Liverpool FC will be disappointed but not downhearted after their defeat at Stoke City.
The manner of the loss was a world apart from the miserable way in which they went down at the Britannia Stadium last season.
Kenny Dalglish has got a gripe about the decisions of referee Mark Clattenburg. I think Stoke’s penalty was soft but, let’s be honest, Suarez would have tried for that spot-kick.
That said, Liverpool deserved at least one penalty for handball, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
I’d be more pleased playing-wise, as Dalglish’s men looked good. And don’t forget, Stoke is a difficult place to go and get something these days.
It was the first of a run of four Premier League games which last season Liverpool lost, and the outcome this time around will go a long way to telling us how far the team have progressed.
They go to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, and while Spurs put you under pressure they do give the opposition time to play and I’d expect Liverpool to gain some reward.
If Liverpool have serious ambitions of a top-four finish then they have to go to White Hart Lane and look like a team capable of winning.
The game should see the return of Steven Gerrard. And, if fully fit, I think the skipper will go straight back into the team. There’s little point leaving him on the bench, as he’s such a good player and gets a positive reaction from those around him.
I can’t see the experiment of playing Martin Skrtel at right-back lasting too long. I understand why Dalglish played him there against Stoke because of his height.
But he’s not a full-back – remember Middlesbrough a few years back? – and one of Martin Kelly, Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan will be the better long-term bet.
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