Half Season Review

So we're halfway into the season, with King Kenny at the helm, and it goes so quickly. We've played some brilliant, fluid football during the correlation of the season. We've controlled every side we've played against so far, with exception to the Tottenham match.

Not only do we look to play brilliant attacking football - looking for goals, but we also have the second best defensive record in the league; mainly due to the brilliant partnership of Agger and Skrtel at the heart of our defence.

At the start of our season, Agger and Carragher were our first choice centre backs with Skrtel playing a bit part from the bench, or as a squad player, with Skrtel also playing at full back when we had a few injuries - playing much better there then I orginially expected him too, expect for the Tottenham game - where our defence had a rare shocker.

When Carragher got injured, it gave Skrtel and Agger a great opportunity to form a defensive partnership ship thats simply excelled so far. Carragher hasn't gotten a sniff of first team football, which is a credit to Skrtel and Agger for playing so well.

Down the other end of the pitch, in the attacking third, we're dominating possession, looking like the only capable of winning the match - but it's been our biggest and most frustrating problem this season, scoring goals regularly. Some games we create shed loads of chances, but we haven't been clinical enough, Blackburn, Stoke, United and it has been an important factor, in us dropping a lot of points this season, especially at home.

We haven't done ourselves any favours whatsoever: we've missed 3 out of 4 penalties this season, which you just cannot continue to do, messing up so many massive chances to score. If we had scored all those missed penalties, we would have been in 4th, 1 point clear and looking in great shape with Gerrard returning to the side; however we're not and we must improved our clinical finishing, and stop spewing so many chances where we can, and should score from.

We've had some degree of bad luck too, we've hit the post so many times that it's getting annoying, and some opposing keepers have produced brilliant saves, when we most needed one most, and deserved a goal - although some of those brilliant saves should have been goals if the shot or the header was better struck. Carroll's last minute volley against Blackburn as an example, it was a great and a world class save, but Andy should be connecting with the ball better, and if he had hit it properly, it'd have flown in the net without the keeper seeing it.

League goals scored this season:

Liverpool - 24 goals

Sides that have more goals:

Manchester City - 56
Manchester United - 49
Chelsea - 39
Arsenal - 39
Tottenham Hotspur - 36
Norwich - 30
Newcastle United - 29
Blackburn - 29
Sunderland - 27
Bolton - 25

10 sides in the premier league sides have more goals then us, just simply isn't acceptable and our lack of prolific finishing has meant we're much lower down the table, then our actual performances have actually merited. Although, i'm sure we'll sort ourselves out in the second half of the season, maybe some investment in January, and we'll push on and finish comfortably in the top 4.

Out of all those around 4th-6th, we're the only ones that have been genuinely unlucky and unfortunate; Arsenal and Chelsea have been poor, we've been brilliant, just lack that final finish. If, or when we find some decent finishing, either through transfers or strikers finding some form, and we'll spring up past them two quite easily.

The positives:

We've played as well as anyway else in the league, dominated every game bar one.

We've taken more points then we did last season, and we usually play much better in the second half of the season.

Having Gerrard back, and looking like the world-class footballer we know he is.

The team is heading in the right direction, with the fans, owners and manager all in unity.

We have a great fundamental backbone to our team, with a brilliant defence, a world-class keeper behind the sticks, and a great, deep squad at the back.

The negatives:

Our lack of prolific finishing has cost us a lot of points, and something that we'll defiantly improve on.

Losing Lucas is a huge blow, i thought he was one of our best players, and looking unplayable until he got injured, which is really upsetting and disappointing.

Losing Suarez to a 8, now 7 match ban is frustrating, we all know he's innocent, yet we can't do anything about it. He will be a huge loss this season.

The ref’s decisions have not been that great for us. I can remember many penalties that were certain penalties for us, only for the ref not to give us anything.


I will say, that our big, and most important problem to solve is very obvious to us, and Dalglish has mentioned in a lot of interviews. The lack of clinical finishing - we have a strong team, we play great football, defend brilliant, but once we know how to finish the move off and stick the ball into the net - everything will grow and we'll hit some confidence and play some brilliant football.

I think the players have a self-doubt and their ability to score. They look tense, and after time without scoring many, our players look like they genuine lack self belief that they're capable of scoring. Mental focus is very important in football - if you're focused and you just know the ball will go into the best of the net, you take more of your chances, and score more. If you're in self-doubt and you don't have full faith in yourself to score - you'll be more hesitant and just lack the required finish. I think most of our strikers are experiencing that this season, then that tension is spreading to the fans, which is making the atmosphere depressing quiet and mellow.

We’ve had a chance to look at the summer signings too:

Enrique - He's been brilliant this season. He has great defensively, i don't remember one player getting the better of him all season, in fact, i don't remember one player getting past him once with the ball, all season. He's one of the most consistent defenders i've ever seen, never makes a mistake, always times his tackles brilliantly, never gets run in behind and he deals with everything - like he could do it blind folded. That's also with having wingers in front of him who haven't been giving him much support, defensively, or offensively.

Only thing that he could improve on, is the quickness of his passing. He's a brilliant, and accurate passer, but he sometimes  holds onto the ball for too long. He needs to release the ball quicker. When he passes it slowly, it sometimes disturbs our attacks.

He's made strong runs past the winger to deliver a great cross into the box too - i particularly remember against Everton, he sprinted past their full back and delivered a perfect ball for Andy to volley home.

