Brendan, You've had a Shocker Mush!
It’s been a relatively quiet week for the mighty SFC as we
prepare for a trip to Liverpool who as things stand, are top of the league, a
bit like how they always used to be from the mid-seventies to the early 90’s,
in that period of time when it was Division 1, 2, 3 and 4, before the Champions
League and before Sky Sports and when the Liverpool centre forward would have
been honoured to play for England and would never have pulled out only to play
the next Liverpool match. What a massive
shock it was when Daniel Sturridge did this.
In the interest of balance it must also be said that Wayne Rooney also
pulled the same stunt.
Is this a good time to be playing them? It seems a strange question as they are top
of the league but Suarez hasn’t returned from his cannibalism ban yet and now
Phillippe Coutinho is injured. On paper
they look good but not great so why should we be worried? We shouldn’t be and I just hope the players
in the adidas template black kit aren’t beaten before they start like they were
last year. Last year when we comfortably
beat them at home, which apparently was their last defeat, their midfield of
Gerrard and Allen/Lucas couldn’t live with Morgan and Corky and we dominated
the midfield and therefore won the game.
None of the Liverpool central midfield
players like tracking runners towards their own goal so we could have some joy
there. Having highlighted reason why we
could do well, I still believe that Liverpool
will finish in the top 4 this season.
To the teams and Mauricio has been brave by sticking with
the same starting XI with Sir Rickie and Dani up front and J-Rod and Adam on
the wings. The only change is on the bench with Corky returning in place of
Guly who was driving. Brendan Rodgers
raised eyebrows by picking 4 centre backs with the two in the centre being last
years dodgy partnership of Agger and Skrtel, the latter of which doesn’t have a
Panini sticker because he’s too scary for kids.
Liverpool have specialised in recent seasons of signing foreigners I’ve
never heard of and another one, Aspas is in the starting XI.... sounds like a
car. 3pm, come on lads – don’t be
overawed!
It’s predictably cagey at the start with Liverpool
trying to pass out from the back but getting nowhere because a) the pressing
game is back and b) they aren’t good enough to do this. Having a centre back at right back and what
looks like a right footed centre back at left back doesn’t help but I'm sure it's part if Rodgers tactical master plan. An essential part of passing the ball about
at the back is the ability of the keeper with his feet and Mignolet appears to
be wearing extended oversized clown shoes and always looks like he’s about to trip over
himself. After a bit of Mignolet messing
about, Lallana tries a speculative first time lob which is off target.
The pressing game means you will occasionally get caught out
with a quick break and so it happened as Liverpool broke quickly down our left
before cutting in along the top of the box before it ran loose to Henderson who
sidefooted an effort straight at King Artur.
We reply with Sir Rickie trying a long range effort from an angle, which
was never going in.
Renault Aspas picks up the ball after a clumsy bit of
control by Big Vic and sets off towards goal.
He knocks is miles past Jose Fonte and is never going to get there but
by running straight into him, guarantees himself a free kick. Steven Gerrard hits the free kick over the
wall and the King spring to his right and keeps it out one handed. Brilliant stuff from our resident nutter.
Saints are coming more and more into the game and beginning
to dominate the midfield where the combination of Big Vic’s strength and
Morgan’s touch and passing is too much for Gerrard who looks off the pace and
Lucas who doesn’t appear to fancy it much.
We’re still not creating much though but Sir Rickie has a half chance
after Liverpool make a mess of a Lallana cross but the big man swings his left
peg at it and only succeeds in spooning it up into the keepers hands. From our next attack, J-Rod breaks and feeds Dani
O who cuts in and wastefully lashes a shite effort wide of the near post. We have a bit of a scare on the half hour as
Sturridge cuts across the top of the box and Lovren sticks a foot out which
Sturridge stumbles over. He’s brushed
his knee on the ground which will be enough to keep him out of the next 2 England
matches. He wants a penalty, the Kop
wants a penalty, the ref doesn’t give it and we got away with one there. To be fair, it would have been a soft penalty
but it’s exactly the sort of thing you expect to get given against you at
Anfield so we’re grateful to Neil Swarbrick.
It seems to spur Liverpool
into action though and Moses burst past Clyne and Morgan as he cuts in but he’s
then confronted by The King and Moses shot is easily tipped away. A Sturridge looped header over the top is all
that’s left of the half and so we go in goalless.
Brendan Rodgers has clearly had enough of Aspas and replaces
him with a spaz as Raheem Sterling comes on.
The change does nothing for Liverpool
and Saints are totally on top and in control.
J-Rod pokes a shot at the near post which is saved by Mignolet who is at
the centre of things again with his amazing clowns feet. He pisses about, just about avoids losing the
ball to Lallana before playing it to Agger whose pass forward is won by
Clyne. A quick ball to Lallana and a
spin turn later he’s through on goal and forcing Mignolet to beat away his
shot.
