A Complete Analysis of Liverpool’s Ailing Machine in the year 2009
When did it all start to go wrong? The answer isn’t predictable: The poisonous seed that led to Liverpool’s downfall, actually stemmed from the famous 4-0 victory against Real Madrid last season.
The Fall of the Machine Race
The media kept asking ‘Why can’t Liverpool play like that week in week out in the Premier League?’ They wouldn’t need to ask the question if they understood Liverpool’s tactics. We played a high tempo against Real Madrid because Benitez knew that was the tactic to employ against his former Spanish club. Rafa exploits tactics based on the opposition. When required, in other games he’d start in a lower gear, conserve energy, hit teams on the counter attack and turn up a gear in the second half. Only when required we’d get into overdrive. We were a well oiled machine, almost always in total control. Win or lose, there wasn’t a game last season where the opposition controlled us until we hosted Man City at home last season. Being without Alonso, on the day the Reds possession was poor and failed to control the game.
Automatic High Tempo Out of Control
What one didn’t expect is for Rafa to alter his controlled manual (horses for courses) tempo and go all guns blazing for the rest of the season. When you look at the Real Madrid game you have to admit that Torres’ committed a foul for the first goal and the second goal wasn’t a hand ball penalty. This made the game easier for Liverpool, Madrid knew they were out and the home team just added insult to injury against an already deflated opposition. But Liverpool deserved the advantage after a typically composed, low tempo, counter attacking display in Madrid in the first leg. The Reds didn’t play with flair, but got the away win from a set piece where Benayoun (of all people to score a headed goal) from Aurelio’s cross. Madrid’s marking was awful. The third goal at Anfield (from Gerrard) was superb, by the time Dossena scored the 4th Madrid were already lying down on the floor. Yes, Liverpool had so many chances that night they could have scored 8 if it wasn’t for Casillas. But, that wasn’t a true reflection of the difference between the clubs quality. Real Madrid were the defending La Liga champions. Before the game the Spanish press repeated the false English mantra that Liverpool were a defensive team. After the game there was a false sense of superiority against the world’s most successful team. Reality doesn’t function in extremes, and the truth is Liverpool don’t go from a balanced team to an all-out attacking team overnight.
Domination and the Rub of Green
The defensive accusation was ridiculous. Liverpool scored the most goals in the league and (at the time) in the Champions League too. But this wasn’t due to playing an all-out attacking style. Liverpool were a balanced team. With the confidence of the Real Madrid thrashing, then straight after that the 4-1 victory at Old Trafford raised their game sky high. Yes, again, Liverpool deserved to win with a superb display against Manchester United. But, that doesn’t mean Rafa’s team is suddenly playing at the highest invincible level of attacking football. Let’s have a look at the goals: Two of the four goals came from long punts up field. One poorly timed tackle from Evra awarded Liverpool a penalty, and the remaining goal came from a free kick (superbly controlled long range strike). Yes, Liverpool deserved to win. But, you see, the goals were not part of attacking movements that tear teams apart. On another day when you don’t have the luck you can dominate such a game but come away with a draw or even a defeat. However the high score line boosted Liverpool’s confidence. They carried on playing at a high tempo for the rest of the season.
The Reason why constant High Tempo worked at the End of Last Season
That time it worked because Liverpool finally had Gerrard and Torres together with Alonso pulling the strings (with the exception of Old Trafford for the key games). The real reason is that Torres was fresher after his injury lay off and the league wasn’t used to defending against the quality of both Stevie G and Torres. Coming into this 2009-10 season the opposition knew that their only chances of getting anything from the Liverpool game is to counter this threat.
The other reason the high tempo worked is the freshness of Torres and the rest of the team relative to the opposition. Rafa’s teams are usually in better shape for the last dozen or so league games (if he needs to). One says ‘needs to’ because if his league objectives are reached and Rafa has a big final to prepare for then he will obviously change his approach for the remaining league games at the end of the season. Last season Liverpool had a genuine opportunity to win the league and if it wasn’t for the rookie Macheda’s two goals then they could have actually done it.
