(A) Everton - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Everton 2-2 Liverpool
Everton Goals: Leon Osman (22), Steven Naismith (35)
Liverpool Goals: Leighton Baines O.G (14), Luis Suárez (20)

The first Merseyside derby with Brendan Rodgers in charge was an absolute roller-coaster ride that ended with that familiar sense of not having quite managed to have a points tally that matched up to our performance.  As far as the team was concerned it was disappointing that Glen Johnson was unable to recover from the injury picked up in the Europa League but a chance for Jose Enrique to pick up where he left off against Reading, other than that it was a little surprising to actually see Pepe Reina on the bench but showed faith in Brad Jones who fully deserved his chance.

It ended with an incorrect offside decision and so it began.  Everton played the ball in directly to Steven Naismith who was ahead of all the red shirts only for Jose Enrique to concede an early corner.  From here the counter attack looked very much on but Enrique's follow up pass as he tried to bend it round for Sterling was poor.  The early exchanges were every bit what you would expect, with their players putting us under constant pressure but we were bright enough and always on the look out for the next pass.  Though it was a little congested in midfield, Everton did have their share of the ball.  What we did look to do was get in behind them very quickly when taking it off them.  Enrique played in Suarez down the left hand side and while he was able to take it in and face up with Jagielka, the pass then back to Suso slowed the move down, with the young Spaniard watched carefully for his eventually cross to arrive safely into the hands of Tim Howard.  At the other end a ball through very nearly put Naismith in on goal but he too was watched carefully by Martin Skrtel, with Brad Jones alert enough to come out and take it off his toes.

Everton's movement in attacking areas was going to have to be watched carefully given what was evident in the opening few minutes.  Naismith popped up all over the place and tried to make a nuisance of himself as often as possible while Fellaini was always a threat and an option should Everton choose to use him.  On the other side, Kevin Mirallas created the first real opening of the game.  Picking the ball up on the half way line, he strode forward and simply kept on running.  Direct, full of pace and energy, his dangerous looking cross was knocked over the top by Skrtel for a corner, of which a second quickly followed.  For us, Suarez was making his usual drifting movements, always keen to be involved as much in the build up as the goal itself.  One thing we were always able to do with him was get it to stick and build a platform but from here it broke down somewhat, with Sahin and Sterling having a breakdown in communication and the Turkish midfielder having it taken from him having stood on it for too long.  Both teams were a little rash in possession, although it was a credit that this was mostly due to the pressure being applied by the side without the ball.  Having just about settled into the game things were about to get a whole lot better.

A simple ball in by Suso down the left hand side completely unlocked their defence and Enrique was in.  He took hold of it and flashed it across the box, where Raheem Sterling went down under a challenge.  Before anyone could even put their hands in the air and enquire about a penalty, Suarez picked it up and took over. In trying to drill it into the far corner, the ball hit Leighton Baines and into the Everton net to give us the lead.  Scoring at Goodison Park is enough to anger the Everton faithful but Suarez's celebration went one better.  After Moyes had been talking up in the press all week about Luis and diving, the Uruguyan having provided the goal ran over to the technical area and flopped in front of the Everton bench, is it any wonder we love him?

With almost no real goalmouth action prior to the opener, it rattled the home side and equally gave us a little boost in confidence.  They managed to pin us back with a succession of throw ins down by the penalty area on the right hand side but we stood up to them and eventually managed to clear.  When Sterling went running away on the counter, it was nothing more than a release of the pressure but the free kick that Leon Osman gave away would punish Everton even further.  Steven Gerrard's ball in was good, Everton's marking was not.  Luis Suarez headed the ball beyond Tim Howard to double the lead and send the reds into dreamland.  It then very quickly turned into a nightmare.

People talk about being completely switched on and concentrating for the period directly after you score a goal so much so that it's a cliché.  Here proved exactly why such sentiments exist.  Fellaini and Naismith combined to win a corner, for which Brad Jones came and failed to command the situation for the first time in a long time and was punished for it.  His punch back to the edge of the box fell straight to Leon Osman who took a touch to set himself and slotted the ball into the corner.  Everton with a goal back and a lot of  impetuous, backed by their supporters and a renewed energy from the players.  At this point Brendan Rodgers would have wanted his men to get on the ball and settle things down, both the tempo and the occasion needed cooling, unfortunately we were unable to get it off them.  The one chance we did manage to wrestle control, Suso went for the booming long pass to Sterling on the counter rather than holding onto it.  Though the intentions were well meant - to try and get back at Everton on the break - simply trying to keep it and away from them is something that will come with experience.

Everton were direct and looked menacing whenever they went forward.  Mirallas in particular looked to be causing problems whenever he was involved with the play.  The pressure was mounting and Skrtel was forced to head wide for a corner.  Having punched the set play that lead to Everton's goal, Jones decided that this time he would come out and claim it only to not quite get there in trying to force his way through a load of bodies.  Fortunately the referee looked kindly on him and awarded us the free kick.  With the game having been almost turned by a sudden goal for the home side, another one for us would almost certainly do the same.  As ever it was Suarez at  the heart of the matter, taking the ball inside and shooting agonisingly wide.  In an attacking sense that was pretty much all we had.  It was all Everton.

Andre Wisdom has been such a rock in his early Liverpool career it's very easy to forget that he is still learning and developing.  Every footballer will have games like these and that it just so happened to come in the derby is unfortunate but ultimately understandable.  Mirallas was giving him a real hard time on the flank and when he was caught on the ball Everton nearly went through for their second, only for Jelavic to get his ball through to Fellaini wrong and the Belgian to knock it just wide.  Another wave of attack wasn't far away, this time it came when Leighton Baines was too quick for Sterling and forced the youngster into making a challenge that would ultimately earn him a booking.  Fellaini was now seemingly the centre of the universe with the football being drawn toward that rather large afro of his.  A thorn in our sides at every juncture, it was increasingly difficult to deal with as our midfield flattened out a little and became incredibly disjointed.  Allen and Gerrard were appearing on the right, with Sahin at times trying to get up alongside Suarez.   Not that they weren't trying to do what was needed and get us back some composure in the game but it left us ragged in the middle which in turn allowed them a little more freedom and space in the attacking third.

Crowd pressure can sometimes get to referees, it also on occasion works against them.  When Joe Allen tried to play through Sterling and he collided with Leighton Baines once more, the Goodison Park faithful were baying for a red card.  In spite of the protests from the fans - and indeed Tim Howard who ran a fair few yards to give his say on the matter - Sterling was instead given a talking to by Andre Marriner.  At least now we were starting to get out of our own half a little bit more often.  Though the atmosphere had not yet died down there was more of a sense that there was only one team trying to score, Sahin and Suarez linking up inside the box after Suso had driven the ball inside.  From this small shoot of recovery came the hammer blow.  Andre Wisdom was unfortunate to concede a throw in that came off an Everton boot and from here we were made to pay.  Mirallas put in a poor ball from the right, so much so that it hit Fellaini.  He was the only one to react to it however as the entire defence shut off completely and his cross was converted by Steven Naismith.  Two goals up and the game was now level.

At this point, the game was poised to turn into an absolute mess.  With ten minutes left to go before the break, another Everton goal would really test our mindset and so it was important that at the very least we were strong enough to see it out.  Gerrard tried to make some inroads on the right, before Sterling and Enrique linked up on the left.  Either side there was no way through and they came back at us once more.  Sitting deeper and deeper defensively, we started to invite them onto us and were nearly made to pay after Mirallas' cross was so powerful it forced a save from Brad Jones.  Having tormented us for most of the half, even Luis Suarez  had dropped so deep to help out and at one point and gave away a free kick on the edge of the penalty area which we were just able to handle it.

