Ben Twelves takes a look at how Liverpool’s eight loaned players performed for their temporary clubs in the weekend fixtures around Europe.
Divock Origi
Belgian striker Origi enjoyed a fine Sunday afternoon as he scored one and assisted another in a quick three minute period, to fire Lille to the top of Ligue 1 after beating Nantes 2-0.
Liverpool’s £10million man completed all 90 minutes for Rene Girard’s unbeaten side and played in a two man forward line alongside strike-partner, Nolan Roux.
Origi opened the scoring a minute after half time as he leapt superbly at the back post and powered home a header from an excellent cross by Florent Balmont. Just three minutes later, the Reds loaned star turned provider for his side as he produced a well-weighted pass to the onrushing Marco Lopes who calmly slotted home and made it 2-0 to the home side.
An excellent performance from Origi was topped off by the Belgium international then deservedly winning the Man of the Match award.
Joao Carlos Teixeira
Liverpool’s Portuguese youngster started for Brighton and claimed his third assist of the season in their 3-2 defeat at the hands of Brentford on Saturday afternoon – a loss that has seen Sami Hyypia’s side slip to 17th in the early Championship table.
The creative midfielder – who embarked on a fantastic jinking run before setting the ball for Danny Holla to strike home Albion’s second goal – began the entertaining encounter playing on the left side of a front three for the Seagulls.
But with Brighton trailing 3 goals to 2, Teixeira was replaced after 76 minutes by striker Craig Mackail-Smith as the away side went all out in their attempts to find an equaliser.
A late leveller could not be found by Hyypia’s men who suffered defeat for the first time in five matches, and Teixeira’s team will be looking to bounce back with immediate effect on Tuesday night when they take on Ipswich Town at Falmer Stadium.
Andre Wisdom
Alan Irvine’s West Brom continued their winless start to the Premier League season after losing 2-0 at home to Everton.
Wisdom played all 90 minutes in the disappointing result, and also picked up his first yellow card of the campaign late on in the game for fouling Steven Naismith with the away side already 2-0 up and comfortable.
For the second consecutive game for his temporary club, the Reds’ loanee ended up finishing the game at left back, after the introduction of Costa Rican right back Christian Gamboa – who replaced left back Sebastien Pocognoli – resulted in the 21-year-old switching to the opposite side for the last 15 minutes of the match.
Jordon Ibe
Exciting talent Jordon Ibe made his first appearance for Derby County since joining on a season-long loan – coming off the bench on Sunday afternoon in their rival clash 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
The Liverpool wide-man entered proceedings in a feisty encounter as a substitute on 76 minutes with his side 1-0 down, replacing central midfielder Craig Bryson and playing out on the right, as Steve McClaren’s side searched for an equaliser which eventually came thanks to Leon Best’s tap-in with 10 minutes remaining.
Elsewhere
Liverpool’s 21-year-old loaned midfielder played only 55 minutes as part of a ‘3’ behind striker Roque Santa Cruz for Bernd Schuster’s Malaga side, as they played out a disappointing 0-0 draw at home against winless Levante on Saturday evening.
The Spanish loanee came close to breaking the deadlock in the first half as his fine strike was tipped around the post by opposition keeper Jesus Fernandez, before Alberto was then withdrawn early into the second half as the German manager freshened up his side with a double substitution.
Iago Aspas came on as an 83rd minute substitute for Sevilla on Sunday night, as Unai Emery’s side beat Getafe 2-0 to continue their unbeaten start to the new campaign.
The 27-year-old made a positive impact when he came on as he played a part in the counter-attack that led to the second goal in the 87th minute that wrapped up the game.
Oussama Assaidi
The Moroccan winger started as a substitute for Stoke but came on with just eight minutes remaining and not enough time to impact the scoreline in their 1-0 home defeat to Leicester at the Britannia Stadium.
The Portuguese centre back finally made his debut for French side Bordeuax nearly a month after joining the club on a season-long loan, and the 20-year-old played all 90 minutes on his return from injury in a disappointing first match for his temporary side as they lost 2-1 away to Guingamp.
