It has officially become a two horse race. Sure, Spurs, Chelsea, and even the Gunners could go on a run, but in the end, it will take a significant collapse by City and LFC to allow those clubs back in the hunt for the PL title. Probably not going to happen. City is on pace to bank 104 points, while LFC is on track for 99, neither will probably end up with those totals, but it is most likely safe to say they will end up one and two. The greatest factor is, barring injuries, the remaining schedule.
I cannot stand when people try to claim that strength of schedule is not a factor in the PL. Yes, every team plays one another twice, once at home and once on the road, but when these matches are played is very important as well. It is better to play tougher opponents earlier in the schedule or after rest periods, especially away. Almost any opponent on the road is going to be tough as it is.
So far this season, City has played seven out of fifteen matches on the road. Liverpool have only played eight, but it is still one more match that they are more likely to get 3 points. City has played Arsenal, Tottenham, and LFC away, earning an impressive 7 points, with the only non-win being at Anfield. They were lucky to play the Gunners on the opening round, now I doubt they would have gotten away with a similar 2-0 result since Arsenal has improved significantly. That is also a factor, some clubs get better as the season progressives and Arsenal, Everton, Brighton, Newcastle, and West Ham have all showed improvement since the beginning. This also means that City have yet to play at Chelsea and United, which I'm hoping the latter is actually a contest. I don't think I have ever cheered United on, it will be painful, but I have to do so if I hope for the league title. Liverpool have played at Spurs, Chelsea, and at Gunners, earning 5 points. They had the misfortune of playing an improved Gunners side in week 11 and honestly, they were lucky to come away with a point.
Neither LFC nor City have played any significant opponents at home other than themselves at Anfield, so those fixtures are probably must wins for the Reds if they have any aspirations to win the league. City have yet to host Liverpool, which has to be considered the most important fixture left. A win would be monumental, but a draw is probably the best to hope for. They play on January 3rd.
If we look at remaining fixtures, who has the tougher schedule? The hardest fixtures left for Liverpool are home to United (12/16), at City (1/3), at United (2/23), at Everton (2/3), home to Spurs (4/6), and home to Chelsea (4/13). City has at Chelsea (12/8), home to LFC (1/3), home to Arsenal (2/2), home to Chelsea (2/9), at Everton (2/23), at United (3/16), and home to Spurs (4/20). That leaves Liverpool with one less 'hardest' fixture and a potential six point swing, though that is optimistic.
Between the two sides, City really only have the only bad result with a draw at Wolves, so lets look at the potential 'upsets'. Liverpool very well could lose or concede points at Bournemouth in two days (they are sixth in the league after all), at West Ham (2/2),at Wolves (12/21), and at Newcastle (5/4). I highly doubt points will be lost at Newcastle, but karma (Rafa) may come into play. City have home to Everton (12/15), at Newcastle (1/29), and at Bournemouth (3/2). Liverpool have it a little rougher with these mid-table/trending fixtures, but we are really only talking maybe a two-point margin.
Finally, the other onerous factor is schedule congestion with regards to opponent strength. City has to play at Chelsea, Leicester, and Southampton, and home to Everton, CP, Liverpool in a 35 day period between 1/8 and 2/3. They play their toughest matches first (at Chelsea) and last (home to Liverpool), with only one 'challenging' in between (at Everton). Meanwhile, LFC have to play away to Bournemouth, Wolverhampton, and City, and at home to United, Newcastle, and Arsenal. Liverpool clearly have a tougher schedule during this period.
There is also Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup fixtures to consider, but based on just the PL schedule, Liverpool have a slight advantage though it will take a at least one significant upset on City's part and a perfect LFC run to win the league. I don't want to say anything is impossible though.
Showing posts with label Man City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Man City. Show all posts
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Friday, September 19, 2014
Skrtel or Sakho? Who is better to partner Lovren?
Despite being far apart on the ethnic field, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho play an eerily similar style of football on the pitch. The Slovakian and the Senegalese-Frenchman are both efficient passers, each posting around 90% last season and this campaign so far, neither are very committal to tackling, preferring to play a 'stand-offish', marking style of defense, and both like to get forward, though Sakho does this much more to my liking. If I had to give an edge to either concerning attacking and/or defending, I'd say Skrtel is actually better on both sides of the ball despite Sakho being more 'creative'.
That is not the question though, it is whom is better to partner our Croatian juggernaut, Dejan Lovren. To do that, let's take a look at Lovren's style of play. Our Number Six is not as good a passer as his fellow centre backs, but has improved from last season when he played for Southampton. So far he's posted an 88.5% pass completion percentage compared to 82% last year, which is even more impressive when you consider he's averaged 17 more pass attempts per a match this season so far. That probably has more to do with the fact that the Saints averaged nearly 2 more yards per pass and attempted 14 more long balls per match, finishing second in the league with 70 attempts on average. Lovren is also more likely to 'go to ground' and attempt a tackle than Skrtel or Sakho. He has completed 11 successful tackles this season so far while the other two have 3 combined.
One could argue match-ups should play a part, but there are two great examples from this season that make that argument invalid. Skrtel paired Lovren at the Etihad which Liverpool lost 3-1 despite playing well. Unfortunately, City played slightly better even though two of their goals were due to defensive mishap, none the fault of Skrtel though. In fact, I re-watched an extended highlights video of that match and noticed a lot of friction and distrust displayed between Lovren and Skrtel, but ultimately, the first two goals were mostly the fault of Lovren being out of position.
During the build-up of the first goal, Lovren is more concerned with whether Skrtel is marking Dzeko instead of covering 'his' area, the left side of the box.
That is not the question though, it is whom is better to partner our Croatian juggernaut, Dejan Lovren. To do that, let's take a look at Lovren's style of play. Our Number Six is not as good a passer as his fellow centre backs, but has improved from last season when he played for Southampton. So far he's posted an 88.5% pass completion percentage compared to 82% last year, which is even more impressive when you consider he's averaged 17 more pass attempts per a match this season so far. That probably has more to do with the fact that the Saints averaged nearly 2 more yards per pass and attempted 14 more long balls per match, finishing second in the league with 70 attempts on average. Lovren is also more likely to 'go to ground' and attempt a tackle than Skrtel or Sakho. He has completed 11 successful tackles this season so far while the other two have 3 combined.
One could argue match-ups should play a part, but there are two great examples from this season that make that argument invalid. Skrtel paired Lovren at the Etihad which Liverpool lost 3-1 despite playing well. Unfortunately, City played slightly better even though two of their goals were due to defensive mishap, none the fault of Skrtel though. In fact, I re-watched an extended highlights video of that match and noticed a lot of friction and distrust displayed between Lovren and Skrtel, but ultimately, the first two goals were mostly the fault of Lovren being out of position.
During the build-up of the first goal, Lovren is more concerned with whether Skrtel is marking Dzeko instead of covering 'his' area, the left side of the box.
As the above still shot from the match shows, Lovren was not in the best possible position and was unable to provide proper coverage for Moreno and Gerrard. In a panic, he heads the ball right to a surging Jovetic. Sure, Moreno could have done better to clear, but he shouldn't had to in the first place.
Here is a still shot just before the second goal:
Jovetic has the ball and is about to release both Zabaleta and Nasri with an excellent back heel pass through. Lovren is way out of position to begin with, why he is so far forward is beyond me. Jovetic has his back to the goal, which for him to gain possession and right himself would take more than enough time for Henderson and/or Gerrard to collapse on him, so Lovren had no business being there. Once the break starts, Skrtel had no choice but provide coverage on the left, leaving Johnson to mark Dzeko. Jovetic sneaked in behind, found himself all alone on the right, and the rest, they say, is history. Had Lovren stayed behind Zabaleta, he would have most likely been able to clear the ball or at least disrupt play enough to prevent the goal, plus Skrtel would have been able to stay more central and allow Johnson to pick up Jovetic. One could argue that Lovren was trying to set an offside trap, but if that is so, he's doing a terrible job of communicating it to his fellow defenders.
