Liverpool FC Forum

by **kazza** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 1:54 pm

I came on today after having thought about yesterdays loss wanting to write something positive. Seeing all the new posts (why are we sh1t at corners, Do we miss Didi? Is Reina a one season wonder) makes me more ready to post something positive.

The players have come back from a World Cup year. They all must have had hopes of winning the World Cup and short of the Italians all teams under-achieved. Many of our key players (Reina, Gerrard, Alonso, Garcia, Carrager) have looked a little sluggish. We started this season as title contenders (and I still think we are) but the players do not seem to have the same drive they had the last part of last season.

We started the match yesterday and looking at the team sheet I thought to myself "sh1t we are good and will win the title this year". The game started and Everton were under pressure from the start. It seemed only a matter of time before we scored and this was a good team we were playing, much better than last year. A penalty appeal here, hit the post there. For f.ucks sake we did everything but score. Then a bad mistake at the back. Whereas Everton played eight men behind the ball before the goal, after the goal they seemed to play ten behind the ball. Tactically the game fell into their hands but had they not got that lucky goal it would have been only a matter of time before we scored. Had we put away one of our chances the game would have been completely different and in nine times out of ten that would have happened. All their goals came from "one a season" defensive blunders that we hardly ever make, trouble is there were three of them all in the same game.

On the success of last year, players seem to stroll in this year thinking that it is a given. I think that a match like yeasterday's was a rude awakening and the perfect wake-me-up. I feel yeasterday was a turning point and thankfully only three games have been played so we have a long way to go. Liverpool players must definitely be hearing the fans dissapointment as this was a local Derby, let's face it they will have no where to hide.

I do not think that Everton will be contenders this year so rather a "wake-me-up" against them than against a United or Chelsea because then it is not "six pointer". I hate that we lost to the Bitters but if at the end of the season we look back and we turned our form around after this match (and I think we will) it will be par for the course.

Oh yeah, Graham Poll is a c.unt!

by **66-1112520797** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 2:26 pm

We started the match yesterday and looking at the team sheet I thought to myself "sh1t we are good and will win the title this year". The game started and Everton were under pressure from the start. It seemed only a matter of time before we scored and this was a good team we were playing, much better than last year. A penalty appeal here, hit the post there. For f.ucks sake we did everything but score. Then a bad mistake at the back. Whereas Everton played eight men behind the ball before the goal, after the goal they seemed to play ten behind the ball. Tactically the game fell into their hands but had they not got that lucky goal it would have been only a matter of time before we scored. Had we put away one of our chances the game would have been completely different and in nine times out of ten that would have happened. All their goals came from "one a season" defensive blunders that we hardly ever make, trouble is there were three of them all in the same game

In your eyes that and others that maybe true, but to be frank we were poor yesterday and didnt really deserve to get anything from the result. I actually think Moyes won the battle of wits between himself and Rafa. Every man and his dog (including Moyes) knows that Liverpool have the better "footballing team". Man for man we are better. So he adressed this by playing one upfront and playing five across the middle at home. Yes, maybe they got the lucky breaks but he was happy letting us have the lions share of possesion. Even more so because we couldnt convert our chances, it just wasnt our day. I recall in the press during the week Moyes telling his players to keep their cool. And TBH they did, they followed his instructions and got a result I doubt even he expected. He would of been looking for a draw or a sneaky one-nil win. Unfortunately for us our defence had a shocker and up the other end we were unlucky at times, and dreadful on others. To be fair to him, he got it right we got it wrong .

I feel yeasterday was a turning point and thankfully only three games have been played so we have a long way to go. Liverpool players must definitely be hearing the fans dissapointment as this was a local Derby, let's face it they will have no where to hide.

I hope your right there mate, I hope we kick on from here but I think theres possibly more teething problems ahead. But the futures bright its Red.

Oh yeah, Graham Poll is a c.unt [quote]

Funny you say that, I actually thought he gave us most of the 50/50 decisions, we cant hide or excuse the fact we were just poor. Lets forget this one and move on.

by **kazza** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 2:41 pm

Bamaga man wrote:
We started the match yesterday and looking at the team sheet I thought to myself "sh1t we are good and will win the title this year". The game started and Everton were under pressure from the start. It seemed only a matter of time before we scored and this was a good team we were playing, much better than last year. A penalty appeal here, hit the post there. For f.ucks sake we did everything but score. Then a bad mistake at the back. Whereas Everton played eight men behind the ball before the goal, after the goal they seemed to play ten behind the ball. Tactically the game fell into their hands but had they not got that lucky goal it would have been only a matter of time before we scored. Had we put away one of our chances the game would have been completely different and in nine times out of ten that would have happened. All their goals came from "one a season" defensive blunders that we hardly ever make, trouble is there were three of them all in the same game

