Tap For Menu  
Single word yields best result

Football News: Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - A Liverpool Perspective

Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - A Liverpool Perspective
Image from: 101challenges1001days.wordpress.com

Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion

 

This was the same old same old for Liverpool. Once again there was a complete lack of intensity against a team they were expected to beat, and beat easily. It is not just the team at fault, though they are badly at fult for showing nothing until right at the end of the game, the crowd are also at fault, the whole atmosphere is dull on these kind of nights. That is something the club need to look at as a whole. The atmosphere can be built up through the right choice of music, maybe some kind of entertainment beforehand which creates excitement.

Right now it is flat, that then feeds into the team, who come out and play ponderous, slow, scared football. They are scared to try just hitting it at times, there was too much safe football being played and it cost the team its chance to get what should have been a straightforward win.

 

Klopp - just shows that having the 'fab four' in the team does not guarantee a win. Difficult to criticise the selection, even if it did not work out as intended, as it is the one most people would have wanted. Personally I think they needed Henderson in the middle to push the pace. He did try a number of formation changes to get at WBA, starting with a 4-4-2, then shifting to 4-3-3, but little worked as the Baggies defended well and there was not enough movement.

 

Karius - a difficult night for keepers with a swirling wind, but he did well enough with the little he had to do. I like his tendency to immediately look to spring the team forward on the attack when he gets the ball in his hands. I do not like the short goal kicks, they just create problems the team does not need.

 

Alexander-Arnold - got forward well and put a couple of good, teasing balls in. Defensively he has improved massively and is showing much more thought and care when defending.

 

Lovren - was given a difficult time by Rondon, who is a handful for any defender. However mostly it was Klavan who was pushing onto him and letting Lovren cover in behind.

 

Klavan - fought hard to keep Rondon quiet, got tight and gave him no space but at times was too tight and allowed himself to be drawn into giving away some needless free kicks.

 

Robertson - he really worries me and needs to improve a lot, his decision making is a major problem. He flings in crosses when there is no one there and the minute the box is packed with bodies he elects to turn back. Twice. Once is a minor error, twice suggests a problem, when you add it to all the times he has just whipped in a ball nowhere near anyone. Defensively he looks like the weak link as well. Who would have thought LFC would miss Moreno?

 

Can - too slow to move the ball on, messes about with it in the wrong areas of the pitch and needs to quicken up for teams like that.

 

Wijnaldum - he is fast turning into the player he was at Newcastle, a ghost on the pitch who hides constantly. He takes no responsibility.

 

Mane - this season he has not been at his best and last night was a real struggle for him. His confidence looks to be shot, as he turned down a good chance or two to shoot.

 

Coutinho - he is still offering barely anything to help the team out defensively and offensively he has an off night. When Coutinho was playing from the left, that was the area that West Brom were able to attack down as he did little to nothing to help out Robertson. If he is playing well, like against Spartak, that is not a problem, but, on a night like last night, it is a major concern.

He just kept on repeatedly trying things that were not working, the same attempt to run past players giving up the ball easily and the same chipped ball into the keeper's waiting hands was embarrassing. It just felt like he did not give a toss enough to bother thinking about what he was doing and so just chipped it again.

 

Salah - struggled, was given no space to operate and was unable to create any really clear cut opportunities.

 

Firmino - harried, chased and pressed for two, which was lucky as he was carrying Coutinho whenever we lost the ball. On the ball he was another given little time and space to operate and struggled to create anything.

 

Subs:

Oxlade-Chamberlain - replaced Wijnaldum in the 76th minute and at least he was noticeable. Like the rest he just could not find any space to operate in the final third.

Solanke - was brought on at the same time as the Ox in place of Mane. At least he offered a focal point up top and was very unlucky to see his goal ruled out for handball.

Gomez - oddly he was brought on in place of Alexander-Arnold in the 80th minute. Actually pointlessly would have been a better word to use in place of oddly, as it made no difference to the game at all.

Written by Tris Burke December 14 2017 15:03:57