The Soccer Blog: Liverpool 2, Blackburn 1: Better As a Relative Concept

Monday 25 October 2010

Liverpool 2, Blackburn 1: Better As a Relative Concept

By: Ed | October 24th, 2010
goalliv

Liverpool get past Blackburn 2-1 at Anfield for their second league win.

Since it apparently became a thing after Thursday’s scintillating 0-0 draw at Napoli, let me anticipate the “I told you so’s” and “UR NOT A REAL SUPPORTER TWAT” comments—today was absolutely a better performance on the whole than matches gone by. It was better than the “best performance of the season” at Goodison, better than the only other win in league against West Brom, and even better than that famous European result midweek in Naples.

It’s also a damned clear example that we’re operating on some basement-level standards. In seasons past, a 2-1 result with a nervy final 30 minutes would have been nigh on failure. Yes, I know, Rafa burned the place down and pissed on the ashes before he left, and it’s so noble of Roy to step in and try really hard like he’s done. But to start to argue that today somehow indicates a revolution might be a bit premature—it feels good, yes, but it’s still largely down to the fact that Liverpool have been atrocious. Sad to say, today was the anomaly.

To avoid all doom and gloom, though, I will say that it was something slightly different in a good way. We saw more pressure and activity from Liverpool today, and much of it was down to a more confident display in the midfield. To a man, Liverpool’s midfield seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Maxi put in his shift of the season, Raul Meireles and Lucas were the partnership we’d hoped for, and Joe Cole gave indications that he’s capable of shaking off his early season dip in form. And while he’s been one of the better performers this season, Steven Gerrard was among the best on the pitch today and responsible for driving the team forward. The goal for Fernando Torres was a welcomed site, and his increasing influence was no doubt buoyed by the increase in pressure and service from the midfield.

I’m not anywhere near backing off the “Roy Hodgson Out” campaign—it’s going to take much more than a win at Anfield against lower-table opposition that catapults Liverpool to 18th to convince me that he’s got a clue. There’s still plenty of problems left to solve, and, as I mentioned, so far today’s the anomaly. Once we see Liverpool put together confident, positive displays on consecutive occasions, I’ll flirt with the idea of maybe starting to think about pondering the concept that Roy Hodgson isn’t a complete abomination. But don’t worry, I’m still supporting my club.

I’m going to catch the replay on Fox Soccer Channel this evening and will have more thoughts later. Until then, share your infinite wisdom below while you get reacquainted with Liverpool winning a league match.

Some Related Liverpool Posts:Matchday: Liverpool v. BlackburnMatch Preview: Liverpool v. Blackburn, 10.24.10UPDATED—Everton 2, Liverpool 0: Why Yes, It Can Get WorseUPDATED–Manchester United 3, Liverpool 2: Not Quite Enough**UPDATED** Liverpool 1, Arsenal 1: So, So Close

Category: Match Recaps, Miscellaneous, Premier League

Tags: Match Recaps, Miscellaneous, Premier League
« Matchday: Liverpool v. Blackburn | Home | Hopes and Unanswered Questions »Naveenam an arsenal fan but boy was i happy to see u guys beat blackburn...
have got a few mates who are proud liverpool fans as is my own brother :-)
get a few more wins and u guys would be up there just where belong

p.s--> counting on u guys to take a few points off the spuds,manure,the chavs and shitty lol...cheers matesmightyredsi thought maxi had his best game since hes joined the club, he provided width , invention and real attacking threat down the flank. I just hope he maintains that level of consistency. likewise cole on the left, done well for the team.

I hope gerrard stays in his role as cam. and meireles plays that alonso role. he looks like a great player when hes deeper and dictating play. lucas was also great, and showing more consistency. However kyrgiakos was amazing- deserves so much more credit than he gets. excellent both as an attacking threat and also in defence.

great victory, in style, and showed real attacking threat. however lets not get too excited, we just need to keep this consistency now. If we play like today against chelsea, we all having something to look foward to.steven.spot on .. Maxi put in arguably his best performance in a Red shirt today .. he's technically gifted, no doubt about that .. not sure if he has the chops to replace Kuyt when he comes back but if the trend continues we won't miss the Dutchman as much as expected ..JoelOur line up next week really should be:

Pepe
Johnson Soto Agger Aurelio
Lucas Meireles
Maxi Gerrard Cole
Torres

Bench: Jones, Carra, Konchesky, Poulsen, Shelvey, Pacheco, Ngog

The key for me moving forward is that Carra needs to not be at CB. His reading of the game has been equaled at least in the last few games by Skrtel and Soto. Since this is really the only reason he should be included (slower than everyone else, horrendous in the air, offers nothing going forward or on corners), he should be on the bench.

