After a frantic and hectic
festive period, Liverpool faced off against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
This was the first Premier League game since Steven Gerrard called time on his
glorious Liverpool career. Gerrard will go down in history as one of the
greatest, if not the greatest Liverpool player. While it will be painful to see
him go, it might be the best decision for all parties. Gerrard’s form has
naturally declined because of age and Brendan Rodgers has criminally wasted him
in a defensive midfield position. Gerrard would have been best utilized as an impact
sub as fellow legend Frank Lampard is currently reveling in but because of
because of abrasion between different parties, it does not look like happening.
In the end, it will suit everyone as Gerrard can have the peaceful retirement
he deserves and the team can move on. So, in the midst of all this, the Reds visited the Stadium of
Light. Liverpool had already faced off against Sunderland before in a dour
goalless draw. But, this time, the result and performance was much better.
The Reds won 1-0 in a tense
but dominant encounter through a solitary Lazar Markovic goal. While the
scoreline may indicate a tight win, the performance indicates that the converse
is true. The Reds were denied a blatant penalty and hit the woodwork twice in
addition to squandering a plethora of chances. On another day, it could easily
have been a thrashing for the Black Cats. The fluency in the Liverpool play was
back and the relentless pressing of last season witnessed a resurrection. The
Reds created 14 chances and had 21 shots on the Sunderland goal (all stats per Squawka).
While Costel Pantilimon had an uneventful outing in the reverse Anfield
fixture, he was definitely worth his efforts today. There are a lot of
positives to take from this game and things are finally looking bright for the
Reds again.
The highlight was most
definitely the performances of Phillipe Coutinho and Lazar Markovic. These two
players were all over the pitch today pitching in with defensive work as well
as pressing the opposition. Together, they had 11 tackles in mostly attacking
areas of the pitch. Because of their effort and commitment, Sunderland was
barely able to get out of their own half. These are the small things that
influence games and today, these two were able to perfectly fathom the nuances
of the match. It was particularly refreshing to see Markovic giving back to the
fans after enduring a very turbid and turbulent opening months on Merseyside.
While many have criticized the signing of Markovic due to price and experience,
his talent cannot be denied as shown in this game. Despite being very
influential in past games, Phillipe Coutinho is still very wasteful in front of
goal. Coutinho had 4 shots on goal but only 1 on target, which is a 25%
efficiency. If he can add those goals to his repertoire, he can be a star for
years to come on a club as well as international stage.
On the defensive side of
things, it was a fairly comfortable evening for the back culminating in a rare
clean sheet for Simon Mignolet. The defense was largely untroubled except for
one 5-minute spell after the Liam Bridcutt red card but great pressing and
solid defending quelled that. This has not been said very often this season so
this should give huge encouragement to the team. In the past few games, the
rise of Mamadou Sakho has been nice to see. While detractors call him awkward
and ponderous, he has shown his class with crisp passing and efficient
defending. He had a 95% passing rate, which is even more commendable
considering the very windy conditions. Against Sunderland, Sakho made 7
clearances, the highest in the game showing his tendency to bail his team out
of trouble. Sakho was bought to be a stalwart in the defence for years to come
and he is starting to show why.
In addition, Emre Can and
Lucas Leiva had really good games. Can, deployed as a centre back in the first
half and a central midfielder in the second, was solid in passing and tackling.
He also brought the ball forward with assurance. His authority with the ball
was apparent for all to see, especially when one serpentine run caused Liam
Bridcutt to make a late tackle and get sent off. Like Sakho, Can also had a
high passing rate with 92% finding a player in a Liverpool shirt. Can is touted
as a future star but he has been unjustly ostracized to an extent this season.
But, now he is getting a good run of games and is proving his mettle. The
highlight of his performance was an exquisite pass to Fabio Borini in the first
half. This shows that Can has vision as well which will bode well for the
future.
Lucas Leiva provided yet
another resilient performance seated in front of the defense. Lucas has
impeccable reading of play and is quick with the tackle. This was fully on
display in this game as Lucas recorded a tally of 4 successful tackles and 2 interceptions.
There have been rumours of Lucas being replaced with Aston Villa midfielder
Fabian Delph. If this move is to go through, it would be incompetence on the
part of Brendan Rodgers as Delph is neither as a good a defensive midfielder as
Lucas nor as good an attacker as Coutinho or Adam Lallana. Here is to hoping
that this move does not happen.
All in all, it was a satisfying
performance for all associated with Liverpool. Three points and a clean sheet
is a good return from an away game and the performance was there as well. But,
there have been frailties in the second half of games and this will be something
Rodgers will have to watch out for. But, things are definitely on the up. All
the new signings are seeming to settle and with valuable players to come back,
things are turning up at the right point. But, it is important not to get
complacent. Next, the Reds visit tormentors Aston Villa at Villa Park. It will
by no means be an easy game. The Villains have given Liverpool quite a few
problems in the past and it is imperative to not get self-satisfied. Also, it
is crucial for Rodgers to get a few signings this window to bolster the squad.
Otherwise, whatever slims hopes the Reds have of reaching the top four will
vanish.
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