Yesterday was one of the best performances I have seen from a Liverpool team at Anfield in a long time. Well organised, everyone knew their role and, but for 1 or 2 mistakes which I am sure we will not see too often.
Must admit, before the game, I didn't know what to expect from the team. However, we got a great performance from every single player and that is all we ask for.
Reina looked comfortable, but for missing the ball for City's goal. Kelly played very well at right back. Coates and Skrtel had a good partnership going. I think it is the best I have seen Coates play.However, he still jumps in a bit at times, and it means he is easily beaten. Allen was immense, playing the easy passes and picking up loose balls, closing players down. If we can get 11 players playing like Allen, then we will make it very difficult for the opposition. Must admit, when I saw Lucas was being replaced by Shelvey, I felt very uneasy. However, Jonjo handled it expertly, giving very little away and standing his ground a bit better, as opposed to jumping recklessly in to tackles. Those who said Saurez had a bad game need to screw their heads back on. He was up against Vincent Kompany, for me the best defender in the league, and Kompany didn't know whether to get tight or drop off him. If he got tight, he would foul Luis. However, if he sat off him, Saurez could turn easily and bring others in to the game. Just shows how much Suarez is a handful for defenders. Borini did okay. It will take him a bit of time to get used to playing in England again but I like him a lot and feel he has a great partnership with Suarez. I still Saurez as a winger and not a striker, however.
Special mention for Raheem Sterling. I was delighted and pleasantly surprised to see him start the game. I even said that he wouldn't play the full 90, after playing 90 in Edinburgh on Thursday night. However, he caused mayhem at times in the City defense. He had a good partnership with Johno and tracked back when needed. He came inside and went wide and the City players could not handle him at times. One of the best things for me, however, was when he tackled Yaya Toure, a guy far heavier than Raheem. Yaya did not know how to handle him. Overall, I was made up for Raheem, especially as he formed such a good partnership with Luis.
If we play like this in every game, I will be happy. Yaya Toure said after the game, 'Hardest game I've played in since I've been in England." That is all I need to know. That means a lot coming from Toure. If we doi this every game, opposition will hate playing against us.
Have to say, however, I was a bit disappointed in Stevie G's performance, not for the first time in the last few games. I think he needs to learn that he isn't the player he was 3-4 years ago. He needs to adapt to his own body and understand that there are some things he can no longer do. I know that may seem like a harsh assessment but he did a few things yesterday that he can't continue to do in each game.
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