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Newcastle United v Liverpool Liverpool’s perspective
Games like this are bad for my heart! One thing is for sure, Liverpool never do things the easy way. You have to give Newcastle credit for trying this for no real reason but they never gave up. They were well organized and well coached, but they just lacked quality in key moments and sorely missed Almiron, who has the ability to make things happen in the final third.
Liverpool looked nervous and the players were trying too hard to make a difference rather than just play their usual game. This resulted in a number of errors, many of which occurred in dangerous areas. In addition to this, players try to hide their nerves by pretending to be calm and hitting the ball in the backfield. I would much rather see the ball played around midfield in the opposition half where the risk is lower.
But it was the referees who performed the worst. He is so terrible. Ritchie put in a number of nasty challenges on Salah throughout the game, the final goal coming from a Liverpool free-kick that was almost certainly just a slip from Fabinho, Perez went down every time the wind changed, half the time the referee gave him the decision and so on. “Dre” has a bad smell.
Benitez – Gets his team ready for the game and they never look down. There is simply a lack of quality of players to take advantage of opponents who are not at their best. When the time comes, his team does a good job of pressing and retreating when appropriate. Rating: 7.
Dubravka – He started really well when he first arrived but is starting to look less impressive now. The physical nature of the Premier League seems to have caused him to struggle a bit. There were a couple of times where he could have caught the ball and got into the zone, but he stayed on the line. Rating: 5.
Manquillo – This is the best performance I’ve ever seen from Manquillo. Although that doesn’t mean much since he usually sucks! However he was good, did work hard and moved forward well but did not neglect his defensive duties. Rating: 6.
Char – Schal’s management must be very frustrating because he can do something brilliant one moment and then do something really stupid the next. He made some basic mistakes in his defensive positioning and then suddenly caught a pass that he had no right to read and passed it to the other end. It seems to be a lack of mental discipline that also leads to moments like stupid bookings he receives for no reason. If he can solve this problem, he will be an important player for Newcastle next season. Rating: 6.5.
Lascelles -Made too many basic mistakes that I didn’t like, like the first goal where he completely lost Van Dijk before slipping. His positioning was questionable at best and he didn’t respond well to Liverpool’s attack. Rating: 4.
Dammit – He tried his best but never made it easy for Liverpool’s attack. However, he was unable to cope with the movement in midfield and was stretched beyond his depth when Salah isolated him. Rating: 5.5.
Richie – Leaving one on Salah to deal with it was successful initially. Eventually he was caught as he pushed forward and Salah started to get in behind him. When in possession, he provides good passing and pace, with a high work rate but lacks smart movement. Rating: 6.
Perez – He’s a real problem for defenders when he gets up, he’s quick on his feet and quick on the ball. He’s not the most clinical finisher and lacks something that distinguishes truly top players, but he’s certainly in the minority. He moves very well off the ball and moves well, which can cause real problems. Rating: 7.
Hayden – Performed very well on and off the court. Breaks into the paint to provide numbers and cause defensive problems, and is always willing to turn around and try to help the defense. But his lack of ball-handling ability is a problem. Rating: 5.
base – Lack of mobility, wasting possession on a few occasions, shooting from ridiculous distances with no hope of getting in. Rating: 4.5.
thick – He does some great things but then throws the ball away because he simply doesn’t have the end product. But he still managed to achieve his goal! Football is indeed an interesting old game. Rating: 3.
Longdong – Excellent ball-carrying ability, great work rate, was great in defense all night. Also got a cookie. He is the focus of the entire team. Rating: 8.
Substitute:
Muto – Replaced Schar after 90+1 minutes. There was never really time to do much, but he certainly put in the effort even in his few seconds of playing time. Rating: 5.5.
Klopp – Not about Sturridge’s selection or how impressed I was with him staying on the pitch despite his poor performance, but it worked. His courage to replace Milner with Lovren paid off. Rating: 6.
Alisson -Constant pressure on the ball because the defense was more chaotic in the backfield than I liked. He was not in good shape on the ball in the first half when Liverpool allowed Newcastle to lock them into their own half. He was more than happy to play the role of sweeper as they pushed further and into Newcastle’s half. Rating: 5.5.
Alexander Arnold – He pitches really well, so he gets more assists. He did struggle defensively, but his contribution going forward meant Atsu often fell behind but found himself isolated as most of his teammates were tagged. Rating: 8.5.
Lovren – Longdon gave him a very hard time. He also doesn’t handle the ball well, especially under pressure. He did keep going and didn’t make it easy for Rondon, but he did have a hard time dealing with Rondon’s power. However, he needs to figure it out or else he won’t cause problems for Alisson. Rating: 4.5.
Van Dyke – Compared to Lovren, there were a few times when Rondon strayed into his area and beat him for a header, and he performed much better. His goal was a brilliant, towering header. However, he still couldn’t spot the runner from deep, with Perez running past him multiple times without him reacting. In the end, it was decided to let Shaqiri take the free kick, which was a good decision. Rating: 6.
Robertson – Played a really good game, did some great pressing and really put them under pressure on the pitch. His work rate had a huge impact on the result because there was no rest on his side. Rating: 8.
Wijnaldum – Did a good job of stopping Newcastle players on his side of the pitch, but he looked very nervous in possession and wasn’t at his best at all. Looks like a player who worked too hard at times against his former team. Rating: 6.
Henderson – The game was terrible, especially in the first half, when he was on the right and when he switched sides with Wijnaldum, the team looked much better. He pushed forward so hard that he left a gap behind him and was unable to get back in time or get into the right position. Rating: 3.5.
Sturridge -He did throw a few nice passes, including a nice back-heel pass, but the rest of his game was terrible. He backed away from challenges when the ball was his, but he limited contact. There was little pressure on him, despite Klopp yelling at him from the sidelines. When he received the ball and had a chance to score, he wasted it by holding on to the ball too long. His behavior overall was disgraceful and cowardly. Rating: 0.5.
mane – Always a threat, wreaking havoc and working hard. There’s just a lack of purpose. Rating: 7.
Salah – Despite Ritchie’s several attempts to trip him up, he threatened to score throughout the game and did so before needing to be substituted after being accidentally knocked down by the goalkeeper. Rating: 8.
Fabinho – Not at his best, struggling to get his passes going. Always trying to make himself available, but the media gave him little time or space. Rating: 6.
Substitute:
Shaqiri – Replaced Wijnaldum after 66 minutes. Work hard and get the ball in the third ball. Rating: 6.5.
Origi -Replaced the injured Salah in the 73rd minute. What a talent this young man has for scoring goals at the last moment! He may not offer anything else, but he’s worth every penny they pay. Rating: 6.5.
Milner – Lovren came on in the 83rd minute. He started out playing a role, but the game changed and he had a completely different job to do. As usual, he’s very reliable. Rating: 5.5.
Just to explain my rating. I chose what I thought was an easier method than the usual bonus points. I decided to go with 5 because it has no impact on the game other than being a body on the field. Any value below 5 is a player who has a negative impact on the team, any value above 5 is a positive impact. Therefore, scoring goals will have a positive impact and increase the rating, while penalty kicks awarded during unnecessary challenges will decrease the rating.
Written by Tris Burke May 5, 2019 21:06:05