No SAS, no bash. It is still at the early dawns of the season, but it has been crystal clear that Liverpool this season have looked like the ghost of their irresistible selves from a season ago. A record which reads winless in a 90 minute match since demolishing Spurs at North London in match-day three says a lot about the reeling after effects Brendan Rodgers suffered to adjust a revamped team plucked out of Suarez and Sturridge’s firepower.
With another disappointment coming in the form of a midweek Champions League defeat at Basel, the pressure is already boiling from the get-go for Brendan Rodgers to get any sort of victory on the board to settle the case temporarily.
Though, Alan Irvine’s West Brom side has had the happier form of the two and seemingly have recovered from an unsure start with two solid displays away to Spurs and at home dismantling Burnley. Surely, he’ll relish the chance to compound misery to Liverpool’s malaise. Mind though, it’s Anfield, the monumental talisman for Liverpool, particularly how they blown team off the roof there.
So, will it be Liverpool back on their classic attacking swagger at Anfield? Or will Alan Irvine replicate the West Brom of 2012/13 season and take another three points on their travel against the big boys?
Season Review (So Far):
Liverpool:
Echoing back from the first sentence of the article, “no SAS, no bash”, it inevitably rang true to assess Liverpool’s performances so far in all competitions this season. Last season, the SAS, the abbreviation of the lethal attacking partner-in-crime of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were in their most irresistible form donning the red shirt, providing the platform for the classic Merseyside-based team to reach the unreachable frontier they last reached under Rafael Benitez in 2008/09 and tussle toe-to-toe with the likes of Man City and Chelsea come the business end of the 2013/14 season.
On a tactical basis, Liverpool’s football under Brendan Rodgers was as simply interpreted as these: get a quick start to the game, push opponents deep with an overload of attacking pressure and score goals at the maximum rate. And Liverpool’s cutting edge in front of goal that season was epitomized by the SAS, with 52 goals of their 101 goals the combination of their two marksmen, Suarez (31 goals) and Sturridge (21 goals).
However, it was more than just the incredible goalscoring records for the two, but their contributions for rising stars like Raheem Sterling prominently to a certain extent on the pitch was sensational, with their intelligent link-up play that marries their ability to shift positions from wide to center with quick pace, physical power and flair to lay the plate for the likes of Sterling and veteran Gerrard as well to take advantage from, in addition to their ice-cold finishing.
Without discrediting Liverpool’s fairy-tale second half run to that season which merits them a runner-up finish in last season’s Premier League, this was still a Liverpool side with some flaws, pertinently on the defensive side of the game.
There was always that hair-raising feeling around the corner that Liverpool will always concede. Either from an individual error as gut-wrenching as Gerrard’s slip against Chelsea or just the lack of defensive organization, particularly on the corners, heavily evident from Skrtel, goalscorers on the right end and horribly the wrong end as well last season, there was this saying along the season that Liverpool have to score more than two or three goals a game to win a match. Last season, their defensive malaise was overshadowed greatly by the imagination and marvel Liverpool produced attacking-wise on the pitch.
This season, despite one astute investment in the strong, towering Croat Dejan Lovren to displace the immovable Daniel Agger at center back, that defensive disease which handed the onus to Man City last season are slowly ravaging into a larger scale. To make matters worse, even a revamped Liverpool side without the firepower of Luis Suarez with his 75 million pounds to Barcelona and Daniel Sturridge’s long-term injury, could not bail them out on the attacking front. Almost a copycat to the Spurs’ situation in replacing the marvelous Gareth Bale with seven new signings, Liverpool with their nine new signings replacing Luis Suarez has found it similarly hard to pick up from where they’re left off last season, with core scrutiny has been shrewdly pointed out to the maverick Mario Balotelli.
With only one goal against minnows Ludogorets to pride for in his Liverpool career so far, he has cut somewhat a frustrating figure. At the same time, their star players last season, Sterling by far their better player of this campaign has looked half the irresistible form he put last season and Gerrard, inspiring with his long raking pass last term, apart from his Merseyside derby goal, he has looked somewhat a leggy figure, mentally still traumatized from that infamous slip. This stutter in form left Balotelli stranded in that lone striker role, unable to make runs due to the lack of production from midfield, and worst of it all, missing far too many goalscoring chances.
