The Liverpool Offside - West Ham v. Liverpool, 12.09.12Zeppeline, Trinken, & Pink Badeshortshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51345/ltos-fav.png2012-12-09T18:56:06+00:00http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/rss/stream/35077992012-12-09T18:56:06+00:002012-12-09T18:56:06+00:00Recap: A Practice in Dissonance
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<figcaption>Scott Heavey</figcaption>
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<p>Joe Cole equalized and a James Collins own goal gave Liverpool an unexpected 3-2 result at Upton Park that leaves them four points off fourth place. </p> <blockquote>
<p><b>West Ham 2:</b> <i>Noble (p.) 36', Gerrard (og) 43'</i><br><b>Liverpool 3:</b> <i>Johnson 11', Cole 76', Collins (og) 79'</i></p>
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<p>It was largely as expected in the eleven from Brendan Rodgers, even if that was accompanied by the disappointment of having <span>Stewart Downing</span> on the flank opposite <span>Raheem Sterling</span>. They started on either side of <span>Jonjo Shelvey</span>, who "replaced" <span>Luis Suarez</span> in some sense of the word, with what's become the new norm throughout the rest of the squad--Lucas, <span>Joe Allen</span>, and <span>Steven Gerrard</span> in the midfield, and <span>Glen Johnson</span>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110728/martin-skrtel">Martin Skrtel</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110183/daniel-agger">Daniel Agger</a>, and <span>Jose Enrique</span> across the back in front of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110848/pepe-reina">Pepe Reina</a>.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool's</a> start was gangbusters, as they quickly forced a corner after some sharp passing and hoarding possession for the opening minute. West Ham gradually turned that over, most notably later in the half, but when Glen Johnson opened the scoring just after the ten minute mark, it was well deserved. The former West Ham youth player drifted in from the right, held possession, and then unleashed a superb strike that sailed past <span>Jussi Jaaskelainen</span> into the far corner.</p>
<p>The right-back pressed on from there, again creating a threat for Liverpool from the right, this time as he cut back from the in-rushing Sterling, who curled just around the post. Liverpool were on top, at least until they weren't and it was exciting to see the pressing, forceful display without the main goalscoring threat in the lineup.</p>
<p>It didn't last, of course, as West Ham began to take the match over, culminating in a ten-minute stretch that saw the hosts take the lead. Joe Cole replaced the injured Jose Enrique, and West Ham went into overdrive--they'd been on top starting around the twenty minute mark, were well in front after Cole came on, and they leveled when a hand-to-ball penalty was whistled on Joe Allen, which was placed past Pepe Reina, and took the lead on a perfectly-placed header by Steven Gerrard into his own net. As good and encouraging as the opening fifteen to twenty minutes had been, the finish to the first half was just as bad, if not worse.</p>
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<p>The second certainly wasn't any better, with no changes made and West Ham looking far more dangerous. It was nigh-on unwatchable, with no real attacking impetus coming from anyone other than Glen Johnson, and a midfield that, even with a serviceable Lucas present, was being overrun by the impressive Mohamed Diame. West Ham stretching out their lead wasn't really a question.</p>
<p>But then Diame limped off injured, apparently with a serious-seeming hamstring injury, and Liverpool turned the match over. It didn't happen immediately, but more space was evident, and it was the explotation of that space that gave Liverpool an equalizer or their own. Raheem Sterling one-touched a lovely ball into the box for Cole, who hesitated briefly before hitting a perfectly-placed left-footed shot into the far side. It was mind-boggling stuff--Liverpool were so, so bad for most of the match, and all of a sudden Joe Cole pops up to turn the match on its head.</p>
<p>Stranger still was the reality that Liverpool then pushed on to force a winner, with Glen Johnson playing <span>Jordan Henderson</span> down the right into space, with the midfielder slicing a dangerous cross into the middle for Jonjo Shelvey. Initially it looked to be Shelvey's, which would have made it three-for-three in West Ham old-boys scoring against their former club, but replays showed that it was <span>James Collins</span> who toed a swirling effort up and over the helpless Jaaskelainen.</p>
<p>The resulting shock and nausea made for a thoroughly uncomfortable final fifteen-plus minutes; ten were left of normal time, and nearly seven minutes of injury time were played before the final whistle. No clear chances for West Ham, though, and a breakaway for Sterling and questionable penalty denied for Liverpool. It couldn't have been easy, but it was a win.</p>
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<p>I'm honest-to-goodness lost for words about how today ended. Liverpool were unbearably bad for most of the middle part of the match, and yet they pop up in the final twenty to win all three points and catapult themselves into the top half of the Premier League table. As angry and disappointed as I was during that stretch, I was unbelievably elated to see the way things ended. It seemed no comeback was possible, and history suggested that it wasn't.</p>
