Thursday 26 December 2013
Coming up...
Coming up before the end of December will be my Liverpool's December features - five parts, five games but will it have been five wins for the famous Reds?
Wednesday 4 December 2013
Liverpool FC v Norwich aka The Suarez Show!!!
In the preview, I said that this would be an important game for the Reds who needed to bounce back from the defeat to Hull and get themselves on a good run going into the busy Christmas fixture list along with not letting all of the pressures get to them....
....Boy did they do that!
At the start of the first half, Norwich look ok and had quite a bit of the ball. To be honest, throughout the whole game the Canaries never really did too much wrong its just that they were up against an in-form Luis Suarez who has a fantastic history versus them - and he continued where he left off.
Luis Suarez today became the only Liverpool FC player to score 3 hat-tricks against the same club and he has scored 11 goals v the Canaries in total! A fantastic record for a fantastic player!
All game, Liverpool looked a lot better than they did at the weekend. Although the defence had their moments, they looked so much stronger than the back four did at Hull and it coincided with Agger's return - coincidence? I honestly don't think so. Yes, the Dane does make mistake like everyone else but there just something about our defence when he is in it and when he is playing with Martin Skrtel - the pair of them are definitely Liverpool through and through and you can see it when they're on the pitch.
The main different was the team today showcased a hunger, a passion and in all honesty an urgency that wasn't there at the weekend. The passing was more accurate, with nearly all passes going to another Liverpool player. They had far more attempts on goal, more on target and obviously more went in the back of the net.
Tactically tonight I think Brendan Rodgers got it completely right, he strengthened the defence without sacrificing anything from Liverpool's attack and got the midfield balance just right which helped them to control the whole game.
Give Norwich credit because they did cause Mignolet to make a few saves and give Liverpool's defence a little workout but they never seriously threatened the Reds goal.
Full Time Result : Liverpool 5 - 1 Norwich
Goalscorers: Suarez 15, 29, 35, 74 and Sterling 88.
Johnson 83.
Man of The Match: Without a doubt...Luis Suarez!!
Player ratings:
Mignolet 8 - didn't really have much to do but when he was called upon he was solid. Goal could have been saved but we need to take the positive, least it was only 1 he let in.
Johnson 6 - I don't know what it is at the moment, but for me Glen Johnson just blows hot and cold. One minute he is good, making great runs and the next it looks like he looses all concentration and makes mistakes. Hopefully he can find his consistency over Christmas.
Agger 8 - Like the goalkeeper, had minimal to do in the way of big dangers but when he had to he was solid and reliable.
Skrtel 8 - Much like Agger, had minimal to do but was strong and always there when he was needed.
Flanagan 8 - This young defender is going to be difficult to displace for the starting XI because yet again he gave another fantastic performance and showed exactly why Brendan Rodgers has been putting his faith in him.
Gerrard 8 - looked like the Gerrard of old tonight. Was getting high up the pitch, causing Norwich problems, the only thing missing for our Captain Fantastic was a goal.
Henderson 8 - Solid and reliable as always! Work rate was high and effort was 100% but he needs to work a little more on his finishing and positioning in the box.
Allen 7 - Considering how much stick this player gets, he came out tonight and gave it his all. He helped control the midfield perfectly, wasn't afraid to tackle and even had a fantastic effort on goal saved.
Sterling 7.5 - You need to remember how young this winger is before you judge him and even though some of his decisions could have been better tonight his game improved form the weekend, he got in some valuable minutes and even capped it with a well taken goal.
Coutinho 9 - This little Brazilian was a constant problem for the Canaries. His movement was brilliant, his work rate was second to none - the only thing that could of bettered his night would have been a goal or assist but there's plenty of time for that.
Suarez 10 - how could you give this man anything less than a 10? Even if you don't like him, you have to admit that tonight he was spectacular and deserves the plaudits. His goals were world class, his work rate the same and he was the difference. Its a good job Liverpool have him!
Subs:
Alberto 7 - didn't really do much wrong but we didn't have enough time to see what he can do. Worked well with Johnson and was unlucky when his shot was saved by Ruddy.
Aspas 6 - didn't see much of him tonight. Needs a little more game time before he can be judged lets hope he gets to play in the next few games and we get to see the Aspas we bought from Celta Vigo.