The Real Reason Liverpool didn’t Win the League Last Season
Contrary to what the media were saying: the real reason was actually because their DEFENCE wasn’t performing at their usual high standards. Liverpool were setting clean sheet records in recent seasons, and still boasted a relatively good defensive record last season (at that point) so the critics were not focussing on that. One has to realise that Manchester United turned the title race around because of a series of 1-0 victories where their DEFENCE made the big difference. Liverpool’s attack was superior but often had to score two or three (or more) goals to gain three points. The best example which illustrates this point is the match against Arsenal at Anfield. Liverpool completely outplayed Arsenal in that game. They were absolutely fantastic but kept shooting themselves in the foot with horrific defensive errors. It’s incredible to remind oneself that Liverpool could have actually lost that game if it wasn’t for Benayoun’s last minute equaliser. BUT on the basis of Liverpool’s superb forward play (against the so-called best attacking team in England, Arsenal) Liverpool should have won that game easily. The seeds of Liverpool’s current defensive problems were already evident on that night. It’s due to their loss of balance and a mental shift in defensive responsibilities.
(As it has become apparent more often this season) with this loss of balance, any team with a dangerous attack can expose Liverpool because they started to take risks which were previously uncharacteristic of Rafa’s style. Fortunately for Liverpool last season, the opposition didn’t realise this early enough, they were scared of the Reds due to their outstanding results against the likes of Real Madrid. Out of fear the opposition sat back (just like how many teams got draws against Liverpool in the past season) but with Liverpool’s latest approach, this tactic from the opposition became easy pickings for the Reds.
Tempo/Risks need to be adjusted on a Horses for Courses basis
Some might be thinking, well, this tactic is working here… that’s not the full perspective. The point is that Liverpool should be using this tactic for certain matches where they apply. This season it solved their problem against lower opposition, but when up against dangerous attackers they need to revert to their controlled balance. It wasn’t as if Liverpool were poor before the Real Madrid game during the so-called cautious approach. Remember Liverpool were top of the 2008 league table, using continuous results from two seasons. Then their poor run of draws came at the turn of the year when Torres was usually unavailable (and there was a lack of depth).
Since altering their approach, the Arsenal game wasn’t the only crucial example. There’s also the Champions League game against Chelsea. Fantastic entertainment, but look at how Liverpool’s lack of concentration gifted Chelsea goals. Yes, the forward momentum was necessary but after gaining the initiative they also need to maintain their control and balance.
Alonso
When you play at this tempo you leave yourself exposed to the counter attack. However when you have an intelligent player (Alonso) to control possession and positioning in the midfield then that problem is minimized. Even with the high tempo Alonso calmed things down a little with his cool head and thoughtful choices of passes. Without Alonso when Liverpool go high tempo all-out attack, the standard of possession is not as good as it used to be, so on more occasions Liverpool give the ball away (with more players in advanced positions up field) and the defence is left exposed.
Vulnerable to Counter Attack
The Aston Villa game is an ideal example of this. Especially in the first half Liverpool outplayed them but got overexcited with the high tempo that they often rushed their moves, overran and misplaced passes when they outnumbered Villa in attack, but then allowed the visiting team to suddenly break into dangerous counter attacks. After thrashing Villa last season Liverpool were complacent with regard to the potential danger they could pose. One should remember that even last season with this high tempo, Liverpool could have conceded early. They have Reina to thank for outstanding saves early on. That 5-0 result could have been very different. The Anfield game this season is an example of how the rub of the green can swing. Liverpool dominated them again, but this time a bizarre own goal from Lucas caused the nerves to jingle and desperation to rise. Instead of slowing down, confidently working their way back into the game, they anxiously move faster, raise the tempo further and run themselves into the ground with sloppy passes, lacking the thoughtful stability of an Alonso. They become frustrated such as how the effect of the extended first half injury time led to a lack of concentration and a free header for a 0-2 deficit. Later a rash tackle from Gerrard awarding Villa a penalty for their third.
