Aston Villa 0, Liverpool 0: Creative sparkle missing in action

Sep 1 2008 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

IT clearly wasn’t in Rafael Benitez’s plans to get to one day from the end of the transfer window and be watching Gareth Barry playing for the opposition.

But it was the players missing from his own squad that proved the greatest frustration for the Liverpool manager at Villa Park on the last day of August.

Steven Gerrard’s absence already assured Liverpool would be suffering from a lack of creativity – but having to make do for an hour with the one player who can make something happen out of nothing left Benitez on a hiding to nothing.

And although in circumstances a draw can be considered a decent result, it brings back bad memories of what cost Liverpool a title challenge last season – settling for one point when three were on offer.

A win would have given Benitez the boost of getting one over on Martin O’Neill where it really matters – on the pitch.

If only events between the two clubs there could have been half as feisty as they have been off it during this long, heated summer.

But victory would have taken Liverpool top of the Premier League on their own with three wins out of three.

And unlike the previous two successes this season, they would have been easily forgiven for another below-par performance if they had forced the decisive breakthrough against a side like Villa.

The statement of intent that all title challengers want to make would be there for all to see this morning.

Liverpool on top of the pile on their own and unable to be shifted for at least another fortnight.

As it is, they stand vulnerably and unconvincingly shoulder to shoulder with Chelsea having not been able to produce a display that will inspire confidence that they will still be alongside them come May.

The loss of Torres with a hamstring injury after half an hour could still have major significance with Manchester United the next opponents but it wasn’t the biggest problem yesterday.

Indeed, his replacement David Ngog looked lively and almost scored towards the end of the first half.

But the deadliest finisher in England might as well be limping down the tunnel when he’s not being given anything to finish off.

Once again, a chronic lack of options and ideas in the final third paralysed Liverpool’s chances of getting among the goals.

The return of Javier Mascherano and Lucas from the Olympics couldn’t have been better timed but teaming them up with Xabi Alonso in midfield again exposed a lack of width.

At one point, Mascherano stared into a gaping hole where Albert Riera should be, realising all his team-mates were to his right even though he was in the centre of the field.

Lucas had seemed to start on the left flank, then Robbie Keane occasionally dropped in there to provide an outlet before everyone seemed to abandon the idea all together.

All too narrow and negative to cause Villa any serious sustained problems

For that reason, it wasn’t just the sight of Barry in a Villa shirt that made Benitez envious.

Nigel Reo-Coker and Ashley Young proved the value of genuine wide men with some electrifying breaks.

Their supply line was pretty well snuffed out on the whole but they still showed up Liverpool’s lack of variety.