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Reds finally rising to the occasion

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Gerrard scores for LFCMUCH has been made of Liverpool FC’s lack of success against the so called “big clubs” this season. It’s true that, under Brendan Rodgers’s reign, the Reds have yet to take maximum points against a team occupying a better league position than themselves.

However, after two excellent away performances in a week, against two of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, Reds’ fans can afford to be a little more optimistic about the progress being made at the Anfield club.

Heading into the fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester City many fans, including myself, saw both matches as something of a defining period in Rodgers’s short time at the helm – particularly coming so soon after losing to Oldham in the Cup. Defeats in these two games wouldn’t have been catastrophic by any stretch of the imagination; however a failure to take any points would have left many supporters questioning the direction that Rodgers has been taking the club.

Defeats at Old Trafford, White Hart Lane and, to a lesser extent, at Anfield against Arsenal, came as a result of showing the opponents far too much respect from the start. From the 20 minute mark at White Hart Lane, the Reds were by far the better team; they had more of the ball, created more chances and limited Tottenham’s threat with a good pressing game. However, by that stage the damage had already been done, with Liverpool already two goals down.

The same can be said about the Old Trafford fixture; Liverpool started on the back foot and afforded the Manchester United midfield and Michael Carrick in particular, far too much time on the ball (the omission of Henderson in favour of Joe Allen played a major role in this). In the second half, the Reds re-jigged and responded, taking control of the game as United backed off, protecting their lead.

The fact that Liverpool reacted and came very much back into both games is neither here nor there; against the top teams you cannot afford to only start playing when you fall behind, you must be on top of your game from the first minute to the last.

Going by the last two games, it seems that Liverpool have learnt that lesson. Right from the kick-off at the Emirates the Reds pressed Arsenal high up the pitch, affording their back five and midfielders very little time on the ball and hustling and harrying them into mistakes.

They got their reward early in the game; Luis Suarez netted from inside the box, after Henderson had had the presence of mind to pick out the Uruguayan, following a catalogue of errors in the Arsenal back line. The Reds went on to dominate the half and should have added to their advantage before half-time.

After the break the momentum changed, with the home side upping the tempo of their passes and beginning to take a grip on the game. Liverpool snatched a second goal, against the run of play through Jordan Henderson and at that stage it was looking like they’d head back to Merseyside with all three points. However, Arsenal got back into the game shortly afterwards, through a Giroud header from a set piece and, with the Emirates in full voice, grabbed an equaliser just minutes later through a blistering Theo Walcott finish.

Having put so much into the game, the Reds tired slightly in the closing stages. However, they almost snatched all three points when Luis Suarez, who’d worked tirelessly for the team in a wide position, forced Szczesny into a smart stop in the dying seconds. That Liverpool failed to close the game out from 2-0 was disappointing, however to go to the Emirates, where Arsenal have been very strong all season, and play so well coming away with a point was enough to quell the disappointment of not taking all three.
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Having taken a point from North London, the onus was on the Reds to follow up that performance by taking something from the current Premier League champions on their own patch. City hadn’t conceded a goal at the Etihad in 2013 before Liverpool came to town, however they could’ve been two down before they eventually took the lead. Daniel Sturridge, who was clearly determined to shine against his first club, set up Suarez with a fantastic burst of pace and low cross. Suarez however, wasn’t on top form in front of goal and got the shot all wrong, before sending another effort wide just moments later.

When City scored it was against the run of play – Edin Dzeko tapping in from close range after clever movement to lose Daniel Agger. So often in recent seasons, we’ve seen Liverpool heads go down after conceding the first goal in a game; not on Sunday though. Daniel Sturridge fired a quick response for the Reds when he smashed in a left-footed drive from the edge of the box. City complaints fell on deaf ears as Edin Dzeko feigned injury in the hope of breaking up play, Liverpool played to the whistle and got their just desserts.

The Reds continued to impose their game-plan on proceedings and began to gradually turn the screw as the second half progressed. Finally, less than 20 minutes from the end, Steven Gerrard set himself to strike a bouncing ball on the edge of the box, and the result was exquisite. The way that Gerrard celebrated summed up what all Reds must’ve been feeling at that moment – “We may just win this one here”.

