Tag Archives: Liverpool

Sterling Caught Between Club and Country

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Originally published on LFCOnline.com website.

Gary Lineker is right. Alan Shearer is wrong. It is as simple as that.

Caught in the middle of the club and country debate, Raheem Sterling has become the latest casualty of the tired dilemma.

While one ex-England striker decries the workingman’s lament and scoffs at a nineteen year-old being tired, another recognizes that teenagers are still young, moody, and developing.

Truth, Raheem Sterling is barely still a boy in what is very much a man’s world.

It should be remembered that in less than a year since Sterling’s meteoric rise towards fulfilling his potential, he couldn’t keep his own personal life out the press. It threatened to derail his fledgling career. Everyone saw the talent, but the kid was struggling, both on the pitch and in court.

With help, he clearly sorted himself out and embarked on a sensational run of form that has marked him as one of the best young players in Europe, if not the world.

Unfortunately, his star has shown so brightly in the last few months, he has arguably become the most talismanic player on the pitch for both club and country — a heavy burden for any nineteen year-old, let alone one only recently righted from the trappings of too much too soon.

Yet again, Sterling finds himself in the dailies for all the wrong reasons, only this time wrongly faulted.

England manager Roy Hodgson has played Sterling as the pawn in his ongoing row with Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers, benevolently suggesting Only this time Hodgson might well have mislaid his hands on the wrong piece, mistaking his most valuable for the least.

Hodgson’s decision to reveal his conversation with the Sterling makes the player look bad to some, but makes Hodgson look only more the fool. Worse still, to hang a player out publicly (all the more unseemly as an act of praise), question the training methods of the club, and engage in this farcical back-and-forth with Rodgers makes the case against himself only stronger.

To question any high profile club willing to invest millions into their players, in an effort to maximize performance over the course of a campaign with the understanding that international duty may be included, is embarrassing, despite anyone that might support Hodgson.

Players of Sterling’s age and quality are by definition different and should be treated differently as well. Clubs can never be thrilled with the risk of releasing their prized assets, but they generally do so and with very little recourse at that.

While the debate rages on a multiple fronts, there has been no shortage of comments highlighting Hodgson’s folly.

Renowned Dutch conditioning expert and recent Wales assistant Raymond Verheijen even scoffed at Hodgson’s antiquated ignorance on facts, as well as remarking how the requirements of a still growing body differ those of a fully matured man.

While Rodgers might currently see the at the prospects of sending any of his players to St. Georges Park, he must be having quite the laugh at Hodgson. In fact, look for Rodgers to fiercely protect Sterling but also add a quip or two to invite further Hodgson stupidity in Liverpool’s upcoming press conference. It is unlikely, Hodgson will be able to avoid the bait.

Fresh off a fine World Cup, like it or not, European club football has eclipsed the international game, in terms of consequence. The money alone has made that a fact. Rupert Murdoch would not continually pursue the pipe dream of a super league were that not the case.

Plus a simple truth has endured for over a decade. If a national side does not possess any quality players from one of the top twelve or so European clubs, that national side is no good. Denying this is pure vanity.

International football continues to be important, but its power has waned in deference to the power of money and annual club contests that generate it. In the process, club versus country has been rendered a falsity.

Rather than tangling with a manager at one of those resurgent giants of European club football, at the expense of his brightest young talent, Hodgson would be wise to take a more cooperative stance. Should he continue to show his clownish colors, Hodgson may just find a number of players more often unfit for international duty. Surely, Sterling will think twice before the next call.

Reds Overcome Referee and Baggies for Needed Win

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Originally published on LFCOnline.com website.

Calling Liverpool’s home fixture with West Bromwich Albion a must-win match might have been overstatement, but not much of one. The Reds, clearly struggling with injuries and form of late, notched a much needed 2-1 victory at Anfield.

From the opening moments, Liverpool looked like they recognized the urgency required to find their form. There was more movement, quicker touches, and defensive pressure from the start. Better still, Philippe Coutinho started showing hints of his enormous creative capacity with his best performance of the season yet. Adam Lallana continued playing himself into increasingly better form, also looking to be a link-up man and creative threat.

