Liverpool 2 West Brom 1 - "Three thoughts" by Paul Natton

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The Reds got back on track with a hard fought and much needed three points against in form West Brom on Saturday. Goals from Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson - both outstanding on the day - either side of a Saido Berahino penalty were enough to move the Redmen up to 6th in the table and ensure they went into the international break on an upbeat note. Here's Paul Natton with three thoughts from the game...

1. Three points are a big relief

 

We actually played some half decent stuff today, but the scars of our early season poor form and attendant results were there for all to see in various moments of the game. Brendan re-jigged the shape again and played with Jordan Henderson further forward than Gerrard and Coutinho. In terms of his involvement in the key moments in the game, that was certainly an effective move as he scored the winner having (I think - I still haven't seen any of the match again on a screen) also played Adam Lallana back in for his superb opener.

 

We started reasonably well and with a better tempo but there were signs of eroded confidence all over the pitch and they soon turned to a generally prosaic and increasingly tense first half until Lallana gave us something to smile about with his class in working the opportunity for a quality finish to take us in a goal up at half time. The second half then showed signs of improved belief until the horror show for their equaliser. It was apparently not a penalty, but Lovren had a 'mare throughout and was very much at fault for the foul that resulted in a spot kick to West Brom.

 

The most encouraging thing today was the reaction to the equaliser as the players and Rodgers went for the win. Yes there were some more wobbles but we held out for all three points and who can bemoan that in the context of our awful start? To be able to go into the international break on a relative high cannot be sniffed at and the hope now has to be that the next fortnight will allow us to push the likes of Can, Allen and especially Sturridge closer to fitness, as well as do some tactical work with those players who remain behind at Melwood.

 

2. That shirt still weighs a ton for some players

 

The signs of pressure have been all too apparent in many of the new players during this campaign (yes, Lazar Markovic, I'm looking at you) and today was no exception with the most obvious example on today's evidence being Dejan Lovren. He is a player I am desperate to like as he was sold to the fans as the answer to all our defensive woes. And to be fair to Rodgers, in the bits and pieces I saw of him for Southampton last season he really looked the part: commanding on the floor and in the air, good with both feet and a genuine communicator. However, since joining us, he looks a pale shadow of the player we were hoping for.

 

Today we saw the very worst of what he's offered up thus far as his reckless tackling led to the penalty and the rest of his game very much creaking too. The starting point for where things are going wrong is in his positioning and two moments encapsulated that for me today. Firstly, when defending a cross at the Kop end in the first half, he got too close to Skrtel and was then caught out when the ball which would have been his if he'd been in the right place went over his head. Luckily Berahino headed over and it came to nothing, but his decision to close in on his partner was odd and dangerous.

 

Conversely, in the second half he was forced into a recovery tackle on the edge of his own box because he remained rooted to the spot when Moreno and Lallana moved out wide to defend against West Brom possession. Had he shuttled across another five yards in their wake, he'd have been perfectly positioned to intercept the ball that was subsequently played into the danger zone rather than risk bringing an opponent down in the area.

 

I look at him and still see all the elements of a top player but it's his decision making that lets him down. He looks like being talked up as the main man has him worrying too much about getting things right and so he alternates between being indecisive with nerves and then being overly decisive to the point of rashness by way of compensation. It's easy to forget that he's still a young player and inexperienced for a centre half and so we need to resist the urge to castigate, but I have to say that I was both alarmed and angered by him today.

 

Lovren's not the only one though: poor old Ricky Lambert looks similarly overawed. The Scouser is desperate to get off the mark and, unlike his former Saints team-mate, is doing most things right in terms of his decision making with good runs and positioning both evident today. Where things have fallen down for him though are in his final ball with it often going ever so slightly awry. What Lambert needs a complete fluke that goes in off his shin to settle his nerves and then I think we'll see that he can be a valuable option for us.

 

3. There were some real positives beyond the result though

 

Adam Lallana is quite obviously a Liverpool player. Since coming into the team a couple of weeks ago, the signs of progression have been apparent on a match by match basis as his fitness has returned and today represented a zenith for him as he was involved in almost everything that was good in our play. First, of course, he understands the minimum requirement of any player is to work his socks off and he exemplified that with his high energy pressing and harrying of West Brom throughout.

 

However, he was about much more than mere graft today, presenting himself as a man of flair and intelligence who is equally fleet of both foot and brain. The goal he scored was almost entirely all of his own making and it was a far from isolated moment in his performance as he frequently left opponents standing with a quick change of feet, a deft pass or a surge of pace. As the game drew to a close and Gerrard was moved higher up the pitch to try and ensure we kept West Brom tied up at the back, the ease with which Lallana (and, to be fair, Balotelli) matched Stevie's level of thought and execution was highly pleasing.

 

Jordan Henderson was similarly all graft and class and, as I said, Balotelli looked much better with clever, classy players all around him for the last twenty minutes or so. Raheem Sterling looked understandably tired in the second half but the mark of the man was in his continued application and he was still able to trouble the Baggies by running at them from the right, deep into injury time. The lad needs a rest but the point is that at 19 there are no indications of him being a prima donna or Billy Big Biscuits; his attitude is everything you'd want it to be and, despite his greedy agents playing undignified media games on his behalf, I'd give him his new deal now because he's very much worth it.

 

Perhaps the most perplexing positive of the match though came in the glimpses of class and composure that Glen Johnson delivered in his late cameo at right back. However, in light of the impending end of his Liverpool pay packet, maybe it's not so surprising after all. Still, his availability cannot be anything other than a good option for Brendan right now.

 

Overall then, I feel much better about things in the light of a deserved, if never comfortable win and can even begin to imagine the possibility of a point or maybe even two from Real Madrid in a couple of weeks time - and that's not something I was contemplating when I stepped out of the house earlier today to head over to Anfield. So, onwards and upwards Reds.

 

Paul Natton

@OxtonSoulBoy

 

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[dave u]

Love me some Adam Lallana, he's ace.

 

Thought Balotelli looked much better in his cameo too. I'm desperately rooting for him, I think he's really trying to fit in and hopefully his strengths will come to the fore when Sturridge is back, as right now his weaknesses seem to be more evident.

 

It was far from perfect but I don't care at this stage, as I said in the '5 things i want to see' piece, the result was the only thing that mattered. Performances will come later.

[Paul]

Agree about the importance of the result. I was horrified by Lovren for much of the match yesterday and yet I'm far more focused on the positives such as Lallana and Henderson's performances than the (still numerous) negatives.

 

If we can get players back and fit over the next fortnight, we'll have something to build on. We need the established players to take the weight so the new boys can ease themselves in. It'll be far easier for Markovic, for example, to find his feet as a sub coming on when we're winning comfortably than as a starter who's expected to have an immediate impact in a team under pressure.

[Tossed and blown]

You should have been in your usual seat Paul.  Good view of Hendo's strike in 206......

[Paul]

I've been moved Al. Long story but I was two rows behind you.