FAN SCENE: Scratching head over LFC team selections

Jan 4 2008 by Sam Johnstone, Liverpool Daily Post

LONG-TERM readers will know that I always try to stay optimistic about Liverpool, sometimes when matters decree that a more critical approach is required.

I have found it difficult to be cheery over the festive period, though, with silly points dropped and strange team selections sent out to do a job.

The Wigan game is a case in hand.

It’s one thing to trust in the manager, particularly as us supporters are not able to see what goes on at Melwood prior to a match in terms of tactics and selection, but when it’s obvious that we need three points to stay in contention, the incredulity in seeing only one striker against a relegation-threatened team playing at Anfield is only to be expected.

It does seem that the only reasons we have stayed in contention at all are the points dropped by the other title contending sides. With all three teams above us dropping points over Christmas, we had a brilliant opportunity to pull back up the league with wins against City and Wigan.

The City game was never going to be easy; Sven-Goran Eriksson has built a really good side at Eastlands, and they deserve their position in the League.

Our inability to break them down, however, only highlighted the deficiencies we still have both in the players ranks and in tactics. It was a decent performance from the Liverpool, but decent performances don’t bring titles. We had no plan B on the day, and the frustration felt was keen.

Not as frustrating as the Wigan game, though. All the talk beforehand had been of the team’s reliance on Torres and Gerrard to score goals, and though I usually take this kind of talk with a large pinch of salt (Torres was bought to score goals for goodness sake!), there is an element of truth to this. It makes us one-dimensional as a side, and requires a piece of magic to break down a team who have set themselves up to deal with the two dangermen we have.

Torres got his goal and it was a well-worked effort as well, but for all the supposed chances we created it didn’t look certain that we could control the game after scoring.

Playing just the one striker was, I felt, indefensible against a team in the relegation places, and with a defence consisting of a wet paper bag and little else.

Rafa has the goodwill of the fans with him, but he shouldn’t take it for granted. He needs to start producing results, and fast. Eight points from 12 doesn’t look too bad on paper from a hectic Christmas period, but considering the “quality” of the opposition faced, it is far from good enough. As supporters we want to see the best XI on the pitch for every game, but we’ve accepted rotation as a necessary evil.

What we can’t understand is the selection of some players who, for different reasons, are clearly not up to the job. Jermaine Pennant is a great example. He is liked by a lot of supporters, but his reintroduction into the game after a long lay-off came far too soon. Why not play Ryan Babel, who has looked stronger and stronger with every match played, and is perhaps the next best bet for scoring after the top two? Why play Arbeloa (a class act at full-back) as centre-half, when Jack Hobbs has been waiting all season for a decent run in the side? Hobbs may still be a bit raw, but he’s a talented centre-half who needs games to improve.

I try to be optimistic because it’s easy to moan and criticise, but the New Year has brought a realisation that 2008 is not going to be a title challenging year for us, let alone a title winning one, and that’s a hard thing to swallow yet again.

Something is going wrong at Anfield and the boss needs to work it out swiftly and put it right.