....Boy did they do that!
At the start of the first half, Norwich look ok and had quite a bit of the ball. To be honest, throughout the whole game the Canaries never really did too much wrong its just that they were up against an in-form Luis Suarez who has a fantastic history versus them - and he continued where he left off.
Luis Suarez today became the only Liverpool FC player to score 3 hat-tricks against the same club and he has scored 11 goals v the Canaries in total! A fantastic record for a fantastic player!
All game, Liverpool looked a lot better than they did at the weekend. Although the defence had their moments, they looked so much stronger than the back four did at Hull and it coincided with Agger's return - coincidence? I honestly don't think so. Yes, the Dane does make mistake like everyone else but there just something about our defence when he is in it and when he is playing with Martin Skrtel - the pair of them are definitely Liverpool through and through and you can see it when they're on the pitch.
The main different was the team today showcased a hunger, a passion and in all honesty an urgency that wasn't there at the weekend. The passing was more accurate, with nearly all passes going to another Liverpool player. They had far more attempts on goal, more on target and obviously more went in the back of the net.
Tactically tonight I think Brendan Rodgers got it completely right, he strengthened the defence without sacrificing anything from Liverpool's attack and got the midfield balance just right which helped them to control the whole game.
Give Norwich credit because they did cause Mignolet to make a few saves and give Liverpool's defence a little workout but they never seriously threatened the Reds goal.
Full Time Result : Liverpool 5 - 1 Norwich
Goalscorers: Suarez 15, 29, 35, 74 and Sterling 88.
Johnson 83.
Man of The Match: Without a doubt...Luis Suarez!!
Player ratings:
Mignolet 8 - didn't really have much to do but when he was called upon he was solid. Goal could have been saved but we need to take the positive, least it was only 1 he let in.
Johnson 6 - I don't know what it is at the moment, but for me Glen Johnson just blows hot and cold. One minute he is good, making great runs and the next it looks like he looses all concentration and makes mistakes. Hopefully he can find his consistency over Christmas.
Agger 8 - Like the goalkeeper, had minimal to do in the way of big dangers but when he had to he was solid and reliable.
Skrtel 8 - Much like Agger, had minimal to do but was strong and always there when he was needed.
Flanagan 8 - This young defender is going to be difficult to displace for the starting XI because yet again he gave another fantastic performance and showed exactly why Brendan Rodgers has been putting his faith in him.
Gerrard 8 - looked like the Gerrard of old tonight. Was getting high up the pitch, causing Norwich problems, the only thing missing for our Captain Fantastic was a goal.
Henderson 8 - Solid and reliable as always! Work rate was high and effort was 100% but he needs to work a little more on his finishing and positioning in the box.
Allen 7 - Considering how much stick this player gets, he came out tonight and gave it his all. He helped control the midfield perfectly, wasn't afraid to tackle and even had a fantastic effort on goal saved.
Sterling 7.5 - You need to remember how young this winger is before you judge him and even though some of his decisions could have been better tonight his game improved form the weekend, he got in some valuable minutes and even capped it with a well taken goal.
Coutinho 9 - This little Brazilian was a constant problem for the Canaries. His movement was brilliant, his work rate was second to none - the only thing that could of bettered his night would have been a goal or assist but there's plenty of time for that.
Suarez 10 - how could you give this man anything less than a 10? Even if you don't like him, you have to admit that tonight he was spectacular and deserves the plaudits. His goals were world class, his work rate the same and he was the difference. Its a good job Liverpool have him!
Subs:
Alberto 7 - didn't really do much wrong but we didn't have enough time to see what he can do. Worked well with Johnson and was unlucky when his shot was saved by Ruddy.
Aspas 6 - didn't see much of him tonight. Needs a little more game time before he can be judged lets hope he gets to play in the next few games and we get to see the Aspas we bought from Celta Vigo.
Liverpool FC v Norwich : Preview
LFC starting line-up v Norwich
Mignolet, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Flanagan, Allen, Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Suarez.
LFC subs v Norwich
Jones, Toure, Sakho, Moses, Alberto, Aspas, Lucas
Tonight Liverpool face Norwich, a team who of late have not given the Reds much to worry about but could that be different tonight?
