Arriving in a windy but beautifully sunny Liverpool I was struck by just how much I miss the place. Putting that slight melancholy aside it was up to the ground and into Home Baked Anfield for what is becoming an obligatory pre match coffee. I can't enthuse enough about Home Baked Anfield, it represents everything I love about Liverpool... an industrious and creative social enterprise doing genuinely brilliant work for the community without any insincere, patronising millionaires talking about a "big society" in sight. I also took the opportunity to buy copies of We Are Liverpool and RAOTL fanzines which are stocked in there. As you will have probably seen from previous posts, independent print fanzines are struggling to survive in the environment of modern football and they too should be supported. I wouldn't be surprised if the number of 'fans' sporting a half 'n' half scarf outnumbered those buying a fanzine and that is a truly depressing thought.
The malaise of modern football is a topic that troubles me constantly, and one that seemingly does so for a lot of other football fans. Short of turning our backs on going to the match completely, I don't know what the answer is and it is a complex debate. I'll be penning some thoughts on modern football exclusively in issue 212 of RAOTL which is out some time late March... so pick up a copy, but for now I put those frustrations behind me and looked to enjoy the game.
Usually in the kop, me and my old man were position in the slightly unorthodox spec of block 128 of the Anny Road (which is in fact on the Centenary Stand side). It's not a horrific spec in itself, but it is virtually impossible to see the corner under the scoreboard. Anyway... by all accounts lots of fans had 'lost their shit' as the kids say about Rodgers team selection and a lack of a "recognised" striker in the starting 11. I admit I was surprised not to see Sturridge starting, but are we all not agreed that Sterling has now become a striker...if not a recognised one? Confusing. Anyway, Rodgers must feel that Sturridge is still finding his feet after the lengthy lay off. Whatever the reason, no one was thinking about it 10 minutes in when Henderson produced an absolute cracking strike to put us 1 up. The opening sparring had been pretty even and both sides looked like they would threaten, but the fact that we have players starting to produce goals like that for us is extremely encouraging. The loss of Gerrard at the end of the season is starting to look a little less concerning as Henderson seems to grow into his leadership role with every game.
Although I felt Liverpool were well worthy of our lead it wasn't a huge surprise to see City equalise just before the half an hour mark. Just like the same game last season, we were going to do very well to get away with City not scoring as despite what anyone says about them they are a very, very good side. The goal was a good move and completely opened up our otherwise pretty solid defence and so it looked as if we were heading for a really tight 50 - 60 minutes.
I had said before the game that I would happily have taken a point out of this game, and this thought crossed my mind again after they equalised. I don't think it was an overly negative thought, considering how poor we were before Christmas in our push for 4th spot I really felt like a point today might prove pretty good value.
Clearly Liverpool had different ideas to me, and am I glad about that. In the second half despite City having plenty of intent, we actually defended pretty resolutely and limited them to just one short on target. On 75 minutes the "little magician" that is Coutinho produced his 2nd "worldie" in as many weeks. We all knew he needed to add goals to his game, and in truly Brazilian fashion, he's decided to add not just goals, but incredible goals. It wasn't just his strike that was so pleasing though, his all round game today was an absolute pleasure to watch, We are blessed to have him at the club... and let's just hope like so many of our youngsters, the rest of the football fraternity and the Spanish giants in particular continue to "underrate" him completely.
It was always going to be a nervy and tense last ten minutes but these days I am a lot more confident about our ability to hold on to leads. A couple of substitutions and stoppages took the sting out of the game and it's something which I think we are becoming increasingly good at... what the modern day football people would call "game management." Or I suppose more traditionally what we would call "seeing a game out." So saw the game out we did and on reflection as we darted down the Walton Breck Road it was 3 points that, on balance, I think we very much deserved.
The blueshite failed to us any sort us favour in the immediate aftermath... but no change there then. We're not a side to rely on others though and on we march after our blip in Europe. Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool... are we on our way to glory?
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