In the City match, a Skrtel-Lovren pairing was ideal being that Lovren is usually better at maintaining his position than Sakho. Unfortunately he failed to do so. For Villa, a Sakho-Lovren pairing is more ideal because Villa is dreadful and adding another player on attack seemingly can only help. Unfortunately it did not, but once again Lovren was somewhat at fault for the goal. He was beaten by Senderos on the corner, had Manquillo's arm not blocked the attempt, there was a chance of it getting past Lallana and going in. It instead fell to Agbonlahor. I would say Balotelli and Moreno's inability to clear it before it got to Senderos was more of an issue than Lovren's marking.
It would have been nice to have Skrtel for Ludogorets. I can't see him getting caught out of position as much as Sakho and Lovren did. I didn't expect to draw this conclusion, but after looking over the stats and watching match highlights, maybe the best pairing for Lovren is a seat on the bench. The only thing he brings so far is tackling and errors. That may be harsh, but it is clear he has positioning and communication issues, certainly with Skrtel on the latter. Maybe Rodgers should give him a couple of matches off and some time to think about his latest performances. I think he's a great defender and player in general, but it seems like he's trying to do too much and it's hurting the side.
Friday, August 29, 2014
All tomorrow's winners: Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Swansea, & West Ham
Predictions for tomorrow:
Burnley vs Man United
Betting on Burnley is a sucker bet as United's attack is far better than portrayed and Burnley has the worst defence in the league. This one could get ugly and expect Van Persie to open his account for the season. Burnley 1, Man United 3
Man City vs Stoke
Begovic & company are good enough on defence to hold this to late, but I don't think they will. City will probably get a goal around the middle of the first half and then add another late. The Potters just don't have the ability to break down the City defense at the Etihad without a major mistake from their hosts. Look for Dzeko to get his first goal of the season. Man City 2, Stoke 0
Newcastle vs Crystal Palace
Three points will not get any easier for the Magpies. They boast a decent attack and a respectable defence plus playing at home against Palace, who are dreadful on attack, should give them a significant edge. If Dwight Gayle plays a significant amount, Palace will get at least a goal from him, but not sure it's worth the risk. Newcastle 3, Crystal Palace 1
QPR vs Sunderland
Joey Barton and Rio Ferdinand have played exceptionally for their less than exceptional side, but if Remy is not available, this match has draw written all over it. Sunderland is superior both on attack and in defence, but the confidings of Loftus Road will give QPR a proper boost. QPR 2, Sunderland 2
Swansea vs West Brom
This match could end up being the most exciting of the day. Swansea is just poor enough on defence to allow a mediocre WBA attack to keep it exciting, but ultimately the superior Swan attack should prevail. Wilfried Bony is itching for a goal. Swansea 3, WBA 2
West Ham vs Southampton
Another candidate for match of the day, Southampton should have enough to make it interesting against a somewhat decent West Ham defence. In the end though, the Hammers strength of Allardyce's 'air ball' are the Saints' weakness. West Ham 2, Southampton 0
Everton vs Chelsea
Despite being at Goodison, I don't think the Toffees will be able to compete with Chelsea, but if they try, the London club could humiliate them. This is just a bad match-up for the blue side of Merseyside, Chelsea play a similar yet superior style of attack and are far better on defence. I'll go conservative here though and say Everton 0, Chelsea 2.
Burnley vs Man United
Betting on Burnley is a sucker bet as United's attack is far better than portrayed and Burnley has the worst defence in the league. This one could get ugly and expect Van Persie to open his account for the season. Burnley 1, Man United 3
Man City vs Stoke
Begovic & company are good enough on defence to hold this to late, but I don't think they will. City will probably get a goal around the middle of the first half and then add another late. The Potters just don't have the ability to break down the City defense at the Etihad without a major mistake from their hosts. Look for Dzeko to get his first goal of the season. Man City 2, Stoke 0
Newcastle vs Crystal Palace
Three points will not get any easier for the Magpies. They boast a decent attack and a respectable defence plus playing at home against Palace, who are dreadful on attack, should give them a significant edge. If Dwight Gayle plays a significant amount, Palace will get at least a goal from him, but not sure it's worth the risk. Newcastle 3, Crystal Palace 1
QPR vs Sunderland
Joey Barton and Rio Ferdinand have played exceptionally for their less than exceptional side, but if Remy is not available, this match has draw written all over it. Sunderland is superior both on attack and in defence, but the confidings of Loftus Road will give QPR a proper boost. QPR 2, Sunderland 2
Swansea vs West Brom
This match could end up being the most exciting of the day. Swansea is just poor enough on defence to allow a mediocre WBA attack to keep it exciting, but ultimately the superior Swan attack should prevail. Wilfried Bony is itching for a goal. Swansea 3, WBA 2
West Ham vs Southampton
Another candidate for match of the day, Southampton should have enough to make it interesting against a somewhat decent West Ham defence. In the end though, the Hammers strength of Allardyce's 'air ball' are the Saints' weakness. West Ham 2, Southampton 0
Everton vs Chelsea
Despite being at Goodison, I don't think the Toffees will be able to compete with Chelsea, but if they try, the London club could humiliate them. This is just a bad match-up for the blue side of Merseyside, Chelsea play a similar yet superior style of attack and are far better on defence. I'll go conservative here though and say Everton 0, Chelsea 2.
Fantasy picks for match day 3: Newcastle, Villa, Swansea, West Ham & City are the way to go
Keepers
This week: Tim Krul (Newcastle)
Alternates: Brad Guzan (Villa), Fabianski (Swansea), Hart (Man City), De Gea (Man U), Robert Green (QPR).
Long term: De Gea, Krul, Forster (Southampton), Mannone (Sunderland)
Defenders
This week: Alan Hutton (Aston Villa), Dummett (Newcastle), Kompany (Man City), Armat (Swansea)
Alternates: Vlaar (Villa), Coloccini, Williamson (Newcastle), Williams, Rangel (Swansea), Ferdinand (QPR)
Long term: Dummett, Coloccini (Newcastle), Fonte (Southampton), O'Shea (Sunderland), Blackett, Jones (Man U)
Midfielders
This week: Barton (QPR), Nasri (Man City), Sigurdsson (Swansea), Cabella (Newcastle)
Alternates: Delph, Westwood (Villa), Colback, Sissoko (Newcastle), Ki Sung-yeung (Swansea), Silva, Toure (Man City), Noble, Kouyate (West Ham)
Long term: Valencia (Man U), Larsson (Sunderland), Colback, Cabella, Sissoko (Newcastle), Schniederlin (Southampton), Gerrard, Sterling (Liverpool)
Forwards
This week: Bony (Swansea), Riviere (Newcastle)
Alternates: Dzeko, Jovetic, Aguero (Man City), Cole (Newcastle), Rooney, Van Persie (Man U)
Long term: Pelle, Long (Southampton), Wickham, Fletcher (Sunderland), Sturridge (Liverpool), Riviere, De Jong, Gouffran (Newcastle)
Pay close attention to transfer news as some may not be with their club come match time.
This week: Tim Krul (Newcastle)
Alternates: Brad Guzan (Villa), Fabianski (Swansea), Hart (Man City), De Gea (Man U), Robert Green (QPR).
