Liverpool travel to Manchester and Old Trafford to face United for the second time in two weeks
in a match that, depending on your resting heart rate, is either mildly exciting or something
that's possibly life threatening. There's as much to cover off the pitch as there is on, but for
everyone's sanity we'll try to just do the football.
For many, there has been a belief that in order to get the most out of Charlie Adam he must be
played as part of a three-man midfield, alongside players who will be able to cover for his
shortcomings and in doing so allow him to do what he does best—break down tough opponents and
create scoring opportunities.
Liverpool can't continue their hot streak and end up with their eighth home draw of the
campaign, failing to take advantage of a Spurs side that were lacking in both personnel and intent.
With the success of the past few weeks creating a healthy dose of optimism this one's got to be
chalked up as a disappointment, and worrying in that Liverpool yet again failed to capitalize in a
match that mostly looked like theirs for the taking.
February kicks off for Liverpool on Monday, with Spurs set to visit Anfield in the first match
of another important month. Liverpool will look to carry their momentum from the domestic cup
triumphs and a comfortable 3-0 win at Wolves into the match, which hopefully signals a turnaround
from a disappointing league stretch to open 2012 that had seen them winless until the final day of
January.
Back down to Earth for Liverpool, as they travel to the West Midlands to face 19th-place
Wolverhampton. It's a stark contrast from the action of the past week, facing opposition at the
bottom of the table, away from Anfield, and with nothing immediately at stake. And if you've paid
attention to Liverpool at all this season, it's cause for concern, with form against the mid- and
lower-table sides worlds apart from the displays we've seen the last two times out.
Liverpool's big week culminates with Manchester United's trip to Anfield in the fourth round of
the FA Cup tomorrow, two weeks ahead of their visit to Old Trafford in league. United had the more
arduous task in the third round, traveling across town to the Etihad, where they scraped past City
in a 3-2 win.
A trip to Wembley and Liverpool's first cup final in nearly five years are on the line tomorrow,
with Manchester City heading to Anfield for the second leg of the League Cup semi-final. Liverpool
have a 1-0 advantage from the first leg after a Steven Gerrard penalty capped a dominant opening
spell for Kenny Dalglish's squad, but there's little illusion that they'll be able to coast into
the final, with City more than capable of turning the tie over.
Liverpool get back in the swing of things to see out a busy January, heading to the Reebok in
hopes of getting three points for only the second time in six matches. As has mostly been the case
in league over the past month and a half, they won't face an entirely overwhelming opposition, with
Bolton only a point above Wigan in 19th.
In the wake of Saturday's match against Stoke, much was made of the draw representing a complete
tactical failure by Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke. The key failure in that larger breakdown was
meant to be the deployment of three centre backs in a formation nearly identical to the one which
had defeated Stoke at Anfield a year earlier, as in the eyes of many those three centre backs
represented an overly defensive approach when facing a club with so little attacking intent.
The January transfer window is half way through, and, after the past two windows saw Liverpool
one of the most active participants, it's been surprisingly quiet for a side lacking both midfield
steel and finishing touch who before the season began set a return to Champions League action as
the minimum requirement.
Stoke City head to Anfield currently sitting alone in eighth and unbeaten in their last four.
Tony Pulis' side has managed success both domestically and in Europe, as they'll accompany the two
Manchester sides in the first knockout round of the Europa League early next month. Liverpool will
hope to continue their relative hot streak at home, during which they've scored eight goals in
their last two matches at Anfield and finally found a way to finish chances.
Manchester City 0Liverpool 1 Steven Gerrard 13′ (pk)
A week after falling 3-0 to Manchester City in the league, a Liverpool side without two of their
top players returned to face a City side missing three of their best for the first leg of the
League Cup semi-finals.
For the third time in two months, Liverpool and Manchester City square off, this time in the
first leg of their League Cup semi-final. Liverpool's trip to the Eastlands last week ended with
the visitors on the wrong end of a 0-3 result that saw City concede most of the possession but take
the chances they managed to create.
