Liverpool too open?
With Aston Villa fresh from a 2-1 loss to Arsenal, Liverpool looked set to take advantage as Brendan Rodgers named a very adventurous line-up. However, it wasn’t the Reds’ attacking quartet of Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Stering and Luis Suarez who impressed in the first half, but rather Villa trio Gabriel Agbonlahor, Christian Benteke and Andreas Weimann. The England striker had a fantastic opening within three minutes but dinked his finish narrowly wide. With Lucas Levia’s absent, Villa were able to find holes in the Liverpool defence as Steven Gerrard struggled in a holding role. The visitors had racked up seven attempts on Simon Mignolet’s goal by the half-way point in the first half but Rodgers refused to alter his formation. The Reds boss paid the price. Agbonlahor stretched Kolo Toure’s ageing legs before a cunning piece of skill afforded him time to pick out Weimann, who had ghosted past Gerrard. It was a deserved lead. Whilst it is refreshing to see Rodgers adopt an attacking approach (if not overly attacking approach) where former Reds managers, such as Rafael Benitez, may have been more considered, the Northern Irishman needs to find a balance between being adventurous and recklessly offensive. And Benteke capped a brilliant first-half performance when the Villa striker finished off yet another counter-attacking move.
Mignolet’s woes continue
Mignolet was a possible candidate for signing of the season following a series of eye-catching performances in the opening three months. The Belgian was signed in a £9m deal from Sunderland in the summer as Rodgers sent long-term first-choice shot-stopper Pepe Reina out on a season-long loan to Napoli. However, Mignolet’s error count has increased alarmingly throughout December and January. Rodgers claimed ahead of the Villa clash that Mignolet was guilty of making three mistakes (against Manchester City, Chelsea and Stoke City) in his Reds career to date – that total is perhaps a little generous. It’s clear the Reds shot-stopper is lacking confidence – as emphasised by Benteke’s goal. Mignolet rushed off his line to punch clear Agbonlahor’s cross but misjudged the flight of the ball, allowing Benteke to guide a simple header into the vacant net. Whilst Rodgers may insist that top goalkeeper aren’t immune to errors, he must address how his tactics are leaving the Belgian exposed, and in turn, affecting Mignolet’s performances.
Villa’s triumvirate
In an up-and-down Premier League campaign, Paul Lambert’s men have managed to keep their heads just above water (or the relegation zone) this season, even climbing to mid-table. Without Lucas shielding the defence, Weimann was afforded extra space to run Gerrard ragged, whilst Agbonlahor had Toure’s card marked within the opening minutes. But more encouragingly for Lambert and Villa is the return to form of Benteke. Admittedly, the Belgian’s header against Arsenal wasn’t the result of a brilliant moment of individual skill but timing. However, it’s given the 23-year-old a lift, which was evident when he tried an outrageous back-heeled pass to Agbonlahor in the first half. And Benteke scored his second Premier League goal in successive top-flight games as he headed into an empty net following Mignolet’s error. Unfortunately for the visitors, Agbonlahor’s early second-half substitution took the string out of their attack. But if Lambert can keep the trio fit, there’s too much firepower in this Villa side to see them drop a division.