Friday felt like a rally cry, with Rafa Benitez uncharacteristically laying into Alex Ferguson, the manager who had the nerve to send him a letter discussing tactics after his Istanbul night back in 2005. 

Benitez was prepared for a small question and he put out a whole foolscap, stating fact after fact. He must have been pondering the issue for some time and with his side sitting on top of the league, he felt that it was the apt time to deliver his attack. 

The media was divided about it; the Liverpool fans, myself included, loved it unanimously. He has given good quotes in his five years at the club, but this was not a good quote, this was Shanklyism. 

Yesterday though, as he returned to the VIP area, rather than the dugout, his tactics and approach to the game reminded more of the last couple of years of Gerard Houllier rather than of the great man.

The game plan at the beginning looked similar to the one started against Newcastle at St James' Park a mere two weeks ago, a game plan that produced a 5-1 victory.  The big difference at the Britannia Ground was that Stoke did not let Liverpool play the way Newcastle did. 

In the first 45 minutes back on Tyneside, Newcastle committed only two fouls. This was not a case with Stoke acting like dogs of war, but their muscle proved to be much sterner and left Liverpool unable to wriggle themselves through. 

The frozen conditions seemed to have a serious effect on Liverpool’s South American midfield as both Lucas Leiva and Javier Mascherano looked sterile. The former looked to revert to type after a couple of encouraging performances, looking too pedestrian, always choosing the easy option, passing to the closest teammate and many times being late in the tackle.

The lateral personnel were equally ineffective, unable to stretch the Stoke back four, or better their back ten, both ending up being substituted.  Operating in the right-back position, Jamie Carragher looked to be pushing forward trying to give a hand to Yossi Benayoun but at times he was essentially a centre-back operating on the flank out of necessity rather than imagination. 

Fabio Aurelio looked rather stiff, and there was no marauding of the flank at all. It might be a harsh indictment but the rookie Emiliano Insua has actually been missed. 

Steven Gerrard had a quiet game by his standards, at times struggling to really get hold of the game as he has ravishingly done so many times. Rather than having an off day, it was more his positioning, just behind Dirk Kuyt that seemed to impede him. 

Still, he was the main inspiration, and came agonisingly close to scoring twice in the second 45 minutes. Both times, the frame of the goal shunned him, first after a direct free-kick won ably by Ryan Babel and not in a position too dissimilar from where he 'scored. at Anfield against Stoke only for it to be disallowed. 

The second time, in the very dying minutes, a great lay off by Fernando Torres saw him connect while closely watched and beat the keeper but not the bar once again.

It might feel like a tale of hard luck, but the feeling is more of dejection than anything else.  The rally cry has not been matched but this was not even a lost battle, rather an unsatisfactory one with admittedly a couple of fatalities that in football terms mean two points dropped.