International breaks can be extremely beneficial when it comes to teams that have massive injury worries. Just ask Liverpool, who currently have their two best players (Gerrard and Torres), plus a host of key first team selections all on the mend. The rest and recuperation is critical — especially when you have quite possibly the most important stretch of the entire season upcoming.
Rafa Benitez knows how important this break is for his club. Currently sitting in seventh in the league and third in Europe, the Spaniard believes his team has the quality to wipe the slate clean and start anew on Saturday against Manchester City. The dearth of quality in the team has forced Rafa’s hand numerous times this year to select a team he, quite honestly, would probably never consider with a normal side. But those are the breaks this year.
If anything, the shameful losses and comical draws have just magnified Liverpool’s lack of depth. Benitez understands the problem better than anyone. But we’re not just talking about any depth here. No, we’re talking about quality depth in the form of players like Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.
The latest names to the physio table include the likes of Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera, both of which are dealing with knocks that could see them miss matches after the international break. With the injuries mounting and the quality names on bench and in the starting XI dwindling, it would appear that it’s time Liverpool started looking for some depth in the January transfer window.
Transfer funds haven’t been guaranteed this winter, so it looks like it may be time for Liverpool to dip into the loan bin for a couple of quality players to plug the gaping holes in the club’s ever-crumbling wall.
One such name being thrown around is a wantaway striker from Tottenham who’d be a great choice to fill the striker role for Fernando Torres.
If ever there was a photo to sum up the way this season has gone for Liverpool, it would most certainly be the one inserted in this article: a photo of David Ngog diving through the air with the greatest of ease in a moment that I now consider to be comedy gold.
I’m through getting frustrated with the quality of football I’ve seen on the pitch; I’ve become numb to the numerous names on the physio list; and I’ve grown tired of discussing Rafa’s tactics and player selections. There are something things you just can’t control in this game, and one of them just happens to be luck.
Monday’s home draw to Birmingham City (a match we honestly should have won going away) proved once again why this hasn’t been our season. Birmingham had 3 shots on goal and scored twice. That’s a 66% goal conversion rate. They also had 33 percent of the possession.
Liverpool? 14 shots and 67 percent of the possession. They managed to score one bloody goal and get another off a shameful penalty. If you thought the beach ball incident was a joke, the stats from Monday night’s match may be just as bad.
Rafa Benitez has named his starting 11 to face Birmingham City at Anfield this evening, with David N’Gog replacing Fernando Torres upfront.
Monday night football returns to Anfield, as Liverpool and Birmingham City prepare to do battle in the Premier League. There’s a lot at stake in this match — especially after both Aston Villa and Tottenham won over the weekend.
A win would pull the club within a point of the fourth spot in the league, and I think we’re all in agreement that getting back into the top four should be top priority right now. There’s not much we can do about the Champions League, as we need a result from Lyon to keep our hopes alive. Regardless of the Champions League dilemma, we do control our own destiny when it comes to the league. And no matter which way you look at it, we’ve got to get three points tonight.
Follow along tonight with AnfieldRed’s Live Blog of the match. I’ll be here 10 minutes prior to kick to get things started. Live blog follows, after the jump!
Liverpool can pull level with Aston Villa (and one point off Tottenham for fourth) on Monday evening with a victory over Birmingham City. That’s about the only certain thing we know right now. As for the injury news on Torres, Gerrard, et al – well you might as well just consider the starting XI a big surprise when the two clubs meet at Anfield for this Premier League tussle.
Steven Gerrard is rumoured to be on Rafa’s list of possible names for the bench or the starting XI, although I’d be shocked if he were in the latter group. Having barely trained in a fortnight, I just can’t see the manager running Gerrard out on a whim. I understand the importance of the match, but again, I just don’t thing the ends justify the means. I’d put the chances of him sitting on the bench at 50 percent.
But Gerrard isn’t the only massive injury concern.
It’s been quite a roller coaster ride for Brazilian Lucas Leiva since he made his way to Anfield from Gremio for around £5m during the summer of 2007.
Instead of getting an opportunity to learn the subtle nuances of the Premier League, Leiva has been throw into the fire in his second season with the club, after Xabi Alonso proceeded to shun his former club for the chance to play in Spain.
Many Liverpool fans have mixed views when it comes to young Lucas Leiva. Some consider him to be a talented player who just hasn’t found his top quality yet; whilst, others have already labelled him a complete flop. In fact, my guess is that he’ll soon be doing what the rest of us do at the beginning of football season….he’ll get a cash advance, purchase season tickets from the club and watch the matches from the cheap seats.
Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on, it’s safe to say the young Brazilian is very much a part of Rafa Benitez’s future plans.
AnfieldRed had the chance to speak with Lucas recently to get his thoughts on a number of issues. From his feelings on living abroad in England to his struggles with acclimating to the rough-and-tumble world of the Premier League, the young Brazilian gives us a glimpse into his life playing for the Reds.
While Wednesday’s heartbreaking draw against Lyon didn’t seal Liverpool’s place in the Europa League — it did put our chances on life support. Aside from needing to defeat Debrecen, Liverpool will also need some help from Lyon to keep the potential miracle alive.
But what if Lyon and Fiorentina draw? Well that could still allow Liverpool a very small sliver of hope to advance. How so? Well, our friends over at Soccerlens have the complete breakdown for the Champions League, plus predictions on who’ll be advancing to the round of 16.
It’s one of the best pieces of analysis that I’ve seen on the tournament at this juncture. Take time to give it a read if you’ve got a moment.
Hopefully Rafa saw the negatives in Andriy Voronin’s performance last night; rather than claiming he is a good player who can have an impact on this season. He proved last night he is nowhere near good enough to play for Liverpool; it’s time for the number 10 to move on.
Liverpool drew 1-1 with Lyon last night, leaving any chance of getting through the group stages of the Champion’s League hanging by a thread’ but what do you think went wrong last night?
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