Topic: Round Table Aston Villa 0 - Liverpool 1

[archie]

Six points from six, 2 wins on the bounce.

But is your glass half empty or half full?

This second game of the season took place with just over a week left in the transfer window (sorry mods  ) and perhaps the way those games have panned out highlight the need for us to add extra quality before that closes.

First half Liverpool passed it well. Players showed up, kept it simple, crisp and looked confident to a man. Villa park had nothing to shout about as their team weren't allowed to be in it.
Stevie and Lucas were disciplined, reading the play well and making sharp tackles. In addition, the ability to turn defence into attack was impressive.

However, the game was passing Aspas by up top. He had a couple of heavy touches and took the wrong choice when in possession at times, which Stevie wasn't shy in informing him about early on. He was harshly booked imo as well.

Villa did get out of their own half before the half time and forced Mignolet into a smart stop.

As the first half drew to a close it emerged that both sides had had one attempt each on target, hmmmm.

Credit must be given to Villa second half, they looked sharper and hungrier. They began to pass it with more purpose. That said, they weren't carving out chance after chance.
As a result of Villa's increased purpose we began to look less composed with our passing and it resulted in our attacking game become increasingly disjointed.

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool became more nervous as the clock ticked down but that's to be expected surely? We are very aware how important each point is this season were we are up against teams who ultimately have a higher quality of squad overall, therefore won't be dropping too many points themselves. Expected maybe, but probably not accepted. Some other observers may think the second half was a disgrace. Tough yes, but I wouldn't go to those lengths as a description.

It became apparent that it was going to take a piece of quality to shape the final result of this game in either direction. It came not from a goal but from a strong sharp save from Mignolet at his near
post from Benteke.

Apart from that, Liverpool generally defended resolutely and as a unit.
We'd all like to see quality passing and attacking football for the full 90 minutes, but that's not how the game works is it?
It's just as important to defend well and grind it out when things don't go your way. Isn't that to be  admired as a quality of a good team? ( any luck that comes your way, don't be afraid to embrace it). I thought Toure got better as the game went on.

So there we are, who do we play next?

Nb: how could I forget the goal? Make no mistake it was of the highest quality. It will never win awards, they're reserved for well struck volleys outside the area. But who cares, Coutinho didn't provide the assist but he made it happen. And the control, use of both feet and clinical finish from Sturridge was first rate.

What else to ponder?

Mignolet - crosses and distribution, are these areas of concern?

For all the quality of our play (at it's best) are we creating enough chances?

For all the quality of our play, do we have the players to share the goals around?

Suarez, we really need him, don't we?

[royhendo]

But is your glass half empty or half full?

I think it's half full mate. I spoke to a guy I hadn't seen in years tonight - he used to be my centre back partner - massive Red - knows his football and reads the game.

His summary was that we look a lot like that Swansea side at times, and if we can address a couple more of that side's textbook weaknesses, we will be dark horses.

I suppose it comes down to whether we get it now or get it later.

For me, the first half was a complete joy. We won't see many sides go to Villa Park and do something like that this season. It just lacked finishing touches. People talk about it highlighting a need for penetration, but that Villa side is phenomenal on the break on its game, and as you say our sitting 2 and for the most part the four in front of them managed those attempts at counters beautifully.

That was our one big problem last season. Not a lack of any particular player, in any particular position - a tactical problem and a collective one. I found that really heartening, given Villa's form. Reserving the free flowing penetrative stuff is wise in games like that for me. One or two clear chances with sterile domination feels right... but it didn't feel that sterile.

We drew them on to us didn't we? It was almost Hodgeball in the 2nd half at times. But I dunno - a habit of being able to dog it is a great thing to develop, and exactly what that Swansea team lacked (think it was QPR away for them that saw them dominate the first half 0-0, and lose the game 3-0 to sharp counters. We look less vulnerable; albeit we do still look a little vulnerable.
 
The new signings look great. I still thought Aspas was grand yesterday - he's an edgy wee bugger and he pressures defenders. The quality will come - it shows in flashes (the duck under the ball 2nd half was sublime).

Toure is perfect for us, but we need another one like him.

Mignolet looks perfect when his distribution settles.

Cissokho looks, well, like a runaway train.

Obvious areas for upgrade, but Sturridge was brilliant. He's not fully fit either. Eventually we'll have depth to play the full 90, but it's nice to see the side mix it up tactically when the situation calls for it.

Enjoyed the op seņor.

[royhendo]

Also, the full passage of play for the goal. The way we won it back, the way we stretch them wide, work it back and round, the creativity, and that finish. Tremendous.

[royhendo]

Penalty?

[archie]

Penalty?

Looked like a decent shout for me.

But not seen it since the game. Sturridge didn't really appeal, perhaps that says something?

[No666]

Is Sturridge a vociferous agitator, whether right or wrong? Guzan brought him down, shades of Friedel and Torres, 09.
 
Glass wobbling around for me. The fasten your seat-belts light has come on. Not because of the game, but because of the pertinence of Roy's 'eventually we'll have the depth.' Who's going to play Saturday-Tuesday-Mancs?

[StevenLFC]

The first half was pretty much the perfect way to play away from home at 0-0 against a counter attacking side. We kept the ball from them and despite creating much, we looked in control. Sterile domination. The goal was really well worked, Josč Enrique's pass, Philippe Coutinho's dummy and some fantastic quick feet and thinking by Daniel Sturridge gave us exactly what we wanted against a side who are looking to break on you; a lead. It really was a fantastic goal by Sturridge. The control was brilliant, and when he went wide I thought the chance had gone but he hit it with the 'wrong' foot and got enough on it to beat the Villa defenders who were covering their keeper. It was a great goal from a man who is in form. For a club that has overpaid in the past, it's nice to get a bargain, and at Ģ12m, Sturridge looks an absolute steal.

Although we defended deep second half, I didn't really feel that we were under too much pressure and bar the Benteke chance which was saved well by Simon Mignolet after some excellent closing down by Kolo Toure, we seemed pretty comfortable.

It reminded me of an old style European performance when we were defending a lead. Having watched Villa against Arsenal, it was obvious that they are a dangerous side on the break so we negated that strength by sitting back and forcing them to break us down. They have a lot of quick,mpacet, powerful players who can hurt you if they get in behind, but I don't think they have anyone like a David Silva or Philippe Coutinho who will pick a hole in a defence so the tactic worked perfectly.

[Aristotle]

Finally got around to watching the game. Missed it yesterday and amazingly managed to avoid the results until this morning. So I was in for a surprise and experienced all the gut wrenching moments in "real time".

Few things I'll comment on that stood out to me.

Lucas still looks a bit short of fitness, despite last weekend's great performance. That's part and parcel of the game but at least he made up for it and kept close to his team mates when he was in danger. Kolo Toure seems to enjoy playing with him as they're on the same wavelength, at first sight apparently, in terms of being there for the second ball. They handled Benteke really well just by limiting his options and by staying close to him all along that Villa were a bit confused. It was a bit of a gamble I thought but it clearly worked out. We left more space for Weimann and Agbonlahor but Villa seemed almost conditioned into finding Benteke every time. So they were passing it around waiting for him to get in a position to recieve the ball, rather than going for it. Mid-week game against Chelsea no doubt played it's part on their part though, so let's not jump to conclusions just yet.

