It all started so well, Steven Gerrard’s Anfield going away party.
Honoured, he took the field with his three daughters to salute all who had come to see the Liverpool legend one last time.
A decent start and an early goal helped too. Yet, Crystal Palace conspired to spoil Stevie’s swan song, beating the Reds 1-3.
Fortunately, that was all, because it could have been far worse, even with poor refereeing decisions.
After the first 20 minutes, Palace grew into the game and once again thrashed Liverpool’s defence with their pace on the counter. Still, the significance of the event would not be completely overshadowed by the poor display for the penultimate match that truly marks the end of an era. Captain Fantastic still received an emotionally charged, long goodbye.
Here are four findings from today’s match.
Lovren Laughable – Watching former Red Martin Kelly play as well as he did today was a cruel reminder of just how poor a signing Dejan Lovren has proven to be – the former Southampton defender was bought for nearly four times the amount of Kelly’s sale.
Since signing, he has shown just how poor a defender he is. Surely, the local, former academy product Kelly, could manage as a third center half with more effectiveness than the calamitous Croatian?
Sadly, the best that can be said of Lovren is that he has had moments where he has looked decent, and those have been rare. Today, Palace attackers interchangeably blazed down Liverpool’s left side. Yannick Bolasie, in particular, spun Lovren into the pitch like a tent stake. Meanwhile, Martin Kelly has showed this season that he can stay healthy and be a solid Premier League defender.
Urgency Abandoned – Perhaps it was the energy of the occasion, but Liverpool started this game better than most recent outings.
Nevertheless, the Reds could not sustain the necessary energy or pressing. For all the qualities that left with Luis Suarez departing for a likley Champions League medal, it might be the relentless sense of urgency that Liverpool once possessed that now seems completely lost in his absence.
This season’s Liverpool presses less defensively, attacks with far less desperation and looks incapable of blitzing any team regardless of position in the table.
Be it the men on the pitch or the manager, Liverpool lack an intensity of purpose and have played increasingly like so many other Premier League sides, only without the quality to ensure similar results. The mad heights of Hell-for-leather football that delighted everyone last season look more and more like nostalgia.
Carrying One Returns – In a way, this season is ending much in the way that it began; with a sputtering side struggling to score and shipping goals.
In those early weeks, every match featured at least one player missing in action, making the Reds look like they were playing with a man down all too often.
It wasn’t always the same player, but there was always one that didn’t fit or couldn’t find their way into the match. The early going also saw the inclusion of an erratic Lovren that destabilized the entire defence.
Nearly all of those initial problems have returned with more virulence. Now, even playing Raheem Sterling through the middle fails to spark much attacking threat and goals are more likely to happen against the run of play. It all serves to highlight just how yawning the need for proven, quality strikers that will fit within the side has become. In truth, it is somewhat stunning how well Liverpool have performed given how often the player being carried has been an attacker, in particular a striker.
Needs in Both Boxes – As this campaign comes to a close and the summer beckons, Liverpool must get better in both boxes. They are not one or two players away either. Their defencee has improved over last year, if goals conceded is the primary metric, but it too has come at a cost.
Given the dearth of goals forced, the three center halves, at times, looked more like a thinly veiled five, sometimes six, at the back.
The Reds could never be accused of parking the bus, but protectionist desires often led to the midfield being overrun and Liverpool chasing the game, rather than imposing itself on it.
Yet, the bluntness on the attacking end is so glaring it defies explanation. Once Brendan Rodgers proved incapable of making any use of Mario Balotelli, with minor assistance from the Italian, Liverpool were left with a broken star, a fading journeyman and a suspect second sprinter for strikers.
Improvement at both ends of the pitch is desperately needed, and that doesn’t even begin to address the mammoth void that Gerrard’s departure creates, even recognizing his declining performances.
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