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Thursday, November 1, 2012
Spirited Swansea down cup holders
Mike Whalley, Anfield
Brendan Rodgers insists he will always be fond of Swansea. The feeling does not appear to be mutual. As the Liverpool manager's former club knocked his new one out of the Capital One Cup at Anfield, the visiting fans could not hide their delight. "You're just a **** Swansea City," they chanted.
How times have changed in south Wales. Ten years ago this week, Swansea slipped to the bottom of the Football League after losing 1-0 at Cambridge. The club were not only struggling to stay in the league, they were struggling to stay in business. Thoughts of a victory at Anfield then would have seemed absurd. Not now. The club who once looked bound for the Conference knocked out the League Cup holders on their own turf.
And what is more, this win was deserved. Swansea moved into the League Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history, playing speedy counter-attacking football that left Liverpool trailing.
Rodgers' decision to make nine changes to the side that drew at Everton on Sunday was a practical one, borne of the need to keep players fresh. He was left with a side so one-paced that he was forced to bring on Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez to try to save the game, even though he had wanted to rest both players ahead of the weekend's Premier League home game against Newcastle.
A constant theme of Rodgers' tenure at Anfield has been a lack of depth in his squad. In that sense, elimination from the Capital One Cup may be no bad thing. It is, at least, one less competition to clog up the fixture list.
Not that Rodgers could take many other positives from the evening. His decision to give Joe Cole his first start since suffering a hamstring injury against West Brom on the opening day of the Premier League season enabled the England man to get some much-needed match practice, without producing very much, and he was withdrawn for Gerrard at the interval.
Joe Allen was, by the Liverpool manager's own admission, left to fend for himself in midfield. At times, it seemed as if Brad Jones and Jamie Carragher were keeping Swansea's speedy counter-attackers at bay on their own.
"I thought it was difficult for Joe Cole, as it was for the team in the first half," Rodgers said. "It was too slow. It just wasn't what I expected from a team I'd tried to set up to be dynamic. It was a difficult night for him."
Swansea deservedly led at half-time through Chico Flores' header from a Jonathan De Guzman corner, the defender's first goal for Swansea and a sign he can do more than crazy kung-fu challenges. They could have been in front before then, with De Guzman wasting their best chance, lofting a chip over the bar after a terrific counter-attack involving Michu and Nathan Dyer.
The arrival of Gerrard and Suarez at half-time boosted Liverpool, with Gerrard unlucky to hit the post. But Swansea's attacking verve was undimmed, and brought reward as Dyer added a second on a counter-attack created by Michu and Pablo Hernandez.
Inevitably, Suarez made an impact, glancing in a Gerrard free-kick to set up the possibility of salvation for Rodgers. But the visitors were just too good on the break, and De Guzman's late third, again scored on the counter with Michu involved, set up a quarter-final tie at home to Middlesbrough.
"We were much better and brighter in the second half, had chances and just couldn't score them," Rodgers said. "And it's no good if you don't score."
For Swansea, this was a huge improvement on their last cup visit to Anfield. They were beaten 8-0 in a 1990 FA Cup third-round replay, with Ian Rush scoring a hat-trick. For a club whose recent history has been cut through with hard times, this was a sweet night. For manager Michael Laudrup, it justified the decision to pick such a strong side.
"I always like the cup competitions," Laudrup said. "The league is the most important thing because it's the daily bread. But if you look at it from a smaller club's point of view, the cup is the shortest way to success."
Laudrup wouldn't admit it, but perhaps the thought of getting one over on Rodgers might have tempted him to pick his best available side - not for him, but for the club's supporters.
The manner in which Rodgers left the Liberty Stadium for Liverpool in June still rankles in south Wales. He did little to endear himself to Swansea's fans by promptly returning to take Allen with him.
The Liverpool manager had gone to lengths to build bridges in the build-up to his first meeting with his former club. He had talked fondly of his strong relationship with chairman Huw Jenkins, of how good the club had been to him, of the great times they had shared together. It made not a jot of difference. "We don't need you any more," came the chants from the away end, aimed at Rodgers. They may have lost the manager who guided them to the Premier League, but in a corner of south Wales, it still feels as if anything is possible.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Michu the Spanish striker was the catalyst for Swansea's counter-attacks, starting the moves that led to their second and third goals. He was unlucky not to score himself, denied twice by Brad Jones and once by Jamie Carragher in an eventful 60-second spell midway through the second half.
LIVERPOOL VERDICT: Brendan Rodgers has stressed the need to give his fringe players a run-out in cup competitions to ensure they are ready for the league if needed. They did not do enough to suggest they are ready for the call. Rodgers wanted to rest Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez. The fact that he felt the need to bring them on at half-time was an indication of Liverpool's low tempo in the first half. As Rodgers admitted afterwards: "The better team won."
SWANSEA VERDICT: With this tie coming four days after a Premier League visit to Manchester City and three days before a home game against Chelsea, manager Michael Laudrup could have been forgiven for caution. His decision to play such a strong side signalled a commendable sense of adventure. The Capital One Cup is all the richer for Swansea's continued progress in it.