On that note, I really have little to add other than how delighted I am to see us grinding out results. Sturridge is absolutely brilliant for us. He's got so many goals in him in situations like this. It really is a joy to watch. When things aren't working for us, he's just the type of player who excels. He scores some absolute wonderful goals (and what a goal it was!) but he's also starting to become that type of player. The one who you can feel better with. "We won't score" becomes "we haven't scored yet". I just feel better with him on the pitch because I always feel like we're more likely to score when he's playing. Coutinho seems to love playing with him. And on that I thought the Brazilian had his first "bad" game for the club. But even so when his shooting and passing was off, he was so in tune with the game he practically had an assist by not touching the ball!

Lastly I will touch on the subject of Kolo Toure. What a signing he's been. With Coates out and Skrtel's pendulum form I still think we need another CB, if not now, at least in January. But he's been a revelation for the way we play. Not only is he aerially dominant (and aggressive). He's also quick and willing to accept responsbility on the ball. For all the good Carragher did, he was awfully fond of dragging others deep with him when the ball was played in behind him. He feared getting caught out and with Rodgers wanting to play out from the back, it was us falling deep or risk losing it on the counter. But with Toure that's not the case. I loved it when the team fell back when he picked up the ball but he ushered them all over the central line before he ran with it himself. He picks up the ball and he runs with it. He is more concerned with getting the ball forward quickly than being exposed for pace, which is a wonderful thing. He's also willing to play a high line and take an active part in the build up. Granted his short passing left something to be desired against Villa but it's the mentality that counts. He might be "on the wrong side of 30" but he's there to help sort out the foundation, if for nothing else. It's also nice having someone who attacks the ball and isn't afraid of pushing people out of his way to get to it - and most importantly, getting away with it! He also willingly accepts when he's made mistakes and rushes in to cover for his team mates instead of ... informing them they made mistakes like his predecessor.

On that note I can't really leave out Mignolet. His shot stopping is very good. Body behind the ball every time and he's a lot more vocal than I ever expected him to be. He certainly has a presence at the back and right now he will be riding high, having claimed 2 clean sheets despite being tested on a number of occasions. He's struggled with crosses but so what? He gets it done and that's all that counts. That can be improved, as long as things fall his way, that's all we need. His passing is off but if Carragher could learn it from Rodgers, the Belgian will sleep easy at night. There will come a time when people stop pressing him because the early days jitters only last the early days. Soon enough he will be a veteran keeper and things will be a lot easier for him.

[Zeb]

Have to say I felt the switch in how we played yesterday was a deliberate one. Contrast how we tried to play towards the end of the first half, as Villa came into the game, with what happened after half-time. Think Lambert switched things a little to bring them back into the game towards the end of the half? Seemed to have had them playing a 4-4-1-1-ish type affair and then went back to something more obviously 4-3-3 with Weiman pushed much wider. Rodgers' response for the second half was to cede possession to them and challenge them to do something vaguely useful with the ball. They managed one decent chance and Toure and Mignolet dealt with it. There was also a clear purpose behind Cissokho being brought on to provide some pressure and extra support down the Villa right after Lambert had made some changes there later on - worked well, especially in combination with Villa's Tonev wanting to shoot every time the ball went to him.

For me, and I've not re-watched the match so going to be very open to being shown to be wrong if I am, it seemed to be a clear idea from Rodgers about what he wanted the team to be doing. And it worked. It was grotty and grubby football in the second-half, but it was winning football for the circumstances. And the team worked hard to make sure it was. You look at Gerrard's desire at the moment as he throws himself into tackles and blocks. Kolo's fighting for everything behind him. Sturridge tracking men back into the fullback positions with a few minutes to go. I really like that kind of work ethic which is obvious throughout the team right now. As Ste says, almost a European away performance. If you'd seen Villa against Chelsea or Arsenal, you'll have noticed that there was none of that element of danger which they caused both of those two. You've got to wonder how they'd cope without Benteke all the same. He's becoming quite a player.

One thing which stood out for me in the first 40 minutes or so was the confidence we had in just passing the ball around without responding to some sort of internal alarm clock which demands a shot at goal every X number of minutes. No rush, move the opposition about, look for the opportunities when they come and force the opposition to work their bottoms off to regain possession. And then take it off them again straight away and start it all again. Paid off yesterday because Sturridge is just in amazing form again so far this season. And being 1-0 up meant that all the pressure was on Villa to do things then, something which they seem ill-equipped to handle when the opposition don't leave any spaces for them to exploit and/or kill their ability to play that early long ball up for Benteke to knock down.

Glass half-full for me. But there's money behind the bar. Damn you optimism.

[Degs]

It would be easy to gloss over yesterday's game and simple say "Liverpool, 1-0, Sturridge the scorer, same as last week" - but the reality is that the 2 performances so far this season provide stark contrast to each other and provide a basis for improving on last season.

Against Stoke we saw a wrecking machine of a team, 26 shooting opportunities were created by an attacking unit that was granted the freedom of the Anfield pitch to move around. The pragmatism that we ended last season with continued and there was no need to pass for passing's sake - every run, pass, shot, and cross was not just hit with purpose but with a venomous arrogance that comes at the start of a fresh season. The performance was exactly what was required against a side that would obviously turn up to Anfield with 11 men behind the ball. The blueprint is there for home games - the only thing missing is Suarez to finish more of those chances.

Yesterday saw an almost complete reversal in our approach.  We were patient and the midfield line was almost fixed in position, Aspas in particular struggled with this shift and didn't seem as comfortable as at home, the midfield was more content to keep the ball and control the game - as evidenced by a total of 5 shots and only 1 on target.  There was less running between the opposition back line and the attacking verve was sacrificed for defensive discipline.  The lesson from last season appears to have been learned.  Committing too many forward, too often will leave you exposed at the back to pace and will offer the opposition the chance to hit it high and win the 2nd ball in the masses of space in our half.

Nobody has exemplified this newfound home vs. away dichotomy than the experienced head of Gerrard.  Maybe with genuine world-class like Coutinho and Sturridge Stevie now feels less of a burden on his shoulders to create and finish every chance and haul the team through the mud himself, now he is free of this burden he can focus on his own role and he has now begun to master it.

