For much of this season Liverpool have not only struggled for victories, they’ve been awful to watch.
Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal will be embraced like a child’s comfort blanket by The Kop because at least 50 per cent of this trend has been reversed. The Brendan Rodgers coaching method was visible on the pitch again – an exhibition of nimble footed midfield play did indeed revive memories of last season - and it is to be hoped the turgid style of the last six months will soon be considered a never-to-be-repeated aberration.
Liverpool have been unrecognisable over the last seven days, even though they won only once in those three games. It would appear in the aftermath of his club’s Champions League exit Rodgers decided enough was enough and he would no longer compromise his ideals in pursuit of football of pure attacking pleasure.
Call it an epiphany of sorts, Rodgers banishing the imposter within who was speaking about being pragmatic, getting back to basics and making his side tougher to beat. Although this was a sign of his growing maturity as a coach, it also had the effect of making his Liverpool indistinguishable from that which immediately preceded it. In fact, it made Liverpool indistinguishable from most teams in the division and that was most disturbing of all considering the identity the manager had worked so tirelessly to promote.
He went this way out of short-term necessity, but it was not him and it banished all that made the team’s style so endearing over the previous 18 months.
Rodgers was appointed because of his ability to make players perform in the famed ‘Liverpool way’ – pass and move, ‘relentless attacking football’ as chairman Tom Werner put it in the summer of 2011. One suspects the line of communication became blurred during the climax to the Champions League campaign, Rodgers feeling results had to take priority above his desire to entertain as well as win.
In the post-match Basel briefing between Rodgers and the club’s owners, one suspects clarity was restored, with the manager deciding to sink or swim by embracing the philosophy that earned him the job. His employers have never wanted it any other way and despite numerous erroneous suggestions at no stage have they contemplated a change. Their support for the manager has never wavered. The only modification in the Anfield dug-out has been that of Rodgers himself, getting back to that vision of how the game should be played.
Thus, Rodgers felt emboldened to ditch the goalkeeper he never really wanted because he is incapable of being the man to start Liverpool’s passing moves, and you have to wonder how Mario Balotelli will ever start regularly given it was his inability to offer movement upfront that first inspired a more negative tactical shift.
After Sunday’s draw, Rodgers was purring about what Daniel Sturridge will add to his line-up rather than the Italian who will be available again at Burnley on Boxing Day.
Liverpool are still a long way off the top four and there may be too much for them to do, and too much of a dip required from others, to make the Champions League places this season.
At the very least, there is now evidence it is going to be a lot of fun and hugely entertaining watching their creative talent on and off the pitch giving it a try. Chris Bascombe
OFF THE BALL with Alan Tyers
Headlines you won't be reading this week
Lee Cattermole misses booking due to suspension
Alan Pardew popularity keeps growing in North East, already overtaken Baroness Thatcher
Arsenal defence spotted roaming streets of Liverpool, confused
Mourinho keen on watching video reviews of own face
Falcao celebrates goal bonus by buying Colombia
Poyet is still Newcastle's nemesis
Gus Poyet is the bogeyman on Tyneside. As a player, he scored so many important goals against Newcastle even Sir Bobby Robson cursed him – politely, of course – and the Uruguayan continues to torment them as a manager.
In the five games he has been in the opposition dugout - the latest, on Sunday, saw his side win 1-0 - Poyet has beaten Newcastle every time. Twice he knocked the Magpies out of the cup while at Brighton and Hove Albion, the Championship side embarrassing Alan Pardew, exposing Newcastle’s ambivalence to knockout competition, as well as the limitations of their squad players.
Each defeat was a blow to Geordie self-esteem, but his arrival at Sunderland has brought even more suffering. In all three of his Tyne-Wear derbies as a manager, Poyet has inflicted devastating defeats on Pardew and left Newcastle supporters distraught. He may not win a proper trophy for Sunderland, but he has brought more joy to Wearside in 14 months than most of his predecessors managed between them.
It has not been easy supporting either North-East club in recent years, their inability to keep pace with ever richer and powerful domestic rivals, condemning them to a life of modest ambition. Poyet, though, has broken the monotony. He has taken Sunderland to Wembley, the defeat to Manchester City taking the shine off of the trip, perhaps, but not the thrilling cup run that got them there.
Winning feeling: Gus Poyet celebrates Sunderland's winner
Sunderland almost followed that adventure with relegation, yet somehow they survived, beating Chelsea and Manchester United in the final weeks of the campaign to scramble clear of the bottom three. All those achievements earned Poyet credit, but they are nothing compared to the ecstasy of three derby wins.
Sunderland did the double over their neighbours last term and for the second time at St James’ Park, Poyet’s team have taken all three points. Both times they have deserved their victory, both times they have left Newcastle in disarray. Local bragging rights possibly mean more in the North East than elsewhere because, at times, they seem like the only thing worth celebrating.
Newcastle are in danger of tumbling into another period of turmoil. Pardew is the only manager in the club’s history to have lost four times in a row to the enemy. It is unforgiveable for some, although he will only be in trouble in the boardroom if he does not secure a top 10 finish.
Pardew will fight on, he will not rock the boat and Newcastle will almost certainly win enough games to keep them out of relegation danger. The supporters will grumble, but it remains to be seen how loudly. They spent weeks calling for him to be sacked in the autumn and were ignored.
Sunderland cannot be so sure of survival and that is the biggest challenge for Poyet. As fun as this win was, its real value was the three points that moved the Wearsiders up to 14th in the table. Poyet will only prove himself a truly talented manager if this is the start of a good run, not an isolated highlight in yet another nervous relegation battle. Luke Edwards
Benteke will be one of January's top targets
Paul Lambert has been insisting for weeks that Fabian Delph and Ron Vlaar will not be sold in January - but perhaps his biggest fear should be over the Aston Villa future of Christian Benteke.
