(H) Sunderland - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                        Wednesday 3rd January 2013

                                                  Anfield

                                   Liverpool VS Sunderland

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

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

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

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

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

Eye Of The Storm

An inaudible rhythm, more important than the noise any other instrument could make. There, filling every gap between consciousness, lies the capacity for our very existence and assists in every action we then take. Sometimes we follow it, though the places that are led to to aren't always what we had in mind. Over the course of our lives it gets broken - some more than others - but it doesn't stop completely until the very end. To live without is not to live at all.  Heart.

Lightning strikes the mind. Inspiration always comes from on high for even when it is less than divine, the brain is where ideas are forged and dreams are born. To put that into action, the body must be both willing and able. Physicality is but a vehicle, a means of getting somewhere faster or slower than others pending fitness. It's the heart that drives everything forward.  A midfield does that job for a team.  Steven Gerrard is that force for Liverpool.

Dominating the battle in the middle of the park has always been key to winning football matches but in recent years it's evolved into something else. Barcelona have practically made it a science by using very basic principles on a very advanced level, helped by the fact that Xavi and Iniesta are two incredibly gifted footballers. The idea of having someone in there simply capable of tackling or passing is no longer good enough.

There are three types of modern day midfielder. A destructive force, someone who will disrupt an opposing team on his own.  Those who can play every kind of pass there is to play without the benefit of even looking and the ones who can terrify defenders with a swing of their leg and drag a team across the finish line should the front men not be up to it.  Most are capable of two out of those three.  The very best can do it all.

It's not the skill set that's changed so much over the years but the way in which they're employed.  4-4-2 has become such a redundant tactic at the highest level because of the fact that teams will often set out with some variety of three in the centre - whether that be part of a three or five man midfield - and already you're giving the opposition a man advantage in the most important area of the pitch.  It's also a lot more rigid and would require a superhuman effort from the two in the middle just to keep some kind of equilibrium with supporting the attack while trying to supplement the defence. For evidence of that, see how tired Gerrard and Parker were after having done it for four straight games at Euro 2012. An extra man in there will even up the numbers - or even tip them in your favour - should there be an imbalance, as well as making it easier to retain possession while building up an attacking momentum. That's where the system Brendan Rodgers is trying to play comes in.

So far this season we've seen that when the midfield trio works well together things have looked good and the worst displays coincide with the times where they look all at sea.  First and foremost, the sheer number of things it's trying to accomplish at once is incredibly ambitious but if perfected would be near unstoppable. Two of them have to assist on both ends of the pitch while the third links them. Primarily based around what would be the apex of the diamond midfield but stretched out to accommodate the auxiliary centre half, at any given time they can be covering up to five different positions. The idea of ball retention would allow that deep lying player to close the gap and added to good movement in behind would create an epicentre from which any opposition would have to expose themselves in order to try and win the ball back.

He was thought to have been pivotal to Rodgers' success prior to a ball being kicked this season and like dominoes, the absence of Lucas Leiva has done much to alter the shape of the side. He's the one with the biggest engine of all those in that department and also is entrusted with being the quasi centre half when the team goes forward. Him staying would free Joe Allen to play the role of link man and also allow the full back that isn't Glen Johnson to go forward more comfortably. Playing Gerrard where Allen is right now requires the most out of his ageing legs and also potentially leaves him not in the area he's needed the most; in front of goal. While it's important that everybody realizes Lucas won't walk back into the team and immediately be the exact same force he was before, simply having him on the pitch gives us the option of being more flexible.

Nuri Sahin is the enigma. Having seemingly fit into the team with consummate ease, things haven't been as smooth for the on loan midfielder since he bagged a few goals against West Brom and Norwich. Interestingly enough, he has been playing the more advanced role of the three in the league as of late and it was in the deeper role that he made such an impact at The Hawthorns back in September. Switching he and Gerrard around might be the simple thing to do on paper but would leave a big responsibility on a player who has barely played in the last year. The problem Rodgers has is that he'll spend so much time with Nuri but by the time it's clicked he could be going back to Madrid.

Just like everything else that's been put into place, it's all about having flexibility and balance.  That you could have a rotating middle three just behind an alternating attacking force sounds glorious on paper.  Interchangeable parts rely having players with tremendous amounts of intelligence and technique, probably why there are growing calls for Suso to play more often at the head of this middle three just behind the striker.  This is also an area in which more goals are needed and that has to be addressed in the short time while the coaching staff continues to try get their ideas across.  From the outside looking in, it is a deceptively simple way of playing.  Pass and move is at the very core of how football should be played but also positionally and responsibility lies with the player themselves.  Some like to have rigid instructions and can't handle that kind of freedom.  Brendan Rodgers will see very soon who can.

There are a core of young, hungry central midfield players at Anfield right now and should.  There have been flashes where it's worked but as with the rest of the team in regard to the managers ideas, while it may not take long to understand it isn't going to be the finished article overnight. It's the one area of the park in which the club is amply stocked and yet it has to go the furthest because of how Brendan Rodgers wants it to be.  Get it right and there could be some real dark clouds ahead in store for the rest of the league.

