When David N'Gog scored so early on, the game opened itself perfectly for Liverpool: this was the
ideal starting point, the launching pad that could lead to a much needed win. Then came the
inevitable defensive lapse that resulted in a conceeded goal which was followed up by the sucker
punch of Cameron Jerome's splendid but somewhat fortiuitous goal and suddenly it was a repeat of so
many games this season.
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A kick in the stomach. There's no better way to describe a game where, with a squad decimated by
injuries, Liverpool went to Lyon and totally dominated. With better finishing, the contest should
have been over by half time and when Ryan Babel scored, it looked as if Liverpool were going to get
a much merited win.
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This was a game where, more then anything else, Liverpool were looking to see which players would
enhance their reputation. And, in that respect there is plenty about which to be satisfied despite
the defeat. Make no mistake, this was nothing like last year's feeble surrender at Tottenham:
Liverpool played with determination and commitment that deserved a better outcome.
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Just as last Tuesday, this was a game that Liverpool had to win but, contrary to the game against
Lyon, they put in a performance that irrespective of the result was an excellent one. That
Liverpool did win is a great bonus but in reality seeing the team respond in this manner was almost
enough.
Of course, there will be those who will claim that Jamie Carragher should have been sent off,
particularly because of his foul on Michael Owen.
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This was a game that Liverpool had to win and for over an hour looked like they could do so. Then
Lyon equalised and you sensed that something dramatic was about to happen. Sadly, it did and now
Liverpool have a huge task in their hands to qualify. They have done so in the past under similar
circumstances but this time it looks too much with two very good teams in the group.
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There are a number of excuses to which we could turn in order to sweeten this defeat: Darren Bent's
fluke goal, the absence of both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, the late arrival of Mascherano,
Lucas and Insua, the little time for preparation that Liverpool had and the length of time that
Sunderland had in order to get ready for this game.
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Playing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is never an easy task; doing so after a confidence crushing
defeat makes it that little bit harder. Despite the protestations that the defeat at Fiorentina had
been archived and forgotten, that clearly wasn't the case as Liverpool looked to avoid getting hurt
first and foremost.
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This was always going to be a tricky game, one from which Liverpool had everything to lose whilst
Leeds United, doing so well in League One, were going to be determined to do well in front of their
own fans. For Benitez, the headache was going to be who to play: on the one hand there was the
calls to put in some of the younger players but on the other there was the fear of being shown up
by Leeds with the hammering that would undoubtedly follow.
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Going to the game I started thinking to myself: how is it that I'm always tense before a match?
Whilst everyone around me was confidently predicting 5 or 6 nil wins, I was praying that Debrecen
wouldn't cause some surprise.
Forty five minutes into the game and my fears were being fulfilled.
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Despite the title, this isn't going to be the usual player-by-player analysis but rather an overall
look at Liverpool's season so far. The truth is that the defeat against Aston Villa was too
deflating and my thoughts are still too clouded to really sort out those who played well from those
who didn't.
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First things first: well done to everyone associated with West Bromwich Albion. This might seem
hollow at this point in time, but your support despite relegation earned my respect, for what its
worth, and did your club proud.
As for Liverpool, this was something of an anti-climax given that United had already won the league
yet the fact that there was a determination to win was nice to see.
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The main thing to come out of this game is hope. Not that Liverpool can win the title - the truth
is that this is now highly unlikely - but rather that they've learned how to deal with teams like
West Ham.
Luck, of course, played a part but on the whole Liverpool did what they needed to do: they were
clinical and came away with the three points.
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If you know your history, that which really matters, you'll know that this had happened before.
When Liverpool lost heavily (5-1) to Ajax in the sixties, Shankly's quips convinced the fans that
the tie could be turned around in the second leg.
Rafael Benitez is as different to Shankly as you are likely to get, but his track record gave fans
confidence that Liverpool could still go through despite losing 3-1 at home.
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For the first time in the five years that Rafael Benitez has been in charge, Liverpool went into
the weekend before a Champions League quarter final thinking that this, rather than the midweek
clash, was the must win game. If anyone still doubts whether progress has been registered this
year, then that simple fact underlines just how much Liverpool have moved forward.
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This month just keeps getting better and better. After the momentuous wins over Real Madrid and
Manchester United, the game against Aston Villa was filled with potential problems. Not only has
this season been strewn with great wins followed by lacklustre displays, the previous day's defeat
by Manchester United at Fulham (thanks, Danny boy) put the pressure on Liverpool.
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Life doesn't get any sweeter than this. There were those who belittled the midweek trashing of Real
Madrid as a victory against a team in disarray, conveniently forgetting that this is also the same
tam that had just won ten games on the trot in La Liga. Yet there will be no excusing this
humiliation imposed on Manchester United in their own back yard.
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At times this was almost too easy. Liverpool put Real Madrid under pressure from the first minute
and never let them off, with a four goal margin that is almost too little given the way that the
team played. If it hadn't been for Iker Casillas – who made at least six incredible saves
– the score line would have been closer to last year's trashing of Besiktas.
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At last, an easy where you could at least sit back and enjoy the final few minutes rather than
worry whether Liverpool were going to find a way to let the other team back in. Overall, it was a
good performance: nothing special but they did what needed to be done. Liverpool retained
possession, put the Sunderland defence constantly under pressure and didn't stop once they got the
first goal.
