Reaction: Liverpool 0 Stoke City 0

POTTERS EARN A POINT AT LIFELESS ANFIELD

Kuyt reflects on missing the best chance of the game

Saturday's game saw us host Stoke City in the English Premier League. i had high hopes that we would push on with the momentum and energy gained from beating City in the League Cup 3 days earlier but it wasn't to be. Liverpool have put out far to many lifeless performances at home this season and you can add this to the list.

First i have to question Kenny's side and tactics for the game, He did so brilliantly to beat City, why turn around and put out a completely random team for this EPL game? No Bellamy from the Start? or Carroll? Kuyt up front? with Henderson, Gerrard, Adam and Downing in the midfield is it any wonder that our most attacking threat through out the whole of the game was from our left (Enrique) and right (Johnson) backs? At home?? i was genuinely dumbfounded at the whole thing.

Adam battles to win the ball

This game mirrored the pattern of many games at Anfield this season, lots of Liverpool possession with no product. Stoke had come here looking to be hard to be, and they did just that.

With all our possession the first chance of the game went to Stoke, with an incisive counter attack that had Etherington one on one with Reina but couldn't finish. The only Liverpool action of any note came from Stuart Downing 32 minutes in when he show a bit of skill with a nice turn and dribble from the half way line only to see his shot sail over the Stoke bar.  The only other thing worth mentioning is Charlie Adam's range of passing. It was exceptional he play allot of precise and direct balls up to kuyt, Henderson and downing but because of our lack of numbers going forward these passes amounted to nothing.

The second half had a bit more tempo to it, with Liverpool again dominating possession without any end product. countless times we would get the ball into the final 3rd or cross the ball into the box to only find 1, or at a stretch 2 Liverpool players in the box. From this point on our play was predictable. Get the ball out wide down the left 80% of the time and let Enrique cross it into no mans land called the Stoke penalty area.

On the hour mark Kenny finally tried to change the game bringing Carroll on for Downing. This change had little effect on our impotent attacking play as the same old sweep it out to the left and bang it into the box continued to fail.  Even bring Bellamy on for Henderson after 73 mins failed to provide any real threat. At this point though Stoke were doing to us what we did to City on Wednesday. Stoke had no intention of risking anything more than getting a draw and too their credit they trumps us, parked the bus and had a pressure free final 10 minutes of the game as ours reds aimlessly passed the ball around the middle of the park. Our best chance of the game came when Kuyt finally found enough space to be free in the box to get on the end of an Enrique cross only to have his header sail dreadfully wide. Sorry but any Liverpool player that is unmarked and 7 yards out in front of goal should be scoring, or at the very least testing the keeper, Kuyt failed at both.

After that the game petered out into the draw Stoke came here for.  Another 2 points dropped in a game when should be winning comfortably.

Liverpool v Stoke Match Stats courtesy of Liverpoolfc.tv

Overall this was a flat, uninspiring performance against a stoke team that didn't have to play well to get what they wanted. As the stats dictate our predictable wide play was bread and butter for Stoke. I had a massive headache picking a man of the match for this game too.

Future games need to improve, i don't want to sound like a broken record but if we continue to play like that at home we will not qualify for Europe without winning the League, or FA Cup.

FTK: MoM  None

This is the first time ever i haven't been able to pick a player out of the 22 on the field that deserved to be man of the match, so this time. none is chosen.

Pics: liverpoolfc.tv