(H) Manchester City - Post Match Thoughts

Final Score: Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
Liverpool Goals: Martin Skrtel (34), Luis Suarez (66)
Manchester City Goals: Yaya Toure (63), Carlos Tevez (80)

So much of what happened last week against West Brom was an echo of the worst pasts of last season.  Having dominated the possession for much of the first half only to succumb to a wonder strike and then capitulate after a few questionable refereeing decisions.  It could just as easily be argued that this game was more reflective of what was positive about Liverpool last year and while there's a justifiable sense of optimism, in the end it mattered for nothing.  There are reasons to believe that this season may be different however, it was clear of that even before kick off.

Very little in this day and age surprises.  If nothing else, it's certainly true of the way a manager picks his team.  There's so much pressure involved with every decision - that will be over analysed in minute detail - then it's no wonder most managers have a tendency to rein in their ambition.  Every now and then there comes a crossroads, upon which you'll be able to see if a coach has the courage of his convictions.  Playing Jamie Carragher would have been completely understandable, especially if you were determined to give Raheem Sterling his first Premier League start.  Brendan Rodgers chose to see what to prospects in his young squad were made of and in doing so showed a huge amount of faith in the ability of both Coates and Stirling.  They would not disappoint.

Of all the ways a team could start a match - whether that be imposing themselves on their opposition or holding the ball and easing their way into things - losing a member of the starting line up in the first two minutes might be one of the most anticlimactic.  For all the pre match optimism that Brendan Rodgers' bold selection had given, to have Lucas Leiva hobble off after two minutes was a huge blow.  Jonjo Shelvey came on to replace him and the midfield which had barely had a chance to get a foot on the ball had to immediately readjust.  Sufficed to say Man City had a lot of possession in the early going.  Kolarov and Milner were good options out wide, always ready to receive the ball and coupled with the strength through the middle of Ballotelli, City were by far the quicker of the two teams to settle.

Steven Gerrard was perhaps the one Liverpool player who saw most of the ball in the opening ten minutes and he looked determined to make something happen.  As such he was a little erratic with his passing but full of energy and had two early snapshots, although both were under hit and way off target.  Joe Allen on the other hand settled back into the hole created after Lucas had gone off injured and was a model of composure, as if he'd been given assurances that no City player could ever take the ball off him.  Skrtel too looked in imposing form, matching up well with Mario Balotelli save for one clumsy foul that he was lucky to escape a booking for.  Reina had yet to be tested but all in all City had started the game perfectly, trying to control possession and quieten the Anfield crowd.

It took a little to get going while but so long as the game remained goalless, we were always going to have a chance.  Suarez's movement and all around trickery caused problems from the moment we actually managed to have enough possession to get it up to him.  Our other real source of encouragement came down the left from a seventeen year old making his debut.  If Kolo Toure didn't know he was going to be in for a long afternoon, the first time Raheem Sterling got the ball at his feet and ran at him would have been an indication of things to come.  His subsequent ball into the box was so good it could very well have provided Borini with the opening goal.  Aleksandr Kolorov lunged in from behind and made it difficult for the Italian, but he will be disappointed at not even hitting the target.

After nearly conceding to the best chance of the game, Tevez created something out of nothing and very nearly gave City the lead immediately at the other end.  Having been put through by Samir Nasri, he was through on goal but looked to have overrun it.  Poking the ball beyond Pepe Reina from a tight angle appeared to have somehow gifted Tevez a goal only for it to come back off the far post and then safely into Reina's gloves.  The bounce of the ball and that no other City player reacted is exactly the kind of luck that we haven't seen a lot of.  In a game like this where the opening goal is so crucial, it's very much appreciated.

The game was starting to open up now, with virtually all of the Liverpool threat coming down the left hand side.  Suarez was his usual self but now he had someone alongside him in Sterling, who was causing Toure all sorts of problems.  At the other end Sebastian Coates had his one real cause for concern, dallying on the ball and allowing  Mario Balotelli the chance to get in there and conceed a foul.  It was virtually identical to the way in which Skrtel gave away a the second penalty to Shane Long but this was outside the area and City's free kick wasn't up to par.  For other players, this could have been a turning point after which they go into their shell and are never the same.  Fortunately Coates is made of stronger stuff.

City had been able to apply pressure by utilizing their wide men but at the from about the half hour mark had to deal with a threat going the other way.  Glen Johnson in particular - who had a magnificent game and already looks to be thriving in this system - combined with Suarez and Sterling on that left hand side of the pitch and visibly forced them back, leading to a chance for Borini which forced a corner and subsequent gestures for Anfield to get even louder.  Both the atmosphere around the ground was at such a level and the team itself appeared to go up a notch and for the first time in the game City were under a concerted amount of pressure.

One thing we failed to do on a number of occasions last season was score at the right time.  We'd have passages of play where we'd be on top of an opposition, without making it count.  When Steven Gerrard whipped a dangerous ball into the box and Kompany so very nearly headed into his own net, there was a palpable feeling that we had the game firmly in control at that moment and all it needed was a goal.  Step forward Martin Skrtel.  In actually he didn't so much step as gallop his way into the six yard box, rising to meet Gerrard's corner with an absolute bullet header that gave Joe Hart absolutely no chance in the Man City goal.  1-0 Liverpool.

