Liverpool v. Everton - EPL - Jan 19 [R]

Another opportunity wasted but that's football, I guess...we were the better side but if they were ever going to score, Arteta to Cahill was the way - Cahill just slipped away from Skrtel - well done to them.
Loved the Stevie goal - overall, he played well and was all around the field. Torres was available quite a few times and did mostly well but he really should look to pass once in a while - especially when Keane was just to his left after the Hyypia pass in the 1st half. It seemed to me that Keane was open to Nando more than once but never got the ball.
When I saw Yossi, I was expecting Kuyt to leave and was hoping to see Babel right after we took the lead.
As far as Everton are concerned, Arteta was good because he's always dangerous but Pienaar was their best player, IMO.
Bottom line, despite a good fight, we screwed up yet another game and allowed ManUre not only to close the gap but overtake us - it's a long way to May (wow, that rhymes) but our title chances look bleaker with every game...

 

Oh, you had to remind me...I refuse to do it...I still believe.
Yes, we can...Yes, we can

 

Well, I'll toss in my thoughts. No matter, really, as I haven't thousands of posts nor years of posting here, so my thoughts are likely scrolled past in search of other posts. Overall, considering the teams' recent respective forms, a draw is what I expected. Looking at the numbers, Rafa's zonal defense of set pieces seems to be a huge success, but it always seems letting someone get in a crease is how we give up the big goals. How one of the best headers of the ball in the league is allowed to move clear on that free kick is beyond me. Really, who else was Arteta going to aim for? Maybe we should have spent the 20 million on Cahill. Perhaps then our own corners would result in more than a fast break for the other team.

Ultimately, I'll take a derby draw against Everton. A derby against the number six team in the table is always going to be a tough affair. These points aren't the ones that may cost us the title. As has been hashed out previously, it's the points lost against the bottom of the table that will be our undoing. Commentators and analysts can talk all they want about how Liverpool is stronger in the second half of the season, but we're the ones who let Man U back in the race with crappy draws, and it's not like Man U have a habit of tanking late in the season. But points on the board are better than a game in hand, and there are months left to go, and as long as we take care of our business, we're there to take advantage of any slip ups.

Now, if only we can somehow keep the team and coaches from talking to the press until May...

 

A chip over a diving goalie into the corner of the goal vs side footing the ball into a space Robbie can run on to. I'm not saying Torres should not have taken the shot, but a pass is the play in a good partnership.

I assigned no such blame on Torres. I pointed out, in one instance, that Keane was wide open for a sure goal and Torres didn't make the pass. If we are going to play two strikers, they should introduce themselves to each other.

I didn't really see Keane play poorly. I saw Torres only make a real strike on a through ball from midfield; nothing else really was special about the attacking play of our forwards.

Let's just give Torres and Keane time. Keane can score goals in the EPL.

 

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this adventurous team setup from Benitez. Given that Liverpool have been playing with a quite cautious setup for much of the season, one can't be too surprised that they didn't quite flow in this game.

Whoever said that the middle was too congested, I agree! If Gerrard (thought he was poor until he scored today) is going to be effective coming from deep then there needs to be space for him. Whilst I wouldn't directly attribute the Keane sub to the scoring of the goal, I think that, in general, Liverpool need to keep this formation but be more expansive in their play. In my opinion most of the responsibility for this rests on the wide players and full backs. In this game I thought both Riera and Kuyt were too keen to come inside. If Liverpool are going to make this team setup work, I think the two wide men, whoever they are on the day, need to be looking to stay on the outside and look to go down the channels more than they did.

With regard to Keane, yes he is playing pretty poorly, and has been for much of the season. He just comes across to me as a player who is desperately short of confidence. His touch and movement are both way off at the minute. I just hope something happens to change this unfortunate rut he is in for his own sake and for Liverpool's. Difficult one for Benitez to deal with: keep him on even though he is being pretty ineffective, or sub him again and risk further damaging his clearly fragile confidence.

Overall though, not a disasterous result against a solid team, and an encouragingly positive outlook from Benitez.

 

Damn now Man.U has a advantage, im routing for Liverpool in the premier league , I agree about R.Keane , I just don't see him as a good player this season , he is average , and benayoun is underrated , he is very energetic and brings alot to the field , benitez should play him more imo

 

Benayoun is not underrated...he is an inconsistent squad player who can provide assists and goals in one match, yet in the very next, make it seem like we have 10 men on the field.

He hasnt performed consistently well against the top sides but has been fairly good vs the lesser sides.

Defensively he is lazy, compared to Riera and Kuyt and even Babel probably tracks back better than Yossi.

