Gerrard, Sakho, Cou and Henderson...Questions and Answers

Liverpool's 5-0 demolition job at White Hart Lane provided Liverpool fans with much to savour and a few things to ponder. Below I take a look at what Sunday's match proved and what lies around the corner for Liverpool.

Liverpool can cope without Gerrard against top sides

Joe Allen, Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson don’t have the same quality as Steven Gerrard. Nor do they posses the same levels of experience. Individually none are likely to achieve close to what the Liverpool skipper has in his career. That said, the midfield trio showed that took to the field against Spurs showed that what they do posses as a group is the one thing that Gerrard lacks these days: Dynamism.

Against better sides this season, Gerrard has copped some criticism. He’s looked immobile and unable to press effectively against teams looking to get on the front foot against the Reds. It’s a fair assessment that he’s struggled when placed in central midfield against the likes of Arsenal, Everton and Southampton. Those three sides in particular, got the best of Gerrard and his impact from open play on those matches was minimal. Brendan Rodgers’ preferred central midfield partnership of Lucas and his captain simply hasn’t have the physical qualities to cope in games against Champions League chasing rivals.

Against Spurs, Allen, Lucas and Henderson’s ability to hound Paulinho, Dembele and Sandro (And Holtby when the Brazilian went off injured) was perhaps the most impressive aspect of Liverpool’s play. The pressure exerted by those midfield players allowed the Reds to get in Spurs’ face and press the home side back. They forced errors right from the start of the game when Henderson and Allen pressured Sandro into a mistake in just the second minute. That relentless pressure never dwindled and Spurs couldn’t cope with the perpetual movement and ball winning ability of the Liverpool trio. Undoubtedly, there was a dynamism against Spurs that was missing against the likes of Arsenal and co earlier in the season.

Gerrard is out for over a month

But can they cope without their skipper against the lesser sides?

Gerrard’s absence may well be more pronounced against Cardiff this weekend than it was against tougher opposition on Sunday. That may sound counter intuitive given Spurs’ obvious superiority when compared with the Welsh side, but when Liverpool are having large amounts of possession against teams intent on defending deep, Gerrard comes to the fore. His quality from open play and his delivery from set pieces gives Liverpool another attacking dimension against the lesser lights of the Premier League. His phenomenal technical ability is still evident when he is allowed time on the ball and has fewer defensive responsibility. Gerrard has unlocked plenty of stubborn defences this season already for Liverpool, contributing 6 assists. His passing is more penetrating than Allen, Lucas and Henderson’s and Liverpool will miss those qualities when they are playing against a less adventurous side than Spurs.

Liverpool dealt well with the absence of their captain against a Champions League rival on Sunday. Can they replace him effectively when they are faced with a smaller club who will likely come to Anfield and defend for their lives? We’ll soon find out.

Sakho should be first choice

Mamadou Sakho had a few iffy moments against Spurs. He gave one of the dodgiest back passes of the season to Simon Mignolet which almost cost Liverpool a goal and he also lost the ball a couple of times when attempting unnecessary dribbles. That said, his physical presence and utter dominance of the aerial ball demand that he be in the Liverpool starting eleven these days.

Sakho is called a beast by his team mates and you can see why. He’s a monster in the air. He rarely loses a header and he adds a much needed combative streak to Liverpool’s central defence. He clearly relishes a scrap. On the ball he is generally very good also, at least when he’s not trying to go on a mazy down field. His passing is accurate, crisp and decisive and he seems at ease when in possession. One back heel in his own area at the weekend showed in no uncertain terms  that he doesn’t lack for confidence with the ball at his feet.

Sakho seems to be Liverpool best centre back right now

Given the type of player Sakho appears to be though, mistakes will undoubtedly occur. He’s a proactive defender rather than reactive. To draw an analogy from Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher’s excellent debate on the art of defending, Sakho is more of a David Luiz than a John Terry. He constantly looks to nip in in front of a striker to win the ball and will back himself in a one on one battle every time. Where other defenders would retreat, he will attack. When that goes wrong it will look bad, but the fact is that Sakho dominates most of his opponents and is giving Liverpool’s back line some much needed steel that should remain.

Coutinho: Understated but vital

Philippe Coutinho hasn’t quite shone as brightly yet this season as he did last term. There just haven’t been as many of those jaw dropping individual performances from him so far. Against Spurs, players like Jordan Henderson, Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling clearly outshone him in terms of individual brilliance. That said, Coutinho remains a fulcrum of Rodgers’ side. Rightly so. His ball retention when up against Kyle Walker, a tough opponent, was exceptional on Sunday. Time and again he ran with the ball and despite a lack of eye catching contributions, he was still fundamental to Liverpool’s victory. His persistent movement infield and in wider areas tormented Spurs and created vast amounts of space for Suarez and Henderson in particular to exploit.