Liverpool 5: Bellamy 29′, Gerrard 45+1′, Shelvey 68′, Carroll 89′, Downing
90+5′Oldham 1: Simpson 27′
It's finally the scoreline we were waiting for, but a lackadaisical first half and an incident
late in the second take some of the sheen off for Liverpool, who worked their way past Oldham on
the strength of a terrific display by Craig Bellamy.
Liverpool step into the last remaining competition on their calendar, welcoming Oldham Athletic
to Anfield in the third round of the FA Cup. The League One side got past Southend United in the
second round after a draw forced the home replay, which the hosts won 1-0. Liverpool will be
looking to get past the third round for just the third time in six seasons after crashing out to
Reading and Manchester United in the past two seasons.
Somehow the fixture list is even more crowded to start the year, with Liverpool set to play
seven matches before the end of January across three different competitions. Manchester City's got
the same task, with one already done for the month and six left to play. Just yesterday City fell
in the dying moments against Sunderland for just their second loss of the season, while Liverpool
got an important home win over Newcastle on Friday to finish off 2011.
Liverpool welcome Newcastle to Anfield in 2011's final match, with both squads barely on the
outside looking in at the European places. Tomorrow's guests rode a hot start to the season to the
top three, going unbeaten in their first eleven matches and surprising everyone after expectations
were low entering the campaign.
Liverpool: Maxi 53′Blackburn: Adam (og) 45′
Liverpool drop points again at Anfield, failing convert their late surge into a winning goal
against a stubborn Blackburn Rovers side. The return of Steven Gerrard and two late chances got our
hopes up, but in the end it was the same frustrating story we've seen from Liverpool so many times
in the past year.
It's back to Anfield for Liverpool as they host Blackburn in the penultimate match of 2011. Home
victories have been hard to come by for Kenny Dalglish's squad, with only three wins in their eight
matches at Anfield. There's no better opposition for remedying that problem than tomorrow's,
though, as they'll face a Rovers side that's winless in eight away fixtures and stapled to the
bottom of the Premier League table.
It's a special time of year. A time of year for gathering with people you hardly see and don't
really know all that well, getting inappropriately drunk, and reminiscing about all the time you've
wasted over the past twelve months that you're never getting back. If it's an especially good year,
it won't end with you weeping softly to yourself in a corner somewhere.
Liverpool's brief road swing continues (and wraps up) tomorrow night in Wigan, with the Reds
looking to continue a bounce-back after the Fulham loss that's seen them win their last two fairly
comfortably despite relatively narrow score lines. Wigan will be in a similar spot after getting
points in four of their last five, including an away win at the Hawthorns after faltering badly at
home to Arsenal, and, in their last outing, saving a late draw against Chelsea at the DW on
Saturday.
Liverpool head back out on the road, visiting the West Midlands in search of their second
consecutive win in league. Success away from Anfield has been easier to come by, with Kenny
Dalglish's squad winning more at opposition venues than they have at home. Alex McLeish's squad are
level on points with Norwich City in ninth and have earned eleven of their nineteen points at Villa
Park despite losing two of their last three.
The past three league matches have seen Charlie Adam paired with three different midfield
partners, with each new pairing leading to a slight shift in the focus of Adam's game. From a
largely offensive effort when paired with Lucas against Manchester City through to a job as the
deepest midfielder against Queens Park Rangers, it's meant an interesting—and surprisingly
successful—progression.
The FA hates Liverpool, but the feeling's probably mutual. Dirk Kuyt can score, or at least he
used to be able to. And hey, I've got something to show you. Right over here. That's right, don't
be frightened...
* Are you English? Are you too young to drive? Can you kick a football?
The last of the newly promoted sides visits Anfield tomorrow, as Neil Warnock's twelfth-placed
QPR side look to continue the success experienced by Norwich and Swansea. It's been an up and down
campaign so far, but with more than a few promising displays, they'll hope to match their fellow
newcomers.
It was a match that Liverpool should have won, if only they'd taken their chances. If only the
officials hadn't overturned an offside Luis Suarez goal that wasn't. If only Kevin Friend hadn't
given Jay Spearing a questionable red card or if only he had awarded a penalty and not a free-kick
when Charlie Adam was felled as he entered the sixteen-yard box.
