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Sadness and gloom had made their ways into the heart of every Liverpool fan after the team was beaten 3-0 at The Hawthorns. The very foundation was beginning to crack under the piling expectations of the millions of fans all around the world. Everyone was demanding for belief. A belief that they can compete, a belief that they can excel, a belief that the new manager can regain some lost glory of the club.
26th August 2012
The scoreline read Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City.
Yes, the champions could not conquer the fort of Anfield.
And the score also does not provide a fair reflection of what happened in this match.
This match has restored what all the supporters had lost. Belief!
From the very first touch of the match, Liverpool looked they would go all guns blazing. A shock injury to Lucas Leiva within the first five minutes of the match dented the hopes of many. But there was this team undeterred and very determined. Although the initial phase of the match belonged to Man City, Liverpool did not lose heart and stuck to their plans. Once they found their feet they ‘played’ with Man City.
Raheem Sterling got a surprise start thanks to his heroics in the Europa League qualifiers against Hearts, and he repaid the faith shown in him by a commendable performance. Pace, control, skills on the ball, crossing, he was just outstanding whenever he had the ball. Sebastian Coates, another youngster filling up the boots of Daniel Agger due to his suspension, was a little nervous in the beginning but once he settled in he looked really good. This guy also has a bright future ahead of him.
Gerrard, Suarez, Borini gelled well together and a Raheem Sterling cross could have ended in the back of the net if Borini would have got a proper connection. Borini played well than he did in the first match and we can expect more from him in the near future. Similarly, Gerrard who had a terrible outing against West Brom showed us again why Liverpool look up to him for inspiration. He was brilliant with his runs, passes and crosses and Skrtel’s goal also came of the corner taken the him.
The defining moment of the match had to be scripted by Luis Suarez. You cannot complete a conversation of Liverpool without including him. Such is the enigma of this footballer. A beautifully taken free kick by the ‘nutmeg expert’ showed why he is so valuable to this Liverpool setup. Of course he could have done better with an earlier chance presented to him by Borini, but his free kick made us forget everything. It was class, pure class!
But the player of the day was Joe Allen. What technique he showed! A display of great passing and distribution as well as defensive duties this 22 year old proved why Rodgers trusted him so much, that he went on to spent 15 million pounds on him. Calm and composed on the ball he took up the role of Lucas with ease and never looked uncomfortable. I hope he continues playing like this and we could see a new Xabi Alonso in the making.
If there is a player you cannot escape talking about with regard to this match, it has to be Martin Skrtel. A thumping header into the back of the net of a Steven Gerrard corner made him the hero of the night. But a bizarre back pass towards Pepe Reina ended up only on the feet of Tevez resulting in the second goal for Man City. Martin Skrtel had two different games in a single match!
Defensive lapses cost The Reds dearly. A game which they should have won got out of hands due to some poor defending and it was a draw which came in return. Its not a very happy situation because like last season Liverpool dropped points at home. But the point here is that they played well. Really well. Excepting the first twenty minutes of the game and one moment of madness by Skrtel they never allowed City to settle in. Liverpool were very dominant on the field. Such was their domination that Yaya Toure admitted that this was the hardest match he had played in England. Possession, build-up, passing. Liverpool were outstanding in all the departments of the game.It was a great sight to see.
There is calm now. A feeling of serenity has settled the storms inside the hearts of many.Innumerable questions, raised or unraised have been answered. Deep down now many know the confidence is building again. There is a lot of hard work to be done, its still early days, but yes, there is belief. Oh! What a relief!