Just about hanging on in there, Mirallas came again before half time.  Absolutely destroying Andre Wisdom with a spin on the ball only to earn a corner and nothing more, he then hobbled off the pitch clearly in some pain.  Skrtel dealt with what followed before Sheamus Coleman fired over. Breathing a sigh of relief, there was still time for a little amusement as the referee would admonish someone for diving.  All the talk prior to - and even during - the game, it was Everton captain Philip Neville who was found trying to con the referee.  Disgraceful scenes.  With three minutes of added on time in the first half there was still room for one last attack and it was Gerrard on the end of it.  The ball was bouncing and incredibly difficult to take on the volley but still the Liverpool captain tried to shift his body in position only to hit it very high and wide.  It would have been the perfect end to forty five minutes of madness in which we rode out the early pressure, scored twice and then very nearly completely melted in the face of oncoming pressure.  There was a lot for both Brendan Rodgers and David Moyes to take in and still another half to play.  It's in times like these that managers earn their money.

More often than not very little actually changes at half time, visibly anyway. I've seen games where momentum has shifted and even turn around completely during the interval but it's only on a rare occasion that the actual team itself change that drastically.  That's what happened here as Brendan Rodgers sent us out  having made two substitutions and also a brand new change in formation.  Jonjo Shelvey was on in place of Suso and Sebastian Coates was brought on for Nuri Sahin, which meant that we were now operating with three at the back with Wisdom and Enrique the wing backs.  3-5-2 or 5-3-2 depending on whether or not we had the ball, either way it was still impressive and bold to see the manager make such drastic changes rather than letting the game drift any more.

As you'd expect, Everton started the half looking to get back onto the front foot and re-establish the dominance they were enjoying at the end of the first.  They too made a change during the break but this was forced on them with the injury to Kevin Mirallas meaning he could not continue and Magaye Gueye was on in his place.  One of the substitutes looking to make an early impact was Jonjo Shelvey.  He was on the ball and running with it quickly, laying off Andre Wisdom who nearly found Suarez.  It was the kind of move we were lacking in the first half as Shelvey was able to get into the space in between defence and attack that Sahin couldn't seem to find.  A few minutes later and the first real chance to add to the scoring came and it was a golden chance for Raheem Sterling.  A ball through in behind the left hand channel by Jose Enrique found the young striker now one on one with Tim Howard but not only did he not get his shot on target he fluffed it completely and skied it well over.  Someone with more experience would have been able to put that away and that's not a criticism, just something that will only change with time and learning.

Although Everton were enjoying a lot of the possession in the initial exchanges of the second half, defensively we were doing a much better job of keeping them away from Brad Jones' goal.  They were still causing problems around the penalty area however with Jelavic forcing a save and the ball squirting out to Baines.  Skrtel challenged him and though it was rash the referee didn't answer the crowds howls for a penalty.  Coleman fired over and after that we were a little more composed.  Having three centre halves enabled one of them to step out from the defence and pick off the passes before they could even be a problem, while the midfield was doing a better job of getting to grips with theirs and exerting some real pressure of their own.  Joe Allen is not someone whom you'd normally associate with tough tackling and getting stuck in and it's not that he doesn't have it but rather the way we want to play you'd hope he never has to show it.  There are always occasions whereby you need to have a little steel however and he really showed it here, getting involved in battles all over the park and coming out on top in a lot of them.

Though we had not fully extinguished their presence within the game it was certainly more of an even contest and we weren't quite as hanging on as at the end of the first half.  Suarez as ever was being a perfect outlet, dragging Jagielka out wide before one of those trademark runs across the byline into the penalty area before Distin blocked the shot.  Also on the break Sterling was always going to be a problem to contend with his pace, so Jagielka then brought him down to earn a booking - even though Shevley's ball through would never have found him.  From the resulting free kick Steven Gerrard was in the mood to do his best Gary McAllister impression, trying to cause a problem for Tim Howard some thirty five yards out, with the ball bouncing directly in front of him before being cleared.  Following this Everton came again, with Fellaini being the one looking to cause havoc in amongst our defence.  Three chances in quick succession ended with Coates just about doing enough to force him to head it wide, with the crosses coming from both sides after we were unable to properly clear.

Despite having kept them at arms length for the majority of the time, all it would take - as we'd seen in the first half - was one lapse in concentration to result in a goal.  Much like their second, the ball was played down the wing, only it was on the right hand side and not the left.  Jose Enrique missed it and they were in, only this time Martin Skrtel reacted well and challenged Jelavic preventing him from what could have been a tap in.  We had become a little sloppy in possession and were giving away cheap free kicks to allow them to build up the pressure some more now.  Joe Allen was too eager in his trying to win the ball back and the following Baines set piece was met by Jelavic who caught it too well.  Unlike Suarez in the first half - who glanced it - Jelavic caught it full on and head wide.  Moments later another challenge resulted in further Everton pressure when Agger pulled Fellaini - and then rather comically handballed it - but this time there was no real end product to be found.

With just over twenty minutes to go, Rodgers made his final change and once again it was a little out of the ordinary.  Jordan Henderson came on for Andre Wisdom to play at right full back.  What this would do was allow us the chance to step up ten yards or so and give us some footing inside the Everton half.  Right inside their half, Suarez was again causing problems for Sylvain Distin.  This time it was an untimely boot right at the base of his heel with Luis' studs going right into the defender's achilles after slipping slightly while trying to harass him at the back.  The crowd wanted a red and indeed it did not look pretty on replays but - and maybe I'm being naive - I don't think it was intentional.  Suarez had his hand up in apology immediately but that wouldn't change the fact that it was a bad challenge and earned him a yellow card.

It's happened to us on a few occasions this year where the game appears to be there for the taking and you can't quite get the goal so impatience sets in and it was starting to happen to Everton as we went into the final quarter of the game.  We had good numbers back as well as an imposing shape and as such it was difficult for them to find a way through in quite the same way as they were in the first half.  Their crosses were now becoming a little aimless and attempts on goal more desperate, with Jelavic trying to scissor kick the ball and coming closer to knock off Daniel Agger's head.  At the other end with there a little more space in their half, Jordan Henderson was able to get free on the right but was - having delayed his cross once already - unable to put anything in of real quality.  Coleman did likewise for Everton at the other end having cleared our corner as the game was starting to get a little stretched and then Steven Gerrard set Jonjo Shelvey away.  The midfielder carried it half the length of the pitch and was practically invited to shoot as no-one closed him down and so he obliged.  Both Suarez and Sterling could have been played in but when the space opens up like that you can't pass up those opportunities.

As we went into the closing stages the game was still firmly in the balance but lacked any real fluidity.  Coates was riling the home side with his aggressive challenges as much as Fellaini was pushing his luck for Everton.  Having only just about been cleared - however unsurprisingly - it was a sign of just how much he means to David Moyes' team as to how everything was still going through Fellaini, who was constantly on the move.  Martin Skrtel was forced into serious action when he played a ball through to Gueye and then Distin slid in on the Slovakian.  Skrtel was quick to react in charging down Baines - whom the ball had arrived at the feet of - and made sure it was a corner and nothing more.  Though the threat of an Everton winner did seem to loom large, for the most part in the second half we had done an excellent job of making sure Brad Jones had very little to do.

Whether it was a part of the managers plan or something that evolved naturally out of Everton's growing frustration, with under ten minutes to go there was suddenly a second wind from us.  We looked a threat once more, even in situations where the danger looked to be far away.  Jose Enrique's ball was over hit and Jordan Henderson did nothing more than force Gueye into playing - and then losing - it.  His cross was tucked back onto the edge by Daniel Agger and Gerrard's shot looked to be going in but for the intervention of Jagielka.  The crowd were aware that there was a chance they could lose this and the tension added to their frustrations.  One man who was feeling it was Slyvain Distin, who had to contend with Luis Suarez continually on the move.  Dragging the defender out wide, Suarez managed to brush by him on the edge of the box only to put in a weak shot that was blocked anyway.

Despite being on the edge of a derby day red card, Raheem Sterling handled himself pretty well in the aftermath.  The chance he missed was one that he will not look back on with any fondness but in terms of trying to do a job for the team in difficult circumstances, there was no doubting the desire and fight of the lad who was right at the death still causing problems for them.  Having not been able to get the ball back after we'd gotten onto the front foot, Everton will have been glad to see Sterling shoot miles over.  It was one of those where you want someone to take the responsibility of trying to score but still he should have done better and it released all the pressure.  With a couple of minutes to go, it looked like Everton had very little left.  Whenever they did get onto the ball, there were enough red shirts back in position to deal with anything and surprisingly enough there appeared to be a lack of desire for many of their players to get into the penalty area.  Four minutes of injury time remained.  Just enough for another controversy.