Against Stoke our back line was much higher than it has been in many years, at times leaving only Mignolet in our half.  This allowed Gerrard to anchor the midfield but in a position high enough to probe and slice Stoke apart, it ruined Stoke's gameplan to stay rigid and tight as somebody had to break their line and advance on Gerrard - leaving space for Aspas, Sturridge, Coutinho etc. to exploit and isolate the Stoke players into a 1 v 1 situation (a duel our technically gifted players are always more likely to win).  Gerrard's passes from that game show how high he was allowed to sit and how confident he was to continually pass it between Stoke's lines:

[img width= height=]http://i.imgur.com/V9l06UZ.png[/img]

Against Villa Gerrard was much deeper, starting around the half-way line, and there were almost no passes from open-play into the final 3rd from him. Every pass had the intent of keeping possession. While we kept control of the ball in midfield Villa couldn't utilise Agbonlahor and Benteke, their weak midfield was exploited, the time between our goal and the end of the first half was an almost perfect example of frustrating the opposition. Gerrard set the tempo for this and his disciplined positioning and passing should now put to bed any doubts of his ability to play this position.  The contrast between the 2 games is that of almost 2 different players:

[img width= height=]http://i.imgur.com/UcF8Y2D.png[/img]

It was dangerous to play this kind of tactical system, and reinforce it at 0-1, but the rewards were justified.  Rodgers has to be commended for the bravery of playing these tactics and for preparing the team well enough to do so.  Rodgers is a fan of Spain and their systems, we have seen that in some of his systems here, but we have never looked more "Spanish" than yesterday. There was a determination to keep the ball for the sake of possession that we haven't seen since a similar philosophy was abandoned after a poor run of results mid-way through last season.

I wrote this post before last season in the hope that we would become more "Spanish" and "Boring". I'd be happy with us winning 1-0 every game and keeping the ball for the sake of not having the opposition touch it.  A remorseless crushing machine churning out 1-0 wins to the chagrin of brand "Premier League - we're exciting because we're tactically inept".

While Sturridge was not playing as a "false" 9 yesterday his willingness to track back and fill in the numbers showed that this was a clear tactical instruction to suffocate the midfield through possession.

Against Stoke Sturridge is much more "traditional" in his role leading the line, his work is almost entirely limited to the opposition half and there is much activity in the area:

[img width= height=]http://i.imgur.com/tf0aQrJ.png[/img]

While Villa shows him more often becoming part of the midfield, and even travelling into the back line.

[img width= height=]http://i.imgur.com/DVkrIr1.png[/img]

The tactics on display so far give me much more hope for the season than the disappointing transfer window so far.  I think what we have is a team that is coming to understand what is being asked of them from the manager, no longer are we simply hearing about a high pressing front-line but we are seeing it, likewise the "sterile domination" and possession fetish that was a millstone around Rodgers' neck is now looking like a fruitful tactic to use against teams looking to take the initiative at home.

I'm full of optimism and hope that before the transfer window closes we can spend big on a position that needs it, centre back, midfield or forward all that is needed is a genuine Ģ30 million player to walk into the first team and we can all rest more easy.

The reds are coming up the hill boys

[Mutton Geoff]

I watched the game with a feeling of quiet satisfaction, for all their pressure they didn't seem to be able to hurt us except for Benteke on two occasions, we were solid going forward and Sturridge scored a goal that I thought he had taken too wide. In the second we were solid in defence and they couldn't score, overall a gritty performance which took me back to some of Uncle Bob's gritty and ugly wins that helped win a few titles.

We need to take into account that Vila beat Arsenal away and but for a massively bad refereeing decision or decisions would have probably taken at least a point at Chelsea, so we faced a team flying really in their first home game.

Mignolet brought off two great saves, and looked far more confident than last week, Kolo  and Agger are gelling well and look secure ,  Dare I say Kolo is an upgrade in our defence.
Sturridge links up play well, in fact he started the move that he scored from by coming deep with the ball. Coutinho gets better every game, however the biggest plus for me wasn't just the result it was the obvious great team spirit throughout the team, money can't buy that.

[-Daws-]

There’s nothing quite like a nerve shooting, palm sweating adrenaline fuelled conclusion to a football match like that. Although nothing is happening in terms of the important stats, the ride leaves you on tender hooks gasping, praying, and peeking through your fingers. Every time the ball comes in to the Liverpool box your head turns to the side and your heart skips a beat – we’re going to throw 2 points away here, we’ve done it so many times, why can’t we just kill the game off?

Granted, it is no good for your health or so would you think. It’s like being about to jump into an ice pool after 20 minutes in the sauna; part of your brain is telling you ‘this can’t be good’ whilst the other thinks ‘yeah, this is what I’m really here for’. Football can be a bit like that. That swift rush of air shoots down your throat as you gasp and whimper at every Villa cross – then the euphoria and relief as the sound of the final whistle bounces around the stadium.

It was very much like last week against Stoke, only it wasn’t. The result was the same, the emotions were remarkably similar, but the story was different. This time around there was all the composure and smooth passing possession in the first half that we have come to expect in a Brendan Rodgers side. Toure, Agger, Enrique, Lucas, Johnson and Gerrard all saw plenty of the football and moved it around at ease with grace and poise – we kept Villa moving and tried to pull them out from their defensive positions as we probed, dropped, pushed, dropped and probed again. Henderson and Coutinho at times narrowed and dipped into pockets of space, often pushing the ball back from where it came and moving on again. In terms of controlled possession play we were both refined and sophisticated. For large parts, it was akin to a training drill.

We did however lack some potency and penetration. Often moves would break down in wide advanced areas or when the ball came to Coutinho. It must be recognised, as I have echoed on several occasions, that with all the illustrious talent that our little Brazilian possess, we would be imprudent not to add creativity to the final third as his form will vacillate and there will be games Phillippe finds it difficult to influence. Yesterday was one of those junctures; he found it very problematic to get a foothold in a game where he was clearly targeted and defused – he’ll have more but he will they will be supplemented by blinders; he’s far too young to be depended upon as the focal point of our attack however, and the re-introduction of Suarez will allow him to find more space and time to weave his magic and delicately tug our strings.

That was our only issue in the first half really, the final third, that of course apart from a piece of brilliance from our centre forward. Daniel Sturridge once again showed his wide array of attacking skills and instincts as he checked into midfield, dropped the ball off, spun and provided moment in the box - more than this he held the ball up superbly, tried to beat a man and of course was instrumental in the build-up and finish of his goal as he worked the left channel, laid the ball off ghosting into the box to pick up the dummy off his new best pal, which in itself is tremendous forward play. What he done next was marvellous, the way he took the ball, adjusted his body and his feet using his agility, balance and skill to beat the man, brilliant composure and ball control to round off the goalkeeper before improvising with what was an exceptionally difficult finish. As I said in his thread, if you knew no better you’d assume that was Luis Suarez, the Ģ40m+ man, who had taken that goal so imperiously; definitely a contender for goal of the month. His work rate to help out Glen Johnson in the second half is also well worth a mention – he did look puffed out for a brief period before that, but then got his head down and worked his backside off for the cause. This is a guy who isn’t fully fit yet…

He played here as part of a front two. I don’t care what anybody in the post-match thread says, we were clearly a 442 on occasion 4312 as Coutinho dipped inside to try and get on the ball. Aspas and Sturridge both operated the channels and the space in front and in behind the defenders. Aspas worked his socks off to little avail other than creating space for others which is an underrated quality that often goes somewhat unobserved. He pressed and harried for the ball with all the persistence of dog told it’s going for a walk. Not seeing much of it, he done a job expected of him rather than exceeding it, but I think the likes of Coutinho, Sturridge, Gerrard and Suarez will appreciate having the less intelligent but more technically gifted Dirk Kuyt in the side. I’m sure a competitive goal will come, but he didn’t find himself on the end of any documented chances this time.