Long term: De Gea, Krul, Forster (Southampton), Mannone (Sunderland)
Defenders
This week: Alan Hutton (Aston Villa), Dummett (Newcastle), Kompany (Man City), Armat (Swansea)
Alternates: Vlaar (Villa), Coloccini, Williamson (Newcastle), Williams, Rangel (Swansea), Ferdinand (QPR)
Long term: Dummett, Coloccini (Newcastle), Fonte (Southampton), O'Shea (Sunderland), Blackett, Jones (Man U)
Midfielders
This week: Barton (QPR), Nasri (Man City), Sigurdsson (Swansea), Cabella (Newcastle)
Alternates: Delph, Westwood (Villa), Colback, Sissoko (Newcastle), Ki Sung-yeung (Swansea), Silva, Toure (Man City), Noble, Kouyate (West Ham)
Long term: Valencia (Man U), Larsson (Sunderland), Colback, Cabella, Sissoko (Newcastle), Schniederlin (Southampton), Gerrard, Sterling (Liverpool)
Forwards
This week: Bony (Swansea), Riviere (Newcastle)
Alternates: Dzeko, Jovetic, Aguero (Man City), Cole (Newcastle), Rooney, Van Persie (Man U)
Long term: Pelle, Long (Southampton), Wickham, Fletcher (Sunderland), Sturridge (Liverpool), Riviere, De Jong, Gouffran (Newcastle)
Pay close attention to transfer news as some may not be with their club come match time.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Gerrard breaks into top ten of most efficient EPL players, Lovren falls and Yaya takes top
Top attacking efficient players in the Premiership
(must have played at least 120 minutes thus far)
Fletcher is a bit shocking, but he has posted a 87.3% pass rate and has only averaged 7 caused possession changes a match. Blackett has managed an even better successful passing percentage at 88.4%.
If all players are included, despite the amount of minutes played, Sergio Aguero is king with a ridiculous 0.938 attacking efficiency. That's what happens when you score 2 goals, post a 3/4 shot accuracy and are 10/10 on passing in 29 total minutes on the pitch. Only a matter of time before they play the Argentine, Jovetic, and Dzeko up front at the same time and have the minnows of the Prem soiling their shorts.
Leicester's Andy King is a good example of 'levelling off''. The Welsh midfielder dropped 22 places in rankings after facing Chelsea, the 2nd most efficient side in the EPL. The Foxes next host Arsenal, which could go either way for King as he should have the amount of touches to show if he's as good as he was against Everton.
Top defensive efficient players
(must have played at least 120 minutes thus far)
(must have played at least 120 minutes thus far)
| ape | |
| Y. Toure | 0.878 |
| S. Nasri | 0.859 |
| D. Fletcher | 0.825 |
| Cesc Fàbregas | 0.822 |
| F. Coloccini | 0.817 |
| N. Bentaleb | 0.805 |
| Eden Hazard | 0.804 |
| S. Gerrard | 0.797 |
| E. Adebayor | 0.795 |
| T. Blackett | 0.795 |
Fletcher is a bit shocking, but he has posted a 87.3% pass rate and has only averaged 7 caused possession changes a match. Blackett has managed an even better successful passing percentage at 88.4%.
If all players are included, despite the amount of minutes played, Sergio Aguero is king with a ridiculous 0.938 attacking efficiency. That's what happens when you score 2 goals, post a 3/4 shot accuracy and are 10/10 on passing in 29 total minutes on the pitch. Only a matter of time before they play the Argentine, Jovetic, and Dzeko up front at the same time and have the minnows of the Prem soiling their shorts.
Leicester's Andy King is a good example of 'levelling off''. The Welsh midfielder dropped 22 places in rankings after facing Chelsea, the 2nd most efficient side in the EPL. The Foxes next host Arsenal, which could go either way for King as he should have the amount of touches to show if he's as good as he was against Everton.
Top defensive efficient players
(must have played at least 120 minutes thus far)
| dpe | |
| C. Chambers | 0.914 |
| R. Ferdinand | 0.914 |
| M. Skrtel | 0.905 |
| D. Lovren | 0.896 |
| F. Coloccini | 0.894 |
| Y. Toure | 0.884 |
| P. Jagielka | 0.878 |
| Fernando | 0.877 |
| V. Kompany | 0.871 |
| T. Blackett | 0.865 |
Chambers continues to impress, but I did change up the formula to be more possession-friendly, meaning the 19-year-old right back benefits greatly from playing for Arsene Wenger. That shouldn't help Rio though as QPR is the fifth-worst possession side. Man United should have let him stayed another season. Skrtel leap frogs Lovren and having both centre backs in the top for says a lot about Liverpool's somewhat deficient defence. Save Gerrard, only Jordan Henderson is ranked in the top 75 at 74.
Top overall efficient players
(must have played at least 120 minutes thus far)
| ope | |
| Y. Toure | 0.881 |
| F. Coloccini | 0.856 |
| C. Chambers | 0.840 |
| S. Nasri | 0.835 |
| T. Blackett | 0.830 |
| D. Fletcher | 0.829 |
| Fernando | 0.825 |
| G. Barry | 0.821 |
| S. Gerrard | 0.820 |
| N. Bentaleb | 0.817 |
No Chelsea players? Fabregas is closest at 18th, but they are tied with City with a league best 8 players in the top 100. It is a team sport after all. Lovren dropped to 13th, one ahead of Skrtel.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Man City 3, Liverpool 1: No Jovetic of confidence
Well, that was disappointing though I can't say the result was unexpected. We had our chances, as did they, but they were better in taking advantage and that's the difference between having a bottomless money bag and having to be fiscally sound. Yes, we can buy great players, but not for asking price like City. They bought Jovetic for £22m on talent alone. Prior to today, the 24-year-old had 6 goals in 17 career matches for City, while £12m Daniel Sturridge has scored 36 in 50. They should have never let the latter go.
The positive points were... not sure. Honestly, I think we played well enough to lose 1-3. It makes me question if we have the talent to compete for the league. Players made mistakes and other than Glen Johnson, nobody was habitual in their error proneness, but we've been used to our right back's faults for a while now. Though I don't think Manquillo starting would have made a huge difference, he would have at least gave us a chance. Is Johnson playing amazing in training or something? I just don't understand why Rodgers started/played him today.
Moreno had a decent debut despite being blamed for the opening goal. It was more Jovetic's superb little push-on then our new left back's inability to clear the ball which lead to the goal. Not much could have been done there, Glen Johnson would have probably just went ahead and put it in the net for City. The 22-year-old Spaniard debutant led the side with 4 tackles, had two take-ons, and completed 90.5% of his passes (38 of 42).
Statistically speaking, nobody truly stood out. Mignolet lead the side with a 95% pass completion rate (19/20) including 6/7 long balls, but our Belgium keeper probably could have done a better job stopping shots. Sturridge filled up the stat sheet with two shots on target, two chances created, three take-ons, a tackle and a clearance, but also posted a team-worst 70% passing rate. If I had to pick a player of the match for us, it would be Gerrard. The ageless one had 2 key passes, 3 tackles, 2 clearances, an interception, an led all outfield starters with a 93% successful pass rate.
Though this match does matter in some degree, we must move on and realize that it doesn't make much difference in the title race. Not showing up against a lower table side would concern me much more. We didn't play all that bad, but we didn't take advantage of the opportunities afforded us, which is worrisome. Suarez would have made no difference by the way, as he rarely showed up in matches against top competition.
The positive points were... not sure. Honestly, I think we played well enough to lose 1-3. It makes me question if we have the talent to compete for the league. Players made mistakes and other than Glen Johnson, nobody was habitual in their error proneness, but we've been used to our right back's faults for a while now. Though I don't think Manquillo starting would have made a huge difference, he would have at least gave us a chance. Is Johnson playing amazing in training or something? I just don't understand why Rodgers started/played him today.
