Sakho's Debut was no Disaster

As debuts go, Mamadou Sakho’s could have been better.

Liverpool conceded their first 2 goals of the league season at the Liberty Stadium on Monday night and Sakho unfortunately played a role in the build up to both of them. Jonjo Shelvey went past Liverpool’s new signing too easily en route to his fortuitous opener and Sakho was out of position (if you subscribe to Jamie Carragher’s thoughts on centre back play rather than Gary Neville’s of course) when Michu slotted home to earn Swansea a point in the second half.

In truth, both goals were a catalogue of errors from the Reds and it wasn’t just the £18m Frenchman at fault. Jordan Henderson, Steven Gerrard and Jose Enrique didn’t cover themselves in glory when Shelvey scored and Martin Skrtel and Andre Wisdom could have done more to prevent Michu’s strike.

Liverpool looked understandably shaky at the back for large periods of the match. Wisdom is fine young defender but his natural position is clearly not that of right back, while Sakho and Skrtel had to play together for the first time as a result of Daniel Agger’s withdrawal through injury. Forging a cohesive centre back partnership in a somewhat makeshift back four was never going to be walk in the park and mistakes were bound to occur as the Frenchman attempted to bed in with his new team mates.

Sakho had a mixed debut for Liverpool 

Sakho’s first half was up and down to say the least. He threw himself into several full blooded challenges with varying degrees of success. For a player described as ‘a beast’ by his new captain, it wasn’t overly surprising that he sought to put a physical stamp on the game from the off. He did though, give the impression that he was perhaps trying a little too hard to impress at times, going to ground when it wasn’t necessary in an attempt to win the ball back. When it worked he looked commanding and exactly what Liverpool have missed over the past few years, but when it didn’t, memories of Djimi Traore probably began to infiltrate the minds of Liverpool supporters.

In fairness to Sakho though, his second half performance was far more assured and will have made for encouraging viewing for Brendan Rodgers. Liverpool we’re on the back foot for much of that second period and, Michu’s goal aside, Sakho dealt admirably with Swansea’s attacking play. He was certainly commanding in the air as he met numerous crosses with his head and his distribution was largely excellent. He looked more than comfortable on the ball and seems to enjoy a back heel pass, much to the annoyance of Michu at one point in the second half. The icing on the cake of an improved second 45 minutes was a match winning tackle on Michu in the dying moments when the Spanish forward looked certain to win the game for the Swans.

Despite his mistakes early in the game, Sakho demonstrated exactly why Liverpool we’re willing to spend big money on him. His physical presence, comfort in possession and aerial prowess were on display regularly and one would imagine that more time at the club and more first team appearances will help to iron out the creases in his game. Coming straight into a new defensive unit away from home against the likes of Wilfried Bony and Michu for your first appearance is no easy task and Sakho need only look to his centre back partner on Monday night to see how a less than stellar debut can ultimately mean little. Martin Skrtel began his Liverpool career at Anfield against non-league no hopers Havant and Waterlooville. Liverpool conceded twice on that day and Skrtel had an absolute nightmare against far less threatening opponents than Swansea City. Skrtel got over that wretched start though and went on to establish himself in the Liverpool first team. Despite currently being out of favour, no one could possibly say that Skrtel’s debut was even close to a fair representation of his career. Shaky starts aren't always a precursor for what is to follow. 

His debut wasn’t perfect but there were enough signs to suggest that, in future, Mamadou Sakho will be better. A lot better.

Glen Johnson's absence is a huge blow to LFC

Glen Johnson’s injury may not be as bad as first feared but his absence is still a blow to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.

The right back has been ruled out for a number of weeks following a high ankle sprain sustained in the home game against Manchester United. Initially it was thought that the England international could miss as much as 10 weeks of action due to the injury. That initial prognosis has been revised and recent reports indicate that he should be back in around half the time.

While that is positive news for the Reds, Johnson’s absence is still sure to be felt at Anfield. The full back is often maligned for his lack of defensive solidity (somewhat unfairly in my opinion) but the quality of his attacking play has never been in question. It is that ability to maraud forward that Liverpool will miss most over the coming weeks.

Johnson could be absent from the Liverpool team for a while

Johnson is a key component in Brendan Rodgers’ set up. He is Liverpool’s only full back who is completely at ease in the final third of the pitch and is a regular attacking weapon for his side. His quality and calmness on the ball are key ingredients in Liverpool’s set up and his ability to patrol the entire right side of the pitch for Liverpool at times is particularly important.

