It's times like this when it's very difficult being the Liverpool Correspondant. I was very excited for this match as we had to wait 8 days since we were so unlucky at Stoke so even though the game started at 530 am on a Sunday I was chomping at the bit and couldn't sleep.

My excitement lasted about 5 minutes as I could see we were not really at the races. We had to many players on the field who didn't look sharp right from the start, Skrtel, Adam, Henderson and Carroll did not look comfortable and Spurs quickly got a hold off the match. After Modric scored with a fantastic hit Spurs were threatening more but finally around the 20 minute mark or so we were getting more into the game. Our passing was better and our desire to get on the end of second balls was better. If Carroll had a better touch he would have scored but the ball hit his legs and fell to the offside Suarez who did put the ball in the net. Of course then the man in the middle had already made is mark in the match by booking Adam for a nothing tackle earlier on. When Adam committed another foul the man in the middle didn't waste anytime to send him off. At that point we were in trouble and the best we could do was hope for a draw.

At that point, had I been in charge I would have taken off Carroll and put on Kuyt on the right and gone with a 4 4 1, with Suarez as the lone striker. I think Kenny made a mistake but perhaps his hand was forced not to make that change as Agger had already gone off for the otherwise impressive Coates. Carroll was playing right side of mid field, left side of mid-field and was frankly awful at every position he went to. Of course I want to give the big man a chance and I do hope he comes good but he was awful Sunday. Once Srktel got sent off after he barely touched Bale, who went down like he had been shot, the ref was only to eager to book him and end the contest. Spurs were playing well by that point with their strikers running off the ball well and Parker/Modric running the show in the middle. Bale was also in fine form and I was impressed with spurs right back as well. Some of the spurs challenges were going un-punished as Bale's foul on Reina at the end was surely a yellow card. Perhaps the video cameras might have a look at Suarez's arm on Parker but if so they need to look at Parker's kick out on Lucas, which was surely a red card. I just don't' understand how they can assign us the beach ball ref.

I'm not sure if we would have been able to compete with Spurs yesterday given their impressive start but I would like to have an opportunity to find out. I didn't think their was a bad tackle in the match and a good ref probably could have got away with a just a few yellow cards after some talking to but he isn't a good ref.

Liverpool have problems of their own. For example, I don't know what the answer is at right back with Kelly and Johnson so injury prone. I'm not sure what Henderson's best posiiton is. I think that Adam is to slow and a bit lazy to play in a 4 4 2. Along with Carroll who seems to have zero ability to fit in to our style. Our squad is better, the attitude is better but finding the right mix is going to be the key. Personally I would think about getting Dirk back on the right and leave downing on the left with Lucas in the middle, the other two parts of the midfield/forward line should be shared between a fit Gerrard, Adam, Henderson, Bells and Carroll, with Bells giving Dirk a break on the right. Whatever the outcome we must put our trust in the Kenny and the management and remember it's still early days yet