Flaws, positives, finishing top and a costly burst of anger
On Wednesday at Anfield we didn’t give ourselves enough of a chance to get something from the game, or to just make a game of it. In the first half we contained them well but never looked remotely like scoring, or even putting the home side under a period of sustained pressure. When the pinball free kick led to Liverpool taking the lead just after half time it was game over. Fuller came on and looked lively but a side like Liverpool enjoying the Dalglish resurgence was never going to relinquish the lead they had patiently intelligently probed for. Liverpool were far and away the better side but the point has to be made that we didn’t really set out to get at them. Had we started out 442 instead of 451 we may still have lost but we’d be able to reflect on what could have been a cracking game. These words from the www.zonalmarking.net site sum up our lack of attacking strategy…. “Stoke were pretty poor, and had a similar problem with a lack of support for Carew. He competed well with the Liverpool back three, winning six from 10 headers, but couldn’t do it all on his own. Stoke’s real area to exploit was in their own full-back position – with Liverpool playing no natural wingers, they had time on the ball and space in front of them – but too often they simply hit the ball long” Quite. Begovic made a stunning save in the first half for which he hasn’t received the credit he deserves. That was amazing. Had a keeper from a more illustrious club made that save I don’t doubt it would have grabbed attention across the globe.
Our match against Sunderland was an emotional rollercoaster. Amid the twists and turns and the ups and downs we were only ahead for the final 120 seconds of this rugged epic struggle. Rain and a moody sky provided a suitable backdrop. The most satisfying aspect of the game from our perspective is simply that we won, which does tend to nullify many of the flaws in our performance. Nullified though they are now, it’s still worth reflecting on some of them.
Why do we never win a second ball? When we attack and balls in the box run loose it’s rarely a Stoke player attacking the ball, for a side widely considered to be physical and combative this is a serious problem. We struggled with pace and movement on the break, they managed to thread balls past our central defenders far too easily. Our players lack of movement…. Sunderland’s second goal came from a good run by Etherington which came to nothing, Jones was in front of him but didn’t make an incisive run to be picked out by Matty, whoever was at fault doesn’t matter, suffice to say it proved to be a costly shambles. This led to an excellent opportunity wasted, at the point we could have been celebrating a 2-1 lead we were back to square one a goal behind. Muntari received a yellow card yet we never pressurised him knowing he’d be wary of tackling, in fact, for a spell in the second half he was free to run the game in the holding role. The main flaw is, predictable though it is to mention, we simply don’t keep the ball well enough. Possession is 9/10 of the law.
The positives were that through dogged bloody minded resilience we grafted and toiled and eventually got the win we needed. Tone deserves credit as his positive substitution changed the game in our favour. Walters contribution was vital as he provided a crucial link between midfield and attack, thus enabling Pennant and Etherington to deliver crosses in the attacking third, great work by Tony Pulis. Despite our reputation as filthy violent kickers, we committed fewer fouls than any other premier League team at the weekend. The quality of set piece deliveries from Pennant overwhelmed and overpowered the Sunderland defence. The deep bending ball that Huth scored the winner from was an absolute peach. When we departed the rollercoaster we were 3 points better off. For large parts of the game it was an unlikely 3 points but our fortitude proved fruitful. 33 down 7 to go!!
Whilst coming down from the high of our crash bang wallop of a game I watched the first half of the Newcastle v Arsenal match. Arsenal were magnificent in that first half. On form they play with a stylish majestic swagger combined with ruthless efficiency. Such was their dominance the 4-0 lead they had at half time actually flattered Newcastle and the only question seemed to be whether they could get the two goals required to equal Man Utd’s goal difference. The TV cameras picked out some of the Geordies leaving during the first half so depressing was their predicament, reflecting on the sale of Carroll could hardly have helped their mood either. So Diaby’s 50th minute burst of anger was very very costly indeed. Why at that stage, in a game that was seemingly won, Diaby couldn’t keep his hands to himself is anyone’s guess. From that point Newcastle staged a stirring comeback becoming the first team since the top flight changed it’s name to the Premier League to blow a four goal lead. They did actually close the gap on Man Utd by a point following their result at Wolves but the events on Saturday could leave a deep scar in Arsenal’s psyche. As the title race continues they will know they had their hands on two more precious points and blew it….. completely.
After months Brisbane Roar finally secured the championship. Melbourne Heart’s 1-1 draw with Central Coast gave Roar an unassailable lead at the summit. That is part of the story but by no means the whole story. As the regular season concludes this coming weekend, a finals series starts involving all clubs in the top five clubs, the winner of the competition being determined by the winner of a grand final on Saturday March 12th. It’s long winded but during the last five years of stuttering mediocrity I longed for Suncorp Stadium to hose an A-League grand final in front of 52,000 on a summer evening. Sadly, this city has been the recipient of recent tragedies and ongoing trauma. While sporting victory doesn’t stifle the agony many are feeling it would bring some much needed moments of happiness to some local lives. The time is now.
In the Cologne v Bayern Munich match Cologne had Novakovic clean through and Bayern’s Badstuber brought him down to blatantly deny a goalscoring opportunity. Inexplicably, the ref awarded a yellow card. It was such an amazingly clear red card it isn’t even a subject for debate. The conclusion from the tale is that England isn’t the only place where the bigger clubs are the beneficiaries of referee bias.