Five things we learned from the Liverpool draw – can we reach the next round in a replay…
Liverpool were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Championship side Bolton Wanderers, who survived a late barrage from the Reds, with goalkeeper Adam Bogdan making several excellent saves to keep his side in the game. The home side now face something of a fixture pile-up, with the return game coming a week on Tuesday.
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Here are five things we learned from last night’s game:
5) Mamadou Sakho has gone from outcast to key player
The Frenchman’s future at Anfield was looking bleak a couple of months ago, following a spell out through injury and a difficult battle to regain his place in the side. However, Sakho was excellent yet again today, despite being the only recognised centre back on the field. His dominant performance helped those alongside him and ensured yet another clean sheet for the Reds – our third in four games. With Martin Skrtel rested, Sakho took over the mantle of defensive leadership and did very well against a decent Bolton side.
4) A lack of cutting edge continues to hold us back
There was no lack of chances for Liverpool at Anfield today and while Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan was in inspired form in the visitors goal, his performance can’t be fully blamed for us being unable to find the net. Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana, Fabio Borini, Jordan Henderson and Lucas Leiva all had chances to win it, in a game that was crying out for a classy striker to make the difference. Daniel Sturridge can’t return soon enough, as our failure to finish might have cost us on a different day.
3) There are several squad players that need to improve
Jose Enrique was subbed at half-time, while the returning Joe Allen also struggled to impress before being replaced shortly after the hour mark. Liverpool spent big in the summer on strengthening their squad in terms of numbers, but that gamble won’t be seen as a success if Brendan Rodgers is forced to keep using the same small-selection of players. We have now found a formula that works with the 3-4-3 formation, but our fringe players need to do a better job of adapting to the system and proving their worth.
2) Brendan Rodgers is up for the cup and wants to win
We expected the likes of Jordon Ibe and Jordan Rossiter to get a chance today, as the Liverpool players prepare for the second-leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final against Chelsea next Tuesday. However, captain Steven Gerrard and defender Martin Skrtel were the only notable absentees from the match-day squad, in terms of those that Rodgers had available to him. Rodgers’ team selection showed once again how serious he is about winning a trophy this season, even if it means playing over 60 games this season.
1) A frustrating result, but it could have been a lot worse
Liverpool will have been frustrated by their inability to put away their Championship opponents, but for any Reds fans feeling down about today’s result, you need only look around at the other results – Chelsea, beaten 4-2 by League One Bradford City, Manchester City, losing 2-0 at home to Middlesbrough, while Tottenham Hotspur also lost out to Leicester City. Add in Manchester United’s draw against Cambridge United on Friday evening and suddenly our result looks pretty decent.