For a team that had been in control of the game, some of City's players might have wondered how they were behind.  As it was, Liverpool had stepped up a level both as a team and those in the stands.  Buoyed by the goal and with ten or so minutes left until half time, if anyone was going to score next it would have been the team in red.  At this point Glen Johnson was giving James Milner an absolute nightmare down the left hand side, forcing him back on every occasion.  Meanwhile Joe Allen had become an absolute beacon in midfield, mopping everything up and then having the ability to make the right pass to set the team forward, it was a great sight to see against the league champions.  Unable to create anything of note, City had a flurry of set pieces late as the first half drew to a close but nothing that threatened to bring them back on terms.  Forty five minutes in and aside from a shaky start in which we lost a key midfielder, things were suddenly looking very bright around Anfield.

The second half began quietly, as if everybody watching new there was a storm brewing.  Sterling was harshly adjudged to have fouled Kolo Toure and he could have been frustrated with the way referee Andre Marrier seemed to be refusing him everything.  Still it did not deter him and force him out of the game but instead steeled his resolve to work hard and contribute, which he was doing both defensively and as a attacking force.  City kept the ball for the most part in the face of some excellent forward pressing by the front three with Borini pouncing on an attempted cross field pass which in turn nearly put Suarez in for a second goal.  The game was a lot more competitive than when it had first started with players on both sides determined to get in the face of their opposite number.  Once we did get a foot on the ball it was simply a case of playing sensible possession football, something Rodgers has promised since day one.

After the hour mark Mancini decided that changes were needed with his side having not troubled Pepe Reina to any great extent.  In the space a of few minutes two separate changes were made, Jack Rodwell coming on for Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko replacing Mario Balotelli.  The substitutions had barely had any time to make an impression before City found themselves level.  It was a series of small preventable errors that eventually led to the equalizer.  From Gerrard being a little too anxious to break out and counter, to Pepe Reina's missed punch (which may or may not have taken a minor deflection off the head Martin Skrtel).  Once it had been unexpectedly missed by the goalkeeper, Martin Kelly tried to adjust his body in vain and it bobbled off him, allowing Yaya Toure to put the ball into the net and get City back on level terms.

The need for an immediate response was clear.  City were always likely - given their quality all over the park - to score at some point, so any idea of holding on to take stock would have been foolish.  Not least of all, teams are notoriously vulnerable just after having scored themselves.  Maybe this is why Gerrard decided to unleash one at Joe Hart from twenty five yards out.  After all, in the very same league game last year, we scored in a very similar manner when Joleon Lescott deflected a Charlie Adam effort into the net just after they had scored.  Whatever happened, Jack Rodwell put his his body in the way of Gerrard's shot - an arm to be precise.  Suarez and Gerrard stepped over the ball and after having had several disappointing efforts last week, this one was perfection.  City fans would have been concerned that the defensive wall may not have been correctly placed but to all those in red it didn't matter.  It curled around the wall magnificently and into the back of the net, gloriously restoring our lead.

Man City were now visibly angry, or Mancini at least was.  They pressed us virtually straight from kick off as high up the pitch as they could but fortunately we had the likes of Gerrard who could get us the ball and Allen who would keep it.  Jose Enrique had come on for Martin Kelly just before Suarez's goal to give us some attacking width down both sides and it looked like either he or Johnson might be the key in killing the game off completely.  Borini was working his socks off at this point, occupying defenders so that Suarez had pockets of space to drop into and generally disrupting their back line.  One last throw of the dice from the champions was to bring David Silva on, but for all their incredible array of talent it looked like we were the most likely team to score next.  Then the self destruct button was pressed.

Some people will watch what happened with Martin Skrtel and beg for him to hoof it forward next time.  Under Brendan Rodgers' that's not going to happen.  It was a catastrophic error that saw him pick up the ball just behind the halfway line, turn blind to knock it back to Reina only to give it to Tevez who promptly sidestepped Reina and put City level once again.  Genuinely other than that moment, our bald headed Slovak was an absolute monster at both ends of the pitch so while it's incredibly frustrating and stained an otherwise good performance, there was still time for us to win it.  We could also just as easily have nothing to show for all our efforts.

The pessimist inside me - and I imagine I wouldn't have been the only one - thought that there was only ever going to be one winner.  City had pegged us back twice, it was an inevitability that they would score again.  Thankfully, the Liverpool eleven on the pitch were having none of it and set about taking the lead for a third time.  This wasn't a team that felt sorry for itself, it was one hungry for three points and that's incredibly encouraging against a team where a point isn't necessarily a bad result.  Andy Carroll came on for the final ten or so minutes and by this points both teams were going at it on the counter.  He did have probably the best chance to win the game from a Suarez cross but didn't catch it right at all.  With four minutes added and neither side out of it the end was a little breathless although neither side managed to work a good opening.  For the second year running an encouraging draw against Manchester City at Anfield.  Hopefully this time - with the manager's bold selections, the way in which we approached the game as well as the likes of Agger, Sahin and Assaidi to come into the side - that optimism is well founded.