First of all this was another two great wins and it was a joy to watch. Especially against Tottenham I was impressed because I thought Brendan Rodgers addressed some of the stuff we were lacking in the game vs. Sunderland.
Let's address the Spurs game first.
What a performance. Sterling was deservedly man of the match. He is just immense in the amount he has improved. What particularly impressed me today was his passing. He is now picking more passes than coutinho and gets in positions where he can get assists because of his extreme pace, but the confidence to hit these passes with such accuracy and precision and timing and the right weight is just great to watch.
He also is much more aware tactically than last yr. Not only in his defensive positioning but when to press, when to back off and when to go past a man or shield the ball until he has an option for a support pass.
That ability to press at the right time coupled with his pace allows him to win the ball high which he did on 2-0 today and he put it on a plate for Suarez. There was one or two other times he could have had an assist if people finished better which says it all.
Suarez and Sturridge both didn't have their best games today and Suarez almost looked like his touch was a bit off today. Both had poorly executed freekicks and despite his excellent goal (and I must say his finish was sublime) Suarez has had a lot better games.
Defence was solid today with the 4 at the back all having decent games. I still think Skertel was the standout performer and his form has been excellent as of late.
Spurs looked lackluster and I can't quite understand it. The running wasn't there and that is perhaps what surprised me the most. Although pushing up their defensive line which I think was silly against LFCs pace they were not able to press high in midfield which was baffling. Lee dixon on NBC sport/TSN mentioned this point and it was obvious from the get go. Although the work rate from Spurs improved in the second half the game was gone and I think Tim sherwood days as manager is numbered. I was surprised there wasn't more fight in the Spurs squad considering their battle for 4th CL place but in the end LFC was just too good.
I said to a Spurs buddy as well that to me your two best central midfielders are dembele and paulinho and neither started which I find strange. I would also prefer Townsend over Aaron Lennon who really showed his limitations today.
I liked that Rodgers reverted to 4231 that he calls 433. Today we left only Gerrard deep for much of the game (especially in possession) and pushed on with Henderson as well. Henderson should have had another goal in addition to his our 4th goal as he missed a sitter set up by Sterling earlier in the game. Henderson has been a revelation this yr. His work rate is phenomenal and he even had some nice passes and a through ball today. He sometimes looks a bit aqward but I am coming around on Henderson slowly but surely.
What I liked also today was that Rodgers made subs earlier in the game. Gerrard got a rest for Lucas, Moses came in for Sterling and Allen came on for Coutinho. All good subs and they helped give some of the players who needed it some playing time. Hope Apas gets a few minutes vs. West ham and the same with Moses.
Sunderland game:
We looked incredibly comfortable up to about 65 minutes when some of our players started to tire. At 70 minutes it was obvious that Sunderland was back in the game despite LFC being dominant throughout the first half and the 15 minutes of the second half.
Suarez again probably didn't have his best game but was still decent. He very rarely plays poorly. Sturbridge had a decent game and an exquisite finish.
What made me angry was the lack of substitutions as the energy levels started to drop. Many were looking tired and after pressing fantastically well in the game up until that 65minute mark and seeing lots of the ball we seemed to drop and be too comfortable.
It was clear to see and Rodgers didn't make any substitutions until Sterling came on for Sturridge late in the game.
Lucas, sterling, moses and apas are probably all raring to go and to come off the bench and it took too long to make changes.
Gerrard tired towards the end, so did Allen and coutinho I thought did as well as good a game as he had. Coutinho was voted man of the match by many and it was well deserved. He just lacked the goal which he got in today's game vs. Tottenham.
On a positive note we got the 3 pts despite making it too exciting in the end. Flanagan made another mistake on losing his marker in the penalty area but otherwise had a flawless game. He will learn from that.
In conclusion, Brendan Rodgers and team continues to impress and we are now truly in the title race after City and Chelsea unexpectedly lost 2 and 3 pts respectively this weekend.
Key games as mentioned a while back remains vs. City and Chelski at home. Win those and we will be champions me thinks.
Can't believe that I am saying this but the way I see the status quo, is that it is in our hands and we win the league if we win the remainder of the games.