<p>Objective viewing of what came before the last twenty minutes of the match would have most of the squad outside of the defense indicted for their performances--Lucas, Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Glen Johnson, Pepe Reina, and Jose Enrique (before his injury) ranged from solid to excellent (Johnson, as per), but Jonjo Shelvey was lost, Raheem Sterling overmatched, Joe Allen and Steven Gerrard ineffective, and Stewart Downing...Stewart Downing. <span>Joe Cole's</span> introduction was met immediately with West Ham dominance, and for most of his time on the pitch he did exactly what we've grown to loathe.</p>
<p>And yet, Liverpool 3, West Ham 2.</p>
<p>Cole's finish was sublime, Downing became adequate from the fullback position, and Liverpool came back after looking so incapable for most of the match. It made little sense, and while football generally doesn't--results earlier in the day confirmed that--it seems as though those nonsensical moments rarely see Liverpool come out the beneficiaries.</p>
<p>Today they did, whether or not they deserved it and whether or not it made sense. There's no way it really could have, and odds are that if you were paying attention for the full ninety minutes, you ran the gamut of emotions from complete and utter despair/loathing/anger to rapturous joy/happiness/relief. That's not being a fair-weather fan, it's caring about Liverpool. They weren't very good for long stretches today, and yet they found a way to win. Amongst all the positives and negatives, that one proved most important. It doesn't erase the concerns, but it certainly makes them tolerable for right now so long as there's plans in place to address them moving forward.</p>
<p>Three straight wins, two in the Premier League, and another emotional rollercoaster in the books. Roll on next Saturday.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2012/12/9/3746916/west-ham-2-liverpool-3-a-practice-in-dissonance-Ed-2012-12-09T11:01:13+00:002012-12-09T11:01:13+00:00Matchday: West Ham v. Liverpool
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<figcaption>Oli Scarff</figcaption>
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<p>Liverpool search for their first back-to-back league wins in almost a year at Upton Park, where they'll be without Luis Suarez to face a West Ham side that's been far better than many expected to this point in the season.</p> <p><b>K</b><b>ickoff:</b> 4:00PM GMT/11:00AM EST</p>
<p><b>Ways to Watch:</b> Sky Sports 1 in the UK and Fox Soccer Channel in the US</p>
<p><b>Preview: </b><a href="http://liverpool.theoffside.com/2012/12/8/3743344/match-preview-west-ham-v-liverpool-12-09-12" target="_blank">West Ham v. Liverpool</a><a target="_blank" href="http://liverpool.theoffside.com/2012/11/10/3627064/match-preview-chelsea-v-liverpool-11-11-12-premier-league-team-news"></a></p>
<p><b>Comment:</b> <a target="_blank" href="../../account/setup?community_id=373">Join the conversation on the Liverpool Offside</a></p>
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<p><b>West Ham: </b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Jaaskelainen<br>Demel Collins Reid O'Brien<br>Noble Diame<br>Jarvis Nolan Taylor<br>Cole</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Bench: Spiegel, McCartney,Tomkins, Spence, O'Neil, Moncur, Maiga</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Liverpool:</b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Reina<br>Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique<br>Lucas<br>Gerrard Allen<br>Downing Shelvey Sterling</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i></i>Bench: Jones, Carragher, Coates, Henderson, Suso, Cole, Morgan</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2012/12/9/3745530/matchday-west-ham-v-liverpool-premier-league-team-news-Ed-2012-12-09T02:26:07+00:002012-12-09T02:26:07+00:00Open Thread: Pre-West Ham Overnight
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<figcaption>Chris Brunskill</figcaption>
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<p>Five questions to pass the time as we wait for kickoff from Upton Park.</p> <p>1) Liverpool's striker is:</p>
<p>2) Name the three-man backline if you think it's 3-5-2, or four-man if you think it's 4-3-3.</p>
<p>3) Half-time change(s) by Brendan Rodgers? If so, who and why?</p>
<p>4) Does Steven Gerrard keep up his prolific scoring record against <a href="https://twitter.com/ged0407/status/277537786255511552" target="_blank">Jussi Jaaskelainen</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ged0407/status/277538714249461760" target="_blank">West Ham</a>?</p>
<p>5) Win, lose, or draw?</p>
<p>Bonus: Will Nuri Sahin <a href="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/multimedia/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2012/12/07/udinese-vs-liverpool-fc-lfc-fans-player-ratings-100252-32382182/#7" target="_blank">ever be pretty again</a>?</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2012/12/9/3745262/liverpool-west-ham-preview-premier-league-overnight-open-thread-Ed-2012-12-08T17:38:53+00:002012-12-08T17:38:53+00:00Preview: West Ham v. Liverpool
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<figcaption>Jamie McDonald</figcaption>
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<p>Liverpool visit Upton Park in search of their first back-to-back league wins of the season, with the hosts also looking to build off their impressive win over Chelsea last weekend.</p> <p>Things finally start to space out a bit for <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Liverpool</a>, as they'll now have only one match per week over the next few after having played six in the last two. That's made for a few tired legs and, in the case of <span>Luis Suarez</span>, proved to be enough to leave the Uruguayan on the sidelines tomorrow after having received a fifth yellow card against <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Southampton</a>. We knew it had to happen at some point, and there was never going to be an ideal time, so tomorrow we get a temporary glimpse at what life is like without one of the Premier League's most important players.</p>
