Liverpool Marseille match report

The Reds turned in a decent performance in what turned out to be a tricky fixture to open up our European campaign.  As I predicted, Torres and Gerrard were given a start, despite concerns that they might not be back to full fitness.  Gerrard was a man possesed.  He was like a zombie who had gone months without a full serving of human brain to chomp on; wild-eyed, aggresive, and hungrily roaming the pitch, looking to get himself involved in whatever action there was to be had. He must undoubtedly enjoy playing in the hole behind Torres.  For the spectator, it can be quite thrilling to watch. The only concern, and this has been voiced before, is that Keane disturbs the Torres-Gerrard dynamic, since he likes to operate in the same space as Stevie.  It does appear that Gerrard does lose some of his effectiveness when he is shackled in a midfield pairing within a 4-4-2 (especially when he is paired with a fat fuck from west london).  It's possible that Keane might be best coming off the bench, though surely he would disagree -- I'm curious to see how we line up against Stoke over the weekend. 

Torres played well, keeping the Marseille defence on their toes and opening things up for others.  I think he lacked that extra bit of sharpness -- though you wouldn't tell it by the way he nicked the ball from M'bami in the lead-up to Gerrard's goal -- otherwise he would have ended up on the score-sheet.  Still, he did what he needed to do and, along with Babel, provided a great outlet for Reina on the counter, especially in the second half.

Babel, for his part, had another great game for us.  He was essentially our left AND right winger, popping up on both sides and giving us that much needed width.  His holding play was also very impressive.  On more than one occasion he received the ball up-field and shielded it from two or even three Marseille players until the cavalry arrived.  He probably drew more fouls than anyone, though I don't have that stat in front of me.  He still needs to work on his passing game, though, as his final ball often let him down.  I also think he should finished at least one of his scoring chances.  Nevertheless, his develpment is very encouraging. Riera also had a nice game after coming on, and between the two of them we should be able to stretch defences.  Maybe Riera is the real deal.  He certainly seems willing and able to take on backs one-on-one, something a guy like Gonzales never was able to do.

Our defence was not at their best. At the risk of beating a dead horse, I really think Agger should have started this one.  There was absolutely no aerial threat, and both Carra and Skrtel were made to look slow on several occasions.  We kept a high line, were made to pay for it once, and we're lucky that it wasn't worse.  Arbeloa had the responsibililty of playing as wing-back for a good part of the first half (whenever Babel moved to the left), and left some space behind him. He got better in the second half, and put in some great tackles against the very tricky Valbuena.

So, all in all a good display.  Confidence should be high, and there were some patches of nice, fluid football that were easy on the eye.  Hopefully the pieces are starting to fit; the new-boys bedding in and adjusting to the system.  We've yet to see the best from the likes of Keane and Lucas, who looked a bit out of sorts, which is understandable considering he's been playing for Brazil for months.  We also have to start scoring early goals and putting away teams.  This coming from behind business is exciting, but it can't go on forever. 

I'm much more optimistic than I was a week ago... that's what consecutive wins against the Mancs and in the Champions league can do for you... lets keep it going