We might well have done too; there’s no doubt that Liverpool were the better side and had control of the game. It was difficult at that point, despite City’s recent history of comebacks, to see Mancini’s side getting back into the game. Unfortunately though, a miscalculation from Pepe Reina gave Sergio Aguero a sniff of a chance, to which he applied a sublime and devastating finish.

Honours even at the end of the game, however the way in which Liverpool went about the job was more than impressive. The Reds had more of the possession, had more shots on goal and had more shots on target than their megabucks opponents; they dictated the play and can count themselves more than a little unfortunate to come away with just a point. Liverpool’s performance left many City fans claiming that Rodgers’s side was the strongest visiting team to play at the Etihad this season, high praise indeed.

Sturridge has added an extra dimension to the side in an attacking sense, while the progression of Henderson, Enrique and, to a lesser extent, Downing, has served to add strength to the squad as well as providing the manager with options. The club’s most recent acquisition, Coutinho, has yet to make his debut in a Reds’ shirt but is likely to feature against West Brom this coming weekend.

The little Brazilian, who has been described in his homeland as being similar to Oscar only with a better first touch and finish, is a relative mystery on these shores. However, having been given the number 10 shirt, Liverpool fans hope that he can live up to his undoubted promise and add a touch of Brazilian magic and flair to what is a rapidly improving side.

In the context of this season, these two results and performances will hopefully become a defining point in the Reds’ campaign. With no further visits to the grounds of the “big four” and with City, United and the Gunners all having been played twice, the toughest tests Liverpool face, on paper at least, are visits from Spurs, Chelsea and Everton.

Rodgers’s side have generally been commanding when facing “weaker teams” this season, as well as being very assured at home in recent times. Should the Reds continue these trends for the rest of the campaign then a top four finish is not out of the question.

You can catch up with Neil on Twitter @Neil1980 and on his blog http://itsallinthegameblog.wordpress.com
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30 comments

  • patrick says:

    Things are looking positive for Liverpool and buying Sturridge looks a masterstroke for £12m. The best thing the Americans did was hire Rodgers.

    • simon says:

      LOL – what a joke . With spurs struggling , Arsenal having a disaster and Newcastle gone , 4th spot should be nailed on . The worst thing we did was get Rodgers as manager

      Results are ALL that matters . Football is about winning – not good performances . Winning is something Rodgers doesnt seem to be good at

  • ben says:

    Simon,who needs to change their nappy mmm. You’ve made that comment before do you have no new drivel to spew?

    • Scouse Ed says:

      Its not drivel , he is correct , results and trophies count thats all . BR is a joke of a manager , poor signings , poor tactics , poor results . or dont u think winning matters ? fool

  • AussieRed says:

    I’m still on the fence with Rodgers, people keep banging on about possession football and his style possession football has long been associated with liverpool football club and under king Kenny we dominated sides last year only to hit the woodwork more than any team in the premier league era and miss more penalties than any other team in the premiership last year! Rodgers should have all reds full backing as he is our leader I just have some reservations about his ability!
    YNWA

  • tommy says:

    rogers is doing good stuff at liverpool , it will be ok too ,

    • Scouse Ed says:

      LOL its good to have hope , but keep it real . 7th in league and out of both cups is a good job for a LFC manager ?

  • Furman says:

    “Reds finally rising to the occasion ” SHOULD be when we actually beat some top teams , NOT 2 draws . The league table never lies

  • ben says:

    Scouse Ed, you wanna get out Simon’s arse, I disagreed that it should be nailed on,the inconsistency of spurs arsenal and chelsea are testament to the strength of the league of course I wanna win,its not out of our reach, not just yet I have every right to be optimistic, and its not blind faith, there is nothing wrong with supporting your team and the manager.

