Room to Improve for Liverpool

An early season loss at the Etihad Stadium these days is far from the worst thing that can happen to a premier league team.  Brendan Rodgers will make sure his players know this all too well and will use the Manchester City game on Monday as a barometer for what Liverpool must improve on.

Defensively, all three of Manchester City’s goals started from the left side of the pitch.  Stevan Jovetic was easily the man of the match, and aside from his two goals he was a constant thorn in the side of Liverpool’s defenders.  Usually taking up a position behind Edin Dzeko, Jovetic worked in the channels on either side of Gerrard to great effect.  

Alberto Moreno was not quick enough to clear from inside his own penalty area and allowed Jovetic to fire home the opener off of a loose ball.  Then, Jovetic again broke down Liverpool’s left side with a deft flick to Samir Nasri who stormed into the penalty area past Moreno and delivered the assist to the Montenegrin.  

The introduction of Jesus Navas was the last thing Moreno needed, as the wide-man delivered an inch-perfect through ball for Sergio Aguero to send home the third and final goal.  Moreno was excellent for a majority of the game, but has probably found out that he has to be at the top of his game at all times to keep his place in the side.  There’s no doubt in my mind that he is a fantastic player, and away to City is as hard as it gets in a premier league debut.  

Lovren was not as sharp as he was against Southampton in week one, but that’s going to happen against a team like City.  Glen Johnson on the other hand, is running out of excuses for his increasingly poor and lazy performances.  Johnson, a fullback who loves to get forward, was caught upfield several times by the efficient Blues counter-attack.  If Manchester City had targeted Johnson as they did Moreno and Lovren, this game could easily have been much worse.

It's never nice to see fans cheering when a player gets injured, but that's exactly what's happening right now in Liverpool-clad households around the world.   Jon Flanagan’s return cannot come sooner for the Reds in my opinion, as he is the most well-rounded fullback in the squad.  He should feature at the weekend given Johnson’s injury, but I would play him regardless of his fellow Englishman’s fitness.  

Up front, the biggest impact by a Liverpool player was made by Rickie Lambert, who scored in a substitute appearance.  It is becoming more and more clear that Liverpool play best with a midfield diamond and two strikers, which is what they played primarily throughout last season.  With Mario Balotelli joining the Reds, we could see a drastic change from how Liverpool have started out in the first two games of the season.

Given Daniel Sturridge’s desire to roam the front line in search of the ball, it’s imperative that Rodgers has another striker in there to occupy the box when Sturridge makes these runs.  Lazar Markovic should figure in the conversation to start as well, his impact a positive one in his late appearance on Monday.  

Perhaps the most intriguing player ready to make his return is Adam Lallana.  Brendan Rodgers made the Englishman his top transfer priority in the summer and paid top dollar for his services.  Lallana should challenge Coutinho for the keys to Liverpool’s attacking midfield, but we could very well see both players line up at the same time.  

It seemed as if Rodgers would revert to his favored 4-3-3 formation after the departure of Luis Suarez, but it’s beginning to look more and more like the 4-4-2 diamond will be the most effective.  Rickie Lambert, not a world-class striker by any means, changed the game after coming on.  This is indicative of the fact that tactically, Balotelli should fit nicely.  

If Liverpool are to play with one holding midfielder, and if that one player is going to be 34 year old Steven Gerrard, things must change on Merseyside.  I feel like a broken drum when I say Emre Can would be ideally placed alongside Gerrard, but part of it is also the fullback play.  

Liverpool need more out of their wide defenders if they are to give their captain more help, Glen Johnson the main culprit.  If Rodgers can optimize his formation, Liverpool will be an excellent side as they were last year.  There’s no doubt that Luis Suarez has been replaced adequately by the Scot, so an early season loss to Manchester City should be the least of supporters’ worries.