Another fantastic win against Norwich and Liverpool are even closer to our first title in 24 years!
With Chelsea and Man City dropping points, two wins and a draw would make us Champions. If Man City draw just one of their remaining 4 games, e.g. during tough away fixtures at Crystal Palace or Everton, then Liverpool can even afford to draw two games and win the remaining one to maintain first position.
At the minute every journalist who interviews a Liverpool player, or our incredibly calm manager, seems to try to heap pressure on them. Claiming the title is ours to lose, or pressing the question of whether inexperience will be telling and we’ll crack under the pressure. 11 wins in a row, dealing with numerous pressure situations, should show the world that this team has the character to keep going.
In fact it has actually been the most experienced manager with the most experienced trophy winning squad that has cracked. Chelsea have lost 3 out of the last 6 games, including Mourinho’s first ever loss as a Chelsea manager at Stamford Bridge, after a staggering 77 matches. Jose Mourinho’s moaning and cynical complaints have gone from absurd to ridiculous.
‘The Special One’ who returned as ‘The Happy One’ is now ‘The Bitter One’.
His negativity to his own players as well as to opposition teams, managers and referees can no longer be viewed as clever mind games but childish petty sour grapes. And very very boring. However he remains a fantastic manager with an incredibly strong squad. A team that is in the Semi Finals of the Champions League and is capable, on it’s day, of beating any team. And there is the danger.
While most teams have been the target of Mourinho’s ire – like West Ham’s 19th Century football or Arsenal’s most successful ever manager labelled a ‘specialist in failure’ – Liverpool have escaped direct criticism mostly because of Mourinho’s respect of and friendship with Brendan Rodgers. Brendan has cleverly stayed completely clear of any mind games, and hence both him and our team have seemed immune to it.
This is in contrast to the last season when Liverpool challenged for the title, and Rafa unwisely but understandably chose to fight back against Alex Ferguson, the master of the mind game, with his now infamous Rafa Rant about facts. We may have failed to win the title that year for other reasons, but Rafa’s emotional speech probably didn’t help, just like Kevin Keegan’s emotional outburst didn’t help his Newcastle side.
Mind games safely sidestepped, Brendan has some big decisions to make for the crunch clash against Chelsea at Anfield. The Liverpool team doesn’t rotate much. Unlike Tim Sherwood, who will lose his job at the end of the season, or David Moyes, who has just lost his, Brendan Rodgers knows who his best players are. There are one or two changes here and there to manage form or tiredness, and tactical changes to deal with different opposition, but regardless the team always tries to play the same brand of fast paced attacking football.
There are three key decisions that Brendan faces approaching the Chelsea game. If the brilliant Daniel Sturridge is fit, as seems likely, he will start. That means from the team that beat Norwich, one of Lucas or Allen will need to step out. They both played well against Norwich, and despite the criticism of the size of our squad, the fact that we had players of that quality to slot in seamlessly was a sign that our squad is better than many believed it to be.
Both defended diligently, won tackles, pressed the ball and passed it accurately. It wasn’t so much the lungs of Henderson that was missed, but Jordan is now adept at making long passes and spreading the play quickly, while both Allen and Lucas almost exclusively play the ball along the ground and to feet.
Henderson has also shown vision to play cutting through passes at a level few would have believed possible during his first season in Red. Jordan has made 60 key passes, more than Coutinho (58) and Gerrard (57), and has 7 assists, the same as Coutinho. Prior to the Norwich game, if I had to pick between Allen or Lucas for the Chelsea game I would have gone with the Brazilian. His increased height would help defend set pieces against a very tall Chelsea team, and his big game experience would help Gerrard defend against the tricky No.10 type players Chelsea have.
However Allen was one of our best players against Norwich, and his increased dynamism compared to Lucas, and pace at pressing the opposition, helped increase the tempo of the side. So I’d go for Allen to partner Coutinho and Gerrard.
The second key decision is in defence. Sakho is a monster of a player physically, fast, strong and a good header. His passing is also accurate and forward looking, however he can take a moment to get the ball under control and look a touch awkward. He put the team under difficulty at times against Norwich when losing the ball under pressure, and while I’m a big fan of Sakho (and wanted him to play against West Ham due to the number of high balls into the box) Brendan has a decision to make on whether to bring a fit again Daniel Agger back.
Sakho has a tendency to either press aggressively, coming out of position requiring the full back or Skrtel to cover for him, or to drop the defensive line too deep. He’s still young for a centre-back and is learning some of the intricacies of positional play without a vocal Jamie Carragher type personality to help him. As Skrtel isn’t the most vocal, Liverpool’s defensive line, as highlighted by Carra on Sky’s Monday Night Football, has been dropping too deep.
Simon Mignolet, who is having a nervous spell at just the wrong time, is also not forceful enough to push his defenders higher up. Sakho and Skrtel have had only 1 clean sheet together this season. Daniel Agger and Skrtel have the most of any of our partnerships, Agger also was involved in the important shut outs in our first two games of the season alongside Toure. I think it is time to bring back our Vice-Captain against Chelsea, but if Brendan Rodgers chooses to stick with Sakho I’m sure he won’t let anyone down.
Finally, Brendan will choose between a 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 diamond. Of late he’s preferred the diamond formation as he gets even better control of central midfield and it allows Suarez and Sturridge to play up-front together. However at times it has made us weaker on the flanks, and without Henderson’s legs to continually cover the defence it may be that we start with a diamond and change back to a 4-3-3 if things aren’t going to plan. The 3 centre back system that we used to great effect earlier in the season may also be deployed, as it was against Norwich, if we are defending a lead late in the game, but it is unlikely Brendan starts with it.
If Liverpool beat Chelsea on Sunday 27th April then we will go 8 points clear of the Blues and be massive favourites for the title. If we draw, then 2 more wins will make us Champions. However if, heaven forbid, we lose for the first time in the Premier League in 2014, then the title will no longer be in our hands as Man City could win the the title on goal difference if they were to win all their remaining games.
The stage is set for what is clearly the most important game of the season. There will be tension and pressure, but for once I think more of the stress and concern will be in the Blue camp. Anfield is a fortress once again and the atmosphere will be nothing like the Chelsea players have experienced before, except for those who were playing during those famous Champions League semi finals.
As Steven Gerrard’s cracked voice inspired his team after the win over Manchester City:
“This does not slip … We go again. Come On!”
You can catch more from me on my own blog: http://taintlessred.blogspot.co.uk/ and on twitter: @taintlessred
What is wrong with mignolet??…maybe i was wrong in criticising pepe reina
And yes! Allen over lucas