In the main, when the damsel-in-distress in Liverpool’s defensive malaise were rescued so often by the heroic attacking force of SAS last season, this time the hero is still seeking identity post-SAS, and they sorely need it fast.
West Brom:
West Brom on the other hand have recovered well from an uncertain start to their season. With as recent as two gilt-edged victories, combatively 1-0 at White Hart Lane to Spurs and at their devastating best, a 4-0 demolition of the newly-promoted side Burnley just a weekend ago, it was at least an upturn in form compared to an ill-fated 2013/14 season that almost fell on the wayside for the Baggies.
Obviously, when experienced assistant manager turned first time head manager Steve Clarke polished a West Brom side of basically indie, mid-table players able to be at their combative best against the big teams as well as challenging for a European spot before predictably fading away towards a respectable 8th finish, the main incentive for the Scotsman in his second term was to maintain a top half finish.
With now-Everton man Romelu Lukaku’s loan stint with the club effectively over, so flew the 17 goals which helped sprung all the surprises for West Brom. For starters, they produced shocks early in that season, holding Arsenal to a draw at the Hawthorns and the icing on the cake handing then-United manager David Moyes his first home defeat at Old Trafford, but performances typical to that have been at a premium and after an embarrassing 2-0 defeat at home to Norwich, unnatural for a West Brom side so strong at home, it was the nail to the coffin for him.
Still, even when a Spaniard Pepe Mel took charge and amazingly had sensational home draws against the big teams, but they were just walking in the same motion. Harshly said, but they were lucky to finish 17th, with only a meager seven victories, as much as the bottom-placed Cardiff City.
In the transfer window, they have bought a truckload of quantities, with Lescott a welcome addition in the heart of the defense alongside academy graduate Craig Dawson with his Premier League experience and their 10 million pounds record signing in an energetic Nigerian forward Brown Ideye. So far, Lescott’s presence mainly as that pure center back who sits to allow their attackers to rally forward have been a success to complement the more mobile Dawson to pour forward for set-piece situations, but attacking-wise, it’s the same actors from last season’s.
West Brom were totally dominant in the face of a crumbling Burnley’s defense, but usually, they are a side who thrived on being second best on the ball and took advantage on one opponent’s lapse on the ball to break into a counter-attack. West Brom have the tools to perform such acts, with two industrial, underrated attacking midfielders in Chris Brunt and Graham Dorrans whose always influential from the middle, extensively with their pinpoint passing range to open up spaces for onrushing strikers, which in this case is the bang in-form Saido Berahino. Add to that, with Stephan Sessegnon and James Morrison moving effervescently from the width.
In the main, Lescott’s integration to the team has strengthened defensively, evident from two clean sheets in the last two games, though they need their attacking players, especially England’s next “big thing” Berahino to perform again.
Starting Line-ups:
First Half:
Before the kick-off, already the crowd at Anfield and pundits alike were abuzz with the news of Balotelli’s omission in the starting line-up to take on West Brom. In place of Mario, a rare start for a scouser Rickie Lambert. While as mentioned in the season review he has yet to set Liverpool alight, but little would have thought Brendan Rodgers would wield the axe on the Italian in place of the older Englishman.
And already within the first half, he shown a bit more hard work, movements and physical presence up front, tussling body-to-body at West Brom’s defense right and center, and movement-wise he’ll drop deep to make himself available as options around the likes of Sterling and Lallana who were cutting inside from the width. At least, better in that department than Balotelli’s.
In fact, the former Southampton man was in the peak of the action, scuffing an early shot from a Sterling cross and the most glorious, Skrtel’s raking pass from his half which Lambert latched onto and just brought a marvelous save from West Brom’s Ben Foster.
