Liverpool comfortably defeated Steaua Bucharest despite resting their three most important players, namely, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fernando Torres. The final score was 4-1, thanks to a David N’Gog double, a Lucas Levia wonder strike and Joe Cole’s first goal for Liverpool. Liverpool started the match relatively slowly and in fact went into the dressing room at half time drawing 1-1 with Steaua, who were deserving of the equal status. In the second half, however, it was a completely different ball game. Liverpool appeared fresher and consequently they dominated the remainder of the game.
One of N’Gog’s goals might have been a penalty but his performance definitely deserved at least two goals. As the Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson commented after the match, David N’Gog was more immense with each passing minute. The confidence was evidently developing inside him, somewhat overtly, and he became a constant threat. With a couple of more performances like this, and if Fernando Torres maintains his dismal form, Liverpool might start looking to David N’Gog for their goals. The young Frenchman, signed from PSG by Rafael Benitez for a nominal feee, has not always appeared comfortable in the Premiership or even suited to Liverpool. He did once score a relatively important goal against Manchester United but his progress has been steady, at the least. The steady progress is starting to reap rewards this season. He has now managed to score 6 goals in his last 7 games, a healthy record by any strikers standards.
Considering he can shoot with both feet, is a threat in the air, appears calm and composed, and has pace and strength to burn, there appears little reason why David N’Gog should not become one of the better strikers in the game but football is never as easy as connecting the dotted lines. David N’Gog has not always had the opportunity to display what he is capable of and when hehas been provided with the chance it has often been in testing circumstances that almost any young striker would struggle in. More pertinently, as the substitute for Fernando Torres, he is almost always set to look like a cheap replacement. Standing in for one of the top 5 strikers in the world is never going to be easy, even if you are one of the obviosuly more talented young strikers in the game.
All things considered N’Gog will be delighted with how his season has started, he would never have imagined to have scored 6 goals by the middle of September, and the Liverpool fans will be pleased that the team finally managed a convincing win, the first under the Roy Hodgson reign.