<p>If there's any silver lining it's that Liverpool have started to piece together match-winning form, first in the 1-0 victory over Southampton at Anfield, and then on Thursday in Udine to win their group and advance to the knockout stages of the Europa League. Both of those came with Suarez in the squad, of course, but he wasn't a principal in either of the two goals Liverpool scored.</p>
<p>The rest of the squad--and more accurately those who'll be tasked with replacing him in some way--will need to find goals against one of the league's better (at least statistically) defenses. West Ham haven't had the most wonderful run of form over the past moth, losing back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time all season against Spurs and <a href="https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Manchester United</a>, but they rebounded nicely last weekend with two late goals to beat <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> 3-1.</p>
<p><span>Sam Allardyce</span> has benefited from a number of strong individual performances thus far, with former Wigan man Mohamed Diame winning many of the accolades while impressing in a defensive midfield role. <span>Alou Diarra</span>, <span>Jack Collison</span>, and Ricardo Vaz Te will miss out, but <span>Yossi Benayoun</span> and <span>George McCartney</span> could return. They'd join what's a fairly stable core, with <span>Jussi Jaaskelainen</span>, <span>Winston Reid</span>, and <span>James Collins</span> anchoring the defense, <span>Kevin Nolan</span>, <span>Mark Noble</span>, and Diame in the midfield, and <span>Carlton Cole</span> up top.</p>
<p>For Liverpool:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Reina<br>Wisdom Skrtel Agger Johnson<br>Lucas<br>Gerrard Allen<br>Sterling Shelvey Enrique</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The story of the day for Liverpool is the one-match ban being served by Luis Suarez, which leaves a squad that was bereft of experienced striking options now without one. No injuries from the win over Udinese, and each of Lucas, <span>Steven Gerrard</span>, and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110183/daniel-agger" class="sbn-auto-link">Daniel Agger</a> should be available to feature. Nice to hear that <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fliverpoolfc.com%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fborini-i-ll-be-back-soon&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fliverpooloffside.sbnation.com%2F2012%2F12%2F8%2F3743344%2Fmatch-preview-west-ham-v-liverpool-12-09-12" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Fabio Borini's steadily working back</a> to fitness, even if he'd faded a bit into <span>Danny Wilson</span> "oh yeah that guy" territory, and <span>Martin Kelly</span> continues to rehab.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">It's been an impressive run of incorrect predictions that a return for <span>Andre Wisdom</span> is on the cards, and I see no reason to stop now. Wisdom on the right, Johnson on the left, and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110728/martin-skrtel" class="sbn-auto-link">Martin Skrtel</a> and Daniel Agger in the middle. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110848/pepe-reina" class="sbn-auto-link">Pepe Reina's</a> added another clean sheet to his tally for the season, albeit by the narrowest of margins after <span>Antonio Di Natale's</span> last-second strike in Italy, and hopefully the stinginess at the back we've seen in spurts over the past few weeks becomes the norm.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Lucas and Gerrard are locks, and it seems straightforward enough that <span>Joe Allen</span> rounds out the central midfield contingent so long as Gerrard doesn't end up further forward in attack. <span>Jordan Henderson's</span> been better, but I'm not sure how he'd feature, particularly with the other three names likely to start. There's plenty of permutations possible, and the setup could take a number of different forms, but I struggle to see a scenario in which each of Allen, Lucas, and Gerrard aren't involved.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Both the back line and midfield will have an impact on what things look like up top, but <span>Jonjo Shelvey</span> as a pseudo-striker seems the most likely, and if he's accompanied by <span>Jose Enrique</span> on the left and <span>Raheem Sterling</span> on the right he'll hopefully have enough support. Again, there's plenty more combinations possible, with <span>Oussama Assaidi</span>, <span>Stewart Downing</span>, <span>Joe Cole</span>, and Suso all potentially involved throughout.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Kickoff tomorrow is set for 4:00PM GMT/11:00AM EST, with Sky Sports 1 showing the match live in the UK and Fox Soccer Channel airing it in the US. Open thread, matchday, and team sheets will run as per usual, and hopefully you'll be around throughout. A win to wrap up the weekend would be awfully nice, and strange as it might seem, would be close to enough of a reason to possibly have the slightest bit of something resembling optimism. Maybe.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2012/12/8/3743344/match-preview-west-ham-v-liverpool-12-09-12-Ed-