But so much has changed recently with the clubs having gone in opposite directions that an exact reversal of that scoreline on Sunday didn’t surprise anybody! United, newly rejuvenated under experienced and very successful manager Louis van Gaal, are not a finished article yet, though the manner of their latest victory over the Old Enemies at the Theatre of Dreams left no one in doubt of the extent of their recovery.
At the end of the reverse fixture in March, Liverpool went 20 points above United. But such are the reversed fortunes now that finishing in the lucrative Top 4 is becoming unrealistic for the Reds who only mid-week got dumped out of the UCL. I had written in September that the Anfield giants would conveniently finish in the Top 3. On current evidence, they would be lucky to make the Top 4, if at all.
As difficult as it seems, winning the Europa League looks to be Liverpool’s best chance of playing in the Champions League next year. To write them off with some 22 BPL matches to go says everything about their current abject state. And the chief culprit of it all is ironically the same man who nearly masterminded a shocking league success last term, Rodgers.
I have written a lot about the Reds boss’ summer failures in the market, and he’s had three summers by the way. Painful as it may be, I could live with that, hoping some of the errors are corrected in the forthcoming January window. However, Rodgers has indulged in bizarre tinkering of his line-ups so much that you get an impression of a very confused manager (Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson was more scathing when he said Liverpool were rudderless).
Rodgers certainly doesn’t know his best XI. And while he has never shied away from making big decisions, sadly however, his big calls often defied logic and have failed spectacularly this season – his senseless gamble away to reigning European champions Real Madrid where he fielded a second string team ahead of a league clash with Chelsea and his False 9 (3-7-0) formation at OT on Sunday are just two examples.
The confused Reds boss dropped first choice Simon Mignolet for his reserve Brad Jones on Sunday. Yes, I’m one of Mignolet’s harshest critics. But given his steady performance in the last three matches, the decision to drop the Belgian for his reserve defied logic, just as the coach’s choice of Raheem Sterling as a false 9 with Ricky Lambert and Mario Balotelli kicking their cold feet on the bench at OT.
Questions should also be asked about Rodgers bizarre persistence in fielding Joe Allen. Liverpool’s best and only natural defensive midfielder Lucas Leiva sat grumpilly in Manchester cold, watching in morbid rage and embarrassment as Antonio Valencia easily nutmegged Allen – a la Luis Suarez – before cutting back to Rooney who opened the floodgate.
Now, let’s reason out the logic here: how could you come to OT with a plan to flood the midfield with bodies but without your team’s only specialist in that department? Can you beat that? This is typical of Rodgers many bizarre decisions this season.
But that was not the only bizarre decision he made at OT. Playing second half sub Lazar Markovic (a natural right winger or right midfielder) as a left wing-back defied any sensible logic. The fact that Marko didn’t start at OT beat me hollow too, especially in the wake of his 15 minutes cameo against FC Basel midweek when he looked the only Red able to hurt the visitors before his controversial expulsion.
Rodgers cuts a painful impression of a man who has lost his way. Which is why I believe he should call it a day now before he rubbishes all the good work he did last season, and more importantly for the sake of the club and their legion of suffering global fans.
Liverpool need to return to the Champions League next season. And they have two viable options either by winning the Europa League or by finishing in the Top 4. Sadly, I don’t see either happening under Rodgers confused management.
In all fairness, Liverpool were not as bad as the Sunday result showed. They had more shots at goal and on target; they created the best chances of the match. There were in fact only two differences between the victors and the vanquished at OT – David De Gea showed Rodgers the importance of very goalkeepers in the modern game and Rooney, RVP and company showed the Reds boss the importance of burying your chances from even the slightest of errors.
Rodgers poured encomiums on the United minder: “We created so many chances today and David De Gea was man of the match. He’s had four or five games like that this season. David’s a top class goalkeeper and his ability to make saves is outstanding but his distribution is also excellent, he knows when to go short and when to go long.”
Listening to him, you’d think he was praising Pepe Reina, a very good Reds servant in his time, who is renown as arguably world’s best ball distributor from goal. Hello, if the underfire Reds boss knows a good goalkeeper, how come he chased him away for Mignolet!? Can you beat that?
And this is what Reina himself had to say in his tweet after Sunday humiliation: “Liverpool would not have lost the game if not for David De Gea. Four one-on-one saves! Harsh result though. Very unfair I’d say.”
Though I won’t go as far as saying the result was unfair, Man-of-the-Match De Gea was undoubtedly a big difference with his slew of outstanding saves. However, Liverpool dug their own grave for their bewildering impotence in front of goal, and of course, their couple of calamitous defending.
