Same old story as Reds held

So much for the glorious homecoming. Dirk Kuyt returned to his old stomping ground last night but it was the return of familiar failings which wrote Liverpool's headlines.

So much for the glorious homecoming. Dirk Kuyt returned to his old stomping ground last night but it was the return of familiar failings which wrote Liverpool's headlines.

While it should be stressed that drawing 0-0 away from home in Europe can never be described as a bad result, it was difficult not to feel disappointed with Liverpool as they laboured to a goalless draw with FC Utrecht.

The locals expected big things of a Liverpool side that, with the exception of Steven Gerrard, was at full strength but, ultimately, they left disappointed as, not for the first time this season, Roy Hodgson's men looked devoid of attacking ideas.

This was billed as Utrecht's biggest footballing night since the visit of Real Madrid in 1991 and the home supporters gathered in the hope of seeing a goal blitz similar to the one which blew Celtic away in the play-off game last month.

The reality, though, was completely different. Moments of genuine excitement produced by either side were few and far between in an encounter that could be summed up quite comfortably in one, simple word - tepid.

Liverpool struggled to impose themselves and rarely did you get the impression they were capable of crafting an eviscerating move, even though Joe Cole, Raul Meireles and Fernando Torres were on the pitch.

For those Reds who made the short hop across the North Sea, it made for uncomfortable viewing. Torres' body language betrayed him but that was hardly surprising as he was being asked to win headers close to halfway or scamper after balls pumped towards the corner flag.

Everyone knows the key to getting the best out of Torres revolves around getting him on the shoulder of the final man, a position that induces panic in the opposition ranks.

Cole and Meireles are footballers capable of threading those type of passes but they were out on the flanks, while Christian Poulsen and Lucas were assigned to keeping the barriers battened down in the middle. Sadly it meant the situation for Liverpool was all of a muddle.

Aside from that, there were other brow- furrowing aspects most notably the lack of form being displayed by Glen Johnson - the tone for his evening was set in the opening seconds with a robust touch that went out of play.

Compared to the way he kicked off his Liverpool career 12 months ago with a flurry of assists and a couple of goals, the way he has started this campaign has been hugely disappointing - too often he has found himself out of position or careless in possession.

In times such as these, you look towards the players who have cost big transfer fees to shine but Johnson isn't producing - similar to the team as a whole, that needs to be rectified as a matter of urgency.

Liverpool, in recent years, were comfortable travellers around Europe and you could usually back them with confidence to make short work of the opposition when facing sides of Utrecht's ability but the first hour here was anything but straightforward.

With Utrecht keeper Michel Vorm significantly underemployed, the home team were able to do all the pressing and, before the break, Dries Mertens - who had a shot saved by Pepe Reina - and Tim Cornelisse both squandered chances to open the scoring.

You might have anticipated Liverpool making a more vigorous start to the second period but, similarly to the games against Northampton and Sunderland in the past week, they found themselves penned in.

Reina showed great presence of mind to thwart Ricky van Wolfswinkel on 58 minutes but he was thankful to Meireles shortly after for tracking back to knock a Michael Silberbauer header off the line.

Despite playing in an unfamiliar role, Meireles was quietly impressive, using the ball sensibly and showing encouraging energy, trying his best to inspire something.

That, belatedly, jolted Liverpool into life and Reina - as is his way - produced a remarkable clearance to launch an attack, propelling the ball 80 yards into Kuyt's feet, who in turn set up Torres, who had the goal at his mercy.

Normally, the mortgage would have been invested on him finishing the job yet Vorm was more than equal to the task, as he diverted Torres' shot around the post - bizarrely six match officials failed to spot that Liverpool should have had a corner.

Having earlier blazed a volley high into the stands from a central position, it was perhaps a sign that his confidence is not what it should be; then again, there are a number of his team-mates of whom you may say the same.

Still, it must be acknowledged that all was not lost here; a draw keeps Liverpool top of Group K with four points and should they take a similar tally from their double header with Napoli, they will effectively be in the knockout stages.

Waiting for them to click into gear, however, is proving to be torturous and it was worth listening to the views of Utrecht's players and the Dutch media shortly after the final whistle.

Had Utrecht shown a bit more adventure, they pointed out, the game was there to be won and that was something they never expected; it suggests Liverpool need to rediscover an aggressive streak - and start living up to their reputation from the past.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.