IF we’re honest, it’s been the story of the past two seasons: Liverpool enter into a big game, play well enough – in part – and come out the other end with a disappointing result.
The moment the Blues got in two last ditch tackles to prevent Daniel Sturridge and then Coutinho from opening the scoring, you knew exactly which way this was going to go.
To be honest, I’m surprised Everton didn’t nick a winner in injury time.
I wrote earlier in the week that Sunday’s game was about much more than just pride; while there may not have been too much at stake, in terms of qualifying for Europe or jumping up a significant amount in the league table, there was a statement to be made to let our city rivals and other significant league rivals know that we were finishing the season strong and signalling our intent for the season to come.
Instead, we got squandered chances, snatched efforts and, in all honesty, a complete lack of fight and real ambition from either side. One hack asked on Twitter mid-way through the second-half – “is this meant to be a Merseyside derby?”. It had a very tangible feel of two sides too scared to go for the throat and with one eye on their summer holidays.
As for Everton, this was nothing new. For everything David Moyes may have shown us as Everton manager over the years, one thing he has lacked is any real ambition to take that final step. He always seems to get Everton just to the cusp of genuine success (see a number of Europa campaigns and more recently Wigan in the FA Cup) only to fall at the final hurdle.
In his 25 derbies to date, his record reads rather depressingly for Evertonians with just 4 wins and over 3 times as many defeats. It speaks volumes for a manager who is terrified to ‘go for it’ when the opportunity is there. When a goal ahead for much of last year’s FA Cup semi-final, the Blues bottled it after some rather bizarre tactical decisions by Moyes late on.
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Whenever he starts with Victor Anichebe up front on his own you know what you’re going to get. And though how Moyes sets his team up in the derby is of little interest to Liverpool fans, there is a worrying similarity to how our own side has fared in big games this season.
With only a win over Tottenham (and a rather fortunate one, at that) a month ago to show against the league’s big sides, it appears that the Reds have developed a similar habit of bottling it in the big games.
After dominating an admittedly poor Newcastle side last weekend, hopes were high for a performance and scoreline to match against Everton on Sunday but it just wasn’t to be, as has been the case many times this season.
Luis Suarez is obviously a big miss for us but we’ve already established that we don’t need Suarez to win games but after his last gasp (and disallowed) goal in the Goodison derby, his equalizer late on against Chelsea last month and the numerous other occasions when he’s stood out when we’ve needed him to it appears that what we’re missing is a few more big players for the big occasion
Our current side isn’t bad, it has talent to spare in the likes of Coutinho, Gerrard, Sturridge and so on but we seem to be missing that player that comes up big when we need it in tight games and that’s what Luis gives us.
On the plus side, we have relatively young side and with a few additions in the summer things can only improve but our biggest addition in the summer can only be an improvement in our ‘big game’ mentality. What’s the point in destroying little sides like Newcastle, Norwich and Wigan when you choke when it matters?
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Rodgers hasn’t been able to win any ‘big’ game this season apart from Spurs at home. It is a shocking statistic which people have ignore at their peril.
When the heat comes on, Rodgers can’t do it.
Agreed
4 real
Rogers lacks the ability to win games when it matters. A boring derby , average game served by two average managers.
no win against any top 4 team this season. People say judge the man next season? What an idiotic statment . Judge him for what he is about to do, not what he has already done. I would like the board who appointed him to ask me Rogers to come up with a dossier and explained why he failed this season and what’s the solution for next year . Sadly, it won’t happen.
wat more do u wait frm him? He wntd dempsey at d beginin of d sesson d board refuse 2 fund him, he den shiftd 2 sturrage same tin occur, he den used wat he has dat is made of string player nd d result was 2 start d sesson frm d bottom table 17 nd we finishin d sesson in 7th positn.so wat else do u need frm a manager dat is nt funded.
Why do I keep hearing we got no money the amount that roggers spent is much more than everton would prefer to win games the have good % get him out
Yes . Rodgers has spent twice as much as Everton…yet Everton have had a far better season
He is a poor manager. 56 million he gas spent !!!!
For him 2 F off!
The worst part is that there is absolutely nothing to fear whatsoever in this weak Prem, Man u are long ball dross and have been allowed to hoof their way to the title.
We outplayed man City (the best team in the Country) home and away, should have won both games, ended up gifting them goals and we drew both games.
When it comes down to it i fear there is a core of spineless chokers, cowards and serial letdown merchants in this Liverpool team, and most of them have been around for a while.