Moreno had a decent debut despite being blamed for the opening goal. It was more Jovetic's superb little push-on then our new left back's inability to clear the ball which lead to the goal. Not much could have been done there, Glen Johnson would have probably just went ahead and put it in the net for City. The 22-year-old Spaniard debutant led the side with 4 tackles, had two take-ons, and completed 90.5% of his passes (38 of 42).
Statistically speaking, nobody truly stood out. Mignolet lead the side with a 95% pass completion rate (19/20) including 6/7 long balls, but our Belgium keeper probably could have done a better job stopping shots. Sturridge filled up the stat sheet with two shots on target, two chances created, three take-ons, a tackle and a clearance, but also posted a team-worst 70% passing rate. If I had to pick a player of the match for us, it would be Gerrard. The ageless one had 2 key passes, 3 tackles, 2 clearances, an interception, an led all outfield starters with a 93% successful pass rate.
Though this match does matter in some degree, we must move on and realize that it doesn't make much difference in the title race. Not showing up against a lower table side would concern me much more. We didn't play all that bad, but we didn't take advantage of the opportunities afforded us, which is worrisome. Suarez would have made no difference by the way, as he rarely showed up in matches against top competition.
Man City 1, Liverpool 0: Thoughts at the break
Until about five minutes to go, Liverpool were by far the better side. One error then the walls come crumbling down and that was our problem last season. We must maintain composure and regain the form we had in the first half when we were in control of the match.
I thought Coutinho looked better, but what do I know? Glen Johnson is still passing to ghosts, Joe Allen has been impressive for Joe Allen, but would like to see what Can can do.
There were some interesting calls though, the 'foul' on Henderson instead of a corner being the most obvious.
Blaming Moreno for that goal is just stupid, Jovetic sneaked up on him and knocked the ball his way. It was a great goal from the player I actually picked to score first.
Will we be able to get back into this? Capability is without question, but unfortunately we can't take risks or City will make us pay. Maybe it's Markovic time. Let's see what our 'Zlatan' can do.
Impressive stats so far:
Gerrard 96% passing
Man City 1/20 on long balls
I thought Coutinho looked better, but what do I know? Glen Johnson is still passing to ghosts, Joe Allen has been impressive for Joe Allen, but would like to see what Can can do.
There were some interesting calls though, the 'foul' on Henderson instead of a corner being the most obvious.
Blaming Moreno for that goal is just stupid, Jovetic sneaked up on him and knocked the ball his way. It was a great goal from the player I actually picked to score first.
Will we be able to get back into this? Capability is without question, but unfortunately we can't take risks or City will make us pay. Maybe it's Markovic time. Let's see what our 'Zlatan' can do.
Impressive stats so far:
Gerrard 96% passing
Man City 1/20 on long balls
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Suso to score? Liverpool to win 3-2? What the betting markets are saying.
To win:
Man City 13/15 60.21%
Liverpool 10/3 20.64%
Draw 3/1 19.15%
Not enough money on City and too much of a pay off to expect a win/draw tomorrow, but the market isn't always right.
First to score:
Sergio Aguero 9/2 17.65%
Raheem Sterling 11/1 17.65%
No goal scorer 14/1 17.65%
Edin Dezeko 5/1 11.76%
Daniel Sturridge 7/1 8.82%
I actually like Jovetic here at 6/1, Y. Toure is good value at 7/1 but he played deep against Newcastle and think he may do the same here. Lazar Markovic at 14/1 is a stretch, but if he makes the pitch I expect him to try his damnest to score on his debut, especially against the champs.
Other decent first to score bets: Silva 10/1, Nasri 9/1, Gerrard 14/1, & Skrtel 33/1.
Shots in the dark: Milner 22/1, Manquillo 66/1, Lazar Markovic 14/1, & Bacary Sagna 45/1
Sucker bets: Lambert 10/1 (that number is way too low) & Borini 9/1
Correct Final Score:
Liverpool 3-2 35/1 13.64%
Draw 1-1 8/1 11.36%
Draw 0-0 16/1 9.85%
Draw 2-2 14/1 9.09%
Man City 4-2 50/1 7.58%
The other favorites are City 2-1 (8/1) and City 1-0 (19/2). I am shocked that anyone thinks we will score 3 against City, their defence is just too good. If we do win, it'll be 2-1 or 1-0, but I think we'll be lucky to get away with a draw. The Liverpool fan in me says 'Pool 2-0, the pragmatic, intelligent football analyst says Citeh with an emphatical 3-0 win. Sorry, but we are not on their level... yet. If Markovic plays and shows he is the talent he's built up to be, then I will be more optimistic.
Draw No Bet:
Man City 2/5 77.78%
Liverpool 28/13 22.22%
That's not good.
Anytime Goalscorer:
Stevan Jovetic 2/1 27.78%
Daniel Sturridge 11/5 16.67%
Raheem Sterling 7/2 16.67%
David Silva 7/2 5.56%
Suso 5/1 5.56%
Suso? Really? He was no where near the bench on match day one and now that Markovic and possibly Lallana are fit, he probably won't even be in the stands. Jovetic is crazy at 2/1, which puts a first goalscorer bet in jeopardy as well. Sturridge, Aguero (6/4),and Dzeko (6/4) would be my picks. My long shots would be Coutinho (5/1), Kolarov (13/2), and Skrtel (14/1).
Man of the Match:
David Silva 12/1 56.25%
Jordan Henderson 18/1 31.25%
Sergio Aguero 7/1 12.50%
Yaya Toure (7/1), Raheem Sterling (9/1), and any goalkeeper (16/1) seem like decent bets.
Bets if you're feeling lucky:
Kolarov to score 2 or more goals 75/1
The Serbian left back is just the sort of player who has the big game against us.
Henderson to receive a card (5/1)
Henderson and Oliver have a 'history'.
Man City by a goal (11/4)
This is logically the most likely result, but logical people don't gamble much.
Man City 13/15 60.21%
Liverpool 10/3 20.64%
Draw 3/1 19.15%
Not enough money on City and too much of a pay off to expect a win/draw tomorrow, but the market isn't always right.
First to score:
Sergio Aguero 9/2 17.65%
Raheem Sterling 11/1 17.65%
No goal scorer 14/1 17.65%
Edin Dezeko 5/1 11.76%
Daniel Sturridge 7/1 8.82%
I actually like Jovetic here at 6/1, Y. Toure is good value at 7/1 but he played deep against Newcastle and think he may do the same here. Lazar Markovic at 14/1 is a stretch, but if he makes the pitch I expect him to try his damnest to score on his debut, especially against the champs.
Other decent first to score bets: Silva 10/1, Nasri 9/1, Gerrard 14/1, & Skrtel 33/1.
Shots in the dark: Milner 22/1, Manquillo 66/1, Lazar Markovic 14/1, & Bacary Sagna 45/1
Sucker bets: Lambert 10/1 (that number is way too low) & Borini 9/1
Correct Final Score:
Liverpool 3-2 35/1 13.64%
Draw 1-1 8/1 11.36%
Draw 0-0 16/1 9.85%
Draw 2-2 14/1 9.09%
Man City 4-2 50/1 7.58%
The other favorites are City 2-1 (8/1) and City 1-0 (19/2). I am shocked that anyone thinks we will score 3 against City, their defence is just too good. If we do win, it'll be 2-1 or 1-0, but I think we'll be lucky to get away with a draw. The Liverpool fan in me says 'Pool 2-0, the pragmatic, intelligent football analyst says Citeh with an emphatical 3-0 win. Sorry, but we are not on their level... yet. If Markovic plays and shows he is the talent he's built up to be, then I will be more optimistic.