He is obviously a key player for opposing sides to focus on this season and he’s getting less time and space to weave his magic, but his touch for Jordan Henderson’s goal showed that his quality endures. It was an exquisite lay off that went largely unnoticed, probably because such brilliance is now expected of the Brazilian. He’s not quite firing on all cylinders yet but, despite a hard time with niggling injuries and more attention from opponents, he is still contributing effectively to the side. Now that he’s over his injury and playing more regularly, it is surely only a matter of time before he truly ignites once more.

Henderson’s coming out party

On Sunday the rest of the country finally seemed to come to the same realisation that has been dawning on Liverpool fans for the past 12 months: Jordan Henderson isn't an £18m flop, he’s actually a very impressive footballer. His performance in north London was undoubtedly Henderson’s most effective and eye catching display in a red shirt. He was a force of nature that overwhelmed Spurs with his lung bursting bursts forward, his accurate passing and his persistent pressing.

Henderson is playing well but is there more to come?

In truth, he’s displayed all of those talents many times for Liverpool already, but he’s never married them all together as splendidly as he did on Sunday. When Luis Suarez bags two goals and three assists and still loses out on the man of the match award to you, you know you’ve delivered big time. The challenge now for Henderson, who has started every league game for the Reds this season, is to maintain this level. He’s been good for Liverpool for a year or so now and his place in the side is no longer in question. His improvement to this point has been marked and it must continue. He can add more goals to his game. His passing can become consistently more incisive and perceptive, as demonstrated on Sunday when he was spraying 40 yard passes to Philippe Coutinho without even looking. Henderson has transformed himself into a very good player, he can go even further and, given his desire and commitment, who would back him not to?

Luis Suarez - The best of the lot?

‘I’m starting to dislike Suarez. He’s making ex-Liverpool strikers look less impressive every time he plays’ said Robbie Fowler last night. He’s right.

Suarez will never be as loved as Fowler or a Kenny Dalglish. He’ll never have the longevity of Ian Rush and he probably won’t win close to as many trophies at Liverpool as those illustrious forwards did. But this doesn’t change the fact that he is one of the greatest players to ever grace the Anfield turf.

Last night, no superlatives could do justice to what the Uruguayan produced. Ridiculous, supreme, phenomenal, outrageous….take your pick, none will suffice.

Suarez, in general play, wasn’t at his best last night, as scary as that is to believe. He misplaced most of his passes in the first quarter of an hour and he’s certainly produced more dribbles, nutmegs and body swerves in previous games than he did against the Canaries. He’s tormented defences far more over the past few years than he did under the lights on December 4th. Despite that, it remains difficult to remember a striking performance punctuated with so many moments of such outlandish brilliance occurring at Anfield.

There were three moments of genuine inspiration and one of technical striking at it’s best. The first came when a ball bounced up forty yards from the Kop goal. This was to be no hit and hope. Suarez saw John Ruddy off his line and lashed the ball exactly where he wanted it to go - the top corner of the net. The second was a near post poachers goal from a set piece but technically brilliant. Not a goal to take the breath away perhaps, but one that Fowler, Rush et al would have more than approved of.

Then came the coup de grace. Picking up another difficult bouncing ball 30 yards out and with four defenders around him, Suarez ambled forward, flicked the ball over Leroy Fer, feigned to shoot as defenders panicked and backed off him and then unleashed a half volley that was hit as well as any at Anfield since Steven Gerrard’s strike against Olympiakos. When that went in Suarez jogged backwards with a sheepish grin and raised his hands to his face, seemingly embarrassed by what he had done. The icing on the cake came with yet another powerful, swerving and perfectly placed free kick at the Anfield Road end. Trademark Suarez but still utterly brilliant.

Another match ball for Luis Suarez courtesy of Norwich City

It was a quartet of goals that will take a lot of beating for pure aesthetic brilliance, imagination and precision. It was the work of a genius. It was the work of the best player in England and the best player in the world after those two statistical freaks Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi. Brendan Rodgers believes Suarez breathes the same rarefied air as those two players. Last night that was a position difficult to argue with.

Suarez is roundly disliked by anyone outside of Anfield who doesn’t posses a Uruguayan passport and he is usually overlooked when it comes to people discussing the elite footballers on the planet. His absence from the Champions League hinders him, of course. In truth, Liverpool hinder him, for he hasn’t won trophies recently like Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben or Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Those who watch him regularly know, though. They know that they wouldn’t swap him for any other player in world football outside of La Liga’s dynamic duo Ronaldo and Messi.

