WOEFUL
THREE wins, one draw since the season started. Only one goal conceded.
Joint top of the league and in the Champions League proper.
Yet it all feels so very depressing.
Okay, so we're in Europe's premier money spinning competition.
But that doesn't mask what was a pathetically limp display against Standard Liege, lacking in any sort of class, imagination or drive from supposed world stars.
Some may argue it's the sign of a good team that we're winning games while not performing. Others would more correctly state that such shocking showings will find us out against bigger and better opposition later on this season.
Barely a single Reds player performed last night.
Thank God we've got Pepe Reina between the sticks whose reliability and moments of brilliance are to be cherished at the moment.
I thought Alonso was perhaps the best of a bad bunch, keeping the ball and playing a handful of creative passers to teammates. Carragher and Skrtel didn't do too much wrong either.
The list of problems are endless.
For once, Gerrard was anonymous, unable to influence anything from the centre of the pitch. It's emerged now he's out for two weeks for groin surgey.
Let's hope it was that nag in his leg that explained his non-performance last night.
Torres tried manfully, but was let down by a lack of service and a rough-round-the-edges display by his standards.
Keane is yet to show what he is capable off, though it's still early days. He did miss one gilt-edged opportunity.
A slight worry was that he looked lacking in pace, and was unable to get away from committed Belgian defenders.
We remember Keane as a quicksilver striker for Spurs and we can only hope we haven't signed a forward who is now on the downturn having reached his 28th birthday.
No judgements on him yet though.
As stated ad infinitum, we're being massively let down on the flanks. I don't blame Benayoun or Kuyt for this who are both triers.
I blame the manager who consistently insists playing a centre forward and central midfielder as wingers.
There's no lack of effort from them, they are just being told to perform duties that are beyond them.
The young gutsy Moroccan El-Zhar shows them up every time he comes on with his energy, enthusiasm and desire to take people on.
It seems Rafa is displaying some Houllier-like stubborness here. Everyone expected Babel to play last night after Kuyt's struggling showings.
But, no. Let's play two massively ineffectual players in a crucially important game.
In some ways, the Dutchman's goal let Rafa off the hook with his selection. 'I told you so, Liverpool fans. Dirky's rescued us! What a player!'
As for Yossi, he's gone from one of our best players in pre-season, banging them into the top corner from all angles, to a frustrating figure.
If this is what we're going to do wih the Israeli for the rest of the season, we might as well sell him and get £6m.
When Babel did come on, his one moment of quality provided us with a goal. A pacey ball into the box, that's not a gimme for defenders to head away, and we create a chance.
Up to that point, Babel had done his usual routine of running straight into defenders, looking disinterested and letting the ball bounce away from him under the slightest of pressure from a Belgian.
He's just not a winger. Full stop. Get Riera AND Milner in. Only play Babel up front and sell Voronin and Kuyt. It's the only way.
At the back, Skrtel and Carragher played well. Aurelio didn't too much wrong, while not doing a great deal well.
And Arbeloa justified Tony Barrett's slating in the Echo the other day. Giving the ball away, tugging attackers unnecessarily. He is starting to get annoying.
What's embarrassing for me is knowing we're live on terrestrial TV, being watched by millions and our reputation as one of Europe's top sides is being dragged threw the mud.
For me, if the effort and desire is on the pitch, and it's class letting a side down, the spotlight turns on the manager.
Anyone who gives the unbeaten argument is blinkered as there's pitfalls to come.
Rafa's been in charge for five years and we seem to have been treading water for the last few years now.
Remember when Houllier won the treble, but our side never kicked on from that amazing season?
Can anyone say we've truly progressed since Istanbul, bar having one exceptional world striker now?
Is Kuyt and better than someone like Diouf?
It's time for Rafa to start producing like his reputation demands.
Older/Newer
« WINGERS | SHOCK TACTICS »
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: WOEFUL.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/cgi-bin/mt421/mt-tb.cgi/22853
Hard words there Luke but you may have a point.
Rafa does increasingly show Houllier-esque qualities. His stubbornness, slight irationality and refusal to accept when he's wrong is becoming tired.
I still feel he can deliver us major success but not convinced it will be in the league. You need real consistency for that.
If you're not fit and you're not good...what are you?
Evertonian?
credit where its due- standard leige were excellent last night. the only thing they didn't do was score! we need better wingers than riera and milner unfortunately...
No balance, no pace, no passion, no heart, Kuyt even though he scored and Ben Hiyiam just not good enough, if Kuyt is not good enough to start up front why does he play right wing left wing and then centre forward / centre half at times.
We still don’t have a left footed left midfielder and this Riera fella isn’t the answer, he isn’t as good as wot we have already and they aint good enough. Alonso was man of the match and Rafa wants him out, the club and tactics are a shambles.
