Liverpool FC Forum

by **Lionheart** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 11:32 pm

Rafa has to select a team to play 4 matches in the next 8 days. Anyone who thinks there should be NO changes/rotation must have no insight into planning ahead for matches that are important in the 'big picture'.

JB...if this is your reaction to one game (argueable as to the level of it's importance) it must be hell for you to watch LFC play at all.

The big picture is this - the lowest of lows make the highs all that much sweeter.

And this is what it's like to support the Australian team...

by **Woollyback** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 11:34 pm

hats off to john bull, he's almost certainly been on the ale since 10 this morning and is still standing (well, sitting) in front of his pc

but that's as far as the congratulations go, i normally enjoy reading your posts john but i can only assume the ale's got the better of you today. kewell had as good a game in a red shirt today as i've seen since he arrived from leeds so to single him out for abuse is just laughable. i'm not generally a fan of his at all but credit where credit's due, he played very well today. my only criticism of rafa's team selection would be that crouch didn't start, with a tiny bit of luck though we could have bagged 5 or 6 this morning.

as for this being a very important game don't make me laugh john, it's fifa's latest hobbyhorse and nothing else. we could've done without the travelling but i really can't see the lads being too down about losing, bring on the barcodes....

by **teamleader1** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 11:46 pm

JohnBull wrote:
Lee J wrote:

you all should be driving one of these

It's in me car park at the moment

I think that car and your telly is the nearest youve ever been to a game of football Johnboy :;):

by **Dalglish** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:28 am

John Bull lives up to his name at last

I'm with Woolyback on this one as someone who enjoys reading John's posts but this one is WAY off the mark but a rare indiscretion on his part and looks like the Landlord's been drinking a tad too much of his profits today

Like every fan I want LFC to win EVERY cup their entered in (as they did in 2001 co-incidentally) but there are far more important games to lose than the one we lost today.

Walk on ........

by **Lando_Griffin** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 2:19 am

Reina From Spaina wrote:we simply were not good enough.

Morientes- missed free header, 1st half.

gerrard missed a sitter in the box, an easy chance when 3 days earlier he scored an almost impossible goal.

Morientes- missed a sitter in the box, 2nd half.
plus others

chances we should be putting away.

If we deserved to win, we would have scored 3 legitimate goals.

If you win this , it means you are the best club side in the world! so it does mean a lot.

The four games over 7/8 days coming up, will tell us everything about where we are at.

Why are you still here?

by **babu** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 2:23 am

Reina From Spaina wrote:If you win this , it means you are the best club side in the world! so it does mean a lot.

If you believe that sh!t then you have major problems.

by **A.B.** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:13 am

If you win this , it means you are the best club side in the world! so it does mean a lot.

No it does not. Playing 2 teams does not make you the best team in the world. The only reasonable opponent was us, and the rest were a joke.

by **A.B.** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:22 am

You've a short memory if you cannot remember one game ruining a season and I just hope that this was not one of those games.
Ridiculous performance from a side deserving much much more.

1 shot no goals, 100 shots no goals, 1000 shots no goals , it's the "no goals" that matter !

I can't agree with that statement. A defeat to Sao Paulo in what has proved to be a meaningless tournament will effect our season but a trashing by Chelsea, ridicilious defeats to Fulham and Palace didn't negatively affect us?

The team selection was realistic given the importance or lack thereof of the the whole tournament. He rotated the strikers and the full-backs, and most of the people in the party got a game. With all due respect to sao Paulo, Rafa could probably put any collection of players out he wanted and we'd beat them nine out of ten times. Obviously given the changes in the finances of football globally these days, the days of running into the likes of Zico and the like when you play the Brazillian champions are long gone. This was a fairly average team we played against but it was just their day so I'm not sure a different team selection would have made that much difference. As it was, Liverpool were much the better team from start to finish and absolutely battered them for the last half hour so the team can't have been that far wrong.
I said all along I felt the whole thing was a waste of time and for me, whether or not we picked up injuroies is the most important thing.

Good post as always Mick. I agree completely, and I'm just pleased that there were no injuries.

by **TheoRacle** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:33 am

JohnBull wrote:One BIG fat basterd who's been around the world three times supporting this team. Locked up in five countries, hospitalised in two, and barred from three.
Take it too seriously.

JohnBull you are an absolute disgrace to LFC. I would never have expected such riduculous tirade of abosolute cr@p to come from such an experienced poster as your self. And whats with all the thinly veiled threats of physical harm against anyone who 'dares' to put you in your place?

