Homebooby » Mon Mar 17, 2014 11:08 am wrote:Hello peeps, long time no anything from me as I've been a little busy and also just quietly watching our progress. Back at the beginning of the season I supported the 'wait and see principle' as I did at the end of the Jan transfer window and suggested that all was not so doom and gloom as we perhaps thought. Not trying to say I told you so, but I am happy to see that what is often put on here as black and white doom and gloom doesn't always become the reality. Before moving onto the game y'day, following my last comment, I'll say that I take as much pleasure in seeing Tottenham continue to fall further behind despite them being touted on here as having an incredibly strong squad and the real contenders for the top 4. It just goes to show that money and spending doesn't always get you over the line.
Yesterday was a pleasure to watch as we finally seem to be watching a team that believes in itself and I can't remember the last time I properly saw that. I do agree that the defence look a lot better than they did a few weeks ago and we have to give Mr. Johnson and Mr. Agger some credit there as they appear to be the difference making it easier for the other 2 to be part of the unit. Hats off to Flanagan though, for his age he shows great maturity and grit and I love the example he's setting for home grown talent.
Whilst I am crediting the defence, it's really integral to call out that BR seems to have finally found his shape for the 2 approaches he has (all out attacking and midfield lockdown). Using Allen, Henderson and Gerrard in the middle in games like y'day where we needed to boss the midfield has been something that took a looooong time for us to get to. Interchanging Coutinho and Sterling as the speed/creativity of the midfield has given us options in team selection, but also when trying to change the game too. Coutinho's creatively and speed added at a time when Utd were already battered was quite devasting for them. Clearly the stronger midfield presence has relieved the pressure on the defence and that is really worth noting when talking about their improvement. In other games where we need more speed and attack sacrificing Allen to play both Sterling and Coutinho is great and works well too where we want to win the game early, then lock things up. With Lucas back in the squad again, it looks like we'll have enough legs and cover to get us through to the end of the season (touching wood)
I love the fact that we've 2 out and out strikers in the team and that we're using them in a way that is running teams ragged. I've never been a huge fan of the lone striker as I think that it's far too easy for the defence to lock that person up, isolate them and kill the attack. It's fine to do that if you have a midfield like Man City, but ours is more workmanlike than creative and the way that our 2 move and screw with the backline is awesome. We really cause defences problems and give them much to think about and when they're doubting, the rest of their game suffers. We've seen it time and time again this season and points to BR being very shrewdly ahead of a lot of people more than 12 months ago.
At the moment BR seems to be doing all the right things before, during and after games and I hope that the doubters who were on here even a few months ago doubting him are starting to come round. For me there's something remarkably old school about the team that I recognise from the Liverpool of old that I fell in love with, but at the same time we look remarkably modern as well.
Yesterday more or less guaranteed us 4th place (save for some sort of catastrophic downturn) and that's a good 4 places higher than a lot of people were predicting on here. Being back in the CL is amazing and will almost definitely secure our key players for another season which was all we wanted to see happen. Massive respect to the team and manager for that. We're in the title race, but we'd be nuts to think that Man City and or Chelsea don't still have it to lose...they do. That said, never say never and pressure does a lot to people as well. It's a lot easier to be chasing, than out front trying to retain the lead and it looks like we're in for the best and most exciting season end for us in several years. I hope hope hope and wish wish wish that we do win it this year as there is one player in our squad who deserves it and that man is Stevie Gerrard. For his loyalty and commitment to the club throughout the years and just for his general playing ethic, I think it would be a fitting moment and perhaps this season represents his best shot at it as well. The next 9 games should be great and I'll have my fingers crossed.
After all that gushing, the next biggest challenge for the squad is repeating the success of this season and improving on it. Expectations were nowhere this season, but with a CL position and the way we've played this season, we'll expect to win the league and put a decent CL and FA cup run together next season. I'm still strapped in for the ride.
(Oh yeah, post comment props to Gary Neville for his commentary yesterday too. Considering his history he was massively impartial and fair and was very honest in his view of how we played and the performance of United. It's not often that you get almost no bias in a commentary (although I think his critique of Utd was strongly felt due to his feeling for them) and he remained insightful and football minded to the end. Example being that lovely 2 footed touch by Suarez, he mumbled the same in the mic as I was saying to myself as well..he clearly loves football and knows what he's talking about and I never thought I'd say that about someone who I felt very differently about whilst he was playing at right back for Fergie
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good to see you back lad, and great post.