Brad Smith
Brad Smith’s Swindon Town recorded a fine 2-1 away win against Bradford City on Saturday at Valley Parade, where the Australian international played left back and was substituted in the last minute of the game.
Rafael Paez
Stylish under 21s centre back Paez played 90 minutes for Italian Serie B side Bologna in their 3-2 victory on Friday night away from home against Pescara.
Sebastian Coates
The Uruguayan centre back wasn’t involved in the match squad for new club Sunderland in the 2-2 home draw against Tottenham.
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Ben Twelves takes a look at how Liverpool’s eight loaned players performed for their temporary clubs in the weekend fixtures around Europe.
Divock Origi
Belgian striker Origi enjoyed a fine Sunday afternoon as he scored one and assisted another in a quick three minute period, to fire Lille to the top of Ligue 1 after beating Nantes 2-0.
Liverpool’s £10million man completed all 90 minutes for Rene Girard’s unbeaten side and played in a two man forward line alongside strike-partner, Nolan Roux.
Origi opened the scoring a minute after half time as he leapt superbly at the back post and powered home a header from an excellent cross by Florent Balmont. Just three minutes later, the Reds loaned star turned provider for his side as he produced a well-weighted pass to the onrushing Marco Lopes who calmly slotted home and made it 2-0 to the home side.
An excellent performance from Origi was topped off by the Belgium international then deservedly winning the Man of the Match award.
Joao Carlos Teixeira
Liverpool’s Portuguese youngster started for Brighton and claimed his third assist of the season in their 3-2 defeat at the hands of Brentford on Saturday afternoon – a loss that has seen Sami Hyypia’s side slip to 17th in the early Championship table.
The creative midfielder – who embarked on a fantastic jinking run before setting the ball for Danny Holla to strike home Albion’s second goal – began the entertaining encounter playing on the left side of a front three for the Seagulls.
But with Brighton trailing 3 goals to 2, Teixeira was replaced after 76 minutes by striker Craig Mackail-Smith as the away side went all out in their attempts to find an equaliser.
A late leveller could not be found by Hyypia’s men who suffered defeat for the first time in five matches, and Teixeira’s team will be looking to bounce back with immediate effect on Tuesday night when they take on Ipswich Town at Falmer Stadium.
Andre Wisdom
Alan Irvine’s West Brom continued their winless start to the Premier League season after losing 2-0 at home to Everton.
Wisdom played all 90 minutes in the disappointing result, and also picked up his first yellow card of the campaign late on in the game for fouling Steven Naismith with the away side already 2-0 up and comfortable.
For the second consecutive game for his temporary club, the Reds’ loanee ended up finishing the game at left back, after the introduction of Costa Rican right back Christian Gamboa – who replaced left back Sebastien Pocognoli – resulted in the 21-year-old switching to the opposite side for the last 15 minutes of the match.
Jordon Ibe
Exciting talent Jordon Ibe made his first appearance for Derby County since joining on a season-long loan – coming off the bench on Sunday afternoon in their rival clash 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
The Liverpool wide-man entered proceedings in a feisty encounter as a substitute on 76 minutes with his side 1-0 down, replacing central midfielder Craig Bryson and playing out on the right, as Steve McClaren’s side searched for an equaliser which eventually came thanks to Leon Best’s tap-in with 10 minutes remaining.
Elsewhere
Liverpool’s 21-year-old loaned midfielder played only 55 minutes as part of a ‘3’ behind striker Roque Santa Cruz for Bernd Schuster’s Malaga side, as they played out a disappointing 0-0 draw at home against winless Levante on Saturday evening.
The Spanish loanee came close to breaking the deadlock in the first half as his fine strike was tipped around the post by opposition keeper Jesus Fernandez, before Alberto was then withdrawn early into the second half as the German manager freshened up his side with a double substitution.
Iago Aspas came on as an 83rd minute substitute for Sevilla on Sunday night, as Unai Emery’s side beat Getafe 2-0 to continue their unbeaten start to the new campaign.
