Liverpool FC Forum

by **Zidane** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:14 pm

We were unlucky, Villa were lucky and we miss Riera.. Why isn't he playing?

by **eonerf** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:15 pm

A match where even Stevie made a big mistake. Sums it up really. :censored:

all round.

by **SupitsJonF** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:15 pm

bavlondon wrote:
SupitsJonF wrote:We better win the CL, at least that way we can finish 5th

Actually that won't work again mate. The rules have been changed I think.

Well,

by **tubby** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:15 pm

Simari wrote:
bavlondon wrote:
sgs wrote:Perhaps this will be a reminder to folks just why Gerrard has not being played in central MF for a long while...
Anyways, why criticize SG when you have Lucas...

Just as Rafa takes too long to make his subs usually I think we will have dropped too many points when Rafa finally realises that Stevie needs to be brought back into midfield.

Something was horribly missing in the final few minutes.

We were very happy to keep passing the ball horizontally with no sense of urgency at all.

After this performance, I am worried about how we will perform against the other top 5. It's as if last season was turned on it's head. It won't be the weaker teams that cost us; rather our direct competition - and that would actually hurt far more in terms of league position that what we suffered against the likes of stoke, fulham and boro.

The only posative thing I will take is look how Utd came back after a poor start last season. We still have Aquilani to come back so as long as this doesn't happen again we should be ok. Easier said than done but I can't think of anything else posative to say at this point.

by **Emerald Red** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:16 pm

bavlondon wrote:Our lack of strength in depth is so obvious now. Shame really as if things stay like this we will most definatley drop out of the top 4.

We won't.

Gerrard tonight was shocking. Needs to slap himself for that performance, and Lucas needs to lift his head (or not throw it stupidly at the ball in the box). Without Alonso, our system needs shaking up a bit. The ball just wasn't sticking enough in the midfield long enough for Johnson and Insua to get forward.

United, dispite their thrashing of a sh*te Wigan side, will slump to more defeats, so nobody be under any illusions that they are the team to beat. Arsenal are on form, but for how much longer, and Chelsea are the same boring, jammy b@stards as they were under any other manager by grinding out results. It's going to be a weird season.

by **tonyeh** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:18 pm

bavlondon wrote:
tonyeh wrote:We played too conservatively, we expect the attack to come from Torres alone, there was no creative play and we have at least one truly awful player on the pitch. Zonal marking has let us down again and Benitez seems to have forgotten the attacking play we finished last season with. We've also lost a brilliant midfielder and replaced him with an injured player with a bad track record for injuries.

Some of that attacking play last season was surley down to Riera too?

Torres needs a partner too but what can Rafa do, he has no more money to spend.

Oh absolutely. I'm a big fan of Albert and I think we are sorely missing him at the moment. Riera transformed our left wing.

But, overall, I think we are a weaker side this year than we were last year and it needs to change or we'll be looking at 20 years without.

by **Dazzer** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:20 pm

Bad Bob wrote:Actually didn't think we played too bad. Started like we did against Stoke and but for some flukey bounces and some nice work from Friedel we could--and perhaps should have been on top long before we gave them a goal. Goals change games, however, and the Lucas OG really turned the game on its head. Even so, we looked good to answer back but, again, it just wouldn't bounce for us. The second was a real kick in the nuts though. Sure, the extra minute was long past but the ref was ALWAYS going to let them take the corner after Reina kicked the ball away. We shut off, they score on a set piece again and we have a mountain to climb suddenly. We basically made their job simple--they had shown early that their plan was to sit deep, stay compact and hit us on the counter at that gameplan was all the more effective after going 2 up. We huffed and puffed for the first 15 of half two but couldn't get the ball into the net. We finally manage and Stevie hands them the initiative back straight away. That was the moment you knew it just wasn't our night. But, I still contend that we were not dire (we obviously weren't brilliant either but the scoreline flattered them). We were streets better than against Spurs and I think on any other night we would have cruised the 3 points. That's football, unfortunately.