The midfield had done a good job in the closing stages of keeping the ball away from Everton and not allowing them to build up anything.  Joe Allen was all over the place while Steven Gerrard and Jonjo Shelvey roamed and made sure to do whatever they could.  With Gerrard on the receiving end of another soft foul, it looked like we'd be eating up the seconds that remained but the free kick did offer one last chance to overload the penalty area.  The ball in was good, Coates' climb over a defender and header back was even better and Suarez's finish should have been the match winner.  It would have been glorious and a spectacular boost for Brendan Rodgers and the team.  What seemed like several minutes later however, the assistant referee raised his flag.  The goal didn't count.  Suarez was on side.  The temptation to suggest that had anyone else scored it, the goal may have counted is massive, but we'll leave it at that.  This is why some managers prefer to be lucky than good.

With a minute to go there were still a couple of half chances for a hero on either side.  Joe Allen once again magnificent on the defensive end of things before Sterling went through half the Everton team but was unable to find either Shelvey or Suarez who still managed to race onto it and fire wide.  Full time then and the difference between three points and one is rather poorly dictated to us by the officials.  Things like that leave a very sour taste in my mouth as we need to start picking up the points.  That being said I can take comfort in the fact that Rodgers had the nous and the bravery to stop the rot at half time.  He's shown on numerous occasions already this season that he isn't afraid to do something out of the ordinary and that willingness to try is something that should be applauded.  I just hope we have something to show for it at the end of the season.

(A) Everton - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                            Sunday 28th October 2012
                                            Goodison Park

                                       Everton VS Liverpool


The struggle for supremacy is a never-ending one. Ninety minutes of madness, of memories that will last a lifetime but in the end all that matters is who was most recently victorious. Our victories against Everton last year, despite how sweetly they tasted at the time ultimately mean nothing. What matters is today. What matters is now.

This fixture appears to have come at a pivotal time for both clubs. We're still trying to shake off the poor results that started our season; and nothing would kick us into gear quite like a win over our nearest rivals. Everton meanwhile have - for the first time in a long time it seems - started the season magnificently. Having already beaten Manchester United here, another three points today would really solidify their optimism and underline David Moyes' ambition to finish as high up the table as possible.

What with this being such an important game, both managers have had causes for concern coming in regarding fitness. Having made the gamble of playing many of his first team on Thursday against Anzhi, Brendan Rodgers would still have hoped to have given Steven Gerrard in particular more rest. We've seen recently how his time needs to be managed and what can happen if he is not up to par, and for me there's a compelling argument for putting him on the bench and starting with Sahin-Allen-Shelvey - that would be a bold move however.

On the blue side of things, Mauroanne Fellaini has been out with an injury for some time. Not only would it be a great boost for Everton were he to come back in but it would give Moyes plenty more options in attack and Brendan Rodgers a hell of a lot more to think about. He is such a threat in and around the penalty area, I would love his name to be absent from the team sheet but I sincerely doubt he'll be as unhealthy as reports are suggesting.  Players who are a doubt always seem to make miraculous recoveries against us.

Aside from the burnout issue caused by the game in midweek, there are a couple of niggling injuries that could cause selection headaches. Glen Johnson was taken off at half time on Thursday and the hope would be it's not too serious, especially with the way he has been playing of late. Also, there could a dilemma be regarding who plays in goal. A fit and firing Pepe Reina is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, but he has not been at that level for some time now. Brad Jones has come in and had two clean sheets in a row and despite the calibre of opposition, I think even if Pepe is fit Jones deserves to keep his place. The last thing Reina needs right now, despite how much he'll want it, is a game of this kind of scrutiny.

Usually with a derby there's a certain guarded bullishness. Some of it is just bluster but in my experience - Roy Hodgson aside - there has never been that much of a cause for concern until now. This is Brendan Rodgers first Merseyside derby and David Moyes' fifth Liverpool manager he has tested his skills against. For all the talk of a season of transition, Everton are settled in both identity and ambition. They have been playing good football and collecting good results lately, against everyone but us. If they really want to stake their claim and put a marker down, this is the day to do it. A win would light the fuse for either team.  Either way, there are bound to be fireworks.

Glen Johnson: Always On The Run

Seeing is believing. Then again, what a person views with their eyes and information they gather from that are two completely different things. There is a line between perception and deception that's a lot closer than many people give credit for.  The eyes can be fooled, on occasion.  It's only through repetition that we establish a sense of the norm and how the extraordinary differs from that.  Truth isn't something that's based on what you see but rather the consistency with which you see it.

Opinions can be formed instantly or take a while to settle in our minds.  Whether based on experience, knowledge or influenced by others once they are set in stone become very hard to shake. So much of the game of football is about easily definable parameters  When it comes down to it, it's all about a ball crossing over a line or not. With that in mind, it's sometimes easy to forget that the players themselves are variables and as such are not specifically one thing or another.

In this new age of information and an audience ready to consume the game on a whole new level, individuals have very little to hide.  The minutiae of every single aspect of a players game is now analysed and picked apart and yet on the whole Glen Johnson has never been able to escape the shackles of the initial impression he gave to the footballing public. As far as his talent goes, that is the only thing he hasn't been able to leave trailing behind him.

At twenty eight years old, Johnson is one of the senior members of what is a pretty young squad. Having made his Premier League debut almost ten years ago now, he has now made more than double the amount of appearances for Liverpool than for Chelsea, whom he found initial success for (before being cast away like everyone else at Stamford Bridge).  Now playing under his fourth manager at the Liverpool, Johnson has yet to benefit from the kind of stability that the likes of Arbeloa and Finnan before him were able to. That being said, he has still managed to make an impact on the side and made the leap from someone that was capable of great things on his day to a key member of this team.

Being a defender in the modern game is complicated.   Even at his peak, Jamie Carragher was constantly being criticized for not being creative and attacking enough.  Johnson meanwhile has the inverse problem in that he's had this tag of being an incompetent defender unfairly attached to him because he gets forward and is a genuine goal threat.  The job now is about more than prevention, there has to be some contribution at the other end of the field.  At full back it's become especially prevalent as they are usually the ones supplying the width.  It's in this area in which he excels.

Since coming into the job Brendan Rodgers has embraced this aspect and not shied away from his desire to pin the opposition back.  A perfect example would be when Manchester City came to Anfield and after some early probing from both sides, Liverpool were able to assert some authority once Johnson consistently had the beating of James Milner.  It allows the whole team to move forward a good ten yards and allowed the midfield three to dictate.  If his crossing could match up with his ability to beat a man and get into those positions, there really would be no stopping him.

Having it both ways is greedy bordering on stupidity.  Glen can't be a world class defender and provide for the attack in the same way that strikers aren't paid to prevent goals, no matter how much their work rate is admired.  There is a balance that can be achieved and it comes right out of Brendan Rodgers' own playbook.  Defending from the front something that the manager is very keen on and having sheer weight of numbers in advanced positions mean it's far more likely to force them into making a mistake.  In that sense, Johnson can do his defensive duties while still being a threat.  He doesn't have to be blunted completely in order to shut down a team, nor is it right to be careless with his attacking intent.  The one problem he does have is in fact nothing to do with ability but rather the concentration levels that do on occasion let him down.  Switching him over to the left could have been a reason for this up turn in form since last year because of how much harder he has to apply himself playing on the weaker side.  Much like everything else at the moment, it's also about those around him and the bigger picture.

An attacking minded full back leaves space in behind, nothing more.  That room is only there to be exploited if the the other side is able to get a hold of the ball.  As the manager has been at pains to point out since arriving, the importance is the balance of the team and not the individual.  The midfield in particular has to be a lot smarter and protective of possession.  Giving the ball away when Johnson is in dangerous areas may look like a careless move on the part of the defender but no matter how good or bad someone is, it's very hard to do anything seventy yards away.

