Impotence

Sorry for the day's delay. But I felt like enjoying a lazy Sunday, especially after my Bears put up 51 point for the first time in my life. You'll understand if I just wanted to feel the glow for a bit.

It's getting to the point than even when Liverpool put together any stretch of galvanizing, imaginative, play with a whole lot of teeth, I can't enjoy it. Because I kind of know they aren't going to score, or if they do it'll only be one. And when that stretch of play subsides, they're going to get hit with some kind of sucker punch and it will be highly unlikely they can find the road back to get the points that stretch of dominance suggested was deserved.

So it was with the opening 15 minutes yesterday. And that was about as fluid and menacing as Liverpool have looked all season. Newcastle couldn't get a touch, couldn't get out of their own half, couldn't find an answer. In a different world, Liverpool would have been up two and it would have been a matter of deciding how many they wanted from there.

But we don't live in that world.

So I knew it wouldn't produce anything, Newcastle would score with their first attack, and I would have to settle for being surprised if Liverpool could even manage an equalizer. They did, and I allowed myself to believe the Red Tide would find a winner.

But when has it these past three seasons? Exactly. Bullets:

-Still, that would diminish the utter brilliance of Luis Suarez's goal. Anyone who asks you why you would put up with his antics now has an answer that will so completely erase any doubt as to why. Think about how delicate those two touches had to be on a full sprint with a defender on your back and an on-rushing keeper. It's pretty hard to fathom no matter what level you played the sport at.

-Liverpool's threat in the opening portion of the game came down the left manned by Raheem Sterling. But he was taken out of the game by his left back Jose Enrique. Not that Enrique was bad, it's just that he was too ponderous with the ball and allowed the Newcastle defense to set up for Sterling. The plan should have been get the ball to Sterling as quickly as possible. But Enrique would insist on running with it into blind alleys and cul-de-sacs, and it would take creative one-touch passing to unlock it.

-Another problem that's becoming infuriating is as more and more teams just funnel Liverpool out to the wings and dare them to get a cross in, there's not enough bodies in the box. Gerrard simply might not have the legs to be there any more, and Sahin is more comfortable deeper, or so it seems. What I will say for Shelvey is he's never hesitant to get in there, and I don't think Henderson would be either. Maybe it's just me, but I wonder if Sahin and Gerrard simply can't play together, because they both want to be too deep?

-Andre Wisdom should have closed down Cabaye for the goal, but with that strike? Maybe Reina would have done more, but it's pointless to bitch about a teenage defender out of position and a backup keeper.

-Why is Suso always the first one off? Can he not get the 90? If so, why is Sterling so much more fit? Am I really supposed to believe that? Because Suso looked the more threatening as the match went on.

-If Henderson won't be used as an attacking midfielder, but can be trained to be a fill-in right back, is it a stretch to wonder if he can't adjust to being the defensive midfielder? Because Joe Allen is fading under the matches, needs a rest, and his chase-all style with not quite the jump he had is causing more openings in midfield than Liverpool can handle. And I don't know that they can wait for Lucas to get back and up to speed.

That's it for now. It's all too much. And with the week on tap, it doesn't feel like it'll get much better.