Henderson was much the same, in terms of visibility and application. He rarely took more than two touches of the ball and often moved it back to where it had come from before attempting to stretch the game again or tuck inside to help Gerrard and Lucas when the ball turned over. As you’d expect of the enthusiastic youngster, Henderson was relentless in his pressing of the ball and was straight in the face of Luna the Villa left back almost before the ball had reached him. It made any diagonal ball from the deep channel unplayable for Villa and also restricted how often Agbonlahor was able to run at Glen Johnson. His inclusion added balance to the side as Coutinho played a free role from the left flank to get in behind Sturridge and Aspas. I’m not sure that there’s reason to play both Aspas and Henderson against relegation fodder at Anfield, but this Villa side is one that possess danger for the top 6 teams and could be a side that takes quite a few points off them (much like Stoke used too) over the coming years, so tactically their inclusion was very much justified.

I expected Villa to have some of the game before the half concluded, but I hadn’t foreseen that they would go on to dominate the second period to the magnitude that they did. Fair play to them for that and I think they played pretty well, and only a top defensive display prevented them from getting something from the game which they arguably deserved given their exertions here and previously against Chelsea and the Gunners. I am absolutely jubilant that Kolo Toure is so far proving me completely vindicated in my anticipation upon signing him, he is an absolute colossus. Happy to play a high line, comfortable moving the ball around between himself, Agger, Johnson and the centre midfielders with equanimity and authority, and of course the strength, pace, intelligence, aggression and sheer supremacy defensively we desperately required. There was a short period in the second half where it seemed Kolo was dealing with everything single handed. Whatever Villa could muster to fling at us Kolo was there early and commandingly. Headers, tackles, blocks, authority, vocalism, experience – what a signing this guy is proving to be.

Agger was fairly assured as well. Got caught in possession once but he played his game in the first half, bringing the ball out from the back and looking for more piercing passes through the middle and to the flanks. As usual with Agger, he had a couple of moments at the back when he got caught on his heels, most notably Bentekes chance which Mignolet pushed away with his left hand. Danny, having been caught square on in no man’s land and unable to turn, made it easy for Benteke to glide in behind him and get his shot away on the half volley. On the whole however, I think Agger made some excellent challenges, was strong in the air and he and Kolo are forming what appears to be a very balanced and natural partnership.

I thought Enrique was his usual self. Had his moments when his physicality and aggression made things happen for us and stop things from happening for them, but this was counteracted by his usual indecisiveness and lack of awareness. I’m looking forward to seeing if Cissokho is an upgrade in these aspects, as he clearly already has similar physical attributes to the Spaniard.

Johnson was fairly good. Marauding up that right flank as we are so familiar with showing his pace, technical ability and athleticism to try and make something happen for us. I admire Glen’s attitude. Not many right backs go out to try and take responsibility to be a creative force for his team and Glen picks up that slack when things are breaking down in the more forward positions. As has been a little accustomed to Glen over the past year or so however, his decision making can be puzzling and he has a tendency not to release the ball early enough. He had a tough 3/4 months at the end of last year largely due to fatigue – he’s picked up at the beginning of this season after a summer rest but there are still a few holes in his overall game.

What can you say about our goalkeeper? Simon it appears is a very agile, instinctive shot stopper; potentially one of the best. Again despite a relatively quiet afternoon he showed the vigilance and the ability to perform a top class save just when his side needed it most and made one or two routine stops after that. Very happy with this signing so far and I’m sure his kicking will improve as he gains confidence.

Who haven’t I mentioned? Oh yeah, you probably know who. To be honest I can’t quite fathom the massive discussion that has erupted in the Gerrard-Lucas thread in regards to their abilities and their roles within the squad. I thought Gerrard was actually a little wasteful last week against Stoke, but here he was much improved in my opinion. He moved the ball on with simplicity and pace, only occasionally playing a ball over the top and usually picking the timing of such executions astutely. The main influence in the first period, he played with a swagger and nonchalance that only a handful of players in the world have in their mind-set and their ability. Defensively he was outstanding. He was in front of literally everything that the Stoke midfield threw at us, all over the place as was his comrade Lucas.

Nipping very much in the bud, I thought Lucas had another good game defensively, but there were three or more occasions where he was a little lacklustre on the ball and gave it away needlessly for someone who usually prides themselves on superb ball retention. I’m sure this is nothing more than getting fully up to speed in the league. It’s worth mentioning as well that Villa did press our midfield very quickly to try and squeeze the space between them and our defenders, particularly second half to stop us playing out from the back.

It’s perplexing at best, when a post-match thread develops into such a nest of negativity following a win, and after that you have the fall out with those who are rightly more positive about such a good response against a team that will be quite capable this coming season and beyond. We played exceptionally good possession football in the first half without committing to many bodies forward and it seemed we were intent on keeping the ball and manipulating the game in a controlled custom. As the second half started you could see that Villa were that much more ferocious in the press and were swarming us like flies around shit. Our players didn’t have time to take a breath on the ball and we were incredibly rushed. I was in fact surprised that despite the youthful nature of the Villa team that they were able to maintain the intensity that they did. They made it incredibly difficult for us and clearly we adapted.

Yet still people are not happy. Once considered by some a one dimensional manager with who only ever had a plan A, Rodgers is demonstrating flexibility that some wondered whether he possessed. Yesterday is yet another example of this flexibility – his tactical awareness to see the game unfold and shuffle his deck in order to help counterbalance the game his team’s way. It’s something many have been looking for, and now we have found it we still aren’t happy. Well I am happy let me tell you that you miserably little bastards. Yes we dropped off but we needed too, it’s exactly what the likes of Rafa, Mourinho, or Capello would have done. Any top manager has to be proactive and sometimes play against his fundamental principles in order to get a result. A result - a win. Get it? We won.

More than this, how can we not be happy to see the resolve in the players? The fight, the will to win and grind out a result on a day when we had one clear chance and our most creative player was thwarted; it’s been said by many and I’ll say it as well, it’s refreshing to see. So many times we beat someone 4-0 and then draw the next two 0-0 when spreading out those goals would have gained us considerably more points. We didn’t need to win three or four nil, because we defended well, we showed togetherness, we showed passion and desire as well as excellent discipline and I for fucking one am immensely proud of our players and our manager for an excellent three points. That’s three fucking points. Get in!

[DyingAtheist]

I watched the game with a feeling of quiet satisfaction, for all their pressure they didn't seem to be able to hurt us except for Benteke on two occasions, we were solid going forward and Sturridge scored a goal that I thought he had taken too wide. In the second we were solid in defence and they couldn't score, overall a gritty performance which took me back to some of Uncle Bob's gritty and ugly wins that helped win a few titles.

We need to take into account that Vila beat Arsenal away and but for a massively bad refereeing decision or decisions would have probably taken at least a point at Chelsea, so we faced a team flying really in their first home game.

Mignolet brought off two great saves, and looked far more confident than last week, Kolo  and Agger are gelling well and look secure ,  Dare I say Kolo is an upgrade in our defence.
Sturridge links up play well, in fact he started the move that he scored from by coming deep with the ball. Coutinho gets better every game, however the biggest plus for me wasn't just the result it was the obvious great team spirit throughout the team, money can't buy that.

