NEIL ATKINSON was joined by John Gibbons, James McKenna and Mike Girling in the wake of Liverpool Football Club’s goalless draw at Tottenham Hotspur.
A decent point and something to build on or did a clean sheet paper over the cracks a little?
Can Liverpool maintain the increased workload week in, week out?
All this and more, it’s The Anfield Wrap.
I’ve been banging the James Milner Right Midfielder drum but if he’s going to be tucked in to that extent I’d have preferred Allen in hindsight because he’s more of a central midfielder and he’s got the touch for keeping it in tight spaces. Said it before Lallana’s performance but him and Allen are fine squad players and will suit Klopp’s footy much more than what their critics might expect. I’d say that’s the first time Can’s looked a midfielder since his deflected goal against Chelsea. Looked a completely different player from the one who played like an idiot in the derby.
Agree Coutinho just couldn’t get into it. He’s mirrored our season really because he had loads of influence in the first three games where we make a positive start then very little since. It’s not surprising results dry up when your talisman hits a ropey run of form. If he’s playing well and pulls out something special whether it’s a goal or a great assist then a lot of the poor draws recently turn into wins. That’s the difference between your best player being really good with bags of potential (speaking of which, I’ve seen Sterling has gotten clinical in front of goal ffs) and your best player being like, Suarez or peak Gerrard level. Even one of the three injured strikers are the difference in that game. I know Origi’s only 20 and looked decent but that’s got to go in during our good spell. You’re practically on the line; as long as you’re not handballing it just smother it in mate.
Rationally, I can see where John’s coming from with his defence of Skrtel and I know I’m gonna sound like a tit here but I’m almost at the point where I never want to see him play a game of significance for us again. He’s the opposite of whatever a reliable, calming influence of a center half should look like. I’m just about over the way he was shaping up for United’s third last month but generally speaking he has me on edge just watching so what he must be doing to Sakho, Clyne, et al doesn’t bear thinking about. He had defensive midfielders in front of him the other day and he was still getting sucked in and turned round when there was little need for it.
Seem to remember seeing somewhere that Coutinho was still rusty after recovering from injury that kept him out of Brazil but didn’t see much talk of it