Mascherano
Another reason for Liverpool’s poor form is the unsettling of Mascherano due to Barcelona’s interest. Though, Mascherano had usually performed at his best for the second half of each season when Liverpool make their final push for honours, as well as the early high profile games. Benitez explained that his loss of form may have been due to the doubt over Argentina’s World Cup 2010 place. However Mascherano’s standards lowered long before that. This was when Maradona made him captain of Argentina. This appointment could have worked for him, but the main problem is that when your God thinks you’re already the saviour, then it’s not surprising that you go through a relaxed, complacent stage. This is why Benitez thinks twice about over praising his players. It is surprising that a player of Mascherano’s on-field work ethic, can get complacent but it is evident that his head hasn’t been 100 percent on Liverpool since then. One cannot blame him for Liverpool’s poor form. Without Alonso, the resettling midfield is an additional factor.
Attacking full-backs
In previous seasons Liverpool used to complain that they required attacking full-backs to move their game to the next level. This season they made it happen with the signing of Johnson. Those uninformed critics didn’t understand why Rafa prioritised this signing, because they were not aware of the attacking full-back tactic. This was crucial to breaking down lower opposition who park the bus (and its working) but on the other hand they can be exposed more often on the counter attack against dangerous opposition. Aurelio and Insua have been excellent. Apart from the bonus goals Dossena’s usually been caught out with poor decision making at left back. But that’s more to do with their poor run last season than this season. This season Johnson was criticised for his tackling and positioning but the criticism is exaggerated. Early in the season he was one of Liverpool’s best performers.
For this tactic to function successfully one of Mascherano or Lucas (sometimes even Kuyt has to) need to cover for Johnson when he goes forward. That would have worked perfectly under Liverpool’s former balanced setup before the Real Madrid game. But since then they’ve played at a higher tempo and taken more risks in midfield, so this placed more pressure on the central defenders.
Central Defence
The central defenders started to get criticised this season, particularly Carragher. As we pointed earlier, the problem was evident earlier this year. The great defensive records were not due to individual brilliance but due to the balance and setup of the team strategy. Once Liverpool changed that balance the defence is exposed more often. So the defenders are not suddenly useless, it’s just that they now have a much more difficult job.
Losing Hyypia was a major blow, and even if Liverpool’s just looking for a 4th choice replacement, selecting Kyrgiakos was down to the restricted budget. Even in the twilight of his career one shouldn’t underestimate the importance of Hyppia’s role as 4th choice. He was outstanding against Manchester United and crucial to counter every aerial threat against opposition who bomb long balls and crosses into the box. After the Roy Evans years when Liverpool were vulnerable against set pieces, Houllier solved this problem with the towering Hyppia. Over the following years whenever a set piece comes in one can be 99.99 percent confident that due to Hyppia (or the effect of having him up there) – Liverpool would win that aerial battle. In any case, within the available budget Kyrgiakos made sense because of his height, heading power and strength. However in his career the Greek has been found wanting for pace and decision making. Nevertheless he is the economical 4th choice option and you’d expect Skrtel, Agger and Carragher to deliver at the highest standards.
It didn’t help that Carragher and Skrtel headed one another in the first game of the season, leaving their backline immediately exposed, resulting in the opening day defeat. One should remember that Skrtel couldn’t move his head properly and played through this injury when Spurs headed their winner. Yes, Liverpool were not up for this game anyway.
Low Fitness Levels for The Start of the Season
This was down to the Confederations Cup and the timing of the Far East tour. It did result in upsetting the momentum from last season, the usual starting line-up wasn’t in the best shape/fitness to continue from where they left of. Liverpool started the season on the back foot, and since then were playing catch-up. So they maintained to play the high tempo (even without full fitness and cohesion) all-out attack without balance. To counter the defeats they tried to raise their gears, continue to play ‘winning’ football to turn draws into wins. After all they calculated that they can still get more points if they win more, while losing about half the games they usually draw. However after losing their balance on the field, they’ve become more desperate for victory, taking greater risks, placing more pressure on themselves and therefore leaking goals in the worst moments. This is typically after you dominate the opposition but don’t get the rub of the green, then you fear what might happen on the counter, so whilst under pressure for the few opposition moves - they pay the price for failing to soak up the pressure with possession.
