overloaded their left hand side with Sterling, Downing and Adam all in close proximity to each other near the flank.  When Downing cut infield and gave it to Henderson, there was always going to be room for the fullback on the opposite side and Martin Kelly needed no invitation in bombing forward.  Jordan's ball out to him was sublime, cutting across the grass and landing right at his feet in full stride.  Kelly's cross was a good one and Borini's position meant that the defender was in the unenviable position of simply being in the way of the football.   When Fabio outstretched a leg and missed, the ball hit Webster and into the back of the net for a precious away goal.

There were just under fifteen minutes left to protect the lead and we appeared determined to hold the ball for what time remained.  Joe Allen stepped back in between the centre halves as we knocked the ball around at the back for a few minutes, happy to let the clock tick down.  Given that this was Hearts' big chance of getting anything out of the tie, I was a little surprised that they didn't mount any kind of onslaught.  There were a couple of - what you would barely call - half chances, but one goal down I suppose they're still in the tie as opposed to going gung-ho in the closing stages and running the risk of conceding again and almost certainly being out of it.

Overall, Rodgers will be very pleased with what he saw and what his team accomplished tonight.  They may have rode their luck in the early goings but even having said that Pepe Reina barely had a save to make.  We'll certainly hope to be a lot better than this in the second leg but in knockout football it's the result that matters most.  The crowd and tempo set by Hearts was always going to make it difficult but a team made up of youth and fringe players had it in them to get the job done and see it through to the end.

(A) Hearts - Pre Match Thoughts

                            Europa League Qualifying Round 1st Leg

                                          Thursday 23rd August 2012
                                             Tynecastle

                                       Hearts VS Liverpool

The only way to erase the memories of a game like Saturday is to get onto the pitch and create new, better ones.  Brendan Rodgers and his team have travelled up to Scotland in the hope of doing just that, while in the process hopefully getting a positive result to take back with them to Anfield for the second leg in a weeks time.

Much like the Europa League itself, the rivalry between English and Scottish clubs has seen better days.  The downfall of Rangers is only the tip of the iceberg and whereas players from the top clubs north of the border could easily come down and command a hefty transfer fee, more often than not in recent years they have been courted the Championship rather than the Premier League, a stark indication of their decline in quality.  With Rangers now having been demoted to the third tier, there is now room - however briefly - for someone to step up and take their place at the top table alongside Celtic.  It's unlikely any team will be well positioned to challenge them for the title - at least for now - but with a Champions League qualification spot up for grabs, Hearts are better positioned than most to rise to that challenge and take that injection of cash.  Tonight will be a major test of those credentials, to see whether they have what it takes to hold court with major European opposition.

After having been discarded at this stage of the competition by Spurs last season, Hearts boss John McGlynn will be determined to avoid a repeat of the five goal thrashing that saw them all but out of the competition even before the second leg.  Despite playing a reserve team throughout the competition last year, Tottenham played the majority of a senior side last year featuring the likes of Bale, Van Der Vaart, Lennon and Defoe so Brendan Rodgers will have to get the balance between youth and experience right if we are to take something out of tonight's game.  The one positive coming from Daniel Agger's red card at the weekend means that he is a certainty to play tonight, so at the very least we will have some experience at the heart of the team even if it's being used as a chance for others to impress.

Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson have all left out of the squad, Enrique may still have a slight knock and new signing Oussama Assaidi is cup tied having played in a previous round for Heerenveen.  The fringe players such as Andy Carroll, Jay Spearing and Charlie Adam are all potential starters but also there's room for the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jack Robinson and even Adam Morgan who has been linked with at the very least a place on the bench.  While it's important not to get too carried away with the supposed inferiority of our opponents (because everyone loves to joke about the SPL), the fans at Tynecastle will be more than pumped up for this one.  As such it will be an important step in the development of some of our younger players should they get the chance to feature.  We also have the safety net of a second leg at Anfield next week should things go wrong.

There's something about a European night that makes everything that much more exciting.  Travelling up to Edinburgh isn't exactly the most far flung journey we will have ever made but it's a stop along the way on a trip that will hopefully end in Amsterdam next year.  Nobody knows what's going to happen between now and the end of the season, there are people already who see this game as something of an inconvenience with what happened at West Brom and Man City laying in wait for us on Sunday.  It's almost certainly going to be difficult and after this stage it will only get worse.  However, we had no European football whatsoever last year and I was away during the two clashes with Gomel.  I've missed nights like these - and I fully intend to enjoy it.