Worst game I have seen in a long long while - Fulham 3 - 1 Liverpool

Article by Paul Tomkin. I dun agree with him fully....


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The Fulham fixture was the penultimate match in a run of 11 games with no fewer than eight away, and only three at home. Only two of the past seven games have been at Anfield. So it was a horrible sequence, and far from indicative of the roughly 50-50 split you expect. It also included games against Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal, plus Fiorentina and Lyon in the Champions League. None was against a team lower than mid-table. So, despite poor results, it was not your average run of games. Of the defeats, only those against Fiorentina, Lyon (which could have been so different had the second goal come) and Sunderland were hard to argue with (even if the Sunderland goal was worth a full-blown argument). By December 5, the sequence will extend to 11 away games compared with a paltry five at home. So on paper it doesn't get any easier. Thankfully it then switches, with four out of the next six at Anfield. Add in a bit of an injury crisis, with almost an entire team absent at Craven Cottage, a thoroughly ludicrous red card (Degen) and goals conceded against the run of play, and it all got a bit surreal. Liverpool were not outstanding, but they were not awful either; for the first 60-or-so minutes it was the kind of fairly impressive 'by the book' possession-based away display you'd have seen 25 years ago, just lacking a bit of cutting edge, as might be expected with so many of those who can supply it absent. But by the end, with nine men, and an incredibly young set of players left out there, it was desperate stuff at times, as you'd expect. No red card at all last season, or this, until last week; now three in two league matches. Jamie Carragher found himself in three similar situations, and while none looked a clear sending off to me, there was probably a totting up process involved, even if that's not legal in terms of the decision process; in other words, the benefit of the doubt ran out, whether or not it was fair. In each instance he was putting pressure on the forward, but on no occasion did they have the ball under control. Going to a place where United were well beaten last season with so many players absent made it tougher; as did the need to not cause a recurrence of Torres' injury. At Anfield I'd have still expected a victory, but away from home it's naturally more tricky, especially when the pressure is on. At 1-1 Liverpool were in control, although the sight of Torres leaving the field will have lifted the home team, and the Reds were not creating enough clear cut chances. That would be my main criticism. The second Fulham goal was particularly frustrating, as Kuyt had bust a gut to keep the ball in, only to find his hard work rewarded Fulham. In hindsight, he'd have been better letting it go for a throw. But hindsight really is a wonderful thing. With that in mind, I would ask this: why does the average fan, or, given their ceaseless negativity, almost every football pundit (who have never managed, yet appear to know it all) have to 'understand' a manager's decision? It's fine to have your opinions. But they, like mine, mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. They are made without full knowledge, from the safety of... ( – wherever – ). These opinions do not affect anything, and they are not affected by the realities of what is taking place. We can say "keep Torres on!", but we do not know what could have happened had he stayed on; we wouldn't have had to carry the can for any aggravation of his injury, or get flak for losing while he was in the treatment room. If he'd stayed on and got injured, we could have said "You should have taken him off!" Commentators joke about it "being a lot easier up here", but still put the boot in all the same. Against United, Torres was sacrificed after 80 minutes, with the game delicately poised. It was barely mentioned. In the event, his replacement sealed the victory. Of course, had United equalised, or worse still, gone on to win, the Torres decision would have been ripped apart, even though it was a necessity. Because, as observers, we can always have it both ways. We can always damn for what happens and also condemn for what might have happened. If every decision a manager makes is understandable, then that would suggest that they are easy, and obvious. Therefore, it suggests a job that anyone could do. Clearly this is not the case. We ask our accountants, or computer technicians, or mechanics, to do work we don't understand. We trust that they know better; if we tried to tell them how to do their job better, without similar training, experience or knowledge, they'd tell us where to go. We trust that they understand the small details. Not so with football managers. With football, everyone knows better. As a bit of fun, a bit of banter, that's all right. But as a proper reasoned analysis, I'm not convinced. And what alarms me is the utter certainty of people who've probably never even been near a football pitch in their lives, either to watch or to play, and of those who know the game, but not the role of management. For instance, taking off Benayoun at Fulham to bring on a fresh, eager young goalscorer. Whether or not you agree with that is up to you; it’s a judgement call. It comes with no guarantees. But as a decision it is effectively rendered null and void by the immediate dismissal of Philipp Degen, for what was never a sending off in a million years. (David Bentley wasn't even booked for a far worse tackle earlier in the day.) Any chance Nathan Eccleston had of coming on and making a name for himself, with a bit of league debut energy, was curtailed not by Benitez but by the referee's bizarre decision. While Liverpool equalising looked far from a certainty, there will have been more of a chance than before Degen's dismissal. That put Liverpool under far greater pressure, and led to the Carragher sending off, with the Reds outnumbered. Taking off Torres is another decision that seems easy to attack, but the season lasts well beyond Fulham and Lyon; Torres has not been 100 per cent fit, therefore the last 30 minutes were a risk. Of course, taking him off is a risk too, and a boost to the opposition. That's the reality of management: a rock and a hard-place; damned if you do, and so easily damned if you don't. Whatever is said about Rafa's tactics, last week against United Liverpool could have been undone when Valencia hit the bar. However good Liverpool looked, they got the much-needed breaks at the right time. Against Arsenal and Fulham, they didn't. Against Arsenal, a player was allowed to block a goal-bound shot with both hands. I didn't write in the aftermath of last weekend's win that Rafa was a tactical genius in the way he set up and then made alterations, and I'm not saying the exact opposite now. Whatever you do, games turn on little moments, and often they are beyond the control of the man on the touchline. For me, the decision I've least understood from any manager - ever - was when Rafa took off Steven Gerrard in the Mersey derby at Goodison a couple of seasons back. In that moment, I thought it was insane. Surely the last player you take off in a pulsating Mersey derby is the local lad and captain who is playing with his heart on his sleeve? However, Gerrard, with an understandable desire, was trying to take on Everton all on his own, and as soon as Lucas replaced him, Liverpool became a team again, passing and breaking down their 10-man rivals by moving the ball. In the last minute, Lucas effectively 'scored' the goal to win the game (only denied by an outrageous 'goalkeeping' save from Phil Neville, who was sent off, and the spot-kick converted by Kuyt). Clearly Benítez saw something that I, and almost any other observer, didn't, because not only did it lead to the win, it led to a more coherent display. That taught me that left-field decisions are made for a reason; reasons often well beyond our comprehension. But they can always go for or against. They can always look inspired, or foolish. Whatever you do right in football, things can so easily go wrong. But that is what good managers do: they make decisions. And on balance, over the course of his Liverpool career, Benítez's judgement calls have been successful. However, it's obviously easy in a time of struggles to just focus on those you believe he got wrong, and, for instance, blame the lack of a title challenge in 2007-08 on omitting Torres against Birmingham, and so on. Some managers make equally bold decisions but in other ways: I've often seen all three substitutions made at half-time. That often gets credit from the media. But one injury, and you're in trouble. Spurs lost against Stoke at home last week when they ran out of subs and ended up with 10 men. Towards the end of his massively successful reign, and with his team still the best in England, Kenny Dalglish was torn apart for fielding three full-backs in midfield away at Arsenal. I even heard it mentioned by one commentator recently. What wasn't mentioned was that the Reds won. Which just goes to show that managers are questioned, even when they get it right; just as Benitez was when Lucas inspired Liverpool to a win in the derby. With that in mind, who'd be a manager on those days when you lose?