    • tommy says:

      ben , i believe our club and the team are moving forward , a 4th place aint that far away for this season , i dont care bout the f.a. cup or league cup , we need to be in the CL and hopefully will be next season , but if we’re not in it next season , i genuinely believe we’ll do really well in the league next season ,

    • simon says:

      Yes , it is blind faith . There is NOTHING in Rodgers history to suggest he is capable of success

  • Ahmed says:

    Top 4 is not a possibility , not when we cant beat anyone even remotely decent . A better manager would have had us much higher in the table

  • Matt says:

    The last two performances have been very promising and there are signs that we are coming together under Rodgers and with the experts saying ‘Liverpool have arrived’ is pleasing to hear. However, every time we lead against the big clubs we seem to hit the self destruct button and go into panic mode eg manure, Everton, goonbags and both city games and that needs to be worked on.
    We are improving under Rodgers, our football is becoming very attacking and exciting to watch and I have belief that we will get back to where we belong under him.
    Keep the faith. YNWA

    • TaintlessRed says:

      We have Chelsea, Tottenham and Everton at home left. We must take at least 7 out of 9 points if our very slim chance of 4th doesn’t become zilch.

      • Matt says:

        Every game is crucial for 4th spot, if we win our next 2 games against West Brom and the Swans it will give us great confidence going into against Spurs and for remainder of the season.

  • Dennis says:

    2 good draws is NOT risin to the occasion . you would think this was a Reading site for getting excited after drawing 2 matches

  • Kay says:

    I am totally pissed off with BR. As a manager,there are only two things you can try to do 1) Positively change the history of the club or 2) Defend the history of the club. Now in our case,we can’t win the title,so we’re meant to do the best possible job to stop Manure,winning it. We perform so badly against Manure,and gift them 3points,then against Man City(the only team with a chance to finish above Manure)BR manages to extract the most spirited performance. Are we all looking at the BIGGER picture here. Stevie passed the ball to Drogba a few seasons ago,to gift Chelsea the title,that’s what I call,playing with heart. Hiring a manager that doesn’t understand the history of LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB is a total disaster,if you ask me. ‘”Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.’ ” Bill Shankly

    • shibashis says:

      So you wanted us to lose the game against City? Am I getting it right? You deliberately wanted us to lose the game???

      • King Kenny II says:

        I would have been happy for City to win , if it helps stop the manks from winning league .. extra point isnt going to matter to us

  • red says:

    Since when 2 consecutive draws are ACCEPTABLE for LFC ???

  • fotheringham says:

    we haven’t done anything , we haven’t won anything , we are 7th and out of both cups by january . yet some fool writes about us ‘rising to occasion ‘ _ nonsense ! we haven’t even beat a top half side yet

  • ChRiS says:

    The Problems go much deeper..a couple of decent performances left me frustrated still as most ignore the big picture..that we have suffered as a club from off-fiiedl mis-management for a long time…

    without the right basis (and IMO, that means a co-op between the global support of 7 million + “customers” , Liverpool community; ex players and Celebrity fan” investors.. we are being fooled into “debating daily issues” instead of a radical re-structuring of our club (which obviously removes F S G)

    its pathetic to think that with 7 million “customers” worldwide that we cant make a profit..net… without some y a n k e r s involved!

    “bankers” and hedge funds will be exposed for playing with “virtual money” …they are USELESS to us…. WE ARE the club and WE could raise 200-300 million from global support, celebs and ex players… apart from which..F S G are THE problem, , betraying Kenny, (which alone makes them unTRUSTworthy as custodians), ignoring Rafa, both these men are of massive value to our club, having made the progress with the youth players which “buck” is benefiing from.(between them Rafa and Kenny developed 25 international standard youth players ..for the club to “use” (Rafa brought Kenny back and Rudolfo in)

    …BR is a novice using OUR club for HIS education & “CV”, he has won nothing, and whilst the footy may be “pretty” we still havent beaten a club in the top half!! progress?..decent coach , but as a man, not big enough “winner” to be manager OF LIVERPOOL..

    Henry also snubbed the Hillsborough memorial and backed Bush’s campaign,

    ..WE members @ Global REdS) Do NOT want such people associated with LFC.. thats more important than what Rodgers does.

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