Liverpool FC Vs Sunderland : Liverpool Player Ratings, Gallery and Analysis
Daniel Agger missed a sitter of an opportunity to take home all 3 points versus Sunderland at Anfield and that summarized yet another horrible week for Liverpool in their 6th encounter of the Premier League.this season.
After Liverpool's shameful loss to Northampton Town, the Reds fans were still hoping that Liverpool would "turn the corner" as Hodgson had indicated , the reality though was far from it and though they managed to get away with a point, they lost a golden opportunity to knock the doors for the Top four seat.
Here's the ranking and analysis of the game and Liverpool FC players after their Saturday afternoon fixture against Sunderland.
Pepe Reina , Ratings : 7
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Pepe Reina was easily quite a stand out player in Liverpool's otherwise very average display against Sunderland . Although Pepe was involved in a few rash tackles, but had he not been involved in those, Liverpool could well faced another humiliating defeat.
Glen Johnson, Rating : 5
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The English right back was again pretty average in defence and was also equally poor when he moved up in attack. Although he still managed to get some decent clearances in defence, he quite inexplicably missed a golden opportunity to cross after dribbling and moving all the way up to the edge of Sunderland's box. Infact it was such a glaring lack of judgement that it baffled every on-looker at anfield as to what Johnson was upto really.
Jamie Carragher, Rating : 5
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Carragher is fast showing symtoms of decline and his lack of pace wasn't aiding his cause either. Jamie went through some clumsy tackling throughout the match and rarely managed any impressive clearance.
In fact , the only time Carragher was at the centre of attention in the whole match was after he collided with his fellow team mate Martin Skrtel and got a serious cut on his eyebrows.
Martin Skrtel, Rating : 6.5
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Skrtel had a very active game against the Black Cats at Anfield and though he too was not at his very best, he still managed to win the physical battles and get some proper clearances done.
He also managed to drbble past almost the whole of Sunderland's defence very impressively, however he did finish very poorly by taking the shot himself instead of passing it to Torres who stood nearby.
Daniel Agger, Rating : 5
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Agger was a forced substitution in the match after Paul Konchesky limped off after only 28 minutes of the game. Agger's performance was pretty decent although it must be said that he missed a few sitters which could have easily won Liverpool the match and the most important 3 points. Overall, he still looked a little uncomfortable at his left back position being a natural full back & with Jamie Carragher's fast declining Agger looks to be a suitable replacement in the centre of defence.
Christian Poulsen, Rating : 3
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If Poulsen's contribution to Liverpool so far has to be analyzed , Roy Hodgson could easily be credited with pulling off the worst possible transfer in Summer to replace Mascherano.
On Saturday at Anfield too, Poulsen was no different. He managed a few gritty clearances but inexplicably held his hands high up in the box as Liverpool conceded the penalty. After a rather rare bright start to the Liverpool looked to dominate the game for the first 20 odd minutes, however after Poulsen gave away the penalty and Bent scored, Sunderland started gaining confidence made steady inroads into the game.
Easily the worst player for Liverpool on the day.
Steven Gerrard, Ratings : 7.5
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Steven Gerrard or Stevie G was once again given the role to play a little deeper than he would have normally preferred .Inspite of that Gerrard still managed to outshine all his fellow team mates with some superb tackles and the much needed equalizer after it looked as if Darren Bent's 2nd had almost taken the game beyond Liverpool.
Tireless and inspiring, Steven Gerrard though still not at his best (may be because he was playing out of position), he was easily Liverpool's best player on the day.
Raul Meirles, Rating : 5
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Although the Portuguese arrived at Anfield with lot of expectations on his shoulders, the most expensive signing under Roy Hodgson , went through his second match in a row almost anonymously.
Meireles was very average and failed to really set up the link-up play that was needed and thus did not do his cause a lot of favor. Although very early days for him as yet, with the dark clouds prevailing at Anfield not only off-the-ptch, but also on it, Meireles needs to settle in fast and get more decisive from the mid-field role he is allotted.