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The Right Reaction

I have not updated this blog after the previous 2 games mainly becos' I was too heart broken to write anything. In any case, the result last night was what I had expected. All week long, I talked about the likely result against an in-form Man U. I said we will not lose the game only becos' we can't afford to. Against a team in ascendency, it was normal for people to expect us to lose or maybe just draw. Well, again like I said, it is absolutely naive to think that the BPL is such a straight forward league. I also said before that it has shown so far this sason all top 4 teams are capable of dropping points anytime. The Arsenal and Man U games as the case in point for this weekend. Even Man City drew last night. No one is going to stroll away with the title this season. I still think Man U will not be a contender for the league title only becos' they don't need to. It will be a 3 horse fight between Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Back to the game. In a nutshell, we played with our heart and showed the world what Liverpool FC is all about. We may be taunted repeatedly by Man U fans over our title drought over the last 19 years but before any great comeback, one must experience a trough. We are in the tail end of the trough now. The reverse it true too. I can't wait for the post Ferguson days to arrive. Lucas, Aurelio, Carragher, Johnson, Kyut, Benayoun all played really well. We could see that Torres was not fully fit and he was given special treatment by Vidic all night long. When Vidic was red-carded (for the 3rd straight game against us!!!), we felt we were vindicated. On the contrary, the second yellow card on Mascherano was way too soft but, at 94mins, we are not complaining. Speaking about injury time, where did those 5 mins come from , one must ask?? Fergi had spoken about the Ref's handling of the game but he must be blind not to notice that we were the subject of a few dubious decisions from the Ref as well.