Thats three games I have been to and you have to wonder why we keep going it simply isnt enjoyable.
Standard Liege supporters were fantastic, seeing them behind me in the cent stand was quite a surprise, they were gutted and rightly so, they created several good chances, we had one pretty much over two legs and won, they and us are wondering just how they lost.
Cmon on you reds.
That game was as dull and boring as my commentary last night. Have Liverpool's football got better in the last five years?
No, it has not.
A truly shocking performance but I can't agree that we haven't moved on as a team. If we had started this way last season I genuinely belive we'd have been bottom of the league on nil points and out of Europe. The fact that this isn't the case shows we have at the very least developed a winning mentality. Look back over last season, between the highs there were plenty of lows and plenty of pitiful anonymous performances. The main criticism was taht we couldn't win games playing crap - now we've proved we can. I don't want to see this standrad of perfomance every week but I'll put up with as long as the results are going our way - results that we were crying out for last year. If we play as badly as we did last night both Villa and United will turn us over but I belive we will get better. The fundamental flaws about width aren't going away and won't be solved by taking a gamble on Riera. Its clear the money isn't there for the quality we need so what else is Rafa to do?
A very minor point in the midst of your less-than-impressive performance last night, but where have the European Cup stars gone off your shirt?
While Standard Liege turned up to win, Liverpool blatantly thought they ahd divine right to be in next round. Lack of tackles, driving runs and Torres and co simply content to thrown themselves to ground looking to con the ref.
PS: Looking forward to seeing Benitez and Scholari on touch line together: Super Mario Brothers reunited.
skyner,
have we progressed though mate? we were finishing fourth and thirs back then, we're doing the same now.
we had great attacking talent back then in fowler collymore mcmanaman, mcateer, and others but a crap defence.
now its the other way round.
so, we can now grind results out, rather than winning in style, i almost prefer the way it was, at least it was fun.
a couple of, last gasp, (element of luck) trophies, lets face it. without that, benitez would be for the chop.
Yeah get Rafa out!
That Istanbul win was well lucky and so was getting to the final two years ago and getting to the semi’s last year!
Look at who Rafa has brought in since 2005, he has clearly improved the team.
He got rid of Dudek, Riise, Kewell, Smicer, Baros, Ciise and brought in Reina, Agger, Skrtyl, Mascherano, Torres, Keane and Babel. Okay he is struggling with a system to play but for people to say two games in “don’t play with two up front, it doesn’t work� is ridiculous. For the first time in a long time we have two top strikers up front, both of who are proven goal scorers but because it doesn’t ignite straight away then people jump on the managers back.
How many times have Chelsea and the mancs won games they didn’t deserve to win, but you don’t see the media and the fans berating them. We know we are a better team than we have shown over recent games but just be happy that we have got the points in the bag. I am sure there is better to come from us and I will be the first to remind the doom and gloom merchants when it comes!
Rafa has turned us into a top European club once again and I think we have to thank him for that. Okay we haven’t put in a decent challenge in the league for a number of years but football has changed because of the likes of Chelsea’s spending, only the Mancs can keep up with them in that department. We can’t compete on that spending level, it was great business to bring in torres for a “mere� £20 million but Chelsea can spend that four times over and still have a spare 20 for a reserve goal keeper.
To compare Rafa with Houiller (in his final year) is an insult, Houllier stuck with players who blatantly where not good enough were Rafa has moved them on a long time ago. I agree Kuyt is not the most gifted “wide man� but we have very little options at the moment in that department and he at least can do a job out there and has popped up with a few vital goals.
Last night was a disgrace but you have to give a lot of credit to the opposition who played without fear and really took the game to us.
adam
i agree with you on a fair bit there mate.
but i disagree over your outrage at sly bob's houillier comparison.
your quoting babel as huge boon?
he got rid of people it was obvious to get rid of and spent huge money to get players like torres and mascherano.
houllier would have done the same if he had that kind of money.
and keane's no success. remains to be seen if £20m on this 28 yr old is a sign of good management.
truth is, he's had a load of cash, and has pissed a lot of it up the wall. dossena for £7m, kuyt for £10m, voronin. £6 on benayous and not using him properly. £5m for auerelio, I could go on.
poor buys, just as bad as houllier. having two amercian sugar daddys allowing him to buy torres and masch, and being blessed with some local talent in gerrard and carra has saved him.
sitting duck
I agree Rafa has made some dubious signings but I believe he has shifted them on unlike Houllier did. Towards the end Houiller's arrogance in not admitting he made mistakes was his undoing.
Also the two Americans can hardly be called sugar daddys as they have put the club in debt to buy them in the first place, very generous of them that!
