Liverpool 2-2 Hull City

I tried to watch this game. I really did. I don't have Setanta (it wasn't available until well after I was forced to find an alternative), so I sat down to watch the match while my kids were watching...I don't know, something else. I had my Apple-Cinnamon Cheerios. Coffee. Everything. My wife was gone (she teaches a class at our church Saturday mornings, which means I have nobody complaining about my screaming at the computer monitor instead of, you know, parenting).

But, alas, it was not to be. I got glimpses of the game, of course...but the feed I had that was usually rock solid was now...not. No buffering, nothing. So I poked around, watched some very choppy play, and followed the score on the Premier League site. Around 11', the feed started to stabilize, and I watched in horror as the first clear play of the game for me turned out to be Hull's resident ginger Paul McShane scoring the first goal of the match (I lost my feed for like twenty minutes after this and missed most of what I understand was one of the best 45 minutes of soccer this season).

Now, I'm not saying that Fabio Aurelio WOULD have made a difference here. Maybe Andrea Dossena's not supposed to be covering him; maybe that's Riera's guy, and he didn't track back. It's possible. It's more likely, though, that this is yet another example of Dossena's problematic coverage ability. He's a little better when he goes up on runs...but not much. I'd rather have Insúa in there to get him some match experience...or even Daniel Agger, who'd be a competent stopgap left back. Instead, we're treated to the wily comic defensive stylings of Dossena.

The defensive back four really didn't have a great start to this match, frankly, with Jamie Carragher netting another own goal in the 22' (I missed this live but saw the replay). Fun-filled fact that I didn't know until I read it somewhere else: Carragher's now in a three-way tie for most own goals in the Premier League. This own goal kind of just bounces off of him and into the net, unlike the cracking header he had against Spurs earlier in the season. Again, though, this is a defensive breakdown that might've been caused by Hyypiä shielding Carragher's view, which is what happens when defenders aren't all on the same page. Unless Agger's hurt, I can't really see a reason to be keeping him on the bench until Škrtel returns. This breakdown and Dossena's breakdown were the result of too much confusion in the back; eliminating that confusion with some consistency among personnel should improve that problem.

Fortunately, Steven Gerrard wasn't inexplicably sat down like a certain summer transfer (more on that in a minute). He scored at 24' and equalized at 32'...and right about then I got my feed back.

I watched most of the second half; Liverpool finally found some rhythm and clearly out-shot Hull (28 shots to 11). The real problem at Liverpool right now is that, until Fernando Torres comes back, there's no plan "B" striker. Make no mistake, there're guys who could play up top and might even do well. This isn't Everton, where you lose two guys and all of a sudden have to start Tim Cahill (although the Manchester City-Everton game was surprisingly compelling). Rather, Liverpool has several strikers that Rafa Benitez simply refuses to use.

Looking at the current roster, one would think that the team could weather the loss of Torres for a month. Between Ryan Babel, Dirk Kuyt, Robbie Keane, and David N'Gog, you'd think Rafa could put out a good 4-4-2 lineup. Maybe start with Kuyt and Keane up top and bring in Babel for Keane. Or do what you're doing now, run Kuyt out wide right (he's pretty good no matter where he's played lately) and have Babel play for Torres alongside Keane. Or run a 4-2-3-1 and put Keane as the central midfielder behind the striker, where he's better.

The problem with the team's offense right now is that Benitez has already soured on Babel and Keane. Liverpool doesn't need a striker; they need to utilize the strikers they've already got more effectively in the absence of their biggest offensive weapon. It's fantastic that Gerrard can score two goals in eight minutes, but Liverpool needed a third goal to put this match away. That's never going to come if you've got Kuyt as a lone striker; it's simply not his role.

As for Keane, I really don't understand him staying on the bench. Benayoun's form has been alright, but it's not been so spectacular that he should be consistently starting; Kuyt out wide right and Keane/Babel up top gives Liverpool a lot more firepower than the lineup they ran out there Saturday. When a team's taking 28 shots and only five of them are on goal, it makes me think that they're not working themselves into great scoring positions. If one guy can't make space, maybe two guys can. Liverpool never adjusted for the game situation, though, and that cost them.

The substitutions were also fairly confusing. I'm not sure what Benitez's fascination with El Zhar is about, but it's not warranted; he loses the ball too often and doesn't really do anything particularly creative. I actually like Lucas, and liked him coming out for Mascherano...and I like Babel and thought his speed could've really helped out a lot earlier.

Fortunately for Liverpool, they weren't the only team at the top to only come up with a point from this weekend's match. Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal all drew; Aston Villa thrashed Bolton to jump into fourth place over Arsenal, but they've only got a point lead. Chelsea's draw ensured that Liverpool's tenuous hold on first place will exist for another week.

Next Week: Arsenal at the Emirates, where both teams look to remain unbeaten this season against Big Four sides.