On a serious note, I hope we have just come through the lowest point in our season. Wins against big teams usually turn a season around. We will now need to consolidate and go on a winning streak. No more mucking around, Rafa! Best XI every game. The title is still up for grabs and we need to fight with our lives. The time is now......

Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

It was a defeat that didn't hit me very hard. For some reason, I was prepard for that scoreline. I had a hunch that we would lose. Don't ask me why. I can't explain it here. I told my usual gang at Cavern before kickoff that we would most likely not win the game. It was not the most popular statement around but I had to say it.

That is the reason why Gerrad and Torres seemed "off-form" throughout the game. How can their form dip so drastically in a matter of days?? Uncharacteristically?? A term often used to explain the unexplainable in football. I shall not dwell further here...

In any case, looking purely at the game itself, we were not significantly poorer than Chelsea. In fact, I felt we played well and was equally as creative and imposing on the pitch throughout the first half. A single Mascherano mistake in the second half cost us the first goal. Benayoun's introduction did inject a different dimension into the game but it was not meant to be. The second goal was not unexpected especially when we were pushing so far up field in search of the equalising goal. Lucas did play well though......surprisingly.

On the whole, I dun think its the end of the world after 3 defeats. Manchester, Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal are all still capable of dropping points. Chelsea may look solid now but they are due to lose a few key players to the African Nations Cup soon. That would be significant.

Anyway, I expect a huge peformance from the Reds in our next game. Trust me....

6-1 thrashing of Hull. Article by Tomkins...

How do u disagree with Tomkins?? Everything he said in this article resonates with how I feel about our team now. In any case, let us just sit back and enjoy this feel good moment before we face Chelski next Sunday.

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His record for Liverpool almost defies belief, especially as he doesn't take the free shots at goal that are penalties, unlike many other major goalscorers. That, along with his all-round game and the nature of his goals, already elevates him above Owen, Aldridge, and dare I say it, Fowler.

Only Rush and Hunt, as out-and-out centre-forwards in Liverpool's post-war history, deserve to be mentioned in the same breath – that's how good Torres has been thus far. Of course, Rush and Hunt had longevity, but you can't hold that against the Spaniard. He can only do what he can in the time he's had; and he's done it, and then some.

To be on target to beat Hunt's record for the fastest Liverpool player to 50 top-flight league goals is incredible: 46 from 56 starts (plus eight as a sub) is phenomenal. But even that doesn't tell the whole story – after all, he only played an hour at the weekend. So it's not like those 56 starts all amounted to 90 minutes each.

How quickly things change. Torres was jaded, Liverpool were hopeless, and the creative lynchpin was in Spain. It was all over. Even I got dragged down by the doom and gloom. You wouldn't think from the early media reactions that Liverpool, following on from last season, would so soon be able to lead the way in goals scored, would you? Lacking this, lacking that, yada yada yada. Not bad for a team whose biggest summer signing isn't even fit yet, and who, of course, are cautious (yawn).

The bench, that was supposedly too weak (funny how missing five top-class players can do that!), now looks stronger, with Babel, Voronin and N'Gog all contributing in recent weeks, and the injured stars regaining fitness. Of course, defeat at Chelsea on Sunday, and the perception will be that it's all over again, but the table will clearly show that to be a lie.

Liverpool's four league wins on the bounce, and Chelsea's humbling at Wigan, prove that this league can remain wide open. Crucially, the Reds can go there with confidence, while Cech-less Chelsea have their first doubts crashing in – not least in their man-marking at set-pieces. I have to admit being driven close to breaking point regarding Liverpool's zonal marking in the past few weeks: not the system (though mistakes were being made), but the almost Tourettes-like mentions of it. Are prospective pundits and summarisers required to perform an anti-zonal marking diatribe as part of their job interview?

Creating The Tomkins Times, my new LFC web journal, has given me a chance to really study such topics in real depth, and counter every myth surrounding issues that are often complex. It's also somewhere I can keep an ongoing check on media hypocrisy. Criticism can obviously be fair, but double-standards are not. Just last week on one discussion show, Benítez was criticised for selling Peter Crouch (who rejected a new contract), criticised for selling Alonso (who wanted to play for Real Madrid, and was sold for three times his original fee), and was labelled ‘lucky' for having Fernando Torres. I kid you not. Lucky!