Suarez is not as refined as Messi and Zlatan nor is he as powerful and quick as Ronaldo and Bale. He is though, completely unique. Take the way he dribbles, for example. It is like no one else in the game. So often the ball seems destined to leave his control only for him to wrest it back with a bobble or three. It’s not luck, it’s determination, awareness and anticipation. He’s a step ahead of those trying to stop him. No player in the world embarasses defenders with the number of nutmegs that Suarez does. Those nutmegs aren’t for show either, they are simply his weapon of choice when it comes to beating people. He isn’t blessed with searing pace, nor is he a great exponent of the step over. Going around players is difficult without such gifts so he simply chooses to go through them.  By hook or by crook he gets in positions to shoot and his finishing is now no longer in question. His 30 goals last season have been added to with 13 league strikes in just 9 appearances this term. The Premier League is witnessing a special, special footballer at the peak of his powers.

As he left the pitch last night after illuminating Anfield once more, 40,000 people stood up and rightly acknowledged a masterclass. Those in the crowd who saw Rush, Fowler, Owen, Torres, Keegan, Dalglish and even Roger Hunt and Ian St John clapped Suarez off the pitch. In their heads they may have been thinking what Robbie Fowler articulated on Match of the Day:

'This fella might just be the best of the lot.'

Hodgson: Big Mouth Strikes Again

In a week when plenty of Liverpool supporters have been down on their manager Brendan Rodgers after their team’s pitiful capitulation against Hull City, Roy Hodgson has stepped in to offer a helping hand to the Northern Irishman by diverting fans’ ire away from their acting manager back on to the former incumbent of the Liverpool hotseat.

It seems as though every time Roy Hodgson dares to broach a subject of anything related to Liverpool Football Club his foot speedily races up to his mouth. As if his previous inane ramblings and underwhelming actions when he was in charge of the club hadn’t evoked enough disdain on Merseyside, the leader of the English national side has done it again in an interview about striker Daniel Sturridge.

The England manager has come out and publicly admitted that he played Sturridge for a full  90 minutes in a recent friendly match despite knowing that the forward wasn’t fully fit and therefore at risk of picking up an injury by playing. Said Roy:

"I suppose you could argue we did put his resolve to the test. I might have been guilty of that but I don't apologise for it. I am delighted he did get out there, even though he maybe didn't feel 100%, because that means in the future I will know I can trust him in an England team and he is not going to be playing when he feels like it – he is going to be playing when he's fit."

Hodgson just doesn't know when to be quiet

The fact that a national team manager would come out and publicly state that he would risk a player picking up an injury in a meaningless friendly as some sort of test of that player’s commitment is, frankly, little short of a joke. Any injury can have profound ramifications for players. Missing games can lead to them losing their place for their club side. It can lead to further injuries, loss of form or a downturn in confidence. In Sturridge’s case, his exertions for England cost him his starting place in a crucial Merseyside derby. This is a player who has suffered multiple injuries throughout his career and who has been playing at less than 100% all season long. Apparently this matters little to Hodgson and Sturridge proving his commitment (or ‘resolve’ to use Roy’s own words) circumvents such facts.

Hodgson went on to mention in his interview that Sturridge has missed several England games while he has been manager of the national team presumably as some kind of justification for his doubts over the player’s commitment (sorry Roy, ‘resolve’). That is absurd. Sturridge missed pretty much all of Liverpool’s pre-season through injury (because of an injury sustained while playing for Hodgson in a post season friendly match). He was unable to take to the field for his country against Chile (just four days prior to playing against Germany) because he was injured. It’s not as if the striker’s Mother has been writing notes to get him out of P.E on a regular basis, he’s had genuine problems and has required periods of rest wherever possible to keep him playing football.

There is little doubt that Brendan Rodgers wouldn’t have played the striker as much as he has done had Luis Suarez not been banned at the beginning of the league campaign. Liverpool were desperate to get off to a good start and needed Sturridge. He stepped up, played despite not being fully fit and fired Liverpool up the table. That was a risk worth taking because the consequences would have been significant had Sturridge not played and won Liverpool so many points. The same cannot be said of a friendly match against Germany’s reserve team.