I read your little summary of your 'adventures' over the years following this mighty football club and must say that I am ashamed that you are proud of such a record. People like Michael Shields end up paying for your actions. Pi$$ off and join Millwall mate - that's where you belong.

by **azriahmad** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:59 am

At least now Rafa knows that we are in dire need of a clinical striker.

Sao Paulo packed their defense with big guys, who were exposed for pace against Alitthiad. It's a real wonder why Cisse, that wasteful speed demon, did not play from the start, At least, his pace would cause problems. As it is, Morriented does not have any pace at all...

by **TheoRacle** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 4:40 am

I was surprised that Cisse did not start with Crouch after they seemed to play well together against Saprissa however I think once we conceded the goal and Sao Paulo retreated into their own penalty box our opportunities to release Cisse's speed with a through ball would have been strictly limited.

With the amount of pressure that we were piling on its understandable that Rafa wanted to keep doing what was working, surely he felt like we did, that a goal (that counted) was likely at any minute. Still, having said that, I think Crouch, with the run of luck/form he's had over the last few games should have come on earlier.

Unfortunately, this loss reminds us that we still have the same problems that beset us at the start of the season. From day 1 we've consistently dominated every game we've played in, created more chances and had more shots that the opposition but we still lack a clinical finisher in front of goal.

I'm not saying that we want these guys specifically but we need somebody like Henry (13 goals from 28 shots on target), Owen (12 from 14), Yakubu (11 from 20) or Harewood (8 from 17) who convert their once chance per game into a goal.

Morientes (1 from 24) and Crouch (3 from 15) need assistance from a goal predator for us to say that we can match the likes of Chelsea in every department.

I'm not a big fan of Cisse but I've just shocked myself - Cisse's record this season in all comps is a healthy 13 goals from 19 shots on target. Admittedly, he's scored 6 of these against 'weaker' teams in the qualifying rounds of the CL but given that he's only started in 8 premier league games this season and scored in 3 of them perhaps an extended run in the starting lineup may be warranted after all?

by **Lando_Griffin** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:06 am

TheoRacle wrote:I was surprised that Cisse did not start with Crouch after they seemed to play well together against Saprissa however I think once we conceded the goal and Sao Paulo retreated into their own penalty box our opportunities to release Cisse's speed with a through ball would have been strictly limited.

With the amount of pressure that we were piling on its understandable that Rafa wanted to keep doing what was working, surely he felt like we did, that a goal (that counted) was likely at any minute. Still, having said that, I think Crouch, with the run of luck/form he's had over the last few games should have come on earlier.

Unfortunately, this loss reminds us that we still have the same problems that beset us at the start of the season. From day 1 we've consistently dominated every game we've played in, created more chances and had more shots that the opposition but we still lack a clinical finisher in front of goal.

I'm not saying that we want these guys specifically but we need somebody like Henry (13 goals from 28 shots on target), Owen (12 from 14), Yakubu (11 from 20) or Harewood (8 from 17) who convert their once chance per game into a goal.

Morientes (1 from 24) and Crouch (3 from 15) need assistance from a goal predator for us to say that we can match the likes of Chelsea in every department.

I'm not a big fan of Cisse but I've just shocked myself - Cisse's record this season in all comps is a healthy 13 goals from 19 shots on target. Admittedly, he's scored 6 of these against 'weaker' teams in the qualifying rounds of the CL but given that he's only started in 8 premier league games this season and scored in 3 of them perhaps an extended run in the starting lineup may be warranted after all?

I'm not being arguementative, but I sincerly doubt that Cisse has only had 19 shot's on target.
And I can bet any money that Owen hasn't scored 12 from 14 shots on target!!!

by **112-1077774096** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:12 am

i think rafa just made changes when no changes to the formation was needed. once again he went back to changing the team to suit the opposition, i say let them worry about us. im sorry but you can argue all you like about attempts on goal and disalowed goals (all correct decisions) but as soon as i saw the 451 formation i knew we were not going to win.

i hope he doesnt start tampering in the league again

by **Lando_Griffin** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:14 am

I think the changes may have been because he had the league in mind.

by **112-1077774096** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:24 am

Lando_Griffin wrote:I think the changes may have been because he had the league in mind.

possibly, but if that the case he wasnt that serious about winning this cup, also he could have made changes but kept to te 442 thats served us so well recently. i think the problem was more to do with the formation to be honest lando

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