Liverpool FC Forum

by **aCe'** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 4:46 pm

Kelly did an excellent job at both ends. Came up against a very unfit and out of form Arshavin and absolutely dominated him...

That said, I still think Johnson is our main player in the right biack spot given what he offers going forward.. With 5 in the middle we really need our fullbacks pushing up and providing the extra bodies in the opposition half.. For all his good work and effort, Kelly still lacks that extra bit in the final third in terms of creativity and stretching defenses (not primarily his job) that Johnson offers... Against the smaller sides it could really be a difference maker and that tips it in Johnson's favor imo...

Add to that the fact that our right wingers (Kuyt and Henderson) do very little in terms of tacking fullbacks on, stretching defences, and attacking the byline, and Johnson's qualities on the ball suddenly make him the perfect foil for either..

Still great to have both options in the side... Hopefully Kenny persists with Kelly as the main backup for Johnson rather than Flanagan....

by **aCe'** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 4:52 pm

Regarding the CB situation, we still need to improve but it was a decent display against Arsenal from all involved.. When we push up and have possession (which will always be a struggle given our CM selections recently) our CBs look much better .. With the fullbacks we have, we are also able to pin opposition wide players deeper in their areas which is another plus defensively..

That said, I can see us losing the possession battle in a considerable amount of games which will mean we have to sit deeper and allow opposition to come at us which is where ALL our CBs struggle imo.. More prone to mistakes, have more problems getting the ball out, and ultimately look one dimensional going forward and vulnerable defensively...

We need to sign a CB as soon as possible to give the side a little more balance and start grinding out results when we are not performing particularly well (especially away games)...

by **killerp** » Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:50 am

Looks like Sebastián Coates might be headed our way, a bid of around 8 million pounds apparently has been put in.

Source

by **stmichael** » Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:24 pm

apparently coates is 6 foot 5 so maybe we'll finally have an accomplished defender who's also dominant in the air at both ends of the pitch. we've been crying out for this since sami left.

by **stmichael** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 2:09 pm

Thought Wilson had a decent game last night although in all fairness he wasn't really tested.

For his own benefit it would be ideal if he could be sent out on loan to another premier league club where he could play more regularly.

by **stmichael** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 8:59 pm

sorry carra, i love you to bits but it's time to step aside mate. this is not just based on the penalty today and the mistake for the goal against bolton. it's to do with the fact that today he took his aimless hoofing to new levels again.

kenny has been brilliant since he came back but it'll say a lot about the man if he can actually bring it upon himself to drop carra, especially when coates is ready to play from the start.

by **red till i die!!** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 9:07 pm

stmichael wrote:sorry carra, i love you to bits but it's time to step aside mate. this is not just based on the penalty today and the mistake for the goal against bolton. it's to do with the fact that today he took his aimless hoofing to new levels again.

kenny has been brilliant since he came back but it'll say a lot about the man if he can actually bring it upon himself to drop carra, especially when coates is ready to play from the start.

by **ethanr** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 9:22 pm

stmichael wrote:sorry carra, i love you to bits but it's time to step aside mate. this is not just based on the penalty today and the mistake for the goal against bolton. it's to do with the fact that today he took his aimless hoofing to new levels again.

kenny has been brilliant since he came back but it'll say a lot about the man if he can actually bring it upon himself to drop carra, especially when coates is ready to play from the start.

I agree... Been feeling Carra's time is past. We need to play Coates as much as possible, and within the next couple seasons he'll be one of the best.

by **Greavesie** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 10:19 pm

stmichael wrote:sorry carra, i love you to bits but it's time to step aside mate. this is not just based on the penalty today and the mistake for the goal against bolton. it's to do with the fact that today he took his aimless hoofing to new levels again.

kenny has been brilliant since he came back but it'll say a lot about the man if he can actually bring it upon himself to drop carra, especially when coates is ready to play from the start.

completely agree mate. Carra always said he would never want to be a squad player so I'm a little concerned with how he might react but this has been coming. We've conceded three this season, two were because of him.

There was one passage of play that summed it up for me. We were attacking and had momentum (Stoke were penned in), Carra passed back to Reina and slowed play down and allowed them to re-organise, Reina played back to Carra then he hoofed it upfield.

by **stmichael** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:17 pm

If I see Skrtel at right back again I think I'll put my foot through the tv screen. Have some faith in Flanno who's a natural in that position ffs. Most fans have little faith in Skrtel at centre back (some of it unjustified imo) let alone at fullback.

by **tubby** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 3:03 pm

What's the point in bringing on Coates if he isn't gonna play? Skrtel has always been gash at RB, should have gone with Flanno.

by **stmichael** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 10:55 am

stmichael wrote:If I see Skrtel at right back again I think I'll put my foot through the tv screen. Have some faith in Flanno who's a natural in that position ffs. Most fans have little faith in Skrtel at centre back (some of it unjustified imo) let alone at fullback.

i think yesterday was the case in point. kenny should never have played him there and he got destroyed as a result. could see the red card coming a mile off.

by **stmichael** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 10:19 pm

this is becoming really worrying now. i'm not talking about individually (that's a separate issue). i'm talking about our defence as a collective unit. we sit so deep it's beyond a joke and just invites pressure. push further up the pitch ffs. reina virtually acts as a sweeper anyway.

by **red till i die!!** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 11:54 pm

agree defensively were a shambles atm.
the marking was atrocious for fletchers goal and how long it takes us to act in certain situations is frightening.
the sitting deep is because weve no pace and gets worse with the fact that adam and lucas camp themselves in front of the cb's.
this is why agger is important to us as he is the only one comfortable with the ball at his feet and has good leadership and organisational skills as well as decent distribution.
lots dont rate him and think he hasnt a lot to offer us but i hope now they realise how much we need him.
id love to see us move for shawcross in january.what an addition he could be

by **Penguins** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 1:43 pm

Shawcross would cost 20£ million+.
Not likely at all.
And what does it help that Agger is our best cb when he is out for half a season every year.
Just means we have to shuffle at the back all year round.

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