West ham win means nothing
Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 3:26 amThere was an upset at Anfield, when Liverpool won against West Ham.
Liverpool have been looking so pathetic of late that probably for the first time in decades, Liverpool went into an EPL match against West Ham as underdogs.
The bookmakers might have favoured the Reds. But based on form alone and casting aside reputation, West Ham certainly looked the likelier side to claim three points before the game.
The league table doesn't lie. The Hammers were in ninth spot before the game, four places above the supposedly-mighty Reds. They have scored 14 goals in 9 matches and we only managed 5 goals in 8 matches.
It was in this statistic that our biggest problem was highlighted. Before the victory against west ham, the only other league match which saw us net more than one goal was in the 2-2 draw against brimingham last month.
So we have notched our biggest league victory of t his season with a 2-0 scoreline. And we continued a proud statistic of not of not lossing to west ham for 42 years.
So What?
3 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses later, our goal-scoring problem is still sticking out like a sore thumb.
Xabi's opener saw him draw level with Cisse as the club's leading scorer.
Oh, by the way, both have scored an eye-poping total of 2 goals so far.
At least xabi is a midfielder, so he has an excuse.
Cisse doesn't have one.
Neither does tall man Crouch.
Morientes? Well, he has a case, doesn't he, having only recently returned from an injury?
"We have all got to play for the shirt," said Gerrard
He got more than he bargained for.
As if to show that he had more to play for than anybody elsa, Cisse wore a wrist band which had a Liverpool logo on it. And that was just about the only thing eye-catching about his performance. One dimensional and poor finishing were not traits that former Liverpool boss Houllier had in mind when he bought him in.
Cisse's co striker was Morientes, whose goal drought in the EPL continues. Still looking rusty, the Spaniard has yet to live up to his reputation as one of Euro's top strikers. But he came close and his movement around the pitch was encouraging.
As for Crouch which came late on, has yet to appreciate that his strength lies in aerial balls. And that he should stay in the penalty box more often than he does, and not constantly run back to midfield to set up attacks.
There was some decent build-up play, but as usual, either the final pass or finishing touch wasn't there.
Benitez's obstinacy in the transfer market may yet to prove to be the reason for Liverpool's downfall should things not take a turn for the better later on. With no one to put the ball into the net, what chance is there for us to stage a serious challange in the EPL campaign? Tommy smith mentioned after the Carling Cup humbling at Crystal Palace that the team did not have enought ability.
And he was right.
Nothing that he saw from the VIP box at Anfield against West Ham would have changed his opinion.
Liverpool have been looking so pathetic of late that probably for the first time in decades, Liverpool went into an EPL match against West Ham as underdogs.
The bookmakers might have favoured the Reds. But based on form alone and casting aside reputation, West Ham certainly looked the likelier side to claim three points before the game.
The league table doesn't lie. The Hammers were in ninth spot before the game, four places above the supposedly-mighty Reds. They have scored 14 goals in 9 matches and we only managed 5 goals in 8 matches.
It was in this statistic that our biggest problem was highlighted. Before the victory against west ham, the only other league match which saw us net more than one goal was in the 2-2 draw against brimingham last month.
So we have notched our biggest league victory of t his season with a 2-0 scoreline. And we continued a proud statistic of not of not lossing to west ham for 42 years.
So What?
3 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses later, our goal-scoring problem is still sticking out like a sore thumb.
Xabi's opener saw him draw level with Cisse as the club's leading scorer.
Oh, by the way, both have scored an eye-poping total of 2 goals so far.
At least xabi is a midfielder, so he has an excuse.
Cisse doesn't have one.
Neither does tall man Crouch.
Morientes? Well, he has a case, doesn't he, having only recently returned from an injury?
"We have all got to play for the shirt," said Gerrard
He got more than he bargained for.
As if to show that he had more to play for than anybody elsa, Cisse wore a wrist band which had a Liverpool logo on it. And that was just about the only thing eye-catching about his performance. One dimensional and poor finishing were not traits that former Liverpool boss Houllier had in mind when he bought him in.
Cisse's co striker was Morientes, whose goal drought in the EPL continues. Still looking rusty, the Spaniard has yet to live up to his reputation as one of Euro's top strikers. But he came close and his movement around the pitch was encouraging.
As for Crouch which came late on, has yet to appreciate that his strength lies in aerial balls. And that he should stay in the penalty box more often than he does, and not constantly run back to midfield to set up attacks.
There was some decent build-up play, but as usual, either the final pass or finishing touch wasn't there.
Benitez's obstinacy in the transfer market may yet to prove to be the reason for Liverpool's downfall should things not take a turn for the better later on. With no one to put the ball into the net, what chance is there for us to stage a serious challange in the EPL campaign? Tommy smith mentioned after the Carling Cup humbling at Crystal Palace that the team did not have enought ability.
And he was right.
Nothing that he saw from the VIP box at Anfield against West Ham would have changed his opinion.
