Articles
Liverpool Daily Post match report
FOR a few fleeting moments those who insist on everything being perfect all of the time made themselves heard; then the boos faded and a sense of perspective was restored to Anfield.
If a feeling of anti-climax prevailed at first seeing Chelsea hold open the door to the UEFA Cup and then in observing Liverpool pass up yet another opportunity to heap the pressure on Leeds United, the reaction which greeted Gerard Houllier's side at the final whistle was still unforgiveable.
The fans who jeered following what was admittedly a lifeless and desperate draw with Southampton should cast their minds back a year ago and recall how a season devoid of progress also offered precious little hope for the immediate future.
Thankfully, those who do recognise that the contrast between now and then really does seem like a century ago drowned out the criticism before it stained a reluctant lap of honour marking the end of the home campaign.
Houllier's mission has been accomplished with games to spare and that they remain in the hunt for a place in the Champions League, however unlikely a successful conclusion to that will now be, further represents an achievement in itself.
It is just a shame that a season of immense progress and ultimately one of achievement is in danger of being tinged with pang of regret as well.
Their hopes of competing among Europe's elite next term may yet take them to the finishing line, but, in truth, Liverpool have fallen short with two points from a possible 12 at a crucial stage testament to that.
The league table may say they are third this morning, but by tonight who knows?
For the fourth successive game, Houllier watched his players look second best as their bid to end an astonishing goal drought which now spans just over six long hours never seemed likely to materialise.
As in recent weeks, it was not for want of trying or indeed the line-up which the Frenchman settled upon.
Out went Owen and Hamann, rested and dropped accordingly. In came Fowler, Camara and Song.
On paper the reshuffle appeared a bold gamble but the effectiveness of having three recognised strikers on the pitch at the same was marginalised as Heskey and Camara were asked to forage down the flanks and neither seemed particularly thrilled at having been handed such a task.
"It didn't work very well especially in the first half," admitted Houllier. "I wanted to play with three strikers and the idea was that as soon as we had the ball to push up next to Robbie."
Unfortunately, Fowler was left isolated too often; his lack of match fitness not the telling factor in his eventual substitution early in the second half but rather the three Southampton defenders who marked him continually and the inability of his team-mates to present him with even a hint of a chance.
Liverpool's problems extended far beyond merely a lack of support for the player they still refer to as 'God' in the dressing room, however.
The one-touch pass and move philosophy - a watchword during the run of form which with hindsight induced delusions of grandeur - has long since disappeared; replaced by an insistence on taking as many touches as possible. The passing is still in place, only it now invariably goes backwards and sideways rather than forwards.
For a collection of players, who have out-stripped expectations, to be so low in confidence at such a crucial time in the campaign is as puzzling as it is disturbing given the rewards still available means victory at Bradford next Sunday probably remains essential. It was almost as if they lacked the belief they could score.
In addition, the lack of guile eminating from a midfield, which worked hardest in all the wrong areas, ensured Liverpool could offer only a succession of long shots in an effort to try and extend Neil Moss.
All too often it was left to Sami Hyypia to assume the mantle of playmaker as those in front of him found neither the space nor the time to trouble the visitor's rearguard. It left opportunities within the confines of the penalty area suddenly rarer than rocking horse droppings, with Fowler managing the only one of note after swivelling on a sixpence and striking a vicious drive towards the corner of the net.
"I think we lacked a little bit of a link and fluidity between the midfield and the strikers," said Houllier, whose search for a goal perhaps tempted him into asking Glenn Hoddle for Eileen Drewery's telephone number.
"We are a bit short of ideas at the moment."
The deficiencies which have crept into Liverpool's performances since they actually appeared to have tightened their grip on a Champions League place following the win over Wimbledon just 21 days ago meant Southampton enjoyed one of their more care-free afternoons.
Indeed, they could so easily have been toasting a famous victory but for the agility of Sander Westerveld, who three times produced excellent saves to deny Hoddle's side.
Twice in the opening half his fingertips prevented firstly Jo Tessem and then Hassan Kachloul from claiming an advantage that Liverpool, in all probability, would have had no answer to. Then following the interval, Tessem, who consistently achieved what proved impossible for his midfield opponents by getting in behind a defence, was denied by Westerveld's legs after a clever touch from Marian Pahars.
"It was a good job we didn't concede goal," added Houllier, in one final dig at his own side's refusal to swap graft for guile.
Having become frustrated at Plan B's failure, Houllier reverted to the more or less the same line-up which had struggled for the three previous games with Hamann and Thompson introduced as substitutes.
There was the usual cavalry charge at the death, but it amounted to little more than that.
Dean Richard's only mistake of the game allowed the disappointing Heskey to latch onto a short back-pass but when his centre was turned back into a crowded area by Erik Meijer, Thompson's effort was drawn to Moss as if the keeper had stashed a magnet in his gloves.
Stephane Henchoz watched another header dip too late and land on top of the crossbar, before Heskey blazed high and wide from just inside the box.
The miss brought forth more disappointment.
But if that outlook matched the game, it should not fit Liverpool's season.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Westerveld, Song (Hamann 75), Henchoz, Hyypia, Matteo; Carragher, Redknapp, Berger; Camara (Meijer 79), Heskey, Fowler (Thompson 60). Subs: Friedel, Murphy.
SOUTHAMPTON (4-5-1): Moss, Dodd, Richards, El Khalej, Bridge, Kachloul, Oakley, Tessem, Soltvedt, Davies; Pahars. Subs: Marsden, Lundekvam, Benali, Rodrigues, Bevan.
BOOKING: Dodd (foul 68).
REFEREE: Mr P Alcock (Redhill, Surrey).
