Putting another performance to demonstrate he’s the best striker in the Premier League isn’t enough for Luis Suarez, who is always hungry for more. Pinpointing the disappointment of only coming away with a 3-3 draw from their derby match against Everton, it all falls down to the moment Joe Allen missed an incredibly easy shot instead of passing to the more capable Suarez, wide open right next to him.
You can understand Joe Allen, the expensive Welshman who everyone has been describing as a huge flop since his arrival. He wanted to find a way back into Rodgers’ good graces, and there’s nothing better than a goal to do so. However, he’s rusty, and it showed in more than just his miss in front of Tim Howard. Passing to Luis Suarez wouldn’t have only been the wiser choice in terms of percentage, but it would have given Liverpool a 3-1 lead that might have ended the match at that moment.
It’s not like Everton didn’t get their chances. Romelu Lukaku found it easy to run all over Martin Skrtel, and not for the first time. It’s hard to understand why Mamadou Sakho, clearly a better defender, wasn’t playing, as Rodgers needs to quickly fall out of love with the Slovakian defender, who has shown time and time again how limited he is. If it wasn’t for Simon Mignolet’s fantastic instincts between the posts, Sturridge’s goal would have only be there for consolation.
Did Rodgers make the mistake of playing too cautiously again? Three goals beg to differ, but packing the midfield might have one again the wrong choice. Victor Moses thrives in more attacking, wider roles, something he hasn’t really played as this season. Maybe using him instead of Allen, even if it meant giving more freedom to the fantastic Ross Barkley in the middle, would have made life more difficult for Everton, especially after Leighton Baines left the match injured and Gareth Barry, no longer really suitable for the position, filled in for him. Moses did come on, but possibly a bit too late.
Things would have been very different if Kevin Mirallas would have been sent off, but Phil Dowd proved to be another referee who works on the reputation of players instead of making decisions on what he saw. Luis Suarez isn’t the same player he was a year or two ago, but he’s still suffering for past transgressions.
A third consecutive draw in the Merseyside derby, but Liverpool are the better side, for now. Everton threw everything they had at the Reds, but didn’t deserve more than a point, and were slightly lucky to come away with that as well. Liverpool need Philippe Coutinho playing well, not just scoring easy goals, but he’s getting there. Luis Suarez continues to be a source of wonder, but he probably needs some better decision making from Brendan Rodgers and some other players if his season is to turn out well on more than just the individual level.