A slap in the face

The match with Blackpool at Anfield was just a tight slap in the face with the harsh reality of how bad we are. There are just no excuses any more. Losing to the Mancs were considered "OK" cos they were good teams. Drawing against the likes of Utrecht, Birmingham and Sunderland were "OK" cos they were "difficult" matches to negotiate. Losing to Northampton was "OK" cos it was the League Cup and we played a so called "B team". So losing to Blackpool at Anfield, a team which, no disrespect to Blackpool, we should be winning. With a full strength squad. So what's the excuse now?

Somehow I just don't know what's going through Roy's mind when it comes to tactics and formations and such. I mean, I just do not understand why he insists on playing Raul Merieles on the right flank, when it is just so obvious that he should be playing in the center of mid field. He is an established central midfielder, and we bought him, I assume, to replace Aqualani, to play in the center. We looked so much better once he was in the center in the second half. If you insist on playing Poulsen in the middle, why not push Gerrard to the right instead of Merieles, since Stevie can actually play on the right, and has actually played there before this?

I just do not know what's going on with the team. It is a decent team and strong enough to get away with *something*, at least, from that game. Why couldn't we play like we did in the second half, from the start of the game. Is it because Roy's instruction from the start of the game is to contain and not attack from the start? And only once we were down 2 goals, *two* goals, did he say at half time, "OK chaps, scrap the defensive approach, lets just get a goal now"?

There was just too much to complain about the game. Joe Cole was mediocre, Jova was worse than mediocre (can't even cross properly. So many chances wasted with him not doing anything proper with the ball). Somehow our defence is such a shambles. Glen Johnson was again at the heart of giving away our first goal. He is such a liability.

Like I have said before, I am willing to give Roy until Christmas to bed in properly with his "experience" and "training methods". But from the look of it, we are an utter shambles and look in complete disarray.

Well done Blackpool. Liverpool, you need to buck up, and buck up SOON.