After the defeat to Hull, the steady flow of upcoming games and the pressure to finish in the top 4 or higher - could Liverpool let that all get to them tonight? Or will the home crowd and previous result against Norwich help the red to get back to winning ways?
Only time will tell.
One thing we can tell however, is that Rodgers isn't taking the defeat to Hull lightly and has dropped or recalled players where he thinks it is needed.
Vice-Captain Daniel Agger is recalled after mysteriously being dropped from the starting XI v Hull, this is good for the fans as they know how strong a partnership Agger has with his fellow CB Martin Skrtel, who keeps his place despite his role in Hull's third goal. Plus, Liverpool have more often than not won when Agger has started, so that is a positive to take although it does mean that summer signing Kolo Toure is dropped back to the bench - but being the professional he is, he wont mind as long as the reds return to winning ways.
Stalwart Lucas Leiva is also dropped to the bench following an uncharacteristically bad showing v Hull and in comes the much maligned Joe Allen who will obviously be hoping to get the fans back on side and show that he does deserve his place.
Unsurprisingly Victor Moses has been dropped after and extremely poor showing v Hull and replaced by the little Brazilian magician Phillippe Coutinho - which will be much to the fans delight.
Nothing else has really changed for the reds although there may still be some questions asked about the Merseysiders line-up.
Where is Martin Kelly? The young full back should be back to full fitness now and has been seen in all of the training pictures so is it really a case of he's still on his way back or has Rodgers decided he just doesn't fancy him after all? Or could it really be a case of Kelly needing to fight more for a position on the bench and the starting XI? It is odd considering how poor Glen Johnson played against Hull but I guess Rodgers and the player are the only two who know what's truly going on.
As mentioned, Johnson didn't have a good game v Hull so why is he still in the line-up yet others who had poor games i.e Lucas, Toure and Moses all got benched? Is this a case of hypocrisy form the manager or does he just think that the others where worse than Johnson on the day? It's the same with Mignolet, who has let in 6 goals in two games yet he remains in the starting XI and Jones doesn't even get a look in. Does that show hypocrisy from the manager again? Is it different for goalkeepers? Or do we just generally need a better number 2 to fight for first team action with Mignolet?
And what about Aspas? With Sturridge out surely giving the Spaniard more time to show what he can do would be the best option?
Whatever the reasons are behind the line-up, one thing is for sure that Liverpool need to win this game. On paper they should win it comfortably but in reality with this league we know that anything could happen.
A win is a must to take momentum and confidence into Decembers packed schedule, can Liverpool do it?
Mignolet, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Flanagan, Allen, Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Suarez.
LFC subs v Norwich
Jones, Toure, Sakho, Moses, Alberto, Aspas, Lucas
Tonight Liverpool face Norwich, a team who of late have not given the Reds much to worry about but could that be different tonight?
After the defeat to Hull, the steady flow of upcoming games and the pressure to finish in the top 4 or higher - could Liverpool let that all get to them tonight? Or will the home crowd and previous result against Norwich help the red to get back to winning ways?
Only time will tell.
One thing we can tell however, is that Rodgers isn't taking the defeat to Hull lightly and has dropped or recalled players where he thinks it is needed.
Vice-Captain Daniel Agger is recalled after mysteriously being dropped from the starting XI v Hull, this is good for the fans as they know how strong a partnership Agger has with his fellow CB Martin Skrtel, who keeps his place despite his role in Hull's third goal. Plus, Liverpool have more often than not won when Agger has started, so that is a positive to take although it does mean that summer signing Kolo Toure is dropped back to the bench - but being the professional he is, he wont mind as long as the reds return to winning ways.
Stalwart Lucas Leiva is also dropped to the bench following an uncharacteristically bad showing v Hull and in comes the much maligned Joe Allen who will obviously be hoping to get the fans back on side and show that he does deserve his place.
Unsurprisingly Victor Moses has been dropped after and extremely poor showing v Hull and replaced by the little Brazilian magician Phillippe Coutinho - which will be much to the fans delight.
Nothing else has really changed for the reds although there may still be some questions asked about the Merseysiders line-up.
Where is Martin Kelly? The young full back should be back to full fitness now and has been seen in all of the training pictures so is it really a case of he's still on his way back or has Rodgers decided he just doesn't fancy him after all? Or could it really be a case of Kelly needing to fight more for a position on the bench and the starting XI? It is odd considering how poor Glen Johnson played against Hull but I guess Rodgers and the player are the only two who know what's truly going on.
