I SAID last week that I was really looking forward to the game against West Ham because we hadn’t played at Anfield for almost a month.
But I can’t say I’m anticipating tomorrow’s match at Reading with much sense of enthusiasm.
Why? Because after drawing a blank against the Hammers it is hard to believe we might not struggle again against a side fighting for its life.
Southampton showed us what can happen when you underestimate or underperform against sides you should beat.
A few people thought we didn’t get the rub of the green against West Ham and certainly Brendan Rodgers didn’t have a go at his players. He has to lift them, keep them believing, I know.
But for me it was a very disappointing display.
Okay, there might have been lots of effort but we were out of tune, short of ideas to them break down.
They scrapped and time wasted at every twist and turn and were ugly opponents. Yet I can’t help but think that Manchester United would have found a way to demolish them.
We’re not only lacking a bit of cunning against sides like that, but a bit of street-fighting devil too.
I read my old team-mate Jimmy Case’s remarks in the Echo last night and couldn’t agree more that sometimes you have to mix it a bit with sides who depend on a physical, spoiling approach.
The Liverpool teams I played for were quite happy to take on anyone who wanted a football match against us. But if they wanted a fight or a scrap, we were just as happy to take them on in that way too.
So Jimmy (left) is dead right, we’re a bit too nice and polite and have got to find a way to demolish sides like West Ham with a plan B if need be.
We are capable of beating anyone, and beating some sides out of sight.
But until we get that consistent mean streak in our game we’re just as likely to drop silly points. And consequently, as is happening, risk ending up like an also ran in last week’s Grand National.
