{"id":1113,"date":"2017-11-29T22:56:42","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T22:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/?p=1113"},"modified":"2017-11-29T22:56:42","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T22:56:42","slug":"stoke-city-0-liverpool-3-match-review-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/stoke-city-0-liverpool-3-match-review-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Stoke City 0 &#8211; Liverpool 3: Match Review &#038; Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This season is arguably the definition of a curate\u2019s egg thus far. It is quite evidently a bit of a disappointment from the point of view of the supporters, but to what extent is that because of the outrageous form of Manchester City? Liverpool fans are bored are waiting for a title and each season that passes without us winning one leads to more and frustration. That we found ourselves fourteen points behind Pep Guardiola\u2019s side before kick-off means that the title is a distant dream yet again. Disappointing draws with the likes of Newcastle United and Watford combined with heavy losses to Spurs and City have added to the notion that this isn\u2019t a great campaign thus far.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-cards=\"hidden\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">It&#8217;s not just that either. Spurs\/Liv comparisons to last season. Pts -6\/+3, GS -15\/+8, GC -4\/-6, Pts Home -7\/+3, Pts Away +1\/0. Which team would you say is still progressing and which is regressing?<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Philippa Smallwood (@Pippa35) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Pippa35\/status\/935846478475603970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The only problem is that the stats don\u2019t actually fit that narrative. Before kick-off we were three points better off than in the same fixtures last season. We\u2019ve scored eight more goals during that period and conceded six fewer. Some supporters seem to be confusing Manchester City\u2019s phenomenal form, with the Sky Blues dropping just two points all season, with Liverpool not being good enough. They also seem to be forgetting that we\u2019ve had one of the toughest starts to the season thanks to away games against the league leaders &amp; Spurs plus matches versus Arsenal, United and Chelsea at Anfield. Simply put, our season is nowhere near as bad as the narrative may have you believe.<\/p>\n<h2>Klopp\u2019s Gambles Have Sort Of Paid Off<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you think J\u00fcrgen Klopp was right to go with such a strong team against Sevilla will dictate whether or not you think he\u2019s got his starting line-ups right since then. If you feel that the German made the right decision in going as strong as he did out in Spain then you also have to accept that he needed to make changes for the match against Chelsea. Despite what footballing dinosaurs like Paul Merson and John Aldridge might say, players need to be rested if you want to help them avoid injury and have them available to you for the duration of the season. Chelsea have the ability to beat you even if you put your strongest team on the pitch but they\u2019ll definitely give you a run for your money if you play tired players against them.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a>: Mignolet, Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno, Can, Wijnaldum, Ox, Firmino, Mane, Solanke<\/p>\n<p>Six changes &#8211; one big gamble from Jurgen Klopp.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kristian Walsh (@Kristian_Walsh) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kristian_Walsh\/status\/935946305972600840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t think Klopp should have gone as strong as he did in Spain, but once he\u2019d made the choice he had to follow it through in the games that followed. Part of the gamble was knowing that a point against Chelsea will be a decent result depending on how we cope in our next few matches and the manager will feel that his decision was vindicated after tonight. Where we finish in relation to Manchester City won\u2019t tell us anything given the ludicrousness of their form, but where we end up in comparison to the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs will tell us a lot. Our win at Stoke puts us six behind our fiercest rivals, three behind Chelsea and two behind the Gunners. United\u2019s next too matches are against Arsenal and City, so where will be after them?That will tell is plenty about where we truly are this season.<\/p>\n<h2>We Love Suicidal Football<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s no way that Stoke City\u2019s approach to this match could have been a surprise to J\u00fcrgen Klopp and his backroom staff. Yes, Mark Hughes has dabbled with a back five in recent times and he no longer has the team of groks that he\u2019s boasted in the past, but he always opts for the same long-ball tactics when he comes up against us. That\u2019s probably because he thinks our defence can be targeted, but we don\u2019t do much to help ourselves. Rather than keeping the ball on the floor and trying to play football, we spent about half an hour stretched across both halves hoofing the ball up the pitch and giving away moronic free-kicks. Stoke didn\u2019t score, but it wasn\u2019t through a lack of us trying to give them as many opportunities as we could.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Liverpool suicidal again tonight but what\u2019s new?<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Adam Marcus (@AdamHaim) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamHaim\/status\/935984728557150208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Captain Dimwit in goal was perhaps fortunate to get away with just a yellow card when he smashed the legs of Stoke\u2019s Mame Biram Diouf away five minutes from the end of the first-half. Worse than the awful tackle, though, was the fact that a team that depends on high-balls and set-pieces had one right outside our area. It was something we carried on doing throughout the game and if Joe Allen was a better finisher then this match might well have had a different outcome. We also seemed to be desperate to play loose balls to nobody in particular time and again and if we\u2019d been up against a better side we might have paid the price. Perhaps that was just down to the rustiness of some of the players coming into the starting line-up, with a week off seeming to do both Emre Can and Roberto Firmino no favours whatsoever. Hopefully when they next make the starting line-up they\u2019ll be a little bit more up-to-speed.