As mentioned, Johnson didn't have a good game v Hull so why is he still in the line-up yet others who had poor games i.e Lucas, Toure and Moses all got benched? Is this a case of hypocrisy form the manager or does he just think that the others where worse than Johnson on the day? It's the same with Mignolet, who has let in 6 goals in two games yet he remains in the starting XI and Jones doesn't even get a look in. Does that show hypocrisy from the manager again? Is it different for goalkeepers? Or do we just generally need a better number 2 to fight for first team action with Mignolet?
And what about Aspas? With Sturridge out surely giving the Spaniard more time to show what he can do would be the best option?
Whatever the reasons are behind the line-up, one thing is for sure that Liverpool need to win this game. On paper they should win it comfortably but in reality with this league we know that anything could happen.
A win is a must to take momentum and confidence into Decembers packed schedule, can Liverpool do it?
The Derby showdown and Hull disappointment
After an international break it is always important to come back fighting and get a run of good results going - because as previously shown, international breaks can disrupt a teams form in the Premier League.
Liverpool are a good example of how internationals can affect form and performances but of late the Reds have turned it round and have begun to lose less games on returning from the breaks. This should give fans confidence but are draws really any better?
The Derby Showdown!
The Merseyside Derby is undeniably one of the biggest games in the Premier League, even more so for the supporters.
With the latest Merseyside Derby coming after the international break you could of forgiven it for being a little lacklustre - like previous meetings - but lacklustre it was not! It was a high energy, open game with both sides having the opportunity to take the three points.
The game itself was a fantastic watch - especially if you were a neutral, with both red and blue going for the win and constantly attacking even when at 2-2 you thought they may settle for a draw and call it evens.
To be honest, a draw was probably a fair result although both sets of fans may tell you that their side deserved it a little more.
As you would expect with a Derby game, there were issues and controversies galore.
The first being Daniel Sturridges' exclusion to the bench on grounds that he was 100% fit after playing the 90 minutes for England in a friendly although he had been carrying an injury for the past 3-4 weeks.
Next was the contentious decisions on the pitch - mainly Everton player Kevin Mirallas' miraculous stay on the pitch even when most thought he should have been red carded following a nasty tackle on Liverpool's Luis Suarez - which left the reds striker with a nasty looking cut on his knee and the suggestion from reds boss Rodgers that it could of been much worse. Considering the blues man had escaped with a yellow for the Suarez incident you would have thought he may of kept his head down, right? No, not Mirallas as he continued to make risky tackles and movements all over the pitch, even smacking Liverpool's Jordan Henderson in the face with his elbow as the pair went up for a header - which left the reds midfielder a little bloodied and bruised.
Even though Sturridge wasn't 100% fit and it was clear his management weren't happy with exertions for England earlier in the week, it was inevitable that he would be brought into the fray for the final minutes to try and help Liverpool secure a point. And that's exactly what he did!
At the end of it all a point was obviously better for Liverpool as it kept them in the race for top 4 and showed fans that they don't need to worry as much about Liverpool's performances after internationals as they have clearly worked out a formula to gain a least one point instead of none.
Hull disappointment
After the Derby draw, Liverpool went to Hull looking for a win and all 3 points so that they could keep up with the league leaders Arsenal who had won earlier on to take them 7 points clear at the top.
However, it wasn't to be for Liverpool as their day at the KC stadium ended in disappointment and question marks about whether they were really top 4 contenders.
As the line up was announced, it left many fans with many questions, most of which were still left at the end of the 90 minutes. With Sturridge ruled out through injury the day before, many were left wondering who would fill the void not wondering who would be in defence. When it was announced that Toure would be starting and Agger was benched - many fans were wondering why? As when Agger hasn't played so far this season, the reds have slipped to defeat.
As for the void in attack, Rodgers went with young winger Raheem Sterling and on loan Victor Moses who had stated earlier on in the week that he needed to be played more to score goals for the team.
Liverpool weren't just bad for 20 minutes of the game, the were bad for the whole 90 minutes. The team lack concentration, creativity and players who were willing to be brave and fight for the win. It says something when one of the best players on the pitch was one that contributed to Hull's third goal.