The media aren't going to change their stance on Johnson any time soon.  At this point, no-one will suddenly see anything new, he'll give you what he always has.  Glen is in the midst of what some would call the form of his life but all it takes is one mistake for that same old inept narrative to come back again.  Having been taken off at half time, with no real indication as to whether there was anything particularly wrong with him, the hope will be that he is back into the line up again on Sunday.  Despite how incredibly well Widsom has been playing as of late, the raw talent of Jack Robinson or the potential renewed confidence Stewart Downing will no doubt be feeling; the team would certainly feel his absence.

Reputations - even ones obtained erroneously - mean very little in the world of competitive sport as there's always someone or something willing to challenge it.  Brendan Rodgers has not seen Glen Johnson a handful of times.  He hasn't read a newspaper or heard on commentary that Johnson "is a little bit suspect defensively".  The manager watches him every day, and so long as he likes what he sees then that is all that matters.  Critics can continue to label him and opposition players can try to catch up with him.  Ultimately, he'll continue to give everyone that comes up against him the run-around.

(H) Anzhi Makhachkala - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Liverpool 1-0 Anzhi Makhachkala
Liverpool Goal: Stewart Downing (53)

From potentially hanging on by a thread to now looking in complete control for progression to the next round.  Fortunes change fast in the world of football and by fielding a strong eleven the message from  Brendan Rodgers that he wanted to give both the competition and our opponents a lot of respect - even with a Merseyside derby to contend with - was loud and clear.

European games tend to be a lot more methodical and everything - at least on face value - is at a much slower pace.  With that in mind, coupled with the fact that Anzhi backed off almost immediately, it didn't take  long for our assured passing game to begin, albeit with no real tempo.  Shelvey was keen to get forward right from the off while Sahin and Gerrard sat a little deeper and with Agger allowed to stride forward and dictate the play.  The couple of occasions they did manage to get onto the ball it was a complete reversal in approach, hitting it high and hopeful.  One of the good things about all those we had in defence is that not only are they athletic but all of them are strong enough so that this wouldn't be an issue.  Wisdom in particular is incredibly encouraging with his confidence and overall dominance.

Though we weren't getting the ball forward to him as often as he would have liked, Suarez - as ever - was looking lively.  He's a perfect outlet on the counter attack, able to not only create something for himself but skilled enough to hold it up while the rest of the team catches up with play.  Gerrard meanwhile was a little looser with his passing than you would have liked, but this was early on and it was more of a case of rustiness than trying something overly elaborate.  Anzhi worked very hard off the ball - which was a large majority of the time - and made it difficult for us to get it into any real area of danger.  Suarez did have one chance, linking up with Glen Johnson - who spent most of his time in the attacking part of the field - but the eventually shot was handled well by the goalkeeper.

Without going overboard, as far as first impressions go, Oussama Assaidi has made a very bright start to his Liverpool career.  He's everything you would want in a player that arrived for a fairly modest fee and offers something we've been lacking in the wide areas for some time now.  If we can get him isolated with the full back, his ability to go either way and create space with quick feet and an even sharper mind then that's something that could really hurt teams.  Assaidi does appear to have a lot of tricks in his locker and aside from having a genuine goalscoring touch - and even that's too soon to really be able to tell - Brendan Rodgers may have unearthed a gem.

Referees get far too much attention for the job they are doing.  If you're even aware of who the man in charge is, then he's not doing a good enough job of controlling the game.  Despite the fact that they make life increasingly difficult for themselves - what with something that is an incredibly challenging task in the first place - one thing that helps is when everyone knows early on exactly what to expect.  Bas Nijhuis, our Dutch official for the evening, was keen to let play continue at every opportunity.  Stewart Downing out muscled Yuri Zhikov and nothing was given, likewise a similar challenge on Luis Suarez moments later.  Both would have probably been fouls in a domestic setting and while it's not ideal to have things go unpunished, so long as both teams are playing under the same circumstances in the end what happened was it let the game flow.

It's been a while since Nuri Sahin arrived at Anfield from Madrid and having now had a chance to settle into the team, it does appear as if he looks a lot more comfortable with what's being asked of him.  Against West Brom in the League Cup, he took on the attacking role and really dominated the game but there were other times when it appeared he wasn't quite to grips with the more physically demanding stuff that was required of him. There had been signs of it in previous matches but here it looked more natural as he was constantly available for a pass and quick to cover on the handful of occasions in which they tried to break on us.

The shape of the team on the ball is something of a complete turnaround to that which we line up with initially.  It begins and ends with the fullbacks.  Glen Johnson goes high up and becomes practically a wide forward, while Wisdom tucks in a little and there's something of a back three there - with either he or one of the midfielders on hand at any given moment should anything dangerous arise.  Though we did have a lot of the ball, there was very little in the way of real quality from either side as both teams took their time to get into it.  Being the home side we had the more natural bite to our play, especially when our off the ball pressure allowed us to run at their defenders.  Despite having numbers back, there were plenty of occasions where we could exploit gaps in between their midfield and defence in playing the ball through to Suarez but every time we did someone was quick to come out and make sure he couldn't turn to face goal.  One such incident on the twenty minute mark saw Christopher Samba booked for a challenge on Suarez, the exact type of foul you don't want to see on your only recognised forward.

One aspect that will really have pleased the manager was the sheer hunger and ferocity with which we pressed the ball and looked to win it back.  Gerrard and Shelvey were taking turns in getting forward and while we had decent support for the attack it did play into their hands a little and made the area surrounding the Anzhi goal very crowded indeed.  The one time we managed to steal the ball in transition and counter it did look as if there would be some reward as Suarez laid the ball through to Shelvey on the edge of the box with very little in front of him.  Unfortunately the resulting shot was a little reckless and went flying over the bar.  Having bedded their way into the game, Anzhi were looking more comfortable and did start to threaten but you would have to say that it was difficult for them to get anything other than half chances.  Eto'o as you'd expect was at the heart of what little they did create but he was dropping so deep to receive the ball in the first place there were so many players in between he and the goal it was asking too much of even someone of his ability.

With so many men behind the ball, after the half hour mark and only infrequent pressure on the Anzhi goalkeeper, there was a degree of impatience that crept into the play.  Suarez and Downing were both guilty of playing passes in an attempt to force the issue that just gave the ball back to our opponents.  They did have one decent opportunity from a free kick that was resoundingly cleared by Gerrard.  From here - for the first time in the match - there was a huge gap down the right hand side that could have been exploited, were the pass of any quality whatsoever.  As it was we were able to keep them at arms length while being fully aware of their growing confidence.  Defensively they worked extremely hard and funnelled our play into the middle where there would be too many bodies in the way for anything to arise.  Both Downing and Assaidi were forced inside but what we managed to do was stay patient and moments later Glen Johnson got in behind.  What happened next was unfortunate, with Johnson about to pull the trigger he was either clipped by the defender behind him or miscalculated and ended up poking a leg out at fresh air.  A penalty would have been harsh but it was a reminder that if we kept our heads there was enough there to be encouraged by.

The three in the middle had gone a little quiet as we approached half time.  Sahin in particular was finding things increasingly difficult as time went on with a few challenges that left him cold as the game passed him by somewhat.  Finding space was at a premium and so when Daniel Agger came bursting through into the Anzhi half and kept going, the invitation to shoot was too great to pass up.  I've seen up close just how good of a shot he has on him and while this wasn't his best effort, if they would continue to allow him such freedom then that would come back to haunt them.  Just before the half was over there was another final step up in the pressure off the ball as we looked to profit with the interval looming.  However, there wasn't the same kind of application when we did manage to get it.  The final chance of the half fell to Smallov when Anzji countered with real purpose for the first time but his drilled effort went just wide.  Goalless at the break and every bit as tight as it had promised to be.

As the players emerged for the start of the second half there was a new face ready to join them.  A move that came completely out of the blue, Raheem Sterling came on for Glen Johnson meaning Stewart Downing was now playing at left back.  Whether or not this was a tactical switch and Johnson is simply being rested for Sunday I'm not sure but I certainly hope it's nothing more than that.  Things were quiet when they did get under way for the second half, both sides again taking a minute or two to feel their way back into things.  It was a bounding Martin Skrtel that brought things to life, with Samuel Eto'o ball watching on the edge of his penalty area the Slovakian defender burst through with the ball and fired a really powerful shot at Gabulov who just about prevented it from then going beyond him.  What that had done was wake both the crowd and team up.  There was another, even better chance following that when Stewart Downing's clearance was flicked on by Sterling and Shelvey put Gerrard in only for his header to go just wide.  There was a sense that the momentum was building inside Anfield.  It was about to get even better.


