Liverpool 1-0 Udinese

Goals:
Henderson 23'

It wasn't one to remember, but it's job done. With Young Boys beating Anzhi in Bern, Liverpool needed a win, and somehow, Liverpool got the win.

On the whole, you know the routine. Liverpool scored a much-needed opener but suffered for not scoring a second when on top, pushed back in the late stages despite Pasquale's red card and nearly punished by their own inertia with the last kick of the game. But they weren't. I guess that's all that really counts in this competition.

We wondered which Udinese we'd get from the already-eliminated side: resilient opponents looking to end on a high note and build confidence from this weekend's victory or an XI going through the motions. For the first half at least, we got the latter, although Liverpool never "dominated" proceedings. But after a disjointed opening quarter, albeit with a couple of Udinese chances, Liverpool made the breakthrough from a well-worked set play: Suarez peeled away from his marker to knock down Shelvey's corner, followed up by a questionably onside Suso, who laid off for Henderson to slot home.

The rest of the first half was all Liverpool: a goal rightfully ruled out when the ball crossed the byline before Downing (also probably offside) found Johnson for a tap-in, Suarez setting up both Shelvey and Suso as well as shooting wildly wide of the near post with two players in better positions, and ex-Liverpool keeper Padelli wonderfully denying a Suarez bicycle attempt with the last kick of the half.

Knowing Liverpool, going into the interval having failed to take those chances prompted fears of an equalizer, whether against the run of play or with Udinese taking control in the second half. As in the previous meeting – where Liverpool also led 1-0 at halftime – Guidolin made halftime changes, bringing on center-back Benatia for holding midfielder Pinzi, both players recently back from injury. But then change didn't have the dramatic effect present in the last meeting, and Udinese kept playing four at the back, shifting second striker Fabbrini out wide and using Danilo as the holding midfielder, more a 4-1-4-1 than the first half's 4-2-3-1.

For 25 minutes, Liverpool remained the better side. Suso missed an excellent chance, while Padelli made smart saves on Henderson and Suarez shots; no one could have guessed that an ex-Liverpool keeper would prove hard to beat.

But having failed to get that needed second, Liverpool spent the final 20 minutes retreating, trying to keep possession but with no threat, hoping to prevent yet another unfortunate concession. Even after an incredibly card-happy referee showed Pasquale a second yellow with 10 minutes to play, although the sending off unsurprisingly restrained Udinese's efforts at a comeback. Still, Liverpool were never safe and increasingly nervous, and a laughable move in injury time ended with Di Natale blazing narrowly over with the last kick of the game after easily getting behind Carragher.

But for all the complaints, there really aren't that many complaints. Liverpool's defense was outstanding – except until that final frightening moment – the highlight of the match despite Udinese's lack of threat. The away side also coped admirably with an early setback, with Şahin forced off after 10 minutes due to what looked like a broken nose, replaced by Shelvey and with Allen assuming Şahin's role as the deepest midfielder. The Welshman proceeded to make four tackles and six interceptions, completing 90 of his 96 passes, and committing just one foul – even if he picked up a yellow for it. After some worrying signs of fatigue over the last six weeks, he was back to his best today. At the same time, Henderson had his best match of the season, not just for his first goal since May, but also for his constant running and closing down in midfield. Liverpool attempted exactly 1350 passes over these two matches against Udinese (to Udinese's 585), and it's no coincidence that the midfield was Henderson-Shelvey-Allen in both matches.

Not counting the qualifying rounds, Liverpool had won just two away matches out of 11 in the Europa League since dropping down into this competition in 2010 – against Unirea Urziceni (a club that no longer exists) that season and against Young Boys three months ago – drawing four and losing five. Liverpool couldn't lose today no matter what, while Young Boys' result ensured that Liverpool couldn't draw either. Despite the presence of more senior players than we're used to in this competition, it was still something of an unfamiliar side; Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Enrique, Allen, and Suarez are usual starters, but Suso, Şahin, Carragher, Downing and Henderson aren't. The defense, midfield, and attack all had changes to what we're used to, but all did enough to secure the victory.