Hodgson also made the strange claim that Sturridge needed to play against the Germans because there is only one more international meet up before the World Cup begins and therefore presumably he needed Sturridge on the pitch or the player wouldn’t have been guaranteed to start/be in the world cup squad for England. Absolute rubbish. If Roy Hodgson honestly believes that playing injured for 90 minutes against a German reserve team was necessary for Sturridge to stake his claim for the England number 9 shirt this summer then he’s out of his mind.

Sturridge will be out for between 6-8 weeks

Sturridge and Wayne Rooney are comfortably England’s best two strikers. Sturridge hasn’t stopped scoring since he joined Liverpool in January of this year and is one goal behind the Premier League’s top goalscorer Sergio Aguero. He’s not a 19 year old kid who has put a few good games together and earned his first international call up. Everyone knows how Sturridge plays and what he offers. If Hodgson wasn’t confident picking the top scoring English forward in the Premier League over the likes of Rickie Lambert, Danny Welbeck or Jermain Defoe then one has to question how the hell he became a manager in the first place. To suggest that without 90 minutes of pained toil against Germany that Sturridge’s England place would have been in jeopardy is absurd or simply disingenuous.

Of course, managers will always want their best players on the pitch and that’s probably why Hodgson made Sturridge play that inconsequential match. Friendly or not, he wanted to win against the Germans and Sturridge was the best forward he could have picked. Sturridge ambled through the game, clearly nowhere near his best and of course has subsequently had to miss out on starting the Merseyside derby for his club before picking up an injury in training a few days later.

The injury he suffered was to his ankle, not his thigh which he had been struggling with when England played Germany. The point here though is not that Roy Hodgson injured Daniel Sturridge, it’s that he risked injuring him for no good reason when he knew the potential consequences.

A manager in Hodgson’s position should not then be boasting in public about putting a player through some stone age test of 'resolve' that could have adversely affected his fitness and career, not to mention his club’s chances of success. Sturridge has a history of niggling injuries, hasn’t been fully fit all season and could have done with that 2 week rest. Instead Hodgson risked the striker’s fitness and then went on to tell the world about how unapologetic he was for gambling with the player, astonishingly stating that English players "are better [off] getting injured now," rather than in the summer. What kind of buffoon comes out and says such things? Would Roy have agreed with such a ridiculous statement when he was a club manager? Would he have made such a statement had Sturridge been playing for his good friend Alex Ferguson?

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by this ridiculous public admission though. Hodgson’s greatest weakness is running his mouth and not knowing when to shut up. He says the wrong things at the wrong times. Then he says some more wrong things. Whether it’s hailing the worst Liverpool performance at Goodison Park in a decade as his team’s ‘best performance of the season’ or criticising Liverpool fans for marching against two parasites running their club into the dirt, Hodgson never ceases to amaze the people on Merseyside who grew to know and loathe him. To the rest of the country, Liverpool supporters were harsh on Roy and didn’t give him a chance. The fact is that, taking the dour and unsuccessful brand of football that he had the Reds playing out of it for a second, Roy talked rubbish. He offended people and patronised them. His comments made no sense and only served to piss people off. Seemingly little has changed.  

Daniel Sturridge - Where is the love?

Supporters of Liverpool Football Club love their strikers. They always have. Going right back to when Bill Shankly reincarnated the club in the 1960’s, the Kop have had a long list of goal scoring idols. From Ian St John to Roger Hunt. From Hunt to Kevin Keegan. From Mighty Mouse to Kenny Dalglish. From the King to Ian Rush. From Rushy to John Aldridge. From Aldo to Robbie Fowler. From God to Michael Owen. From the treacherous Welshman to Fernando Torres. From the treacherous Spaniard to Luis Suarez. The Kop loves nothing more than someone who constantly sticks the ball in the back of it’s net.

Liverpool are currently in a position where they have 2 of the 3 top goal scorers in the league but the love of the people seems to be directed significantly more at one than the other. Luis Suarez, summer transfer saga and all, gets away with a bit more than Daniel Sturridge and he certainly gets his name sung more often. Perhaps that’s only natural. Sturridge isn’t at Suarez’s level when it comes to entertaining the masses. He isn’t quite as charismatic or talented as his Uruguayan partner in crime either, but he’s not a million miles away and his performances deserve a little more adulation and recognition than he has been receiving of late.

Don’t get me wrong, Sturridge is hardly being booed by fans or heavily criticised. Indeed, he is praised far and wide by Liverpool supporters in the main but there is still a slight lack of warmth to Sturridge that seems strange. When he played for England against Germany last week while he carried an injury, Liverpool fans were annoyed. So was his manager. Brendan Rodgers basically told the press that it was Sturridge’s fault that he couldn’t start the last Saturday’s match as he’d prioritised an international friendly over a local derby. Pretty understandable criticism and it was hardly excessive but it should be put into context. Steven Gerrard had far more reason to pull out of that game with Germany given his age, the fact that he needed a pain killing injection and the fact that no matter what happens between now and June, he will be starting England’s World Cup games.

