All the below is only based on what I can remember:
Reina - 6
Didn't have much to do really. Beaten by a good finish.
Kelly - 6
Tried hard but didn't have his best game. Got forward well to support attacks, but struggled with crossing, beating men and passing. Definitely
needs to improve in these areas if he is going to be a future right back. Good experience for him.
Konchesky - 5.5
Didn't support attacks as well as Kelly did, and I don't remember him getting involved in the game that much.
Agger - 7.5
Thought he looked quite good. Defended very well and started off a few attacks. Made good runs into midfield. Looked commanding at centre back
and hope he keeps his place.
Kyrgiakos - 7
Made the effort but I think it was him who was beaten for pace for the equalizer? Fantastic through ball though, so can't blame him too much.
Made the most of it diving for the penalty but at least put the team first. Defended alright and looked a threat at set pieces.
Spearing - 7
Got better as the game went on. I remember thinking how he looked lost during the first half but played much better when we had the impetus in
the second. Grew in confidence and started spraying passes around well. Valuable game time for him.
Meireles - 7
Impressed by him in his first full game for us. His physical movement and appearance somehow reminds me of Torres - think I need a new telly.
But he looked quick and mobile and you can tell there's intelligence in his passing even though they didn't all succeed. Couple of good shots
didn’t hurt. Wasn't able to assess the defensive side of his game.
Maxi - 6.5
Looked off the pace but tried hard. Failed to connect with a lot of passes. Got better in the second half but needs to improve a lot to regain
his form he had towards the end of last season.
Babel - 6
Struggled to get in the game. Played well in flashes but not so well at other times. At least he tried hard and he managed to get in a few
dangerous positions. Confused by the way he get subbed.
Cole - 7
Took his goal very well but looked off the pace in the first half. Always takes up intelligent space but would like to see him be more
productive sometimes. Second half he looked much better, kept asking for the ball and made good attacking runs towards goal.
Ngog - 7
Still got a lot to learn but played alright. Needs to hold up the ball better and bring people into it but he's improving - other players need
to make better runs around him. Took both his goals well.
Subs: Don't get a rating because they weren't on long enough. Lucas took his goal well though.
Overall:
I think a lot of people judge our games with only half their brain. That half is focussed on Liverpool's performance whilst the other half
normally ignores the opposition’s performance. With that mind, I think you have to give credit to Steaua. They played some great football in the
first half and they ran rings around us. It was almost a joy to watch - the passing, movement and confidence was there for all to see.
Sometimes there's not much you can do about it. Closing them down and hoping they make mistakes is the best action. But I would love to see our
team play with that kind of freedom sometimes. Technically, they were very good and I was surprised how good they were in the first half.
I think it's important to measure how good the opposition have played when measuring how well your own team have played. They're not mutually
exclusive and both affect each other. When City beat us 3-0 a few weeks ago, it wasn't just a case of us playing badly. It wasn't just a case
of them playing well either. But the respective team's forums wouldn't have been further apart in their respective cumulative opinions. You wouldn't get many City fans shouting about how short of ideas Liverpool were, or how Liverpool playing a 4-4-2 had left them naked tactically. Equally, you don't tend to get too many Liverpool fans saying how good City were on the whole, and how dangerous they looked. Liverpool fans saw it as our left back Agger getting raped by their winger, while City fans viewed it as Adam Johnson being unstoppable.
Our performance was a mixed bag. At times, we looked lost in the first half and I thought there were times when we looked like we could lose
the game. We weren't creating many good chances and we weren't playing good football. Steaua were playing through us and we seemed to be in a limbo between holding off and closing down - I sometimes think the team keeping its shape is stopping players from closing down (while defending) or making unpredictable runs (while attacking).
Goals certainly change games. Until we scored the penalty, we looked pretty dire. After scoring it, we looked good. It can completely change your perception of the game if you're not careful. On 54 minutes, it's easy to think "We've not played well at all tonight". Equally, after 56 minutes, you could be forgiven for thinking "We've played alright tonight". Goals change the supporters collective mindset as well as the teams set up and mentality. I see goals almost as a lottery. Buying more tickets than someone else will increase your chances of winning more than them. But it doesn't guarantee anything.
I thought that 4-1 completely flattered us. We weren't 4 times as good as Steaua. With 10 minutes to go, I thought 2-1 was a more accurate scoreline.
Overall, I would give us a rating of 6.5 for our performance. Not often you say that after a 4-1 victory.