Despite the multiple disappointments in the group stage – specifically against this opposition and Young Boys at Anfield – despite using mostly second-string players in this competition, Liverpool actually top the group. You're not allowed to complain after that.

There is country protection in the next round, meaning Liverpool can't face Chelsea, Newcastle, or Tottenham (if they qualify), while topping the group should ensure Liverpool are seeded for the upcoming draw. Had you offered me that back in September, I'd have bitten your hand off.

Liverpool at Udinese 12.06.12

1:00pm ET, live in the US on FSC

Group Stage matches:
Liverpool: 2-2 BSC Young Boys (h); 0-1 Anzhi (a); 1-0 Anzhi (h); 2-3 Udinese (h); 5-3 BSC Young Boys (a)
Udinese: 0-2 Anzhi (a); 2-3 BSC Young Boys (a); 1-3 BSC Young Boys (h); 3-2 Liverpool (a); 1-1 Anzhi (h)

Previous rounds:
Liverpool: 1-1 Hearts (h), 1-0 Hearts (a); 3-0 Gomel (h), 1-0 Gomel (a)
Udinese: 1-1 Braga [4-5 pens] (h); 1-1 Braga (a) [CL Qualifier]

Last three matches:
Liverpool: 1-0 Southampton (h); 1-2 Spurs (a); 0-0 Swansea (a)
Udinese: 4-1 Cagliari (h); 0-3 Lazio (a); 0-2 Anzhi (a)

Goalscorers (Europa League):
Liverpool: Shelvey 4 Downing, Suarez 2; Borini, Coates, Cole, Gerrard, Johnson, Wisdom 1
Udinese: Di Natale 3; Coda, Fabbrini, Pasquale 1

Referee: Duarte Gomes (POR)

Gomes has actually done a Liverpool match before, the insipid 0-0 draw at Utrecht in this competition two years ago.

Guess at a line-up
Reina
Wisdom Coates Skrtel Enrique
Henderson Şahin
Shelvey
Suso Suarez Assaidi

Last round's loss means Liverpool have to play a much stronger line-up than Rodgers would prefer. And if they don't win or draw, equalling or bettering Young Boys' result at home against an already-qualified Anzhi, they'll be out of this competition.

At the least, Liverpool will have to qualify without Gerrard, Agger, or, Lucas. The latter two aren't a surprise – Lucas having just returned from a long injury, Agger's fitness perpetually needing to be managed – but Gerrard, despite his age and injury record, would probably feature if not for illness.

Henderson's started four of the five group matches. Şahin and Shelvey have started three of the five. Those three seem the likely midfield starters, but Allen could also replace one of the latter two. Similarly, Suso's played as an attacking midfielder in a couple of these matches, but three from Henderson, Allen, Şahin and Shelvey is more probable.

With Suarez suspended for Sunday's match at West Ham, he'll undoubtedly start tomorrow. And probably would have anyway had he not picked up his fifth yellow of the league campaign against Southampton. Similar to the midfield, Liverpool have been fairly consistent in the front three, with Assaidi and Downing the usual wide forwards in this competition. Except at Anzhi, when Liverpool played the strange, ineffective 3-5-1-1 system, and against Young Boys, with Downing at left back and Cole in his place. Those seem the primary options for the flanks tomorrow, with an outside chance for Suso or Shelvey – the former having played there earlier in the season and the latter doing well against Southampton. Simply put, I'd rather not see Downing, either at left-back or on the right flank, while odds are Joe Cole can't replicate his excellent performance against the Swiss. My preference is that one of Shelvey or Suso play as the attacking midfielder, the other on the flank opposite Assaidi. Either way, Sterling needs to be another of those rested, hopefully left on the bench for the duration.

