Liverpool 6 Derby 0 - Prem (Sep 1 2007)

[TLW]

LIVERPOOL 6 Derby 0

Report by Dave Usher at Anfield

Scorer(s) - Xabi Alonso (2), Fernando Torres (2), Ryan Babel, Andriy Voronin Half Time - 2-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Sat 1 September 2007 Star Man - Xabi Alonso

 

 

 

 

It had been coming for a long time, and it was hardly a surprise that sorry Derby were on the receiving end. We are perhaps the most wasteful team in the league in front of goal, but there will be days where we get it right and when we do someone will take a battering. Yesterday it was Derby’s turn, but they won’t be the last to suffer.

There’s been a change in Rafa Benitez’s approach this season, it’s as though he’s finally released the shackles and decided that shit teams need to be put to the sword, they don’t deserve the respect he’s often shown them. Witness the way he went to three men up front even though we were already four goals up. In the past, we’d go two goals up and settle for that. This time we went out to get more goals, and long may it continue.

It seems like I’m always whining about us not being clinical enough and wasting too many chances. Even the other night against Toulouse we missed a shedload of clear chances, but like I said to mates afterwards I don’t care how many we miss as long as we score four. Or six!

It would be churlish of me to complain about anything after this game, I’ll leave that to Rafa, as you know he’ll find something he wasn’t happy about just to keep people on their toes. I still feel we could have been more clinical in the first half, but ultimately it didn’t matter because the problem was more than rectified after the break when we ran riot.

There’s so many things I liked about this game, and a hell of a lot of things to be encouraged about. For one thing, we’ve scored twelve goals in three games without Steven Gerrard. We haven’t missed him, not one tiny bit. That’s not meant to be disparaging of the captain, it’s merely making the point that we have people to cover. Whatsmore, we have more than one player to bring in.

Last weekend Sissoko came in and was the matchwinner. This weekend Mascherano came in alongside Alonso, and it was a truly brilliant display from the pair.

On paper a partnership of Mascherano and Alonso is not the greatest attacking force in the world, as both like to play more of a holding role. Thing is, sometimes we tend to pigeon hole players and think they can only do the one job. Having Mascherano alongside him allowed Xabi to get forward and play higher up the pitch. He scored two, and should have had three. And Mascherano also has a lot more in his locker than what he’s shown us so far. I really think he’s capable of getting forward and being a creative force. Neither are as effective as Gerrard, obviously, but I like the look of them as a pair.

Mind you, Mascherano and Sissoko worked well together last weekend at Sunderland, and it seems that regardless of what combination we go for, there aren’t many teams in Europe that will be able to field a stronger central midfield than us (especially when you pick two from Gerrard, Mascherano and Alonso – sorry Momo!).

But then we knew that anyway didn’t we? The big question marks we have had hanging over us are up front and out wide. Those question marks are still there, it’s too early to say otherwise, but the doubts are being erased by the week now. Pennant was brilliant again, he’s growing in stature every week now and he absolutely terrorised Derby’s right back. He was moved to the left flank early in the first half, a move that I thought was more for Babel’s benefit than anything else, as he wasn’t getting into the game at all.

The Dutchman looks more at home on the right flank than the left, but on the evidence of this game Rafa may have stumbled upon something here. Pennant can play just as effectively on the left as he does on the right, and that is an interesting option for us to have. It probably won’t do his England chances any harm either, but that’s of no concern to me.

Virtually everything we created in the first half had Pennant at the heart of it. First he produced a lovely cross from the right to pick out Torres, but his header was saved by the Derby keeper. Then he twice picked out Kuyt with pinpoint deliveries, only for Dirk to wastefully put both efforts over the bar. He was also involved in the opening goal, as it was he who won the free kick that Alonso fooled the keeper with.

It was a fluke goal of course, but the delivery was excellent and although it’s easy to blame the keeper, I don’t think he could have done too much about it as he couldn’t commit himself to stopping the free-kick in case Kuyt got a touch. Had Bywater moved to collect the free-kick and Dirk got anything on it, it was a certain goal. That kind of situation is a nightmare for keepers, and plenty of goals seem to be scored like that these days.

The goal should have opened the floodgates, but we had to wait until just before half time for the second. It was a truly stunning goal, one I could watch over and over. The whole moved just reeked of awesomeness. Arbeloa made a run in behind their full back and was pointing to exactly where he wanted the ball played. Agger spotted the run, and slid the ball through inch perfectly into the Spaniard’s path. With plenty of players to look for in the middle, it would have been easy to play the wrong pass, but Arbeloa took his time and cut it back to Babel on the edge of the box.

