Minor changes to the starting eleven and Liverpool kept rolling, beating Burnley (2-0) at Anfield on Wednesday evening. The victory extended the Reds’ league unbeaten streak in the league to 12 matches. Daniel Sturridge bumped Lazar Markovic to the bench and Raheem Sterling out wide, but the rest of the side was the same that felled Manchester City at the weekend. Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton was put to work early and often. It took some time for the Merseysiders to break through before cruising with a solid performance. Securing three more points, with their fourth consecutive home win, Liverpool can be found in fifth place, just two points shy of Manchester United and three off Arsenal on their quest to return to the top four.
All Hail Hendo – Jordan Henderson’s audition to become the next Liverpool skipper continued with a man of the match performance. Not only did he score the opener, again, he assisted the other goal by Daniel Sturridge. The assist was nearly a mirror image of an earlier over-the-top, diagonal pass, that almost found the front man splitting the center halves. Moving out of Steven Gerrard’s legendary shadow, Hendo is proving to be much more than a mere engine. He has quietly become the young leader of this young team since the announcement of Gerrard’s eventual departure. He is growing visibly, in confidence, form, and responsibility. Plus, he does indeed have goals in him. With two outside-the-box blasts in consecutive matches to open the scoring, he is beginning to show a capacity for taking control of a match not unlike his mentor, albeit in a more modest fashion.
Sturridge Strengthening – Returning from such a lengthy spell out of the team was always going to require patience for striker and supporters. As important as he is to Liverpool, the truth is there has not always been a place in the starting eleven for Sturridge, since the team has found its form while he searches for his. Yet he has still managed to score goals in spite of the rust he continues to shake off. Against Burnley, there were real signs that he is beginning to find his way. While his finishing still needs sharpening, he racked up opportunities. An in-form Sturridge tallies a hat-trick with the chances he had. Instead he had to settle for just one, but he kept getting into the right positions. Now he just needs a run of games. The FA Cup fixture against Blackburn at the weekend may offer some critical minutes to further regain his cutting edge.
A Lallana Dilemma – Adam Lallana’s arrival this summer was not without questions. Nevertheless, the former Southampton captain is undeniably a talented footballer. After early injury trouble, he has played his way into starting more regularly. Two-footed and intelligent, he was the manager’s transfer choice and it all makes logical sense. Yet, Lallana looks more like a squad player than a starter. He rarely plays poorly and can change a game from the bench, but he seems a step slower than the rest of the team. This appears more evident when he starts, particularly deeper into the match. What’s more, he seems perpetually on the verge of blossoming into an even brighter player, but unable to make that final push past his limitations. It might be the transition or size of the club, and there is still room for development, but he might be the finished article. If that’s true it is hard to see how or where he fits as a starter long term.
A Professional Shift – After Sunday’s thriller, it was logical to find the Reds in need of a little inspiration to dispatch a team that they are supposed to beat. Despite being relegation favourites, Burnley battled and frustrated the home side. Yet, the Reds quality shone through and kept ticking over. Liverpool started strong again with their high tempo and high press. However, this team now has the confidence and intelligence to adapt, improvise, and find ways to win. Rather than cede to the early missed chances, the Reds’ graft kept generating a threat. Once Hendo’s right-foot smash went in Liverpool didn’t look back. By the time Sturridge nodded home a second goal, they reached cruise control. This freed Brendan Rodgers to use substitutions as a way to tune alternative tactics and reintegrate others into the side.
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