The goal was comic. One Stoke attacker just pounding away from the edge of the six. One, two, three tries. Finally punching him the first goal with his toe. You’re left with a feeling of “How did that happen?” How did one plays get so many cracks at it before one of the six surrounding defenders could so something?
Stoke City 1-0 Liverpool: Ricardo Fuller Goal Begs The Question - What Is Paul Konchesky Good For?
That's the underlying question behind Ricardo Fuller's 56th minute goal, and although the tally culminated a period of Stoke pressure, Liverpool defense should have done better. It's one thing to let Dean Whitehead put a ball from the left across goal. It's another thing to have five defenders and a goalkeeper stand around the six yard box just hoping the ball will hit them.
In fairness to Paul Konchesky, that's not exactly what happened. Instead, the Liverpool left back failed to fail with the initial ball in (even though the pass was nothing remarkable). When his poor touch went two feet to Ricardo Fuller, Konchesky was left lost, unable to track the ball. When he turned toward goal, Fuller's shot hit him in the behind. When he responded and turned, the ball hit him again. When he still failed to find the ball, Fuller poked the ball into the net. All the while, Konchesky's teammates stared as Stoke City took the lead.
While the question is rude, it needs to be asked: What is Paul Konchesky good for? We’re perfectly aware of what he’s adequate for, but what does he do well? Because he lacks whatever skill was needed to deal with Stoke’s chance.
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