The dummy that took two players out of the game was wonderful, but it was topped by the coolness he showed in giving the keeper the eyes before sweetly striking the ball into the other corner. It was just a truly fantastic goal all round.

Up to that point Babel had not done much, but after the goal he was a different player. I had never seen him play prior to joining us, and I haven’t really been sure what to make of him. To me he looks a bit clumsy on the ball and always seems like he could stand on the ball and fall over at any time. I did wonder if it was just his style, and that maybe he’s one of those deceptive players who’s a lot better than he actually appears. You know the type, players with an ‘awkward’ style.

After watching him against Derby, it’s obvious that this is indeed the case. He’s very raw, but he did some things that were breathtaking, not least the goal. I’m happy now that he is in actually control of what he is doing, even if it doesn’t always look like. The other night he showed some nifty footwork to play in Kuyt, but even then I was wondering if maybe he’d just gotten lucky. The more I see him, the more reassured I am that he just has a bit of an unusual style. He came alive after his goal and was direct and dangerous. Derby really were the perfect opposition to make an impression against, and to be fair every player in our side did that.

The second half was an absolute demolition job. Derby were lucky to only concede six in the end. Alonso should have made it three nil just after the break after a superb flowing move started by the outstanding Arbeloa. Torres then fed Kuyt who rolled it to Xabi, but somehow he put it over the bar when it was easier to score. The key point here though, was that Alonso was forward in open play, and was shooting from the edge of the six yard box. How often have we seen that before? Like I said, he and Mascherano actually pose a lot more attacking threat than they often show. They just need to be allowed off the leash now and again!

The third goal was always coming, and it was Mascherano’s presence up the field that created the opening for Torres. Not that the little Argie maestro was charging forward with the ball, he was doing what he does better than anyone (with the possible exception of Sissoko), closing people down and snapping at their heels. He just doesn’t give anyone a second on the ball, he’s awesome and must be a nightmare to play against.

Derby’s holding midfielder (don’t know who he was) didn’t realise that the Chief was bearing down on him and he allowed himself to be caught in possession. The ball was fed into the path of Torres, and he did the rest, driving through the heart of Derby’s defence before finishing with aplomb into the bottom corner. He made it look easy, when it really wasn’t that clear of a chance when he first picked the ball up.

With the game in the bag, Rafa decided to get his subs on. One of the most exciting aspects of what’s going on at the moment is that we have so many players desperate to play, that when we bring subs on you can see how keen they are to make an impression and catch the manager’s eye.

First, Benayoun came on for Pennant who was given a rapturous reception when he left the field. It’s great to see the way he’s won the fans over after a poor start. It was around this time last year the crowd cheered him off the field in very different circumstances against Portsmouth, but he’s turned it round and credit to him. Like I keep saying, I really, really enjoy watching him play these days, he’s a class act.

Benayoun is a player with a point to prove as well, as he wants playing time but he’ll have to perform to a very high standard to get it. That’s one of the reasons we’re looking so good at the moment. Players want to play, but they are in competition with other good players. Benayoun was very good against Toulouse, and some will have felt he did enough to deserve a start against Derby. But Pennant started the game, and raised the bar again. If Yossi is going to oust Jermaine from the side, he’ll need to raise his game even further, and that can only be good for assssss, no?

It’s the same all over the park. Riise looks to have fallen behind Arbeloa in the pecking order, and on current form you can’t argue. Arbeloa started his career at Anfield very promisingly, then he had a few ropey games towards the end of the season and it was all threatening to go a bit ‘Josemi’. He’s started this season in brilliant form though, and looks a real find. £2m for the Arbeloa we’re seeing at the moment is threatening to be the steal of the decade. He needs to keep it up though as it’s still early days.

Benayoun was involved in the fourth goal, although crediting him with an assist would be stretching things a little. Babel played a one two with Mascherano and surged into the box before cutting the ball back. Yossi was shaping to shoot when he was almost cut in two by a powerful challenge by McEveley, and with some of the crowd hopefully appealing for what would have been an incredibly harsh penalty, Alonso latched onto the loose ball and caressed it into the bottom corner for his second goal of the game.