Kolo's looking fantastic, surprisingly so. I think most of us expected him to come in and act essentially as cover for whichever first-team CB we were going to bring in... but he's been phenomenal, and he's actually a decent attacking threat in the box too.
The latter point is more important though, the team actually feels like a team for the first time in a while and if you check the picture thread you can see it coming through in training... everyone just getting on so well, and playing for each other - that's how we're going to win, not with huge big money transfers or oil barons, but through hard work, teamwork, and other words that belong in lunch-time specials.

[skooma]

I'm encouraged by the way the side is taking "lesser" opposition seriously now. The team's had motivation issues outside of the traditional big players and Everton.

Just wish they could make the leads more comfortable with more than one goal. Never know when the other side gets lucky.

[royhendo]

Great all round, but that post from Degs. Marvellous.

[JackWard33]

Fantastic 3 points it really is

First the negatives / points of criticism

Enrique is the weak link for me at the moment and I hope Cissokho can be an upgrade
His passing and decision making are really poor and he had a complete mare of a 2nd half including being beaten easily a couple of times
I know he put the pass in for the goal but I don't think that should mask the fact that he isn't good enough for us - though I have a lot of time for his attitude and commitment to the cause

Secondly I thought we did a good job of effective defending and forcing them into poor choices however the one thing missing was the ability to counter attack
Sturridge seemed to have the legs and intelligence to do it but the rest of the team didn't. This needs to improve - possibly with the addition of a new pacy attacker - if we are to get results away from home in the future

On the massive plus side Mignolet has already proven the management made an excellent courageous decision to improve us at keeper

Also Sturridge is putting up performances and numbers that are as good as anyone. His technique and touch as well as movement are as good as any English striker out there. I have no fucking clue why we were in for Soldaldo when Sturridge is clearly better. Long may it continue

The first half was little short of sensational - we were in total utter control against a decent team away from home
I don't see how anyone after the first two games can't be glass is half full

[lfcshaunod]

I said it yesterday and ill say it now.

Winning ugly is so much more satisfying that losing pretty.

We have shown that we are capable of creating the chances, but when we are playing an effective counter attacking side like Villa seem to be at the moment, they why should we go all out to create them?

If this team feels confident enough to defend a one nil lead then lets just enjoy watching them do it.

We created a shit load of chances all last season only to be caught out with weak goals at our end.

Id much prefer the one goal, zero conceded and three points.

Good teams can adapt their games to overcome different opposition. I believe we are now a team who can adapt.

[MichaelA]

On Saturday the twenty fourth of August two thousand and thirteen, Liverpool Football Club travelled to Villa Park. Away from home, away for Anfield. That teatime, Mignolet, Johnson, Jose Enrique, Toure, Agger, Gerrard, Aspas, Coutinho, Henderson, Leiva and Sturridge played for Liverpool Football Club. An unchanged side, the same side that had beaten Stoke City Football Club a week earlier. Forty two thousand and ninety eight people came to Villa Park, to see Aston Villa Football Club play their first home game of the season. Confident people, expectant people. the confident Boys of the Travelling Kop, the expectant fans of the Holt End. Aston Villa had already played two games, two tough games away from home. Away to the Emirates, to beat Arsenal Football Club, and away to Stamford Bridge, defeated by Chelsea Football Club.

Steven Gerrard stood in the centre of the Villa Park pitch. In the centre circle, at teatime, with his hands on his hips. Steven Gerrard set out his team mates. In the sunshine, the August sunshine, Steven Gerrard lined up the spoons in the defence, and he lined up the forks in the midfield. Ahead of him stood Daniel Sturridge, the sharp knife of the Liverpool attack. And Steven Gerrard looked to his boots, and Steven Gerrard smiled. And Steven Gerrard saw the red shirts passing the ball forward, passing the ball forward to red shirts. Always forward, always to a red shirt. Red shirts always moving, spoons moving, forks turning. The five spoons and the four forks and the sharp knife would not stop moving. Like cogs. They would not stop turning. Spinning and swirling before our eyes, before Steven's eyes, Steven never pausing, never stopping. Moving and turning, spinning and swirling, like gears. Pass after pass, always forward, always to a red shirt. And in the twentieth minute that sharp knife cut through the defence of Aston Villa Football Club.That sharp knife twisting, that sharp knife turning, and Daniel Sturridge put the ball into the roof of the net. One-nil. And at the end of the first half Liverpool Football Club had passed and passed, and their knife had pierced Aston Villa's heart.

In the second half Liverpool did not pass the ball, and Aston Villa Football Club found their heart. They found their heart, and they found their legs. Their fans found their voices. And their players ran LIverpool Football Club off the pitch, the Villa Park pitch. But the Boys of the Travelling Kop still sang, and they out sang the Holt End, and the players of Liverpool Football Club dug in, the knives and the forks and spoons, defending, holding onto their lead. And second by second, minute by minute, the Boys of the Travelling Kop out sang Villa Park, WE LOVE YOU LIVERPOOL, WE DO - WE LOVE YOU LIVERPOOL, WE DO - WE LOVE YOU LIVERPOOL, WE DO - OOOHHHH, LIVERPOOL WE LOVE YOU,

At full time at the final whistle, Liverpool Football Club collected their three points. That evening, Liverpool Football Club had won their second game of season, away from home, away from Anfield. That evening, Liverpool Football Club had won ten of the their last fifteen competitive matches. And Liverpool Football Club had only lost one of those matches, and the Supporters of Liverpool Football Club had seen nine clean sheets. Steven Gerrard stood in the centre of the Villa Park pitch. And Steven Gerrard listened to the Boys of the Travelling Kop, singing, still singing. . . WALK ON, WALK ON, WITH HOPE IN YOUR HEART, AND YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE,

And Steven Gerrard looked to his boots, and Steven Gerrard smiled.

[stevied]

Watched in a pub full of Villa fans and we all enjoyed the game, first half to be fair they couldnt believe how good we were, the goal had the whole pub applauding, great movement and that Danny is a cool fucker in front of goal, second half was a bit more fractious but i thought we coped really well.
Delighted with the 6 point start will be ecstatic if we make it 9 from 3, its a lot better than last years start and can only raise everyones hopes

[robertobaggio37]

Penalty?

Seen them given, penalty for me.

[peterb17]

Great win in a way that we haven't done for a while. the only slight blot for me is that we seemed to run out of legs in the last 15, particularly Lucas, who up till then i thought was excellent.
To be honest though along with LFCshaunod got great satisfaction out the game as winning ugly is what you need to do to fight near the top and it is something that shows character and togetherness and we seem to have lacked that in the last two years.
I also thought tactically we were sound in not allowing them space on the counterattack so all in all very happy looking forward to Tuesday to allow a few other squad members a game and get some fitness and give us more options

[Degs]

It's good to take 6 points from games we took 4 from last season but the elephant in the room remains.
Last season we struggled against the top teams, what we really need to kick on from last season is a way to deal with these opponents.  Too often last season we seemed to play the occasion and not the game - I would love for us to turn up against the Mancs with an equally adept set of tactics for these games.

