 |
| Image via liverpoolfc.com |
In a game that saw goalkeeper David De Gea win man of the match it is no wonder that so many Liverpool fans are utterly frustrated with the result. You can call me bias all you want but I'm sorry, United did not deserve to win that game, I'm not sure they even deserved a draw yet they walked away victorious, which leaves you asking questions about your own side.
Jurgen Klopp obviously hasn't had time to put a stamp on this side yet so this is by no means a dig at the manager but surely the owners must start looking at this team and start supporting the manager financially because this squad just isn't good enough.
There were flickers in the game from the likes of Firmino and Jordan Henderson but one man certainly not worthy of his price tag in my opinion is Adam Lallana. I can't say I was excited when we signed him but at the same time I felt confident he would find his footing in a Liverpool shirt but it just hasn't happened, he's extremely disappointing for me and when fielded up front in a formation lacking a striker, I'm sorry but you've got to pull a performance out of the bag. Firmino wasn't exactly setting the world alight either but at least he was making things happen.
This really was one of the worst Liverpool V Manchester United games I've ever seen, it was boring, both sides didn't even seem up for it and the only moment of fire was when Fellaini decided to kick off. I was actually thankful that Fellaini was being such an arsehole to be honest because at least that was something to get geared up about.
Some of our players just didn't look bothered, it was very hard to tell that this fixture was supposed to be one of the best in the world. United spent the majority of the game doing as they have done for most of their recent fixtures, failing to attack but maintaining possession. Liverpool took several opportunities on the break but fluffed long range chances and never really thought through their options when in a position to take the lead.
For me, this raised another question, do you or don't you start Christian Benteke? I never wanted Benteke in the first place, as a fan of Balotelli (yes I know nobody else likes him) I realised immediately that Benteke would not fit into our system because he's not the most active of players and relies heavily in my opinion on service, service that we did not and still do not provide. Despite this, I honestly feel that Benteke needs to feature, it's pretty clear that he's not Klopp's kind of player but for me the manager should have brought him on a lot sooner because it was evident our set up wasn't working.
The thing people forget with Benteke is that he may sometimes fail to be in the box at the right time and yes he might not put as much effort in as we all would like but you can guarantee if you chuck Benteke onto a pitch he immediately draws attention from the opposition defence. Who are United going to be concerned about on a break or a set piece, Benteke or Firmino? I would place a bet that they'd follow the big man, leaving players like Firmino in a free position and hence more likely to find the back of the net. Benteke doesn't just bring goals to the game, he brings a presence and like him or not I'm afraid I think we need to take advantage of that whilst we have him.
At 78 minutes Wayne Rooney showed how playing a striker is probably a good idea, even if they don't really do anything for 90% of the game, Rooney showed that he could be clinical and give his side that all important goal. You have to wonder, if Liverpool had played a striker sooner, would we have also been celebrating instead of ruing our chances?
Who knows.
All I know is we need some new players and fast, losing to United is annoying as it is but to lose in that fashion? Infuriating.