<\/p>\n<h2>Mohamed Salah Is A Revelation<\/h2>\n<p>Jamie Vardy isn\u2019t all that brilliant a striker. If he was then he\u2019d have been bought by a better club than Leicester City by now. Still, during the Foxes\u2019s title run he was inspirational in helping them to win countless matches, thanks in no small part to his record breaking eleven consecutive games scoring streak. Was that just because he was in a rich vein of form? Is the same true now of Mohamed Salah? It\u2019s certainly fair to point out that he was nowhere near this clinical at Chelsea, though he was young then. He also wasn\u2019t quite as good at Roma last season either, so why is it that he\u2019s suddenly decided he can score at will? In a league with such leading lights as Sergio Aguero, Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane, it\u2019s remarkable that he is the current top-goalscorer in the Premier League.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I suppose Salah literally means a scorer of many goals, Mo&#8217;s on fire!!! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/YNWA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#YNWA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gus Motsi (@Gus_Moltsy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Gus_Moltsy\/status\/936000455343210498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I have a suspicion that part of Salah\u2019s remarkable run is down to the way we play football. Our defensive deficiencies are well documented, but when it comes to the side\u2019s attacking play the manager has us set-up in such a way that works to our best players\u2019s advantage. The interchanging front three keeps defenders constantly guessing about where any individual player is going to be, with Sadio Man\u00e9 and Roberto Firmino working hard enough off the ball tonight to wear the Stoke back four out. It was brilliant management by Klopp to chuck Salah on once they were all knackered, given his pace could out-run roadrunner. His finish for the first was instinctive, whilst he could easily have missed the second as Man\u00e9 did in a similar situation in the first-half. Some Liverpool supporters yearn for an \u2018out-and-out striker\u2019 on the rare occasions we fail to score, but the reality is we\u2019ve got a player in Salah who gets the goals but also contributes so much more to the team overall.<\/p>\n<h2>We Were Still Wasteful<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s perhaps a little bit naughty to complain about wastefulness when we\u2019ve just defied the clich\u00e9 and performed successfully on a cold Wednesday night in Stoke. Yet against both Sevilla a week ago the Reds were punished for their profligacy. That could have happened again tonight, with Dominic Solanke and Sadio Man\u00e9 both missing glaring opportunities to give us more goals. Solanke\u2019s decision to go on his own was perhaps understandable considering he was enjoying his first Premier League start since joining the club in the summer and obviously has immense faith in his belief. Even so, if he\u2019d squared the ball to Roberto Firmino when the both broke though we could have gone two-nil up in the first-half and killed Stoke\u2019s resistance earlier. Man\u00e9 had a chance to do the same thing when he struck the post with his one-on-one.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Mane &amp; Solanke miss 2 great chances to put Liverpool 3-0 up &#8230; why would we wanna finishes our chances anyway &#x1f62b;&#x1f62b; &#x1f914;&#x1f914;! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Andy Harvey (@andy_harvey2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/andy_harvey2\/status\/935973444512092161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In Spain we should have won comfortably, even once the hosts had pinned us back to 3-2. Instead we missed a couple of big chances and we all know what happened next. This Liverpool attack is absolutely sensational when it wants to be, but if we\u2019re going to regularly win matches then I think we need to be significantly more clinical in the final-third. I\u2019d like this to be something we start working on now, whilst we\u2019re playing well and in a good run of form, rather than once we\u2019ve dropped points and that starts getting into the heads of the players. It\u2019s a lot easier to score goals when you\u2019ve already got on the scoresheet after all. I hope the manager is drilling it into his team that he wants us to win a match by six, seven or eight goals at some point this season. If not, we might live to regret it when we want to do that the least.<\/p>\n<h2>Is Sturridge Done?<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s a question I\u2019ve asked several times this season, but is Daniel Sturridge\u2019s Liverpool career over? The manager\u2019s refusal to pick him in the big Champions League game out in Spain was perhaps something of a declaration that he doesn\u2019t trust him to perform when it matters, with the forward\u2019s performance against Chelsea on Saturday merely reinforcing the idea that he\u2019s not the player he once was. If the striker was under any illusion about where he sits in the pecking order then perhaps J\u00fcrgen Klopp\u2019s decision to play Solanke tonight will have clarified things for him.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Hearing solanke was very good tonight. I\u2019m not surprised needs more game time. Offers so much more than sturridge<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 elmo (@elmo2610) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elmo2610\/status\/936003450495799296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a Daniel Sturridge fan. Unlike some, I\u2019ve never bought into the shout that he\u2019s \u2018lazy\u2019. But I do think that injuries have had too much of an impact on his career now for him to be considered as a regular starter for us. I think it will be best for both the player and the club if he moves on in January, with Solanke proving tonight that he can offer the workrate that our number fifteen simply doesn\u2019t have the legs for any more. Maybe I\u2019m wrong and he\u2019ll still have a huge part to play for us over the Christmas period, but somehow I just don\u2019t see it happening. Like James Milner, he\u2019s mentally quick but his body just isn\u2019t quick enough to play in a side that is at its most devastating when it\u2019s going at full-pace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This season is arguably the definition of a curate\u2019s egg thus far. It is quite evidently a bit of a disappointment from the point of view of the supporters, but to what extent is that because of the outrageous form of Manchester City? Liverpool fans are bored are waiting for a title and each season that passes without us winning one leads to more and frustration. That we found ourselves fourteen points behind Pep Guardiola\u2019s side before kick-off means that the title is a distant dream yet again. Disappointing draws with the likes of Newcastle United and Watford combined with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1113"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1113"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1114,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1113\/revisions\/1114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}