[TSC]

Thought we were excellent in the first half.  Totally bossed it in all areas, with arguably the exception being actually creating clear cut opportunities, and to be fair that is an important exception.  Villa from early on made it clear they were going to attempt to press us high and early.  They seemingly abandoned this and dropped off simply because in general they couldn't get near us.

I've no idea what happened in the second half.  Whether it was a natural reaction to being 1 up away, or if it was intentional.  But it definitely was the proverbial game of two halves. 

Just one point re Sturridge who is obviously an excellent player.  Just feel sometimes he's a bit greedy and misses the chance to play team mates in when they're in dangerous positions.  But what a finish.

Oh and as clear a penalty you'll see this season. Certainly as blatant as the John Terry effort from the school of basketball.

[didi]

first 40 minutes were one of the finest if the not the best ive seen us play under Brendan. We simply controlled the game and Villa could not get near us. The passing, the movement was a joy to behold and against a side that had played 2 games against top four opposition and came thru both games in great shape and were playing their first game at home in front of a confident and expectant crowd. I expected things to change in the 2nd half solely down to the fact no team in any premier league ground away from home could expect to control a game like we did. But we dug in and gheld out which is massive going forward......a couple of quality additions added to the group in the next week which is essential from FSG, to make the match day squad alot stronger

[Djimi Smicer34]

Mignolet - crosses and distribution, are these areas of concern?

For all the quality of our play (at it's best) are we creating enough chances?

For all the quality of our play, do we have the players to share the goals around?

Suarez, we really need him, don't we?

1) Not for me.  He could be better in the air but he's dealt with things well enough for the most part up to now.  He'll make mistakes, every goalkeeper does, but he is an outstanding shot-stopper and as long as he is keeping the ball out of the net I'll be happy.  His distribution has been ok, I felt a problem yesterday was that the longer the game went on, the less options there were up-field for him to distribute to.  Again its not a big concern for me at the moment, I think its something that he will improve on as his time at Liverpool progresses.

2) We did at Stoke, we didn't create enough clear-cut chances apart from the goal yesterday.  There was good build-up, as usual, but we needed more bodies in the box to make that count.  When we did get into good positions from an attacking standpoint we were wasteful as the game went on; the Glen Johnson shot after Aspas had cleverly ducked out of the way and left Johnson in space springs to mind.

3) Suarez and Sturridge will carry most of the responsibility for goals.  Apart from those we would be looking at Gerrard, Aspas, Borini, Coutinho and Henderson to chip in.  There should be plenty of goals there considering how many we scored last season and we have Sturridge and Coutinho for a full season this time around but Rodgers has said he wants more goals in the team so it will be interesting to see who he brings in, we have good options now but a team can never have enough goalscorers.

4) Yes.  While he's a Liverpool player then we need him to perform to the standard he always has done for us and to keep scoring goals.

Overall I will happily take a win like yesterday when we can get them.  I wouldn't say we were poor but pragmatic; we recognised their main threat and worked to nullify it.  Credit to Lambert because he's made them a fit, dangerous team but we dug in when we needed to and got the three points, that is all that matters when all is said and done.

Sturridge, Toure and Mignolet were the stand-out performers for me.  I felt Gerrard and Lucas played very well also.  Coutinho and Aspas were quieter than last week but our attacking movement was still good, our players are patient and efficient in position and always look to create space to exploit.  Our defence handled the threat of Benteke well, Toure has proven to be the calm but authoritative presence that we've need for a while.  I was quite happy with Johnson and Enrique defensively, Weimann and Agbonlahor carry a threat from out wide but we kept them quiet yesterday.

Two games, two wins, six points and two clean-sheets to start the season, I'm delighted with that.  Now we can look forward to hopefully progressing in the League Cup on Tuesday and a massive game on Sunday, one that I feel is very winnable. 

[Prof]

You're at it again.  Again you're at it.  After starting the downfall of the last table of the circular variety, the round table, you attempt to bring the downfall of this one.  This round table.

[TXRed]

The majority of the first half put a big smile on my face. Seeing Villa players visibly frustrated, throwing their arms in the air had me in stitches. They couldn't sniff the ball and whenever they touched it, it seemed to come right back to the Reds within 15-20 seconds. That's death by football right there. One day, we'll be able to do it for more than 40 minutes, and it will be glorious.

Oh, and we have a real good football manager on our hands folks. I'm excited.

[afc tukrish]

MichaelA, your post shall not pass unremarked. Rubbing your eyes against the digital strain, your words springing from tip-tapping fingers, they shall not pass unremarked. They shall not pass. Unremarked.

They might well be permitted to go back to Italy, though...

On a less peaceful note...

For all the quality of our play (at it's best) are we creating enough chances?

I'm inclined to question whether the number of chances is a truly useful barometer. Calls to mine the relentless summer transfer forum insistence upon the necessity of bringing in more "wingers" who can "get crosses in." That's not really how Brendan appears to want his side to play.

Are we creating enough chances attacking down the middle, splitting the opposition defenders for Sturridge, or Himself when he returns, to put away? When we attack in the wide areas, is the ball played across purposefully, pulled back from the endline, and on the ground if possible?

After having scored only single goals in the first two matches, it's entirely appropriate to question whether we might be doing more to score more. On the other hand, we created quite a few good chances against Stoke, markedly fewer against Villa. Home versus away? An accompanying different tactical emphasis in the second half where we appeared to defend by keeping it?

Not sure the glass is either half-empty or half-full, more focused on Brendan's preferences for the proper placement of his knives, forks, and spoons...

[helmboy_nige]

Six points from six, 2 wins on the bounce.

But is your glass half empty or half full?

How anyones glass can be half full after that I'll never know.  We have 6 points from our first 6.  Last time that happened was 5 years ago.  You take the wins when they come, that's what Man U do.

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool became more nervous as the clock ticked down but that's to be expected surely?

Yep.  But I also think we were less nervous than against Stoke.  It felt like we planned to sit back and try to hold them off.  It was risky but it worked.  And for all the nerves we handled Villa really well, aside from a couple of great Benteke chances.

We'd all like to see quality passing and attacking football for the full 90 minutes, but that's not how the game works is it?  It's just as important to defend well and grind it out when things don't go your way. Isn't that to be  admired as a quality of a good team?

Even the best teams have to win ugly.  And it wasn't that ugly... we were awesome in the opening 40 minutes.

Nb: how could I forget the goal?

How indeed.  Truly stunning piece of skill.  Looked like he'd taken it too far, but that finish was something else.  Loving seeing Sturridge play and he seems really focussed.

Mignolet - crosses and distribution, are these areas of concern?

Distribution yes, but I'm not concerned on crosses.  We've faced two really tough attacks early on that dominate from crosses and set pieces.  We won't be facing the likes of Benteke and Crouch every week.  Distribution needs work, but that will come with training.

Key thing is that his shot stopping and reflexes are out of this world.  He had no right to save that late Benteke shot.  He's become and instant hero.

For all the quality of our play (at it's best) are we creating enough chances?

