In relation to our contention for fourth, and the great position a win against Villa would have put us, the result was one that left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans.
How we ended up getting thumped after the first twenty minutes is a mystery. Liverpool knocked the ball around with ease, movement looked good, and the players looked up for it and won possession in the attacking third.
The underlying problem for chance creation was our poor final ball. When the chance did fall, our poor finishing ensured the score did not change.
Juxtaposed with this, Villa needed only one chance to finish us off. Putting aside the first goal, which was of poor closing down and positioning from Lucas, Villa’s goals were prime examples of the killer instinct that Liverpool lack.
The Benteke backheel to Weimann was a perfect showing of final ball and finish. The execution and efficiency was superb.
Only Downing, Johnson and Agger seemed to show up whilst everyone else carried out their game poorly. Sterling, much like most off the team, appears incredibly lethargic and needs a rest. Lucas’s positional play and general tracking was often misjudged, especially when he tracked the player with the ball rather than watching movements of opposing forwards. This may not be Lucas’s fault per se, as closing down was terrible for the most part against Villa. On the left inside channels, Allen closed down admirably; but on the right, Gerrard and Johnson did not close off opponents well, often meaning Lucas was pulled out of the centre. Suarez was not at the races, Shelvey looked poor and Skrtel was poor by standards.
Rodgers, throughout the season, seemed very comfortable in dropping underperforming players. Why he does not drop Gerrard is baffling. A firm hand when dealing with Gerrard will help him get the necessary wake-up call to get out of his slump. Gerrard, once again, tried too many killer balls – especially to Sterling on the right – which really needs to stop.
So what now? What can we say about the match and its implications?
There are a few irrational things we can rule out: we are not fighting relegation and Liverpool should not completely throw out this philosophy (or, for that matter, Rodgers).
What good can changing managers possibly do – Brendan Rodgers has proved throughout this season that he has the right ideas and attitude to manage a top side. He seems to have a Midas touch when dealing with player psychology and mental blocks, getting performances from Downing and, to a lesser extent, Cole.
Watching the first half of the game against Villa, you cannot honestly say that Liverpool were not in complete control and were a joy to behold. Just imagine how devastating we would be had we had a few players to supplement the attack.
Liverpool are in a transition. Like it or not, that’s the way it is. Whether complacency or fatigue, the weekend’s game against Villa was a hiccup. Yes, teams do find it easy to beat us – all they seem to have to do is defend deep and counter – but that is exactly what losses like this are for; ironing out our plan.
There are no quick fixes. We have to see how Rodgers does in the transfer window, and how we progress with tough lessons learned from this game.
Have faith. These things take time.
Follow Kerushun on Twitter @kerushun99