Pepe Reina’s misjudgement of Sergio Aguero’s effort put the visitors behind and from that moment on there seemed no engine to Liverpool’s team. Poor marking at a set piece and a Yaya Toure header compounded things further and Liverpool were left to go in at half time ruing chances missed before Man City’s first goal. It is plain to see the first goal was Reina’s mistake and his handling has been poor this season. I feel we could benefit from having a second choice keeper who is good enough to push for a starting berth when the first choice keeper makes errors and seems to be suffering with lack of confidence. As a goalkeeper myself (admittedly at a much more modest level) this gig is all about confidence, something Pepe seems lacking, but does Reina fall back on the fact that let’s be honest Doni is not good enough to our first choice keeper. Good sides are not afraid of dropping an underperforming keeper and in most cases it does the keeper good. No one is bulletproof is quality squad, it’s all about having your best 11 players on the pitch based on form not potential.
The second half was just as uneventful for the Reds as the hosts took a 3-0 lead through a questionable penalty, dispatched by self confessed Liverpool fan James Milner. The only bright spots to the game, if you put your Sky on slow motion these are easier to notice, where when Gerrard and Bellamy were introduced to the game. Gerrard showed when he came on against Newcastle how he is still a game changer and Liverpool looked a different proposition and Bellamy had scores to settle with his former employers, why didn’t they both start? Granted you may not get the full 90 mins out of either currently but away to Man City you need to be getting yourself in front not having these players on the bench to try and claw a game back? Jay Spearing is not good enough to be in the Liverpool first team and if he is, the Liverpool first team isn’t good enough for Champions League qualification. Too many players are not putting in a shift and seem to be cruising through games.
There is no engine to Liverpool’s midfield and needing this immediate impact from Gerrard is not going to help his rehabilitation long term if we expect this. We need another winger to let Downing, Kuyt and Maxi to stop assuming they are going to play irrelevant to how they play. A striker is a must as there is huge pressure on Carroll to open his account asap. We need a defensive midfielder to cover the long term injury of Lucas also. Personally, I would sign Lassana Diarra on loan for six months as buying another defensive midfielder is pointless is Lucas is going to retain his role. Another player who is very creative but scores goals also is Stephane Sessegnon who would make a good addition with the form he is currently in. Darren Bent is the word being whispered in many circles also, although I am unsure on this potential addition as although he is proven in the Premier League to get goals and his positioning is phenomenal but I just can’t picture Kriss Akabusi in a Liverpool top.
We need a player in midfield who can turn a game on its head or create something out of nothing but really enforce our domination in games into goals. Granted a striker is a must for me, but we also need this catalyst in midfield, firstly to reliance off Gerrard, secondly to give us more options and make our play less one dimensional. Will FSG buy such a player which will no doubt come at such a princely sum or will Kenny be asked to get the best out of the likes of Adam, Henderson, Shelvey and Spearing? Friday’s win although very flattering on paper still wasn’t the unit we expect to see Liverpool to look like after FGS’s investment in players. This was a lowly team in the league pyramid who until we got a fortuitous equaliser were more than holding their own at Anfield. Maybe goals for Andy Carroll, Jonjo Shelvey and Stewart Downing may be the confidence booster they need to push on for the rest of the season although the latter seems to have personal issues clouding his life according to today’s media. This incident is very unlikely to trouble the local t-shirt printing companies however. A good win none the less against a potential banana skin but no Liverpool fan is going to reminisce over that 5-1 win against Oldham at the end of the season. Who knows how that performance would have stood against Premier League opposition, the main thing is we are in the bag for the next round draw.
Irrelevant to that result it does not detract from the fact we need a ‘plan B’ midfielder to add to the ever attacking options of Gerrard. You cannot deny we have started scoring more goals since he returned from long term injury but we don’t want to be reliant heavily on one player. We need someone to step up to the plate consistently and as the current contenders aren’t showing form, short of commissioning scientists to start trying to clone Gerrard, we may need Damien Comolli to earn his keep and utilise his scouting network. Twenty three interesting days lie ahead for all Liverpool fans.