This will probably be the match where Wisdom finally returns from injury. With the young right-back likely to feature, chances are Rodgers won't use another inexperienced defender on the opposite flank, even if Robinson should have received more appearances so far this season. Which would make it a choice between Enrique and Downing, with Johnson hopefully rested, at left back. Either Coates or Carragher will partner Skrtel, neither performing wondrously against Di Natale in the last meeting. I obviously hope it'll be the young Uruguayan, ideally improved by the presence of Martin Skrtel, but Carragher's often been preferred since Coates' unlikely start against Manchester City three months ago.

Udinese were on a seven-match winless streak, beginning on Halloween, until hammering Cagliari 4-1 at home on Sunday. That massive drop in form now sees them with the same number of points in the league after the same number of games as Liverpool, albeit in 9th in Serie A compared to Liverpool's current 11th place position.

The home side will undoubtedly play some variation of three at the back again, whether the 3-4-2-1 we saw in the first half of the last meeting, the more-usual 3-5-1-1 we saw in the second half, or an orthodox 3-5-2. No matter the fact that Udinese are already condemned to exiting this competition, they'll probably play a full-strength side, looking to find form after that long winless streak and looking to end their European participation on a high. If that's the case, the XI will be something like Brkic; Heurtaux, Danilo, Coda; Faraoni, Pereyra, Pinzi, Badu, Pasquale; Fabbrini; Di Natale.

Two of the three center-backs who played against Liverpool – Benetia and Domizzi – are injured, while Willians is suspended. Pinzi, who started in the last match (and probably should have been sent off), should return from an injury layoff.

I guess the question is: how badly does Liverpool want to stay in this competition?

The permutations are simple. Liverpool cannot lose no matter what Young Boys do against Anzhi; the Swiss side would top a three-team mini group with Udinese and Liverpool. Otherwise, Liverpool need to match Young Boys' result. The two matches, obviously, will be played at the same time, but you can be certain that someone in Liverpool's dugout will know what's going on in Bern.

Liverpool should have sealed progression in the last round, twice taking the lead against Young Boys no matter the understrength lineup, only to twice throw it away. Now it's backs against the wall, needing to start a stronger XI than we've seen in most group matches, against the opposition that's given Liverpool the most trouble in the group stage. Win and you're in. Lose and go home. Draw and you're reliant on Young Boys dropping points.

The Europa League is rarely a high priority. We saw that in Liverpool's form in the final two games of 2010-11, dire losses against Tottenham and Villa where it seemed the side did everything it could to not qualify for the competition. You saw it yesterday in Manchester City's tepid defeat in Dortmund, obviously preferring to put all its eggs in the league basket rather than drop down to the second-choice European competition for the second successive season.

But, for all the group stage struggles, the Europa League has been beneficial to this Liverpool side, whether in additional starts for the youngsters such as Shelvey, Suso, Henderson, et al, or appearances for Şahin, Downing, and Cole when they otherwise wouldn't have played in the league. No matter the lack of squad depth we've been screaming about since August (and earlier), Liverpool will want to keep accruing the benefits of being in this competition.

Liverpool 2-3 Udinese

Goals:
Shelvey 23'
Di Natale 46'
Coates og 70'
Pasquale 72'
Suarez 75'

Liverpool involved in another high-scoring shoot-out. Two group stage games, 13 combined goals. It has been unexpected to say the least.

But this one shouldn't have been a shoot-out. Liverpool were in control in the first half, exactly to Rodgers' template, and took a 1-0 lead midway through the half thanks to an excellent Shelvey header when he charged into the box to get on the end of Downing's cross, once again proving the importance of midfield runners. Sure, as always, Liverpool could have done with more goals, with better finishing, but Udinese were defending excellently even if they had no idea how to regain possession. To say that Liverpool were dominant would be an understatement bordering on criminality.

This one picture adequately recaps the first 45 minutes.