The 27-year-old made a positive impact when he came on as he played a part in the counter-attack that led to the second goal in the 87th minute that wrapped up the game.
Oussama Assaidi
The Moroccan winger started as a substitute for Stoke but came on with just eight minutes remaining and not enough time to impact the scoreline in their 1-0 home defeat to Leicester at the Britannia Stadium.
The Portuguese centre back finally made his debut for French side Bordeuax nearly a month after joining the club on a season-long loan, and the 20-year-old played all 90 minutes on his return from injury in a disappointing first match for his temporary side as they lost 2-1 away to Guingamp.
Brad Smith
Brad Smith’s Swindon Town recorded a fine 2-1 away win against Bradford City on Saturday at Valley Parade, where the Australian international played left back and was substituted in the last minute of the game.
Rafael Paez
Stylish under 21s centre back Paez played 90 minutes for Italian Serie B side Bologna in their 3-2 victory on Friday night away from home against Pescara.
Sebastian Coates
The Uruguayan centre back wasn’t involved in the match squad for new club Sunderland in the 2-2 home draw against Tottenham.
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After Liverpool’s 1-0 home humbling at the hands of Aston Villa, Jack Lusby analyses the performances of Adam Lallana on his Reds debut.
Any momentum built from the 3-0 win over Spurs at White Hart Lane two weekends ago, already thwarted by an unwelcome international break, was scuppered by Liverpool’s insipid loss at home to Aston Villa on Saturday evening.
A shambolic defensive outing in the early stages saw Gabriel Agbonlahor bundle home the tie’s only goal; shutting up shop at 1-0, Villa managed to withstand an unusually uninspired Liverpool attack.
Losing Daniel Sturridge and Joe Allen to injury sustained during the aforementioned sojourn into country ties was a big loss for Brendan Rodgers, and the Reds manager was forced to switch his tactics for this game.
It was a day of debuts, with Alberto Moreno and Mario Balotelli making their first starts at Anfield, whilst Lazar Markovic was joined by Adam Lallana in making a full debut in a Liverpool shirt.
Signed for £25 million after a lengthy summer pursuit, the start to Lallana’s Liverpool career was unfortunately hampered by a pre-season injury.
A disappointing result on the night, Lallana’s debut was quiet with encouraging aspects, but with much room for improvement in the near future.
Prior to the game, Lallana’s versatility was a big talking point, with the former Southampton able to operate as comfortably on the left-hand side of the attacking midfield, as in the No. 10 role or deeper in a midfield three.
This would, ostensibly, allow Rodgers to tinker with his side and his tactical layout without needing to compromise on quality.
In this instance, the Ulsterman opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, as previously utilised—unsuccessfully—against Southampton on the opening weekend.
Starting on the left-hand side, Lallana was deployed in a familiar role.
In this role, the midfielder would be required to consistently support the attack, whilst providing cover for a rampaging Moreno at left-back.
In the early stages, it was clear that the Reds No. 20 was keen to make his mark, with some bustling play and energetic runs.
An early link-up with Moreno saw Lallana provide a great through ball for the onrushing Spaniard on 3 minutes.
The resulting cross was launched over the bar by Markovic on the volley, but the build-up play and the chemistry between Lallana and Moreno on the left-hand side was cause for encouragement.
In terms of supporting Moreno defensively Lallana was busy, too, in the opening quarter of an hour.
On 4 minutes this could be seen for the worse with a late block challenge on rejuvenated Scottish full-back Alan Hutton.
Soon after, however, on 7 minutes Lallana’s ability to slot into Rodgers’ high-tempo pressing system was apparent as the midfielder was swift to mop up a loose ball in order to thwart a Villa opening.
As is often the case with a highly-charged debut in an inspiring atmosphere, Lallana was perhaps guilty of trying too much, or overly imposing himself in areas.
This was encapsulated unfortunately in a poorly timed challenge on new Villa loanee Tom Cleverley on the left of midfield.
Rightly collecting a yellow card for the challenge, Lallana’s clumsy tackle was late and dangerous—later on in the game, the ramifications could have been more severe.