ATT: 44,015.
© Liverpool Daily Post & Echo
If a feeling of anti-climax prevailed at first seeing Chelsea hold open the door to the UEFA Cup and then in observing Liverpool pass up yet another opportunity to heap the pressure on Leeds United, the reaction which greeted Gerard Houllier's side at the final whistle was still unforgiveable.
The fans who jeered following what was admittedly a lifeless and desperate draw with Southampton should cast their minds back a year ago and recall how a season devoid of progress also offered precious little hope for the immediate future.
Thankfully, those who do recognise that the contrast between now and then really does seem like a century ago drowned out the criticism before it stained a reluctant lap of honour marking the end of the home campaign.
Houllier's mission has been accomplished with games to spare and that they remain in the hunt for a place in the Champions League, however unlikely a successful conclusion to that will now be, further represents an achievement in itself.
It is just a shame that a season of immense progress and ultimately one of achievement is in danger of being tinged with pang of regret as well.
Their hopes of competing among Europe's elite next term may yet take them to the finishing line, but, in truth, Liverpool have fallen short with two points from a possible 12 at a crucial stage testament to that.
The league table may say they are third this morning, but by tonight who knows?
For the fourth successive game, Houllier watched his players look second best as their bid to end an astonishing goal drought which now spans just over six long hours never seemed likely to materialise.
As in recent weeks, it was not for want of trying or indeed the line-up which the Frenchman settled upon.
Out went Owen and Hamann, rested and dropped accordingly. In came Fowler, Camara and Song.
On paper the reshuffle appeared a bold gamble but the effectiveness of having three recognised strikers on the pitch at the same was marginalised as Heskey and Camara were asked to forage down the flanks and neither seemed particularly thrilled at having been handed such a task.
"It didn't work very well especially in the first half," admitted Houllier. "I wanted to play with three strikers and the idea was that as soon as we had the ball to push up next to Robbie."
Unfortunately, Fowler was left isolated too often; his lack of match fitness not the telling factor in his eventual substitution early in the second half but rather the three Southampton defenders who marked him continually and the inability of his team-mates to present him with even a hint of a chance.
Liverpool's problems extended far beyond merely a lack of support for the player they still refer to as 'God' in the dressing room, however.
The one-touch pass and move philosophy - a watchword during the run of form which with hindsight induced delusions of grandeur - has long since disappeared; replaced by an insistence on taking as many touches as possible. The passing is still in place, only it now invariably goes backwards and sideways rather than forwards.
For a collection of players, who have out-stripped expectations, to be so low in confidence at such a crucial time in the campaign is as puzzling as it is disturbing given the rewards still available means victory at Bradford next Sunday probably remains essential. It was almost as if they lacked the belief they could score.
In addition, the lack of guile eminating from a midfield, which worked hardest in all the wrong areas, ensured Liverpool could offer only a succession of long shots in an effort to try and extend Neil Moss.
All too often it was left to Sami Hyypia to assume the mantle of playmaker as those in front of him found neither the space nor the time to trouble the visitor's rearguard. It left opportunities within the confines of the penalty area suddenly rarer than rocking horse droppings, with Fowler managing the only one of note after swivelling on a sixpence and striking a vicious drive towards the corner of the net.
"I think we lacked a little bit of a link and fluidity between the midfield and the strikers," said Houllier, whose search for a goal perhaps tempted him into asking Glenn Hoddle for Eileen Drewery's telephone number.
"We are a bit short of ideas at the moment."
The deficiencies which have crept into Liverpool's performances since they actually appeared to have tightened their grip on a Champions League place following the win over Wimbledon just 21 days ago meant Southampton enjoyed one of their more care-free afternoons.
Indeed, they could so easily have been toasting a famous victory but for the agility of Sander Westerveld, who three times produced excellent saves to deny Hoddle's side.
Twice in the opening half his fingertips prevented firstly Jo Tessem and then Hassan Kachloul from claiming an advantage that Liverpool, in all probability, would have had no answer to. Then following the interval, Tessem, who consistently achieved what proved impossible for his midfield opponents by getting in behind a defence, was denied by Westerveld's legs after a clever touch from Marian Pahars.
"It was a good job we didn't concede goal," added Houllier, in one final dig at his own side's refusal to swap graft for guile.
Having become frustrated at Plan B's failure, Houllier reverted to the more or less the same line-up which had struggled for the three previous games with Hamann and Thompson introduced as substitutes.
There was the usual cavalry charge at the death, but it amounted to little more than that.
Dean Richard's only mistake of the game allowed the disappointing Heskey to latch onto a short back-pass but when his centre was turned back into a crowded area by Erik Meijer, Thompson's effort was drawn to Moss as if the keeper had stashed a magnet in his gloves.
Stephane Henchoz watched another header dip too late and land on top of the crossbar, before Heskey blazed high and wide from just inside the box.
The miss brought forth more disappointment.
But if that outlook matched the game, it should not fit Liverpool's season.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Westerveld, Song (Hamann 75), Henchoz, Hyypia, Matteo; Carragher, Redknapp, Berger; Camara (Meijer 79), Heskey, Fowler (Thompson 60). Subs: Friedel, Murphy.
SOUTHAMPTON (4-5-1): Moss, Dodd, Richards, El Khalej, Bridge, Kachloul, Oakley, Tessem, Soltvedt, Davies; Pahars. Subs: Marsden, Lundekvam, Benali, Rodrigues, Bevan.
BOOKING: Dodd (foul 68).
REFEREE: Mr P Alcock (Redhill, Surrey).
ATT: 44,015.
© Liverpool Daily Post & Echo