I'm at a loss to explain exactly why I like Downing at left back so much.  Perhaps it's because he's not allowed to drift through games anonymously and it forces him to play a semi-prominent role in the game.  It's not something you're ever likely to try against a Man United or Barcelona - unless injuries ravaged the team -  and such he's more than capable of doing a job there.  So far he's done more than that, he appears to have found his goalscoring touch again, with his second European goal of the season lighting up Anfield.  It was a sharp switch of play after a free kick on the right hand side that saw Downing pick the ball up on the left touchline.  After facing up with his defender for a second, he drifted inside and fired a curling shot beyond the goalkeeper to give us the lead.

So many times we've seen this season that in the minutes immediately following a goal, it's imperative that the team remains focused.  Not only that, Suarez very nearly doubled the lead with a powerful shot of his own from the edge of the box.  Having been allowed the space to pick up the ball in the first half, he's clever and skilful enough to leave himself that extra half a yard that allowed him to turn and get the shot away.  Three sides of the ground thought it was in but sadly the lead remained only by the solitary goal.  Anzhi's response to going behind was a little puzzling.  While they were getting a decent share of the ball, there was no real craft about their play and it didn't appear as if there was any real idea as to how to break us down.  Whenever they tried to play a hopeful ball in to try and cause havok, we had the strength to deal with it and persist with trying to win or at the least get a block on the second ball.  What didn't help was the fact that Eto'o was getting further and further away from goal.

As if a switch had been flicked, the game was alive and there was a bright tempo to our play both on and off the ball.  The lead allowed us to sit in a little and catch them on the break, which looked like giving them problems on every occasion.  Assaidi and Suarez combined to put in Shelvey, who was at a difficult angle and maybe could have found Suarez, although that's potentially being overly critical.  When they did get it, the hunger and desire to win it back was there for all to see, Gerrard chasing defenders some thirty yards to put a foot in before the monolithic like figure of Andre Wisdom would step in and have the power to make sure no Anzhi player would be coming near the ball.  It really is an endearing sight to see this essentially teenage boy play with such intelligence and a grasp of the game beyond his years.

With the pattern of the game now set and our main attacking threat being the counter, it meant that Anzhi had a decent amount of possession.  They were camped somewhat just outside our penalty area without every really looking dangerous, quite literally on the outside looking in.  Shelvey had another half chance on the counter before Guus Hiddink decided it was time for a change.  The six foot eight inch Lacina Traore came onto the pitch, his first contribution that rarest of gifts; a foul throw.  With an decided height advantage now at their disposal, Anzhi's play continued to be ever more one dimensional.  For some reason this prompted Eto'o to drop even deeper, to the point where he was the covering midfielder when Sterling tried to counter attack them.

It wasn't as if everything was perfect however.  Nuri Sahin had been something of a non factor in the second half and was growing increasingly frustrated.  It wasn't a case of the midfielder doing anything particularly wrong it's just that after a couple of contentious fouls given away, you could see that he was desperate to have more of a positive impact on the game.  Also, the lead wasn't exactly formidable and all it would take was a lapse in concentration for the game to potentially change completely.  Which is exactly what very nearly happened when Downing played a ball along the ground across the penalty area as we tried to play it out of the corner rather than just blasting it up field   The panic set in immediately and when Eto'o was played in it was with great relief that Jones claimed his shot fairly comfortably.

By now the earlier pressure had eased off a little and we were allowing them to have it in their own half.  A ball over the top looking for Traore might have caused a problem had his first touch been any better but Skrtel had him fairly well marshalled anyway.  Time was on our side now and with just over ten minutes to go Joe Allen came on for Jonjo Shelvey in an attempt to add some fresh legs and also someone who would protect the ball with what time did remain.  Simple short passes were the order of the day and as we played it around in our own half, Skrtel and Agger had split so wide that they looked part of a back four with Gerrard and Sahin as the centre halves.  Though there was pressure applied, we were good enough to play around it and create a chance for ourselves.  A corner was headed straight at the goalkeeper by Agger, who then followed up the play by heading it out of his hand before he could distribute and putting it into the net.  Rather than a goal bonus, this earned him a yellow card.  I'm not sure what the rules are in this situation specifically but I always thought that if he only had it in one hand then it was fair.  As it was, the lead remained at only one.

Having not been able to underline our superiority, Anzji were starting to knock on the door however and had really upped their game as it entered the final stages.  A succession of corners raised the tension inside Anfield and the play that followed forced Martin Skrtel into action after Gonzalez had made some room for himself down the right hand side of the penalty area.  Soon afterwards Daniel Agger was made to react when Anzhi managed to create some space on the left hand side and his challenge prevented it from making it's way to Traore.  Brad Jones didn't have a save to make but the pressure was certainly building.  We dealt with it primarily out wide with Assaidi and Sterling being the outlets.

Perhaps things would have been different had we taken a few more chances but regardless of the worries about playing Steven Gerrard for ninety minutes, he was still working hard as the game came to a close.  Despite spending the majority of his time chasing it at the back, Gerrard did find the balance in getting forward, having a typically powerful strike on the edge of the box that could very well have sealed it.  Allen and Sahin joined in, putting themselves about and coming into space so that we could see out the minutes that remained.  Sterling did have one final chance to wrap it up on the break as we went into injury time but he overplayed it and tried to go around too many bodies rather than playing it back to Suarez and keeping hold of it.  After losing at home to Udinese last time out, this victory and Young Boys managing to defeat them in Switzerland now mean that we top the group and suddenly qualification looks a little brighter.  Whether or not that will come at the expense of a performance in the league remains to be seen.  I certainly hope not.  It's Everton that await.

(H) Anzhi Makhachkala - Pre Match Thoughts

Europa League

Thursday 25th October 2012

Anfield

Liverpool VS Anzhi Makhachkala

Players can be challenged for ninety minutes but for the management, the difficulties span a lot longer time frame. Tonight is set up to be an intriguing game of football, not least of all because of the situation we find ourselves in domestically. It's not just any game that awaits us on Sunday, it's the derby. Brendan Rodgers needs to tred carefully.

Squad management is a neat phrase that has become football speak for the fact that we don't have the resources to win two games in a week. Not many teams do. Tonight is more than just an exercise in getting through the game, realistically we need to take something from it if we are to progress beyond the group stage. The likes of Jordan Henderson, Jonjo Shelvey and Oussama Assaidi will have our European fate in their hands and will have to show the manager whether they are capable of handling it.

 A lot has been spoken of the need for the more senior members of the squad to be as far away from this game as possible. Personally I wouldn't even have Gerrard or Suarez on the bench and it appears as though both may be starting. If that's the case then the hope will be that we can get onto the front foot early and take the game to them, wrap it up completely and be able to take them off with half an hour to go. I'd much rather do it this way than have to bring them on with the task of winning the game for us in the final twenty and overload them, but with Everton on Sunday I have to question the value of playing them at all.  Managers get paid to make these kinds of decisions, I don't.

 Anfield on a European night is always spoken about in glowing terms. For Anzhi, this is their first real test of being able to come to one of the truly great venues on the continent and getting a result. They will be motivated beyond belief and for once the atmosphere could work against us as it's something they will have been working on feeding off. Either way, up front they have Samuel Eto'o, one of the best goalscorers in the game. He alone, much like Di Natale for Udinese, is capable of winning this game and putting him up against Jamie Carragher could be a long nights work for the number 23. If we can keep him quiet, we'll have done a good job.

 The much maligned Europa League has been a wonderful adventure so far. Thirteen goals in two games ensures that the possibilities are endless tonight. The Merseyside derby looms large, as much as our grip in this competition is starting to loosen. Defeat would barring a miracle all but assure our exit, whereas if we stretch ourselves too thin, we may be playing into Everton's hands. Football is about being tested. This will be one hell of an exam.

