Liverpool's first half yesterday against Manchester United in Old Trafford left them with a huge amount of work to do in the following 45 minutes to claw themselves back into a respectable position. Rodgers mismanaged from the start, making a poor decision in terms of sitting back and trying to control possession in parts of the field where it only amounted to sterile domination.
When he made changes which had an impact, it was good management, and he spotted where things were going wrong, but it does suggest that he hadn't made the right decisions from the start. Sterling was ineffective, largely thanks to good defending from Rafael. It is worrying of course, that the young winger was closed down so easily by the United right back, but it is an important challenge for Sterling to learn how to impose himself on a game where his pace is matched and his space is restricted now that he has been given a long term contract.
With Lucas sitting very deep, Allen needed to play a bigger role in moving the ball, and while he grew into the game, he looked completely lost for around 70 minutes. His closing down was poor, his tackling was non-existent, and as a player worth £15 million, you have to expect a higher standard of play.
His placement in the wall was also baffling, as it made Reina panic because he was clearly unaware of where to stand, and possibly afraid of joining the wall, leaving a large gap between him and the man next to him. Reina was constantly screaming at him to move, but he seemed totally clueless. Given how quick people were to criticise Nasri for similar behaviour a few weeks ago against the same opposition, it's important that British players should be held to the same standards.
Van Persie showed what a class striker he is once he gets a run of games when he's fit, and ideally suits a United team whose midfield is still trying to click with one another. They didn't create a huge amount, but the Dutch international barely needs a touch to find the back of the net.
There seems to be a disconnect of some description between the Liverpool back line and the midfield when it comes to covering, and another disconnect with the midfield and the strikers when it comes to attacking. Neither Wisdom or Downing was sure of who should push out to close the cross that led to the first goal, and that gave United time to pick their pass easily. Wisdom did do better later in the game, and does look to be a good defensive talent. He has strength, power and pace, all the attributes of a solid player in the Premiership.
When Sturridge came on, he offered a directness and the desire to take players on, which had been missing from a strangely quiet Suárez, who looked like he was either fatigued or out of sorts. His touch was off, but he didn't see much of the ball either, which makes it more difficult to settle into the game.
By my count, it took Liverpool nearly 35 minutes to threaten De Gea's goal, which makes life much easier for a United defence that had a centre back pairing who have been struggling with injuries. Simply put, they needed to work that pair harder to test their match fitness, by pulling them out of position and separating them, which can only be done with quick movement of the ball. This did happen when the changes were made to bring on some strikers to support Suarez, and led to the goal also.
With Sturridge sitting higher and Suárez coming deep to get possession, there seemed to be a little bit more of a plan than there was in the first half. Although Sturridge missed a further two opportunities, he did get into position to score, and with a few more games under his belt he should be stronger in the coming weeks. He's also not fully fit yet, having played almost no football in six months.
The return of Borini, although only for a fleeting appearance, is also good news for Liverpool, given how short they have been up front. Borini displayed, in his few minutes on the pitch, that he has a quality touch and a bit of vision. Between himself and Sturridge, a run of games may finally see more attacking options for Liverpool, who are desperately short of goalscorers.
This is also a learning curve for Rodgers himself, who has to find a way to get the players at his disposal to be more consistent. Allen played very well against Sunderland, but that ambition and quickness he showed there was lacking yesterday. With time, this squad could gel together nicely, and with rumours of Sneijder possibly joining the Anfield team, there is also the possibility of Allen getting the challenge of real, world class competition for his place despite Rodgers' clear allegiance to him.
Overall, Rodgers should be able to guide the club to a higher finish than the 8th place in which they currently reside, but Champions League football is a long way off, with next season being the earliest possible point at which they could realistically qualify.
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