Liverpool tied FC Sion 1-1 at Anfield in on Thursday night, and there are a few ways to spin this.
Optimistic look: Liverpool battle Swiss giants FC Sion in Europe at Anfield on a magical night in front of the Kop to earn a point against the mighty, mighty FC Sion.
Realistic look: Liverpool, armed with so-called “depth” to carry about a Biblical quest to fight across multiple theaters and conquer trophies, draw FC Sion at Anfield. In the Europa League.
Yeah, the second try is closer to the truth.
Here’s a neat thing to do: look back on the last four opponents that Liverpool hosted at home. Thinking? Oh, that’s right. West Ham, Norwich City, Carlisle United and FC Sion.
How many points has Brendan Rodgers’ side earned? Three.
*sigh*
Sacked in the morning? Or will the Ulsterman be strung along to have an Alamo-esque last stand against Everton on Sunday?
Player ratings ahead. Don’t be shy in pointing out how many times I was wrong.
Simon Mignolet, 6: Mignolet was alright. He could’ve done better on the goal, but it would be more than a stretch to blame him for it.
Emre Can, 7: The German is a beautiful sight to see when he gallops forward out of defence with the rock, combining brutality and eloquence to jump-start the attack.
Kolo Toure, 6 (OFF 77): Am I allowed to give him a perfect 10/10 for a bike attempt off the crossbar? Because I really want to.
Joe Gomez, 6: The former Charlton man was okay, a few moments in which it looked he could’ve been beaten but was resolute nevertheless.
Nathaniel Clyne, 5 (OFF 45′): Clyne exited at the half to keep his legs fresh for the derby Sunday, but he wasn’t exactly awe-inspiring in his 45 minutes on the pitch. His loss of possession directly contributed to the Sion goal.
Jordan Rossiter, 7: If anyone can walk away from the first two match days of the Europa League with their head held high, it’s Rossiter. He played a clean game, he connected his passes and defended well.
Joe Allen, 6: It took a while for Allen to really get into the game but ended up turning in a solid performance.
Jordon Ibe, 5: The poor kid needs to get his confidence back. As the game wore on, it was painfully obvious he didn’t fancy dribbling past anybody.
Adam Lallana, 7 (MoM): Lallana played very well Thursday night, winning a Man of the Match race in which most contestants were unaware of where the finish line was. His shine on proceedings dimmed when Coutinho entered.
Danny Ings, 5 (OFF 61′): Disappointing end product from Ings against Sion, but his work rate was admirable, as always. Would’ve loved a goal or two from him against an inferior opponent at Anfield.
Divock Origi, 6: The Belgian set up Liverpool’s opening goal with everything Liverpool hope to see out of the young man. But, it was pretty much all downhill from there on out.
SUBS:
Alberto Moreno, 5 (ON 45′): Moreno split the match with Clyne in an attempt to keep both full-backs’ legs fresh for the weekend, but Moreno wasn’t much better than Clyne if at all. Hey, if we combine them, do they get a 10/10?
Philippe Coutinho, 6 (ON 61′): The Brazilian tried to win the game late on for the Reds and really seemed the only one likely, as per usual. It just didn’t come off, but he manufactured a few chances.
Mamadou Sakho, N/A (ON 77′): Difficult for a centre-half to enter a game within the last quarter of an hour and expect to really put a stamp on proceedings. In his limited minutes, he played well. Not involved enough to earn a rating.
