Liverpool owe a great deal of gratitude to QPR's defence following their 3-2 win on Sunday as Brendan Rodgers is left with much to ponder - not least the worrying form of Mario Balotelli. Real Madrid are next up...
Sunday 19 October 2014 23:51, UK
It isn't often that a team wins 3-2 despite only scoring once but Liverpool profited from a huge slice of fortune at QPR thanks to own goals from Richard Dunne and Steven Caulker.
As the saying goes, if you can't be good, be lucky, and Brendan Rodgers' side certainly lived a charmed life at Loftus Road as they climbed to fifth in the Premier League.
"We had no complaints today if we came away with nothing; we'd have no complaints if we came away with a point. I think we were very lucky to come away with three points," admitted Steven Gerrard in his post-match interview. "Our performance needs to be better. The only credit we can give ourselves is that we never gave up. But all round it needs improving."
The captain's words were echoed by his former teammate Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports, who added: "Liverpool were awful. I can't think of a player who'd be really pleased with his performance." There were none who should be more disappointed with their contribution than Mario Balotelli, who was at his very worst on an afternoon when the result barely hid his teammates' frustration.
Although Balotelli has been tasked with filling the void left by Luis Suarez, the two strikers have only one trait in common: selfishness. In Suarez's case this was often to Liverpool's advantage, but with Balotelli it is an enduring point of frustration. The 24-year-old has now had 30 shots in the Premier League without finding the net, while his total number of top-flight assists still stands at one over two spells. For all his selfishness leading the line for Liverpool, Suarez provided 12 alongside his 31-goal haul last year.
Balotelli's struggle to strike an understanding with his new teammates has never been more evident than in the first half of Sunday's frantic encounter. On one occasion, as Liverpool burst forward at speed to try and take the lead, the striker received the ball near the edge of the box, turned and promptly fired well wide of the post. Adam Lallana, who had been expecting the ball after making a good run down the left, raised his head to the heavens in exasperation.
And this came before Balotelli's horrendous miss in the second half; before his over-elaborate back-heel attempt as Liverpool strived for much-needed breathing space against their committed-but-error-prone opponents. While the rest of the team huffed and puffed, Balotelli scuffed, having only two fewer shots at goal than his total number of completed passes. It looks like the Reds' £16m gamble is backfiring.
A target man is supposed to act as a vehicle allowing quicker, more creative players to operate, but Rodgers' front man has failed to get out of first gear in his eight matches so far. There is an argument that he could still form a convincing partnership with Daniel Sturridge, which Liverpool's 3-0 win over Tottenham in August hinted at, but the Italian has to start delivering to earn that chance following Sturridge's protracted return.
The problem with being lucky is that you eventually get found out and, in Liverpool's case, that's likely to come against Real Madrid on Wednesday. As well as Balotelli's infuriating display, Rodgers will be concerned by his defence's failure to control Bobby Zamora - a forward not quite in the same class as Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema - and several shaky moments for Simon Mignolet.
Rodgers is a believer in teams making their own luck but confessed afterwards that QPR "certainly didn't deserve to lose". He will know that Liverpool won't be afforded the same fortune against the Champions League holders on Wednesday, and faces a difficult three days' preparation. At the moment, the Reds lack both the incision and the resolve to gain the result they crave.
