The Week That Is – “Aim & Reach”

Article by e-Liverpool Correspondent Tony Thorne

Follow e-Liverpool on Twitter here!

“Aim for the sky and you'll reach the ceiling. Aim for the ceiling and you'll stay on the floor”- Bill Shankly

And yet again the great man was right. Prior to playing against an abject Tottenham side, Liverpool had a fantastic 24 hours. Chelsea were unexpectedly beaten and Arsenal and Manchester City drew at the Emirates. All of the Reds’ rivals had dropped huge points, and the chance was there to strike a psychological blow by winning against Spurs and going top.

So the media pressure began to build. What if Liverpool won? They would be top, which would surely make them favourites. The title is in their own hands now. Can they handle the pressure?

It wasn’t that Liverpool handled the pressure. It was that we eased our way through a match where our opponents never threatened. The supposed pressure in the face of flailing rivals never arrived. 2-0 and cruising after 25 minutes, Tottenham had a short spell where they applied a little more pressure. The attitude of the Liverpool players, converse to the Sunderland game in midweek last Wednesday, was to control Tottenham’s pressure and remain calm; knowing that if they retained their discipline they would hold Spurs to long-range shots. Sure enough, that’s exactly how it went. Only once did Spurs create a chance of note; Christian Eriksen, formerly linked with Liverpool while at Ajax, cut inside between the midfield and the back line and Martin Skrtel was required to make a fantastic block.

Liverpool cruised then until half time, and in the second half came out even more menacing. Less than ten minutes in to the second half, the excellent Jon Flanagan, who this week was praised by no less than Brazilian legendary right-back Cafu, carried the ball from the left flank in to the Spurs half unchallenged. Taking his time he picked a delicate pass to Phillippe Coutinho, who had found a pocket of space in front of the back four, and from 20 yards struck an accurate shot past Hugo Lloris. A goal for Coutinho was the least he deserved, showing excellent vision and work-rate in the centre of the park, and the same was true for Jordan Henderson, whose late free kick hit no-one on its way in the net.

The game at West Ham is huge. A team who will set up to frustrate our top strike force of Sturridge and Suarez, who now have 50 goals between them this season (which is a Premier League first for Liverpool and the second highest partnership in Premier League history), and will look to use the aerial prowess of Andy Carroll. Liverpool will likely need to expose the Hammers down the flanks in the same way they exposed Tottenham to great effect, though a fast counter-attacking game will likely also befuddle the Irons.

So now, the question is simple. Can Liverpool sustain their winning streak to take the first league title on Merseyside since 1990? The thought gives me palpitations, but it no longer a dream. It is a genuine possibility. And if we beat Chelsea and Manchester City by the end of April and avoid any silly results, it becomes a reality. We’ve aimed high, so even if we miss that ambitious target, we land exactly where we need to be; the crucial Champion’s League places. Time to aim, and see if we can reach.

© e-Football 2014 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football