On the opposite flank, fellow full back Jose Enrique is a solid defensive player but lacks the subtlety and technique of Johnson and as a result, Liverpool’s attacking threat from full back is often somewhat lopsided. The Reds rely heavily on their right back. Johnson’s ability to overlap or indeed, cut inside and penetrate from a central area, is a recurring theme in Liverpool’s attacking style. He plays very high up the pitch and joins in with a great number of Liverpool’s attacks despite nominally being a defender. Liverpool repeatedly count on his ability to build attacks down that right flank and his absence should not be underestimated.  

His likely replacement during his time on the sidelines will like be Andre Wisdom. The young defender is a promising talent but his natural position is centre half. While he is robust and very quick, Wisdom does not posses the quality on the ball of Johnson and Liverpool’s attacking play will likely suffer as a result. Wisdom has deputised at right back several times already and has done a steady but unspectacular job. It’s hard to criticise him or not being as good going forward as Johnson as he is a centre half by trade, but his limitations in the attacking side of the game will blunt Liverpool's threat and that is a cause for concern if he is to fill in at right back for a prolonged period.

The emphasis on Johnson to get forward from right back is huge at Liverpool and with no like for like replacement to step in, it will be interesting to see how the Reds cope in his absence. Right back in not often seen as a key position in football, but in a Brendan Rodgers side it is of paramount importance. Perhaps Rodgers will adjust his side’s style of play slightly with Johnson unavailable and encourage his team to play more through the centre of the park. Bringing Philippe Coutinho into his favoured number 10 role from his current position on the left wing could aid that stylistic change. Another option which may be considered is switching to a three at the back formation.

With a plethora of centre halves now in their ranks, Liverpool could look to use a system that allows them to play an extra player at the heart of their defence. The problem with that is that Johnson would be their ideal candidate for the right wing back position in such a system. Jordan Henderson could be another potential option for such a role, especially as he has outstanding stamina and did a good job in a similar position away to Blackburn Rovers when Kenny Dalglish was still in charge. That said, while many anticipate that Rodgers will experiment at some stage with three centre backs on the field, it is more likely that he will do so when Johnson is available again rather than when he is out injured.

However Rodgers chooses to set up his team over the next few weeks, make no mistake that Glen Johnson’s absence will be felt. He may be under-appreciated by many outside of Liverpool due to his perceived defensive lapses but Liverpool will struggle to be as effective as a team without him.

GET BACK! Liverpool's growing resilience

Back in January Liverpool suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford. The first 45 minutes made for particularly gruesome viewing. That day the gap between the two teams seemed as large as I could remember it being. Liverpool’s performance in the first half was listless. It was men against timid boys and the Reds like looked a soft touch as United walked all over them.

The most glaring problem in that awful performance was the fact that Liverpool we’re dreadful without the ball. Their pressing ranged from inconsistent to none existent. Defensively the side was a complete mess and every time United attacked it felt like a goal was imminent. It was perhaps the worst performance of the season from Liverpool despite an improved second half. 

Even after that game, as the season progressed and results picked up somewhat, the balance of Liverpool’s side still wasn’t quite right. More goals we're being scored thanks to the attacking additions of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge but the Reds still looked vulnerable to counter attacks and at no stage last season did Liverpool's defence look particularly sturdy. Their midfield was quite easy to play through and there was always an undercurrent of vulnerability to their play. The 3-1 defeat at Southampton is the perfect game to cite as an example. 

8 months on from that freezing day in Salford and defensive progress for Liverpool is evident.  The Reds haven’t sparkled yet this season in regards to their forward play. They’ve missed the guile of Luis Suarez and  have been unable to counter attack as incisively as their fans would like (Victor Moses with his pace and power should help out in that department). What has impressed though, is how Brendan Rodgers is now fielding a side that is far more accomplished when on the back foot and particularly adept at defending a lead.

Jordan Henderson has been key in Liverpool's improvement

Both at Villa Park and against United at home, Liverpool sat back and we’re almost Houllier-esque in their defending at times. They didn’t use the ball nearly well enough in either game but, when not in possession, the players busted a gut to get back into position and make it difficult to play through them. Jordan Henderson is the most obvious example of this. Against United we saw him coming off the line a lot from his initial wide starting point to link up play in the middle of the park but, as soon as the ball was lost, he would shuttle straight back over to the right hand side to get in the face of Patrice Evra. Iago Aspas was the same. He had somewhat of a shocker with the ball at his feet in that particular match but his work rate and defensive play was exceptional. Even Daniel Sturridge was closing down and making a nuisance of himself despite carrying an injury. Liverpool have finally begun to resemble a solid, well drilled outfit when out of possession.

