A Mixed Bag

Brian Reece

twitter @oldfattoad

Since August Liverpool fans have had seen a mixed bag of displays from Kenny Dalglish’s men.

We have seen great team performances against Arsenal, Bolton, Everton and WBA but also endured frustration against Man Utd, Sunderland, Norwich and Swansea.

The worst performance without question was the Spurs defeat where everything that could go wrong did, unlike the Stoke game where we dominated but couldn’t score.

Although it’s only November the loss of points at this stage is a concern due to the fact that all our draws have been at Anfield, with the Man Utd game aside Liverpool should have secured comfortable wins but didn’t, the reason for this poor form at home has cursed many debates among Liverpool fans but one reason is clear and that is we must become more clinical in our finishing.

It could be debated that we have been unlucky in front of goal especially when you take into account for all the shots that have hit the woodwork but you cannot dismiss the fact that some players have either not been in good form or have simply failed to deliver the required quality.

Andy Carroll hasn’t hit the type of form we all hoped he can produce and Stewart Downing for me has been the most disappointing of all, am not saying Downing is a poor player but he simply hasn’t produced the goods so far, this from a player who has consistently preformed well season after season in the Premiership.

Andy Carroll and Henderson are young players who deserve being given the time to fit in and adjust their game to the way Liverpool play, we must also remember that both players are for the future and were not brought as immediate impact players, yes admittedly £35m for Carroll seems a massive amount of money for one player we hope will come good, but Carroll still deserves a degree of time, Henderson in his defence has played out of position and one that is alien to him on the right midfield.

Henderson for me has shown in small flashes what he can do and why Kenny went for him in the first place, Adam has performed well and cannot really be considered as a failure neither can the fantastic Jose Enrique who has fitted in brilliantly for Liverpool since his move from Newcastle.

Coates is another player who’s future at Liverpool looks like a good one but it’s the disappointing Downing that frustrates me, if Downing could find the type of form we all undoubtedly know he has I believe Andy Carroll would prosper ten fold, Carroll relies on service which is Downing’s job to offer.

Am not anti Downing or any current Liverpool player but some must stand up and be counted when it matters.

But Stewart Downing is not the reason Liverpool have failed to capitalise playing against “weaker” teams at Anfield this season, it is pure inconsistency and the failure to put away our scoring opportunities.

Which is why it is vital Liverpool go back actively into the transfer market in January to help strengthen the squad and have a top quality bench if Dalglish is going to push for a Champions League spot.

At present we are only 3 points away from 4^th place but we must give ourselves the best possible chance of making the CL, its rumoured that Damien Comolli will take charge of any transfers this January and its Comolli who will have to convince John Henry to buy the players needed to make a real challenge this season.

As it stands now in the premiership Liverpool’s position isn’t a bad one but with consistency it would be far better than the 6^th place we now hold, we have played some fantastic free-flowing football at times but also some frustrating football as well.

As stated earlier its only November and there is still a lot of football to play and time for players to find their form, but we must do better at home and become more ruthless in front of goal if we are to mount a real challenge for CL football next season.

We cannot have a mixed bag of results in the second half of the season, we need consistency and hopefully a few more arrivals in January.