A Refreshing New Year

It took a red card to one of Wolves’ players for an early bath before Liverpool laboured and took control of the game, and taking their chances along the way, in last weekend’s 2-0 home victory.

It was painful watching Reds’ attack stuttering and begging for someone, just anyone to make that simple off-the-ball run, or drag a defender or two away from play.

The form of the team was static and despite the continuous twists and turns of Torres, Benayoun, Gerrard and Aquilani, there was very little else to be excited about, and you’re left anticipating for the sucker punch from the visitors instead, as chances were pitifully wasted away.

Thankfully, and I say this with a sense of elation that’s usually reserved for cup-final-winning games, the red card changed all that and despite the ‘unfairness’ of it all, the win instilled that much of confidence back into the fragile squad, and a win is 3 points in the bag.

And then there was the reading game where Liverpool was almost capitulated by a defiant Reading, a team performing beyond what their league table’s position might suggest.

Deservingly, Reading took the lead, after the Red’s defenders failed to clear the set piece, and indeed it has been Liverpool’s bane that they’ve kept conceding goals from set pieces more often this season, and I bet the defensive gap is so big that Hyppia could see it from the balcony of his German home.

Thankfully, the captain saved our blushes, yet again, with a cross-shot that crept past Reading’s goalie.

Indeed it was a fortuitous goal, but if not for Dirk Kuyt’s willingness to initiate a diagonal run into the box, cutting in from the right, Gerrard would probably not have swung his right boot for the goal.

1-1 was a ‘fair’ scoreline perhaps.

Credit to both parties, but more so to Liverpool’s defenders, for not conceding anymore goal, after half a season of shakiness and leakiness have passed.

You somehow there lingers this eerie feeling that should Reina and his backline concede anymore goals, that their confidence could instantly crumble, faster than you can even pronounce “Vasil Torosidis”.

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AUTHOR BIO: Mar is a Reds fan through and through. Despite the rough and tumble of recent results, he’s still an ardent supporter, in every sense of the word, for the club. Catch him at his personal blog.mar.sg and drop him a message or two.