Didn't you notice tho bob the mood around today was bad heads was down almost from 15 mins in we looked shell shocked I dunno why.It seems deeper with in the heads of the players are they feeling the lack of xabi as a major miss deep down.I almost get impression they feel Lucus can't cut it and I feel he hasn't got any where near the tallent in passing to replace Alonso.Biggest problem we facing is if we drop gerrard into midfield to play the Alonso role we lose him as a support/link up player for Torres.I would say after the evidence of tonights game we need to go back to basics drop this system play 4-4-2 dimond and go man to man marking.Because the system we played tonight I can't see it being as evective vs any team A. who puts men behind ball and 2. has pace to hit on counter.

by **account deleted by request** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:29 pm

Look on the bright side, at least we seem to have solved the problem of those drawn games

by **Doeboy** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:31 pm

Demoralising performance. No way Mascherano and Lucas should be starting off at home. We should have taken Robben and Sneidjer off Madrid as part of the Xabi deal but obviously the yanks probably wanted tthe cash. Imagine if we had Robben and Sneidjer in the team today, would have plenty of creativity

Reina

Johnson Carra Skrtel Insua

Kuyt Mascherano Sneidjer Robben

Gerrard
Torres

by **Dundalk** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:31 pm

I think ill support Man City this year they look good

Ill have to change my banner though :down:

by **Bad Bob** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:32 pm

Dazzer wrote:
Bad Bob wrote:Actually didn't think we played too bad. Started like we did against Stoke and but for some flukey bounces and some nice work from Friedel we could--and perhaps should have been on top long before we gave them a goal. Goals change games, however, and the Lucas OG really turned the game on its head. Even so, we looked good to answer back but, again, it just wouldn't bounce for us. The second was a real kick in the nuts though. Sure, the extra minute was long past but the ref was ALWAYS going to let them take the corner after Reina kicked the ball away. We shut off, they score on a set piece again and we have a mountain to climb suddenly. We basically made their job simple--they had shown early that their plan was to sit deep, stay compact and hit us on the counter at that gameplan was all the more effective after going 2 up. We huffed and puffed for the first 15 of half two but couldn't get the ball into the net. We finally manage and Stevie hands them the initiative back straight away. That was the moment you knew it just wasn't our night. But, I still contend that we were not dire (we obviously weren't brilliant either but the scoreline flattered them). We were streets better than against Spurs and I think on any other night we would have cruised the 3 points. That's football, unfortunately.

Didn't you notice tho bob the mood around today was bad heads was down almost from 15 mins in we looked shell shocked I dunno why.It seems deeper with in the heads of the players are they feeling the lack of xabi as a major miss deep down.I almost get impression they feel Lucus can't cut it and I feel he hasn't got any where near the tallent in passing to replace Alonso.Biggest problem we facing is if we drop gerrard into midfield to play the Alonso role we lose him as a support/link up player for Torres.I would say after the evidence of tonights game we need to go back to basics drop this system play 4-4-2 dimond and go man to man marking.Because the system we played tonight I can't see it being as evective vs any team A. who puts men behind ball and 2. has pace to hit on counter.

I don't agree about the heads dropping (nothing personal...I rarely agree with those kinds of interpretations) and I certainly don't think we should bin the formation or our set-piece marking on the back of a couple bad results. We've proven numerous times over the last few years that both are quite effective for us and it would strike me as very much throwing out the baby with the bath water.

IMO, the problem is with our fluency at the moment. That's not down to our formation or zonal marking or even the personnel in large part. To me, it's mostly an issue with being rusty. We are notoriously slow starters and even last year, we were getting some very fortunate results at the beginning of the season on the back of poor performances. At the moment, the passing is just not crisp enough and the understanding between players isn't yet where it needs to be. We'll get there but I hope we haven't lost sight of the league leaders by the time we do.

by **Ben Patrick** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:35 pm

with all our games the first goal is vital.
Especially with our lack of game changing options.
We dominate games but dont have the players to open up teams that are defending. Same old story and it seems like Rafa's hands are tied regarding bringing in some options.
Our subs are not good enough at all.
Not sure why Benayoun was taken off as they were defending so deep that we needed someone that can spot a key pass and open up tight defenses.

Feel sorry for Rafa at the moment with the way he has been let down this summer regarding transfers and the squad.

by **tubby** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:35 pm

We need Agger, Aquilani fit and we need Albert Riera playing. 3 A's people!!!!! :;):

by **bunglemark2** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:36 pm

Bob, your optimism is inspiring....but even you have to concede that to a man, we were truly muck tonight....Torres was well and truly awful, trying to walk the ball into the goal, and almost Keane-esque in dropping to the ground when there was a puff of a defender's breath on his back.
Gerrard couldn't string two passes together. Kuyt huffed and puffed and blew himself over...
We've shown yet again we can't defend from corners - won't Chavski be just licking their lips at that again ?
Shocking result, absolutely shocking....

Starting with the manager, they collectively need a good rollicking and a good size 12 up the jacksie,,

by **bunglemark2** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:38 pm

bavlondon wrote:We need Agger, Aquilani fit and we need Albert Riera playing. 3 A's people!!!!!

Don't see what difference Agger would have made, other than he's likely to have a pot at goal when others seem to want to walk the ball into the goal. I'll give you that.
Riera ? What difference would he have made ?
Aquilani - who knows ?

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