Deluded
Pls rodger is good let be hornest we need money to spend let the board give him money
He has had over 55 million….and spent more NET than kenny
Here we go again as soon as we don’t get 3 points all the Rogers haters come out. Then we get dreamers who say why don’t we sign Cavani. Fact is Liverpool can’t match it financially against oil rich owners and until we get in the CL. All we can domes build over time with youth and a few shrewd buys eg Coutinho which are very hard find.
Say what you like about stats but in the end we have also scored more points than previous years, more goals and by far we are much more enjoyable to watch.
I think BR has done well with limited resources and I think also the club as a whole learnt from their summer blunders. FSG are slowly putting together a good team and I just don’t mean in the park . A lot has to be right behind the scenes such a scouting team, sponsorships and smart marketing such as a trio to asia and Australia. Rumours of a new sponsor for the shirt and ground naming rights will also provide LfC with much needed funds and don’t forget the impending ground redevelopment .
I think we finally have stable owners who are looking long term rather than the previous crooks who almost bankrupted Liverpool .
You think Rodgers has done well because you are a delusional fool
Rodgers has been an embarrassing disaster from day 1 and even if we.had of beaten Everton….we still want him sacked
If you think this miserable season is acceptable you are supporting the wrong club
We? Speak for yourself. I’m a big fan of our manager. We got a clean sheet against a good Everton side which is a decent result. You’re the delusional one that thinks Liverpool deserve to win every game just, well…because. Success takes time.
Lol. Your a big fan of the manager who hasgiven us our worst season in over 50 years ?
You must be a manure or everton fan
You can give Rodgers 20 years and he wont get success. The worst manager in our history .39% win percentage in the league
You have no ambition like Brendan Rogers.
Since the prem started Man U spent a total of 670,190,400 and won everything possible 724,801,440 spent by Liverpool 0 titles utd 13
Stoke Wigan & Swansea have limited resources you plonka!. Bodgers has had loads of money 2 spend, & bought average player’s to the club,
Limited resources ? Don’t be silly
3rd biggest spender in the league was Rodgers
55 million spent : 33 million of it wasted
br is building well my worry is against big teams he has not won one.we are currently playing lovely football nice to watch .i feel we need another anchorman to play with lucas then we put gerrard behind strikers thats were belongs.if we buy tom ince to play as winger tht would be good attack.strikers we need leandro damaiao of brazil thats good striker to lead the attack with suarez sturridge .damaiao is tip class striker is in the brazilian national team.back up striker borini ,yesil.wanyama thatss the right guy to anchor with lucas cause he is box to box midfielder.the keeper we get vorm.then we challenge champions league
If these players are so good, why would they want to sign for Liverpool ?
Clueless management again from Rodgers.
He has no idea how to beat the good teams. Rodgers is a small club manager with a smaller club mentality
EVERY time we come up against a difficult team BR has no clue how to win . No idea from the side of pitch , and dumb cowardly substitutions
And the usual rubbish excuses after the Match
Y is it dat ppl dnt aprehend d future n bk bradan rogar.. Dis man is takn lfc to d nxt level.. I beliv d time he bought coutinho many said its waste of money.. Ar we nt enjoyn d asset nw? Pls get bhind rogar i trust n beliv nxt season wil b gud.. Juxt gud summa signin wil tak us high.
Pardon ?
Shut the ..ck up you.
In all honesty, Our club for last five years have had a weak and poor squad. The last four seasons we have become a side that is competing for a top 6-11 place in league with likes of Everton, Fulham, Newcastle and Stoke.
That is not good enough for our club and the main problem is we have weak squad with lack of class, quality competition for places.
Barnes, Hansen and Lawrenson for the last three seasons have been saying the club need some serious investment in playing staff before we can compete for the league again. And that is the truth we do
These five clubs currently have much better squads than us now and yet they will all strengthening again within the summer: Both the Manchester Clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.
And those are the teams in the top 5
For our club to get back challenging for league, £100-£140M is needed. Not £200M
B Rodgers has shipped out 12 players since his reign at club (Adams, Aquilani, Aurelio, Bellamy, Carroll, Cole, Doni, Kuyt, Ngoo, Rodriguez, Spearing and Wilson.
4 of them were players loaned out, only one should be brought back (Carroll)
And only brought in 5 players to replace 12 ( Assaidi,Allen, Borini, Coutinho and Sturridge) This summer B Rodgers needs to ship out these 7 / seven dead wood average players: 1: GK: B Jones 2: RB: Flanagan 3:CB: Coates 4: CB: Wilson
5: DM: Spearing 6: FD: Borini 7: FD: Pacheco
Then the owners need to back B Rodgers with some heavy investment between £100-£140M between summer and January transfer window to bring in these 11 players to bring more class,quality competition for places and bring depth to club.
