Everything is going to plan at Anfield at the moment, with maximum points from their opening Premier League matches and a place in the Champions League group stages assured. However, none of the Reds’ triumphs have exactly been convincing, and their captain has pulled no punches over their performances to date.
The Daily Telegraph report that Steven Gerrard may well miss Pool’s crunch match against Manchester United in a fortnight’s time, which would be a rather large blow to their chances of beating one of their bogey teams. The midfielder has called upon the team to buck their ideas up, rather than land victory the hard way such as scoring two late goals to defeat Middlesbrough.
Yet, as he replayed the game, Kuyt, like Gerrard, was aware that snatching results against the run of play is no basis for any sort of campaign. “It was a very difficult match for us,” he said. “We haven’t given our best performances yet and maybe we have had a lot of luck, but one day your luck will run out and then we will have to perform really well to win.”
Liverpool have few injury worries, yet the players and manager simply can’t put their finger on why their performances haven’t been up to scratch. Perhaps it’s simply down to the likes of Sunderland and Middlesbrough raising their game against high-profile opponents, although fans will surely be hoping that their team has an extra gear or two as the season progresses.