Joe Cole, Rating : 5.5
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Even though Joe Cole didn't have the best of games too, he did look very industrious whenever he had the ball. He tried to go past the defense, slip in a few critical passes throughout the game, however, he managed nothing spectacular and was culprit as he gave away the ball easily on occassions.
Joe still has to raise his game a little and expect his other fellow team mates show the same commitment as he does to get Liverpool back on track.
Dirk Kuyt , Rating : 5.5
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The Dutch was given a pretty advanced role to play and assist Fernando Torres upfront. Although coming after suffering a bad injury which had threatened to be much long lasting than it proved, Dirk Kuyt managed a decent game.
Although the absence of quality mid-field work made it really difficult for Liverpool to supply the ball upfront, Kuyt tried his best and did play a part in Liverpool's first goal which was by far the most bizarre goal till now in the Premier League, where freak goals seem a common issue nowadays.
Fernando Torres, Rating : 6
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Fernando Torres had by far his best match this season as he looked far more sharper than all his earlier games this season. Although it must be said, he was not yet at his best.
In what could have been a flying start for Liverpool ,Fernando Torres scored a superb,which was ruled as off-side by the referee. The decision looked very marginal and may have given Liverpool the win and Torres a huge boost in his confidence.
However, as Sunderland made their way into the match, the ball supply to Torres was almost absent. This frustrated Torres somewhat as he indulged in a few reckless tackles, one of which won him a yellow card.
Liverpool's mid field must really shore up and fast if they are to see the best of Fernando Torres.
David N'gog and Paul Konchesky , Not Rated
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David N'gog's form in the Premier League has seemingly gone downhill fast after the opening encounter against Arsenal at Anfield.
N'gog was at the end of yet another brilliant cross in the dying minutes of the game and only had to stick out his boots to the ball to ensure Liverpool's win. He was however, ridiculous in his effort and and collided with a Sunderland defender and the goal keeper as the ball was cleared out over the bar post. N'gog however had another chance though which was a little difficult but needed to be scored off, the mis-firing french however fired it wide.
Paul Konchesky was average for Liverpool so far. However, he did himself no favor by picking up an injury within the first half an hour of the match and had to be substituted by Daniel Agger. Paul Konchesky was really bought into the club to give the team a more consistent and regular left back who would solve the club's miseries in that position. With injuries plaguing Aurelio and now Konchesky, Roy Hodgson's summer transfers look quite off-the-pace as of now.
Analysis
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Clearly, Liverpool's performance against Sunderland was not a very memorable one and Roy Hodgson has plenty to fix in his upcoming games if Liverpool are to finish the season with any respectability.
Liverpool looked lively at the beginning of the day with plenty of passes and agility. However, it was again down to a silly error, this time Poulsen's hand ball that allowed Sunderland back into the match and they did look threatening.
Liverpool were playing at home in front of their home crowd which rarely showed in their play. At times, it was noted that Sunderland had as much as 71% of the possession to Liverpool's 29%. What was more alarming was that the Black Cats also seemed much more likely to score than Liverpool for long stretches in the match and the pressure paid off as they managed to go up by 2 goals to 1 when Darren Bent headed home from close range in the second half.
Liverpool did well to claw their way back as Steven Gerrard made the most of a defensive error and level the scores. From then on though, Liverpool looked far better and should have scored more but failed inexplicably with David N'gog and Daniel Agger the culprits.
All in all it was yet another dismal performance from the Reds who really don't look the same outfit under Roy Hodgson.
Liverpool fielded the likes of Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Raul Meireles , Dirk Kuyt & Fernando Torres and on paper look a far stronger opposition than what they really turned out to be and that too against a Sunderland side which boasted of almost no international regulars in their starting 11.
After a sequence of really tough matches, Liverpool had to win this encounter to get some confidence back, which they failed and their job ahead looks far tougher.
As I had pointed out Liverpool needed at least 12 points out of their possible 15 in their matches stretching from the Sunderland game to the Bolton fixture, to really stay competitive. With just 1 out of a possible 3 , they really didn't start brightly enough and if the present form continues, Roy Hodgson could well end up losing his job and ruing the fact that he left Fulham for Liverpool.
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