On a hot and humid day in Baltimore where temperatures reached 35 degrees this preseason friendly was always going to played at a slow pace. Add to that the poor surface quality and it was not an exciting game by any stretch of the imagination. Both teams had there chances of which the better fell to Lennon who could only hit the post from 3 yards out. There were postives though and the return of Henderson, Gerrard and Downing as well as the unofficial debut of Fabio Borini made the game worthwhile. The game finished 0-0 but lets see how our players fared.
Peter Gulacsi 6/10
Another assured display by the young keeper, made a few decent saves and was positional sound throughout his 45 minutes. One glitch on his performances this tour has been his tendency to hit the ball long from the back when the simple forward ball is available, time and confidence should fix this and overall he looks a promising keeper.
John Flanagan 6/10
A very good defensive display by the teenage fullback, effectively kept Gareth Bale for the whole time he was on the pitch. He did this with some crunching tackles, excellent positioning and will be happy with his performance. The one weakness in Flanagan's game however is the lack of attacking threat he poses, in a 4-3-3 it is vital that your fullbacks overlap and provide an add to the attack. It is this aspect of his game that may hurt his progress into a first team player.
Martin Skrtel 7/10
There is not much you can say about Skrtel that has not been said already. He has turned into a truly consistent and top class centre back who put in another solid display tonight. Skrtel even had time to take a leaf out of Daniel Agger's book with a marauding run through the Spurs team that finished in a well placed shot. Defensively sound all game, job well done.
Stephen Sama 6/10
He may have been a relatively unknown name to many fans before this tour but that is no longer the case. Sama's development over the last year or so can only be described as rapid and he is turning into a well polished young centre-back. He put in another promising performance against Spurs and rarely looks troubled. Only time he was caught out was when an excellent Huddlestone ball allowed Kane to evade the offside trap, yet Sama recovered well to force Kane's shot wide.
Jack Robinson 7/10
If Robinson has accomplished one thing this tour it is that Enrique will have to be on his toes if he is to keep his place in the first team. How Robinson is so strong in defense, attack and positioning at such a young age is amazing, add to that his composure and at this rate Robinson will not only be in line for Liverpool's first team but England's as well. Against Spurs he was assured at the back with some excellent tackling and made some brilliant forward runs that gave Kyle Walker some real trouble.
Lucas Leiva 6.5/10
Our midfield enforcer is on his way back to full fitness and has looked better in each and every game. He was strong in the tackle and his passing was of the highest quality. Lucas allowed Gerrard and Henderson to have free run of the midfield and it is glaringly obvious how important he is to the team. The big issue is whether he can stay fit, hopefully he will have no set backs as Spearing has shown on more than one occasion that he cannot deputise in Lucas' absence.
Jordan Henderson 7.5/10 (MOTM)
What a player Henderson has the potential to become. From the moment he set foot on the field Liverpool looked like a team worth getting excited about. His movement, intensity and good use of possession made us tick in the second half. Jordan's passing was very accomplished and even had some surging Gerrard like forward runs. Looked fitter than all the players around him and all signs point towards him having a very good season. The big difference already between this and last year is that Rodgers knows what Henderson is and where he will thrive, Kenny failed miserably in this regard.
Steven Gerrard 6.5/10
Captain fantastic had his first run out of this years preseason and looked comfortable in Rodgers new system. He linked well with Henderson and Lucas and showed the quality that he possess. All in all it was a no fuss performance from him and the 45 minutes he spent on the pitch will be the main thing to take out of this game.
Raheem Sterling 6.5/10
The most complete performance from Raheem to date, he is fast developing into and a player who is ready for the first team. You can see his game has involved, he knows when to attack, when to hold the ball up, how to retain possession, which lines to run and what defensive duties are required of him. Sterling is no longer the kid who attacks every time he gets the ball, he still has that ability but has learnt when to use it and it is this that says he is ready for the first team. Gave Bassong all kinds of trouble in the second half and if his final ball had been better would have set numerous chances up, yet that was more down to the poor pitch.
Adam Morgan 6/10
Morgan may not be ready for the first team but he showed what promise he has. He is never going to be the striker who makes a goal out of nothing but he has other qualities. His movement and instincts in terms of where the chance will drop are very exciting attributes and could develop into a very useful poacher for us. Had one good chance in the first half when he beat the offside trap yet could only hit his shot at the keeper.
Stewart Downing 7/10
Few players received more criticism than Downing last year but you have to judge him on his performance against Spurs. He actually put in a very good shift in which he looked dangerous in attack. His passing was of a particular high quality and he retained possession well while linking up effectively with other teammates. Almost scored in the first half when a dangerous cross eluded everyone and went just wide of the left upright.
Substitutes:
Brad Jones 6/10
Andre Wisdom 5.5/10
Jamie Carragher 5/10
Danny Wilson 6/10
Jose Enrique 5/10
Jay Spearing 4.5/10
Charlie Adam 4/10
Jonjo Shelvey 5.5/10
Joe Cole 6/10
Nathan Eccleston 3.5/10
Fabio Borini 5/10
Andy Carroll 4/10
No comments:
Post a Comment