Draw No Bet:
Man City 2/5 77.78%
Liverpool 28/13 22.22%
That's not good.
Anytime Goalscorer:
Stevan Jovetic 2/1 27.78%
Daniel Sturridge 11/5 16.67%
Raheem Sterling 7/2 16.67%
David Silva 7/2 5.56%
Suso 5/1 5.56%
Suso? Really? He was no where near the bench on match day one and now that Markovic and possibly Lallana are fit, he probably won't even be in the stands. Jovetic is crazy at 2/1, which puts a first goalscorer bet in jeopardy as well. Sturridge, Aguero (6/4),and Dzeko (6/4) would be my picks. My long shots would be Coutinho (5/1), Kolarov (13/2), and Skrtel (14/1).
Man of the Match:
David Silva 12/1 56.25%
Jordan Henderson 18/1 31.25%
Sergio Aguero 7/1 12.50%
Yaya Toure (7/1), Raheem Sterling (9/1), and any goalkeeper (16/1) seem like decent bets.
Bets if you're feeling lucky:
Kolarov to score 2 or more goals 75/1
The Serbian left back is just the sort of player who has the big game against us.
Henderson to receive a card (5/1)
Henderson and Oliver have a 'history'.
Man City by a goal (11/4)
This is logically the most likely result, but logical people don't gamble much.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Dejan Lovren is the most efficient player in the EPL thus far
Individual Stats Leaders after Week One
Top ten most efficient in possession players:
- Joey Barton lead all players with 6 chances created.
- Mikel Arteta lead all players with 100 completed passes on 105 attempts (95.2%), Aaron Ramsey was the only other player to break the century mark in pass attempts with 106.
- Asmir Begovic was the only player to play a full match and complete all his pass attempts (23 for 23).
- West Ham's Cheikhou Kouyate lead all outfield players, who played 60 minutes or more, with a 96.9% pass completion rate.
- Mark Noble and Stewart Downing lead all players in successful crosses with 4 each, but Noble took just 6 attempts while Downing needed 10.
- Eden Hazard lead the league in take-ons with 9, Sterling and Cazorla tied for second with 5 apiece.
- Former Arsenal and current QPR left back, Armand Traore, was a very impressive 11 for 11 on aerial duels, making him tops in most won and best success percentage (100%). Southampton's Graziano Pelle won the second most, going 10 for 23 while United's Chris Smalling and Erik Pieters of Stoke were 2nd in efficiency going 7 for 7 each.
- Jack Wilshere won the most fouls with 6.
- England and West Brom's Saido Berahino was the only player to score a penalty and/or a brace, but he also lead in times dispossessed at 7. Raheem Sterling was runner-up with 6 times dispossessed and Daniel Sturridge tied with Aaron Ramsey at four times apiece.
- Adnan Januzaj lead all players with 6 direct turnovers, 2 more than any other player.
- Victor Wanyama and Mile Jedinak had the most successful tackles with 9 each.
- Sunderland's new left-back, Patrick van Aanholt is the league leader in interceptions with 8.
- Martin Skrtel's 19 clearances were enough to edge out Ryan Shawcross by one to lead all players.
- Marouane Chamakh committed 11 fouls, more than twice as many than any other player.
Top ten most efficient in possession players:
| S. Nasri | 0.889 |
| Y. Toure | 0.868 |
| T. Blackett | 0.866 |
| Andy King | 0.852 |
| M. Arteta | 0.850 |
| G. Barry | 0.839 |
| N. Bentaleb | 0.828 |
| V. Kompany | 0.816 |
| J. Olsson | 0.813 |
| G. Obertan | 0.800 |
Leicester's Andy King is a surprising one here. Gerrard came 11th with a ppe of 0.797.
Top ten most efficient defensive players:
| Liam Moore | 0.405 |
| S. Dann | 0.400 |
| Curtis Davies | 0.380 |
| J. Chester | 0.344 |
| M. Jedinak | 0.339 |
| P. van Aanholt | 0.339 |
| B. Hangeland | 0.333 |
| Wes Morgan | 0.319 |
| P. Senderos | 0.297 |
| M. Kelly | 0.295 |
Some solid players (Dann, Davies, Jedinak, & Hangeland) mixed in with some surprises who will probably play their way out of the this category. Former LFC boy Kelly comes in tenth.
The ten most efficient overall:
| D. Lovren | 0.953 |
| L. Koscielny | 0.950 |
| M. Arteta | 0.925 |
| P. Jagielka | 0.922 |
| M. Skrtel | 0.919 |
| V. Kompany | 0.918 |
| J. Chester | 0.918 |
| T. Blackett | 0.918 |
| J. Collins | 0.911 |
| W. Reid | 0.911 |
I was shocked to see Lovren on top here. Skrtel at fifth, not so much, with all the defensive numbers he racked up.
The top ten in effieciency over team average:
| S. Dann | 0.271 |
| J. Chester | 0.254 |
| Ron Vlaar | 0.253 |
| R. Ferdinand | 0.249 |
| David Jones | 0.238 |
| J. Olsson | 0.237 |
| L. Cattermole | 0.232 |
| B. Hangeland | 0.221 |
| D. Lovren | 0.208 |
| J. Collins | 0.207 |
This stat measures a players performance compared to his team's average, for instance, Scott Dann and Brede Hangeland's were the stars on a less than stellar Crystal Palace versus Arsenal.
- Mikel Arteta lead all players with 100 completed passes on 105 attempts (95.2%), Aaron Ramsey was the only other player to break the century mark in pass attempts with 106.
- Asmir Begovic was the only player to play a full match and complete all his pass attempts (23 for 23).
- West Ham's Cheikhou Kouyate lead all outfield players, who played 60 minutes or more, with a 96.9% pass completion rate.
- Mark Noble and Stewart Downing lead all players in successful crosses with 4 each, but Noble took just 6 attempts while Downing needed 10.
- Eden Hazard lead the league in take-ons with 9, Sterling and Cazorla tied for second with 5 apiece.
- Former Arsenal and current QPR left back, Armand Traore, was a very impressive 11 for 11 on aerial duels, making him tops in most won and best success percentage (100%). Southampton's Graziano Pelle won the second most, going 10 for 23 while United's Chris Smalling and Erik Pieters of Stoke were 2nd in efficiency going 7 for 7 each.
- Jack Wilshere won the most fouls with 6.
- England and West Brom's Saido Berahino was the only player to score a penalty and/or a brace, but he also lead in times dispossessed at 7. Raheem Sterling was runner-up with 6 times dispossessed and Daniel Sturridge tied with Aaron Ramsey at four times apiece.
- Adnan Januzaj lead all players with 6 direct turnovers, 2 more than any other player.
- Victor Wanyama and Mile Jedinak had the most successful tackles with 9 each.
- Sunderland's new left-back, Patrick van Aanholt is the league leader in interceptions with 8.
- Martin Skrtel's 19 clearances were enough to edge out Ryan Shawcross by one to lead all players.
- Marouane Chamakh committed 11 fouls, more than twice as many than any other player.
Mental Team Stats from Matchday One
Most efficient in possession
Keeping the ball away from City would be ideal. And Jesus Navas didn't even play.
| Man City | 0.695 |
| Arsenal | 0.690 |
| Man U | 0.681 |
| Everton | 0.676 |
| Chelsea | 0.673 |
| Liverpool | 0.645 |
Defensive efficiency
| C Palace | 0.212 |
| Sunderland | 0.172 |
| Hull City | 0.150 |
| Leicester | 0.136 |
| Swansea | 0.130 |
Crystal Palace continues their dominating defensive form from last season, meanwhile City is 11th (0.102), Liverpool is 12th (0.100), and Man United are dead last (0.057).
