As I sit here typing, the Napoli game has just ended about 15 minutes ago. The post game highlights are playing in the background and I'm finding myself quietly punching the air constantly every few seconds. That is now three victories in a row and the manner in which we finished the game tonight we are going into Sundays big clash with Chelsea full of momentum. I'm not going to get carried away right now and start making stupid predictions, however I am really looking forward to the game now and feel that we are quite capable of doing the business if we are as positive as I think we will (and should) be.
Just a week ago we were in the relegation zone in the Premier League and we were all struggling to stay positive, especially about Roy Hodgson. We pulled out a fantastic victory at Bolton on Sunday which we got despite not playing that well. This to me was a sign that we might just have turned a big corner on the season. Then tonight in the second half we saw more signs that the players are feeling happier and playing with a lot more hunger and positivity.
I thought we started the game quite well tonight, but after about ten minutes we started making mistakes and the poor misplaced passing that has characterized this season came into effect. Therefore it wasn't a big shock to me when Napoli took the lead courtesy of some sloppy positioning from Glen Johnson. For the remainder of the half I wasn't impressed at all as Spearing and Poulson were both pretty awful in the middle and not getting anything on the game at all. I am getting sick to the back teeth of how many times Poulson passes back to Reina and struggles to make any impact at all on games. Jamie Carragher had one of his better 45 minutes of the season as he anticipated things and read the majority of danger really well, which helped keep the scoreline down.
Then at half time Roy made an outstanding substitution and brought on Gerrard for Jovanovic, who had struggled to get into the game. Stevie made an instant impact on the team and were far more positive and dynamic throughout the second half, leaving Pepe Reina to be a bit of a spectator for long periods. Jon Jo Shelvey was superb I thought, his range of passing was excellent and he made some really positive and intelligent runs that created space for others.
Clearly the man of the match was our captain fantastic who stood out head and shoulders above every other player on the pitch. Once again Stevie proved that how vital he is and I've lost count of how many times he has saved us almost single handed. He will be on top of the world tonight after that hat-trick which he took with his usual aplomb. Credit should also go to Lucas, on as a late sub, for his tackle that led to Stevie's third goal. Stevie now has thirty eight European goals for Liverpool and assuming we now go on to get the one point we need from the last two games, he has a great chance of reaching the magic forty mark before the end of the season.
A lot has changed at Liverpool since the summer, we have a new manager and new owners, but what doesn't change is that we have one of the best players in the world as our captain and that is something I hope never changes.
Liverpool FC | Supporters Club | Vancouver, BC, Canada
