Premier League
Saturday 20th October 2012
Anfield
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.
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.
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