During those two gritty performances at Villa and against United, Liverpool conceded  just two real goal scoring opportunities. Christian Benteke’s late half volley at Villa Park and van Persie’s sliced effort at the Anfield Road end. Neither Villa nor United ever looked particularly threatening despite dominating possession for long spells. Villa resorted to hitting long balls that were mopped up well by Kolo Toure and the midfield shield of Gerrard and Lucas while David Moyes’ tactical game plan seemed to consist of giving the ball to Ashley Young and getting him to attempt cross after cross until he’d pissed off enough away fans with his lack of quality that he needed to be hauled off and replaced by Nani. Basically, Liverpool now appear to be bloody difficult to break down and hard to beat even when nowhere near top form. It’s quite a contrast from last season where they often came away with hard luck stories despite dominating games.

Another key reason for their new found solidity is the new number 1 (or 22 to be accurate), Simon Mignolet. He may have looked more than a little nervous on his debut against Stoke and he’s hardly Franz Beckenbauer when he's on the ball, but he’s already doing something that Pepe Reina hadn’t been able to do for a while: making match winning saves.

Mignolet has already made crucial saves this season for LFC

How many of those frustrating defeats and draws over the past couple of seasons have come when Liverpool's opponents have only managed to create 1 or 2 decent chances? Teams so often seemed required to do next to nothing to score against the Reds. Think Clint Dempsey at Craven Cottage, Ramires at Wembley and Aguero at the Etihad. All those goals cost Liverpool big time and were down to some pretty ordinary goal keeping. It remains to be seen whether Mignolet will prove to be a better all round keeper for Liverpool than Pepe Reina was, but the season is three games old and the Belgian has kept three clean sheets and produced 2 genuinely important moments that have won Liverpool four points. His double stop against Stoke in the last minute was as fantastic as it was crucial and while Benteke’s shot late on at Villa Park was angled towards his near post, it was hit like a rocket and plenty of keepers would have been beaten by it. The old saying that a top keeper wins you 10 points as season springs to mind and Mignolet has already won Liverpool 4.

Liverpool’s pressing, defending and shot stopping from their goal keeper have all improved significantly and it is paying off big time right now. Brendan Rodgers has displayed admirable pragmatism since he took charge in L4. He’s switched the formation from his preferred  4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 that suits his squad and while he has made his share of mistakes, he does appear to be learning from them. Chief amongst them is starting the season with the previously under used Henderson over the less mobile Joe Allen who had actually impressed in pre season. Clearly the manager has recognised the need for more athleticism in that particular area of the team and has acted accordingly regardless of whether he signed Allen for big money or not.   

When Rodgers came into Anfield he didn’t start building from the back like many managers do but belatedly it appears that he’s rectifying the problems that were so obvious in that department last season as well. With Kolo Tore, Aly Cissokho, Mamadou Sakho and Thiago Ilori all coming through the Shankly Gates this summer, the defence now looks extremely well stocked and, significantly, there is increased pace and power in that area. Hopefully those added bodies will help to signal the end of performances where the likes of Christian Benteke and Oldham’s Matt Smith bully Liverpool to defeat.

In hindsight, that game at Old Trafford back in January was probably the catalyst for change at Liverpool. As mentioned earlier, Jordan Henderson has been selected with far greater regularity since that day, Rodgers has also brought in three centre halves, a new goal keeper and been able to adapt his side's play sufficiently to the point that they now look commanding when defending a lead. When you think about the attacking players who are yet to appear this season and the fact that Coutinho hasn’t really got going at the time of writing, the scope for improvement at Anfield is promising. 

The Reds don’t look so much of a soft touch any more.  

Sakho Signing Shows Progress

When you’re not in the Champions League, Champions League level players are pretty tough to acquire. Liverpool have learnt that the hard way this summer. Several ambitious targets have slipped through their net during the transfer window but eventually they have landed a prized catch. His signing may have been overshadowed by the deadline day deals involving Gareth Bale and Mesut Ozil, but Mamadou Sakho’s transfer to Liverpool feels pretty significant for a couple of reasons.

