Liverpool 0-0 Hull City: Five talking points

Liverpool are losing their way and if they are not already out of the title race, its hard to figure out what will really get them there. While the whole footballing world was up and ready to see Liverpool as serious title contenders this season, Brendan Rodgers and his men have only given us reasons not to take them seriously. It was nothing different this Saturday as the Reds stuttered and stumbled to get past a well disciplined Hull City side that Steve Bruce has evolved in the last few seasons.Long gone is the free flowing Liverpool that we had seen last season; only to be replaced by a stoic and somewhat uninspired unit in Red. The Merseysiders looked like trying to hack down its opponent rather than carving through it like in the recent past. Here are five of the biggest talking points from Saturday’s action at Anfield.

#1 The Mario Balotelli effect

When Liverpool splurged £16million on Mario Balotelli this summer, it was considered to be one of the biggest coups of the transfer window considering the amounts that were getting dished for strikers. Two months into his life at Anfield and life on the football doesn’t look a mid-summer night’s dream any more. His short spell at Liverpool so far has fetched the Merseysiders a single goal, coming against Ludogorets in the Champions League and there are already murmurs of “bust” going around the Kop.

The enigmatic Italian has looked a shadow of his former self and more importantly, in many instances has looked distant and uninterested in the proceedings. Opponents no longer have to sweat about a bursting Suarez getting through the backline or a swashbuckling Daniel Sturridge cutting his way through their protection scheme. They are quite pleased happy to deal with the stoic figure of Mario Balotelli.

The Mario Balotelli heat map was rather a cold one.

On Saturday against Hull, the Italian forward rarely ventured to get stuck in the aerial duels or run the channels. In fact, Liverpool failed to get behind the Hull defence in the entirety of the match. Even when a couple of guilt-edged opportunities presented themselves late in the game, Balotelli failed make the moment count. Even this early into his career at Anfield, the pressure is on the big man to deliver and deliver soon.

#2 The Liverpool striker conundrum

Adam Lallana offered little in terms of going forward

There were few better sights in the Premier League last season than seeing Liverpool play. The SAS were a thing of beauty. The combination of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge ran riots in the final third as the two of them racked up 52 goals between them in the Premier League. Their flair and pace got even the neutrals standing up from their chairs in admirations. They were the torchbearers for the purists, the team that brought back flashbacks of Kevin Keegan’s “Entertainers” of the early 90s.

The key to their was success purely was movement, on and off the ball. The whole game going forward was flowing, through the centre and even along the sidelines it was like a torrent flowing at ravishing speeds; taking out everything in its path.

Playing two upfront and three at the back suited Liverpool, but with both barrels of the gun no longer available, Brendan Rodgers decided to deploy a whole new set of ammunition. The Irishman has resorted to play only Balotelli upfront with Sterling and Lallana coming in from the wings. One of the biggest issues that the absence of Sturridge induces is that it hinders Liverpool’s ability to really stretch the field vertically.

Balotelli Pass Received — Passes received by Mario Balotelli

It is quite clear from the diagram above that Liverpool didn’t throw anything towards the Hull to really get behind their defence. Balotelli seemed content come in deep time and again, rather than mixing things up with running the channels to free up space and stretch the game.

With Raheem Sterling camped out on the right and unable to conjure up much from that end, the Liverpool attacks lacked any edge for the much of the opening hour. I for one feel that the nineteen year old has been carrying the Liverpool attack too much on his shoulders and should be given a rest for him to get back to his best. But that means others need to make a stand.

With this in mind, Rodgers now has to really take a call whether he needs a change in personnel with Coutinho and Lambert waiting in the wings. Or does he need to revert back to playing two up-front and change the shape of this team altogether.

The answer might lie in bringing in dropping Mario Balotelli, partnering the Italian with Rickie Lambert or even bringing Fabio Borini back into the folds. While Borini might not have shown much in his first spell to make the cut at Anfield, he certainly did enjoy a rejuvenating spell whilst at loan at Sunderland last season. With things standing as they are, he surely can’t hurt, can he?