6/Six Defensive players: would cost club : £29-£46 to strengthen Back Line
1: GK: A MCCarthy (23) Of Reading for £2-£4M to compete with P Reina
2: CB: M Richards (25) Of Man City for £9-£15M to compete with Skrtel
3: CB: A Williams (28) Of Swansea for £7-£11M to compete with Agger
4: CB: A Pearce (24) Of Reading on Free Transfer to compete with every CB
5: LB: S Umtiti (19) Of Lyon for £5-£7M to compete with Enrique
6: DM: E Capoue(24) Of Toulouse for £6-£9M to compete with Lucas
5/Five Attacking players: Would cost club: £34-£49M
7: CM: De Guzman(25) Of Villareal for £5-£7M to compete with Allen, Gerrard and Henderson
8: AM: Isco(20) Of Malaga for £16-£20M to compete with Coutinho, shelvey and Suso
9: RW/ RWF: J Montero(23) Of Monarcas Morelia in Mexico for £4-£7M to compete with Assaidi and Sterling next season
10: LW / LWF: D Capel(25) Of Sporting Clube De Portugal for £4-£8M to compete with Downing.
11: FD: L Remy(26) Of QPR for £5-£7M to compete with Carroll, Sturridge and Suarez, so club could have four good strikers at club.
Those 11/Eleven players would cost club just under £100m (£95M). But with those 11 players at club, we would have strong competition for every position in first 11 at club like the great Liverpool sides of old used to have.
Squad with those 7 players shipped out and Carroll back at club with 11 player mentioned brought in:
GKS: MCCarthy and Reina CBS: Agger, Pearce, Richards, Skrtel and Williams
RBS: Johnson, Kelly and Wisdom LBS: Enrique and Umtiti DMS: Capoue and Lucas CMS: Allen, De Guzman, Gerrard and Henderson
AMS: Coutinho, Isco, Shelvey and Suso RWS / RWFS: Assaidi, Montero and Sterling LWS / LWFS: Capel and Downing
FDS: Carroll, Remy, Sturridge and Suarez
That squad is definately Top 4 Material and i am even sure they could challenge for the league if we had that squad. And that is half of what G McAllister thinks our club needs to challenge for the title again.
We have an excellent squad . Way better than Everton. But we have a trainee incompetent manager
R squads not better than evertons or we wouldn’t be finishing behind the for two years running
Don’t be ridiculous. Really that is a staggeringly silly comment.
Market value .Liverpool squad is at least 10 times the value of Everton
FFS . Carroll alone cost more than most of the Everton team put together
We are behind them because we have a clueless fool managing us .and they dont
Well said JFK. If LFC are going to challenge at the very top again, they’re going to have to face up to the harsh reality of how far they have fallen, and stop thinking that the downward spiral can’t continue. No so called “Champions League” funding means that they might not be able to attract the calibre of player (or manager) to improve their position, and will have to rely more on their manager’s coaching ability. Mmm.
Way better than Everton ? League table suggests otherwise. Strange. If “way better” why not “way more points” ? You can’t even blame the woodwork this season as EFC are leading on that stat this season. Count your blessing, you could be even more than 5 points behind that team which you’re way better than.
Everton are a better team but I think Liverpool have the better players
Liverpool should on paper be better but because we have a poor manager and bad tactics – were not
Don’t you mean Obe 1 crap apprentice Bodgers Skywalker.
Oh, we’re not good enough so let’s just spend another £100M pound. Priceless
Were they the two stupidest substitutions in the history of football ?
Dope Rodgers brings on 1 goal in 17 matches Borini when we need a goal
Then , he brings on a centre back for a winger !!!!
He really is out of his depth.
Yes. I couldn’t believe the subs
Absolutely ridiculous !!!
Inept is our Brenda
Every match Brenda proves what a second rate manager he is
We have gone from beating the likes of real barca and inter to only beating 1 decent team all season
Cam u believe that ?
Liverpool FC – 5 times champion of Europe. One of the world’s top clubs – HAVE ONLY BEATEN ONE GOOD SIDE ALL.SEASON
Brenda has sank us to new lows this season
Cant see any future with Rodgers. I backed him before and thought maybe give him 1 more season, but he is a lousy manager . Time to go
Rogers must stay ! Or at least be given his own Saturday night stand up comedy show.
Your obviously an evertonian . Yes ?
Yeah, back in Watford.
Rodgers is just crap. PERIOD!!!
That sums it up perfectly