The 26-year-old grew into the game as the half went on, and in turn his attacking output became more finely-tuned.
The midfielder showed his ability to inspire with a great turn on the edge of the box on 25 minutes—this is the quality that Lallana must show consistently in a Liverpool shirt.
Working his way into the box with this move, Lallana was comfortably challenged by Hutton.
Drifting into a more central, No. 10 role, Lallana became more dangerous in the first half; in this area the midfielder was able to capitalise on a Jordan Henderson knock down in the box to send a volleyed effort towards the goal, an effort unfortunately blocked.
The Reds continued to turn the screw, with Villa stoically holding on, and Lallana came closest for his side with a half-volleyed effort on 43 minutes.
In keeping with proceedings, this was dragged wide, disappointment reigning.
In a muted first half display, Liverpool’s No. 20 showed his versatility by drifting from the left into the No. 10 role, but was in effective on the whole.
Despite working well with Markovic and Mario Balotelli at times, Lallana’s best work in the first half was in his defensive tracking.
Moving into the second half, Lallana kept his position on the left flank, but continued a disappointing display on the whole.
The midfielder’s biggest contribution after the break was by displaying his set-piece prowess with a floated corner which nearly found a prowling Balotelli—Liverpool should have another option on both free-kicks and corners after Lallana’s signing.
That this came to nothing said it all about Lallana’s performance and Liverpool’s display overall.
It came as no surprise when the 26-year-old was replaced by substitute Raheem Sterling on 61 minutes.
Overall Analysis
With Villa in great form at the start of the season, and well-drilled under Paul Lambert and Roy Keane, perhaps this game proved the wrong opportunity to give Lallana his first start, given this was the midfielder’s first appearance after returning from injury.
Nevertheless, despite showing promise in his defensive work-rate and in movement in the attacking areas, Lallana was disappointingly muted in this loss.
This was representative of Liverpool’s display on the whole, with the midfield in particular missing the work of Allen in keeping the ball moving and quietly dictating play.
A disjointed performance hampered by a lack of creativity and space—with credit due to the Villa defence—there is much work to be done.
Luckily, the perfect opportunity is dished up in mere days, with Liverpool welcoming Bulgarian champions Ludogorets to Anfield on Tuesday night.
Lallana Statistics
Minutes Played – 61
Shots – 2
Shots on Target – 2
Successful Tackles – 1
Chances Created – 1
Passing Accuracy – 75%
Overall performance rating: 5 out of 10.
Do you agree with Jack’s analysis? Let us know in the comments below.
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After Liverpool’s 1-0 home humbling at the hands of Aston Villa, Jack Lusby analyses the performances of Adam Lallana on his Reds debut.
Any momentum built from the 3-0 win over Spurs at White Hart Lane two weekends ago, already thwarted by an unwelcome international break, was scuppered by Liverpool’s insipid loss at home to Aston Villa on Saturday evening.
A shambolic defensive outing in the early stages saw Gabriel Agbonlahor bundle home the tie’s only goal; shutting up shop at 1-0, Villa managed to withstand an unusually uninspired Liverpool attack.
Losing Daniel Sturridge and Joe Allen to injury sustained during the aforementioned sojourn into country ties was a big loss for Brendan Rodgers, and the Reds manager was forced to switch his tactics for this game.
It was a day of debuts, with Alberto Moreno and Mario Balotelli making their first starts at Anfield, whilst Lazar Markovic was joined by Adam Lallana in making a full debut in a Liverpool shirt.
Signed for £25 million after a lengthy summer pursuit, the start to Lallana’s Liverpool career was unfortunately hampered by a pre-season injury.
A disappointing result on the night, Lallana’s debut was quiet with encouraging aspects, but with much room for improvement in the near future.
Prior to the game, Lallana’s versatility was a big talking point, with the former Southampton able to operate as comfortably on the left-hand side of the attacking midfield, as in the No. 10 role or deeper in a midfield three.
This would, ostensibly, allow Rodgers to tinker with his side and his tactical layout without needing to compromise on quality.