As we saw today, the higher the line plays, the better as it allows the midfield to be more aggressive in pressing, which caused a number of turnovers and bad passes. We simply don't have the players for a 442 or to defend deep. If Roy can't see this and goes back to how we played the last few weeks, then he should be fired ASAP.

Something clearly has changed, as the Roy of two weeks ago would never have said "We made it clear to everyone: this is our game, we're going to take it to you, we're going to make certain we put you under pressure, we're going to be quick to pressurise when we lose the ball.", as he did during the post-match today. Sounds to me as if the rumors of a show-down meeting with players was true. Or Sammy Lee. Someone must have slapped some sense into Roy recently.NoelIt's a bit of a fight not to get carried away with this result and the whole two thirds of the match looking like a decent side thing. You want to hope that this is what it looks like in two weeks against Chelsea, but today was so much the exception rather than the rule--even including the draw in Napoli--that you have to remind yourself what the position in the league is and look at how the opponent played. But hey, maybe a bit of confidence, and maybe giving Roy a display of what happens when you're on the front foot... or something.

Barring a complete disaster against Bolton, I'm guessing this buys Hodgson until Chelsea. Unless the wheels are already in motion and NESV has been settling on a candidate since before they took over, in which case it's down to whenever they can get the backroom staff finalised and likely has little to do with anything on the pitch.GrubbI'm hearing some rumblings that the players requested a meeting with Roy and suggested the tactics? Could be a devious whisper from those (like me) who want Roy gone, but still I'm curious to see if anything more comes to light.

At least Roy's comments and attitude were right today, the stuff about pressurizing the ball was a welcome relief. It'll be interesting to see what the verdict is after our game at Bolton. Roy's away record really sucks, will be fascinating to see his tactics there.

I have a bittersweet feeling that a win might only have prolonged the inevitable. Somehow the goalposts have been moved from last season - 2 wins from 9 games an Roy's job is safe? I certainly don't understand it.

Anyway, despite the improvement and the potential for Roy to be an ok manager, I wonder if I'll ever truly support him after his abysmal start and horrendous attitude. I certainly won't be able to shake the feeling that there's a better manager out there (or quite a few in fact).GalahadThreepwoodIf Roy changes his stripes & is able to hold onto Torres, Reina, and Agger long-term, I'll back him. Not otherwise. Pellegrini would still be better.Red2deathI think the issues are intrinsically linked - if a more respectable manager comes in, Torres, Reina and Agger will be more inclined to stay long-term. These guys love Liverpool, but they need to see the club going somewhere, and persisting with a manager like Roy will give them no confidence in LFC's ambition.JoelPelligrini would still be better no matter what- Roy has no clue on how to bring through younger players or conduct himself in interviews.DavidAll I can do is really echo some of the comments here. Maxi, Soto, Lucas, Cole, Torres all looked much improved. As bad as this season has been, without our Captain it would be much worse and Stevie G. was again a rock. Perhaps the positives in this performance are mostly down to Fat Sam's negative tactics but relying solely on that conclusion is utterly over simplistic.

While I agree that Roy needs to go, at least today shows he is willing to fight for his place. Well at least up until bringing Ngog on for Cole and reverting to being Fat Sam's tactical peer.

As has been said, the true test is how we line up and play away from Anfield.dominjonLiverpool looked great today, but Blackburn were shaky because of defensive changes, and most importantly put close to no pressure on Liverpool's midfielders. With time on the ball Maxi looked a totally new player. Lucas was able to find team mates with passes. Cole was able to show some skill. All great stuff, but what happens when Bolton at home simply apply some pressure and don't allow them any time? I have a horrible feeling we will scrape a draw and Roy will be beaming at getting such a good result at such a difficult place.CSDI think as long as we stay out of the relegation zone, Roy will have until December. Not quite there yet though.steven.ROY FOR PRESIDENT. END OF!!!!!1!!1!eleven!!!! etc. etc. etc.

if he can do that against Chelsea, i may reconsider my current mindset .. for now, i'll just enjoy the 3 points ..GrubbNot wanting to be a downer but I'm wanting an extended string of results and an obvious shift of tactics beyond todays match before I consider changing my opinion on Roy.

