Trying To Find The Positives

Last updated : 18 March 2013 By Robert Ursell

I've been looking since the first goal we conceded, as quite obviously, even from before that moment, this was not going to be a great day in our wonderful club's illustrious history.

I've come up with very few. The two which I have thought of could probably be seen as the two biggest negatives of the game.

The mistake in formation

Few can argue that Brendan Rodgers got his team and shape wrong at the weekend.

He sacrificed the greater measure of control we've enjoyed for the majority of this season with three central midfielders, in favour of the fire power of an in form front four.

Undoubtedly, we would have been better equipped from the start with a trident of Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and whichever of Lucas Leiva and Joe Allen was deemed less of a risk injury wise.

From a tactical standpoint, this mistake is not one I am worried about. It is clearly Rodgers' preference to outnumber the opposition in midfield, and it will be a mistake I would expect him to be keen not to repeat for a third successive game.

Here's the 'positive': The fact that he has gone with this 4-2-4 lineup for a few games shows one of the attributes that many supporters voiced concerns over at the start of the season.

Many accused Brendan of being too stubborn, prioritising possession and control over penetrating opponents.

This criticism has been forgotten in recent months as our manager has worked hard to address the most obvious problem from last year.

The process of building a team which is both effective and stylish is an extremely difficult balancing act. As predicted by most, there will be these bad days at the office.

Undoubtedly, we have a talented and thorough manager, who is fully aware of what work needs to be done.

The worrying thing for me is a Ferguson or a Mourinho, dare I say, even a Benitez, would surely have left Daniel Sturridge on the bench and not worried about a possible backlash in leaving out a goalscorer.

The next team sheet is going to be very interesting.

The second thing I am positive about is Joe Allen. Yes, I said Joe Allen.

He was absolutely woeful.

The last good game I remember from the Welsh Xavi was Everton away. He was phenomenal, using the ball intelligently, and defying physics on many occasions to bully Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian got so frustrated with Allen's attentions that he eventually kicked out. He was extremely lucky the referee didn't see the incident.

The Goodison Derby marked the end of a fantastic start to Allen's Liverpool career. We had a real £15m bargain on our hands. We all agreed.

Since that day he has become a figure of derision from his own fans.

Now, following the latest awful showing at St Mary's, the news is he has been carrying this injury since October.

A quick scroll back at our fixtures confirmed our contentious 2-2 draw with David Moyes' team was in late October.

Some people, Allen included, have claimed this injury is no excuse for his subpar performances.

I refuse to believe in a coincidence of this magnitude. 

He was a quality passer of the ball for the whole of last season at Swansea, and immediately showed those qualities at Anfield.

It was he, and not Luis Suarez, who was Liverpool's best player in the opening month or so of the campaign.

Therefore, I can now point to his shoulder, and have reason to look forward to seeing the real Joe Allen back at Liverpool for the start of next season.

As stated, the positives are harder to look for than usual this week. This doesn't mean there aren't any.

Keep the faith!

In Brendan, I most definitely trust. 

 

You can view Robert's website at www.four6zero.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/urse10