Before this game, I figured this would be three points. Not an easy three points, but if we played our cards right, then three points. Before Villa scored, I said to my Dad that the only way Villa are going to score in this is from a set-piece or from us making a mistake and them scoring likely on the counter. Lo and behold, this is pretty much what happened. Before Benteke put Villa ahead, their defence was perhaps the shoddiest I've seen against us in some time. On two occasions, we were gifted an opportunity from harassing a Villa defender. On each occasion, we were too slow and indecisive in making the necessary pass at the right time to put us ahead. How we went into the break two down, rather than two up, I'll never know.
But it's the old adage with our team. If we had scored first and early on, we might have been able to at worst grind out a result. Instead, we conceded three goals at home to a team that had previously scored only four goals away from home. Our attack looked slow, ponderous and sluggish. Instead of quick one-touch passes designed to encourage off-the-ball movement and tire Villa's defence, we thought, deliberated yet again and then made a poor choice. Guzan probably had the easiest game he'll have all year, as Villa's defence retreated deeper and deeper around their penalty area. Our goal was perhaps our best decision all game: a low hard shot designed to at least elicit a rebound or deflection in a packed box.
In the summer I felt Brendan was a better choice than Roberto Martinez, as he was more pragmatic than the Wigan manager. A little more pragmatism could go a long way at this stage. I think one of the problems we are having is that we are becoming incredibly predictable. We start hot, but likely go into the break not scoring a goal, or having conceded one. We then have to scramble to get back into the game. Saturday's game repeated the formula. We've conceded thirteen goals this season in the first half, twelve of those after the 16th minute. We've also only scored eight first-half goals: the same amount as Sunderland, Aston Villa and Southampton. Everton in contrast have scored eighteen.
As I've said previously part of that predictably probably comes from the fact we don't
rotate as much as we should. You can pretty much pick the match-day squad with no knowledge of bib theory required. If fit, Sterling, Reina, Gerrard, Allen, Lucas, Johnson, Agger and Skrtel will all start regardless of form. Jones, Carragher and Henderson will almost certainly be on the bench. Our opponents know how we'll set-up and seem happy to let us have plenty of the ball, because they know that in a clutch moment we're too indecisive to do anything with it.
I also recall reading a statistic today, that might have been from Paul Tomkins, that Rodgers has made the fewest number of substitutions in the league this year. We had three defenders on the bench yesterday. We've only had a forward on the bench three times in the league (Morgan against West Ham; Borini against Norwich and Stoke). Assaidi didn't even make the cut yesterday, although his guile might have proven more valuable than Joe Cole's telling contribution to the game, in which he was easily muscled off the ball, as Benteke acted as Moses parting a sea of red shirts. I think yesterday was more a case of we were massively inept, rather than Villa were plucky and good. We made stupid decisions and got burned for them and not for the first time this season, we allowed the opposition to romp right through midfield on the counter without a fight, or a good old Hamann arse-driven hip-check to produce a foul to relieve pressure.
I'd also argue that this game was yet more evidence of why the core group who aren't rotated, need to be. The first touch of several players was heavy. Furthermore, as good as Suarez can be, he also like Luis Garcia before him, can make a mess out of basic, simple decisions, while performing the improbable. The games in which he has played his best (Norwich away for instance), he's been surrounded by players looking to open spaces for him and producing increased fluidity. Yesterday, there was hardly any of that.
Is Rodgers or the players to blame for Villa? Probably a bit of both to be honest. Tactically, we don't seem to be able to resolve our goalscoring plight by spreading the goals around; individually there is far too much complacency and sluggishness, rather than hunger and invention. Is the sky falling and our season over? No. But perhaps this might be a reality check for players and coaching staff. Hopefully, it will be, because that was a performance and a result that needed arms being taken away from around shoulders and feet being put up backsides.