It is fantastic to be in the title race for the first time in over 5 yrs.
YNWA,
Stian
Let's address the Spurs game first.
What a performance. Sterling was deservedly man of the match. He is just immense in the amount he has improved. What particularly impressed me today was his passing. He is now picking more passes than coutinho and gets in positions where he can get assists because of his extreme pace, but the confidence to hit these passes with such accuracy and precision and timing and the right weight is just great to watch.
He also is much more aware tactically than last yr. Not only in his defensive positioning but when to press, when to back off and when to go past a man or shield the ball until he has an option for a support pass.
That ability to press at the right time coupled with his pace allows him to win the ball high which he did on 2-0 today and he put it on a plate for Suarez. There was one or two other times he could have had an assist if people finished better which says it all.
Suarez and Sturridge both didn't have their best games today and Suarez almost looked like his touch was a bit off today. Both had poorly executed freekicks and despite his excellent goal (and I must say his finish was sublime) Suarez has had a lot better games.
Defence was solid today with the 4 at the back all having decent games. I still think Skertel was the standout performer and his form has been excellent as of late.
Spurs looked lackluster and I can't quite understand it. The running wasn't there and that is perhaps what surprised me the most. Although pushing up their defensive line which I think was silly against LFCs pace they were not able to press high in midfield which was baffling. Lee dixon on NBC sport/TSN mentioned this point and it was obvious from the get go. Although the work rate from Spurs improved in the second half the game was gone and I think Tim sherwood days as manager is numbered. I was surprised there wasn't more fight in the Spurs squad considering their battle for 4th CL place but in the end LFC was just too good.
I said to a Spurs buddy as well that to me your two best central midfielders are dembele and paulinho and neither started which I find strange. I would also prefer Townsend over Aaron Lennon who really showed his limitations today.
I liked that Rodgers reverted to 4231 that he calls 433. Today we left only Gerrard deep for much of the game (especially in possession) and pushed on with Henderson as well. Henderson should have had another goal in addition to his our 4th goal as he missed a sitter set up by Sterling earlier in the game. Henderson has been a revelation this yr. His work rate is phenomenal and he even had some nice passes and a through ball today. He sometimes looks a bit aqward but I am coming around on Henderson slowly but surely.
What I liked also today was that Rodgers made subs earlier in the game. Gerrard got a rest for Lucas, Moses came in for Sterling and Allen came on for Coutinho. All good subs and they helped give some of the players who needed it some playing time. Hope Apas gets a few minutes vs. West ham and the same with Moses.
Sunderland game:
We looked incredibly comfortable up to about 65 minutes when some of our players started to tire. At 70 minutes it was obvious that Sunderland was back in the game despite LFC being dominant throughout the first half and the 15 minutes of the second half.
Suarez again probably didn't have his best game but was still decent. He very rarely plays poorly. Sturbridge had a decent game and an exquisite finish.
What made me angry was the lack of substitutions as the energy levels started to drop. Many were looking tired and after pressing fantastically well in the game up until that 65minute mark and seeing lots of the ball we seemed to drop and be too comfortable.
It was clear to see and Rodgers didn't make any substitutions until Sterling came on for Sturridge late in the game.
Lucas, sterling, moses and apas are probably all raring to go and to come off the bench and it took too long to make changes.
Gerrard tired towards the end, so did Allen and coutinho I thought did as well as good a game as he had. Coutinho was voted man of the match by many and it was well deserved. He just lacked the goal which he got in today's game vs. Tottenham.
On a positive note we got the 3 pts despite making it too exciting in the end. Flanagan made another mistake on losing his marker in the penalty area but otherwise had a flawless game. He will learn from that.
In conclusion, Brendan Rodgers and team continues to impress and we are now truly in the title race after City and Chelsea unexpectedly lost 2 and 3 pts respectively this weekend.
Key games as mentioned a while back remains vs. City and Chelski at home. Win those and we will be champions me thinks.
Can't believe that I am saying this but the way I see the status quo, is that it is in our hands and we win the league if we win the remainder of the games.
It is fantastic to be in the title race for the first time in over 5 yrs.
YNWA,
Stian
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