What a disastrous result. I don't know how else to put it. This was, without doubt the worst result of the season for Liverpool. Getting beaten by Northampton, Blackpool, Man U, and Everton all left bad tastes in my mouth, but this was just dysfunctional. I think David N'gog was our most effective player as he won the free kick that almost got us a goal and headed the ball tamely to Wolves 'keeper Hennessey on a separate occasion.
This should've been a match were Torres, Gerrard, and Reina sat on the bench and our up-and-comers shown what talents they have. Instead, we saw everyone on the pitch get frustrated because Wolves did such a great job of closing us down. This is a point that I would like to focus on though - Wolves playing us so hard.
I have a hard time accepting that Wolves play this way every game and I can understand that Wolves defense for this accusation is that they were in 20th position before the game. I understand that fully, but why did you (Mick McCarthy) not close down on Man United while you were defeating them 2-0 at home earlier this year? Why did you, on September 23rd of last year, in a Carling Cup match, control 52% of possession against Man U, who played with 10 men for 60'+, and who gave you 7 corners to their 3 at home, and let them win 1-0, with teenager Danny Welbeck scoring? I understand that numbers never tell the full story of the game, but they should reflect your attitude to playing teams that are better than you. Why did you, on October 26th of this year, give up a 90', 3-2 winner to them at home? This one, deserves a video clip however, because I know how easy it is to say "Everyone has lost to a last minute winner at Old Trafford!"
After the pass is made to Chicharito, or should I say before the pass is made, Wolves players, midfielders and defenders alike give up on the ball. Who closes down on Darron Gibson? No one. Who follows Chicharito's run? No one. Why does Hennessey come out so early? These questions can only be answered by Mick McCarthy.
After writing a good portion of this, I can realize that I'm beginning to sound like a bitter Liverpool supporter, rooting around for excuses, but I believe I'm on to something here. After all, was it not Mick McCarthy that made 10 controversial changes to his squad for the match at Man United in December of 2009?
The bottom line here is that match-fixing would be a miracle to discover in the Premier League, as it is that "much more sophisticated" than Serie A. Maybe the bottom line is that Liverpool shouldn't have lost and there needs to be some radical changes to Liverpool's tactics.
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