Another very busy week or so at Liverpool Football Club, at all age groups. We watched on as The Reds smashed Swansea, bowed out of Europe and played some big games at youth level.
Swansea City’s visit to Anfield was one approached with caution by Liverpool supporters, coming off the back of two wretched defeats to West Brom, and then Zenit St. Petersburg. The mood wasn’t that of optimism between supporters, after any small hope of a top four finish had evaporated into the Anfield air with Romelu Lukaku’s late strike; confirming West Brom would take all three points from Liverpool for the second time this season.
Added to that, just three days later Brendan Rodgers’ men travelled to Russia in what turned out to be a disastrous journey, with Liverpool failing to score that all important away goal, whilst letting two in at the other end, and leaving themselves a mountain to climb in the return leg at Anfield.
The players couldn’t have reacted in much more of a positive manner than they did, with two big wins in four days putting smiles back on the faces of the Anfield faithful.
First up were the now League Cup winners, Swansea, who rested several key players: but as the saying goes, you can only beat what is put in front of you. Liverpool gave a full debut to the young Brazilian, Philippe Coutinho, in what was a very bold, attacking line-up from Rodgers.
The match was a near perfect ‘Rodgers display’. High intensity, relentless, attacking football. Liverpool broke the record in the top five leagues in Europe this season for the most shots by a team in a single match, with thirty four. In truth, the 5-0 score line could easily have doubled in Liverpool’s favour had the home side been lethal in front of goal. Even the Swans legendary Danish manager, Michael Laudrup, admitted they were lucky it was only five.
The third goal summed up Liverpool’s day, free flowing, confident passing. A goal that oozed class, and a swagger that Anfield has been lacking for too long. Liverpool’s left back, Jose Enrique, ending up finishing what was possibly the best team goal you’ll see in the Premier League all season, typical of Liverpool‘s attacking play.
Full debutant Philippe Coutinho and his fellow new signing Daniel Sturridge showed exactly why they were signed, with Sturridge again showing he is more than just a finisher; his hold up play, control and vision making him the standout player on the pitch. Coutinho also showed glimpses and touches of class, as well as grabbing himself a goal, which settled his nerves no end.
Five different goal scorers, and a much needed clean sheet bodes well for the rest of the season, as Liverpool go in search of a top six finish.
Zenit St.Petersburg then travelled to Anfield with a two goal cushion from the first leg, and after much was made in the build up by fans and squad members alike, come kick off Anfield was a cauldron of noise.
After a positive start from Liverpool, it was the Russian outfit who took the lead, with Hulk capitalising on a disastrous piece of play from Jamie Carragher. You can’t help but feel sorry for Carra, who has put his heart and soul into the football club for years, only for that to be his last big moment in a European tie.
Three goals down on aggregate, the tie looked all but over, with the away goals rule now meaning Liverpool needed four goals to go through, but over it wasn’t.
Rodgers can be really proud of the character and resilience shown by his players, with Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson working hard and impressing in midfield, whilst Luis Suarez was imperious on the night, never giving the defenders a moments peace and scoring two free-kicks; the second of which left the goalkeeper with no chance. But it was just what Anfield expected from this season’s shining light, and the Uruguayan duly obliged, notching what could arguably be said to be his first big goal on a European night at Anfield.
Sadly, the all important fourth goal didn’t come, and as Suarez’s reaction to his second goal was ecstatic, his face at the final whistle was that of a broken man. Gutted, dejected and knocked out – Suarez showed every emotion throughout the 90 minutes. I felt as bad for him as I did for Carragher, his brilliance deserved to go through alone, and in all honesty, his brilliance this season deserves a place in Europe’s elite competition.
The tie was lost in the first leg, failing to get that away goal was always going to be regrettable, especially when so many opportunities went begging for the Anfield side.
Another key point in the tie were the substitutions made by Rodgers in the second leg. It was the personnel, although I did feel both Allen and Henderson were having particularly good games for the home side. It wasn’t even the timing on the clock, but the thing that struck me with the changes was the timing in terms of momentum.
The Reds had just struck their third goal, every Kopite inside Anfield could smell blood. Liverpool had Zenit right where they wanted them and with half an hour left to play, it looked to be just a matter of time before that elusive fourth goal arrived, but taking off two midfielders, who were playing really well, puzzled me to say the least. In hindsight, it is even more questionable.
They were naïve changes by Rodgers, but after all, this was his first season managing in Europe, and perhaps that was telling over the two legs. He will learn and improve from this seasons short run in Europe, and the experience gained from the youngsters in the side will prove invaluable in the future too.
A loan spell next season would do one or two of them the world of good, with Rodgers likely to again strengthen his squad this summer. If someone like Jonjo Shelvey or Suso could go out and get regular game time for a Premier League side, they’d return all the better for it. The Europa League has given some of the younger players a platform to build on, and whilst they can’t quite do it consistently for Liverpool yet, competitive game time is imperative, deals for the likes of Michael Ngoo and Jack Robinson will hopefully bode well for future such moves for other bright talents.
There have been a few games at youth team level in the past couple of weeks too, and one player who has stood out above any other player is Portuguese schemer, Joao Teixeira. Along with Ryan McLaughlin and Jordon Ibe, I expect Teixeira to be the next youngster to make the step up to the first team.
Teixeira has all the attributes the Northern Irishman looks for in a player. He has that swagger on the ball Rodgers talks about, his silky touch and eye for a pass done in a manner that say he could well make a career for himself at Liverpool, rather than turn into a luxury player at youth team level and fade.
Teixeira may be slightly older than some of the players who have already broken through into the first team, but that in no way means he’s too old to now break through, or not as good as others who already have. At the end of the day, players break through at different times and develop at different rates.
With just the league to play for now, barring an avalanche of injuries I expect the first taste of action Joao Carlos Texeira will see with the first team will be in pre-season, something I anticipate with excitement, not just to be judged from his recent form, but from before he even signed for us. Teixeira is a huge prospect.
Onto more pressing matters. Saturday evening sees The Reds travel to Wigan to face Roberto Martinez’s inconsistent, relegation flirting side, who have managed to escape the drop regularly in the last few seasons, with their form consistently picking up around this time of year.
Add to that the fact that Liverpool haven’t won at the DW Stadium since September 2007 and it’s clear Liverpool won’t have as easy a ride as they did in their last league outing at home to Swansea. Roberto Martinez typically has Wigan playing attacking football, and his side are always a threat on the break.
Liverpool’s weakness from set-pieces could also be their undoing against a big Wigan side, but if the defence remains mistake-free on Saturday, and Suarez and Sturridge are on their game, I think we will just about have too much for a battling Wigan side.
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