This match turned out to be a pretty disappointing affair, with the pretty football of both sides failing to produce anything of note. Both managers should be pretty satisfied with the point as that is just what their teams' performances deserved.
It was a game with not many clear cut chances and no one managed to take advantage of the half chances and settle the game. Both teams played with narrow midfielders and this restricted the speace the game was played in. Swansea in particular was very disappointing in the match. Despite having more of the ball, their main chances only came in the form of long shots. The lack of movement in front of them offered the players no chance to play a ball to penetrate the Liverpool defence, and this was reflected by Hernandez and Michu having two and three long shots respectively just in the first half. It is surprising that Swansea did not deliver in more crosses from the flanks as the towering presence of Michu posed quite a few problems the few times that the wide midfielders stayed wide and put in good balls. Of course, injuries have hampered the course of Swansea. Key player Ki Sung-Yueng only came on in the second half and even then, he did not seem fully fit and made a few stray passes in the defensive third which Liverpool failed to capitalize on. Tremmel, Vorm's replacement also did not fare that well in this game. Although he made a few good saves, he lacked in one important aspect. He made 5 long clearances out of panic when under moderate pressure and all 5 of those were claimed by Liverpool players. If Vorm was playing, I suspect that he would have calmly distributed all 5 of those and it would have allowed Swansea to keep possession better. The one bright spark for Swansea came in the form of Hernandez, who was very willing and able to take the Liverpool defence on though it seems like he was shouldering too much responsibility at the same time.
Liverpool's starting line-up showed Rodgers' willingness to play different players in differing situations and also the injury problems the team is facing. Downing started as left back with Enrique in front of him and Henderson as the attacking midfielder. Henderson and Downing had pretty poor performances, with Henderson being practically anonymous in the game. When defending, it was Gerrard and Allen protecting the defence while during attacks, Gerrard was the one pulling the strings. Henderson was nowhere to be seen and it must be a relief for Liverpool fans to see Shelvey come off for him though it was too late by then. Liverpool did have more sights on goal than Swansea. The marauding runs of Glen Johnson proved difficult to handle for the Swansea players all night and he was a constant threat on the right flank. In the 23rd minute, he even popped up in the middle to play a one-two with Enrique, getting himself clear and his shot at goal was only saved by Tremmel's trailing leg. Suarez was also lively throughout the game and he fashioned two or three half chances for himself though all were easy takes for Tremmel.
In the end, Brendan Rodgers failed to outwit his former club and the two very similar teams will have to wait another game for their next win.This game will have left both managers with a lot to ponder over before the midweek games. With the games coming thick and fast, the probable fatigue will give both the managers chance to rotate their players and this might actually work out as the current teams they are putting out seem to need just that little bit more inspiration.
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