I think it helps that it is pretty obvious exactly what we need to do to improve... and the subject starts with D. But stepping away from that, the very depressing result, the tendency to exaggerate how bad things are (I was one of them on the match day thread...) and the inevitable finger pointing, there were some big positives to take from the game:
(1) Naismith - what a player he looks like he could be for us. Energy, creativity and a touch of class. The fact that he looked like he'd been playing next to Mbokani for months was hugely encouraging and he also had an understanding with Hoolahan.
(2) Poor form of some improved - namely Redmond and Hoolahan. Neither were perfect (Redmond still had his shocking moments for example letting Lallana get that cross in) but both looked hugely improved on their recent form and Redmond certainly seemed to enjoy having the pace of Pinto to give him some space. That pass from Hoolahan to Naismith was sublime.
(3) Pinto - he's not perfect and we knew he had his defensive problems, but I thought he grew into the game defensively and was let down by his fellow defenders after half time. However, his delivery was excellent, offering us a real threat with the right foot and his pace is obvious for everyone to see. We can't expect as a club like Norwich City to be buying complete players, but I thought he will fit in well with our club ethos.
(4) Mbokani - some of you might be getting bored with the plaudits this guy is receiving, but I think they're deserved. I had the misfortune of being sat next to a Liverpool fan in the pub, who at the end of the first half said to me something like "I've never heard of this bloke and we're making him look like Drogba". Now you can look at that as a criticism of the Liverpool defence, but the fact is Mbokani has been excellent recently - his touch is good, he is immense in the air and he is always trying to bring his teammates into the game. He also has a predatory instinct in the box and his goal did not get the plaudits it deserved because it was overshadowed by subsequent events, but at half time one of the commentators described it as "one of the great back heeled goals" and the pace he hit it... I think he could be tremendous for us if he maintains this form and our attacking midfielders give him the support he is looking for.
(5) the Manager - now I know this is a positive thread, but I just want to put a bit of negativity in to set the scene properly... Neil made mistakes on Saturday (and has made multiple throughout the season), in the line-up and I thought (yet again) the timing of his double substitution was poor. I wish he'd stop doing that - so often we concede within a few minutes of the double sub. But my god can the guy read the game. Let's face it, the set up was excellent in terms of how to exploit Liverpool's weaknesses and while he has to shoulder the blame for the team selection, ultimately it was quite clearly individual errors which played the biggest part in the loss (as they have all season). It's now up to Neil to prove he can also iron out those. And we shouldn't forget that Liverpool are underachieving this season - they have some excellent players worth a hell of a lot more than ours and yet for large parts of the match we dominated and showed a serious attacking threat.
(1) Naismith - what a player he looks like he could be for us. Energy, creativity and a touch of class. The fact that he looked like he'd been playing next to Mbokani for months was hugely encouraging and he also had an understanding with Hoolahan.
(2) Poor form of some improved - namely Redmond and Hoolahan. Neither were perfect (Redmond still had his shocking moments for example letting Lallana get that cross in) but both looked hugely improved on their recent form and Redmond certainly seemed to enjoy having the pace of Pinto to give him some space. That pass from Hoolahan to Naismith was sublime.
(3) Pinto - he's not perfect and we knew he had his defensive problems, but I thought he grew into the game defensively and was let down by his fellow defenders after half time. However, his delivery was excellent, offering us a real threat with the right foot and his pace is obvious for everyone to see. We can't expect as a club like Norwich City to be buying complete players, but I thought he will fit in well with our club ethos.
(4) Mbokani - some of you might be getting bored with the plaudits this guy is receiving, but I think they're deserved. I had the misfortune of being sat next to a Liverpool fan in the pub, who at the end of the first half said to me something like "I've never heard of this bloke and we're making him look like Drogba". Now you can look at that as a criticism of the Liverpool defence, but the fact is Mbokani has been excellent recently - his touch is good, he is immense in the air and he is always trying to bring his teammates into the game. He also has a predatory instinct in the box and his goal did not get the plaudits it deserved because it was overshadowed by subsequent events, but at half time one of the commentators described it as "one of the great back heeled goals" and the pace he hit it... I think he could be tremendous for us if he maintains this form and our attacking midfielders give him the support he is looking for.
(5) the Manager - now I know this is a positive thread, but I just want to put a bit of negativity in to set the scene properly... Neil made mistakes on Saturday (and has made multiple throughout the season), in the line-up and I thought (yet again) the timing of his double substitution was poor. I wish he'd stop doing that - so often we concede within a few minutes of the double sub. But my god can the guy read the game. Let's face it, the set up was excellent in terms of how to exploit Liverpool's weaknesses and while he has to shoulder the blame for the team selection, ultimately it was quite clearly individual errors which played the biggest part in the loss (as they have all season). It's now up to Neil to prove he can also iron out those. And we shouldn't forget that Liverpool are underachieving this season - they have some excellent players worth a hell of a lot more than ours and yet for large parts of the match we dominated and showed a serious attacking threat.
Nice one, exactly 
