Liverpool FC Forum

[Owzat]

Kuyt more likely to get a goal eh, guess that shows how bad Pennant really is! Pennant gave away a needless free kick but it was our rubbish defending from the set piece that cost us.  We conceded an equally bad goal in the CL game at the Emirates.

We're bad from set pieces, conclusion - don't concede any you don't have to.

[RedBlood]

having watched the game about 3 times now (spanish teledeportes seems to repeat it every 3 or 4 hours!) i don't quite get the venom aimed at pennant after the arsenal game. ok, he needlessly gave away the free for their equaliser and his crossing wasn't brilliant - but he seemed to be working fairly hard and make a few decent runs and passes. as i say, not breathtaking but not rubbish.

maybe the absence of kuyt demanded that pennant received the bile that's normally his.

totally agree mate he wasnt great but by no means was he poor, like you said kuyt wasnt playing so somebody had to get the stick
pennant is a good player to  have as back-up imo but not a first choice

[Owzat]

I use the same yardstick to measure players like Pennant as I do any Liverpool player, and that is are they doing a top job and are they good enough for Liverpool. Pennant can be good, he can be bad, but there's no way we are going to win titles with players of his standard. The squad is full of sub-standard players, most of the arguments on here are so comical because people insist on comparing two players who aren't good enough - be it Crouch vs Kuyt, Crouch vs Voronin, Voronin vs Kuyt, Pennant vs Kuyt, Pennant vs .................. Like Crouch, Pennant's record speaks volumes and the odd goal or good performance isn't what these players should be judged on. Talk about kneejerk reaction, most of it on here is wishful thinking.

[stmichael]

Thought he was excellent on Saturday.

I have to say that although he gets a lot of stick his attitude has been exemplary. He's still one of only a few players we have who can actually beat a man, and despite what a lot of people say I think his ability to pick people out from wide areas is excellent at times.

The lack of goals is a huge negative though, but I think that could be improved with the right kind of coaching and man management. It's not like he's a bad finisher, it's more that he hardly ever tries to shoot. So if Rafa could get in his ear and keep telling him to be more positive and to try to score, I think we could ssee that side of things improve. As it is, I get the impression Pennant is happy to be the provider and as long as he's doing that he's satisfied. He needs to become more selfish and also needs to get in the box more when the ball is on the other flank.

Whether Rafa can be bothered doing that, or whether he'd prefer to just cash in, we'll find out this summer I suppose. I hope he stays, but I can understand why people think he should be sold.

[andy_g]

there's not question that he has talent. the issue with him, as it has always been, has been his attitude. when he knows he needs to put in a good performance he generally does but as soon as he feels he can slip back into the comfort zone he will. i think this is also related to his common reluctance to get into goal scoring positions and have a pop - like you say, st mick, if he feels he's being the provider he's satisfied. the thing is though that he should never be satisfied he should be pushing to better himself all the time and not have his attitude that he should be in the first team or the national squad by right.

i think he's a good player and when he's on one he's a fantastic option. but if after all the time he's been here he can't respond to the coaching i imagine he's getting then it may be time to sell him to someone else. if he goes to another, lower team though i expect him to give liverpool a thorough slagging in the press.

[Owzat]

Perhaps he simply doesn't know what to do and when to do it, his positioning (or lack of) resulting in a lack of goals. Ironically his spells of recent form coincide with Torres being rested. I'm still unconvinced he is consistent enough in beating defenders and crossing with accuracy, an absolute must given his scoring record. At the moment Kuyt is winning the battle for the position all hands down, working hard, tracking back, winning the ball back, just as able to cross and seems able to get past defenders or win a throw. And he has the knack of scoring that won't ever leave him, maybe he won't be prolific but he's shown in the 1st leg 1-1s, in this round and the last, that he can score key goals. With no goals coming from Alonso or Mascherano, that leaves a lot of pressure on Babel, Gerrard and Torres (and Sami!) if the RM isn't scoring either.

Perhaps that is the key difference between us and the mancs, any of their players can score and a lot of our's simply don't.

[Redman in wales]

I wouldn't  replace kuyt at the moment. One of the stand-out players from last Tuesday, who's tackling and harrying initially set up the goal that he scored.

I would however like to see kuyt on the left, pennant on the right, which chelsea would not expect and it would give them something else to think about. Pennants got the better of cole a few times, and would relish the chance to do it again. - If he's not up to it, then bring on babel.


Also I feel that the start of the game might not be suited for babel anyway. They are gonna play very tight at the back, not much space for him to use his pace, and he loses posession a lot more. I think babel is much better as a 60minutes sub, so I'd like to see pennant on the right for the chelsea game, with kuyt moving over to the left.

[puroresu]

isn't it amazing.  A player had one decent game v Birmingham and suddenly its all good.  How many performances like that has pennant put in?  We need better players than pennant in the long-term.

[stmichael]

I wouldn't  replace kuyt at the moment. One of the stand-out players from last Tuesday, who's tackling and harrying initially set up the goal that he scored.

I would however like to see kuyt on the left, pennant on the right, which chelsea would not expect and it would give them something else to think about. Pennants got the better of cole a few times, and would relish the chance to do it again. - If he's not up to it, then bring on babel.


Also I feel that the start of the game might not be suited for babel anyway. They are gonna play very tight at the back, not much space for him to use his pace, and he loses posession a lot more. I think babel is much better as a 60minutes sub, so I'd like to see pennant on the right for the chelsea game, with kuyt moving over to the left.

