WHO COULD’VE PREDICTED that the beach ball incident at Sunderland last Saturday would not have been the low point of Liverpool’s week?
It seemed things couldn’t have gotten much worse for the Reds after Darren Bent’s fifth-minute strike ricocheted off a beach ball thrown onto the pitch by a Liverpool fan at the Stadium of Light, giving the Mackems a 1-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
That was Liverpool’s third consecutive loss and no doubt added misery to what was already shaping up to be a shaky season for the Reds.
And if the unfortunate bounce against Sunderland was bad, Tuesday’s Champions League tilt against Lyon was worse for Liverpool.
It’s not just that the traveling Frenchmen beat the Reds at their storied home ground — Anfield — and it wasn’t just that Liverpool lost the game 2-1 after Yossi Benayoun had given the home side a 1-0 first half lead.
While losing at home and surrendering leads are both uncharacteristic acts for a bunch as successful as the Reds have been for many years, there were several other reasons that may lead Pool fans to grow even more discouraged.
All-world striker Fernando Torres missed his second consecutive game and the heartbeat of Liverpool’s side, captain Steven Gerrard, didn’t even make it to the 30-minute mark of Tuesday’s loss. In my five-plus years of following the English game, I can never remember — not once — Gerrard being substituted that soon.
Gerrard, like most pro footballers, has been forced to sit out with injuries before, but starting a game and coming out before halftime? That was the first time I can remember that happening with Stevie G, generally considered one of the toughest and most reliable players in the game.
In addition to the injury concerns surrounding his two best players, Reds manager Rafa Benitez is probably coming to the realization that his team, even with Torres and Gerrard, may not be top four quality this season.
It doesn’t feel right typing those words, but it sure seems to be the truth when I watch Liverpool these days. As strange as it may sound, the Reds might not qualify for Champions League football next season, certainly not if they continue on this current run of bad luck and lackluster play.
It’s still way too early to count out Benitez and Liverpool. But the referee’s giving them a standing eight count and it’s not even November.
That can be either good or bad for one of the most tradition-rich clubs in the world. Guess we’ll have to follow the bouncing ball. But be sure to follow the small leather one with the Nike logo, not the large plastic red one with the Liverpool crest.
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