For avoidance of any doubt, Valencia showed him how to do it when he crossed for Rooney’s opener just 25 seconds after the Liverpool winger had crashed his shot at De Gea from tight angle. But Sterling didn’t heed the lesson as he failed to square for Coutinho and Mario Balotelli (in the second half) when he had similar chances later on.
OK, United’s second goal by Mata was from an offside position. However, Martin Skrtel must query himself how he allowed RVP to outjump him. And young Alberto Moreno went ball-watching for the umpteenth time this season, which allowed Mata a free header for the goal.
For the third goal, Dejan Lovren showed he was worth far less than a 100th of the 20 million quid Rodgers splashed on him in the summer. First the Croat made a harsh of a routine clearance. Then he lacked common sense to step out and catch RVP offside before Mata found the unmarked United’s forward.
We also have to scrutinise captain Steven Gerrard’s performance over 90 minutes at OT. And his only meaningfull contribution in a debilitatingly lethargic outing was the raking pass he gave Moreno which put the full back through on goal. The young Spaniard controlled the ball when he should have squared one-time for lurking Adam Lallana in front of goal, thus allowing immaculate emergency full back Valencia to nip in and avert danger.
Gerrard remains a genuine Liverpool legend. But his performance at Old Trafford lent more credence to the arguement against his frequent starting place in the team. Simply put, Reds talismanic captain can no longer cope with playing consecutive games in a matter of days.
This didn’t show last season when Liverpool were not in Europe and quickly fell out of the domestic cups too. That limited them to one game in seven days which suited their captain perfectly. Now that they must negotiate the Europa League nuisance early next year, whoever is in charge of the team has big decision to make on the ageing skipper.
Balotelli’s second half introduction brought outstanding saves from De Gea to further expose Rodgers’ recent brainblock. For all his infamous attitude, the Italian bad boy was Liverpool’s most potent threat in an improved second half. We would only be wondering what might have been had he started the match.
Rodgers defiantly claimed he was the right man to dig the Reds out of this quagmire. I’m not sure I agree. He also said Liverpool were simply not good enough in their criminally abysmal Champions League campaign. I take it that what he wanted to say was that he (the coach) was not good enough. Truth is the exhilarating performance of last season now looks like an incredible fluke.
While I don’t subscribe to the fact that it was a fluke, it’s utterly difficult to argue with those who use it to taunt Anfield faithful.
Balotelli recently prayed strike partner Daniel Sturridge should recover quickly so that they could both fire Liverpool out of the hole. And the latter tweeted all the way from the US about his OT disappointment:
“Absolutely gutted for everyone. Woke up and watched the game and it hurts. I’m optimistic though and I hope everyone else feels the same. Just know I’m working hard to ensure I’m back healthy. I miss everything about the game. I can’t wait to help us be successful.”
While it’s good to know he’s working hard to regain fitness, I’m not sure Sturridge would meet the same personnel he left for the US when he returns early next year. And Rodgers is my first bet to face the chop. I just don’t think John W Henry and his FENWAY group have the balls to do the right thing for these terribly ailing Reds.
REDS COULD HAVE HAD BETTER PERSONNEL AT OT!
EVEN though I totally disagree with Rodgers 3-7-0 formation last Sunday, a formation which some of his apologists fancifully claimed was 3-4-3, I think the coach missed a trick or two in that he could have fielded a far stronger team than he did against United.
Since he’s the boss, let’s indulge him and go with his 3-7-0 or 3-4-3 whatever, I’d start Mignolet in goal; play a back three of K. Toure, Skrtel, and Mamadou Sakho. Glen Johnson and Moreno will be my wing-backs. Leiva and Gerrard will be tasked to protect the back three; Markovic and Sterling will flank my lone striker Balotelli (or Ricky Lambert in case the Italian was not fit enough for 90 minutes).
Jordan Henderson will be on the bench for Gerrard, while Lovren will be on standby for any of the back three. Jones will keep his place on the bench which will also feature Adam Lallana, Emre Can and Coutinho. Compare my team with Rodgers starting XI on Sunday and the difference is clear.
So this is how my line-up will look: MIGNOLET; TOURE, SKRTEL, SAKHO; JOHNSON, GERRARD, LEIVA, MORENO; MARKOVIC, BALOTELLI, STERLING. SUBS: JONES, LOVREN, COUTINHO, HENDERSON, CAN, LALLANA and LAMBERT.
CONGRATS PARDEW, AGUERO!
ABOUT two weeks ago, I tipped Man City’s duo of Sergio Aguero and Manuel Pellegrini for Barclays player and manager of November 2014 respectively. Aguero went on to win the players category while his City boss and my second pick Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho were ignored in favour of Newcastle United’s Alan Pardew.
Guys, this is where I pause. You should rush to our online platform: isoccerng.com on Tuesday (16 December 2014) to get my views on how to curb diving in the game as well as my tips for UCL quarter-finals.
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