It has to be said that Pennant has run rings round Ashley Cole twice in the last year or so. He always gives him problems, even more so than Ronaldo when he plays against him. The problem is though, as you have said, Dirk is playing so well in that role I'd be reluctant to change it.

As for the option of playing either Dirk or Pennant on the left, I'd be tempted to do as I'd like Babel on the bench in case we need him as an impact player like he was against Arsenal at home.

[Bad Bob]

I wouldn't  replace kuyt at the moment. One of the stand-out players from last Tuesday, who's tackling and harrying initially set up the goal that he scored.

I would however like to see kuyt on the left, pennant on the right, which chelsea would not expect and it would give them something else to think about. Pennants got the better of cole a few times, and would relish the chance to do it again. - If he's not up to it, then bring on babel.


Also I feel that the start of the game might not be suited for babel anyway. They are gonna play very tight at the back, not much space for him to use his pace, and he loses posession a lot more. I think babel is much better as a 60minutes sub, so I'd like to see pennant on the right for the chelsea game, with kuyt moving over to the left.

It has to be said that Pennant has run rings round Ashley Cole twice in the last year or so. He always gives him problems, even more so than Ronaldo when he plays against him. The problem is though, as you have said, Dirk is playing so well in that role I'd be reluctant to change it.

As for the option of playing either Dirk or Pennant on the left, I'd be tempted to do as I'd like Babel on the bench in case we need him as an impact player like he was against Arsenal at home.

At the end of the day, it comes down to the question of who is more likely to go missing at the Bridge--Pennant or Babel?  IMO, it's Babel and that's why I'd have him start on the bench.  As you say, we can bring him on late to give Chelsea something new to think about but I worry that, if he starts, he'll be marked out of the match pretty quickly and his head will drop.  Pennant, for all of his faults, has had big games against Chelsea (and Cole in particular).  The big question he raises is his defending.  He tends to give away free kicks very cheaply in dangerous areas and that's not something we need with the quality Chelsea has on set pieces.

[Thingy]

People are saying his attitude is bad and whatever, but one thing I did like is a few weeks ago when he wasnt playing he asked Rafa could he play in the reserves, on his own accord no one made him play,he asked if he could.

[god_bless_john_houlding]

He really was poor, and although I still think he has it in him, it will take a breath taking performance to make forget today.

that quote is after the Arsenal game away in the league this year. But I am starting to forget that game after the Fulham and Birmingham games. He's been quality in those two games and I'd play Pennant right, Kuyt left against Chelsea. Babel has proven to be more than useful coming off the bench, and not so lively when he starts. For me Ashley Cole isn't the best defending left back I've even seen, so I'd rather have an attack minded right winger than a defensive lad like Kuyt.

[stmichael]

isn't it amazing.  A player had one decent game v Birmingham and suddenly its all good.  How many performances like that has pennant put in?  We need better players than pennant in the long-term.

I agree but even you must agree that as a winger, he's the best player we've got in the squad? If you look at Babel, Kuyt and Yossi, those 3 all play in a similar way, cutting inside the majority of the time so wouldn't it make sense to sell one of those players and keep the guy that does something different?

[JoeTerp]

As it is, I get the impression Pennant is happy to be the provider and as long as he's doing that he's satisfied. He needs to become more selfish and also needs to get in the box more when the ball is on the other flank.

what good is Pennant going to do in the box when the ball in on the other flank, he is so short, and its not like he is one of those short guys that is deceivingly good in the air either. True, if it just happened to land by his foot and goalkeeper botched it, he could probably poke some in, but like against Inter, sometimes nobody gets a head on it at all and he acts as the clean up guy to send the ball right back in again.  I also would question his finishing a little bit, maybe thats why he doesn't shoot much. The difference in quality between his first goal for the club and his 2nd goal  has to be a club record.

[Toffeehater]

Pennant's arrival may be timely - but I expect him to leave
By Peter O'Leary on Apr 28, 08 06:05 PM in Fans

#

FOURTH place is now mathematically secure, so we will have Champions League football at Anfield for another year.

This should not be underestimated as an achievement, but it is the minimum we can accept. Let's hope it is not the only achievement this season.

There were positives to take from the Birmingham game, it's great to see Rafa giving players who have had outstanding seasons in the reserves a chance, this is the right development model as far as I am concerned.

Damien Plessis looked assured and Emiliano Insua is a real talent, next year could see his emergence into the first team, particularly with the problems we have had in that position recently. Rafa has not settled on any player - Arbeloa, Riise, Aurellio, Warnock and even Carra have all been tried there.

Jermaine Pennant was the best player on the pitch by a country mile. Why, oh why, doesn't he run at opposition players like he did on Saturday?

Pennant has more than your average tricky winger. He has a great touch and is a good passer too. With these attributes he should be a regular in our side and the England squad.

His problems appear to be mental rather than physical; I wonder whether he has the desire to push himself at every opportunity the way Carra and Gerrard do?

Along with Riise and others I don't think he will be at Anfield next season. However, I have a sneaky feeling he will have a part to play on Wednesday, along with Saturday's scorer Crouch. Both have a decent record against Chelsea and Pennant run Ashley Cole ragged at our place last season.

The most important thing on Saturday was always going to be coming through the game with no injuries, so in that respect we can be happy.

I was glad to see Chelsea having to use their best players for the entire game, hopefully that will benefit us. Our players are speaking confidently; let's hope they can transfer this onto the pitch.

http://www.liverpoolbanter.co.uk/2008....ly.html