Liverpool victory must not gloss over widespread problems

 Subscribe in a reader

In the context of their early season form, Liverpool’s victory against Bolton at the weekend was priceless. The Reebok Stadium is never an easy place to visit and come away with a win and Reds fans can be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief when Maxi Rodriguez toe-poked the ball over the line to secure the points.

However, Liverpool’s victory should not gloss over the serious problems which clearly remain at Anfield, not least because the football odds suggested it was a game they should be winning easily.

Meanwhile, Joe Cole remains a shadow of the player who, on occasion, excelled at Chelsea and promised so much on his arrival at Liverpool. The hamstring injury which forced the midfielder off the pitch against Bolton put an end to a performance that was littered with wayward passes, wild thrashes at goal, and, most alarmingly of all, the absence of the sort of creativity that made Chelsea fans fall in love with him during the Mourinho era.

Meanwhile, Fernando Torres continued to look like a man just content to hang around on the pitch until he can secure a move elsewhere. Surely there are only so many times that Torres’s team-mates and manager can defend the player’s attitude when he sulks around the pitch for 90 minutes?

Liverpool fans may wish to point to the fact that Torres’s deft flick set up the winner for Rodriguez, but that one piece of play stood out like a sore thumb when compared to the rest of his game, showing the dramatic fall from grace the Spaniard has endured.

A couple of seasons ago, such a touch from the striker wouldn’t have been highlighted to such an extent as it would, in all likelihood, have been preceded by other moments of brilliance.

The manner in which Roy Hodgson utilises Steven Gerrard is another problem, and doubts also remain over the ability of the manager to rise to the occasion of managing such a giant of European football.

The immediate crisis may be over for Liverpool, with the club’s league position looking far more favourable, but unless the deeper problems within the club are solved in the near future, the relegation zone could once again become a familiar haunt for the Anfield outfit.

For their part, the Bolton betting seems to suggest the side will not face a relegation battle this season.

They have got off to a good start under Owen Coyle and could even challenge for a European spot.