Man City Res 1 LIVERPOOL RES 0
Report by Dave Usher
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Half Time – 1-0
Venue – City of Manchester Stadium
Date - Tue 7 Oct 2008
Star Man – Jay Spearing
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Liverpool Reserves’ disappointing start to the season continued with a 1-0 defeat away at Manchester City on Tuesday night. Whereas the first team had managed to come back from two first half goals in the same stadium two days previously, Gary Ablett’s side never looked like recovering from Daniel Sturridge’s 13th minute strike. The defeat was Liverpool’s second in three games so far this campaign. They lost just one in the whole of last season.
Ablett named a strong looking side on paper, with David N’Gog up front with Dani Pacheco in what looked a potentially mouth watering combination. The duo had struggled in the previous game, a defeat at Sunderland, and they both found it hard going against City. N’Gog was replaced at half time, but with no striker on the bench Ablett had to send on Gerardo Bruna to partner Pacheco, in what is probably the most lightweight front two the club has fielded at any level, including under 10s!
Up front was where it mostly went wrong for the reds, but the midfield was lacking too. The central duo of Plessis and Spearing were the platform for many a victory last season, but it isn’t working right now as Plessis is basically playing as a third centre back and Spearing is being isolated too much in the middle of the park. He spent most of this game chasing shadows, as City’s midfield took advantage of the space afforded to them and simply passed their way around him.
I felt sorry for Jay, he put everything he had into this game and no doubt he was desperate to impress the watching Rafa Benitez. He was still our best player for me, but it was a difficult game for him and the rest of the side as City were much better and had by far the clearer cut opportunities.
N’Gog is struggling at the moment. As impressive as he was in pre-season, since the real stuff started he’s looked completely lost, whether it be in the first team or reserves. In some cases players look like they think they’re too good to be playing for the reserves (Insua and Plessis are both giving off this vibe for me at the moment), but I don’t think that’s the case with N’Gog as he is working hard and looks like he’s trying. It just isn’t happening for him, and the reserves are really missing Nemeth – and dare I say it, Brouwer.
For all his faults, there are two things that the Dutch forward brings to the side. Goals and a presence in the penalty area. He doesn’t run the channels much, but what he does is hang around the box and occupy defenders. When the ball comes into the box, he’s always sniffing around. I think we missed that against City, and also in the last game at Sunderland when he only appeared as a late substitute.
It’s not just up front that’s the problem though, there just seems to be something missing throughout the whole team at the moment. There are a few new lads settling in, and a few players who look either disinterested or dispirited. The crisp passing and movement that we saw so often last season is now conspicuous by its absence.
City started this game really well, and we struggled to deal with it. Martin Kelly had denied City with a fine block, and Gulacsi had already made one save before City went in front. We failed to deal with a set piece, and Ben Mee sent an overhead kick goalwards that was turned in from close range by Sturridge.
In truth, Liverpool never looked likely to get back on level terms, and only some good goalkeeping and last ditch defending kept the score so close.
Sturridge clipped the bar with a long range free-kick, and along with the impressive Weiss on the right wing, he was Liverpool’s tormentor in chief. Weiss gave Insua the run around, and looks a good player.
In response, Liverpool offered very little. Vincent Weijl was lively on the left, and beat the full back two or three times with some nice skill. He got a couple of good crosses into the box as well, but the lack of a penalty box forward in the side meant they went to waste.
Pacheco hit a free-kick just over the bar, but the only real opportunity came when Spearing’s well weighted through ball released N’Gog through the inside right channel, and his fiercely struck shot was inches wide. It was a glimpse of what he can do, but aside from that he struggled. The service to him wasn’t great, but his – and Pacheco’s - inability to hold the ball up and allow attacks to build meant that we kept conceding possession.
The second half wasn’t any better, and City almost doubled their lead within minutes through Sturridge. Somehow Darby got back and blocked the ball on the line, but the striker will feel he should have scored.
Bruna had been introduced at half time, but as has been the case virtually every time I’ve seen him play he struggled to get into the game. He isn’t a striker, but then he isn’t a winger or a centre midfielder either. He doesn’t have the pace or strength to play as a number 10, so I don’t actually know what he is. He’s got quick feet and a sweet left foot, and delivers a good dead ball, but Ablett has his work cut out trying to find a place in the side for him. Those ‘Real Madrid’s Lionel Messi’ reports have done the lad no favours.
With neither Bruna or Pacheco troubling the City defence, Ablett shuffled his pack again and introduced Francisco Duran for Medi Abalima, a triallist from Southend United who had started on the right wing. He didn’t get into the game at all, but with the whole team struggling it wasn’t an easy situation for him to shine.
Duran seemed to play centrally when he came on, with Spearing pushing forward and playing in an inside right position. The Spanish midfielder has had a terrible time with injuries and it’s great to see him back, but clearly it’s going to be a while before he is ready to be starting games. That’s a shame, as he looks like he has something to offer and the sooner he is up to speed with his fitness the better.
Plessis wasted Liverpool’s best opportunity of the half when he opted to shoot from 20 yards when he had Weijl in space alongside him. Other than that, all I can remember is a Duran volley that drifted wide and Pacheco putting a shot wide after a nice link up with Spearing, although I think the little Spaniard was flagged offside anyway.
City on the other hand could have had three or four. In addition to the shot Darby cleared off the line, Sturridge was denied twice in a minute by Gulacsi, and full back Shaleum Logan should have scored when played in by Sturridge but dragged his shot wide.
Star man was a choice out of Spearing, Darby, Kelly and Gulacsi. I went for Spearing because he put everything he had into this game, and even in stoppage time he was chasing City defenders into the corner and trying to win throw ins. If others had shown the same desire then maybe the performance wouldn’t have been so uninspiring.
There are a lot of players in Ablett’s squad, and it is going to be difficult keeping them all happy. Ablett has a delicate balancing act to perform. He needs to pick a settled side to try and get the lads back to the level of last season, but he has a squad of 28 players and all of them will have to be given some playing time. The return of Nemeth can't come soon enough either.
Team: Gulacsi; Darby, Kelly, San Jose, Insua; Abalima (Duran), Spearing, Plessis, Weijl; Pacheco, N’Gog (Bruna):
