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The season never truly feels like it has started until we have an injury crisis and an underwhelming performance to against a side we should be beating. Last week, with the loss of Johnson, Kelly, Cissokho, Allen and Agger we had a massive worries with regards to injuries. Now with Enrique and Coutinho both unable to start, our problem has evolved into a crisis (even if Agger was able to return to the side on Saturday).
It is not just the sheer number of players missing, but the fact that the injuries are so concentrated to certain positions. We are missing both our first choice AND back up players for both full-back positions, an area which I felt was largely our downfall yesterday. Equally detrimental to our performance yesterday were players capable of keeping possession behind Daniel Sturridge, the area in which Coutinho has been operating so far this season and also an area Joe Allen was utilised in during much of pre-season to good effect.
These injuries to such important players and areas for the way we play clearly showed the weaknesses in the team by putting the spotlight on different players. Aspas, for the third league game in a row, looked like our weakest player. Its strange to say this of a Spaniard but his passing was poor and he continuously struggles to keep possession in the final third. The only good thing, I can remember him doing was being fouled, which led to a Gerrard free-kick that very nearly went in.
Sterling has all the talent necessary to be a world class attacking player but at 18 years of age still lacks the maturity necessary to be starter for a top four team. He did well near the end of the game to get a pass across the box towards Henderson, although it was cleared before it could reach him. However, in the final moments a better first touch could have seen him through on goal, instead the chance went wasted and Southampton had a goal kick.
Luis Alberto hasn’t really impressed me since joining, however his lack of playing time and youth means I don’t want to be as critical of him as I have been of Aspas. It is worth noting, however, that Alberto is the same age as Coutinho was when he joined us last January. I can’t even begin to tell you how highly I rate Mignoet as a shot-stopper, he’s one of the best in the league, but he has his weaknesses. For most of the season, I’ve ranted about his worrying inability to hold onto a ball at times, however that wasn’t the problem yesterday. In replacing Pepe Reina, one of the best keepers in the world with the ball at his feet, Mignolet’s lack of quality with the ball at his feet stands out and led to more than one heart-in-mouth moment for myself and other Liverpool fans alike.
However, he made some good saves and I don’t think the goal was his fault. I also don’t want to be to harsh with the defence, as I think it was less their own ability that let them down as it was that the particular back four were unsuited to the tactics we use. The back four have never played all together on the same pitch, only one of them was starting for us at the end of last season and they are all centre-backs.
We needed full-backs who could force 2-on-1 situations up the pitch. However, Sakho and Toure were evidently uncomfortable in that role, they’re essentially very defensive players. In the League Cup this week, I’d like to see Ryan McLaughlin get a run out, if Johnson is still injured and Kelly isn’t fit enough to start yet we need someone on that right hand side that can make runs past Henderson on the overlap.
Brendan Rodgers lost tactically to Mauricio Pochettino
I’m also praying that will be back next weekend, because with him and Cissoko out and Robinson out on loan we haven’t got anyone else who can play as an attacking full-back on that left hand side. Southampton were fantastic at pressing us high up the pitch yesterday and I think this is the second time in a row now that Pochettino has tactically beaten Rodgers. I felt that the two defensive midfielders needed to step further back to support the defence more and try to move the ball up the pitch with them. A possession-based game that Rodgers wants demands that players give their team-mates options when they’re on the ball and the defence looked worryingly isolated at times.
Moses had another impressive game for me, he’s not a world-beater but he strikes me as a player who can actually add something to the team that we didn’t have before, speed and power on the wings. Henderson also played well, but I feel him and Johnson compliment each other. When Henderson doesn’t play, Johnson looks a bit shaky defensively. Similarly, whilst Johnson has been out we haven’t looked as much of a threat on the attack down that right wing.
Sturridge had a bit of an off day but he was far from terrible, just a bit too quiet. He was taken down in the box early on and it should have been a penalty, also he played a delightful through ball over the top for Sterling right at the end of the game, had the youngster taken it down better it would have been a goal scoring opportunity. So even though he wasn’t at his best, he could have had two assists had things out of his control gone his way and therefore, I don’t think yesterday’s dip in his so far fantastic run of form is anything to worry about. On the bright side, this was far from our best team and had it been our best team I would have expected a win. As players come back from injuries and suspensions over the next month, I expect things to improve. However, this match was a stark reminder that we are far from the finished article and a decent Southampton side that played at their best were enough to beat us.
