Monday night at Anfield: Liverpool miss Sturridge, Downing and Johnson dangerous, and Shelvey caught offside

Steve Clarke celebrated his return to Anfield with a 2 - 0 win over the defense he built with Kop legend Kenny Daglish a year ago. On a night when Carra continued to keep last season's player of the year Martin Skrtel out West Brom scored two goals in the last twenty minutes to pile misery on Rodger's team. Liverpool sorely missed the services of Daniel Sturridge who was out with a thigh injury, the match started off in typical fashion with Liverpool dominating possession without really threatening the opposition. Stewart Downing and Johnson looked dangerous to begin but failed to create any real chances.  The gaffer’s ploy to use Shelvey in support of Suarez backfired as he continued to find himself offside on more than one occasion. Defensive lynchpin Carra produced an outstanding performance but his defensive partner lost his marker in a set – piece, with time running out Liverpool continued to commit bodies up the field giving Lukaku space to seal the game in the dying stages.

WHAT DID NOT WORK

1. Liverpool missed Sturridge; without him they lacked bodies in the box and looked like a team waiting for a failed clearance to come their way 
2. Whenever Shelvey was not found offside he dropped deep to give an advantage in midfield; unfortunately he kept giving away the ball and the advantage was all West Brom 
3. Glen Johnson is obsessed with taking on the full backs (7, 9 & 82 min), he needs to mix it up and put in low crosses in the middle & edge of the box for Sturrdige, Gerrard or Henderson. Case in point: goals scored by Van Persie (Man Utd vs. Liverpool) and Dzeko (Man City vs. Liverpool) ( See stat 2  image)
4. Henderson is a much better player in the middle of the park, leaving him on the left meant Enrique was on his own on the left flank; sometimes Suarez went here when he really should be in the box
5. Lucas had an off - day; he went missing in the first half and although he made a few interceptions in the second he really needs to work on his forward passing skills. Case in point - Michael Essien in his prime and Mulumbu today (See stat 1 image)

WHAT DID WORK

1. Suarez and Gerrard combined beautifully to produce excellent football. The pair looked the most threatening to score a goal 
2. Downing and Johnson created mayhem on the right wing but seemed to run out of steam later on
3. Suarez continued to showcase excellent skills by crossing the ball from the byline in the 19th minute 
4. Agger made a menace of himself in set pieces but lost his marker to concede the first goal 
5. Carra uses his head; he continues to be a calm and dominating presence in the box

Stat # 1- Lucas needs to do more than just win the ball back 

Stat 2# - Glen Johnson needs to focus on getting the ball into the box instead of
taking on defenders all the time