(H) Reading - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Liverpool 1-0 Reading
Liverpool Goal: Raheem Sterling (29)

The third win at Anfield.  Not this season, this year.  It's quite staggering just how poor we've been at home over the last couple of years and this was yet again another one of those games we should win comfortably on paper.  Nothing is ever that simple but it was still nice to get over the line, whether it was convincing or not.  The only way we're ever going to have any kind of intimidation factor at home again is by doing it one game at a time.  One win at a time.

Of all the potential casualties of the international break, Pepe Reina was not ever among the likely candidates.  Missing this game would be the first league game he has missed through injury in his six years at Liverpool.  Replacing him was Brad Jones who was the only change from the same side that came up against a brick wall in Stoke what now seems like a lifetime ago.  The likes of Gerrard, Suarez, Agger and Skrtel being able to make it into the line up was one thing, being able to show the same kind of fluidity and ability that was needed and expected to win the game was the much more important question.

Whether they were pumped up for the occasion or trying to stop us from getting any early momentum, Reading started the game very energetically.  There were feet flying in everywhere and passes being made without any real thought for where they were going and as such they gave the ball away on a frequent basis.  Two half chances were cleared either side of the penalty area as we set about getting into position early and trying to bed into the game.  Once we got our foot on the ball everything suddenly looked a lot more precise and Reading set about their defensive shape by flooding the middle of the park.  What this did - even as early as the first couple of minutes - was put great emphasis on the need for width to get in beyond their narrow defence and Glen Johnson is a player who needs no invitation to get forward.  On the other side, Suso has a completely different set of skills but is likewise able to cause a side problems, finding space pick the ball up and try to catch out their defence with his vision and passing.

Passing it back to the goalkeeper and not only having the skill but being able to remain calm in those situations is something we've had a problem with so far this season.  It was good to see that even when there's a different man in between the posts not only do the same rules apply but that he was able to execute what's required without any difficulty.  The composure we were able to show at the back when under pressure was not replicated on the other side of the field.  Reading were happy to clear the ball anywhere so long as it was away from their goal and repeatedly gave us another chance to start again and come back at them.  Glen Johnson was heavily involved, with he and Suarez unable to get a clear cut shot off before also linking up with Sterling and Joe Allen.  What this territorial advantage did, with having one of the midfield three come over and assist the two wide players was give us a real presence in and around their penalty area and as such defenders were constantly having to be on the move.  As well as dominating the left hand side of the pitch, their movement and constant shifting of defenders would also allow other players like Sahin and Suarez a lot more space in the middle where it was getting very congested.

In a game where we were likely to dominate anyway and in need of some support from midfield, it was very encouraging to see Nuri Sahin get so far forward so early on.  There was space all over the wide areas to exploit and the Reading defenders seemed happy to allow our players to cut inside and get toward the penalty area.  Both Suso and Glen Johnson were able to get shots away at the goal and although neither was of particulary good quality, it was good to see that we weren't afraid to take the shot on if it was being offered to us.  In the case of Suso particularly it was a surefire sign of confidence, having come into the side, done so well and earned himself a new contract.  Only one time in the first twenty minutes or so did Brian McDermott's men have any real chance to exert anything in an attacking sense and that was when Joe Allen was forced into conceding a free kick as they were breaking.  Not only did it come to nothing but an almost immediate counter attack gave Sterling a chance to take the lead.  Sahin was fouled, putting pressure onto the Reading midfield.  Play was allowed to go on and it broke to Suarez, who ducked inside the defender and played the ball just behind Sterling, forcing him to come inside where all the defenders that were back had gathered.  Despite having been on top since pretty much the first kick of the game Reading had defended superbly and because of it McCarthy in goal was as yet untested.

The role of the back up keeper is a strange one.  Goalies in general need to have a heavy amount of concentration but when you're not playing every week that can be hard to maintain.  It was good to see Brad Jones with the little he had do be very confident and clear with his decision making, quite audibly giving Skrtel a shout to come for a cross and asserting his authority.  If at one end we were being very commanding, at the other it was a moment of indecision that kept the game goalless.  Sterling was given the ball on a breakaway and had two choices, either take his man on and shoot from a tight angle or lay it across the box for someone else to have a better chance.  In the end he dallied and the chance quickly passed with Reading again getting numbers behind the ball.

After a clash with Steven Gerrard forced Karacan off with an injury, there was a little lull in the game as the delay took a little out of the rhythm.  Suarez tried to take advantage of this initially by attempting to catch out their goalkeeper with a deft chip that went harmlessly over, but was still the kind of imaginative play that would keep them guessing.  In the minutes that followed, chances came thick and fast and they were almost all variations of the same opportunity that Sterling spurned moments before.  One that was almost identical before another chance on the far side that Suarez was unable to find Sahin, who had been tracked well to the defenders credit.  We were suddenly being very sharp in our play and it was a case of third time lucky, from a piece of magic by Suarez and finished off brilliantly by Sterling.  Wisdom's defensive header was simply in the direction of Luis Suarez, but once again he had the kind of imagination and vision that those around him don't have.  He flicked the ball over the defenders head into the space that Sterling was running onto.  One touch to get it out of the feet, the other to slot it into the far corner.  It was a clinical finish of a forward much older than seventeen.  The first league goal of what will almost certainly be many for Raheem Sterling.

For the first real time after the goal, Wisdom was able to get forward and we tried to play it down the right hand side.  Whether it's the fault of the midfield, for not linking up as fluently with he and Suso or whether it's just a fact that neither of them are natural wide men either way, the play wasn't working anywhere near as effectively on that side and forced Suarez to drift out to come and get involved rather than take up a position inside the penalty area where he can finish off the play.  A second did nearly follow for Luis as he picked up the ball a long way out and thundered it toward goal.  The keeper was beaten but unfortunately for the Uruguayan and the majority of fans inside Anfield it went just wide.

With about fifteen minutes to go in the half, Reading looked very much like a side who hadn't won a game yet so far this season.  A team that was waiting for something to happen rather than believe they had the capability.  We did let them back in it somewhat by giving away soft fouls and not being quite as hungry for the ball as we were prior to the goal.  Luis Suarez did manage to put a smile on the face of the fans however, by actually having the benefit of a refereeing decision on the edge of the box.  Ironic cheers rang out all around Anfield and it was a shame he couldn't have followed it up by burying the free kick into the top corner, which would have put the game all but to bed by the half way stage.  The game ended much in the same way it had begun, with Glen Johnson at the heart of the attack, forcing a save out of McCarthy and then earning a corner with an effort moments later.  Having been given one decision by an official, right on half time Suarez should have had another.  A collision with Kaspars Gorkšs leaving him with a dead leg but no free kick, much to the ire of the crowd.  It was to be the final act of a half that would see Raheem Sterling become our second youngest ever scorer in the league, but ended rather ominously with our only fit and recognised striker limping his way to the dressing room.

It wasn't a perfect sight, but the image of Luis Suarez emerging for the second half - albeit somewhat uncomfortably - was a sign of relief if nothing else.  There's no need to take any chances with him at this point so the fact that he was able to continue in any sense was good.  He was involved very early on as well  immediately looking toward the referee for a foul not given as he contested a header with a Reading defender, before being put through down the right hand side.  Suso and Sahin linked up well before Suarez was sent clear, his ball across found Raheem Sterling but still there was work to do.  He touch a touch to get it out of his feet but though it stung the gloves of McCarthy, he was able to keep it out.  There was visible pressure from our midfield, far more so than in the first half - mostly because the game was passing them by -  with Steven Gerrard in particular really aggressive in his attempts to win the ball back high up the pitch.  Glen Johnson - as he had been the entire game - was in the thick of the action having two chances in quick succession.  At this point it was clear that no Reading player was going to be able to stop him, all he needed was that final piece of skill to get it beyond the goalkeeper.

