Liverpool vs Stoke City: Onward and upward

Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool is congratulated by Iago Aspas,Lucas,Philuppe Coutinho and Kolo Toure after scoring the first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Stoke City at Anfield

There I was, excited like a kid, muttering to myself, edgy as hell. The stifling wait had come to an end; a three month long anticipation that had seemed like a decade. Football was finally here.

I had a sarcastically optimistic outlook keeping in mind last season’s opener. We surely couldn’t have a worse start, right? In my perfect universe, this was about Liverpool’s lethal grace versus Stoke’s brute force. The result turned out to be a little bit of everything, but mostly good for Liverpool.

Liverpool showed glimpses of brilliance and were consistently the better team as the game progressed. But at times, that little rip in the fabric seemed to appear that threatened to unravel the entire rug. Stoke were choppy in most parts. Their usual physical aggression, that consistently infuriates the neutral fans, was ever present.

To be fair, their ugly defence coupled with Liverpool’s profligacy in front of goal, proved effective but just not enough to grind out a result for them. Mark Hughes managed to differentiate himself from Pulis, but it would take a huge effort for him to root out the existing playing style and instill a more passing oriented game.

Liverpool dominated possession right from the start. Not every surge resulted in a chance, but there was a continuous flurry of attack in the general direction of Stoke’s goal.

Coutinho, Aspas and Sturridge connected brilliantly up front. Stoke’s idea of defence rested on filling the area in and around penalty box with Stoke players at all times. Though there were periods of sterile possession, there was enough to give the Anfield faithful a shiny beacon of hope, especially coupled with the idea of Suarez and Willian boosting that attack.

A noticeable area of improvement was left-back. Though Enrique was better towards the end, we can definitely use a fresh pair of legs in his place and I think Cissokho can be the answer, provided Brendan manages to unearth his Porto form.

Enrique’s attacking play does have his brilliant moments, something which will get into the highlights reel. But a better defensive display and decision making is required.

Mignolet definitely needs to improve with the ball on his feet. There were a couple of near blunders in the first half that had me dangerously close to a cardiac arrest. Though Crouch troubled him a bit, he was largely consistent in dealing with crosses and corners. His shot stopping was excellent and unblemished as usual and he crowned it brilliantly with the penalty and the subsequent rebound saves towards the end, instantly making him a Kop hero.

A lot has been said about Gerrard’s long balls and how they disrupt the passing game. I personally don’t feel the same. His brilliance of vision and goal-threat still outweigh the occasional flashy but wasteful long ball. Even though he has lost bit of speed, he still is fast enough and his positioning and shot range make him a constant goal threat.

Our front three did all the right things. Iago Aspas was very impressive in his debut. Not only did he create numerous chances, but even his failed efforts were a joy to watch. He connected well with Sturridge and the fans were regaled with some beautiful first touches from the Spaniard.

He combined well with Coutinho to prove a constant headache for Stoke’s backline and Begovich. Coutinho has been consistently proving that he can be the fillip Liverpool need to reach the top 4. He belongs to a Champion’s League team and Liverpool better get there to retain their new found talisman.

It was a joy to watch Sturridge in action, his on-field arrogance suits his current form and he backed his swagger by carrying forward his last season’s form. Results wise, his finish was the only difference between the two teams at the end of the day.

Lucas once again showed how essential he is for this Liverpool outfit. He did what he does best, closing down and winning back the ball in midfield. I loved when he jumped to Coutinho’s aid in that confrontation with N’Zonzi, who I believe, deserved a definite card for his swipe at Lucas.

He still has a little distance to cover before he reaches his past peak. And that brings me to the need for a perfect Lucas cover, a possibly young understudy who should be eased into the first team through odd cup runs. Allen and Henderson are great and have the potential to become brilliant attacking midfielders but they cannot perform Lucas’ role.

Henderson was a little unlucky. One can also call him a bad finisher. I would let it be open for debate. But the fact is that he was getting into the box and was there to make that shot. He is definitely not poor technically and a little improvement in finishing can easily make him a 10-goal midfielder.

A special shout goes out for Johnson, who produced yet another consistent and impactful performance. Asimir Begovich was the best player on field for Stoke by a distance. Yet again the away goalkeeper had a brilliant day out in Anfield. And no I am not moaning. It is a fair observation. Also, the standing ovation for Crouch was a classy gesture. I don’t think any set of fans afford the amount of love Kopites do for ex-players.

To sum it up from a fan’s perspective, there were countless glimpses of great things to come with a definite scope for improvement. This team is in no way close to a finished product. I loved the fact that there was a recognizable increase in confidence as the game progressed.

The inevitable botch-up towards the end, which has been an unfortunate regularity in last season, almost arrived right at the cue. But the ending couldn’t have been more uplifting for the team and the fans. The celebration after penalty save was pure, unbridled passion. Just goes on to show how much the team wants to win right now. Onward and upward!