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Anfield almost a fortress

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AnfieldFOLLOWING some, more than decent wins at Anfield for Liverpool this season (barring that anomalous Southampton defeat), there have been a few rumblings.

Suggestions have been cropping up all over the place about the Anfield fear factor returning for the first time in a long time. Teams scared of playing in front of the Kop; having to play Liverpool in their own backyard, riled on by their ever faithful 12th man.

For the hardcore supporter, it’ll certainly be a relief to anticipate home games once again with more than just a blind hope of a win.

Actually, scratch that and make it ‘every supporter’.

It’s true. Despite looking ahead at Anfield fixtures ‘with hope in your heart’ (pun very much intended) over the last few years, actual events have tended to suggest something other than a resounding and comfortable performance, capped off by an expected win.

Scrappy play, midfield bogged down from start to finish, and maybe a few semblances of decent play resulting in a solitary goal, followed by the nerves of having to watch the opposition storm right back with vicious attempts of equalising and/or winning the match after all.

For the last couple of years, that experience would feel a lot closer to reality, barring the odd big matches against top sides where pride was exceptionally high among the stakes. Liverpool turned up all guns blazing for those as usual.

And even then there were slip ups tantamount to the gob-smacking. One example in particular, that 2-1 defeat against Arsenal back when Robin Van Persie still played for the North Londoners.

The Gunners came back from a goal down on that occasion and the Dutchman scored both of them.

Even the so called lesser sides – whether that judgement was based on financial status, recent form, league position, or just history – seemed to always find a pair of wings to fly the moment they came to Anfield.

Goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, lone forwards, they all ended up putting in the performances of their season to either clog up Liverpool’s play completely for a draw, or even get an early/late goal to ultimately get the 3 points at final whistle.

That hasn’t been the case this season, not for the most part anyway. Take out the Southampton defeat and unconvincing win over Manchester United, the rest of the home performances themselves have shown a fluidity.

The temperament has been attacking, defensive play has been solid, and players in possession have looked like they meant something more than a good pose for the photographers on the touchlines.

Despite the heap of praise over Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, it’s not just been the two of them who’ve looked the business. Most of the team has, at least at Anfield.

That match against Arsenal at the Emirates was easily a contender for the ‘how never to play football’ compilation.

The following 4-0 rout over Fulham would then easily make the cover of the ‘this is how you bounce back from disappointment’ magazine.

Never mind the fact that it was against a side struggling very much so this season, and were coming in to this game on the back of 2 straight defeats. While you’re at it, ignore the statistic of them winning just once in 32 visits to Anfield prior to kick-off.

It still takes extremely good and decisive play for a team to enjoy 68 percent possession, have 32 attempts on goal, get 10 of them on target, and score 3 from them. The opener was an own goal, remember.

The shots on target ratio definitely needs to improve a lot more if Liverpool want to seriously challenge for anything this season. But for a team to have as much possession as Brendan Rodgers’ men did and to end up with 32 attempts on goal in total, it shows that the football must have been purposeful. It was going somewhere.

It wasn’t a case of just dallying with the ball, hoping for Suarez or Sturridge or Philippe Coutinho to put together some sort of magical run which would tear the defence wide open. Plus that happened anyway when Suarez was put through by the pass of the match from Jordan Henderson for the third.

That pass was a culmination of brilliance on two fronts which will be extremely encouraging for Liverpool fans, and perhaps confirm once and for all that the days of an uncertain Henderson running around the park like a headless chicken are well and truly over.

When the ball fell to the former Sunderland man, it was almost a ricocheted rebound from another attempted pass. It was difficult to control and required the softest and most precise touches to take it inside the defender. Then came the best part of it – the pass itself. Never mind the weight of it. It was the direction that left the Fulham defence dumbfounded. There were at least three defenders diagonally between Henderson and Suarez. The Uruguayan’s angular run was a result of his colleague’s vision to by-pass all three defenders and almost play the ball inside out.

Instinctively speaking, it might have been more like to see a pass through the defenders. Suarez would still have had every chance of using his pace and sharpness to get a shot away. But this wasn’t through the defence, it was around them. Given the momentum Henderson was in at the time of playing it, as well as his own body position having just cut the ball inside, it was a priceless pass.

So was the performance.

But, this is where the handbrakes would do well to be applied. Not on the plaudits for the performance and result, but on the bandwagon of thinking Anfield has now returned to being the fortress which once had the defending European champions Barcelona biting their nails.

It’s a long, long way from getting to that sort of stage. But the foundations look to be on their way.

Liverpool have still only played one top 4 opposition at Anfield this season and the win wasn’t convincing at all. Performances have improved since, and despite the Arsenal defeat, the team is playing much better in general.

But let’s see what comes of a visit from Chelsea, or Manchester City, or even Arsenal. Surely that return fixture would be the perfect opportunity for payback for any players carrying a wound from the embarrassment at the Emirates.

While a continuation of the Fulham performance against the mid-table sides will show the growing stability within the team’s footballing prowess.

It’ll be the top bill fixtures against the title contenders at Anfield, which will truly show whether the Reds have indeed re-forged the terrorising partnership they once had with their home stadium.

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Broadcast Journalist and Football writer.

Twitter handle @abhijan_barua

10 comments

  • CHUKWUEMEKA says:

    nice article though i didnt totally agree

  • denny says:

    hendo nw gvin pass lyk a world class player just like d 1 nasri gave aguero against chelsea lets c wat hapens afta d international duties den i cn nw gv my thoughts of d so called fortress

  • aaron says:

    Nice to hear the fans who actually attended the game sing Rodgers name during the match.

    Are near 40,000 people wrong and brainwashed or deceived?

    • troll hunter says:

      Troll . No more than few hundred sang . You weren’t at the game .

      Idiot

      • aaron says:

        Change your name if you are not even going to hide your inept trolling.

        Is idiot the best insult you have for meek trolling Mr Hunter? I’d also invest in a dictionary if I were you, lord knows you need it.

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