Sturridge on the other hand, despite being the top scoring English striker in the land, has a lot to prove at international level. He’s only scored twice for his country in nine outings, one being a penalty, the other coming against the mighty San Marino. It’s only natural that he wanted to go out against Germany in a high profile match (or as high profile as any friendly match involving a Roy Hodgson team can be) and show what he could do, injured or not. The fact that he was unable to start the game against Everton allowed Rodgers’ to have a slight pop at his striker, but it’s doubtful that Luis Suarez or Steven Gerrard would have received a public rebuke in the same circumstances.

That dance gets another airing at Goodison Park 

Sturridge copped a bit more flack recently when Liverpool lost away at Arsenal. Late on, Luis Suarez ran clear on the Arsenal goal and elected to shoot rather than attempt a pass to his strike partner. In truth, he had every right to. The pass to Sturridge was not an easy one and Suarez would have scored 9 time out of 10 from the position he found himself in. Unfortunately this time he missed. Sturridge threw his arms in the air and screamed at Suarez for ignoring him. Cameras showed slow motion replays of Sturridge’s reaction and there were more than a few people unhappy with his actions. Let’s compare and contrast this with a recent on field Suarez outburst.

Against Everton, Joe Allen found himself with a chance that he would score 99 times out of a 100. He was clean through 1 on 1 with Tim Howard and had most of the goal to aim at. He also had Luis Suarez to his left who was in a position bordering on offside. He made the right choice and went for goal. He shot wide. It was a horrendous miss. Suarez’s reaction? To barack Allen and gesticulate wildly a la Sturridge at the Emirates. The only difference is that no one is really pulling Suarez for his petulance. He gets a pass because he’s so brilliant. Sturridge seemingly doesn’t receive the same leeway despite the fact that, for Liverpool, he is also pretty damn brilliant.

Suarez celebrate another goal together 

Those illustrious names from St John to Suarez that were mentioned earlier all failed to produce goals at the same rate as Sturridge has thus far in his Anfield career. Indeed, Daniel is the quickest of the lot to get to 20 goals for Liverpool. Before him, Fernando Torres held the record. He took 31 games to do it. Daniel Sturridge took 26 (and a few of them were coming off the bench). We all remember how loved Fernando Torres was now, don’t we? He was an icon on Merseyside as soon as he slipped a shot past Petr Cech at the Anfield Road end on his home debut. Perhaps if Sturridge came from sunny Spain and had flowing blonde locks and a smile rather than arriving from Chelsea and wearing a scowl he’d be more feted.

Perhaps if he didn’t arrive with a reputation for being aloof, selfish and arrogant, Liverpool fans would love him that bit more than they currently do. In fairness to Sturridge he’s done all he can to shed the negative image he arrived on Merseyside with. His goal celebration might not be to everyone’s taste but it’s clearly jocular and a bit of self deprecation. The fact that he seeks out a youngster in the crowd at the end of every match and hands his shirt over to that child also demonstrates a softer side as well as some maturity. Dancing with a fan on camera in a car park is hardly the action of a man who takes himself too seriously either. All in all, his behaviour since walking through the Paisley gates has been pretty much exemplary. Had Fernando Torres been shown on the internet getting out of his car to dance with a young fan one can imagine how much adulation he’d have received.

Maybe it’s because ‘Sturridge’ is a hard name to get into a song. Maybe its simply that local lads and foreigners have more mystique to them than a lad from Birmingham who has played for Manchester City and Chelsea. Whatever it is, right now Daniel Sturridge doesn’t quite get the adoration that great Liverpool strikers have in the past. But he really should. In three or four years time he is far more likely to still be banging in goals at the Kop end than Luis Suarez. In less than a year he’s elevated himself from a fringe player at Chelsea to one of the best strikers in England and he is still young with areas of his game that can be improved. If I were a betting man than I’d be more than happy to wager that in a couple of years time Daniel Sturridge will be one of Europe’s top forwards. You could argue that he’s nearly at that level already. It’s high time he was celebrated like those who have gone before him.

Merseyside Derbies - Six of the best

It’s derby week so what better than to take a short trip down memory lane and remember some classic Liverpool victories from the Premier League era? In no particular order, here are six of the best.