The strength of the squad and the hunger of the substitutes was further in evidence when
Voronin replaced Babel. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person in the stadium that KNEW Voronin would score when he came on. As long as he had at least twenty minutes, I had no doubt he’d get one. He must have been looking at that Derby backline from the subs bench, itching to get on. His goal was a tap in, but credit to him for getting in there, and again it was good build up play that created the opening. Kuyt and Torres combining well before Bywater could only parry Dirk’s crosshot into the path of the Ukranian with the second coolest hair at the club (incidentally, Leto walked past me in the main stand before the game, and we shared a mutual nod of respect that you only get between people with good hair).

Three goals already for Voronin now, which is a dream start for a player I’ll admit I expected very little from. Good on him, I’m delighted he’s proving doubters like myself wrong. He kept Crouch out of the 16, which will no doubt fuel the rumours that the big man is being pushed out. Thing is, like I said in the Toulouse game, Crouch had the chance to impress Benitez but I don’t think he took it. He didn’t do enough to force himself ahead of Voronin, never mind Kuyt.

Crouch will have to do more because the competition is so fierce. Once again, that can only be good for the club. The competition for places up front hasn’t been this intense since the treble season when we had Owen, Fowler, Heskey and Litmanen battling it out.

Torres of course is the number one striker, and the other three are basically fighting it out to partner him. The £20m man had missed a great chance to grab a second goal when he put the rebound wide after Babel had almost decapitated a defender with a trademark piledriver. Derby’s generosity ensured Fernando wouldn’t have to wait too long to double his afternoon’s tally, as Andy Todd’s shockingly underhit backpass allowed him to take the ball around Bywater and roll it into the empty net in front of the Kop.

6-0, and still time to add to it. Derby went into damage limitation mode, introducing extra defenders such as the giant Darren Moore and just trying to avoid letting in ten. Having said that, they should have pulled a goal back themselves, only for Fagan to horribly miss his kick from close range when he only had Reina to beat. Fagan had been a right snide all game, complaining to the referee and mouthing off at Arbeloa before committing a disgraceful stamp on the reds full back that went unpunished.

Derby simply couldn’t cope, they were outplayed in every department and looked a very, very poor side. Even so, I’m not buying into this ‘well it was only Derby’ stuff. Yeah, they were shite, but so are plenty of other sides we’ve faced and not put six past. People say Sunderland are shit, but look at how the mancs struggled to beat them. We have a habit of making teams look bad, because we are very difficult to play against.

It’s a skill we’ve had for some time, but now we have added an extra attacking threat to our play which means not only can we make teams look bad, we can make ourselves look good too. Torres is a big part of that, largely because you can see teams don’t want to play against him.

Hansen’s assessment of Torres on MOTD was very interesting I thought. Jocky made the point that Torres plays through the centre all the time, he doesn’t go out wide too much, he likes to stay in between the two centre backs and play in areas where he can hurt them. He backed it up with plenty of examples and it was very informative.

Torres works hard, and when you combine that with the phenomenal work ethic of Kuyt, defenders know they aren’t going to have a minutes peace. In fact, throughout our team we have an incredible work rate. We press the ball and don’t allow teams to play, and no-one is going to look forward to playing against us. We’re not exactly Rafa’s old Valencia ‘crushing machine’ yet, but we’re getting there.

Star man could have been anyone from about six. Arbeloa was terrific, Torres was a real handful, Mascherano is just phenomenal, Pennant was electric, Babel was exciting, but I’m going for Alonso. He just had an all round great game.

On a final note, Derby's fans were miles better than their team. The away end was packed, and they kept singing all game regardless of how many goals they let in. The 'bring on United' chant was funny, although I'm not sure what the 'six nil and you still don't sing' was all about, considering the Kop were singing for most of the game. Still, maybe they couldn't hear it from the away end, as it wasn't exactly enough to lift the roof off Anfield. Better than most of these kind of games though.

One more thing, I've got a seriously irrational hatred of Billy Davies. I really, really can't stand him but have no real idea why. I hate his stupid little face and his stupid little voice, but it really shouldn't be enough to evoke such strong negative feelings towards him. He's not up there with Moyes, Ferguson or the Translator, obviously, but I really do hate the guy, which is weird. It's not a new phenemona either, I hated him last season even when they weren't in the Premiership. Strange one this, maybe I've just forgotten why I hate him, or maybe it's just completely irrational, like the hatred I feel for that Jon Dahl Tommasson twat. The pob looking bastard.

Team: Reina; Finnan, Hyypia, Agger, Arbeloa; Pennant (Benayoun), Alonso, Mascherano (Sissoko), Babel (Voronin); Kuyt, Torres: