Defense a Liability once again for Liverpool

Liverpool vs Udinese Match Report

When Jose Mourinho first joined Chelsea in the summer of 2004, the self proclaimed “Special One” based his tactics on a rock solid defensive base. Rafa Benitez did the same when he joined Liverpool during the same year. Fabio Capello won the Liga based on defensive solidity as well. All three managers won titles within their first year at their respective clubs. 

Successful teams are built over a reliable defensive core with the clean sheet statistics a key indicator of how good the club’s season has been. This is simple mathematics really. If you can maintain a clean sheet and nick a single goal on the other end then congratulations, you win the game and three valuable points are secured. If you keep a clean sheet but couldn’t score against your opponent then tough luck but at least you have earned a draw and a single point to show for it. 

Now let’s look at more number from Mourinho’s first season at Chelsea (2004 – 2005): 

• Clean Sheets: 25
• Number of wins from games with Clean Sheets: 22
• Draws: 3
• Success Rate: 88%
• Number of “1-0” Wins: 11 

Mourinho’s Chelsea notched up 69 points from games where they didn’t concede. Chelsea also managed 39 points from games were they scored a single goal or less (11 Wins and 6 Draws). 

After Liverpool failed to replace Andy Carroll during the summer transfer window and with the club having just two senior strikers the clean sheet statistic became of high importance to the Reds as scoring goals might prove to be difficult while the players adapt to the Rodgers’ blueprint. 

Brendan’s team continues to play the kind of attractive pass-and-move football that is synonymous with the club’s identity but Brendan’s Reds are struggling to win games which they dominate. The root cause of the club’s demise so far this season is those two words again “Clean Sheets”. 

Let’s look at some stats here: 

• Number of Clean Sheets so far this Season (Premier League): 0
• Number of Clean Sheets so far this Season (Europa League): 1 
• Average number of Goals conceded (Premier League): 2 
• Average number of Goals conceded (Europa League): 1.1 

For a club that is thin with regards to the striking department, the Liverpool defense is not helping here at all. 

In the Premier League the club did not have the easiest of starts with Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal already visiting Anfield while the club also endured a tricky trip to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light but the still the evident lack of defensive solidity has to be considered very alarming. 

The Europa League encounter against a counter attacking team in Udinese was always going to present Rodgers’ Reds with a few challenges. 

Liverpool have conceded the majority of their goals after losing possession in the opposition half and that statistic would have brought a smile to Guidolin’s face. 

The game started with Liverpool dominating the first half but without creating enough goal mouth activity with Udinese attempting a few attacks of their own before Jonjo Shelvey deservedly put the Reds ahead after a one-two with Stuart Downing. Shelvey picked out Downing on the right wing before the England International whipped in a teasing cross which Shelvey headed into the net. 

Guidolin decided to change things at half time by introducing Andrea Lazzari. The substitution had an instant impact. Lazzari dispossessed Glen Johnson and instigated a quick move with Roberto Pereyra and Antonio Di Natalie which the 35 year old veteran finished by stroking the ball past Pepe Reina. 

Liverpool’s performance dropped after conceding that goal which Rodgers looked to rectify by bringing on Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard. The substitutions though, failed to inspire and a lack of concentration by the Reds aided the Italian side to score two goals in three minutes with Sebastian Coates (own goal) and Pasquale the culprits. 

Liverpool responded minutes later with Luis Suarez scoring a fierce free kick but despite a spirited finish the Reds could not muster the goal they needed to save the match. 

Liverpool’s 13 match unbeaten run came to an end as Brendan Rodgers suffered his third defeat at Anfield this season. 

The Liverpool boss gave a very honest assessment of his team’s performance after the game: 

"It was very frustrating," he said. "It was a game where we were much the better side but lost our concentration at the beginning of the second half. I thought we'd moved on from that, to be honest.” 

“We were so loose at the beginning of the second half it was frightening.” Rodgers continued. "Our concentration was very poor and before we knew it we were 3-1 down. I thought we were lazy. Lazy in our play, loose and sloppy. We didn't do what I call the dirty bit: we didn't track runners. ” 

Liverpool completed 691 passes compared to Udinese’s 173. The Reds enjoyed a 78% possession in the first half and 75% possession throughout the match but their defensive frailties rendered these statistics useless. 

“You can't keep having to score two, three and five goals to win games” a disappointed Rodgers admitted. “Defensively, as a group, we need to be better.” 

Brendan Rodgers is slowly but surely imprinting his squad with his preferred football philosophy which is based on patient build up play and dominating possession. The Liverpool manager must now dedicate to transitioning when the team loses the ball and overall defensive positioning. 

Everything is gloomy for Brendan’s men though! Luis Suarez is currently enjoying his most prolific period since joining the Reds scoring 5 goals in the last 4 games with Jonjo Shelvey and the impressive Jack Robinson also having solid games while Downing notched a rare assist in a Red shirt. 

Under Rodgers, Liverpool are ever improving but if the Reds fortunes are to turn over the course of the season then that all important clean sheet statistic must improve drastically.

Rodger’s Reds Up & running

Norwich City vs Liverpool Football Club Match Review

Brendan Rodgers must have thought the Premier League’s Fixture Computer has a personal grudge against him after handing Liverpool a series of tough fixtures within the first few weeks of the new season. Before the Norwich game, Liverpool played 5 games in the English Premiership including matches against defending champions Manchester City, top four mainstays Arsenal and arch rivals Manchester United. Baptism of fire for Rodgers indeed! 

It was the same kind of fixtures that ultimately had a huge impact on Roy Hodgson’s tenure as Reds’ boss with the current England manager failing to recover from the slow start his team endured. 