Liverpool 3-2 Everton 3/4/99 - Given Liverpool’s good run of results in derby matches over the past 15 years or so, it may come as a surprise to younger Reds fans that this hard fought victory was actually their team’s first win in ten meetings with their blue brethren.  The game is widely remembered for Robbie Fowler’s line sniffing celebration (or ‘eating the grass’ as Gerard Houllier put it) but it was fantastic game all round and started a seismic shift in derby results. Everton took the lead in the very first minute of the game when Olivier Dacourt fired an incredible 30 yard half volley into the top corner of the Kop net to leave Anfield with a then familiar sinking feeling on derby day. Liverpool responded though and their captain Paul Ince was fouled in the box after quarter of an hour which allowed Fowler to convert and taunt his tormentors with his infamous celebration.

An 18 year old Steven Gerrard celebrates with Patrik Berger

Just 6 minutes later, Fowler would put Liverpool into the lead with his 6th goal in 5 derbies when he headed home from a Patrik Berger corner that Steven McManaman had helped on at the near post. Steven Gerrard was introduced for Vegard Heggem for his first taste of derby football aged just 18 after 71 minutes before Berger made it 3-1 to Liverpool with a volley 8 minutes from time. Francis Jeffers gave Everton a glimmer of hope just 2 minutes later with a lovely spin and finish in the box to make it 3-2. In the final minute, David James went walkabout outside his area and the ball eventually dropped to Danny Cadamarteri in the Liverpool box. The young Everton striker looked sure to gain his side a share of the spoils but his strike was repelled on the goal line by the fresh faced Gerrard whose clearance won Liverpool the game. It wasn’t to be the last time Evertonians would bemoan a decisive derby intervention by the young man from Huyton….

Everton 1-3 Liverpool 28/12/05 - Just 3 days after Christmas, Liverpool gave their fans a belated seasonal gift with one of their most dominant performances at Goodison Park in recent memory. Rafael Benitez’s side made it 9 league wins in a row on a freezing cold night where the gulf in class between the two teams was frankly, huge. The reigning European champions took the lead through Peter Crouch after just 10 minutes when the striker finished off a fine passing move by rounding Nigel Martyn and slipping the ball into an unguarded net. Liverpool’s superiority was rewarded further just 7 minutes later when Steven Gerrard fired in from 20 yards with the aid of a deflection off Joseph Yobo. At this point it looked like like Liverpool would win at a canter but a James Beattie header got Everton back into the game before half time.

Peter Crouch and team mates celebrate the striker's opening goal

After the break though, Liverpool reasserted their dominance quickly. Djibril Cisse forced his way past David Weir two minutes into the second half before curling an exquisite shot into the far corner and celebrating wildly in front of the jubilant away supporters. Phil Neville and Mikel Arteta were both sent off with the score at  3-1 to complete a miserable night for Everton. As disappointing as this result was though, worse was to follow for the Blues in the return match at Anfield that season…..

Liverpool 3-1 Everton 25/3/06 - Liverpool again ran out comfortable winners in this match despite losing their captain early on. Steven Gerrard received two bookings within a matter of seconds in the 18th minute of the first half to leave the travelling Evertonians jubilant in the Anfield Road End. The Blues’ supporters cheered the dismissal of Gerrard like a goal and waved off the Liverpool skipper, confident of securing a first win at Anfield since 1999 with Liverpool down to ten men. In first half stoppage time however, Phil Neville put through his own goal with from a Liverpool corner and from that moment, the whole game turned on it’s head with Xabi Alonso putting in one of his best performances in a Liverpool shirt as he dictated the game despite his side’s numerical disadvantage.

Steven Gerrard departs after his early red card

Luis Garcia scored just after half time, racing on to a long ball from Pepe Reina that Peter Crouch flicked on and lobbing Richard Wright at the Kop end before Tim Cahill brought Everton back into the match with a headed goal from a corner. The Blues’ revival was short lived however, as Andy van der Meyde was sent off for an elbow on Alonso which made it 10 vs 10.  Harry Kewell wrapped up the three points with a wonderful 25 yard effort to take Liverpool into second place in the Premier League table after denying David Moyes an Anfield victory once again.  

Liverpool 2-1 Everton 14/3/94 - The last derby played in front of the world renowned standing Spion Kop was also Roy Evans’ first as Liverpool manager. Dave Watson’s headed goal on 21 minutes suggested that Everton, managed by Mike Walker, may just spoil the Anfield party as Liverpool fell behind. The Blues’ bubble was immediately burst though as just 30 seconds later, with Sky television still playing replays of Watson’s opener, Everton’s bete noire Ian Rush made it 1-1 with a volley to capture his 25th goal in Merseyside derbies. Legendary Everton keeper Neville Southall had to pick the ball out of his net again just before half time when Robbie Fowler sprung the offside trap and finished low into the far corner as he bore down on goal.  It was the last derby goal ever scored in front of the standing Kop and, fittingly, the winning goal also.

