Liverpool are finally showing signs of turning their season around

ESPN FC's Steve Nicol and Craig Burley weigh in Liverpool's domination of Chelsea, which they attribute partially to Chelsea's team selection.

Brendan Rodgers has described his Liverpool side as "outstanding" on numerous occasions in recent weeks and he's always been wrong. Tuesday night was the first time he was right. Liverpool should have beaten Chelsea, arguably they deserved to beat Chelsea, but they should take as much from that performance -- a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the league cup semifinal -- as they would have done from a better result. For the first time this season, Liverpool looked like a team capable of competing for silverware.

In fairness to Rodgers, there were signs of this in previous performances, small flecks of green among the dirt. And while the Northern Irishman does have a habit of laying it on a bit thick, beaming his way through interviews like a used car dealer anxious to impress, you can hardly blame him. He needed his players to believe in themselves again.

Liverpool's problem wasn't simply a lack of Uruguayan talent. Yes, they miss Luis Suarez terribly and it doesn't help that Daniel Sturridge has missed almost the entire season. But the players' body language told the real story. They were always too slow on the ball, they needed too much thinking time. Too much doubting time. The intuitive, fearless counterattacks of last season were gone. They didn't believe in each other anymore and for all of Rodgers' protestations, they clearly didn't believe in what they were doing.

This was always going to be a difficult season, a combination of increased expectation after coming close to winning the Premier League title and that missing superstar made regression inevitable. But it was never supposed to be as bad as it got. The nadir of Selhurst Park in November felt like the end. Liverpool were wretched and well beaten by a team so poor they would sack their own manager little over a month later. Wins over Stoke and Leicester gave the illusion of recovery, but the same old problems were painfully obvious. Rodgers took action, too late to protect a crushing defeat at Old Trafford, and out went the back four. In came a back three, and not just any back three.

Emre Can's inclusion as a sort of play-starter is one of the more interesting tactical moves of the season. Can is not a first-class defender and from the way he clattered into Eden Hazard like a man looking for the bathroom light in a power cut, he never will be. But he offers a creative outlet and a range of passing that allows Liverpool to begin their counterattacks far more swiftly than before.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has dismissed Jose Mourinho's claim that Tuesday's 1-1 draw between both sides was a fair result.


It's also worth remembering that he's only just turned 21 and he was up against

one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe on Tuesday. With Martin Skrtel finally beginning to play as nasty as he looks and Mamadou Sakho looking more assured, Liverpool look far more solid than at any point in the season.

And what to make of Simon Mignolet? Hazard's penalty was the only goal that the Belgian has conceded in three games. Would he have had the confidence two months ago to dart off his line and out of his box as he did so crucially after the break?

There's a growing coherence in the team. Can links up very well with Lazar Markovic, who, after a poor start to life at Anfield, has finally caught light. Crucially, given the defensive vulnerabilities of his colleague, he works just as hard getting back and covering space as he does charging forward with the ball. The increasing effectiveness of these two, both recruited for sizeable fees in the summer, isn't just good news for them. It will provide respite for Rodgers and the brainchild of Fenway Sports Group, the "transfer committee," pilloried in recent months for wasting the Suarez money.

For all of this, Liverpool did not win on Tuesday night. They may not win next week. Indeed, you would expect Chelsea to prevail at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho will say with some justification that there is credit to be taken from a performance of such resilience. It was expected that Mourinho would continue to use Petr Cech for the domestic cups. His decision to go with nearly the strongest side available to him proved decisive, with a standout performance by Thibaut Courtois in goal. 

But there are times when the value of a performance can outweigh the value of a result. Liverpool face West Ham, Everton, Tottenham and Southampton in their next four games. Three European spot rivals and a next-door neighbour. If they play as well in those games as they did at Anfield on Tuesday, the league table could look very different as February draws to a close. By that time, they'll have Sturridge back in the team ...

source from: espnfc