Apart from that, on the basis on the first half, the home team obviously took more of the initiative on the attacking front, committing a swarm of red bodies at the heart of the away’s defense. If any clear-cut openings on goal, it mostly came from their English trio, with Lallana and Sterling confidently wriggling through the forest of black and white shirts to carve things up for Lambert.
However, West Brom themselves were up for the fight despite a more conservative play than last week, defending with discipline and poise. Attacking-wise, they were promising at times, with the likes of Gamboa and Pocognoli the full-backs having joy bombing forward at the empty posts left by the Spaniard’s Manquillo and Moreno to feed their main striker Berahino who was shifting from wide and centrally at a maximum. Even Gerrard, a holding midfielder these days, was stretching on six legs, having to cover both in the middle and full-back positions with a few last-gasp to some rash tackles or so. Honestly, Gerrard did well in keeping West Brom at bay, but he was truly overworked by the two Spaniard’s tendency to go forward. At the same time, the Costa Rican and Belgian themselves often troubled Mignolet’s poor anticipation on crosses with a couple of wicked ones, one of it resulting in a Berahino header which just flew over the bar.
In the end, just at the death of the first half, Liverpool were 1-0 ahead. Adam Lallana just wriggles through three to four West Brom players in the box, then pays out some neat one touch football with Henderson before laying it back for him to slide it coolly through at the far corner. It was his debut goal, the kind of run was almost reminiscent to the one he scored for Southampton against Hull just last season.
By the whistle’s end, Liverpool led 1-0 at half-time courtesy of Lallana’s debut goal. Liverpool still in slight control, but West Brom with their threat on the width and strong defense are still in it.
Second Half:
Onto the second half, it was the same story written as the first as a whole. Though, in the opening sequence of the second half, West Brom, so conservative in the first half, started to commit more men forward.
Likewise to the first half with Gamboa and Pocognoli targeting the empty positions left by the Liverpool’s full-backs, West Brom stormed at Liverpool’s half through width. Though, the main thorn on Liverpool’s back was Saido Berahino, running in behind Liverpool not only from his active movement down the width but also centrally.
On the latter was in fact where West Brom’s recurrent second half pressure bore gift. At least, on some perspectives, controversially. Berahino twisted and turned with the ball when Lovren flew in with an ill-timed tackle. “Penalty,” Michael Oliver, the referee, said as he pointed to the spot. It was a foul, though it was just outside the box. Not one that merited a penalty to be perfectly honest. However, Berahino did his job, slamming the penalty coolly to bring things level for his side.
Though, Liverpool to their credit, woke up from their slumber and found just that goal to squeak through the match. It was a goal synonymous to the bulk they scored in the 2013/14 season, which started from Gerrard’s long raking pass from the center, picked up by the onrushing Sterling. The young Englishman rushed into the box, then felled by Craig Gardner. At any given day, it could have been a penalty decision. He reacted quickly by sending the perfect pass for Jordan Henderson to fire between the walls of West Brom bodies.
While at 2-1, it was still possibly a susceptible lead, but West Brom just went deeper and deeper afterwards, with Liverpool and Balotelli, who replaced Lambert who’s played decently to be honest despite missing that early golden chance, continually pouring forward for more goals. West Brom finally had that sliver of opportunity when Samaras came on and pulled off a cross from the left which nobody pounced in. In the end, it finished 2-1 to Liverpool’s favor, a maiden victory in all competitions since Spurs on match-day three, obviously a welcoming three points amidst the pressure, while West Brom came away empty-handed, but the performance , particularly Berahino’s, merited appraisal.
Conclusion:
At least, it will be a bash for all associated with Liverpool, the fans and the players. Is it Liverpool back in winning ways? Obviously, they showed a bit more hunger than their showings at Basel, but it was far from the ruthless swagger of the 2013/14 class. Though, to trump that, what mattered most was the win, which could just kick them back on again after the international break. For West Brom, where do they go from here? It was an incredible little run for Alan Irvine’s men to alleviate the pressure he had early in the season and most crucially for them is to keep this intensity against teams around them. Do that, and they’ll be fine. (ed, 2014)
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