Anyone else would be hailed as a genius for ‘risking' a large percentage of his transfer budget on a player some judges had doubts over, and helping him blossom into the best striker in the world. I tell you, some people will twist themselves in knots of illogical argument rather than say a good word about the Liverpool manager. Luck? It was judgement.

Rafa was also criticised for offloading Robbie Keane, who is having a good season at Spurs. But since Keane's sale, Liverpool have doubled their goals-per-game ratio. Keane wins, Spurs win, but so do Liverpool, in finding a far better blend after getting their money back on the striker. Again, much of the criticism of Liverpool came back to an apparent lack of forwards, but Kuyt continues to score and create goals, and he is one of about five or six players who can play either in midfield or up front, in a fluid, interchangeable system. And while Torres was missed at times last season, the Reds still did extremely well in his absence.

David N'Gog only looks like a weak option if you haven't really heard of him (because he's not yet a household name, at just 20, and is therefore easy to dismiss), or if you compare him to Torres, against whom any up-and-coming striker would suffer by contrast. Watch him closely in midweek, however, and suddenly the view might change. Also, his goals-per-minute ratio in a Liverpool shirt is nothing short of incredible. He hasn't played many vital minutes, admittedly, but as with Torres, he can only do what he's asked to do, and thus far that is to score five goals at an average of one every 138 minutes of football; or in other words, quicker than both Torres or Gerrard managed throughout last season – or one every 1.5 games'-worth of playing time.

You could argue that the two players Benítez is lucky to have are Carragher and Gerrard, both of whom he inherited. But even that pair have had their roles changed and their play developed in the past five years. I've always maintained that on the whole Benítez has bought extremely well, but all managers have their flops. A 50% success rate is about the best any can hope for.

It's also true that at any one time, by the very nature of only eleven getting to start, several of any manager's signings will be questioned; the better Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt play, for instance, the harder it is for Ryan Babel and Albert Riera to look as effective. Having said that, against Hull all four of those players made massive contributions, with Babel's coming as a sub. Again, so much for the squad being weak. (I know the opposition weren't of the highest calibre, but these are the teams Liverpool struggled to beat at home.)

Goal Involvement, a measurement I devised for ‘Red Race', is another area I aim to regularly monitor on The Tomkins Times. It's my version of assists, which counts all meaningful passes in the build-up to a goal, not just the final one, which are then added to the goals themselves, to give an indication of who is supplying the cutting edge. It's not 100% foolproof (I devised it, after all), but it is a more all-encompassing gauge for who plays important roles in the creation and execution of goals. This is then looked at as totals, and as per-minute contributions. I also try to rate the quality of the contribution, although this is clearly subjective.

For a team that supposedly relies so heavily on two players, since February Liverpool have been a sublime attacking unit. And while Kuyt and Benayoun continue their excellent form from last season, Glen Johnson has already added a whole new dimension; far and away eclipsing Alvaro Arbeloa in this regard. Johnson may get forward no more than his predecessor, but he in more incisive.

Not only are the goals being shared around, but the supposed reliance on Gerrard and Torres also stretches to how the team as a whole are creating chances; it's not just the biggest two names feeding each other or creating goals out of nothing. So far, Glen Johnson has been involved in more Liverpool goals than his captain, as has Dirk Kuyt. With the goals flowing, more players are getting assists and ‘involvements'. The left-back slot highlights this trend.

With Johnson kept relatively quiet against Hull, that allowed Emiliano Insua space, as the left flank became the avenue to exploit. He richly deserves his call up for Argentina (although I'd have preferred him wrapped in cotton wool at Melwood!)

One of the flaws of any system that ranks assists is that the supplier is only rewarded if the ball is turned into the net; last year Insua's overlapping runs were excellent, but his crosses were not converted; he didn't feature in a single goal in his ten league games. This season he has already been involved in five goals, in just seven matches. Despite the loss of Alonso, there are improvements all over the pitch at Liverpool this season. And this is before Agger and Aquilani have even kicked a ball. There will clearly be a number of teams contesting the title, but after a poor start, Liverpool now look capable of being one of them; and this with another gear or two to find.

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Another close call.