If we put on a display like that last 20 minutes against a decent team we'd have lost the match IMO. Still I hope it was nerves and that's all.

Great to see Lucas get some cred, he really is a decent player. I keep on comparing him like-for-like to Anderson, Denilson and Ramires (his contemporaries in the other big sides) and I think he stacks up well in that company.KatieWatching Liverpool "catapult" to 18th place was dizzying, to be sure. I actually forgot what it was like to cheer when watching a Liverpool game, though, so that was good.

But like you said, Ed, I am still entirely unconvinced by Roy. He isn't the man for the job, and bringing us up one spot from 19th to 18th certainly isn't cause for planning his parade route through Merseyside.GrubbNot being obtuse at all, but nice pumpkin! You did the Liverbird well proud.

Makes me want a tattoo actually!KatieThank you! I knew that there was only one thing that would be worthy of the giant pumpkin I bought, and it was a tribute to Liverpool.RedLiverBirdFCI wish Meireles plays more in place of Poulsen. I also wish Jovanovich gets a look in, and Babel. I find myself continuously hoping that Lucas get a more attacking role because he certainly has a spark in him that would allow Gerrard to break free.

I am quite happy about the win but really, theres more work to be done. I will start believing again only if we beat Chelsea 1-0 or 2-0 in 2 weeks time.LFC4LIFEi agree that it is Sammy Lee's tactics which worked.if you watch the celebrations of the two goals Liverpool scored closely,Sammy was the most enthusiastic and jumping all over.Roy though might still have to go.i hope before January so the 'new better manager' can spend the money more wiselyTawfiqEd yes indeed no backing off the Roy campaign as still im not convinced about his abilities to put us in a champions league position :(
However Maxi was great, Soto as ever is awesome, Stevie he is a true leader, and last but not least Nando scored.. Yeppyyyy.. :D
Im still worried about Bolton Wanderers game though.. They are not Rovers and they will cause a lot of trouble for the defence.. Its a must win in any case and a draw wont be good enough in any way..
Arsenal just beat 10 man Mancity 3 nil! I wonder what will happen when we face Chelsea!!
A nice thing to watch Ed is the beginning of the game when YNWA is being sung live, Martin Chelski Broughton and Tom Werner are singing along!! It meant a lot to me and I hope NESV works in that mentality and make sure we are up in the table were we belong..
Im still worried and the road is still hard and long and I dont like what Roy is doing.. The momentum is good to keep but the last 30 minutes were nervy and still he needs to look at his midfield to attack problems as well as midfield to defence..
Galahad please bombard John W again, we need all the 3 points from all the coming matches and its a serious matter which is far important than Roy and his contract!!
Still Roy needs an anti dandruff shampoo and maybe five him a lighter color blazer so it wont show!!
Cheers
T
ChamberlainHe's still not clever enough to manage at LFC.Kenet_550111Liverpool performance more down to Sam's Blackburn atrocious tactic which ironically mirrors Liverpool past games. Owen's Bolton will paint truer picture or team that like to press and attack eg. WBA, Sunderland, Blackpool, etc. Btw a win is a win, though still bottom three. His sub today was poor, revert to same old Roy tactic, Raul on the right, allowed Blackburn to play balls last 20 min or so. I am still not convinced of Roy and still want him out asap. Just hope Roy would not change too much to the team and leave a better league position for the next manager.Jdavid61I agree with you 100%. It seems as though Big Sam does not have a DVD player, as he did not see what Blackpool and Northampton did to us.

I hope that this is not a false dawn, but Roy has been surprising in how bad he is at re-assuring us that he knows what is going on.blog comments powered by Disqus

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Monday 25 October 2010

Liverpool 2, Blackburn 1: Better As a Relative Concept

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