So frustrated after yesterdays game because we had them, we really had them!
After admittedly being a bit miffed if not surprised at the dropping of Babel and Aqualani who even if he has had another virus was still sat on the bench so in my mind was fit to play I did still harbour optimism that we could again turn over the Red nosed one and his band of Orcs (you want to see Rooney in HD Im sorry I got it now!)
I thought we pinged it about quite well and even got a good early goal to build on but to then go on and shoot ourselves in the foot was frustrating beyond words, was it just me who screamed at the telly for Masch to leave him, leave him! As Billy Elliot sorry Valencia pranced in to the box to complete his mission, Carra giving Masch a dressing down for the offence said it all even if in his defence he was only trying to give him a Chinese burn.
After drawing level I still think we bossed the first half with the Mancs chances mainly coming about due to our own daft mistakes but the worrying lack of shots on target did say to me we did tend to deliver good work from the defence to the middle of the park as anything forward just seemed to fizzle out.
Second half is my main gripe, no ambition, no desire and frankly no idea as it became abundantly clear Rafa had employed his lets hold onto what we have and maybe we will grab a winner tactics. These tactics can be useful yes but surely not when your opponents are running round without any creativity of their own, they where there to be shot at and we let them off the hook, just look at the closing minutes when we had a go at them and they went into panic mode I just feel a lot more could have been done to force on to a victory.
Reina was superb again and frankly never put a hand wrong, Insua’s inclusion did worry me from the start after his exploits against Wigan the other week and I think the Red nosed one did what we all dreaded and exposed the shaky youngster to a pacy winger but frankly the lack of support he got from Maxi was shocking considering that is why he dropped Babel in the first place.
Who the hell was that at right back? ‘Hello my names Glen and ive got Dementia!’ Johnson looked like he had never played a game in his life and as for physical challenges he pulled out more than a fella using the rhythm method! I do hope it was a case of him finding his way back and not the threat of losing a trip to South Africa through injury that was affecting him. Agger seemed to forget how to defend and instead just copied everything Carra did, even to the extent of pumping the ball to Torres when he had three players wrapped around him.
Midfield was none existent second half as our wingers seemed to get lonely and come into the middle again and so get in the way of the under performing Lucas (no not him I hear you cry) and Masch. Torres was an angry man on a mission and scored a goal that quite honestly if Rooney had got it Andy Gray would have proposed to him and eloped with the potato headed one, granted Nando got more frustrated but I put that down to the shenanigans going on behind him.
And so to the part I didn’t want to get to Steven Gerrard, where was he? Stevie hasn’t had many good games against the big clubs but this season more worryingly he is now producing that sort of non descript performance against lower ones as well, I know we have high standards because of all he has done in the past but I cant help wondering is it now time for him to move on for the best interests of the club and of course his own. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say ‘I have done all I can, its now time to do something for me’ yes it would hurt to see him have success somewhere else but the staleness of his game just leads me to believe he just isn’t enjoying playing for us anymore, then again who is at the moment?
Its not a knee jerk reaction its an honest unbiased red glasses off assessment of a player who is already a legend at Anfield, if his form is down to something or somebody else then I hope he can pick it up and regain some of his truly outstanding play because he just doesn’t look happy no matter how harsh you may feel I am being.
On the whole I thought we played okay yesterday but what really disappoints is the fact that just playing okay was nearly enough to beat a team fighting for the title.
Is Fergie Morphing into a reincarnation of WC Fields?