It wasn’t so much the fact Liverpool lost to Man United on Saturday, which was bad enough, it was more the manner in which they lost that was hard to take. Seemingly in control at half- time Liverpool lost-the-plot almost immediately after the restart conceding two Wayne Rooney goals in the space of 5 minutes. Poor defending and a schoolboy error cost Liverpool the match and not until the last 10 minutes, when Suarez scored a poachers goal, did Liverpool look like they had any chance of salvaging something from the game.
The reality is too many players continue to disappoint which is compounded by Dalglish’s insistence on rotating his starting line-up to the point no one knows who will make the first 11 for any given game. Why didn’t Carroll start? He’s been playing well, even scoring, yet he was confined to the bench. Teams that have had success at Old Trafford have gone out and attacked United so why leave out your in-form striker? The same applies to the always effective Bellamy. If the fear is he can’t last a full 90 minutes then why not have him help Liverpool stamp their authority on the game from the beginning before substituting him?
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I understand the demands of modern football can necessitate the rotation of players but our last game before this one was Tuesday and we’re not involved in Europe this season so why get too clever and constantly change the starting 11? How can the team gel and perform at its best each and every week when the team is always changing? It’s not working and I doubt it’s a case of player exhaustion.
I’m betting the same 11 players would happily start every week if given the opportunity. It’s time to create stability and consistency. Kenny also has to accept that out-of-form players such as Downing, even though they cost a lot of money, need to be consigned to the bench. And if Carroll focused more on winning the ball instead of complaining to the referee every time he challenges for one he’d instantly become a more effective player.
With Chelsea and Newcastle losing, amazingly Liverpool are still only 4 points away from 4th place Arsenal but if Kenny insists on the current rotation system I fear 4th place is beyond us, even though a few weeks ago I was optimistic.
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i totally agree, there was no fight from the team, we sat back and watched them pass the ball around, not until adam came on did we close the down their players even then gerrard and hendo did not press the player with the ball. It simply comes down to tactics or lack of! it was clear they were their for the taking as proved by the first 10 mins when johnson nearly scored, if we carried on we would of course have got something out of the game.
Dalglish has made Liverpool a very mediocre team with his wasteful signings of a donkey (Carroll) and a pair of accompanying mules (Henderson & Downing).
yup, we lost the plot after a good spell. Clear player who went up to try to score is Johnson. Suarez too did not feature much except for the near breakaway and the lucky goal. Rest of team were mediocre and enjoyed watching Manures passing the ball around. What happened to the marauding SG ??? He seems to have lost the leadership and the drive and the killer strikes. He now places the ball more than he strikes them. And his goals come mainly from penalties.YNWA
For the first time in 2 decades I felt no stress during the game because it seemed a matter of time before we conceded. There was no contest and only one likely outcome. Kenny’s decision or arrogance in not adding goal scoring quality during Jan when money was available might come back to haunt us in May. And what about that talent hunting Commoli? What has he contributed since joining? Suarez was already being quoted as a target during Benitez’s time. If we miss 4th place, we will miss several top potential targets too during summer. I will not support KD/DC for a second if even one more hard working British donkey is added instead of skillful players from abroad. Titles are won by quality, pace and skill [at one-third prices], not by the colour of passports!
Dalglish needs to GO! we cant afford to give him any more money to waste on sh te players, and the display on saturday against the Salford Hoofers was a disgrace! attack them and they wilt, yet we just rolled over in the second half, with us rather than the referee giving them two gifts.
Dalglish is not up to job he has form from 20 years ago too negative and Carroll, downing and Henderson need I say more.,.,.shocking that the mancs won at a canter
YNWA
Very well written article…agree with so many things…why wasn’t Carroll Bellamy and adam in the starting lineup? Mayb even maxi instead of Henderson?? Top four is looking unrealistic at the moment…
The judge found it offensive, personally I find this fairytale so called religion offensive and it’s followers which includes this judge.