But he's been brilliant and i see him being our left back for a long, long time. Enrique has been a great buy, and defiantly the buy of the summer.

Coates - I haven't seen too much of him, because he hasn't played that often. He's a great youngster who performed very well with Uruguay. He had a great game against Chelsea, apart from that one clumsy tackle early on that should have been a penalty, but luckily was not given. He dominated that game, aerially was immense, on the feet he was very neat and he has all the natural ability to become a great defender. Still quite raw, but when polished out - he could be a world-class centre back. Although, i do think he needs to be a little more aggressive - show the attackers, you mean business but that'll come with time.

Adam - I've been very pleased with Charlie. His biggest strength in my opinion, is his commitment to the club - he isn't afraid of putting his body where it hurts and he never gives up, and is willing to do anything for the benefit of the team. Many games this season he had worked harder than any other player on the field - where many fans were questioning his fitness.

The criticism of Adam has been way over the top, and he really doesn't deserve for some section of fans blaming him for everything he does wrong, and the team does.

His set plays have been the main disappointment for me - while he was at Blackpool, he had a great delivery on him. I thought his set plays getting onto Andy's head which get us a lot of goals. But since he has joined us, his set plays have been below his, and our required quality but i think he will improve.

But with him, i do think a lot of people need to realise, he is a squad player. Due to circumstances with injuries which were impossible to predict, Gerrard's been out for nearly the entire season, and Lucas is now sadly out for the rest of the season, has meant that Adam's had to play a lot more games. As a squad player he's done everything that has been asked for him, plus more.

Henderson - I think Henderson will be a brilliant buy in the end, he has great talent, and will become a great player.

He started out playing on the right, where he was mainly ineffective, which hindered his performance. The right wing isn't his natural position, he hasn't got the acceleration, or the pace to hug the touchline efficiently. His final ball was wide is decent - but nothing more then that. When played on the right, he hardly stayed wide, he cut inside through the middle which left gabs down the right for our opponents to exploit.

When he started playing more as a central midfielder, due to injuries, to Lucas and Gerrard. He has looked a much more comfortable player. His skills and abilities were a lot more visible for us all to see and you can easily tell, he's got the talent to become a great player.

He has everything needed to become a world class attacking midfielder, he has a brilliant accurate pass on him, where he is able to judge the power perfect, his first time through pass to Downing, when we played City proved that. You won't find a better execution of pass all season. His strongest ability, is defiantly his movement, with and without the ball and his rare ability to find pockets of space.

The only thing stopping Henderson from showing us his true talent, is mentally. It's clear as daylight he has the ability to succeed - it's just that he's lacking that confidence to show it. Way too many times, he picks the ball in a safe position, and there's a perfect opportunity to pass forwards, which could create a chance, and possibly a goal, but e doesn't choose to play that pass. Instead, he chooses, to play a much simpler ball to the defence, which will let us retain possession, but won't create any goal scoring chances, which can be frustrating.

Downing - Disappointed to say the least, he's been our worst signing of the summer. I had great expectations of him, and i thought he'd do well here. I still think he can turn it around and become a revolution for us, but he needs to improve and quickly.

After a promising start, he's quickly had a bad run of form, and he's never recovered. He is able to put the odd decent ball into the box, but he's too predictable. When he his on the left, he just tries kicking it and running, but lacks the pace, and the strength and gets bullied out of possession, way too often. On the right wing, again he's too predictable - he always cuts inside, and the defender can read what will happen before the move had been played. He doesn't try to beat his man, and he has 0 goals and 0 assists in 21 games this season - not good enough.

Defensively, for me, my biggest worry with him. I understand players have poor form for periods of time, but as long as they try hard, they would earn some support. He's so lazy, and lethargic and he doesn't give the defender any support. He doesn't get his foot stuck in, and he pulls out of many 50/50 tackles.

His passing has been sloppy too, he loses possession way too often - and he's way to safe with his passing. Against City, he didn't complete one pass into the box.

He needs to improve, defensively with his work rate and he needs to get his foot stuck in. Offensively he needs to create more, look more of a threat and actually give Carroll a decent supply from wide.

Bellamy - He's been the player that has surprised me most, he's been terrific for us and makes such a difference to us when we play.

He's the reason why we beat Villa and Newcastle, and he always plays well when called on.

For all the things that have impressed me most about Bellamy, is not his performances, but his attitude and his hunger and determination to play. He gives 100% every game, and he works tirelessly. He knows his own limitations but when he does play - he looks very sharp, and fit.

His performances have been outstanding, when played on the left he's done more then i expected. He has a great ability to run at a defender, cut inside and be in space to pass, or deliver the ball into the box. He is a goal threat from wide - has the ability to cut inside, between the lines into the space, making dangerous runs into the box; but he also has the ability to stay wide, make half a yard of space, and deliver a nice consistent floated cross into the box which lets the attacks have a chance of heading the ball.

Sometimes his mouth gets him in trouble but that’s the Craig we all know and love, a person fully committed and keeps on fighting for the win and believing.

We're only 3 points off 4th. If we continue to play as we currently are, add that final touch of goals and i believe we can go on a great run in the second half of the season and push up the table. We've had a lot of bad luck, and I'm sure we'll get a few goals soon, and once the confidence comes back - we'll be playing football that is unstoppable.

Come on you reds, strong push in the second half. You've done brilliantly so far.