Newcastle - Reaction

Just our luck to play Newcastle right when they hit form, and once again we pay the price for poor play, no creativity and shambolic defending. It was another one of those games were nobody on the pitch looked like they wanted to score, I said after the first 10 minutes of play that there was no way we are going to win this game. The style of play never changed from that point and we finally got what we deserved. 4th defeat of the season right before two big games against Real Madrid and Chelsea, which all Liverpool fans will watch but will not hold high hopes for.

After watching the link up play between Balotelli and Borini midweek I can't grasp why Rodgers did not go with the two Italian strikers up front. The team have been painful to watch all season and he had nothing to lose, and once again his stubbornness cost Liverpool another result. This is another fixture compared to last season so far this season where we have dropped points, if you look at the matches that have already been played this season:

• Southampton (H) - This season 2-1 - Last season 0-1 - 3 point gain
• Man City (A) - This season 3-1 - Last season 2-1 - Same points (0)
• Tottenham (A) - This season 0-3 - Last season 0-5 - Same points (0) 
• Aston Villa (H) - This season 0-1 - Last season 2-2 - 1 point loss
• West Ham (A) - This season 3-1 - Last season 1-2 - 3 point loss
• Everton (H) - This season 1-1 - Last Season 4-0 - 2 point loss
• West Brom (H) - This season 2-1 - Last season 4-1 - Same points (3)
• QPR (A) - This season 2-3 - Not applicable as QPR got promoted to BPL last season
• Newcastle (A) - This season 1-0 - Last season 2-2 - 1 point loss

Total: -4 points compared to last season

This season looks like it is going to be similar to the 2009/10 season, more disappointment and this game was no different. Yes, Newcastle were on a 3 match win streak prior to the match, but these are the type of games that test your credibility to be top four contenders and this is an early warning to Liverpool fans telling them to expect the midweek Champions League fixtures of this season to just be a luxury for this season only.

Ayoze Perez's goal was something that should have been prevented, Skrtel is the only defender that plays no part in the goal being conceded. Johnson kept backing off deeper and deeper and let the ball enter the box, all he had to do was go across and put pressure on the player and Henderson can come in behind and cover. Gerrard is too afraid to put a foot in to not give a penalty away, I have absolutely no idea what Lovren is doing and Moreno fails to clear the ball. How hard is it to put your foot through the ball and get it down the other end of the field? Man City all over again for the Spaniard.

At the end of the day this result was just not good enough and I think it is even more embarrassing that fact that I didn't expect anything less. Last season the team feared no-one you would look at the fixture list and think 'right we will win that game, and that game and that game' but now I don't expect us to even win games and now it is just a matter of waiting for Liverpool's fortunes to turn.