Far from learning from their mistakes, Liverpool
carry on and Toure passes back to Skrtel who is under pressure from J-Rod. His dummy to let the ball go past is
brilliant but not so cleaver as he let it run out for a Saints throw. The quick thrown towards Dani O is shinned
behind by Toure and what do they always say about cheaply conceded corners? In it comes from Lallana and Dejan Lovren
loses Agger and heads powerfully across Mignolet and in, despite the efforts of
Gerrard on the line who uses the wrong foot to try and clear it and just lashes
it into the roof of the net. To be fair,
I think it was already in.
The expected Liverpool
onslaught didn’t happen and it was Saints who looked the more likely to score
next. Shaw broke out from left back and
fed Dani Osvaldo who cut across the top of the box, jinking past players before
curling an excellent low effort which was heading to the bottom corner until
Mignolet got across to make an equally excellent save. Brendan then decides that 4 centre backs
aren’t going to win you the game and brings on Enrique for Agger and leaves the
Cheese-Before-Bedtime nightmare that is Skrtel on the pitch. Liverpool
flicker briefly as Moses fouled Clyne to win the ball and then dribbled up to
Big Vic and was so scared that he crumpled on the floor in a puddle of his own piss. In fact, Lallana tripped him but it looks
better to say that Moses shat himself.
Gerrard managed to keep up with play for a change as the game was
stopped and whipped in another decent free kick which King Artur saved well to
his left.
On 66 minutes, Mauricio replaced Sir Rickie with Steven
Davis but far from being a negative move, it gave us more runners from midfield
and but for Mignolet it would have paid off.
Luke Shaw started it off at left back and darted forward receiving a
return pass from Lallana. He somehow
bundled through four players on the edge of the box before his right footed
shot was parried by the keeper. The
rebound hit Sakho and Mignolet had to save it again before he quickly pushed it
away as Davis
steamed in. On later inspection, the
rebound from the first save clearly came off of Sakho’s arm and should have
been given as a penalty but you won’t see that reported anywhere.
With 15 to go, JWP is on for Lallana and we go into
possession mode and pass it about. There
is one scare as a dangerous cross from the right is cleared from just in front
of the goal by a sliding Jose Fonte. It
looked briefly that we were in for a horrible 94th minute let down
when Sterling
was played into space behind our defence but his touch was so shite that King
Artur could just guide it out for a goal kick.
Full time and a fabulous 1-0 win. Fucking marvellous and as things stand, up to 6th in the league.
Get in there. As a
bloke of a certain age, I grew up with Liverpool being the equivalent of
Manchester United in being the team everyone either loved or hated so it’s
magnificent to go to Anfield and get 3 points and deserve them too. Saints have learnt today that they can go to
the big boys and win so there’s nothing to be afraid of in this league. If we go in with a positive attitude we can
achieve great things – I’m beginning to sound like Nigel Adkins here.
I have also learned a few things today. One of which is that we have the best goalkeeper
in the country. In his words he’s just
“doing my job” but forget the saves from the free kicks for a moment and just
concentrate on the calm claiming of the ball and the confidence which spreads
to the defence, a defence which has the best record in the country regarding
conceding goals. As it stands, the first
choice defence of Clyne, Fonte, Lovren and Shaw have played 2 and conceded 0.
There are signs that 4 up front is beginning to work. There will be question marks as long as Sir
Rickie and Dani don’t score but I believe in reaching for the stars. By that, I mean that it might turn out to be
brilliant with the two of them up there and you have a duty to try these things. OK, it might not work and you can’t do it
indefinitely if it doesn’t. For example,
Matt le Tissier didn’t get many games for England because that 2nd hand car
salesman Venables thought that he couldn’t play in the same team as his
lovechild Gazza. He of course should
have tried it as it may have been brilliant but he never did.
Mauricio was typically deflecting of all hyperbole and
typically in Spanish which I’m growing to like more and more with each passing
interview as it is really starting to piss off fans of other teams. Brendan
Rodgers typically just focussed on Liverpool ’s
shortcomings and highlighted that Luis the Cannibal will be back next
week. I know he’s the opposition manager
and the questions are about his team but it would be nice to hear an
acknowledgement for the victorious boys from the south coast. Liverpool are
a decent side this year with the first choice XI available but even though
Coutinho and Suarez were unavailable today, Rodgers had a mare. Picking 4 centre backs when the modern game
relies on full backs getting forward is just retarded. We did indeed play them at the right time but
Brendan Rodgers made it even more the right time.
Sadly, match of the Day didn’t feature Mark Lawrenson so he
wasn’t there to give Saints no credit.
It was still ‘double Liverpool ’ on the
sofa though with Hansen and Robbie Fowler who both praised the men in
black. Lawro was presumably licking his
wounds after predicting a Liverpool win and
losing his prediction game horrible to a pure football man who picked a 1-0 win
for Saints...er, Usain Bolt.
So, this should serve as a massive confidence boost for the
boys ahead of the visit of Crystal
Palace
Before Palace, the reserves get a run out v Bristol City
No comments:
Post a Comment