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Posts Tagged ‘milan-jovanovic’

• Serbia international stunned by Northampton victory
• ‘We know this is not Liverpool. It is very bad’

The Liverpool forward Milan Jovanovic has branded the Carling Cup exit to League Two Northampton as a “catastrophe”.

The Serbia international got the Reds off to an ideal start with his first goal for the club after just nine minutes.

However, it went rapidly downhill from there and although David Ngog snatched a late equaliser in extra time to make it 2-2 Liverpool went out on penalties, the first time they had gone out to fourth-tier opposition.

“Catastrophe. I am so disappointed,” said Jovanovic. “We know this is not Liverpool. It is very bad. I am so surprised by the performance. I have not got enough experience of English football but I didn’t expect this. Northampton played a really good game. We played a bad game – but this is football.”

Jovanovic added in the Liverpool Echo: “I am so disappointed. We all are. We are sorry for the result but we have to move on now.”

LiverpoolNorthamptonCarling Cupguardian.co.uk

Spanish striker was left isolated by the Liverpool manager’s nervous, negative approach

Roy Hodgson was hoping that a 4‑2‑3‑1 formation would prevent Manchester United getting a good supply of the ball to their front men, the rejuvenated Dimitar Berbatov and his restored partner Wayne Rooney. The early signs were that Raul Meireles and Christian Poulsen might achieve that aim and stifle United’s rhythm. But their lack of attacking ambition proved telling. Fernando Torres, criticised after the team’s soulless performance at Birmingham a week earlier, was too isolated. Quite simply Nani, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs provided much better support for Rooney and Berbatov than Steven Gerrard, Maxi Rodríguez and Joe Cole did for Torres (see graphic).

Liverpool’s midfield trio did not need to drop so deep. Meireles was able to close down Scholes and Poulsen was holding his defensive ground, while Glen Johnson helped Rodríguez stop Patrice Evra from joining United’s attacks. There was too much of an air of “what we have, we hold” about the visitors’ play, but when Berbatov casually leant against an anaemic Torres resistance to head United’s opener we expected a more open game. Tactically, however, Liverpool did not change, still concerned with stopping United’s thrusts, particularly down the left, rather than creating.

Berbatov’s wonderfully acrobatic second prompted a rethink from Roy Hodgson. Within minutes David Ngog replaced Rodríguez and moved closer to Torres. But though Liverpool scored twice shortly after his arrival, the goals owed more to good fortune than to tactics. First Jonny Evans fouled Torres in the box and Gerrard comfortably dispatched the penalty. Then the Spaniard’s clever run earned a free-kick which Gerrard placed past Edwin van der Sar thanks to Darren Fletcher’s decision to leave the wall.

At 2-2 Hodgson gained ambition, bringing on Milan Jovanovic, but ironically Liverpool finally lost the game only once they finally adopted a more open philosophy. When visiting Old Trafford it is difficult to strike the correct balance between defence and attack, and across different areas of the pitch. Here Liverpool were simply too nervous to succeed. Though they were able to keep the effervescent Evra quiet they conceded possession too readily elsewhere, and their most creative players were stationed too far from the striker to disturb United. If Torres is to be helped back to form, he will need more attacking intent to be shown by the players around him.

Manchester UnitedLiverpoolRoy HodgsonDavid Pleatguardian.co.uk

Fernando Torres scored for the first time since April to put a flattering gloss on Liverpool’s performance against West Bromwich Albion this afternoon. Roberto Di Matteo’s side, who had James Morrison sent off late on, were a comfortable match for Liverpool throughout but one touch of class from the Spain international gave Albion another painful lesson away from home.

Despite Torres, Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger and Milan Jovanovic all returning after missing the Europa League play‑off win at Trabzonspor, Liverpool started as poorly as they had done in Turkey. Ponderous, disjointed and overly reliant on the long ball, Hodgson’s side invited the pressure that duly came from the composed, intelligent visitors, for whom Youssouf Mulumbu shielded the back four expertly while Morrison and Graham Dorrans took the game to the home side.

Albion, with Marc-Antoine Fortuné making his second debut for the club following his £2.5m return from Celtic, lacked both a cutting edge and the benefit of the doubt from the referee Lee Probert to make this a damaging afternoon for Liverpool. The match official dismissed Albion’s appeals for a penalty in the 28th minute, when Jonas Olsson was clearly wrestled to the floor by Martin Skrtel, and again when Christian Poulsen almost removed the substitute Somen Tchoyi’s shirt in the second half. Probert did even matters out, however, when he refused to award a spot-kick when Gonzalo Jara handled inside his own area.

The visitors’ grievance was compounded in the 65th minute when, after Jara had failed to convert Fortuné’s cut-back to the far post, Liverpool counter-attacked to devastating effect.

Dirk Kuyt led the break, exchanged passes with Torres, and surged onwards down the left before picking out the unmarked Spaniard on the edge of the area with a perfectly weighted chip. Torres connected cleanly on the volley and found the bottom corner of Scott Carson’s goal. With five minutes remaining the striker was felled by a late swipe from Morrison, and Probert had no hesitation in showing the Albion midfielder the red card.

Premier LeagueLiverpoolWest BromAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk