Today
marked another sad day for Liverpool fans, the kind that has not been lacking
in the slightest this season. Following lost Champions League dreams due to a
Manchester City win, Liverpool took on Aston Villa in an attempt to continue
their FA Cup efforts. Unfortunately, these fell apart today as well, leaving
Liverpool, and its manager, in a poor position. The loss was not undeserved,
however, as the team remained in a lack of formation and played with little
creativity. When given a chance to go up with a free kick just outside the box,
it was wasted with a sorry attempt that was easily taken by Villa goalkeeper
Shay Given. Liverpool’s Gerrard also had a sad performance, and the team lacked
any competitive edge overall.
Aston
Villa, on the other hand, played with an attitude quite the opposite of
Liverpool’s. They came out and played with excitement, using their energy to
blow past a slow Liverpool side. Even 19 year old Jack Grealish made one of his
few competitive debuts, fighting just as the rest of his team, looking better
than many of Liverpool’s players. At one point Liverpool did seem to still be
in the game, as Sterling’s assist for Coutinho’s goal in the 30th
minute gave them a slight boost to their energy, but it did not last. Villa
simply outfought the Reds, and the win was easily deserved and won.
This
game shows that Sherwood obviously got his tactics right and Rodgers still is
not able to control and organize his team. Sherwood employed simple tactics and
stuck to his lineup from the start, and it beat out Liverpool in the end.
Rodgers, on the other hand, tried switching things around, but he was unable to
find anything to bring success to the already failing team. Many are
questioning Rodgers capability as manager already, and this game only
solidifies those claims.
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