If partnerships are key in football then then last night’s game taught us that the one between Aberto Moreno and Dejan Lovren is going to need a lot of work, and fast.
All three of Manchester City’s goals came from that side of the pitch with both of the new signings guilty at times of not performing their roles properly and against the class of Manchester City it was unlikely to go unpunished. It was young Moreno’s debut however so we must cut him some slack although with hindsight keeping Johnson at left back for stability might have been a wiser choice just for this game, giving the youngster more time to settle.
Both Moreno and Lovren have given glimpses of the quality they could offer. Moreno showed in spells what he can offer yesterday, mainly going forward where his pace could be a real asset and he looks like someone who fits Rodgers’ idea of a full back perfectly. Lovren also has shown in periods the qualities of an astute defender but there are certainly areas of his game that need fine tuning and again, relationships need to be built.
On the right hand side I for one am looking forward to seeing more of Javi Manquillo as Johnson looks a shadow of his former self. His offensive assets have always outweighed his defensive contribution however even they are slacking now as he seems incredibly indecisive in the final third.
Last night’s game has shown that the answer to our defensive problems is not to throw loads of new players at it like many ‘experts’ have suggested over the summer. Individuals need time to come together as a unit and if Manquillo does replace Johnson in upcoming games that will be 3 new players in the back 4. I certainly didn’t believe last year that we actually had bad defenders and the first two games this year haven’t changed my mind about that.
I think defending might just be Rodgers’ downfall as a coach. It’s nothing new to say that his idea is built primarily around attack and that has served Liverpool well so far but he is still trying to build a side around the Barcelona methodology. There needs to come a point where he realises that the personnel he has aren’t going to dominate every game, especially against the big sides and thus we can’t just rely on our offensive quality.
Liverpool should take no shame in going to Manchester City and prioritising good defensive organisation. We have incredible pace and creativity in the side and some fine passers of the ball from deep areas. Playing on the counter attack away from home against teams of a high standard is not a bad thing and is something that is going to need more work on ahead of our Champions League return.
I also think the shape of the team is a potential problem. I think Rodgers wants use 4-3-3 as often as possible. He used a lot of systems last year to accommodate personnel but like most managers he has had an idea of how he wants his team to play, something he probably decided years ago and after finally being able to go out and purchase numerous players he has signed those who fit into that set up first and foremost.
No system is perfect and each have pros and cons. One con of the 4-3-3 is that it can leave the half spaces open or the ‘pockets’ as they are often referred to if the central midfielders are occupied by their counterparts and if wide players are tracking full backs leaving the deepest midfielder isolated. Yesterday that gave Silva and Nasri gaps to play in and with Jovetic dropping short it sometimes gave Gerrard too much to do. That was really evident in the second goal where Jovetic received between the lines and supplied the initial pass between Moreno and Lovren to Nasri before receiving it back again to score.
I’m not a massive fan of having Gerrard on his own in the role personally. I think from an offensive point it is good because that position demands a player with a range of passing but I still have concerns about his defensive capabilities. He failed to track the run of Silva for the first goal although Lovren could have been covering much in the same way Lucas lost Clyne’s run last week in a similar position where Skrtel also could have been covering. An early trend is developing.
Joe Allen also had a large responsibility in that position on the left of the midfield trio in providing cover and support for Moreno. Allen did play well to his credit and this is no criticism of him as I think he is more accomplished than many give him credit for but when Emre Can came on for some reason he just looked like he belonged there more. He had a greater presence on the pitch and my thinking when we signed him was that he was going to be required to play on the left side of the central midfield players and offer protection for the left midfielder and left full back, much in the same way that Matic does at Chelsea, giving more offensive freedom and less defensive responsibility to Hazard. Based on how the goals were scored I think the result might have been different if Can had started.
In terms of going forward another partnership, or former partnership, was being deeply examined as many people with short memories were observing that if Suarez was at Liverpool we might have been more productive in the final third, forgetting the fact that if he was still here he would have been suspended.
It was a frustrating night offensively, not one that us fans have become used to with a lack of quality final ball often letting the side down. Markovic injected some threatening pace and talking of partnerships there were early signs of a good one between him and Moreno forming.
Another new signing Rickie Lambert looks nervous and desperate to make an impression which is understandable. He’s making bizarre decisions, ones that he would have never made at Southampton with that ‘pass’ to Sturridge which he should have struck on goal which could have made it 3-2 coming strongly to mind. If he is suffering with nerves then Rodgers should show him clips of his two sub appearances because he’s had a positive impact in both games.
Liverpool have lacked a bit of depth at times in their opening two fixtures, especially when Sturridge drops short to receive and that gives defenders an easy time. Lambert has provided that depth when he has come on, occupying defenders and being a real handful for them which creates space for others if not himself.
Tottenham next and they have started the season well suggesting this weekend won’t produce the same result as the trip to White Hart Lane last season. Defensively the Redmen will have to improve whilst going forward we will be looking to our newest partnership to hit the ground running on Sunday with the new SAS about. Sturridge and Super Mario.