In the 7th minute, the first solid sequence of play included Alberto Moreno playing a quick pass to Lallana, who found Jordan Henderson centrally, just outside penalty area, in the arc, where he was quickly fouled. Steven Gerrard’s free kick would not lead to anything, but the quick passing, attacking intent was clearly visible.

Five minutes later, the Reds yielded their first corner to West Brom, making for an early defensive test. On the ensuing corner, Simon Mignolet raced off his line to palm the ball away high and wide. While he might have been able to haul it down, his commitment was obvious and the ball was cleared from danger. Mignolet would produce another near copy of the play in the 20th minute.

Getting his first start, Rickie Lambert looked lively and fit, providing good lateral movement up front and making himself available for more through balls from the midfield. In fact, Lambert nearly notched his first goal as a Red, when Martin Skrtel played a long, vertical ball, beating the entire Baggie side, to the diagonally running striker. With an exquisite first touch, Lambert slid behind the defense and into the penalty area, right of goal, firing a shot, only to be denied by a strong save from Ben Foster.

After the first half-hour, Liverpool continued to miss that needed bit of quality in the final third. Errant touches and uncertainty still held back an attack that was showing signs of life. Again, the Reds seemed to be playing a man down, at times, with Raheem Sterling looking as though a much needed break is in order. Sterling’s touch troubled him often, and West Brom made certain to close him down early and often. To his credit he played through the difficulty and managed to make the best of what was clearly an off day.

West Brom began to cause problems as the first half waned. In the 35th minute Baggie’s striker Saido Berahino unleashed a stinging shot that forced a Mignolet save.

Later, in the 42nd minute Sébastien Pocognoli worked downfield to cross the ball into the dangerous Berahino. Neither Skrtel nor Dejan Lovren got a head on the cross, each seeming to wait for the other to take command. It was a scene that would be repeated a few times throughout the match.

Even Stéphane Sessegnon tried to get in on the action, sending a dipping shot from 20 yards, in the 44th minute, for a workmanlike save from Mignolet.

Then, just before half-time, Adam Lallana showcased the class Reds fans have been waiting to see. In a run of play that he would start and finish, Lallana drew three West Brom Defenders, just outside the area on the left, before working a one-two with Henderson to break through and scythe one into the far-side netting. The combination of silky skill by Lallana and a nifty behind-the-leg flick from Henderson opened West Brom up with the kind of creative, lightning strike Reds fans have been craving.

At the beginning of the second half, it was clear Liverpool were eager to press their advantage. Finding their rhythm, the Merseysiders again moved the ball with multiple sequences of one-touch passing, ratcheting up the speed of play and pushing forward.

In the 47th minute, Henderson again, would find himself dangerously open at the top of the box, this time receiving a Gerrard pass, although a poor touch would lead to nothing.

In the 55th minute, Liverpool’s suspect defense would be revealed when when Lovren chopped down Berahino on edge of area. Despite being clearly outside the area, referee Michale Oliver pointed to spot. It was a bad call but a panicked decision by Lovren. Berahino buried the equalizer for West Brom.

The Reds, however, rallied. Five minutes later Sterling surged toward the endline before being taken down by Craig Gardner for what should have been an obvious penalty, but Sterling’s instant recovery  led to a drop pass to Henderson, again at the top of the box. This time Henderson coolly side-footed a shot through the crowd and into the far side of net for the go-ahead goal.

With a one goal advantage, Liverpool looked to finish off the game. Substitutions Mario Balotelli for Lambert and Glen Johnson for Javier Manquillo helped freshen the home side for a strong stretch of play. In fact, in the 76th minute Balotelli would release Sterling with a brilliant through ball, that any other day would have ended the affair. However, a heavy touch from Sterling would send the ball directly into Foster’s hands.

Even though West Brom remained in the match until the end, Liverpool earned their first league victory since their away win at Spurs in August.

