Liverpool FC Forum

[JC_81]

Now the dust has settled after the Sao Paolo game, how much will it have taken out of our players physically, and more importantly, mentally?  Despite the divided opinion of us fans on whether the tournament was worth anything, I believe the players really wanted to do it, both for the club as we have never won it, and Rafa because of what a bad week he had personally.  Lump on top of that the fact we finally conceded a goal, the defence must have been feeling invincible recently, how will that affect their heads?

I said a while ago that the measure of how much we had improved wouldn't be by how many games we went without losing, it would be measured by how we reacted when someone finally beat us.  Now that that's happened I really do feel that the next game is absolutely crucial, and with an away derby game to shortly follow I believe that the next week of premiership football could be the most important in our season.  Owen's return to Anfield shortly followed by a game against a severely bitter David Moyes' Everton will be a very tough week.

Having given up ground on Man U and Chelsea (albeit because they've played more games) we could really do with maximum points from these games.  This thread isn't to discuss tactics/lineups for these games (that'll be taken care of by the now predictable 'OFFICIAL THREADS'), but more to discuss the importance of this coming week and how people think we'll respond after the Japan trip.

[stmichael]

good post john. i agree that the next couple of weeks is going to be an acid test of just how far we have come. 4 games in 8 days tells it's own story, including a trip to goodison (when form goes out the window) and a trip to bolton who are flying at the moment.

like you say, it will be interesting to see how we react from the defeat but if i'm honest i think we'll bounce back and start picking up points again. considering the way we played for the majority of the game yesterday i don't think confidence should be shot to pieces, although it did reaffirm to me that we are still lacking options in the striker department. i've argued till the cows come home with people on here about the decision not to bring owen back. whilst it wouldn't have made financial sense to buy him back for double what we sold him for, it would hardly be a waste of money if he did the business and banged in 20-25 goals.

the players look much more relaxed than they ever did in the past. under houllier, if we lost a very important game we tended to follow it up with a disatrous run (as happened after losing at boro in 2002/2003). however i just don't see that happening this season. i fully believe that we are a better team than arsenal and manchester united this season and i'd hope to see us get back on the rails against newcastle.

[JC_81]

Have to agree St Mick that unlike during the Houllier era where as you said a bad result would inevitably be followed by a string of similar performances, I also can't see it happening this time.  I'd like to think we have a bit more mental toughness about ourselves this season as shown by our improved performances and results away from home.

Newcastle at home is probably the game that worries me least out of all the games over the xmas period for us, but I still think it's the most important one to win.  A bad result there and suddenly a blip against Sao Paolo turns into a bad spell and then a tough away game to Everton to come.

People will worry about Owen coming back to haunt us, personally it doesn't bother me.  Despite his recent hattrick where his finishing was outstanding, I can't see his newcastle team carving out too many chances against us at Anfield.  Benitez shouldn't have too many problems out-thinking Souness in the tactical department hopefully.

As for our own striking department, we certainly could do with another option up front.  If Benitez is so against picking Cisse then we really do need to bring in another forward with some pace.

[bigmick]

Good post John and you are spot on about the next few games. Win a couple and draw the other two would be a decent return in my view, confirming our progress. Win three and draw one would have us all getting quite excited, while a maximum points return would have us all dreaming about catching Chelsea. Rafa has given the lads every chance by resting a few for the final of that thing in Japan so hopefully we can pick up where we left off.
Personally I have never felt that catching Chelsea was realistic, preferring to take the view that gatecrashing the top three was the real goal. Yesterdays result at Highbury reaffirms my view that Chelsea are currently too strong to realistically expect the rest of the Premiership to take many points off them. It did however make me feel that we are a better team than Arsenal, who are missing Vierra more than they imagined it seems to me.
We have a chance here to do something in my view. Already we are the team that Chelsea least enjoy playing i would think, and if we can press on now and sign a couple of good players in January/at the end of the season then we just might be able to do football a favour and put one over on them next season. These next couple of weeks though are vital.

[dawson99]

the good thing we have with our last result is that we did not play badly. Usually coming back from a defeat is harder when you have played badly as you know you have to get back to a certain level again. We have 7 days to mentally prepare and im hoping that we will win with some style on monday.

Its not the easiest match to come back to but rafa can prepare better than most and our bouncebackability will prevail

[Sabre]

I said a while ago that the measure of how much we had improved wouldn't be by how many games we went without losing, it would be measured by how we reacted when someone finally beat us.  Now that that's happened I really do feel that the next game is absolutely crucial, and with an away derby game to shortly follow I believe that the next week of premiership football could be the most important in our season.

Thank you for your post, I was looking forward some proper Liverpool chatting.

I think that we should not put more pressure over ourselves when it's not necessary. Losing a game from time to time, is part of football, that's why the bookers have a business in all this. It happens. Having a great winning row, is not meant to say oh my god we've lost a game, what now!, but to say "well, this happens, nice it doesn't happen to us often, and we have some ease to win games".

My point is, that this should not be major mind problem for Rafa or the lads. I think Rafa's family has more worried poor Rafa than this. I think that just the same way we have moved on with ease (this wasn't the CL final, otherwise we'd be depressed) the lads will do the same.

The only aspect that concerns me is our full agenda, that is combined with a not that deep squad. Hope some signings up are done in winter.

I know, perhaps I'm too optimistic.

