Sunday wasn’t the greatest day for Liverpool, they were shut out by a disciplined and resilient Blackburn side who hassled them all game with a rampant physicality.
Liverpool’s slick passers found it difficult to break down the well-drilled defence, but it was admirable how Liverpool’s own defence dealt with the threatening height and strength of Rovers striker Rudy Gestede.
Martin Skrtel fell awkwardly early on and had to leave the game. His injury looked bad and almost certainly could have been much worse, and at the time I thought that Liverpool were going to have a tough day defending the menace of Gestede without their designated ‘hard-man’. As it turned out though, Dejan Lovren, Glen Johnson, and Skrtel’s replacement Kolo Toure were able to deal with the physical battles and counter attacks.
Liverpool weren’t as impressive going forward as they have been in recent weeks, but they were solid at the back and kept possession well, and that solidity has been the basis for a run of form that’s seen Brendan Rodgers’ men unbeaten in the league since they were humbled 3-0 at Old Trafford on December 14th.
Their impressive performances in this time have turned around their difficult start to the season and put them into the mix for a Champions League place, and this is down in no small part to Brendan Rodgers’ courage in his team selections.
Yes, the man from Carnlough on the north coast of Northern Ireland is a brave man. He has some serious cojones.
[ad_pod id=’ffc-video-small’ align=’left’]
It actually started even earlier than December. Selling Luis Suarez was a decision almost unanimously agreed with. His last misdemeanour as a Liverpool player left a bad taste in the mouth and it was time to sell for the good of the club’s image. But it does take courage to do the right thing even when it means losing one of the best players in the world.
What happened since then has been tough, though. Accused of spending the reported £75m transfer fee on lots of underperforming players – ‘doing a Spurs’ – there were rumours of Rodgers’ being under pressure, that the board were considering his position as the club floundered in the league and crashed out of the Champions League.
Since then, though, the new side have turned their form around and it was the defeat at Old Trafford that sparked the revival.
That was the time this season that Brendan Rodgers went with three at the back. That was his first real gutsy play. The Northern Irishman started with the same back-three that started the Blackburn game this weekend, but Jordan Henderson started at right wing-back. This was also the first game in which Simon Mignolet was dropped. A goalkeeper was the difference on that day, as Liverpool had almost double United’s shot count, but De Gea was a match for all those on target, while Brad Jones conceded 3 of United’s.
Rodgers, however, was impressed by the energy of his team and stuck to the back three against Arsenal in the next league game. It has been that way ever since with the addition of Lazar Markovic at wing-back and Emre Can coming into the back three.
Since then Liverpool have looked back to their flowing and lightning-quick best in attack, but it is a more solid base, and one that allows them to play out from the back, that has helped their attack.
Emre Can has come into the defence – and this was the next gutsy move. Can wasn’t seen as a defender when he was signed but there he is playing regularly at centre back. A cultured midfielder playing in a back three is an interesting idea, and since he already has two team mates alongside him Can has a licence to take the ball out from the back, and has time on the ball to pick a pass or come into the midfield to start attacks.
Against Blackburn he was used in midfield, but Rodgers knew that the game was going to be played almost exclusively in the Blackburn half, so Liverpool needed to start attacks from higher up the pitch. Usually it is Can’s passing range and vision that helps launch attacks from deep, and this has been one of the reasons for their success.
This one tactical change has had a huge effect on the morale of the players too. Underperforming players are now performing well, and even the previously-dropped Mignolet is back to good form as the team, on their day, are solid at the back and sometimes sensational up front.
Putting the theory into practice is difficult, but having the balls to do it in such big games is quite another thing. It took tremendous bravery from a young manager, while he was under huge pressure, to make the difference to Liverpool’s season. They now have a realistic hope of silverware if they can make it to the Cup semi-final against Villa, and they look on course for a top-four place and maybe a better crack at the elite European competition next season with a side that is already gelling.
The reds’ recent run can be traced back to that awful day at Old Trafford. Even though there were glimmers of bravery in the summer, that was the day when Liverpool finally laid the foundations of recovery, and the day that Brendan Rodgers’ showed the world his balls!
Win a pair of Puma football boots as worn by Cesc Fabregas and Super Mario by filling in this quick survey!
Create your own user feedback survey