Overall Efficiency
| Man City | 0.798 |
| Arsenal | 0.766 |
| Chelsea | 0.749 |
| Everton | 0.746 |
| Liverpool | 0.746 |
The most important of these three numbers taking into account all favorable actions of players (i.e. keeping possession and preventing the other side from scoring). Arsenal is only ranked high here because of their passing, I expect them to fall rapidly as they play sides that focus more on possession-based defence instead of Palace's somewhat suicidal 'mighty fortress' stance.
Chance created value
| Swansea | 0.400 |
| Crystal Palace | 0.333 |
| Chelsea | 0.222 |
| Liverpool | 0.200 |
| Everton | 0.167 |
United is in a ton of trouble if they don't get some help on defence, Swansea has a decent attack but it's no where near the abilities of the top clubs.
Tidbits
- West Ham created the most chances of any side with 13, but failed to score. They also connected on the most crosses with 11, while Tottenham was the only club that was unsuccessful on all their cross attempts, going 0 for 13.
- Arsenal completed the most passes with 640, 89 more than 2nd-most Chelsea, but they attempted the least amount of long balls in 34.
- QPR took the most shots (19) and tied for the most on goal (6) with Arsenal and Southampton, but failed to score.
- Liverpool lead all sides in take-ons with 15.
- Not surprising, even though Howard Webb retired, Man United 'won' the most fouls with 20.
- Only three clubs had multiple assists: Chelsea, Liverpool, and Swansea, all three sides won.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
LFC at Man City: Matchday history madness
In the past 20 league meetings at City, Liverpool is 5-9-6, having failed to win at the Etihad in six years, losing 3 of the last 4. Prior to then, the Reds had suffered three total loses there in 17 years. Last season they met on Boxing Day with a mystery offside call and a controversial non-call on a penalty shout for Suarez denying LFC a draw and/or possible win.
Their annual league date at City has occurred on week two of the season twice in the past 23 years with Man City winning both ties. The first was in 1991 at Maine Road with the home side winning 2-1 and the other was in 2010-2011 at Eastlands with City winning 3-0, thanks in part to a brace by Carlos Tevez.
Liverpool is 7-6-7 in their last 20 week two matches away, but have won their last two, at Villa last season and at Emirates in 2011-12. Of their five wins prior, they've won the league 4 of those times they've won their week two road fixture.
Man City is 9-4-7 in week two fixtures overall for the past 20 seasons. They have not lost at home in week 2 for 25 years though, posting a 9-2-0 record over that span. Their last week two loss at home was 1-2 to Southampton in 1989.
The previous season number two is 4-7-9 in their away fixture at the previous season league champion in the past 20 years. Here's an interesting stat, the four times the previous second place side has won, they've gone on to win the league. Prior to the last two seasons, the defending champs had won five straight, five of six, and was undefeated in 10 (6-4-0).
So what does this say about next Monday's match? Well, history is not on Liverpool's side, that's for sure. It's too early to make any predictions though, no idea who'll be available or if we my sign an influential player by then.
Their annual league date at City has occurred on week two of the season twice in the past 23 years with Man City winning both ties. The first was in 1991 at Maine Road with the home side winning 2-1 and the other was in 2010-2011 at Eastlands with City winning 3-0, thanks in part to a brace by Carlos Tevez.
Liverpool is 7-6-7 in their last 20 week two matches away, but have won their last two, at Villa last season and at Emirates in 2011-12. Of their five wins prior, they've won the league 4 of those times they've won their week two road fixture.
Man City is 9-4-7 in week two fixtures overall for the past 20 seasons. They have not lost at home in week 2 for 25 years though, posting a 9-2-0 record over that span. Their last week two loss at home was 1-2 to Southampton in 1989.
The previous season number two is 4-7-9 in their away fixture at the previous season league champion in the past 20 years. Here's an interesting stat, the four times the previous second place side has won, they've gone on to win the league. Prior to the last two seasons, the defending champs had won five straight, five of six, and was undefeated in 10 (6-4-0).
So what does this say about next Monday's match? Well, history is not on Liverpool's side, that's for sure. It's too early to make any predictions though, no idea who'll be available or if we my sign an influential player by then.
Monday, August 4, 2014
The five signings Liverpool missed out on this year
There were quite a few gems for taking at the beginning of the transfer window, unfortunately most of the young, talented future stars have been taken.
1. Alfred Finnbogason, 25, Real Sociedad
Real upgraded from Griezmann when they picked up the Icelandic striker from SC Heerenveen. He lead all scorers in the Eredivisie last season with 29 goals and also added 10 assists from 57 chances created. The season before he scored 24 times. He doesn't have all the physical attributes to out-muscle or speed past his opponents and relies on positional instinct and clinical finishing to score.
2. Dušan Tadić, 25, Southampton
Another Eredivisie product, Tadić lead the Dutch league in assists with 14 and chances created with 133. He also scored 16 goals. Southampton got him for £11m, considerably less for what we paid for the player he replaced. I wrote about him here.
3. Yann M'Vila, 24, Inter Milan
One of the best defensive midfielder prospects under the age of 25 in Europe, M'Vila has found himself on loan in Italy for the next year. He'll probably use that time to impress a future suitor and there will be aplenty. His physical prowess, passing ability, and defensive instincts allow him to dominate matches in Serie A, especially considering he is not the fastest of players. He also has an eye for attack, in his last season with Rennes, the 2012-13 season, he created 43 chances and posted an impressive 7.7 successful long balls per 90 at a 67.7% rate.
4. Kelechi Iheanacho, 17, Man City
If you watched Liverpool's preseason 'victory' over Man City at Yankee Stadium July 30, you may have noticed Iheanacho, He the only City player to convert a penalty. Iheanacho introduced himself to the world at U17 World Cup, where he put in a performance for the ages. He scored 6 goals and assisted on 5 more, a 1.77 goal created per 90 average might I add, to lead Nigeria to the title and winning the Golden Ball in the process. He added the 2013 CAF Most Promising Player of the Year award to his cabinet as well.
5. Álvaro Morata, 21, Juventus
Morata's abilities and potential have been well-documented elsewhere and though I think he'll be a goal-scoring machine at the Turin club, don't expect much else. Does it matter though? The former Real Madrid starlet has Golden Boot potential, last season he averaged a goal every 90 minutes played and his above-Serie A-average pace should lead him to a very fruitful Juventus career. His physical attributes alone would leave one to believe he may one day be successful in the Prem as well.
1. Alfred Finnbogason, 25, Real Sociedad
Real upgraded from Griezmann when they picked up the Icelandic striker from SC Heerenveen. He lead all scorers in the Eredivisie last season with 29 goals and also added 10 assists from 57 chances created. The season before he scored 24 times. He doesn't have all the physical attributes to out-muscle or speed past his opponents and relies on positional instinct and clinical finishing to score.
2. Dušan Tadić, 25, Southampton
Another Eredivisie product, Tadić lead the Dutch league in assists with 14 and chances created with 133. He also scored 16 goals. Southampton got him for £11m, considerably less for what we paid for the player he replaced. I wrote about him here.
3. Yann M'Vila, 24, Inter Milan
One of the best defensive midfielder prospects under the age of 25 in Europe, M'Vila has found himself on loan in Italy for the next year. He'll probably use that time to impress a future suitor and there will be aplenty. His physical prowess, passing ability, and defensive instincts allow him to dominate matches in Serie A, especially considering he is not the fastest of players. He also has an eye for attack, in his last season with Rennes, the 2012-13 season, he created 43 chances and posted an impressive 7.7 successful long balls per 90 at a 67.7% rate.