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Aware of the wave of negativity that was bound to follow last Sunday's draw with Manchester City, I
refrained from reading too many match reports. One of the few that I did get to read claimed that
Liverpool made City look like Real Madrid. Well, on occasions yesterday evening, Liverpool made
Real Madrid look like Manchester City.
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First off, whoever thought that it was a good idea to have the Merseyside derby on a Monday night
is stupid and doesn't know a thing about football. Secondly, Liverpool didn't deserve to win this
one: Everton came with a plan, stuck to it and got the result they were looking for.
Which leads me to the final point, one that perhaps is clouded by a heavy fog of pessimism at the
moment but hey, it's my blog.
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First off, whoever thought that it was a good idea to have the Merseyside derby on a Monday night
is stupid and doesn't know a thing about football. Secondly, Liverpool didn't deserve to win this
one: Everton came with a plan, stuck to it and got the result they were looking for.
Which leads me to the final point, one that perhaps is clouded by a heavy fog of pessimism at the
moment but hey, it's my blog.
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What a strange match to call. For good parts of the game when both sides had eleven men on the
pitch, Liverpool were in control. That's not to say that they were dominating or should have been
ahead - although there was that glorious opportunity for Gerard at the end of the first half - but
they were certainly controlling the game.
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What a strange match to call. For good parts of the game when both sides had eleven men on the
pitch, Liverpool were in control. That's not to say that they were dominating or should have been
ahead - although there was that glorious opportunity for Gerard at the end of the first half - but
they were certainly controlling the game.
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As positives go, Rafael Benitez will rarely have gone back home in a more pleasant mood. A win that
guarantees top place in the group, a vibrant performance by players who up till now had struggled
to impress, key men finally given a rest and three academy products given their opportunity. In
all, an almost perfect night which allows Liverpool to shift their focus fully on the league.
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As positives go, Rafael Benitez will rarely have gone back home in a more pleasant mood. A win that
guarantees top place in the group, a vibrant performance by players who up till now had struggled
to impress, key men finally given a rest and three academy products given their opportunity. In
all, an almost perfect night which allows Liverpool to shift their focus fully on the league.
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When I first started writing this blog it was precisely for days like this: a form of therapy when
the frustration of a bad result just wouldn't go away.
And it was a bad result, albeit not a bad performance. Indeed most of the side played well yet
there was no rhythm. Everything was too disjointed particularly in the final third which
strengthens my personal belief that this particular system that worked so well towards the tail end
of last season doesn't fit well when the team is shorn of Fernando Torres.
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When I first started writing this blog it was precisely for days like this: a form of therapy when
the frustration of a bad result just wouldn't go away.
And it was a bad result, albeit not a bad performance. Indeed most of the side played well yet
there was no rhythm. Everything was too disjointed particularly in the final third which
strengthens my personal belief that this particular system that worked so well towards the tail end
of last season doesn't fit well when the team is shorn of Fernando Torres.
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Good Game Bad Game [vs Tottenham Hotspur]
There were too many mediocre players out there on this occasion for me to even to attempt to split
them between those who played well and those who didn't. This team played as if they didn't know
each other – which, from a playing perspective, is true – and as a result every aspect
of Liverpool's game failed to click.
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Good Game Bad Game [vs Tottenham Hotspur]
There were too many mediocre players out there on this occasion for me to even to attempt to split
them between those who played well and those who didn't. This team played as if they didn't know
each other – which, from a playing perspective, is true – and as a result every aspect
of Liverpool's game failed to click.
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For so long it was a case of deja vu. As with last Saturday, Liverpool pressed hard, came close to
scoring on a number of occasions but failed to do so. To be fair to them, Atletico were a lot
classier than Spurs and you have to wonder what Simao could have achieved had the transfer to
Liverpool gone through a couple of years back.
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This was bound to happen, wasn't it? Having won so many games at the death this season, Liverpool
were due to suffer a bit of hearthbreak of their own. Yet, for it to come in this game was
astounding, such was Liverpool's domination till the 70th minute.
By the time Jamie Carragher put the ball past his own net,Liverpool should have been comfortably
ahead.
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What a game! For a brief period towards the end of the first half when Chelsea were playing really
well, I was afraid about what was to come. Instead if a team deserved to score in the second half,
it was us. We played really well just as we did against United for the matter and deservedly
won.
Now the real task is keeping the players' minds on the next game.
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A point away against the biggest rival in the group stages of the Champions League isn't exactly a
bad result but, having led for so long, it is inevitable that this result is tinged with
disappointment. In reality, this was a very difficult game to call. Liverpool didn't play
brilliantly but could have easily scored a couple more.
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Victory was expected against PSV Eindhoven yet the manner and ease with which it came was
surprising. In what Benitez rightly termed as an 'almost perfect night', the only disappointment
was letting PSV in with that late goal. Otherwise, there was Keane's first goal and Gerrard's
hundredth one meaning that both players will be able to go into the next game without the pressure
brought about by the wait for a goal.
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As with the game against Manchester United, I felt awful before this game. And, as with the game
with Manchester United, I shouldn't have bothered. Rarely have Liverpool dominated with such ease
at Goodison Park (61% of possession, the stats showed at the end) and really it was a game that
could have been won by a bigger margin.
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