Standard Liege 0 – 0 Liverpool
Well, if there’s a positive to be drawn from that little shambles, it’s that it will be physically impossible to play worse than that for the rest of the season.
Just quickly, then, because I don’t want to dwell on it any longer than I have to : Is it some kind of massive elaborate practical joke that Dirk Kuyt is somehow considered to be a right midfielder? Xabi Alonso seemed to be doing his best to ensure he stays at Anfield by making his market value plummet as far as possible with each free kick drilled into the wall and each fumbled bit of possession. Arbeloa had perhaps his worst game for the club, and Dossena was only rescued from “worst debut ever” territory by Robbie Keane, on whom we’ve spent twenty million for someone who doesn’t seem to know how to weight a pass. It took until the last ten minutes of the game for Carra – who also seemed to have forgotten he was wearing the captain’s armband, so lacking were any attempts at inspiration - to successfully make a tackle rather than being flat-footedly beaten. Agger might have had a good game, showing a willingness to get forward creatively, but was busy having the crap kicked out of him by an aggressive (but spirited) Liege side, as was Torres, for whom I genuinely feared an injury was on the cards (not because Liege were any worse than your average Championship cloggers, but because that’s just how the night seemed to be going). Plessis showed willing, but was clumsy. Benayoun was pretty anonymous. The only one to emerge with anything like any credit was Reina, simply because – despite a couple of late flaps – he saved a penalty (piss poor as it was) and actually had other saves to make as well. Unlike the Liege goalkeeper.
Dear me. Our early-season optimism isn’t usually in tatters this early, is it? Oh well, roll on Sunderland. You never know, we might just scrape a point.
Oh dear indeed. We were very luck to come out of that game without losing. We were well below par, but I am sure we will do the business at home and against Sunderland on Saturday.
Maybe it was because I was expecting a toughie, but this performance hasn’t bothered me as much as it might. We’ve had a good pre-season and although that counts for nothing if you don’t do it when it counts. The result speaks for itself. We didn’t lose. We’re back at Anfield in a couple of weeks and only if we screw it up there do the players really deserve a kicking. To be fair to Liege they played bloody well. After the early attack which Reina had to scrape off the line (it DIDN’T cross the line) the crowd got behind them and it was always going to be a tough night. Admittedly we could have played much, much better and I think we will. Keane needs time to settle and fit into a new position. Various articles I’ve read about him this summer suggest he sometimes over-tries a bit and I think that’s the case here. He so desperately wants that first goal in a Liverpool shirt. Hopefully he’ll bag it (and the second) against Sunderland today.
I am not sure it crossed the line either. This result won’t really matter if we beat them at home, which I do expect us to do.
Keane will get his first goal soon and hopefully it will be today. The watch the floodgates open.
Kuyt now seems to be considered a midfielder in fantasy football terms too. He Might not be a bad purchase.