I don't think it's fair to judge on one game.  Against Stoke we created more chances than any other team that week and only won 1-0. Against Villa we created a couple of chances and scored one.  That's clinical and we should be happy with it.  I do worry that (as we did with Suarez) there is a chance we could become over reliant on Sturridge.  Aspas looks good, but he's new to the PL and it will take him time to adapt.

For all the quality of our play, do we have the players to share the goals around?

I think so.  Gerrard, Suarez, Sturridge should be expected to bang a few in again.  Henderson looks much sharper in attack and had a great record last season.  Coutinho and Aspas should certainly be getting on the end of some chances too.

Suarez, we really need him, don't we?

I've debated this long and hard.  Suarez gives us something that no one else does and that unknown quantity got us through a few matches last season.  But he has shown that he's not as quick to adapt to the team ethic and I do wonder if he could damage our balance.  Once he's not suspended we arguably have to play him because he's that good, but what will it do to our team cohesion?

On the whole I couldn't be happier.  We won our opening two games and it's sets us up nicely for the visit of the Mancs next sunday.

[Prof]

Last week I wrote a piece about perception and decision making and how these two related attributes were of a high value in our system of playing.

That first half was a glimpse of what a cohesive team can achieve.  I honestly couldn't identify a key performer.  Everyone did their job within the system.

The second half didn't go as well, and I think Villa need some credit here.  They changed their attacking angles and bypassed our midfield more effectively.  The worry was we didn't keep the ball as well, but I'm not sure why, we got pick-pocketed a number of times.

What we did really well in the first half, was 'kill' the ball at turnovers.  When our play broke down, the ball wasn't in a position for a quick counter from Villa, either because it was out of play, or the Villa man with the ball had no outlet.  We controlled these angles excellently.

In the second half, a number of our possessions fizzled out, and we couldn't play our way out of tight areas.  It was like we had sacrificed the options on the ball in order to stay more secure if/when play broke down, which in turn  made this happen more.  I also felt we attacked too quickly on a few occasions, when we really needed to just keep possession.

As it turned out, this worked, and a huge factor in this was the save by Mignolet.  If I'm honest, Villa probably deserved a point, but I won't complain.  The first half was a demonstration of it working, the second a demostration of what we can do when we need to.

[Corkboy]

I tried to look at this game from the Villa perspective.

Benteke should have scored. Mignolet made a good stop but it was close enough to him and a comfortable height. That should have been a goal, it was a fabulous chance, ball bouncing kindly at knee level deep inside the box and the whole goal to aim for with nobody in touching distance. He should have buried it, and then we would all be having a slightly different conversation. Defensively, it was a Red Sea parting moment but I reckon the big Belgian will be still replaying that one in his head until next weekend.

Fabian Delph had some game, though didn't he? The entire Villa midfield got a bit of a chasing in the first half but Delph was the outstanding midfielder and possibly the best player of the second half.

[Bobinhood]

First half: for me, our best ever performance at "Death by Football". We finally weren't thinking about it anymore, we just went out and did it, resting with the ball, probing for weakness's, potting a goal.  Difference in a year: Massive. Signs: highly encouraging.

Second half: Excellent display of surviving the trial by fire which is the least that can be expected in this division and grinding out the unglamorous 1-0 win, which is the absolute key staple of success.  It seems title winners play probably dozens of those every year, all crucial and quickly forgotten. As an introduction to class, couldn't have been more instructive for the students, who handed in an A report. Tough markers may want even better but im personally very happy with the work shown.

almost 2 different games it seemed but the tales of the two halves will each serve us well in different ways I feel.

 

[DonkeyWan]

I still think the backline is seriously lacking. It always worries me when I see a backline not winning second ball. In the first half Villa tried to play ball on the ground counter attacking and were utterly pummelled. But with about 10 minutes to go in the first half they started crossing deep balls from wide and the backline struggled to deal with this barrage. I remember when Hyppia and Henchoz were in their pomp, they gobbled up those balls. What killed them was quick movement on the ground. Now its the opposite, we have cultured defenders and one lunatic leaping around trying to physically out do the opposition. I think when the new signings settle the team will look more organised and disciplined at the back, but for now every high, lofted ball floated in gives me a heart attack.

Not many complaints about the midfield, Lucas and Gerrard were solid and combative, as they needed to be, but I felt Henderson was the unsung hero yesterday, his work rate is extraordinary, its been an excellent decision to use him in the middle over Allen, Lucas and Gerard control the game, but Henderson is the lungs. At the start of last year the Liverpool midfield was soft and tended to open up like gentle flower at the first morning dew. With the return of Lucas and the highly mobile Henderson as regular fixtures, these knid of games are now being won, rather than drawn or lost.

Up front, a tough day for Coutinhio and Aspas, they were booted from pillar to post by a very big and physical Villa. I think early in the season these teams are enthusiastic and obdurate, a physical game is incredibly wearing on a smaller, skillful side. As the season progresses though, fatigue will kick in and technique will win out and I fully expect Liverpool to become more dominant and controlling in games. For now, at the hurly burly start to the season, 6 points after 2 games has Liverpool miles ahead of the curve. It was something like 2 after 5 last year. Also, Villa away and Stoke at home are two good games to win, in the manner they were won too.

[n00bert]

Glass definitely half full for me.

The thing I took away from that game is that Brendan Rodgers is no tactical mug. He spotted Villa's strengths and nullified them (almost) perfection in a way that Arsenal and, to an extent, Chelsea couldn't. I know there will be suggestions that Villa may do better away from home because of how they play, but the way we pretty much marked Agbonlohor and Benteke out of the game was extremely encouraging.

We did what Arsenal should have done, stretch them wide. For all their wonderful passing, Arsenal really, really, really like playing through the middle. It's their strength and it's wonderful to watch but with Villa's two holding midfielders at the Emirates, it was always going to be tough. They played right into Villa's hands and got crowded out and then got hit on the counter time and time again.

Us on the other hand, were brilliant and not just when we were holding on to the ball in the first half, but also when we were extremely well disciplined in the second. And like I said, kudos must be handed to Brendan for identifying and pretty much quashing the Villa threat.

That first 35 minutes was the best football we've played in awhile. It was sublime. Absolutely beautiful. The movement, the passing, the pressing. Hate to say it, but it was Barca-esque. Won the ball back quick and did that whole resting on the ball thing.

That goal by Sturridge. I am one of those people who didn't mind Suarez leaving. Him staying (or looking like staying) is brilliant for the team because he is absolutely world class but even if he did leave I think Sturridge has it in him to be a top centre forward. I sometimes worry that Suarez's return will upset the balance but hopefully it'll be more a boon than a burden.

Sturridge's movement is brilliant and I thought it shoulda been a pen when he beat Guzan. All completely elementary now that we've won the game but how perfect would that have been.

Kolo Toure was on Benteke like white on rice and although Benteke managed to turn him once and get behind him another time, he was pretty much perfect. I am really, really liking this signing and above and beyond anything else, he adds a sense of purpose to our defending. Also, thank fuck Danny didn't have another brain fart, which I was half expecting when we conceded that freekick late in the second half.