It took 15 minutes for Liverpool to settle, with Reina making excellent saves on Di Natale's blast and Benetia's header, but from there, it was the now-ubiquitous (and now-somewhat-tiresome) death by football. Henderson and Allen dominated the middle, Shelvey was a constant threat, Coates and Carragher closed off any potential counters, and even Downing contributed, evidenced by his first assist in some time. By the 45th minute, Udinese had forgotten what the ball looked like; Liverpool had 78% possession in the half despite those shaky opening 15 minutes.

Credit for the second half comeback goes to Guidolin's tactical changes, with a heavy dash of Liverpool being Liverpool and two outstanding finishes. Udinese replaced the wholly ineffective Armero with Lazzari, and the substitute was immediately involved in the equalizer, finished off brilliantly by Di Natale. Just 33 seconds into the half. Unfortunately, the move began with Glen Johnson, unable to control Udinese's hoofed long-ball, giving it directly to Lazzari, then passed quickly from the midfielder to Pereyra to Di Natale to Lazzari, moving into the space vacated by Johnson, centering straight back for the talismanic striker to wonderfully finish first-time.

The substitution changed Udinese's formation from 3-4-2-1 to 3-5-1-1, with Lazzari deeper than Armero and Pereyra roaming behind Di Natale. It rendered Liverpool's midfield unable to dominate as they had in the first 45 minutes, struggling to replicate the control they had in the first half. Lazzari, Pinzi, and Badu pressured Henderson and Allen, thoroughly cutting off the supply line forward.

After 65 minutes, Rodgers' response was to call in the cavalry, Suarez and Gerrard replacing Assaidi and Henderson. But rather than reinforce Liverpool, Udinese went up 3-1 within seven minutes.

The funny thing – if you have a sense of humor about these things – is that Liverpool should have gone 2-1 up just before the dam broke: Udinese half-cleared a Gerrard free-kick straight to Suarez, who rocketed a shot towards the far corner. But somehow, Shelvey blocked it on the goal line, a near-perfect replica of what happened to Norwich in Liverpool's last match, when Snodgrass kept Norwich from equalizing not long after the second-half restart.

Udinese stormed down the field, with Borini fouling Badu to stop the breakaway. And then Udinese made their set play count, again taking advantage of Liverpool's propensity for errors coupled with misfortunate as Coates headed into his own net when both Domizzi and Benatia found space between him and Carragher.

With Liverpool on tilt, Udinese added a third less than two minutes later. Robinson stopped one counter-attack after Gerrard lost possession, but the captain then lost it a second time, unsurprisingly pushing forward with reckless ambition. Badu's chipped ball over the top, Di Natale controlling around Carragher all too easily, sucking both Coates and Johnson into the center, then laying off for the on-rushing Pasquale, who hammered a sumptuous low drive past Reina. Yikes.

It's no wonder Rodgers' post-match quotes were so damning.

"It was a game where we were much the better side but lost our concentration at the beginning of the second half. I thought we'd moved on from that, to be honest. We had total control in the first half and were deservedly in the lead, but we were so loose at the beginning of the second half it was frightening. Our concentration was very poor and before we knew it we were 3-1 down. The last 20 minutes was very good but it's too late by then. I thought we were lazy. Lazy in our play, loose and sloppy."

Suarez's brilliance pulled one back not long after, a magisterial free kick from outside the box in the 75th – but Udinese's deep, well-organized defense weren't likely to allow another. Not that Liverpool didn't have chances. But Suarez headed straight at Brkic from Downing's deep cross then had a near-post effort saved, while Sterling had a dangerous shot blocked then curled a narrow-angled effort high and wide. Liverpool's final chance, through the surprisingly-not-terrible Downing, was hit directly at the keeper, an apt summation of his time at the club despite the promise intermittently demonstrated today.