Another Striker
It was debated at the beginning of the season that Liverpool boasted the best attack with Torres and Gerrard: so they asked who’s going to accept sitting on the bench? But, as we can see from the last two seasons – they don’t even have Torres and Gerrard playing together for a significant amount of games. This calls the presumption and system into question. Without one of these two Liverpool need to play two upfront because none of the others are good enough to lead the attack on their own. This obviously means Liverpool need another proven striker.
Gillett, Hicks and the Squad
No need to repeat the already established reports/problems on this subject. Liverpool still need to focus on solving their main mistake in the transfer market. Before the G and H takeover, Liverpool felt they owned a good squad but their starting line-up wasn’t as good as the best teams in Europe. Since they didn’t have the spending power of the richest teams they then tried to swim by selling good players and replacing them with better players. With short sightedness it would seem to work on paper. But the affordable one in one out, or one in two out system which is the cause of the problem. The media think Liverpool spends a significant amount but don’t look at the net spending. G and H point out they’ve beaten records for spending on players but they don’t take into account the players they had to sell to make it possible.
Ideally we should have bought better players and then moved the former first choice (new second choice) to the bench. That’s how you strengthen the squad and the first team at the same time. What’s been happening is that to afford more expensive players they are selling players who should have played an important squad role. And so who is used to provide depth? They use free/cheap signings, teenagers/youngsters from the reserves to fill in. None of the players should walk alone, but many of the squad players won’t make it into the team of the top eight clubs in the league. So it’s no wonder Liverpool are struggling for depth.
Liverpool’s starting line-up is the strongest in the English Premier League. However the squad is around 7th best. They have to rely on fitness levels and hope they don’t pick up significant injuries. In the Tomkins interview it was revealed that Rafa was expecting one more important signing during the summer. These issues are well documented and won’t be repeated here. With the emergence of Manchester City’s financial power, and taking into account Liverpool’s financial issues – the Reds main aim is to at least secure a top four position. This is to avoid the nightmare scenario of having to sell key players, further weakening the team for the owners to afford interest payments. Looking back the inconsistent form is similar to the problems Wenger faced at Arsenal in the last two-three seasons. Arsenal’s needed to be realistic and survive that bumpy period by at least finishing 4th. The league season can be a long marathon race and Liverpool need to keep faith in Rafa to at least achieve this minimal objective. Hopefully by the end of this season (sources stated ‘by Easter’) Liverpool could receive a financial boost to improve the squad.
Rafael Benitez
In the last five years Rafa reclaimed Liverpool’s standing as one of the best teams in Europe. Before he came in their main objective was to simply qualify for the European Cup. Since Rafa’s arrival he set the standards so high that they are no longer satisfied with a quarter final or semi final finish. If Liverpool fail at the group stages this season they must remember that even Ferguson was written off by the media when Manchester United failed in the group stages a few seasons back… then he went on to win the competition two years later. Surely with his outstanding European record, Rafa can be allowed one bad patch in the Champions League. After all, they had the best European record in five years so a bad run of results (due to injuries and reasons stated above) doesn’t suddenly make him a bad manager. By the way Liverpool are not out yet. Rafa did achieve group stage last day rescue acts against Olympiakos and Marseille in the past.
Houllier
Remember Houllier had a similar problem during his demise. The former Liverpool manager was criticised for his defensive approach, then when he tried to please the critics by playing attacking football – his Liverpool team lost balance, resulting in the fall out of the top four. Both Rafa and Houllier needed to maintain their balance and play football the way they know best. Can Rafa adapt to attacking football? At the end of last season he showed he was far more successful than Houllier in achieving this. To maintain this record over the longer run Rafa requires squad depth. Houllier had a different issue - he was infamous for improving the squad but weakening the first team. He also didn’t have to compete with the financial strength of Chelsea and Man City. This season even the mid-table clubs are strengthening and spending more than Liverpool. Rafa’s task is more difficult but in the past he’s produced better results against the Abramovich’s of this world. With better support he deserves a chance to take Liverpool up to the next level.