West Ham 2 - 3 Liverpool

Another close call. It was a game marred by poor defensive play. I was reading my previous blogs and I did mention before that Carragher's performance is increasingly suspicious. The penalty he gave away was absolutely unnecessary. Hines was not going anywhere, Carragher had his angle right. Thus, the nudge was uncalled for. We have also conceded too many goals from set pieces this season. I have always been sceptical about zonal marking. It doesnt work. Period. The foundation behind any successful team is a strong defence. We cannot be conceding silly goals and hope to escape with 3 points every game. Against the big boys, we may not have such luxury. Perhaps the pace and intensity of the game is increasingly more challenging for Carragher. Perhaps he is no longer as fast or as sharp as before. Maybe it is time to allow the Agger and Skrtel partnership to flourish. I am not saying Carragher is rubbish. I just feel that perhaps it is time Rafa plays him less.

Torres looked a lot better against the Hammers. I mentioned in my previous blog that he needed to step up a notch and he did just that. The first goal was classic El Nino style. Taking on defenders with a sudden burst of speed, better ball control and possession. It's easy to tell when Torres is off form cos' he will give away possession easily and his running off the ball is not as obvious. We cannot afford for Torres or Gerard to slacken and they need to maintain that consistent level of performance every game. We all know the damage they can cause when they play well together. Although the winning goal was accredited to Babel's cross from the right, I am still cautious about his performance. We need to see more of Babel and perhaps the game against Leeds will give him the perfect opportunity to lay claim for a first team place.

With Chelsea and Man U picking up 3 points every week, we need to make sure we do not slip up further. This is going to be a really tight season. Every single point will count come May 2010.

Not surprising

I was not surprised by the scoreline. The "indicators" were there for all to see. Almost everyone expected a Liverpool thrashing for the boys from east of europe. When so many people expect a big scoreline, that's when it will not happen. Like I said, we call it kelong!! Otherwise how these "people" drive mercedes benz or beemers??? (notice I never say Audi...hehe.)

Anyway, back to the game. I felt Torres was extremely quiet tonight. He was not his usual self against Burnley. In fact, he had not been his usual self playing for Spain in the previous 2 international games as well. He needs to step up a notch soon. The rest of the team looked decent tonight though it was not a fantastic peformance. Given the context, 3 games in a space of a week, I suppose a huge scoreline was not necessary. 3 points was all that mattered in this opener. No point scoring 10 goals tonight and then go on to play poorly against West Ham. The priority is still the Premier League this season.

I was talking about Benayoun with some colleagues tonight. We all agreed that against the hard tackling opponents or the heavy weights, he will have a tougher time. He can be rather light weight at times. We shall see what happens as the season progresses.

I suppose Rafa has found his First XI for now. This is a good lineup. Like I said, unless Aquilani proves himself to be a good player, I think this should be our starting lineup Rafa should stick with. As for Lucas?? Well, at least he earned one free kick tonight. Not bad for a rubbish player like him...;-)

I feel vindicated.

It was the Benayoun-Kyut-Reira-Gerrard combination that destroyed Burnley. A team that beat ManUre a few weeks ago. ;-)

In my blog and also my conversations with people, I have maintained that the Gerrard-Torres partnership needs to be replaced with a Benayoun or Voronin-Torres partnership. Reason is because, in the absence of Alonso, we needed the skipper to fill in that creative role in the middle of the park. Mascherano is not a creator, he is a destroyer. Breaking up attacks and harrassing our adversaries. Lucas? Don't even go there..... So, unless Aquilani is as good as Rafa says he is, Gerrard needs to continue in the role. He is one of the world's best attacking midfielders. Look at the way he came into to box to augment the attack while playing for England in midweek and against Burnley last night? His link up play with Torres, Kyut and Benayoun was fantastic. I said before that Benayoun is a very clever player and he had proven last season that he can score goals too. His understanding with Torres is good as well. Only problem is that, he can be guilty of going to "sleep" in some games.

While it was a good team performance against Burnley, we must not get carried away with the result. These are games we need to win and win convincingly. Against heavy weights, Benayoun will need to prove he is as good as we think he is. Consistency is the key. Chelsea and Man City look fantastic at this point. Man United's win at White Hart Lane was not unexpected although I still think they will not be in contention this season. I don't think Spurs ever learn from their mistakes. After going 2-0 up last season, they eventually lost the game against ManUre. So, even playing against a 10 men last night, I seriously didn't think they were gonna draw level at all.

Whatever it is, we have 3 more points in the bag. Let's take it one game at a time. For me, I am gonna change my flight ticket next Wednesday and start looking forward to my 2nd Anfield pilgrimage come Feb '10. Will be watching the Blackburn Rovers game at Anfield!!