The Liverpool Way - First Team

In midweek we were treated to the best performance yet under Benitez, we went into this game with a 100% home record, Birmingham were in awful form and couldn't buy a goal from anywhere. In other words, it was a home banker all the way. Yet we lost.

As upsetting as it is to lose any game, I'm feeling pretty philosophical about this one. There's no way we deserved to lose this game. Despite being below par on the day we still created several gilt edged chances. Unfortunately we squandered them all.

We weren't helped by Uriah Rennie failing to spot a handball on the line by Izzet either, but as bad as Rennie was – and he was terrible – the reason we lost this game is that we didn't take our chances and we gave away ANOTHER goal from a set piece.

Milan Baros has been in stunning form this season, yet he still has his critics (mainly in the media). For a few weeks I've been wondering exactly where we'd be without Milan. Today we found out. He's arguably our most important player right now.

We've proved we can cope without Gerrard. We've coped without Alonso too. That's because we have good cover in midfield. Take Baros out though, and you remove the bulk of our attacking threat, and he simply can't be replaced.

Florent Sinama-Pongolle is a skilful young lad. He works hard and is quick. But his goalscoring record for both first team and reserves is staggeringly poor, and he isn't suited to playing as the main striker.

As a second striker, working the channels and coming deep to pick up the ball and run with it, Flo can look pretty handy. But he always seems more effective coming from the bench, and against the Brummies he just couldn't make any impression on the game alongside the even more ineffective Harry Kewell.

The Aussie was woeful, as he has been for pretty much the whole of the last 12 months. People can make all the excuses they want for him, injuries, lack of confidence whatever. But there's no getting away from the fact that once more he was absolutely shit.

He's had some poor games, but this was one of his worst. The frustration with him amongst the crowd is threatening to spill over now. One powerful strike from 20 yards which forced a good save out of Maik Taylor was the sum total of Kewell's ninety minutes.

Time is running out for him, and in the week when the club revealed it had paid out £10.7m to get rid of people who were incapable of doing the jobs they were being obscenely paid for, Kewell displayed exactly why this summer he'll probably head a list of individuals who will be following in the footsteps of Houllier, Heskey & co.

If he's bothered by injury, he shouldn't be playing. If he's suffering a lack of confidence, then he should contact the Guiness book of world records, as he must be the only Aussie in the world affected by that particular affliction. I don't know what Harry's problem is, I just know that this can't continue.

Without Baros, the forward line looked completely lacking in punch. To be fair to Benitez, the only other option he had was Neil Mellor. I'm possibly the Boy Mellor's biggest fan, but I don't think he's been quite at his best this season and I can understand why Pongolle was given the nod.

Personally I would have gone with Mellor, mainly due to him being better suited than Flo when it comes to playing as the spearhead of an attack.

Against Millwall Pongolle certainly looked sharper than Mellor, and that's probably why he was preferred to start this game. In hindsight that probably wasn't the correct decision.

I would also have started with Biscan instead of Hamann. I couldn't understand the omission of Biscan after he produced such a great performance in midweek. His confidence was up, and the fans were desperate to see him produce that kind of display again. When he entered the fray late on, he made an impact and almost scored.

Hamann had a poor game, just as he did last week at Ewood Park. The German was very efficient in Spain against Deportivo, but his form has been a bit patchy this season, and in my opinion Igor deserves a run in the side until Gerrard returns.

Games at Anfield have been most enjoyable this season, but Liverpool were well below par against Birmingham. There was a bit of a lethargic look about certain players, and allied to the lack of a cutting edge up front it ensured that it was to be a frustrating afternoon for the reds.

It could have been so different though had the finishing not been so poor. Garcia was the biggest culprit. After forcing Taylor into a smart stop, the diminutive Spaniard then contrived to produce one of the worst misses I think I have ever seen.

The ball broke to him in acres of space in the penalty area, he was under no pressure and the keeper was rooted to his line. He could have placed the ball anywhere he liked, but he lost all his composure and for reasons known only to himself, elected to try and blast the ball and it went horribly, horribly, over the bar.

Garcia is one of the most frustrating players I have ever watched. He regularly gives the ball away cheaply, and his finishing is erratic at best. But he's worth persevering with as he keeps going and never lets his head go down.

Garica makes things happen, and even if sometimes he can be wasteful, he provides a creative spark which has already proved to be invaluable this season. I like Garcia's attitude, and with a bit more composure and concentration, Luis could be a great player for us. Hopefully Rafa can work on that with him.

Birmingham had one glorious chance of their own in the first half, and it was no surprise it came the way of Emile Heskey. The enigmatic striker actually had a good game as a lone frontman, but the one chance which came his way he fluffed badly in front of the Kop.