#3 Steve Bruce dialled up all the right numbers

Raheem Sterling of Liverpool competes with Mohamed Diame and Robbie Brady of Hull City

One of the biggest reasons why Liverpool’s midfield was rendered toothless in the encounter was largely because Hull didn’t give any of the Reds’ midfielders time on the ball. For majority of the ninety minutes and beyond; Mohamed Diame, Tom Huddlestone, Jack Livermore and even Hatem Ben Arfa amongst others got stuck in and gave the midfield no respite and no room to look and play that telling ball. Even when they did, the defence led by the impressive Curtis Davies was more than enough to snuff out any real danger posed by the Reds.

For all the 66.8% possesion that Liverpool enjoyed and the 151 passes that they made in the final third, the trio of Steven Gerrard, Emre Can and Joe Allen could only muster 4 chances from open play and that too, nothing worthy of rememberance. Two of these opportunities in fact were created from the wings.

The Hull midfield hustled all over the pitch.

The trio of Huddlestone, Livermore and Diame along with the wingbacks Brady and Elmohammedy were omnipresent throughout the game. The Tigers in fact also had an edge about them whilst going on the counter with Ben Arfa, Diame and Abel Hernandez looking menacing their pace.

#4 Feel good factor at Hull

They say confidence can be everything is sports. It’s certainly the case with football and the Premier League. Hull City are riding on a wave of optimism in their side and this feel-good factor seems to be reverberating aroud the KC Stadium and that is reflected in the players.

After staving off relegation last season and qualifying for the Europa League via the FA Cup, Steve Bruce has built on the Tiger’s success last season. While Jack Livermore, Nikica Jelavic and Tome Huddlestone have come aboard on a permanent basis, the squad has seen further bolstering by the addition of talents like Abel Hernandez, Mohamed Diame, Andy Robertson, Hatem Ben Arfa and Gaston Ramirez.

Lest I forget, Curtis Davies deserves an international call-up.

It’s the first time since 2009 (the Phil Brown era) that Hull City fans might have more than a warm feeling about their club. Bruce, it seems to have got his transfers spot on and now there seems to be hope not only for this season but for the coming few as well.

Their performance on Saturday also didn’t belie the surge optimism that has been flowing through at Humberside and it feels safe to that for the first time in the Premier League, people won’t be looking at Hull and think of relegation battlers.

#5 Coutinho in, Gerrard out?

Rodgers might even need to do a re-think on Steven Gerrard.

With the midfield not offering much in terms of creativityandDaniel Sturridge still some days away from full recoveryRodgers has to exorcise this demon of a bad start with utmost ruthlessness.

One of the players that really brought an impetus to Liverpools play last night was Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian, upon his introduction looked spry andlivened up Anfield with his trickery and pace. While last season was more a step sideways for the Brazilian, he has shown in the past an ability to become the key that can unlock any defence in the world.

Even the midfield looks to be in some need of reshuffling. Whilst this trio might be good enough to topple the weaklings (Hull certainly arent one), they certainly didnt have much in term of being the hammer to strike in the nail and against Real Madrid in midweek, they were totally outclassed.

The changes might even mean the dropping of Steven Gerrard. Yes, I said it. Make no mistake, Steven Gerrard is one of the most decorated players to ever don the red of Liverpool and his body of work in the last decade makes it sometimes even unimaginable to think of him making way. But facts are facts, Gerrard is getting old and nowhere near the old Steven Gerrard we saw in yesteryears.

Its going to be hard for Rodgers to move away from the kind of blind faith he has on his skipper but with Gerrard struggling against pace, he sometimes becomes a liability rather than an asset in the middle of the field. Even the emergingJordan Hendersons impact becomes subdued when he has to act as an insurancepolicy for the Liverpool legend.

Its certainly not the end of the road for the ex-England captain, but certainly the right time for Liverpool to start its journey of transition.

Edited by Staff Editor