Thursday, December 04, 2008

TOMMY SMITH: Liverpool Are Showing Too Much Patience

When the Reds beat Manchester United early on in the season, they played with tenacity, belief and real purpose.

That really had the fans believing we can challenge for the title this season.

Fast forward to Monday night. We go top – yet it’s another goalless draw at Anfield against a side we should be beating – and people are unhappy and unconvinced at the performance.

It’s a strange situation of course. But there is no doubt the team’s confidence seems a bit low at the moment.

For me, we are now trying to play too slowly and patiently. You can see it in the way the lads are passing the ball to each other, it’s often laboured and predictable.

We’re not getting right into the heart of opposition territory the way we were – and too much of the build up play is cumbersome.

I want to see us getting back into the opposition’s faces a bit more with our passing and moving. We need a return of that strong belief and purpose out there.

Few of the Liverpool players had a good game against West Ham, apart from one or two like Sami Hyypia, who was magnificent.

Robbie Keane again struggled to make an impact and frankly I think it’s time he changed the way he approaches matches.

I’d actually like him to be a good bit lazier.

I know that sounds daft but I mean it. He is constantly running around here, there and everywhere, closing people down, when with Torres out in particular I would prefer to see him hanging in and around the box and lurking more like a predator.

I’d also tell Albert Riera to really get out wide much more often – and tell the other Liverpool players to keep away from him.

Riera is much more effective when he’s in a one on one situation out wide and can bamboozle his man and get his crosses in.

Other top teams are giving us big chances to establish a gap and while we’re failing to take them, there are games next against Blackburn and Hull when we can put things right.

I want to see the lads get mean, tough and even a bit selfish.

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