But there is a huge difference between Hodgson and Rodgers – the Northern Irishman has the full backing of the Anfield support and he uses the pass and move philosophy that has always defined this great club. 

Many would be disappointed with the results that Liverpool have accumulated so far – 2 points from a possible 15 prior to the Norwich game is very grim reading but upon taking a closer look we notice an ever improving side who are constantly learning the ways of their young philosopher. Liverpool have looked dominant so far this apart from two second half performances against West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal. 

Football is a results oriented business and the start the Reds had under Rodgers made the away game against Norwich a must-win game. 

While previous managers would have buckled under the pressure of a must-win fixture by relying on an older “secure” lineup, Rodgers stuck to his faith in the youth by handling 18 year old Suso his first premier league start on the right wing ahead of Stuart Downing while Andre Wisdom, 19 years, was handed his debut in the right back position. 

Liverpool once again lined up in a 4-3-3 formation based on keeping possession and looking for penetrative runs and passes when the opportunity rises. 

Rodgers’ Reds started brightly with the urgency of the occasion pumping through their veins and within 67 seconds Luis Suarez scored Liverpool’s opener after good work by Glen Johnson from the left back position presented Suarez with the opportunity to create space before rifling a shot into the lower left corner of John Ruddy’s goal. 

An early goal – exactly what Liverpool needed! 

The first half continued with Liverpool dominating possession as the midfielders in Red dictated the play with Sahin and Gerrard interchanging in the advanced midfield role while the immaculate Joe Allen protected the back four from his defensive midfield position. 

Nuri Sahin is proving to be a very astute signing for Brendan Rodgers. The Turkish international never seems to be in need to run or sprint; he strolls and jogs around the pitch but has the positional sense to be at the right place at exactly the right time assisting in defensive and attacking duties. 

Up front, Suso and Suarez showed good chemistry on many occasions with the tricky Spaniard cutting inside from the right wing to support Liverpool’s attack. Raheem Sterling continued his development with a mature performance on the left hand side. 

Glen Johnson continues to impress whether deployed on the left or right fullback position. With Andre Wisdom deputizing for the injured Martin Kelly at right back, Johnson put in another impressive shift bombing forward at every given opportunity. 

Suarez was beyond doubt the man of the occasion tormenting the Norwich defense throughout with Leon Barnett suffering from insomnia since Saturday afternoon. Barnett should have been penalized for an elbow on Suarez inside the Norwich penalty box which match referee Mike Jones deemed fair – adding fuel to the comments made by Rodgers regarding his team’s unfair treatment from Premier League referees this season. 

Suarez would then get the opportunity to double his team’s tally when he was left one-on-one against John Ruddy but the Uruguay striker miscued his shot wide. Liverpool’s number seven quickly recovered from that missed opportunity to dispossess Michael Turner and release a shot off the outside of his right foot which would find its way to Ruddy’s low left corner of the goal once again. 

Liverpool dominated the first half and for once this season they had the goals to show for it. 

Norwich manager Chris Hughton seemed to have pumped his players at half time with Norwich creating an excellent opportunity inside the first minute of the second half with Robert Snodgrass missing a glorious opportunity from two yards after some good work by Andrew Surman. 

Norwich continued to push forward early in the second half without creating significant danger to Reina’s goal. Liverpool on the other hand started to use the pace of their forwards and hit Norwich on the counter attack and it was through a counter attack lead by Raheem Sterling that Liverpool put the game beyond the Canaries. Sterling picked up the ball inside Liverpool’s half and ran 30 yards towards the Norwich penalty area before feeding Suarez who would dribble easily past the hapless Turner and pass the ball to onrushing Nuri Sahin to score his third goal in two games. 

Norwich 0 – 3 Liverpool! 

Rodgers could finally offer a smile during a Premier League game as the elusive three points seem finally secured. The Liverpool fans celebrated while the Carrow Road faithful were looking at the clock now hoping for the game to just finish. 

The horror show for Norwich fans was meant to continue with Luis Suarez scoring his second hat-trick in as many visits to Carrow Road. Suarez received the ball from Sahin outside the Norwich penalty area before firing a curler which dipped before settling in the bottom right corner of the Norwich net. The Uruguayan made that look too easy. 

The Liverpool manager described the striker’s performance as “master class”. “It was a special day for him and for the team” said Rodgers. 

But for all of Liverpool’s impressive performance, they encountered two familiar problems that have haunted them so far this season. The first being the inconsistent form of Pepe Reina, who after a solid first half performance which included two good saves, fumbled a direct shot from Russell Martin with Steve Morison scoring from the rebound. The second issue is Liverpool’s vulnerability on the counter attack after losing possession in advanced areas – this time Grant Holt took his chance to score Norwich’s second. 

In between the Norwich goals, Raheem Sterling, now operating on the right after the introduction of Oussama Assaidi, setup Steven Gerrard for his second goal in two Premier League matches after his shot deflected off Barnett and into the net. 

Liverpool fully deserved the three points after dominating possession throughout the contest with 69%. But, for the first time this season, the Reds have added two crucial elements for the Brendan Rodgers blue print namely Penetration and Clinical Finishing. The unpredictable movement of Liverpool’s front three assisted by the advancing Gerrard and Sahin proved too much for Norwich whose midfield was outnumbered and simply outclassed on several occasions. 

The Brendan Rodgers project at Liverpool is well underway then but is still a work in progress. With an average of 2 goals conceded per game, the Reds’ defense is leaving the attack with a lot to do to simply avoid defeat. Balance between attack and defense still seems to be elusive with Liverpool’s vulnerability once losing possession a culprit in most goals conceded so far this season. 

Brendan Rodgers would not worry about that over the next few days now that his first three points as Liverpool manager in the bag.