As we prepare to enter this sixth quarter of the ninth three-year plan, we take joy in the
chocolate ration being raised to twenty grams and in the continued success of our glorious struggle
against East Manchester. And also in the English FA having not yet banned Luis Suarez for
displaying his non-regulation incisors in joy or anger whilst in public.
Bellamy already laughing? Fearless! Lol...
(Now is it me or is this picture a lot worse what with being a role model, compared to a
petulant sticking up of the finger? Yeah, i said it. Why didn't the papers use this as their main
match report picture?)
Liverpool fell to a late defeat at Craven Cottage on Monday night after the home side grabbed a
winner courtesy of Clint Dempsey.
Fulham 1: Dempsey 85′Liverpool 0
Same old song and dance for Liverpool with a questionable sending-off and a Pepe Reina error to
spice things up, as the hosts get a late winner and the wasteful guests spend most of their
possession not finishing chances. Posts were hit, fouls weren't given, upper hand was wasted.
Clint Dempsey punished an error from Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina to score five minutes from
full-time and guide Fulham to a famous 1-0 win at Craven Cottage.
The result was reminiscent of the Cottagers' 1-0 win over the Reds in May 2007, when Dempsey
scored his first goal for the club to secure their top flight status.
It is an unfortunate reality of the game of football, one which dictates that an injury to one
player means an opportunity for another. So it will be for Jay Spearing who seems to be the player
within Liverpool's squad who can best replicate the job that Lucas Leiva carried out and which
someone else will now have to do in the Brazilian's injury forced absence.
Liverpool visit Craven Cottage tomorrow and a Fulham side that's struggled to piece together any
sort of positive results domestically, winning only twice thus far on the season. They've got
nearly identical records home and away, with their first and only win at home coming in early
October.
With Lucas out for the rest of the season and Steven Gerrard out until January at the very
earliest, Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish face an extended run with their two best midfielders
sidelined. The club reacted by recalling Jonjo Shelvey on Wednesday, though few expect he's
returning to regular starting minutes at Liverpool despite his success on loan with Blackpool, and
even fewer would see him as a direct replacement for Lucas in any case.
Chelsea 0Liverpool 2 Maxi Rodriguez 58′, Martin Kelly 63′
In the end, a well-deserved win at Stamford Bridge—the second in ten days—sees Liverpool
join Cardiff and Manchester City in the semi-finals of the League Cup, with Manchester United set
to take on Crystal Palace for the last open slot on Wednesday.
It's back to Stamford Bridge for Liverpool as they seek progression to the semifinals of the
League Cup for the first time since 2005. The timing of the fixture makes it challenging for both
sides for Liverpool, who've sent out strong squads in each of their three wins in the competition,
it's cause for serious questions about who and what we'll see.
The league leaders visit Anfield tomorrow, unbeaten in their first twelve matches and having
dropped only two points. It's been a blistering start domestically for Roberto Mancini's squad,
which is packed with talent and has been nearly faultless in blowing by their opposition to this
point.
Liverpool and Chelsea meet tomorrow in one of the more hotly-contested matchups of the past few
years in English football, with both clubs on the front end of particularly important stretches of
their respective seasons. Action off the pitch has added more spice to the fixture in the past
calendar year, and the matches themselves have been fairly even Liverpool's done the double in
league twice of the last three years, with Chelsea splitting it up and winning both matches two
seasons ago.
**This weekend's guest post comes to us from Paul, who's been posting as PDubz18 for awhile
now. Written prior to the start of the international break (England v. Spain coming up, brace
yourselves for poppy poppy poppy. Also, annihilation.), he discusses the system Liverpool's used so
far, and how the personnel fit into the general approach utilized by Kenny Dalglish and his
staff.
Two weeks without league football and the opening days of the season a quickly fading memory has
put many in the mood to pick at what has for Liverpool gone from a year of hope to one that seems
to offer more of the same. A season that after an expectant summer only seems to offer more missed
chances.
Swansea visit Anfield in the last match before the break, looking to earn points away from home
for just the second time this season. They find themselves in tenth on the strength of three home
wins and two draws, but their only point on the road came via a 2-2 draw at Wolves. Liverpool will
hoping to change things up as well after two consecutive 1-1 draws at Anfield prior to their win at
the Hawthorns last weekend.