Mistakes this year have cost us greatly and it was a miskick from the goalkeeper that could have doubled our lead.  The ball went straight to Suarez some fifteen yards outside the area, he teased the defenders in front of him one way and then the other.  Instead of laying it off to Nuri Sahin who was clean through, he tried to go around the defender and the save was made.  From this good chance came a great chance for Reading, Guthrie playing a ball over the top for McCleary.  One on one with the goalkeeper, Brad Jones came out and stayed up strong, making himself big and saved the eventual shot to concede a corner rather than anything else.  From one end to the other, Suarez again this time down the left hand side, tried to play the ball to Gerrard who moved as he was playing the pass.  Frustration all around Anfield and suddenly as the game was becoming more open, our lead was looking very slender indeed.

Though in truth he had very little to do - even despite the mounting tension - everything Brad Jones did was to perfection.  When he came for crosses he was positive and made sure he wasn't going to fumble and when McAnuff fired a shot from the edge of the box he palmed it far away from any danger.  A player who hadn't quite had the same impact was Nuri Sahin.  His initial movement was fantastic but had failed to really put a mark on the game in any significant way.  That's not a dampener on his obvious quality as within a flash of his boot he suddenly sent Sterling away down the wing.  Had his cross then been converted by Suarez instead of being blazed over, everyone would have congratulated the Turk for opening up their defence in the first place.  As it was, his afternoons work came to an end shortly after with Shelvey coming back from suspension being subbed on in his place.  The change nearly came off right away, with Jonjo and Suarez linking up to force a corner.  Despite creating good chances, despite our opponents having not had any real joy, somehow the game remained in the balance.

A more adventurous side would perhaps have induced more menace.  That's not a dig at Pogrebnyak either, who I think is a good Premier League striker and worked very hard but much like Suarez, when the burden of scoring is so high on one player sometimes they can do too much.  We didn't have it easy, at least, that's the message the crowd were giving off anyway.  So many times at Anfield the fans have had a rejuvenating effect and give our players almost superhuman powers, but I've also seen the gloom set in and that feeling of inevitability that something bad is going to happen - which half translated to the players.  Defensively we weren't at our sharpest - apart from Brad Jones who was always on his toes - but Reading were giving us no reason for such alarm.  It's a sign of the times in that we haven't won at home so much lately that the desperation to get that win leads to it feeling a whole lot harder than it should be.

The actual chances that were being created were all Liverpool.  Reading would have a succession of set pieces or pounce on a loose pass but when we broke, we did so in numbers and were able to get at the heart of their defence.  Gerrard had a shot that forced a save, likewise Suarez.   Glen Johnson again was the furthest Liverpool player up the park when a free kick was half cleared and he linked with Sterling before following up on Agger's blocked shot.  Another change was made, this time Jose Enrique making another step in his rehabilitation, coming on for Suso with about twenty minutes to go to stretch the game out on the left hand side, with Raheem going right.  The change looked to have had an effect instantly with Gerrard, Wisdom and Sterling doing the same kind of good work we were doing on the left in the first half.  With just over fifteen minutes to go, all we had to do was keep the ball like this and remain composed.  Sounds a lot easier than it actually was.

When a manager makes a change, there are any number of different things he's trying to do.  Jose Enrique's introduction to the team breathed so much life into proceedings just by having a player who was prepared to stay wide and run in behind.  Three times in the space of five minutes, Jose was able to not only get on the ball but really make things happen, including one chance that Luis Suarez really should have buried.  We were now sat very deep, allowing plenty of scope for the counter attack.  What this did do was invite Reading onto us a little and that in turn did make everyone a little nervy but not only were Reading unable to capitalize, we had the quality to keep the ball in and around at the back under some serious pressure.  Jordan Henderson came on in the closing stages for the goalscorer Sterling just to add some extra security and fresh legs down that side but by now the only real outlet they had was Jason Roberts tussling with Martin Skrtel and seeing if he could get the referees attention.  Brad Jones must have been the most comfortable man in Anfield for while the anxiety could be felt all around the ground, there was never anything to bother the Australian goalkeeper.  A first home victory in the bag for Brendan Rodgers then and a second clean sheet in a row.  Everything is as it was as it has been all season, we're capable of playing some great football but we're also not quite the finished article.  Only now the points are starting to come along.  We need to keep collecting.

(H) Reading - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                          Saturday 20th October 2012
                                                   Anfield

                                      Liverpool VS Reading

After being blunted by Stoke the team would have been eager to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.  Having had to wait two weeks for the opportunity, this game has been far too long in coming.  Three points are a must at this point with the league starting to take shape and the team languishing around in the bottom portion.  Nothing is ever that straightforward for us however.

First and foremost, the international break in between games has worked it's magic in disrupting the squad completely.  Borini broke a bone last Friday and will now be out for a few months, Pepe Reina seems to have somehow damaged a muscle in a game he wasn't even playing in and Luis Suarez will be knackered having travelled across the world and back and having played at altitude in the meantime.  On top of all that, there's also talk of Steven Gerrard needing a rest having ran himself into the ground for England against Poland.  

On that note, given his performance against Stoke it may be better to have Stevie as a weapon to come of the bench - we don't have many of those in our locker.  The team seems to have applied itself very well in his absence so far this season.  Jonjo Shelvey is back from suspension and riding high from his first international cap for England could come in to the midfield and hopefully do as well as he has managed in Europe this season.  So long as Agger and Skrtel aren't too banged up from their travels, we'll have the majority of a more than capable team out there.  If not, Brendan Rodgers may have to draw straws as to whatever side we're able to piece together.

It's unfair to ask any more of Suso and Sterling than already has been.  They've made their first ever Premier League starts, looked completely at home and done everything the manager could possibly have wanted.  Today, given the potential for Suarez to be tired - if not even on the bench altogether - then they're going to have to give a little more.  It could be the perfect chance for either of them to open their account for the club, given the fact that Reading will allow a little space and won't be as eager to kick lumps out of them.  On that very subject, wrapping this game up early may give us the chance to play Assaidi into some league form or even try and get Samed Yesil a run out.  Man United have a great record of blooding young players when the game is already won and whoever it is that makes the bench today will need the team to get the job done in the latter stages in order for them to show us exactly what they're capable of.  Once again support from midfield is going to be vital.  In order to get back up the table, we're going to need goals from all over the park and it's at home where people have to hit the ground running and put down a marker.

On paper, coming up against a newly promoted side at Anfield seems straightforward.  It's now gotten to the point however where we always find ourselves incredibly frustrated following the final whistle.  There is no aura of invincibility and teams believe that can come to us and get something out of the game.  That Reading are a side that will try and play a little football rather than shutting up shop completely is something that we may be able to exploit.  At the same time, this game has another aspect in that Reading are so intrinsically linked to our current manager.  Having cut his teeth as a coach for them at a much younger age, he then returned to manage them in 2009 and was shown the door within six months.  The circumstances for this are well documented but it's safe to say that both have gone on to brighter things.  

Reading are a team for whom it's very difficult to find a great deal of fault with.  Their manager is very charming, affable and tactically very sound and the team unit doesn't have much in the way of thuggery or the kind of unsavoury attitude you'd associate with a Stoke.  That being said, sport is no place for laying off or being in any way lenient.  We have to be professional about the job today and extra clinical with regard to putting the game to bed.  It's all about how early we're able to grab the initiative. We don't have to necessarily score early but goals will make the game so much easier and conversely the longer it stays goalless - or if we do the unthinkable and give them something to hold on to - then it will only get infinitely more difficult.  Having seen off some of the bigger teams in the league at Anfield and played well without anything to show for it and then been disappointed by our lack of a cutting edge against Stoke we need something of a happy medium today.  If there was ever a day for a straightforward, clean cut home victory, it's today.

Somewhere Down The Barrel

Because there is no definitive level of performance that guarantees success, there is always a need for more.  In sport, very little can be described as adequate in terms of an overall effort.  Ability and commitment vary constantly and no matter how one applies themselves in a specific area, there will always be someone wanting extra.  The very idea of giving any more than a hundred percent is the very basis of trying to squeeze every last drop of effort for there is no way of telling just how much will be required.  When the resources and personnel that are expected to bear that burden are unavailable, it often falls upon the most unlikely of shoulders.  In these times of difficulty, that is when you need the most.  It's often looked for in the places you would expect it the least.

