THE defeat to league leaders Arsenal is not the disaster that many seem to think.
After 10 games we have 20 points. Won 6, drawn 2 and lost 2. The same record as both Chelsea and Tottenham. A point more than Manchester City and 3 more than Manchester United. We are 3rd in the table.
I wouldn’t call this an ‘excellent’ start, as Brendan Rodgers has, but I would certainly call it a good start and rather encouraging.
All these other teams, including Arsenal, have much stronger squads than us. We have a first 11 that can beat any team in this league but our squad depth is an issue.
We are in this position having missed the best player in the league, Luis Suarez, for 6 games out of 10! And Philippe Coutinho, our key playmaker, for half of the games as well. In these big games the small details often make the difference. An away game at the Emirates, especially after they had previously tasted defeat against Chelsea and Dortmund making them even more determined to succeed at home, was always going to be a challenge.
Arsenal were the better team, no doubt, but we still had periods when we controlled possession and created plenty of dangerous opportunities, but lacked that final ball or finish. The key to the loss was squad depth.
Jose Enrique has plenty of areas for improvement, but Aly Cissokho seems to have a lot more. The Frenchman, for all his athleticism, seems to be too poor technically and was a major weakness against the Gunners.
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I feel for Jon Flanagan, a Scouser who is doing his very best, but he too seems limited technically. Given Martin Kelly has looked tentative when he has played since his injury and Phillipe Coutinho wasn’t ready to start (meaning Jordan Henderson was needed centrally and couldn’t play right wing-back) I fully understand why Rodgers went for Jon.
Unfortunately it didn’t work. And both Cissokho and Flanagan struggled to find the right balance between defence and attack and ended up doing neither very well. Whatever happens in the remaining games of this season, I think this game will have spelled the end of the Liverpool careers of both players. Cissokho’s loan is unlikely to be made permanent (I hope we try to sign Fabio Coentrao) and I doubt Flanagan will be offered a new contract, and he will probably go on to have a solid career in the Championship.
We were also unaided by disappointing performances from Lucas & Gerrard, two of our most reliable and important players. But, again, Arsenal do have the best midfield in the Premier League, and one of the best in Europe.
With Johnson back, and Coutinho now ready to start, I wouldn’t be too surprised if, come the Fulham game and Enrique still isn’t fit, Rodgers plays Johnson as the left wing-back and Henderson as the right wing-back. The Fulham game will hopefully also include the return to the starting line up of our vice-Captain, Daniel Agger.
Dagger’s comfort on the ball and passing range would have helped us maintain possession against an Arsenal team that were forcing our centre-backs, in particular Skrtel, to lump it forward to the strikers.
20 points after 10 games is a good start. Once Enrique is fit we will have all our first 11 ready and available, and we are well placed to kick-on.
You can catch more from me on my own blog: http://taintlessred.blogspot.co.uk/
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I Agree
A defeat away to the gunners is not a disaster , no….but the game was another example of Rodgers ineptitude.
Outplayed and outclassed by an arsenal side missing many of its star players…while Rodgers again proved his tactical inability with the wrong formation…the wrong team line up….and his inability to change a game.
The result we can get over ….but the manner of defeat shows how poor our manager is in the big games
I love how StevieG never praises Rodgers when we win but crucifies him when we lose. Nice one StevieG, proper fan.
Troll aron . Feck off n mind your own
The day Rodgers deserves praise is the day I will give Rodgers praise…he has been a disappointment since day 1
Really I do think you were one the people last season saying that the performance doesn’t matter and the only stat that matters is the score. After we were clearly by far the better team but couldn’t get the result. Then in the last quarter of the season we were getting the results with the performances. And then it was the league table doesn’t lie along with stuff like the season don’t start in January. Now this season we are in joint second place on points and it is a new problem. We have only played the 10 relegation candidates. While our top 4 rivals have only been playing top 4 candidates. But the day rodgers deserves praise will be the day you will give it to him.
More mindless nonsense by troll no sheep
Fine write – up
Saturdays match just showed us what we are missing , which is a top manager .you have to remember that this manager did not have a clue on how to play Sahin , who was on telly tonight in the CL playing for Dortmund, he also told us Borini would get bums off seats. At the highest level he is tactically inept , to play 3 at the back against Arsenal was criminal, top managers would have treated it as a european away game , making sure you first got a point and anything else was a bonus, 4 at the back 1 up front, but he again showed how poor he is at this level. I have said it since he came , we are going nowhere , if some of you think we will get top 4 this season , you are dreaming. Top clubs have top,top managers.
How am I the troll Jay when you have been the abusive one?
If you explain that I’ll forever bow down to your superior knowledge you nice person you.
Jay has it spot on even if he is blunt about it. You troll everyones comments with your boring boring silly arguments
Arsenal defeat not a disaster?! Yeah thats the spirit! Just welcome failure and disappointment with open arms why dont you. Dear me.
Man City lost to Chelsea, don’t see them crying about it, they just moved on and smash other teams.
Stop crying that Rodgers is or manager for f**c sake.
Nobodys crying except u
‘why don’t u people lurve brenda like I do ?’
Waaah wash waaah
Stop crying u boring sh!te
Ive asked this question before and i’ll ask it again:
Aaron, did you show the same blind loyalty to Roy Hodgson and his signings like Konchesky etc?
So why should we others accept a second rate gaffer like Brenda?
Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world with R Madrid, AC/Inter Milan, Bayern, Barca, Man U, Arsenal and Juve. Why should we accept a non-achieving never-will-be like Brenda?
I don’t think Aaron is a Liverpool fan . He is a Brendan Rodgers fan .
I have watched the game twice over now on replay . And we were taken apart , we were taught how to play a high tempo passing game , we looked like any other mid table team . You came in with your tiki taca ideology nearly 2 years ago , well Brendan how come we don’t dominate possession in most of our games , we share it . You blew it last season by not even getting Europa League football , Spurs did and they were able to attract Siggurdson, Erickson, Soldado, Fernandinho , Lamella and others. But i have another theory, top players won,t sign for you and you know it.