A game of two halves

Last updated : 17 September 2013 By Kerushun Pillay

And there is much to consider: an un-ideal back four, the loss of Phillipe Coutinho in the second half, and the two debutants. Whilst the result itself is not by any means bad, the performance did raise some glaring issues.

First, there was the performance of Mamadou Sakho. Sakho, who filled in for the injured Daniel Agger, was, for me, to blame for both of Swansea’s goals. On the first, his initial header away lacked power and distance allowing Swansea another chance to attack. Then, he poorly anticipates the actions of eventual scorer Jonjo Shelvey and commits to blocking him off when Shelvey actually went around the outside of Sakho.

Then, for the second goal Sakho was woefully out of position and allowed Shelvey space and time for his knock-down for Michu who made it 2-2.

For the entire match Sakho’s positioning was questionable. Sure, it is his first game after arriving from a very different league and playing alongside defenders that he has never played with before, but something like defensive positioning should be instinctive rather than a function of contextual variables.

Sakho, to his credit, did look great in possession, and his composure on the ball was impressive. He also seems to pick the correct pass when presented with options.

Another issue we saw was the complete lack of invention we had when Coutinho went down injured in the 55th minute. We had no link between Gerrard and Lucas and the front four and there was no spark of note. The attack lacked tempo and, since neither Coutinho replacement Aspas nor Sturridge dropped deep, we resorted to playing many long balls that Swansea easily dealt with.

We perhaps, as a team, have developed a mental laziness and rely on all attacking play to go through Coutinho. Rodgers needs to figure out another source of good chance creation and get the team out of their Coutinho-sized comfort zone.

All considered the draw is a good result. Actually, the draw was probably a lucky result as we dramatically dropped off in the second half and Swansea did deserve a third.

The upsides: Jordan Henderson and Simon Mignolet continue their superb starts. Gerrard and Lucas once again provided solidity, and Victor Moses already looks a decent piece of business. Sturridge’s goal again showed his alertness and ruthlessness.

It’s set up well for the Saturday’s game against Southampton. Hopefully we can see an improvement in the attacking unit similar to the second half of last season.

If this result is disappointing, then that is a good sign – it shows that we, as fans, are not willing to settle for less against teams we should be beating. And that is the reassuring attitude that signals a fight for top four.   

Latest Forum Discussion