Liverpool FC Forum

[the great one]

will rafa stick with the same side that cruised past west brom or will and will he change the shape of the team monaco aint the same team they where 4 months ago.but prove to be a diffcult test and if we are n't  at our best we can find ourself in trouble should baros and alonso start should kewell and finnan be dropped.

[Ciggy]

Deschamps fears 'legends' Liverpool


MONACO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Monaco coach Didier Deschamps believes his team face a tough task in their Champions League opener against Liverpool next week as the English club are still 'a legend'.
Liverpool claimed the last of their four European Cups in 1984 and have failed to win the English title since 1990.


'Liverpool are less in the limelight than a few years ago but they did well in the UEFA Cup last year,' Deschamps, France's 1998 World Cup-winning captain who coached Monaco to last season's Champions League final, told reporters on Sunday.

'Everybody has a lot of respect for them. They still are a legend and so is their Anfield stadium.'

Deschamps is confident Monaco now have the experience to compete with the best teams in Europe.

'Our group is not an easy one and the first game will set the tone,' he said. 'Last season, we won our opening game 2-1 at (PSV) Eindhoven. I hope we can do the same at Liverpool.'

The Monaco coach said, however, that he was more impressed by Liverpool.

'Once a team have had good results, they will keep their image. Liverpool have a new coach and a lot of new players but they still are very competitive,' he said.

'They are well organised, they are good technically. They have speed upfront. Their midfield know how to control a game.'

'They also have a trump card, Anfield. I know that playing at home will increase their strength tenfold and knowing how strong physically they can be particularly in the Champions League, I know our task will be very difficult.'

The other two teams in Champions League Group A are Deportivo Coruna and Olympiakos.

[A.B.]

Nice report. Monaco is not underestimating us and we shouldn't underestimate them. It will be a good match up.

[A.B.]

I hope we do good against Monaco. We beat Man City then lost to Gratz I hope that doesn't happen again to us.

[Leonmc0708]

I hope we do good against Monaco. We beat Man City then lost to Gratz I hope that doesn't happen again to us.

Totally different ball game AB. Graz at home was almost a "done deal", the players will be under no such illusions when the CL proper begins.

[A.B.]

Yes but inconsistency is what concerns me.

[L-type]

well "done deal" wasn't the phrase i would have used, more like rafa was experimenting with the side.

[azriahmad]

Inconsistency has been one of our problems over the past decade.

However, it is important for Garcia to score, helping him to settle down a bit more and hopefully this will be a catalyst to a good run of form from him. Finnan's goal would also do him a lot of good. I hope we can keep the passing and movement well against Monaco and get a result there.

[Ciggy]

Saturdays team should play with cisse an garcia upfront again but on the harry situation im not sure showed glimpses on saturday but im not convinced. We have a player madrid wants we have an ex madrid star an ex barcalona player these type of players know what the CL means and they will give it 110 procent we will beat monaco they need to have self belief and start thinking there are the best and can beat anyone an win this comp I have faith I think we'll go very far in the CL.

[Bruno Zidane!]

Id like to see Alonso play but im not sure who id drop, the oonly obvious one is Finnnan and put Gerrard on the right but i dont think id want Gerrard out there, and couldnt drop hamann cos his form has been nothin short of sensational this season, he does his job than better than anyone around at the moment, he knows he has to fight for his place now Alonso is here but hes puttin one hell of a fight up and i dont know how he could drop him. The only way we could play all 3 midfielders is to play a similar formation to the Czechs in euro 2004....Somethin like this

                                  Dudek

         Josemi      Carragher       Hyypia      Riise

                                 Hamman

                 Gerrard        Alonso      Kewell

                           Garcia       Cisse

Dont know what anyone else thinks of this formation but i think it gives plenty of attacking options but will still have Hamman sitting in to protect the back 4, also it gives space down the flanks for Riise and Josemi to attack into with kewell and gerrard driving from midfield to support the front men, but when defending Kewell and Gerrard drift out wide to protect the fullbacks.

[Ciggy]

that would be a good lineup but I think finnan played well on saturday and we need a team out that knows each others game maybe ween alonso in in second half as gerrard and alonso are similar players.

[Bruno Zidane!]

I agree i thought Finnan did play better on saturday but i think the Champ league is a differant class and finnan would struggle to influence the game against much stronger oppisition.

[who the hell is diarra]

That line up would suit Kewell as he prefers to come inside . I'm a bit worried about the lack of width though.

[Starbridge42]

That looks like a fairly well balanced side but I always feel that Gerrard is wasted playing anywhere but centre but from what I've seen of Alonso he would be wasted anywhere else as well.  It looks a bit short of width as said though.

I suspect Rafa may go for something like

                                Dudek
        Josemi      Carragher       Hyypia      Riise
                                 
          Gerrard    Hamman    Alonso      Kewell
                               Garcia
                                Cisse

I don't like the idea of playing only one up front but I'm saying we might be seeing that sort of line up with 5 in the midfield.  Rafa played a lot of Valencia games like that.

[Leonmc0708]

Yes but what Rafa always insists on is proper wide men, or full backs in Finnans case playing on the wings. I dont see him putting a central midfielder on the wide right, but I will wait and see.