Liverpool Self-destructs

photo by Steve Punter	via PhotoRee

It could be a long season for Scott:

It all started so well with narrow wins over Stoke City and Bournemouth, followed by a tough nil-nil away draw to Arsenal. Win the points at home against the "lesser" competition, and pick some up on the road against the Heavies, and Liverpool would survive the early season Schedule of Death. Alas, the script got torn up at Anfield this weekend after a gruesome 3-0 capitulation to West Ham, made possible by some truly asinine defensive blunders.  Sure, there was a strong scent of misfortune wafting about each of the three concessions, but that was barely noticeable due to the spectacle of self-immolation put on by Liverpool's defense. I had not yet jumped on the Joe Gomez bandwagon, nor the Dejan Lovren comeback car, and certainly won't now. 

On the first goal, Martin Skrtl was blamed by the announcers for a headed clearance that did not exit the danger area. Ok, maybe, but where were the midfielders to help gather it or at least pressure the turnover? But most concerning to me was the sight of Gomez, practically with a consoling arm around Manuel Lanzini, ushering him toward the goal and politely standing aside while the Argentine turned in the pass from the aforementioned turnover. Merely putting his foot a few inches forward would have blocked the shot. And, yes, poor Gomez is not left-footed and does not have much experience on the left but, come on, does he have to cut in to use his right every time?  He attempted only one left foot cross that I noted and that one floated into the stands behind the goal. Gomez might work better in another position, and will surely improve, but his performance is just not good enough when you have one of the best headers of the ball in the game (Christian Benteke) starving for service in the penalty area. 

 

Butthead: Round 17 in the BPL

photo by foxypar4	via PhotoRee

It's difficult to be too lighthearted in our remarks on the weekend's returns given the tragic events in Connecticut this past Friday, but we'll do our best to keep the focus on sports:

o For as meekly as fourth place Spurs played on Sunday, they looked positively buccaneering compared to the pale imitation of Swansea that turned up at White Hart Lane. Offering a 90 minute effort devoid of shots on goals -- their novel game plan evidently involved giving Hugo Lloris the day off -- Swansea played as if they believed their aim was mid-pitch possession, with each sideways and backward pass representing another scoring opportunity. Unfortunately for the men from Wales, the only pass that counted was Jan Vertonghen's into the back of the net, which is why Spurs find themselves occupying the fourth and final Champions League spot at week's end.

o Who said Chelsea's Fernando Torres couldn't score a last minute, big-time goal in a game with a trophy on the line, just like his predecessor Didier Drogba...? Wait.... He was offside? Never mind.

o We couldn't be bothered to watch any of QPR's victory over a flaccid Fulham side -- let's be honest, did you? -- but we did see the highlights. Two things stood out in our minds: Fulham made it 88 minutes into the game without doing a single thing -- a single thing! -- that the producers of Premier League Week in Review found noteworthy, and the most unlikely of images came in the immediate post-game aftermath, as Uncle Harry roamed the sideline looking to hug anything that moved to celebrate Rangers' first win of the season and found....Martin Jol. Naturally, the stolid Dutchman hugged back.  We guess there... is a heart in there after all....

Three Steps Back: Aston Villa 3 - Liverpool 1

photo by pawpaw67	via PhotoRee

Scott's a bit discouraged:

After what seemed like one step forward against West Ham last week, resulting in a top 10 table place for the first time this season, Liverpool quickly and ignominiously exceeded the proverbial two steps back by conceding 3 goals at home, to bottom-dwelling Aston Villa, and losing 3-1 with only a garbage-time score keeping them from total humiliation. In a retread of their early-season exploits, the Reds dominated possession, shots, tempo and pretty much anything else you can think of. Except for goals.

Aston Villa executed the counter-attack game plan to perfection. With nary a sniff of goal for the first 29 minutes save a weak Christian Benteke header in the second minute, Aston Villa was being utterly dominated. But then, in the 29th minute, Liverpool gave too much space to Benteke who unleashed a speculative shot from 30 yards out that caught Pepe Reina off=guard and struck the inside of the post, putting the visitors ahead, much to the dismay of the Kopite faithful.

Here we go again.... With Luis Suarez back in the lineup and constant pressure on goal, not to mention nearly 70% of the possession, a goal for the Reds seemed as likely as a politician prevaricating. But there were early warning signs. Like when, in the 6th minute, Suarez had Steven Gerrard wide open in front of goal but put his pass behind the streaking captain. Or the fact that the normally frighteningly dangerous Raheem Sterling couldn't seem to get his crosses right.

Even after the goal, Liverpool pressed on as the team far more likely to score. But it was Paul Lambert's men who actually did the deed, again on a counter attack. This time, and it is hard to say, it was a thing of beauty. Benteke was played through and he back-heeled to a wide-open and salivating Andreas Weimann who made no mistake.

Mind Dump

photo by Michel Filion	via PhotoRee

o Santi Cazorla flying 10,000 miles round trip to warm up a seat on the Spanish bench.... The USMNT playing in Russia.... What is the purpose of these mid-week friendly internationals, and who exactly are they benefitting? Designed primarily to line the pockets of their respective football federations, the games are useless and should be banned.

o What's up with Joe Hart? The World's Best Goalkeeper™ has had some real clankers lately and surrendered some very soft goals. It can't be inspiring much confidence among his teammates, who have to be hoping that the patchy spell passes soon.

o And does Hart get a free pass from the English press just because he's English? While we won't comment on that directly, let's ask a clarifying question: Imagine the reaction if that had been David De Gea?!

o Christian Benteke may be decent with the ball at his feet, but the guy is clearly not the brightest star in the firmament. After admitting he thought Villa was a London-based club, the Belgian international must have been somewhat surprised when he stepped off the tarmac in Birmingham ("Hey, where'a Big Ben?").

o Compounding his ignorance, Benteke was recently quoted speaking longingly about his love for the Arsenal.... Luckily for him, the Villans are on the road this week -- we can't wait to hear the warm welcome he receives next time he steps onto the pitch at Villa Park.