The now departed standing Spion Kop 

Everton 2-3 Liverpool 16/4/01 -’The Gary Mac’ derby. Not much else needs to be said, but it’s always nice to look back on this modern classic. Gerard Houllier’s Liverpool team took the lead through Emile Heskey before Duncan Ferguson rammed home an equaliser for the home side. The Reds went back in front after a wonderful finish from German full back Markus Babbel before Robbie Fowler hit the post with a penalty and cult figure Igor Biscan received his marching orders for a second yellow card. Everton looked set to grab a point when they levelled again with a David Unsworth penalty and it looked like Houllier’s men would have to try and hang on for the draw.

Gary McAllister and Jamie Carragher celebrate 'that goal'

Deep, deep into stoppage time though, Gregory Vignal was fouled just inside the Everton half and after stealing ten yards or so, Gary McAllister stepped up to steer a 44 yard free kick into the bottom corner of Paul Gerard’s net to write himself into derby folklore. The victory was a catalyst for Liverpool who went on to secure a unique treble (League Cup, F.A Cup and Uefa Cup) and qualify for the Champions League.

Liverpool 2-1 Everton 14/4/12 - A league cup title aside, this was the undoubted highlight of Kenny Dalglish’s second stint as Liverpool manager. Going into the game Everton were widely considered the favourites as Liverpool’s league form had nose dived since the turn of the year. Before the game an impeccable minute’s silence was held to honour the victims of the Hillsborough tragedy, and both sets of fans were rightly acclaimed for their behaviour during the biggest derby in years. After a scrappy opening, Everton went ahead when Nikica Jelavic took advantage of a mix up between Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher after 24 minutes and steered calmly past Brad Jones who was deputising for the suspended Pepe Reina and Alexander Doni in the Liverpool goal. All was going to plan for David Moyes’ side until a catastrophic mistake from Sylvain Distin swung the game in Liverpool’s favour.

Liverpool's match winner celebrate their semi final victory

Under little pressure out on the left wing, Everton’s centre half attempted to play the ball back to goalkeeper Tim Howard but underhit the pass woefully which allowed Luis Suarez to equalise with ease as the red half of Wembley erupted. With the game still level in the 87th minute, Liverpool’s unlikely hero would be Andy Carroll who, despite having missed the easiest chance of the game just after half time, rose to head home Craig Bellamy’s inswinging free kick to earn his side a place in the final. Chelsea would overcome Liverpool 2-1 in that final but despite that ultimate disappointment, this was a day that will be remembered fondly by Liverpool supporters and especially in the Dalglish household.

Beat the rest, forget the best - How Liverpool can make the top 4

We’re 11 games in to the season and the Premier League table of 2013/14 has already split in two. It has an established top 8 clubs consisting of the two Manchester sides, Liverpool, Everton, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and the surprise package of Southampton. Of the remaining twelve clubs that will likely fill the bottom 12 positions, only West Brom and Swansea look like coherent teams with defined styles of play and discernable plans that offer hope for improvement. Sure, sides like Newcastle have enough talented players in their ranks to throw up surprises from time to time, but in general terms the bottom 12 teams are a group ranging from the hopeless to the average.

Simple maths states that there are 72 points waiting to be accumulated against those second tier Premier League clubs. That total alone is enough to almost guarantee a Champions League finish come May. Last season Manchester United beat every team from 12th position down both home and away, amassing a gargantuan 54 points in the process. While Man City faltered against several of the bottom half sides, United eased their way to a 20th title despite having a much weaker squad than their neighbours thus highlighting just how important it is to beat the dross that unarguably exists within England’s much celebrated top flight.

Currently Arsenal lead the pack in England with Liverpool lying in second place. Neither club has looked flawless or even close to top class but both of those sides have (so far) mastered the art of beating the teams that they are expected to. Indeed, in the case of Liverpool, they have put many of those opponents to the sword with relative comfort  (3-1 vs Crystal Palace, 4-1 vs West Brom, 4-0 vs Fulham, 3-1 vs Sunderland).

