resumed.
After a promising start to the new season things are back to normal as Liverpool put another bunch of unanswered goals past Spurs in yet another lifeless display.
After last season’s four and five nil defeats people were taking the positives out of the fact Liverpool were restricted to just three goals at the weekend. Of course forgetting that if Balotelli could hit an open net from 40 yards out, if he’d placed an early header anywhere except at Lloris and if Sterling hadn’t equally found the Frenchman with a weak attempt it could very well have been worse than last campaign’s shockers.
Well there was one positive. A single shot on target. One more than the corresponding fixture which ultimately cost AVB his job.
Those that had been slagging off Chadli who then changed after his brace against QPR were back to their original clueless slagging as he hit the ‘keeper with that one attempt. The ball heading in from his right, he would have expected it to bounce in front of him, but it spun slightly back to his right, sat up high and wasn’t as easy as some made out.
Still hit the target unlike that shyster who was again masquerading as a footballer. Adebayor’s first touch again matching that of a newly born giraffe, not a bloke on £180k a week with a career spanning over a decade. Maybe would should just have been grateful he was at bothered to take part when lobbing the ball over the bar. The rest of the time he just couldn’t be arsed, especially with that lazy wander back to be offside. Still some were impressed.
At least some are asking what is the point of Bentaleb. A middle pair you want graft and craft. One provides the grit one the silk. Bentaleb provides neither. hasn’t the skill to be the play maker and well defensively he resembles Parker. Always around the eventual goal scorer at one point but then is left behind.
The fullbacks had come in for great praise after last weeks outing. One deserving, the other not so.
Danny Rose had nothing to do against QPR, so he didn’t do anything wrong in defence. Didn’t mean he was any good. Sunday showed again the folly of picking him as the starting left-back, not only that signing him to a five year extension. He’d already been ripped to pieces by Downing on opening day. Shame they are saying the injury that saw him replaced with Davies isn’t serious.
Dier had started off like a house on fire and I praised him for his non-Walker style defending – that is using his head (brain) and feet to defend rather than hands and arse as Walker does. He went and spoiled that as he stuck an arm out at Allen in the box which gave the fatty with the whistle the opportunity to blow for a penalty.
Foul? Yes. Penalty? Yes. Stupid? Yes. Dive? Yes.
After, Pochettino should have stated to the media that Dier was being sent for medical tests as he apparently had the ability to paralyse a man from the waste down with one touch of the shoulder.
A player is running at pace, defender goes to block him, at the last second pulls out the player at pace tries to dodge what was at one point coming his way, goes flying. Is that any more of a dive than a player whose legs buckle when slightly touched at the other end of their body?
Dier epitomised what had been good about Spurs previously that just wasn’t there from the off in this game. The pressing was none existent, slick passing wasn’t there and the cohesion was gone. Eriksen, Chadli and Lamela didn’t have the time, space, or show the ability. Capoue wasn’t doing the breaking up he had and Pochettino got it wrong.
With a lack of midfield fight and bite, it really was calling out for the absent Sandro – now unfortunately we know why he probably was absent. Last season, against Southampton, Soldado ran Lovren ragged, now he wasn’t available due to injury but wouldn’t have started so the newly acquired Liverpool defender had an easy time with lazy boy.
Then Pochettino thought Andros Townsend was the answer. Townsend’s best contribution was when he did his standard cut inside and run along the front of the box but then changed his routine and kicked it out for a throw. That’s unless you’re a Liverpool fan then his best contribution was gifting the third goal, with a piece of play that was beyond pathetic.
This was a game when Liverpool weren’t as great as everyone made them out to be, that defence was there for the taking. And Spurs from top to bottom got it wrong. This result and the end of the transfer window should at least put the tin lid on any over confidence.