Heskey was given a better reception than he deserved, and his name was chanted at the start of the second half. I'm glad he wasn't booed, but chanting his name was a bit much. Steve McManaman gets booed, this guy gets his name chanted. Strange.

One cost us nothing, was on relatively low wages, carried the team for several years and produced some breathtaking peformances and stunning goals as well as creating many more. He had one season where he looked like his heart wasn't really in it, and left us for the same amount he cost us.

The other cost a club record transfer fee, was on absolutely obscene wages, and also produced some breathtaking performances and stunning goals - when he could be arsed. He had one season (actually half a season) where he looked like his heart WAS in it, and left for approximately £5m less than he cost us, and walked away with a huge payoff to boot.

But I wasted enough time last season moaning about him. Fuck him, he isn't worth it.

Liverpool tried to up the tempo after the break, and should have gone in front when Hamann burst through the centre unopposed after a dummy from Kewell had given him a run on goal.

Didi advanced with the ball and had done everything right until he produced a tame toe poked finish which Taylor saved easily.

Carragher had a shot cleared off the line by Izzet, and when the rebound was fired back in by Garcia Izzet again got in the way, but this time it was his hand which kept the ball out.

The Liverpool players close to the incident immediately appealed, as did half of the Kop. But Uriah Rennie and his assistant on the Main Stand side (who had a clear view of it) chose to ignore the appeals and Birmingham escaped.

It would be wrong to focus on the penalty incident as had Liverpool buried their other chances it would have been irrelevant. Poor finishing is the reason we lost, but Rennie's performance was shocking it has to be said. That's not sour grapes, it's fact. He was shit.

Birmingham had posed no threat at all in the second half, but a fine run by left back Julian Gray – outstanding throughout I thought – took him from his own penalty area to our touchline where he forced a corner.

Liverpool then fell asleep as Birmingham worked a short one, and when Savage swung the ball over to the back post once more our vulnerability from crosses came to the fore. It was nodded back across goal (by Upson I think) and substitute Anderton was left with the easiest of tap ins.

Benitez introduced Finnan for Pongolle, and then brought on Mellor for Riise. I had a go at Cisse earlier in the season for taking an age to get off the field against Deportivo when he was subbed, and Riise was guilty of the same thing today.

It's unacceptable, and Rafa needs to have a word with his players over it. It's OUR time they're wasting with their sulky behaviour.

The final throw of the dice came when Igor entered the fray in place of Hamann, and he made a difference. One mazy run almost created an opening for Mellor, and then with a little over a minute left Igor headed over from a Garcia corner.

With the whole of Anfield anticipating a lengthy period of stoppage time, we were shocked to see the fourth official's board show just two minutes of added time. This was an absolute disgrace, and shows that someone isn't doing their job properly (I believe it's the fourth official's responsibility these days, and not the referee's, but I'm not sure).

Is it not supposed to be the case that 30 seconds are added for each substation, and each goal? That being the case, that's six substitutions and one goal in the second half, which even my limited GCSE level maths can work out as three and a half minutes.

Then there's the two minutes Lilly Savage spent being treated after being felled by that well known hatchet man Garcia. Yet we get two fucking minutes???

As I say, this isn't sour grapes, but it is something which needs to be brought up. Would the mancs have only got two minutes? No, and if they did Ferguson would have kicked up such a fuss that the fourth official would have changed his mind.

Liverpool should take this further to ensure that it doesn't happen again, as who knows what would have happened had we been given the right amount of added time.

Even though defeat was harsh, it can't be denied that too many players had off days. Kirkland was blameless, and Carragher and Hyypia were both excellent. The only criticism I could have of Sami was his distribution wasn't always the best, but other than that he was very commanding.

Traore was ok, as was Alonso (decent, but nowhere near his sparkling best), but nobody else was up to scratch.

Overall, things are going pretty well considering the lack of depth in the squad and the injuries we've had. We're playing good football, and just need to be more clinical.

We've dropped five points in the last two games, and no doubt we'll drop more silly points between now and the end of the season. But we're progressing, and if the board can do the right thing as regards getting some money in from investments, then the Rafalution can continue.

But clearly we do need some re-enforcements. Rafa has worked minor miracles getting the likes of Biscan, Traore and Finnan playing to first team standard, but we're still thin on the ground in certain areas, most notably up front.

Mellor and Flo will get another chance in midweek against Boro, but we just have to hope and pray that Meeeeeelan is fit to return next weekend.

Liverpool: Kirkland, Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore; Garcia, Hamman (Biscan), Alonso, Riise (Mellor); Kewell, Sinama-Pongolle (Finnan):

Agree or disagree? Email me at dave@liverpoolway.co.uk

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