First of all, Liverpool have brought in a potentially world class player and that is never to be sniffed at. Sakho has been regarded as one of the most promising centre halves in Europe for years. His early career was extremely impressive and before PSG went out and bought their Brazilian trio of centre backs (Thiago Silva, Alex and Marquinhos), Sakho was undoubtedly their main man. Carlo Ancelotti and now Laurent Blanc may have preferred to marginalise their former captain in favour of those big signings from South America but Sakho remains a quality player with exceptional promise and many PSG fans disagreed with his relegation to the bench, and indeed his sale.

Sakho signs on at Anfield 

He’s young, quick, extremely physical and very experienced at the top level both internationally and in club football. If you’d said to a PSG fan 18 months ago that they would let their home grown captain leave in the near future they’d have thought you were crazy. Sakho was an icon for their club like Steven Gerrard is on Merseyside. Paris’ loss should be Liverpool’s gain. He’s had some difficult times of late at his hometown club but he is moving to Liverpool with the intention of participating in next summer’s World Cup for France. He should be motivated and if he’s on top of his game you’d imagine he establish himself as Liverpool’s first choice centre back pretty soon, such is his quality.

Aside from bringing in a potentially world class defender, the way Liverpool concluded this transfer was a little surprising and rather encouraging also.

The deal was concluded in good time and with little fuss which isn’t what many expected when the initial links to the player were made in the press. Make no mistake, lots of other clubs will have been looking at Sakho (he’s long been linked with AC Milan, for example) and he would have been a good a signing most top clubs. This wasn’t a situation like the transfers of Luis Alberto or Iago Aspas where Liverpool nipped in early in the summer and signed a player who was slightly under the radar with little competition. They went out and got a Champions League quality player in pretty decisive fashion. Given how that mid summer lull of activity at Anfield went, this deal was somewhat of a contrast to what had gone before.

After that initial spurt of four signings early in the summer, Liverpool failed persuade Henrikh Mkhitaryan to join them instead of Borussia Dortmund. That was understandable given Dortmund’s performance in the Champions League last season and their current standing in general. The Reds then failed to prize Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid, another Champions League club. Again, you can’t really blame Costa for sticking with a club in Europe’s elite competition. Finally, Liverpool refused to pay over their valuation for Anzhi Makhachkala's winger Willian and subsequently missed out on Brendan Rodgers’ remaining ‘marquee’ attacking target.

Willian got away from Liverpool this summer

That Willian deal nearly broke Twitter. Plenty of people were questioning why Liverpool hadn’t gone the extra mile to ensure that they obtained the Brazilian. Willian’s addition would have been exciting and he’d have potentially rounded off a mouth watering attacking quartet alongside Coutinho, Suarez and Sturridge. Ultimately though, the transfer committee at Anfield decided against paying over the odds for Willian and Liverpool fans understandably weren’t too happy about it. Many thought that it showed a lack of ambition not to pay top dollar for a top target and frustration was everywhere as Liverpool missed out again.

When you consider all that went on with that Willian deal and the stance that the club ultimately stuck by, it highlights just how differently Liverpool have acted in signing Sakho. They have brought in a very good player but you could easily make the argument that they have overpaid on Sakho’s market value to secure his signature. The circumstances that Sakho was in at PSG certainly suggest that.

First of all, he only had a year left on his deal at PSG, thus obviously decreasing his value significantly. Secondly, he was desperate to leave the French capital to regain his place in his national side. Thirdly, PSG already had three players in his position that they rate higher. Basically, all the cards seemed to be in Liverpool’s hands when it came to negotiating a deal and yet they still paid a pretty large fee of £15m for the player.

This may sound like I’m criticising Liverpool’s approach to the deal but it is quite the opposite. It was refreshing to see Liverpool identify an ambitious target, pay what was needed and get the deal done before we entered Jim White territory.

Too often Liverpool have dithered in the transfer market and it has cost them. We’ve seen it this summer too, much to everyone’s chagrin. Perhaps the club have finally realised that sometimes you have to pay a little extra to acquire your top targets and ensure that no other clubs can hijack a deal as negotiations drag on. It is to be hoped that Sakho’s arrival is evidence of Liverpool learning some lessons and revising their strategy slightly. It’s a shame that this didn’t happen with attacking targets like Willian but at least the club finally got the experienced centre back that Brendan Rodgers’ has craved all summer long.

£15m for Mamadou Sakho looks like a lot of money, but it could prove to be a steal. Hopefully he succeeds and proves to Liverpool’s transfer committee that sometimes in football, you simply get what you pay for.