In this instance, the Ulsterman opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, as previously utilised—unsuccessfully—against Southampton on the opening weekend.
Starting on the left-hand side, Lallana was deployed in a familiar role.
In this role, the midfielder would be required to consistently support the attack, whilst providing cover for a rampaging Moreno at left-back.
In the early stages, it was clear that the Reds No. 20 was keen to make his mark, with some bustling play and energetic runs.
An early link-up with Moreno saw Lallana provide a great through ball for the onrushing Spaniard on 3 minutes.
The resulting cross was launched over the bar by Markovic on the volley, but the build-up play and the chemistry between Lallana and Moreno on the left-hand side was cause for encouragement.
In terms of supporting Moreno defensively Lallana was busy, too, in the opening quarter of an hour.
On 4 minutes this could be seen for the worse with a late block challenge on rejuvenated Scottish full-back Alan Hutton.
Soon after, however, on 7 minutes Lallana’s ability to slot into Rodgers’ high-tempo pressing system was apparent as the midfielder was swift to mop up a loose ball in order to thwart a Villa opening.
As is often the case with a highly-charged debut in an inspiring atmosphere, Lallana was perhaps guilty of trying too much, or overly imposing himself in areas.
This was encapsulated unfortunately in a poorly timed challenge on new Villa loanee Tom Cleverley on the left of midfield.
Rightly collecting a yellow card for the challenge, Lallana’s clumsy tackle was late and dangerous—later on in the game, the ramifications could have been more severe.
The 26-year-old grew into the game as the half went on, and in turn his attacking output became more finely-tuned.
The midfielder showed his ability to inspire with a great turn on the edge of the box on 25 minutes—this is the quality that Lallana must show consistently in a Liverpool shirt.
Working his way into the box with this move, Lallana was comfortably challenged by Hutton.
Drifting into a more central, No. 10 role, Lallana became more dangerous in the first half; in this area the midfielder was able to capitalise on a Jordan Henderson knock down in the box to send a volleyed effort towards the goal, an effort unfortunately blocked.
The Reds continued to turn the screw, with Villa stoically holding on, and Lallana came closest for his side with a half-volleyed effort on 43 minutes.
In keeping with proceedings, this was dragged wide, disappointment reigning.
In a muted first half display, Liverpool’s No. 20 showed his versatility by drifting from the left into the No. 10 role, but was in effective on the whole.
Despite working well with Markovic and Mario Balotelli at times, Lallana’s best work in the first half was in his defensive tracking.
Moving into the second half, Lallana kept his position on the left flank, but continued a disappointing display on the whole.
The midfielder’s biggest contribution after the break was by displaying his set-piece prowess with a floated corner which nearly found a prowling Balotelli—Liverpool should have another option on both free-kicks and corners after Lallana’s signing.
That this came to nothing said it all about Lallana’s performance and Liverpool’s display overall.
It came as no surprise when the 26-year-old was replaced by substitute Raheem Sterling on 61 minutes.
Overall Analysis
With Villa in great form at the start of the season, and well-drilled under Paul Lambert and Roy Keane, perhaps this game proved the wrong opportunity to give Lallana his first start, given this was the midfielder’s first appearance after returning from injury.
Nevertheless, despite showing promise in his defensive work-rate and in movement in the attacking areas, Lallana was disappointingly muted in this loss.
This was representative of Liverpool’s display on the whole, with the midfield in particular missing the work of Allen in keeping the ball moving and quietly dictating play.
A disjointed performance hampered by a lack of creativity and space—with credit due to the Villa defence—there is much work to be done.
Luckily, the perfect opportunity is dished up in mere days, with Liverpool welcoming Bulgarian champions Ludogorets to Anfield on Tuesday night.
Lallana Statistics
Minutes Played – 61
Shots – 2
Shots on Target – 2
Successful Tackles – 1
Chances Created – 1
Passing Accuracy – 75%
Overall performance rating: 5 out of 10.
Do you agree with Jack’s analysis? Let us know in the comments below.
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