It just seems to me when we make a dodgy signing the media are singing it from the roof tops but when the mancs do it just gets brushed under the carpet and when Chelsea do it's like "well £50m is only pocket change for Abramovich". I just think that Rafa has got most of the big decisions right in his time at Liverpool. Fans will just have to realise that we are not the super power we once were. Football has changed, it is now all about money and not prestige, history and loyalty.
I feel like we are lucky to have a manager of Rafa's caliber at the club and think the turn around he has made since he joined is remarkable. It seems to me that his biggest acheivement could end up being his downfall as fans aspirations have soared to unacheivable levels since Istanbul. Pre 2005 who would have thought we would have won the European Cup once and got to another final. People would have locked you up for thinking such ridiculous things. Not even Gearrad would have believed it after he wrote off our chances early on in the tournament. I understand everyone wants to win the league it is the ultimate acheivement domestically but getting on the managers back two games into the season (when we have won both games) is not what being a Liverpool fans is about (in my humble opinion).
Adam, I agree with your sentiments.
Rafa / Houllier comparison is well wide of the mark. For f*ck sake Houllier left Fowler out the team, pure d*ck!
And as for Rafa spending oodles of cash is harsh, as he has managed to bring in good money for players he no longer needs, e.g. Sissoko, Crouch, Riise, Cisse, Bellamy...in fact in the last two he got more than we paid for them, winner.
And compared to Utd or Chelsea he has pissed pennies.
Rafa FTW!
I agree with adam.
Good post.
the thing is, you've got to keep progressing. yes it was a surprise winnin g the big pot in 2005, but you don't just say, 'it's a surpirse, so let's sit on our arses for a bit.'
you build on that success, the reputation that success gets you and move on.
we had traore as a left back then, now we;ve got dossena and aurelio, hardly a great deal better.
we've not got a good right back. we have some excellence and brilliance in centre mid, we have nothing on the wing. until this summer, we had no second striker that was befitting of a club of our stature.
everyone is greatful for what rafa has done, but you've got to move us forward, or you've got to be shipped out.
Andy Turner
I agree we have to keep moving forward and I believe as a team we have done since 2005. Look at the players that have been brought in!
Everybody knows that we lack width, it's all people go on about these days. I'm sure Rafa will be looking to improve in that area as well.
Your comparing Traore to Dossena (who has only played one game), how about comparing Torres to Ciise or Keane to Baros or Mashcarano to Smicer. It is clear that we have progressed and now have a better team to challenge for major honours, we only lost 4 games last season in the league and 2 of them were to the Mancs. Our failure to beat the top teams over the years has been one of our downfalls plus our superiority complex we seem to have with the Mancs. They have consistently come to Anfield and nicked a goal when perhaps they didn't deserve it and then we just don't turn up against them most of the time. If we gift them 6 points again this season then we are definitely not going to win the league. The league is so competitive at the top these days that a few slip ups and you are pretty much out of it!
depends who you compare doesnt it?
we had a great full back in babel then, one of best full backs in league in riise, a cracking centre mid in gary mac, owen up front, fowler still on the scene.
houllier got rid of duffers too. getting rid of duffers is easy. i could do it.
we have lost to man utd despite being superior to them the last few times at anfield and playing well.
we used to beat them with people like danny murphy. who is just as good if not better than people like lucas.
why are we not beating them despite this superiority during games at anfield? the manager. too negative, obsessed with keeping things tight.
benitez is decent enough, but someone like curbishley or even moyes would do as good a job if not better with what's at his disposal.
Dolphin - I can't agree with your assessment of Rafa based as it is on the lucky wins against Man U - a Murphy pen and a freekick if I'm not mistaken.
Murphy was useless, turned up once or twice a year and was feted for bagging the odd goal against Man U. Its shortsighted in the extreme to compare him to Lucas. Murphy was the best we had, starting everygame and delivering nothing. Lucas is 4th or 5th choice and has done well when he's played. The derby last year for example.
As for your comment "why are we not beating them despite this superiority during games at anfield? the manager. too negative, obsessed with keeping things tight." Once again you are being selective. Such games are always tight, won by taking one of the very few chances that fall in such games. We've had the chances but not taken them - thats not due to tactical inadequacy its due to player error - the margins are that fine.
Sly Bob - Of course we're progressing. We might be finishing 3rd and 4th but our points tally is much higher and the gap between us and the top decreasing each year. We're progressing but so are the other teams. You could actually argue they are progressing less than us due to the ever decreasing difference in points. Rafa can't be blamed for the headstart they had before he arrived.
i always rated murphy, got rid of him when we didnt have better. scored a lot of great goals for us.
benitez messed up getting rid of him.
What has Murphy done since he left - nothing.
dont care what he's done since he;s left its what he did for us that counts. 25 goals fur us. lot of skill in the centre of the park.
wasnt top class of course, but give everything and with no little talent.
far better than lucas for me. did well for spurs and fulham in bits, but wasnt really given a chance and had injuries.