Sunday 4th November 2012
Anfield
Anfield
Liverpool VS Newcastle
There are so teams - far too many - that come up against us and seemingly have some sort of voodoo power over us. Likewise Newcastle just can't seem to get one over on us to the point where before they went down to the Championship, it was incredible the sheer number of consecutive matches in which we'd manage to beat them. In recent years, they have managed to address the balance at St James' but it's here - at Anfield - that they just cannot seem to get any kind of result. Newcastle haven't managed to beat us at home in eighteen years and given the way our form has been in recent years, it's hard to see when they won't get have a better chance.
As far as the team is concerned, the only real question marks will be over Pepe Reina and Glen Johnson. I'm curious to see exactly what will happen when Reina does retake the number one spot from Brad Jones who - the first goal against Everton apart has performed admirably - and whether we look as solid as you'd expect or we'll need a few games to get back into a rhythm again. Johnson on the other hand we need back in as soon as possible, for all that he gives us in an attacking sense and the fact that all our other options at left back are something of a compensation. Playing Jack Robinson would be a little risky with Wisdom the other side - not that the manager would shy away from such a decision - while Jose Enrique seems to be far short of the standard required to really have an impact.
Once again our opponents have a key player who has been reported to be potentially missing out on today's game but will ultimately find his way into the line up. It's rather repetitive now and no-one really believes any kind of report when it comes to players recovering from injury to play but Demba Ba - who does have serious problem with injuries - does seem primed to come back in, despite reports to the contrary. He and Papiss Cissé have been lethal in front of goal for the last eighteen months and it's imperative that our defence is at it's best in order to stop them for if they get even so much as one chance it's likely they'll put it away. With players like Ben Arfa and Cabaye, it's also possible that we may see a shake up in the rest of the team, with Downing more likely to offer cover that could stop Ben Arfa running rampant as opposed to Suso who wouldn't be best utilized both going forward and back and Henderson or Shelvey in place of Sahin which could also add a little more steel than we've had recently.
Right now Liverpool Football Club feels as if on the edge of something. After the crushing defeat by Swansea and our less than stellar points total, things really could go downhill very fast. The real shame of all this is how quickly people would forget all the positives and the need for patience that everyone reiterated over and over prior to the season beginning. Funnily enough, it's been in the big occasions this year in which we've done well, albeit got nothing to show for it. Victories over Man United, Man City and Everton could have been victories but for very small margins and in spite of all the good performances we need to start picking up points. A good result against a top side could do wonders for confidence whereas defeat - especially with a trip to Stamford Bridge waiting next week - would really harm the team.
As far as the team is concerned, the only real question marks will be over Pepe Reina and Glen Johnson. I'm curious to see exactly what will happen when Reina does retake the number one spot from Brad Jones who - the first goal against Everton apart has performed admirably - and whether we look as solid as you'd expect or we'll need a few games to get back into a rhythm again. Johnson on the other hand we need back in as soon as possible, for all that he gives us in an attacking sense and the fact that all our other options at left back are something of a compensation. Playing Jack Robinson would be a little risky with Wisdom the other side - not that the manager would shy away from such a decision - while Jose Enrique seems to be far short of the standard required to really have an impact.
Once again our opponents have a key player who has been reported to be potentially missing out on today's game but will ultimately find his way into the line up. It's rather repetitive now and no-one really believes any kind of report when it comes to players recovering from injury to play but Demba Ba - who does have serious problem with injuries - does seem primed to come back in, despite reports to the contrary. He and Papiss Cissé have been lethal in front of goal for the last eighteen months and it's imperative that our defence is at it's best in order to stop them for if they get even so much as one chance it's likely they'll put it away. With players like Ben Arfa and Cabaye, it's also possible that we may see a shake up in the rest of the team, with Downing more likely to offer cover that could stop Ben Arfa running rampant as opposed to Suso who wouldn't be best utilized both going forward and back and Henderson or Shelvey in place of Sahin which could also add a little more steel than we've had recently.
Last year they surprised everyone, in showing the league that you don't have to spend massive amounts of money in order to challenge for top European places. In some ways what they did was the opposite of what we were trying but ultimately we both fell short. This season the test will be whether they can keep up with that added expectation that dragged Newcastle teams down in the past while we're trying to adapt to a new manager and a different way of doing things. Results yesterday mean that there's a big chance for either side to catch up having not started the season the way they would have liked. With people everywhere looking to push the panic button, the last thing we need now is to give anyone any further reason to do so.
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