Lucas likley injured and Shelvey comes back. I think it will be good to get some playing time but there is no way he is as good as Lucas.
I have been so impressed with this man in the past 5 games.
He has been a different player and he has developed. Last game his stats were something like 86% passing completion and 100% tackling completion according to the guardian podcast. Well worth a listen if you havent already by the way.
He has really come on and I remember last year how frustrated I was when he was playing not nearly as well and I thought he should have been taken out of the team.
I think he has improved, I think he has got confidence now and I think he has really benefitted from playing with Charlie Adam who is a much better passer of the ball than for exmaple Spearing.
Maybe he has even learned a thing of two from Adam. If he now could add a few goals to his game as well he would perhaps be good enough to be in a Top 4 team which I think we should be aiming for.
Therefore it is a real shame he alledgedly has gotten injured.
King Kenny has gotten his tactics spot on in the past two games in both the league and the carling cup. Not playing bellamy was probably the right decision after Gary Speed's tragic death. I am still curious to find out why he took his own life if that is what actually happened. Was he depressed, was there stuff going on at home? Speculating becomes pointless and the last thing you want to do is to not give that man respect.
As mentioned in many forums over the past half a week Gary Speed never had a bad word to say about anyone, was a stand out professional and was already succeeding as a manager shortly after stepping into the dugout.
Even me, although he had nothing to do with Liverpool was affected by his death and I think many other football folk felt the same way since he was a proper football man. Those who are will understand what I mean by that.
One has to respect that and just feel for the wife and the boys he leaves behind.
Back to the game...
Bellamy was terrific in the Chelsea league game and he came back to prove the difference again in the league cup. I only saw highlights but we looked terrific again and I heard Lucas played yet another stormer...
Maxi keeps getting goals and keeps getting into the right areas and I thought that was perhaps what we were lacking in that Man City game.
If you watch the game again, you will notice that when we were attacking (and yet again I want to commend Jose Enrique for providing much of the threat down that left wing) there was only about 2-4 people in the box even when we piled the pressure on.
I think this provides much of the explanation why we didnt break the deadlock in that game. Downing has proven this season he is not an out and out goal scorer. He did score a few at Villa but if he was a goal scorer he would have put more of his chances away this year for liverpool. He had another couple in the city game late and he had a few terrific crosses and therefore because of his service I thought he played decent. There is a lot of potential there if he gets some confidence which can come from a fluke goal but he could also do with studying Maxi's movement.
Maxi does maybe not have pace, extreme vision or great passing or tackling ablility but he has terrific movement and awareness of when to arrive in the box. Sometimes I wish I had more of an overview to analyse his movement during games.
He is also working hard to be in the box when there is a chance of scoring. You have got to give him credit for that and the past 10 months have proven how important that can be.
Against weaker teams than Chelsea and City I think he will get more chances and to be fair the way he has played he deserves it.
Maybe it is also a blessing in disguise for the development of Spearing and Shelvey that Lucas got injured.
Hopefully Spearing who played great last season post xmas can come in and do the same and can provide that local spark that is so important when Carragher and Gerrard will be playing less games.
That is another thing I would like to commmend Kenny for. The way he has trusted Agger and Skertel to play through the middle despite Carra being fit.
Hopefully Coates keeps developing as well. He apparently played a great game against Chelsea/Drogba and later Torres yesterday, and considering they are going to be the future for Liverpool it is worth giving them chances but having guys like Carra around the lads coaching, mentoring etc. I personally hope he becomes a coach sonner rather than later. He has some of that Sammy Lee factor and understands how to read the game, organise the defence and lead from the sidelines.
Anyway, it is becoming quite enjoyable being a die hard Liverpool fan again and we have got King Kenny to thank. Let's jump on the band wagon...
More comments on Kelly to come some other time. I think he deserves a chance at right back where you could play Johnson at right mid against the weaker teams to give Kuyt a rest from time to time.
Comments above proves we are starting to get a good squad and it is starting to show across the board.
YNWA,
Stian
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