[JC_81]

I agree with what you're saying about unnecessarily putting pressure on ourselves Sabre.  Although while we, as fans, can sit and look at the 4 xmas games and say 'we should win this one, and a draw here isn't bad' etc, there is no way that I think this is the way Benitez and the players will be looking at things.

They are professionals and will be taking one game at a time, preparing for each one individually, rather than saying, 'right we need at least 10 points from these 4 games'.  I don't think they will be putting any extra pressure on themselves just because we lost against Sao Paolo.

And as Dawson says, hopefully it will be easier to prepare for the next game coming off the back of a defeat where we played well, rather than one where we were soundly beaten.

[redmist]

I d love it if we won a scrappy 1-0 against Newcastle. Sounds obvious i know, but in doing this i reckon it would bring us back into prem league footie and get the mental attitude back of knowing that you have to scrap for every point. Therefore putting us straight back into the mindset we had before Japan, and hopefully carrying on from where we left of.

Mind you a 3-0 would nt be bad either! then stuff the bluenoses and away we go.



"Jesus, my own brother a god damn bloodsuckin vampire. You wait till mom finds out."  Corey Haim

[stmichael]

newcastle at home is an ideal game to have next if you ask me. only chelsea have managed to score, let alone win at anfield in the league this season. i also feel that newcastle are a disaster waiting to happen at the back and we should be able to fully exploit this.

as for owen's return, i hope he gets the reception he fully deserves before the game but once the game starts i think he'll be feeding off scraps.

the hardest game we'll have during this period is undoubtedly bolton away.

[Leonmc0708]

Wow, a thread with sensible adult in depth and intresting discussion, please God it stays this way.

I could not agree more about the effect of the defeat, but I just think it is testament to how far we have come under Rafa that we are talking about how to react after losing one game in twelve, and not how to turn around a dissapointing run.

The lads have plenty of time to recover, a week, and they will be even more focused on what has to be done.

We play Newcastle, which at home we should prevail, Everton at goodison, who we should beat on current form, an easy looking end of year task at home to Robo's Baggies before Bolton away which is a toughie anytime (just ask Sander Westerveld). I would settle for 8 points out of the possible twelve, but hoping for 10 in all honesty.

[MilitiaRusher]

I reckon a bounceback is well on the cards and that we will collect a satisfactory amount of points during this Christmas period as we have Rafa at the realm, everything is possible, regardless of whether we're playing West Brom at Home or Chelsea away. Our gameplay has been more like Arsenal-esque of 2 years ago and we can finally manage to string a series of wins together. Squad rotation has been minimized to a great effect while a regular starting eleven is beginning to take place. We are conceding a extraordinary low number of goals and this can only be a positive sign. And with additional recruitments coming in soon, things are looking very good. I can only see this unbeaten run extending, although chasing Chelsea might still be too far of a call.

[115-1073096938]

The first post you've ever made without posting "your team" for such and such a match. Well done.

[jonnymac1979]

Michael Owen will be bang up for this one, and I think Hyypia and particularly Carragher will know his game inside out enough to be able to cope well enough with him.  Of course, we all know that where Michael Owen is concerned, this means nothing, as he can score goals in his sleep, given the smallest opportunity.

I just hope that Alan Shearer doesn't start throwing those elbows of his about though and injures one of our central pairing as we all know the cover comes from Josemi and Traore at the moment at least until the transfer window.  Could do with having a decent referee who isn't intimidated by Shearer.

I was at the Newcastle game last season where we came from 1 - 0 down to a clearly offside Kluivert goal to win 3 - 1.  Their defence was woeful that day.  It still is in my point of view.

I've no reason to believe with the setback we suffered the other day in Japan though why we can't win this game.  I have read a few books over the last couple of months on Liverpool some of which focus on Benitez and his methods.  What I think he will do is recuperate the players to the point where they will have forgotten all about the Sao Paulo game and wlil be 100% focussed on beating Newcastle.  Once the game has gone, it has gone.

My case in point is the fact that you hardly ever hear Benitez even mention publicly that he is a bona fide European Champion.  For him what happened in May has gone.  He's moved on.  Why would he make a point of allowing his team to think about a game we lost, when in all likelihood, he's probably not allowing them to think they can rest on their laurels just because we are Champions Of Europe?  He'll have them thinking about this years competition, how can we win this?  Just like the old days, look towards the next goal to achieve.......

We'll be up for this next little test no problem.

[Ace Ventura]

Despite Newcastle's decent win at Upton Park i am also pretty confident that this game is perfect for us.
We have almost a week to get over the Japan trip and hopefully no injury problems.
Newcastle were supposedly pretty fortunate to win against West Ham and on the day just took there chances, and i dont think they should create the same oppurtunities against ourselves.
I hope we get back to the 4-4-2 though as there defence will struggle no doubt.
Onto the blues and i see no reason why we cant win....other than the fact that its a derby and the blues can raise there game against the big sides, but i think we have players who can compete and then good enough players to hit them on the break.
West Brom at home is as close to a banker as you will get all season imo....they are not in the relegation zone so not yet fighting for there lives and i see nothing but a comfortable win.

As everyone else has said Bolton away will be really tough, i would be very happy with a point there.

[The Red Baron]

This was one of my main concerns about the trip to Japan.I dont have those concerns anymore.Granted the team will be tired,but we now have a squad of players who are singing from the same hymn book.The backroom staff have worked miracles,and the players have responded brilliantly.Yesterdays defeat may yet work in our favour,the players expierienced defeat for the first time in a long time,
and didnt like it.Ibelieve they will come back all the stronger for the expirience.