75% possession. 20 shots to eight. 691 completed passed to Udinese's 173. 91% pass accuracy to Udinese's 72%. Joe Allen was Liverpool's top passer with 127 completed. Roberto Pereyra was Udinese's top passer with 22 completed. All 11 Liverpool starters, including the goalkeeper, completed more passes than Udinese's most prolific player. Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

What makes this so disappointing is that aside from the five minutes to start the second half and that five-minute stretch from the 69th-74th minute, Liverpool played how Rodgers wants Liverpool to play. Everyone impressed in the first half, less so in the second, but Coates and Jack Robinson were standouts despite conceding three goals, Allen controlled the game, Henderson was outstanding in the first half (although Udinese's changes rendered him far less effective), Shelvey scored a great goal because of a clever run into a box and an intelligent cross from Downing, and Suarez was a permanent threat after coming on the pitch.

But Liverpool lost, because Liverpool cannot stop conceding stupid, sloppy goals due to a lack of concentration, individual errors, and bad luck. Whether it's in the Premier League, the League Cup, or the Europa League, this simply has got to stop.

Liverpool v Udinese 10.04.12

3:05pm ET, live in the US on FSC

Group Stage matches:
Liverpool: 5-3 BSC Young Boys (a)
Udinese: 1-1 Anzhi (h)

Previous rounds:
Liverpool: 1-1 Hearts (h), 1-0 Hearts (a); 3-0 Gomel (h), 1-0 Gomel (a)
Udinese: 1-1 Braga [4-5 pens] (h); 1-1 Braga (a) [CL Qualifier]

Last three matches:
Liverpool: 5-2 Norwich (a); 2-1 West Brom (a); 1-2 United (h)
Udinese: 0-0 Genoa (h); 0-0 Torino (a); 2-1 Milan (a)

Goalscorers (Europa League):
Liverpool: Shelvey 2; Borini, Coates, Downing, Gerrard, Johnson, Suarez, Wisdom 1
Udinese: Di Natale 1

Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE)

Johannesson was also in charge of Liverpool's 3-1 away victory over Unirea Urziceni in this competition in 2009-10. I remember nothing, good or bad, about his performance that night. Which, actually, is probably a good thing. But all I really remember from that match was that Mascherano actually scored. It happened so infrequently. That and I've pretty much repressed all of that season. And the season after it. And the season after that. Sigh.

Guess at a line-up
Jones
Johnson Coates Carragher Robinson
Henderson Allen
Shelvey
Downing Borini Assaidi

Let's go with the Bib Theory. It sort of feels like cheating at this line-up guessing game, but I guess you've got to use all of the tools at your disposal.

The training pictures on the official site give us seven of the XI if the theory holds to form: Johnson, Coates, Carragher, Robinson, Henderson, Shelvey, and Borini. We can supplement the rest of the outfield players with Getty Images: Allen, Assaidi, and Downing. And it's probably safe to assume that Brad Jones will continue to start the cup matches, although I wouldn't mind a shock appearance for Peter Gulacsi, especially since starting the kids is in fashion.

So, does this line-up make sense?

That Johnson and Allen would start are slight surprises. Allen's started seven of Liverpool's 12 matches, including all six in the league and the second leg against Hearts. Johnson's started eight: the league matches and both legs against Gomel, with five of his eight starts at left back. Their inclusion would suggest Liverpool's taking this more seriously than the last few cup ties.

Wariness of overusing Şahin and Gerrard coupled with Lucas' injury leaves few other options in midfield, although it'd be a bit surprising if neither Suso nor Pacheco featured, even if Suso started in Saturday's match, considering their recent performances. With both Kelly and Flanagan injured and Wisdom having started the last two matches, Johnson almost has to play. Rodgers will be far more worried about overusing the 19-year-old than England's first choice right back, even considering his own past injury issues. Also, I'm curious to see Johnson play on the right. He usually makes Liverpool far better when deployed on that side, even if he's been increasingly impressive on the left in the last few matches.