Whichever way you look at pros and cons (which is another debate) one realises that it’s a results business and after all Rafa has lost 6 of his last 7 matches in all competitions. Yes, he has to be responsible but he still deserves at least until the end of this season to make the top four. Houllier was given time and failed to make the Champions League place in his first of two poor seasons. He was a dead man walking but still allowed another season where he at least brought Liverpool back to 4th place. This time Rafa is under much more pressure because of the higher standards he set.
Title Ambitions
Liverpool gained more points than any other team in 2008. This was an incredible achievement when you take into consideration all the challenges and disadvantages the club faces. So it was disappointing that many Liverpool fans wanted Rafa out during the run of draws at the turn of 2008-09. One should remember what happened to Newcastle when they were not satisfied with Keegan’s second placed finishes. After that they were not satisfied with scraping a Champions League place, and then not satisfied with mid-table before being relegated. Therefore one has to realistically understand a clubs current potential.
What happened after they thought Benitez would resign at the Real Madid game? Benitez not only produced another record breaking league points total but came so close to winning the title. Instead of focussing on this as an achievement, it is disappointing that many see second place as a failure and ‘expected’ Liverpool to automatically be the favourites for the title this season. This is another case of Rafa’s high standards making life difficult for himself. But, this isn’t his fault. The reality is that Rafa has overachieved thanks to his tireless work behind the scenes. Even on the pitch the players work hard and give more than 100 percent. With all the stated disadvantages Liverpool’s excellent achievements with Rafa in recent years should be acknowledged. You can’t expect Roy of the Rovers type coming from behind victories all the time. Reality is going to sink in some time and the supporters have to accept that their expectations were set too high. This doesn’t mean accepting second best. Liverpool can still aim for the title, but if the players fall short then the supporters need to understand the reality of the challenge.
Defeats we didn’t comment on in the above analysis:
Vs Fiorentina (0-2): Liverpool were unlucky for their opening goal. According to the latest off-side rule the goal was fine, but the Reds already knew this was a faulty rule. One of their attackers was far off-side and Liverpool made the mistake of allowing the goalscorer to run clean through (while appealing for the other off-side). Being unable to play a consistent defence due to injury problems, results in cohesive problems when dealing with the off-side trap. Liverpool need to be more alert for this potential issue. They must remember to close down players even if others are off-side. This is the goal that placed them on the back foot that night. Together with the Marseille defeat a year earlier, teams have learnt that if they hurry Liverpool, close them down all over the field then it minimizes the Reds own effect. Liverpool are a team that functions on high work ethic, so when teams also hurry them then we have two teams who cancel each other out with machine-like, Duracell battery operated energy. The only way to make the difference in these circumstances is for your superior quality to show, and that means free roles up front for attackers while also maintaining your balance at the back.
Vs Chelsea this season: Even though people hail the 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge last season, there wasn’t much difference with the approach this time. It just came down to the rub of the green. Alonso got a deflected goal last year. This time we saw a few better shots go very close. I think the defence did well in this game. Liverpool actually had the better of the play for large parts of the match, but the all-important opening goal for Chelsea came from a quick counter attack. Not the first time this season.
Vs Sunderland: that balloon goal should have never stood.
Vs Fulham: Even with all the injuries Liverpool dominated them but left themselves exposed on the counter attack. Fulham’s few attempts were much more telling because Liverpool lost their balance. Degen started, didn’t stop the cross for their winning goal… through bizarre circumstances instead of clearing the ball Liverpool got it back into play for Fulham to break through. That was never a red card for Degen and it gave Liverpool a mountain to climb. Carragher had got away with a couple of dangerous tackles in recent matches and this time he paid for it with a second yellow card in the game. With 9 men Liverpool had problems with or without Torres/Benayoun. As Liverpool learnt in recent days Torres needs to be treated with cotton wool until he’s fully ready. It is ridiculous when pundits/supporters question substitutions when the manager has a closer view (of course) on his player’s fitness levels. It wasn’t a case of Rafa giving up, but a case of not having strong options on the bench. Last week he was criticised for substituting Torres, and today (when Fernando’s injury problems are clearer) Rafa’s being criticised for taking a risk on Torres. Sometimes you can’t win.