For all the uncertainty over Delph and Vlaar, who have declined to accept new contracts, Benteke proved against Manchester United on Saturday that he remains Aston Villa's prized asset.
The Belgium international has only recently returned after six months out with a ruptured achilles, plus an undeserved suspension, but already underlined his vast importance to Lambert's squad.
Jonny Evans and Phil Jones were bullied all afternoon and, as Benteke admitted to Telegraph Sport, he will only get better as he steps up his fitness over the next few games.
He should be one of the leading transfer options for the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur when the window opens next month. It would take over £25million to persuade Villa to do business, and chairman Randy Lerner has already proved he can dig his heels in with the best of them if he wants to.
Spurs are devoid of a powerful, dominant forward like Benteke and already infuriated Lerner last year with a derisory £12million bid.
Liverpool, meanwhile, wasted £16million on Mario Balotelli and the summer acquisition of Rickie Lambert appears another bewildering signing by the club's recruitment department.
Benteke has only just turned 24 and his best years are ahead of him. He should be playing Champions League football.
Of course, this is the last thing Lambert will want to be reading. His team without Benteke is scarcely worth thinking about. But the threat of a January bid is a very real possibility and he will be counting down the days until the window slams shut. John Percy
Target: Christian Benteke will be sought after in the January window
Tailoring issues (PICTURE: BELLAMY)
Explanations as to what was up with Craig Bellamy’s Sunday best suit ranged from: “made of squashed flies” and “has he been visiting Dwight Yorke’s tailor?” Some even wondered which was worse: the Bellamy suit or the Arsenal performance. But there was support for the sartorially challenged Welshman from one corner, as least. Gary Lineker tweeted: “Maybe Craig Bellamy would lend me his suit.”
Spurs finally looked like a team
Has a corner been turned by Tottenham? Three wins on the bounce, and a victory at home at that, Saturday's game with Burnley was seized on by manager Mauricio Pochettino as evidence of progress. Fielding what he considers his best team Pochettino saw signs in the first half of the sort of top-four performance he expects. In the second, however, he was fortunate that Burnley did not have the midfield guile to exploit some flaky defending.
Spurs best players are Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane. Whatever the quality of Erik Lamela's stunning first half goal, Spurs were at their most persuasive when Eriksen and Kane were in possession. Marrying a dynamic work rate to intelligence and aggression, Kane is beginning to look the centre forward Spurs have for so long sought in the transfer market. The fact he cost nothing and earns a fraction of his pricier colleague's wages suggests Daniel Levy will be urgently encouraging Pochettino to scour the academy once more.
Burnley look a much more effective side with Danny Ings restored after injury. Although he didn't score, Ings lent a threat to Burnley's attack which was entirely missing in his absence. Another young English striker causing problems for Premier League defences. With him and Kane emerging this season, could this be a pattern evolving? Jim White
Picture of the weekend
Assuming this is actually Jesus, and not just someone who has rushed out of the barber while halfway through a hair and beard trim, this has to be good news for Brendan. Perhaps He and Brendan can swap Messiah tips.
Headlines you won’t be reading this week
Lee Cattermole misses booking due to suspension
Alan Pardew popularity keeps growing in North East, already overtaken Baroness Thatcher
Arsenal defence spotted roaming streets of Liverpool, confused
Mourinho keen on watching video reviews of own face
Falcao celebrates goal bonus by buying Colombia
Creswell is an England prospect
As well as pioneering the use of statistical analysis and inventing the word "out-tacticked", one of Sam Allardyce's main talents in football is in rehabilitating discarded Liverpool players. Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing have all sought solace in Allardyce's warm embrace after being shut out at Anfield, and now ex-Liverpool trainee Aaron Cresswell is joining them.
Left-back is one of England's most competitive positions, with Leighton Baines, Luke Shaw and Kieran Gibbs all vying for one spot, so it's probably no use throwing in someone else. But Cresswell has had a brilliant season for West Ham, with another good game against Leicester on Saturday. The full-backs have a key attacking responsibility in West Ham's diamond system, and Cresswell is an excellent judge of when to bomb forward and when to hang back.
His crossing is a valuable asset, and his defensive qualities are good, although he does get muscled off the ball now and again. Cresswell has been one of the unsung heroes in West Ham's top-four surge, and it would be surprising if Roy Hodgson - another Liverpool reject - didn't at least take a sneaky peek. Jonathan Liew
Alternative analysis
Major new painting unveiled at Tate Liverpool. Entitled simply:
‘Genius’ (2014). Artist unknown, probably from the Northern Irish school.
Manager of the week
“A British coach playing 3-4-3? He must have fell onto that system, a bit of luck,” said Brendan Rodgers, with bitter irony after destroying the finest side in all the second tier. “Not that I might have been awake studying into the early hours of the morning thinking how we can do it. A foreign coach would be a tactical genius.” An excellent development in the Brendan Project. Can we now expect him to rely more heavily on what came to be known as The Allardici Defence after Big Sam claimed, like Brendan, that things are much harder for English managers than Foreigners?
Number of the week
50 Big Andy Carroll hit his 50th league goal (32 in the Prem).
Made-up number of the week
50 Expected post-retirement waist size of Big Andy Carroll.
Performance of the weekend
While there was much to enjoy in Martin Skrtel’s efforts (who doesn’t love a bandaged centre half scoring with a towering header?) the man of the moment had to be Fabio Borini. He came on (74 minutes), he was booked for kicking the ball away like a child having a tantrum in Tescos. By the time extra time rolled around, he was having an early bath (and looking forward to a well-earned winter break) after going in with a foot up on Santi Cazorla. Epic foolishness.
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