4. Kelechi Iheanacho, 17, Man City
If you watched Liverpool's preseason 'victory' over Man City at Yankee Stadium July 30, you may have noticed Iheanacho, He the only City player to convert a penalty. Iheanacho introduced himself to the world at U17 World Cup, where he put in a performance for the ages. He scored 6 goals and assisted on 5 more, a 1.77 goal created per 90 average might I add, to lead Nigeria to the title and winning the Golden Ball in the process. He added the 2013 CAF Most Promising Player of the Year award to his cabinet as well.
5. Álvaro Morata, 21, Juventus
Morata's abilities and potential have been well-documented elsewhere and though I think he'll be a goal-scoring machine at the Turin club, don't expect much else. Does it matter though? The former Real Madrid starlet has Golden Boot potential, last season he averaged a goal every 90 minutes played and his above-Serie A-average pace should lead him to a very fruitful Juventus career. His physical attributes alone would leave one to believe he may one day be successful in the Prem as well.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Balotelli is an over-rated narcissistic cancer
By no means should Liverpool waste their time with Mario Balotelli. The Italian striker may be one of the most talented in Europe, but he is all about one thing, himself. Before being sold in the January 2013 window, he had basically already cost Man City a chance of repeating as Premier league champions. If his lackluster, half-assed efforts on the pitch weren't enough, it paled in comparison to his whiny, childish, and distracting behavior off.
When 'Super' Mario desires to make a difference on the pitch, he can be, at times, unstoppable, but when he could care less, he's not very good at hiding it. At the beginning of the 2012-13 season, Man City fined him for his less than stellar disciplinary record from the previous year, which Balotelli refuted and threatened to take to a PL tribunal. He eventually paid the fine, but it looks as if he got his revenge in the most classless manner. Before his transfer to A.C. Milan, he had scored one goal in 14 appearances for City, let's look at his stats from then, the previous year, and the rest of his season in Serie A:
When 'Super' Mario desires to make a difference on the pitch, he can be, at times, unstoppable, but when he could care less, he's not very good at hiding it. At the beginning of the 2012-13 season, Man City fined him for his less than stellar disciplinary record from the previous year, which Balotelli refuted and threatened to take to a PL tribunal. He eventually paid the fine, but it looks as if he got his revenge in the most classless manner. Before his transfer to A.C. Milan, he had scored one goal in 14 appearances for City, let's look at his stats from then, the previous year, and the rest of his season in Serie A:
| year | club | npg90 | gc90 | sacc% | shot% | gopd |
| 2012-13 | AC Milan | 0.47 | 0.94 | 51.9 | 15.6 | 0.36 |
| 2012-13 | Man City | 0.15 | 0.15 | 17.6 | 2.9 | -0.38 |
| 2011-12 | Man City | 0.68 | 0.95 | 39.0 | 15.9 | -0.33 |
Looks like all of sudden Balotelli found his goal-scoring touch again. In fact, in the first half of the season at City, less than one out of five of his shots were toward goal, but once he got to magical Milan land, half his shots became on-target. He also had nearly a full goal swing with his goals-on-pitch difference. I can't say I'm surprised considering his character.
Balotelli turns it on when he wants to and that's just unacceptable. He doesn't care about the badge on his chest, all he wants is to be exalted and praised. He has had problems with every club he has played for and now apparently is upset with Inzaghi and the Milan manager's training tactics. He is not a team player by any means, in fact, in the past five seasons he has received 39 cards and dished out just 12 assists. Even if he averaged a non-penalty goal per match, which he doesn't, he's not worth the trouble. We'd be replacing Suarez with a player of half the ability and ten times the trouble.
For those who think he would help us win the Premiership, you're wrong. City would have won with or without him in 2011-12. When he was on the pitch, they were a third of the team when he wasn't, hence the -0.33 goals on pitch difference that season. They certainly didn't need him last season either.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Liverpool 2, Man City 2: A 'Sterling' performance
It is only the preseason, but that second half was some entertaining football. I had to go and praise Coates in the first half, only to have him let me down in the second. The Uruguayan defender couldn't really do much more save 'take out' Jovetic on the first goal and risk penalty. Had Gerrard not deflected the ball into the Montenegrin's grasp, Mignolet would have probably scooped up the attempt. It did slightly expose what became very apparent on the second goal, Coates needs to get stronger. If he allows forwards to out-muscle him like the Man City forward did on his second score, he'll never make it in the Premiership.
As for the rest of the side, Sterling was the absolute game-changer. If there ever was a sign of his world class potential, it was his very apparent ability to make his teammates look so much better, especially Henderson, who was having a rubbish bin match before our Raheem came on. Not to take anything away from Henderson's brilliant finish, but it was Sterling's pass to Sturridge that set up the goal. Beginning with an excellent set-up for Jack Robinson, which should have produced a better attempt on goal, Sterling provided chance after chance, terrorizing Man City down the left side of the pitch.
Sterling allowed a change in style of play, from a long-ball, centralized approach in the first half, to a possession-based, bring the ball up the flanks in the second. Well, I should say bring it up the left flank that is, hardly anybody was on the right save Glen Johnson, who did himself no favors when it comes to his critics. Even when he made a positive contribution, which was rare in itself, he would sure enough mangle it.
Lucas and Can were bright spots as well. Lucas, in his cameo appearance, neutralized Touré, provided the brilliant assist to Sterling on the equalizer, and scored the winning penalty. He provided a sense of 'calm' the team needed to get back into the match. Can was simply a beast, roaming around central midfield causing havoc for City and making smart possession-based passes. His style of play is very similar to the box-to-box midfielder prototype that is Yaya Touré, if he can reach those heights, we'll have many years of success to come.
By the way, when did Micah Richards become such a school girl princess? Before the match, I would have gladly had him come to Liverpool, but his wincing and whining, particularly after being man-handled by Can, has provided second thoughts. He did more complaining than positive contributing, which is something we don't need.
Also what was going on with the pitch? I realize it was played on a baseball field, but had this match been scheduled for the Prem or European football, it would have probably been abandoned due to horrendous conditions. I don't know if the grass was too long or just the wrong kind, but especially in the first half, proper ball movement took an extra effort, which could have lead to a muscle strain or hamstring pull. The stability in the 'infield' area was also questionable with a few players slipping, maybe that's why Liverpool avoided that side of the pitch in the second half.
Ultimately, this was a meaningless preseason match, despite what Guinness and Fox wants us to believe. If Sterling can perform this well through-out the season, we'll be contenders until the end. If Coates can play like he did in the first half, we have another option at centre back. One thing I'm certain of, as they have both shown it the last two seasons, Henderson and Allen can play much better than they did, but Lambert and Sturridge will have to produce goals for us to have a chance at the title.
As for the rest of the side, Sterling was the absolute game-changer. If there ever was a sign of his world class potential, it was his very apparent ability to make his teammates look so much better, especially Henderson, who was having a rubbish bin match before our Raheem came on. Not to take anything away from Henderson's brilliant finish, but it was Sterling's pass to Sturridge that set up the goal. Beginning with an excellent set-up for Jack Robinson, which should have produced a better attempt on goal, Sterling provided chance after chance, terrorizing Man City down the left side of the pitch.
Sterling allowed a change in style of play, from a long-ball, centralized approach in the first half, to a possession-based, bring the ball up the flanks in the second. Well, I should say bring it up the left flank that is, hardly anybody was on the right save Glen Johnson, who did himself no favors when it comes to his critics. Even when he made a positive contribution, which was rare in itself, he would sure enough mangle it.
Lucas and Can were bright spots as well. Lucas, in his cameo appearance, neutralized Touré, provided the brilliant assist to Sterling on the equalizer, and scored the winning penalty. He provided a sense of 'calm' the team needed to get back into the match. Can was simply a beast, roaming around central midfield causing havoc for City and making smart possession-based passes. His style of play is very similar to the box-to-box midfielder prototype that is Yaya Touré, if he can reach those heights, we'll have many years of success to come.
