NEIL ATKINSON was joined by Gareth Roberts and Paul Senior as Liverpool got back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at Anfield.
The lads also discussed the latest developments in the Raheem Sterling saga.
PODCAST: STERLING BOSS
I’ll really be struggling to hack watching Lovren going up against Benteke at Wembley. Go Mascherano at Barca with Lucas or make Big Rick Lambo the next Dion Dublin. Do anything!
In all seriousness, if he’s sticking around into next season I hope he goes on to become Sami with recovery pace (which doesn’t sound so mad if you’ve watched the YouTube clip of Carragher highlighting him on the tele last season) but right now I just don’t have the stomach for his rashness. There’s no shame in that for him because his confidence must be shot with the season he’s had and even someone who has proven himself integral like Sturridge falls under the one for the start of next season category after his injuries.
The media circus around Sterling is just getting exasperating but unless you unplug your internet connection it’s difficult to escape. Just the way football coverage is going to be for the foreseeable. Don’t mind it when it’s something funny like Rooney and fucking Phil Bardsley sparring round the kitchen.
There must a stat somewhere that shows the number of times LFC players have made entries into the opposition box. If it does exist, I bet it shows we do it less than any other team in the top half. Even my 10 year old daughter said watching the Newcastle game: “Look Dad. There’s only one Liverpool player in the box.” And she was right.
I don’t know what percentage of goals are scored from outside the box, but it’s not high. It’s not that we don’t attack in numbers – we often do; or that we’re incapable of cranking up pressure on teams and penning them in – we do that, too. But even when we’re doing this, there is an obvious lack of penalty box presence. We don’t have enough players who instinctively feel that their next run should be into the box, rather than to show for another sideways pass 30 yards from the opposition goal. Playing with no genuine number 9 and a midfield of Allen, Lucas and Henderson should we be surprised?