Oct
7
Liverpool reserves beat Burnley reserves 1-0 thanks to a Dani Pacheco free kick right at the end of the game. Liverpool played the better attacking football, particularly in the last 30 minutes but Burnley will be bitterly disappointed that their hardwork in midfield and defence wasn’t enough. The bizarre sight of Owen Coyle playing the first hour gave a comedy edge to an otherwise tight game.
The reds were missing a number of first-choice players away on international duty, and Damien Plessis was suspended after his red card against Man United.
The performance
The first half was tight. Burnley didn’t get behind Liverpool, which was testament particularly to Ayala and Darby for being strong and confident against the Burnley strikers. There wasn’t much space between defence and midfield, although the defence was playing a good ten yards deeper than you’d expect of the first team.
There were some promising breaks in attack, particularly down the right hand side but the reds committed too few forwards, with neither fullback overlapping. The reds were good at closing down Burnley but, as with previous games, they tend to get it wrong with the final ball.
The second half started very scrappily but got better the longer it went on. The Liverpool team moved the ball more quickly. played a slightly higher line and looked more incisive in the Burnley half. Nevertheless, there were an absence of clear cut chances. Burnley had a defender sent off for a second booking with a few minutes to go, but it didn’t make a huge difference.
It wasn’t a great night to judge the team defensively; I only remember one save that Martin Hansen had to make. But we didn’t create enough in the first half. It was no coincidence that the best chances came when there was support from the fullbacks, a player with pace on the ball and good supporting runs from midfield. They were few and far between.
The players
Daniel Ayala looks better every time I see him. Leaving the Emirates stadium after the FA Youth Cup final, I never thought I’d see him in a red shirt again. But he is getting better in the air, more comfortable on the ball and strong defensively.
David Amoo looked very strong, constantly closing down defenders and beating them for pace. The fullback regularly stood off him to try and compensate. Liverpool offered far less in the second half down the right hand side but when he got the ball his pace was always a threat. He also did well in the air from a corner.
It was good to see Vincent Weijl back although he barely touched the ball in the first half and was increasingly frustrated as the game went on. By the time he was brought off he was clearly frustrated, though he did have a couple of half-chances that he could have done better with.
Saric and Pacheco showed great first touches but weren’t involved in the game enough to influence the first half. Pacheco came into the game the better Liverpool got – and vice versa. He really makes the reserve team tick. It was particularly good to see him tracking back to the rightback position with five minutes to go in order to clear the ball. He should have scored a few minutes later in Liverpool’s best chance in open play but his goal, in the 93rd minute, was what is rapidly becoming his ‘trademark’ set piece.
Jordy Brouwer did ok when he came on for Weijl – playing in ‘the Voronin role’ – nice lay-offs but slightly too deep to threaten the goalkeeper.When he did have a sight of goal, there was a tremendous lack of confidence.
Zsolt Poloskei came on for only his second appearance in a Liverpool shirt, as he comes back from a bad injury which started his Liverpool career (think Antonio Nunez). He wasn’t overrun in midfield, showed energy, good close control and some creativity in his passing.
My man of the match was probably Pacheco, if only because his improvement made such an impact on the team – and vice versa – but Ayala and Amoo both impressed,
Next up: Liverpool reserves v Sunderland on 20 October at Prenton Park.
Related posts:
- Liverpool v Burnley post match analysis
- Liverpool reserves v Bolton reserves post match analysis
- Liverpool reserves v Hull City post match analysis
- Liverpool reserves v Sunderland reserves post match analysis
- Blackburn reserves v Liverpool reserves
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