He was directly at fault for the goal as one of the main things in this match was to not give Arteta any free-kicks in dangerous areas. He did and we got 1 point, not 3. Yossi's fault mainly and something that he never needed to do. Also, once Kuyt was moved centrally, Everton began attacking down the left flank more often and leaving Carragher isolated as Yossi's defensive positioning is not good and therefore Carra was skinned a few times.

 

I wonder if maybe trying Skrtel out at RB might be a better option; I agree, Carragher's getting too old for that, especially against teams like Everton. Plus, he's really not that great when he runs forward; I think maybe Aurelio/Hyypia/Carragher/Skrtel would spread the back four out nicely; the only drawback I can see is that the two CBs might be a little slow.

I wonder what Rafa will do this weekend at RB, given that he's on a short week.

 

No thank you.

Many people think that Agger should play at LB, which would be a big mistake and same with Skrtel at RB.

Arbeloa, Degen, Darby, Aurelio, Dossena and Insua are all full-backs for a reason and as long as some of them are fit, then none of our CB's will ever play as a fullback.

 

I agree with you, except they aren't fit right now. Having Aurelio back at LB is nice (I'd rather have Insua, but having a fullback at all is good news), but Arbeloa and Degen are both injured and Dossena's both terrible and left-footed. With Insua gona in Argentina, that leaves Darby, who's had a grand total of two appearances this season. It really comes down to whether you should play a better defender out of position or a worse defender in his natural spot, and I'm thinking Skrtel would give you more options there.

 

I wasnt suggesting Aurelio, Dossena and Insua for the RB spot.

We already have 4 options at RB and currently our 2nd best defensive RB is playing.

Arbeloa is now fit and Degen will be it soon...hopefully we wont have any more injury troubles at either fullback position.

 

I apologize, I just read the match report and caught that Arbeloa was fit. Disregard the Skrtel idea, then...Arbeloa should be playing.

Why was he left out of the starting eleven?

 

Im guessing a lack of match fitness.

 

Just saw that this was my 3000th post.

Time does fly when you're having fun

Im sure my next 3000 posts will also include many arguments with Teso and Paul Tomkins like posts.

 

A few points:

- Alonso looked good; problem was Everton clogged the middle to attack effectively
- Wingers were atrocious; Kuyt continues to suck, can anybody tell me what he's done in the last 3 games, and why his minutes are not cut? There was F-All attack on the right side. How much can Keane be blamed for this? Riera was slightly better but how many times did he give possession away?
- Set piece defense - Is it too much to put a defender or two on the posts? And can somebody put a body between Cahill & the goal? His name is on the back of his jersey if you need help finding him. Pepe's reaction was off too, but I can't blame him that much as the ball was coming in fast.
- Why did everyone stop playing after Stevie scored? The game is 90+minutes, not 65.
- For once, I was please with Rafa's starting lineup. However, the subs had me scratching me head. Yossi for Keane I can understand but Lucas for Torres? And the Babel for Riera move should've been made 20 minutes prior.

Trying to look at the brightside, Rooney will be out for a while so I expect Scum to drop a few points. So, we must take these opportunites if given to regain the lead.

 

Thought that Riera played pretty well, although it seemed he didn't do enough on our goal.

Torres looked very dangerous, I thought Jags did well in keeping up with him but you could tell where all our eyes were at in defense.

Thought you had a lot of possession but very few passes,you looked almost like the current edition of Arsenal, keeping the ball well enough but the final ball being dismal. I don't remember a ball from Kuijt's or Carragher's side being terribly dangerous besides the Gerrard chance.

Happy with the draw, I think on the balance of play Liverpool edged it but I think Everton deserved a point.

 

I got the impression that Lucas was brought on to bolster the midfield in order to preserve the one-goal lead; once Everton scored, the only striker we had on the field was Kuyt, and as you mentioned he's been particularly bad lately. I think they seemed to stop playing after the goal because the players needed to maintain possession in the offensive third and actually threaten were all gradually taken off.

That tackle by Benayoun was hideous, incidentally.

 

I felt Riera was a little loose defending that goal. Cahil had to duck behind him to get to it. Torres put some good moves in. I was pleased the way he was moving but either he was trying to do it alone or couldn't find Keane I don't know. His miss was unusual everybody, I mean evrybody knew that, that was a goal....!

On the whole I think Moyes' plan of keeping pressure on, clogging the middle and playing a very physical game did disrupt our play.

Yes, you should be pleased with a draw, away, at Anfield, I don't think it was deserved but you got the point. Wereas we gave up trying to consolidate after we scored.