Mignolet continues to impress. I thought he made a meal of the first Benteke shot but the save for the second was ridiculously good. That ball was traveling and I the more replays I saw, the more impressed I was. I was worried when Pepe left but Mignolet is starting to really, really win me over. Long may this continue.

I know people have been knocking Stevie and Lucas but credit must be given to Villa for the way the upped the tempo in the second half. They pressed better, but they lacked ideas because we didn't give them a lot of space to exploit in behind. Yes Lucas got caught on the ball a couple of times but I think it was because of how deep we were and that we didn't have a lot of options up front for anyone to hit once we reverted to a more defensive shape.

I thought Stevie was brilliant, positionally sound and did a lot of the DM stuff that he sometimes gets knocked for. A great, well disciplined performance from our skipper. And has anyone else noticed that he's been a bit more vocal of late?

And the way we defended was great in another way. Their midfielders were not going to contribute goals, an area where I think we have a few in us. People say Hendo is shit because he doesn't score but his movement is pretty darned good for a kid that is given the Kuyt task of just covering every edge of grass. I think a lot of people forget that to score goals you need to get into good goalscoring positions something that I think he has. He'll develop into a 10 goal a season player soon.

Aspas seems like he is still finding his feet but I really like his movement. I think the mobility of the front three will be a feature of our team in the coming months.

The one criticism I would have of our team is that we should be a bit better on the counter. I'd like to see Sturridge play a bit more on the shoulder of the last defender rather than dropping deep. He has the pace to make it difficult for defenders to push too high up so having him as an outlet would have been good. I felt that in the seocnd half we conceded possession too cheaply at times.

Other than that, an excellent win and a well won three points.

[John C]

and bar the Benteke chance which was saved well by Simon Mignolet

Do you mean when he had it on the volley, with time to shape, chose his position and hit it cleanly in the air? That chance was a strikers dream and he probably hit it too cleanly, so it travelled neatly in the air with little movement and at a perfect height for Mignolet - but Simon still had to have the ability to react and maintain a strong hand.

Penalty?

No, because Sturridge was able to leap the keeper as he demonstrated. Yes, in real life football when modern players leave a trailing leg in an attempt to kid the world.
Could Daniel have blundered in to the keeper as if to be tripped - possibly.
Did he illustrate that he's an honest player without getting any credit - definitely.

On Saturday the twenty fourth of August two thousand and thirteen,

I read that entire post in Gary Lewis' voice

Football eh, who knows what this borderline weak and border line genius squad will do.
Top of the league the night before we play Arsenal in November or humiliated next week by those other people.
The lads are playing really well, little fault to a man. Aspas has been subbed twice on the trot, last week to his clear disappointment, this weak to Villa's.

I'm happy because we're no mugs. SG & Lucas both look great, Johnson and Enrique are contributing more than they are credited for, particularly the cumbersome Enrique.

And Coutinho plays for us.

[KopThat]

First half we were clinical maintained possession and closed them down when we lost it, well this was up to about the 35 minute mark. Then Villa either up'd their intensity or we got a bit sloppy.

It was a wonderfully worked goal and excellent footwork from Sturridge to round the keeper and then have the balance and skill to blast it in to the roof of the net. It was a little worrying that for all that possession we didn't create a lot of decent chances.

In the second half Villa were far more aggressive, and had us under the cosh a couple times, which again saw us not holding possession for long, and a few occasions where we gave it up too easily, even Gerrard was guilty a couple of times.

Mignolet is a little uncomfortable with the ball at his feet, (one of Reina's strong points) but he made a couple of outstanding saves, and it can easily be argued that he has earned the team 4 points in the last 2 games.

Toure and Agger both had good games, with Enrique and Johnson doing a sound job. Not sure about Cissoko he was played out of position, but it gave home a taste of the premier league.

Coutinho, Aspas were getting muscled out a bit, and Aspas didn't have a great game. Joe Allen also looked a bit light weight when he came on.

5 shots with 1 on target, compared to 17 with 3 on target for Villa doesn't tell the whole story, but we need to create a lot more chances away from home, to be a consistent threat this season.

6 points from 6 and as a team we can improve, so bring on the Mancs !

[alvaro]

Most of what needed to be said has been said already. Like I posted in the after match thread Im glad to see that we can adapt to different oponents. What bothered me about the second half was that we didnt create enough trouble from our counterattacks. Our transition wasnt good enough and at times I felt we were using the wings too much( funny thing that a poster above said entirely a different thing :p).  When you counterattack you can go through the middle because there are no two banks of 4 ready to stop you. I also think that perhaps Coutinho should have been in the middle for the entire of the second half for that reason.
Im also worried about lack of depth in the squad so FSG better spend some money this week

ps: Kolo Toure has to be given massive credit for Mignolet save as well, he closed the angle forcing Benteke to shoot at the near post giving the keeper a chance to save.

[stockdam]

Villa are a much improved side and will do better than a lot of people think.

In the first half we were in "another league" and dominated the match. No there weren't many shots on target but it was clear that if we could continue to dominate then we'd win by 2 or 3 goals.

However Villa clawed their way back and in the 2nd half they were the stronger side. We panicked a bit at times under pressure and gave the ball away too easily. Our defence stayed strong and Toure was my MOTM. He leads by example and takes charge whenever needed.

In the first half Coutinho played well but as the game wore on he became ineffective and was tiring. Cissokho looks promising and is a good option to bring on if Coutinho starts to tire.

Sturridge's goal was one for the connoisseurs. His determination and skill were top notch and the goal was breath-taking.

Gerrard and Lucas had a great first half.

Now for a couple of negatives that we need to resolve.

Mignolet is a great shot stopper but his distribution was poor. No doubt that has been noted and he will get better.

I'm not convinced by Aspas yet. He looks fine at times but he doesn't yet look like he can beat defenders or get to the cross before them.

Suarez will give us an edge when he comes back but I'd like to see another option in tight games like this one. We need somebody in midfield who can burst past players and quickly counter-attack, We had several chances to do this but we couldn't find another gear and the Villa defenders quickly snuffed out the opportunity. We could do with somebody in the centre who has strength and pace.

3 points against a strong team at home was very welcome and let's have more please.

[Kersy Aus]

Glass well and truly half full! Especially when you consider that last year we had 1/6 including a belting by West Brom. And we have got the 6 without Suarez and with a reduction in player wages.

There are definitely areas for improvement, as has been said some more class up forward and some cover in central defense will be paramount at some point soon. However after watching the game I get the feeling that the subdued second half was by design, sacrificing attacking intent to better defend Villa on the counter. I realize that two of Villas goals against Arsenal were penalties but have no doubt, all three of their goals were from fast counters, two of which drew fouls in the box.
Brendan put Cissokho on pretty early to add more defense and speed to the team, and it worked well. Before we scored we dominated, almost immediately after we scored the central midfield fell deeper and wider and there was no midfield man sacrificing shape to try and bust through the defense and create a goal. It would have been great to score another to ease the stress, but it looked like the intent was to lessen the chance of Villa scoring, and to the managements credit, it worked.

Great start to the season, will be very interesting to see how many shots we put on target against United next week.

[KirkVanHouten]

I feel as though we lack pace in midfield. Hopefully we bring someone in.