Last week Fabio Borini went off to play for the Italy Under 21 team and returned with a broken bone in his foot.  Like many an international break before it, someone has returned to Anfield with an injury that will force them to miss an extended period of time.  In addition to that, Luis Suarez has travelled a ridiculous amount of miles and played in a ground so high up above sea level, FIFA had once banned Bolivia from playing games there.  To say the attack might be a little light is an understatement.

The circumstances surrounding the issue as to why the club finds itself with only one recognised and fit striker are for the time being irrelevant.  It's not a situation that anyone will be particularly happy with but the reality is that for now very little can be done other than the steps already being taken.  There are those who have potentially waited all their lives for this chance.  To show the world exactly what they're capable of and in the process make themselves a star.

On the start of a journey that they hope will lead to their wildest dreams coming true, only a handful of players are guaranteed anything.  There's a certain element of luck in having the opportunity to start your career at this level in the first place.  That being said with the culture of football being the way it is right now, it only takes forty five minutes for a career to be written off completely.  Men in their early twenties or even younger these days have such a pressure and the last thing you could want as a player is a club the size of Liverpool adding to that.

First and foremost these players should not come into the team with any expectation over their shoulder but rather a completely clean slate.  If they were to come off the bench and score then that would be perfect for everyone but no-one should be looking at laying any blame at the feet of a player who has barely had the chance to hone his own game yet, let alone be thrown in at the deep end.

Sink or swim football - when it comes to youth development - is incredibly dangerous.  Some obviously have the natural talent to thrive in even the most competitive of environments but those that don't should not be discarded completely.  The important thing to remember is that even though Rodgers will have some idea of what the younger players are capable of, even they have no real idea until they're put to the test.  Without taking that initial plunge, nobody ever gets there.

For the next few weeks, the resources that the manager has at his disposal will be stretched as far as they can possibly go.  Trying to compete on three separate fronts, which includes the Merseyside derby, Rodgers' first encounter with his former employer and a complete trip into the unknown as far as Anzhi Makhachkala.  The sheer amount of games will mean that even those who play on the periphery will still get their fair share of playing time.  Because of the shortages in the striking department one or two of them may be used more often than they would have ever thought.  For Samed Yeşil and Adam Morgan, the next few months could be the start of something.

Having scored the first ever goal for Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers, it would be rather fitting if eighteen year old Adam Morgan became the missing piece in the jigsaw.  He's been progressing through the age groups ever since joining at the tender age of ten.  Scoring enough goals at reserve level to earn himself comparisons with Robbie Fowler of all people.  Certainly the goal he scored against Toronto as well as the effort that was disallowed in the Europa League suggest that there is something in the predatory nature of his finishing, a quality that has been severely lacking in the squad for some time.  Morgan is nowhere near the finished article as of yet but - much like he does on the pitch - could quite have found himself in the right place at the right time.

Samed Yeşil is something of an unknown quantity.  When he had signed for Liverpool at the end of August, very few had even heard his name.  He does however boast a goal record that would be the envy of pretty much all his contemporaries with a remarkable ratio while playing for Leverkusen at youth level (57 in 71).  The Turkish born forward who represents Germany has also been able to replicate it on an international level.  Yeşil has represented Germany at U16, 17, 18 and 19 level in a total of 32 games and in that time has wracked up 31 goals.  Whatever the length of talent that he possesses is not yet clear.  What is clear is that if Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool can harness it, they will have some player on their hands.

In an area of the pitch where the goals - quite literally - could not be any more clearly defined, it's clear that help is needed.  The players that come in to do a job, whether they be the ones mentioned or even the likes of Jerome Sinclair, Dani Pacheco or Michael Ngoo will all be looking to take their chance.  Given the need to rest players ahead of what has now become a vital run in the league all of them will feature at some point in the coming weeks and it may only take a couple of scrappy goals in the League Cup to really kick start a young forward's career.  Brendan Rodgers may not have all the weapons at his disposal that he would like, but he hasn't run out of bullets just yet.

Home Wasn't Built In A Day

No place on Earth is more significant than that which we start and end the day.  It's about more than just safety or comfort.  It's the dependability of knowing that while the wider world is forever changing there will always be somewhere you can rely upon. The strength to go out there and face whatever challenges await as well as the motivation to see them through and get back safely all come from one incredible intangible. Home.

Today, Liverpool Football Club formally announced it would be staying at Anfield and looking to redevelop it as opposed to moving to a new stadium.  This has been something which the club as a whole has been trying to address now for quite some time and finally there appears to have been progress in that regard. The current ownership have succeeded where others had failed in managing to talk the local council into redevelopment of the ground, something they had been vehemently opposed to in the past.

The phrase "spades in the ground" is a term symbiotic of the Hicks & Gillett regime.  Much like their promises to supporters that the club would not be going into debt it skirted the fine line between embellishment and outright lie.  Whatever happened with Stanley Park and everything surrounding that venture, it was a failure on such a level that the club is still - two years after having changed hands - coming to grips with it. Effectively having paid a Sergio Aguero's worth for a few renderings from architects, there is nor ever was any tangible progress on that front despite the incredible sums of money that were put into it.  No drawing of a stadium is that good.

As football has evolved over the last ten years - which is a polite way of saying it's become almost solely about money - Liverpool has been lagging behind in the stakes for generating new match day revenue.  This was an issue prior to the ill fated takeover of Tom Hicks and George Gillett and the gap will only get larger for anyone who stagnates.  The mistakes made in the past which were compounded by the economic state of the world were far more costly than they should have been but now they have made this final step in moving forward and though it does appear as though Liverpool has gone back to where it was ten years ago, in was the right move in order to get as far away from the previous ownership as possible.

Building a new stadium right now would be completely unfeasible monetarily and a complete financial black hole.  It would have a dramatic impact on the choices the club make in regard to both transfers and contract negotiation.  Think of the situation Arsenal have had to endure multiplied by a thousand. Not to mention the fact that Anfield can still go some way toward balancing the books while changes are being made whereas any new ground would not be earning until it's opened.

Naming rights is also an issue that has come up a number of times and with the decision to stay put, it's unlikely that the ground itself will have to change names - not that anyone would ever call it anything different.  Whether or not any of the reworked parts of the stadium would have any commercial subsidy (the Anfield Road end and Main stand are those that are presumed to be changed) attached to them remains a possibility however.  

Of the major new stadiums that have been built recently, the Emirates benefitted from Highbury being in one of the wealthiest areas of the country in terms of resale and the City of Manchester Stadium had substantial contribution from the government as it was built for the Commonwealth Games.  This project would be something more akin to the extention of Old Trafford, which has extended it's capacity by almost 20'000 since the turn of the century.

Comparisons were made to what John W Henry had done with Fenway Park and how it could be applied to Liverpool from the moment he bought the club.  Though the move in principle is the same, the work done in Boston was ensured not to extend the capacity beyond 40'000.  There was also a significant increase in the pricing structure which supporters will also be concerned about, Ian Ayre having gone on record as saying that a larger number of seats will not translate into any decreasing in ticket pricing.  

Though the speculation is that Anfield will be extended to 60'000 there will be no official word until any local properties that are necessary to the redevelopment have been purchased and any compensation packages agreed to.  The council will have to work hard in coming to an agreement with people who - the market having crashed pretty much everywhere - will not be quick in their willingness to move.  Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson was quoted in todays press conference as saying "we can't let a small group hold back regeneration" which suggests some level of commitment on their part but there will be a lot of talking yet to do.  After all, we are talking about their homes. 

It will take some time yet before any concrete plans are in place and as such there will be no bold and ultimately empty promises of spades going into any part of the area anytime soon.  Aside from the numbers aspect, the decision to remain at Anfield is one that supporters all over will be able to rejoice in.  Without the ground the club itself wouldn't exist.  This is a venue that has seen some of the most incredible feats of football to have ever been played.  Whatever spectacular feat of modern engineering the club could have moved into just wouldn't feel the same.  Major European nights at Anfield are something truly special in the world of football. St. Ettiene, Olympiakos and Chelsea have gone down in Liverpool folklore. With this announcement there will hopefully be many more to come.