Rodgers' side are dispatching the Premier League's poorer sides

The two games that Liverpool have lost this season have been against pressing aficionados Southampton who squeezed the Reds high up the pitch and defended immaculately and the leaders Arsenal who simply had too much quality for Liverpool on the night. The only other top tier opponents Liverpool have faced was Manchester United who they beat 1-0 in a scrappy affair at Anfield. Three points from three games against direct competitors isn’t scintillating form, but it’s not actually proving that important as things stand.  

Over the last few seasons Liverpool suffered numerous frustrating games both home and away against the lesser lights of the Premier League so Brendan Rodgers and his side deserve credit this season for chugging along at a ratio of over 2 points a game so far. The fixture list has been relatively kind up to now but that should not detract from the progress Liverpool have made. They are getting the results that are always expected but have rarely been guaranteed in recent times. Whereas last season Liverpool always looked likely to slip up in games against smaller clubs, not many teams look like they will be able to cope with the Reds this season, especially at Anfield.

Previously, when Liverpool dropped silly points, it was usually against stubborn, obdurate sides who would cede possession, defend deep and look to frustrate them. The likes of West Ham, Stoke, Reading and West Brom all had success with this method in Rodgers’ inaugural season. Such tactics now look increasingly unlikely to bother the Reds.

Teams who have come to Anfield and tried to sit back and soak up pressure this term have been dispatched with consummate ease. Instead, having the guts, stamina and tactical nous to press Liverpool intelligently now looks the best way of winning points against Rodgers’ men, and not many teams have been prepared to adopt such methods this term. If teams stand off against Liverpool these days and let them play then they are more than likely to find a way through. If the incomparable Luis Suarez isn’t the man to do it then Daniel Sturridge probably will. If Sturridge doesn’t, then Philippe Coutinho can unlock a door at any moment. If the little Brazilian isn’t at his best then Steven Gerrard’s delivery can still hurt you and even if the skipper isn’t on form then you constantly have to deal with the threat of the perennially underrated Glen Johnson bombarding you down the right flank.

Liverpool have attacking options that are currently seeing them comprehensively overwhelm lesser sides and that could be their trump card when it comes to securing Champions League football. If teams wish to trust to hope and attempt to cling on for 90 minutes against a side which has an array of attacking quality then more fool them. Liverpool’s weaknesses (and there are plenty, the Reds are nowhere near the finished article) are exposed when sides put them under pressure, not when opponents allow Liverpool to play on the front foot. The encouraging thing for Brendan Rodgers is that so few teams outside of the top 8 are equipped or willing to do so and his team are reaping the rewards as a result.

Liverpool have four extremely tough away games on the horizon starting with the Goodison derby a week on Saturday quickly followed by trips to Spurs, City and Chelsea before we roll into 2014. Perhaps more important than that daunting quartet of fixtures though, are the games against Hull, Norwich, West Ham and Cardiff which also take place before the turn of the year. If Liverpool manage to continue their pattern of putting the smaller sides to the sword and pick up maximum points from those games against the lesser teams then the pressure going into the matches against the top sides will be eased exponentially. Even with poor results against their rivals at the top, a perfect record in the four upcoming easier games would keep them in touch at the top given the nature of the league this season.

It sounds counter intuitive to suggest that games against relegation fodder are more important than the traditionally billed ‘six pointers’ against Champions League rivals, but when you see how often teams at the top are slipping up this season and how Liverpool still lie second despite unimpressive losses to Southampton and Arsenal, it becomes apparent just how crucial it is to continue amassing points against the teams further down the table. 

David Moyes' side are back in contention 

One need only look at how close Manchester United are to the top of the league despite picking up just one win (against Arsenal) and five points from five games against their direct rivals. Sure, getting hammered at City and losing at Anfield was bad for United and drawing with Southampton and Chelsea at home are no reasons to celebrate either, but those early losses and draws already look less significant now than they did three or four weeks ago. Apart from their win against Arsenal last weekend, what results have helped move United from crisis point back into the title picture over the last month? Wins against the awful Stoke, Sunderland and Fulham offset by a home point against Southampton. It’s hardly a sequence of results that would have Bayern Munich shaking in their boots, but it’s been enough of a run to propel United back into contention in the Premier League.

After the turn of the new year and this run of tough away games, the only top 8 teams that Liverpool have to travel to are Southampton and Manchester United.  If the Reds are still in touch with the league leaders come January, then Champions League football for next term will be there for the taking.

Regardless of how they fair at Goodison, White Hart Lane, Eastlands and Stamford Bridge over the next few weeks, Liverpool simply need to keep doing what they are doing and putting away teams who make up the second tier of the Premier League. All the top sides are likely to take points off each other and regarding Champions League qualification, it will be beating the rest, not the best, that could ultimately prove crucial.