After the 90 minutes, you would have to say that Hull were the ones who deserved to be walking away with the 3 point and the win because they were the team who showed fighting spirit, passion and the hunger to win the game. Liverpool had none of that and it is a shame that Steven Gerrard's stunning free kick got overshadowed by the fact we got beat by a team, that in all honesty we should be beating if we want to finish in the top 4 come May.
I guess there is not much Liverpool can really do about the Hull result except come out fighting during all of the games in a very busy December fixture list and try their best to get all of the points available. Although a lot of that will rely on players stepping up to the plate and the manager picking the correct players for the job.
Liverpool are a good example of how internationals can affect form and performances but of late the Reds have turned it round and have begun to lose less games on returning from the breaks. This should give fans confidence but are draws really any better?
The Derby Showdown!
The Merseyside Derby is undeniably one of the biggest games in the Premier League, even more so for the supporters.
With the latest Merseyside Derby coming after the international break you could of forgiven it for being a little lacklustre - like previous meetings - but lacklustre it was not! It was a high energy, open game with both sides having the opportunity to take the three points.
The game itself was a fantastic watch - especially if you were a neutral, with both red and blue going for the win and constantly attacking even when at 2-2 you thought they may settle for a draw and call it evens.
To be honest, a draw was probably a fair result although both sets of fans may tell you that their side deserved it a little more.
As you would expect with a Derby game, there were issues and controversies galore.
The first being Daniel Sturridges' exclusion to the bench on grounds that he was 100% fit after playing the 90 minutes for England in a friendly although he had been carrying an injury for the past 3-4 weeks.
Next was the contentious decisions on the pitch - mainly Everton player Kevin Mirallas' miraculous stay on the pitch even when most thought he should have been red carded following a nasty tackle on Liverpool's Luis Suarez - which left the reds striker with a nasty looking cut on his knee and the suggestion from reds boss Rodgers that it could of been much worse. Considering the blues man had escaped with a yellow for the Suarez incident you would have thought he may of kept his head down, right? No, not Mirallas as he continued to make risky tackles and movements all over the pitch, even smacking Liverpool's Jordan Henderson in the face with his elbow as the pair went up for a header - which left the reds midfielder a little bloodied and bruised.
Even though Sturridge wasn't 100% fit and it was clear his management weren't happy with exertions for England earlier in the week, it was inevitable that he would be brought into the fray for the final minutes to try and help Liverpool secure a point. And that's exactly what he did!
At the end of it all a point was obviously better for Liverpool as it kept them in the race for top 4 and showed fans that they don't need to worry as much about Liverpool's performances after internationals as they have clearly worked out a formula to gain a least one point instead of none.
Hull disappointment
After the Derby draw, Liverpool went to Hull looking for a win and all 3 points so that they could keep up with the league leaders Arsenal who had won earlier on to take them 7 points clear at the top.
However, it wasn't to be for Liverpool as their day at the KC stadium ended in disappointment and question marks about whether they were really top 4 contenders.
As the line up was announced, it left many fans with many questions, most of which were still left at the end of the 90 minutes. With Sturridge ruled out through injury the day before, many were left wondering who would fill the void not wondering who would be in defence. When it was announced that Toure would be starting and Agger was benched - many fans were wondering why? As when Agger hasn't played so far this season, the reds have slipped to defeat.
As for the void in attack, Rodgers went with young winger Raheem Sterling and on loan Victor Moses who had stated earlier on in the week that he needed to be played more to score goals for the team.
Liverpool weren't just bad for 20 minutes of the game, the were bad for the whole 90 minutes. The team lack concentration, creativity and players who were willing to be brave and fight for the win. It says something when one of the best players on the pitch was one that contributed to Hull's third goal.
After the 90 minutes, you would have to say that Hull were the ones who deserved to be walking away with the 3 point and the win because they were the team who showed fighting spirit, passion and the hunger to win the game. Liverpool had none of that and it is a shame that Steven Gerrard's stunning free kick got overshadowed by the fact we got beat by a team, that in all honesty we should be beating if we want to finish in the top 4 come May.
I guess there is not much Liverpool can really do about the Hull result except come out fighting during all of the games in a very busy December fixture list and try their best to get all of the points available. Although a lot of that will rely on players stepping up to the plate and the manager picking the correct players for the job.
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