By the way, when did Micah Richards become such a school girl princess? Before the match, I would have gladly had him come to Liverpool, but his wincing and whining, particularly after being man-handled by Can, has provided second thoughts. He did more complaining than positive contributing, which is something we don't need.
Also what was going on with the pitch? I realize it was played on a baseball field, but had this match been scheduled for the Prem or European football, it would have probably been abandoned due to horrendous conditions. I don't know if the grass was too long or just the wrong kind, but especially in the first half, proper ball movement took an extra effort, which could have lead to a muscle strain or hamstring pull. The stability in the 'infield' area was also questionable with a few players slipping, maybe that's why Liverpool avoided that side of the pitch in the second half.
Ultimately, this was a meaningless preseason match, despite what Guinness and Fox wants us to believe. If Sterling can perform this well through-out the season, we'll be contenders until the end. If Coates can play like he did in the first half, we have another option at centre back. One thing I'm certain of, as they have both shown it the last two seasons, Henderson and Allen can play much better than they did, but Lambert and Sturridge will have to produce goals for us to have a chance at the title.
Coates, Coates, the killer... Liverpool vs Man City: First half thoughts
First and foremost, the pitch is a joke. It looks dodgy and the way the ball is moving and players are sliding, especially in the baseball 'infield area', it doesn't look very fun to play on. Also, is it just me or does the pitch seem small, which is why seemingly 'normal' cross field passes are going out of bounds with frequency. Now on to our players' performances.
Sebastián Coates is putting on a pre-season tour that may just make it all right to sell Agger to Barcelona, and he's appeared to save his best for this match so far. He's dispossessed Dzeko and Jovetic with embarrassing ease and his shut-down coverage in the box along with some tricky clearances have all but neutralized any real City chances. For the first time, at least in a long time, he's shown the competency and ability to wear the Liverpool shirt.
No one else has been that outstanding, but Coutinho has made some brilliant runs. Had he found Sturridge on that run where he took on three City players with his brilliant Brazilian wizardry, world class sweat would have been oozing from his veins. A far reached foot by a City defender saved that from possibly being the match highlight.
Toure and Kelly have played well also, though they have had their 'frantic' moments. Every time Kolo clears the ball, I cringe a little, he just seems so unsure of what he's doing out there. Kelly has had his hands full with Kolarev and though I wouldn't say he's winning the battle, he's certainly holding his own.
Gerrard has been solid, two plays come to mind. First, we he did that immediate through-ball on a rebound supposedly to Sturridge, he had that look on his face as if he thought, 'Man, Torres or Suarez would have saw that coming.' Work with him, Stevie, he's all we got right now. Also that ankle-breaking direction-changing dribble in the middle of his own third on Kolarev was simply brilliant, Allen Iverson would be proud.
As for the poor performances, Allen has been bottom, he seems so out-of-place and may be having his worst passing match ever, Hendo hasn't been much better. Every time either of them try to .make something happen' they create a turnover. Lambert has been okay, at best, but he needs to be better at creating chances for others and exert less energy doing so. Would not be surprise to see him on the bench in the second half. Speaking of which...
Sebastián Coates is putting on a pre-season tour that may just make it all right to sell Agger to Barcelona, and he's appeared to save his best for this match so far. He's dispossessed Dzeko and Jovetic with embarrassing ease and his shut-down coverage in the box along with some tricky clearances have all but neutralized any real City chances. For the first time, at least in a long time, he's shown the competency and ability to wear the Liverpool shirt.
No one else has been that outstanding, but Coutinho has made some brilliant runs. Had he found Sturridge on that run where he took on three City players with his brilliant Brazilian wizardry, world class sweat would have been oozing from his veins. A far reached foot by a City defender saved that from possibly being the match highlight.
Toure and Kelly have played well also, though they have had their 'frantic' moments. Every time Kolo clears the ball, I cringe a little, he just seems so unsure of what he's doing out there. Kelly has had his hands full with Kolarev and though I wouldn't say he's winning the battle, he's certainly holding his own.
Gerrard has been solid, two plays come to mind. First, we he did that immediate through-ball on a rebound supposedly to Sturridge, he had that look on his face as if he thought, 'Man, Torres or Suarez would have saw that coming.' Work with him, Stevie, he's all we got right now. Also that ankle-breaking direction-changing dribble in the middle of his own third on Kolarev was simply brilliant, Allen Iverson would be proud.
As for the poor performances, Allen has been bottom, he seems so out-of-place and may be having his worst passing match ever, Hendo hasn't been much better. Every time either of them try to .make something happen' they create a turnover. Lambert has been okay, at best, but he needs to be better at creating chances for others and exert less energy doing so. Would not be surprise to see him on the bench in the second half. Speaking of which...
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Is Micah Richards an upgrade of Glen Johnson?
Two seasons ago, Micah Richards was on top of the world. He had helped City win their first Premiership and had worked his way back into England national team consideration. Then injury devastated his career path and he has seen the pitch just a total of 18 times in all competitions since.
It's tragic since the 26-year-old is actually a pretty remarkable footballer. In the last 5 seasons, he has made only 79 league appearances for 5866 minutes, equivalent to 65.2 matches, less than two full seasons. Glen Johnson, on the other hand, has made 141 league appearances for 12267 minutes. Here's how they size up in the last five years combined:
Micah Richards is three years younger and is in the prime of his career, so it should not be surprising that he takes 17 of 21 categories. Glen Johnson is 29 and in decline, but the elder still seems to be a more important factor to his sides' results.
It's tragic since the 26-year-old is actually a pretty remarkable footballer. In the last 5 seasons, he has made only 79 league appearances for 5866 minutes, equivalent to 65.2 matches, less than two full seasons. Glen Johnson, on the other hand, has made 141 league appearances for 12267 minutes. Here's how they size up in the last five years combined:
| npg90 | gc90 | cc90 | ap90 | pass% | sacc% | shot% | |
| Johnson | 0.06 | 0.14 | 1.21 | 0.08 | 82.3 | 25.5 | 5.4 |
| Richards | 0.08 | 0.18 | 0.46 | 0.11 | 82.7 | 35 | 8.3 |
| intp90 | clrp90 | drbp90 | bs90 | t90 | adw90 | adw% | |
| Johnson | 1.89 | 2.41 | 0.73 | 0.26 | 2.51 | 1.32 | 58.6 |
| Richards | 1.64 | 4.71 | 0.52 | 0.51 | 1.92 | 2.90 | 71.1 |
| ccv | TTI90 | gsp90 | gap90 | gop90 | tgop | gopd | |
| Johnson | 6.7 | 11.6 | 1.94 | 1.09 | 0.95 | 0.66 | 0.29 |
| Richards | 23.3 | 8.05 | 2.02 | 1.03 | 0.99 | 1.42 | -0.43 |
Micah Richards is three years younger and is in the prime of his career, so it should not be surprising that he takes 17 of 21 categories. Glen Johnson is 29 and in decline, but the elder still seems to be a more important factor to his sides' results.
Richards will definitely have to improve on his chances created per 90 minutes if he wants to stay hold of a starting spot on Rodgers' side. He may make up for it in nearly every other stat, but a -0.43 goals on pitch difference is a yellow flag in the least.
Richards would be an excellent addition to our club, if he could stay healthy and right now that's an unsurety. He would probably cost at least £10m, which is a bargain if he can give us at least three productive seasons. At the right price and passing a thorough medical, Richards is the ideal signing, certainly a better choice than Bertrand.
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