Otherwise, that's pretty much the expected line-up. Borini, returning from injury, starting with the second choice wingers – although I'm sure most would prefer that Downing were lower on the food chain. Henderson and Shelvey are almost guaranteed to play, especially because the latter's suspended for one more league match. Carragher and Coates will be the preferred pairing in most cup matches, domestic and European, while it seems Enrique's never-ending knee knock will (thankfully) allow Robinson another start.

This RAWK post and Neil Jones' match preview for the Liverpool Echo are excellent reads about Udinese. The Italian club are renowned for two things. One, buying lots and lots of players on the cheap and selling a handful of them for astronomical prices, which funds the next round of scattershot signings. It's been a successful system, one that more than a few clubs are trying to emulate. Two, Udinese are one of the few sides to still regularly deploy a 3-5-2 formation.

Udinese's traveling squad is Brkic, Padelli, Pawlowski; Armero, Benatia, Berra, Coda, Danilo, Domizzi, Heurtaux, Pasquale; Badu, Faraoni, Lazzari, Pereyra, Pinzi, Willians; Fabbrini, Di Natale, Ranegie.

Its lineup against Anzhi was Padelli; Benatia, Danilo, Domizzi; Faraoni, Agyemang-Badu, Willans, Lazzari, Armero; Pereyra; Ranegie. Its lineup in the last match, against Genoa, was Brkic; Benatia, Danilo, Coda; Faraoni, Pereyra, Pinzo, Lazzari, Pasquale; Fabbrini, Ranegie. My assumption – and I reiterate that it is an assumption – is you can somewhat split the difference, although Udinese will probably start more regulars than in the last Europa League match. The Football Italia article listing Udinese's traveling squad mentions the bust-up Di Natale had last week, which led to him being left out of the 0-0 draw against Genoa, but if he's included in the squad, he'll probably be included in the line-up. Much to Liverpool's chagrin. Along with Di Natale, Colombian Pablo Armero will be one of the biggest threats if he starts, the most-recent starring wide player on Udinese's conveyor belt. Finally, I hope we'll see Udinese's reserve keeper, Daniele Padelli, who spent the 2006-07 season on loan at Liverpool, if only for nostalgic reasons. I've no idea how he's been getting on since leaving Liverpool five years ago, but he didn't cover himself in the glory in the one match he started while on Merseyside. Still, don't bet against him being the 107th ex-Liverpool keeper to star against his former club.

It'll be interesting to see how Liverpool matches up against the 3-5-2 formation. It'd be a standard three vs three in central midfield; the crucial areas will be Liverpool's full-backs against Udinese's wing-backs/wingers. Both Johnson and Robinson would need to get forward to good effect to pin back Udinese's wide players, especially if Armero starts. Which is another good reason for Johnson's inclusion. The full-backs getting forward would also make it three vs three in Udinese's final third: the three center-backs against Liverpool's three forwards, especially since Downing and Assaidi would both be likely to cut inside. Otherwise, Udinese will be able to double- and triple-team Fabio Borini, leading to a long, isolated night for the Italian. It'll also be crucial that all three forwards are involved in pressing the opposition. I'm looking at you, Stewart. Otherwise, Udinese will be able to bring the ball out of defense fairly easily – there would always be a free man for a defender to pass to if all three aren't pressing in concerted fashion. It's safe to assume Shelvey will be involved in this as well, hopefully learning the important lesson of staying on his feet. At the other end of the pitch, Carra and Coates will have to be clever in marking Udinese's forwards, one of whom frequently drops deep – often more a 3-5-1-1 than an orthodox 3-5-2 – requiring Allen to lend a hand (if he's the deepest midfielder). Which could leave Liverpool vulnerable to midfield runners into the box.

Liverpool began the group stage on the right note two weeks ago, despite the repeated defensive frailties we've become worryingly accustomed to. Regardless of how they're earned, away wins are a bonus in this competition; it's the home matches where Liverpool needs to take maximum points in order to advance to the next round. And Udinese, along with Anzhi and regardless of who starts, will be a far tougher opponent than Young Boys were.