Another international break looms with terrible timing for Liverpool still searching for league form. However, this was precisely the kind match that Liverpool must grind out to stay in the mix at the top of the table. Most encouraging for the Redmen was a rediscovered approach to the game. the steady rise of Lallana, redeeming performance from Coutinho, and surging presence of Henderson all point toward better results as injured players begin to return. This team might not be last year’s team, but they look like they may be playing their way through a bad run of form. How things look two weeks from now may be the best indicator, but Liverpool importantly secured all three points today.

Liverpool Lost?

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Originally published on LFCOnline.com website.

Liverpool continue to miss opportunities to lessen the burden of struggle and slide deeper into a hole that now can only be described as a troubling trend.

A poor defense, poor attack, poor performance leaves Liverpool 0-1 losers to FC Basel in Switzerland.

A victory at Saint Jakob-Park would have offered Liverpool some serious breathing room in their Champions League group, while building confidence, and relieve mounting pressure on the side. Yet, the Reds continued to flounder, lacking creativity, threat, and pace, relying far too much on Sterling and playing far too predictably.

Within the first minute of the match, Liverpool surrendered the first of eight corner kicks, rendering  flashbacks of past weeks. However, a quick and steady clearance helped fuel a counter attack sequence that began with Mario Balotelli pulling a long forward pass down and finding Javier Manquillo racing down the right flank, getting behind the defense, and firing a low, hard cross to Raheem Sterling. Only after Sterling slotted home his own rebound off left post was it clear that he was offside.

The match came to a standstill a few minutes later as Behrang Safari injured himself and had to be substituted. The stoppage did Liverpool no favors, blunting any thought the Reds might mount an early, sustained blitz. Derlis Gonzalez replaced Safari, and Basel switched to three at the back, with Gonzalez operating in the midfield. Basel would come to dominate the midfield

In the 13th minute, Simon Mignolet made a poor decision to pass weakly,  straight up the middle to a centrally located Gerrard, who was immediately pressured and lost the ball, which ended up at the feet of Streller who slid wide of the central defense for a half chance that was smothered for a corner. The combination of bad decision making and weak execution would be a theme for the evening.

For much of the first half, Basel laid tracks down the right side continually turning Jose Enrique inside out before faltering in the final third. The frequency and ease with which Basel was able to work the ball down that flank highlighted just how exposed Liverpool’s defense has looked of late.

Apart from a corner in the 43rd minute that Dejan Lovren nodded down to the turf, where it bounced soft and high to Basel keeper Tomáš Vaclík, Liverpool’s attack was lackluster and repeatedly offside.

After the break, it was much the same until the 51st minute. Basel’s Ahmed Hamoudi found acres of space on left, angled into the penalty area, and drove a hard strike to the near post, forcing a strong Mignolet save.

A minute later, Liverpool surrendered an easy goal from another disastrous defending display on a set piece. Martin Skrtel failed to clear a Basel corner, somehow getting the back of his head on it and sending it down and on goal. Mignolet awkwardly swiped it right into the path of Basel’s captain, Marco Streller, who pounced and roofed the ball into the net.

Not until the 61st minute did Liverpool really look like equalizing. Balotelli blistered a swerving free kick that handcuffed Vaclick and rebounded to Lazar Markovic whose shot deflected out fro a corner.

At the 70 minute mark Adam Lallana replaced Phillippe Coutinho. Five minutes later, Liverpool created another half chance, hesitations and all, when Balotelli found Lallana breaking inside, who slotted the ball to a free Sterling in the penalty area. Sterling , however, was smothered before he could even release a shot on goal. It was arguably the Redmens’ best chance of the night and it was snuffed before it provided any real test.

Away from home in the Champions League, Liverpool were punished for another poor performance. Basel was prepared and positive enough to make Liverpool pay. From that point, defending Liverpool’s impotent attack remained far too easy and the Swiss champions leapfrogged the visitors in the Group B table.

Heading back to England for league play, Liverpool looks lost, lacking identity, intensity, and inventiveness. While the return of injured players will likely help, it remains to be seen if they will provide the kinds of solutions needed for this sputtering side. The away win at Spurs looks more and more like an anomaly, as this squad is clearly nothing close to last year’s team.