In your eyes that and others that maybe true, but to be frank we were poor yesterday and didnt really deserve to get anything from the result. I actually think Moyes won the battle of wits between himself and Rafa. Every man and his dog (including Moyes) knows that Liverpool have the better "footballing team". Man for man we are better. So he adressed this by playing one upfront and playing five across the middle at home. Yes, maybe they got the lucky breaks but he was happy letting us have the lions share of passion. Even more so because we couldnt convert our chances, it just wasnt our day. I recall in the press during the week Moyes telling his players to keep their cool. And TBH they did, they followed his instructions and got a result I doubt even he expected. He would of been looking for a draw or a sneaky one-nil win. Unfortunately for us our defence had a shocker and up the other end we were unlucky at times, and dreadful on others. To be fair to him, he got it right we got it wrong .

I feel yeasterday was a turning point and thankfully only three games have been played so we have a long way to go. Liverpool players must definitely be hearing the fans dissapointment as this was a local Derby, let's face it they will have no where to hide.

I hope your right there mate, I hope we kick on from here but I think theres possibly more teething problems ahead. But the futures bright its Red.

Oh yeah, Graham Poll is a c.unt

Funny you say that, I actually thought he gave us most of the 50/50 decisions, we cant hide or excuse the fact we were just poor. Lets forget this one and move on.

Don't get me wrong, I am not blaming Poll, I just never liked him and he never seems to like us.

I disagree with the Moyes vs. Raffa thing. Moyes was playing a purely defensive game to try a stop a pasting. If just one goal went it would have been curtains for his counter-attack aproach. The only thing Moyes was successfull in was making sure he had none of his players sent off because they definitely were using the physical approach.

We did not play well yesterday but should have ground out a result instead of folding because that is what happened. The point of my post is not to make excuses for yesterdays loss, but rather to state that this is the slap in the face the players need to start playing well. Let's face it, we have not played well yet but should we start Tuesday and onwards then this game would be the catalyst to a great season.

by **66-1112520797** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 3:29 pm

I disagree with the Moyes vs. Raffa thing

Yeah maybe, its a fine line as it can go either way for you. And yesteray it went to Gollum

by **Bad Bob** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:42 pm

For me, the trouble is threefold:

First, we've had such a stop-start beginning to the season. FFS, we just had a World Cup not two months ago and we're already having international matches for Euro 08? That is simply ridiculous and has hurt us (not using this as an excuse but you can't argue with the fact that Everton were hurt much less by the international break than we were).

Second, there are the injuries to date. Hell, 1/2 of our air-tight back four from last season have been receiving treatment for most of the new campaign. That's unsettled our usually unflappable defense and had a ripple effect throughout the side. Again, we've got to expect injuries and deal with them but it has been a factor.

Perhaps most importantly, however, we have a whole crop of new players to bed into the club. It takes time for the squad to gel and play to their full potential when new players are introduced. Add to that the fact that, given the new attacking options that come with the new lads, we're basically improvising a new approach to our play. Last year our success was built on an iron curtain defense, a strong but defensively-minded midfield and an ability to scrape out the necessary goals when needed. Clearly, Rafa's brought some players in that are designed to help us be more creative and lethal going forward. It'll take time for these players to settle into life at Liverpool and it'll take time for our returning players to adapt to the new attacking options and tactics.

To be honest, it looks like it might take more time than I initially thought. I'm not giving up hope for this campaign or anything but it may just be that a realistic title challenge won't be mounted until next season, after the players have had a year of working together. What's crucial, though, is that we continue to push the league leaders and that we find a way to finish the season in at least 2nd place. Imagine an August that didn't involve nerve-wracking CL qualifiers in and amongst the vital first few games of a title-challenging league campaign? Now that would be turning a corner! :cool:

by **agoodmentality** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 10:17 pm

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND THE SHIEGHT IS THAT YESTERDAY THEY WERE PLAYING "THEIR" EUROPEAN CUP FINAL, "(quote by cahill on friday), BUT WE ARE STARTING OUR CAMPAIGN ON TUE NIGHT(i'm sure we've got the small matter of making it 6 times <******>?
im sick as a dog we lost, and i think he should've played our non internationals (not many to choose from), but PSV was deffo in their heads, and rightly so.
i really think we have the quality in the squad the to play different line up in games before and after CL games, eg. crouch fowler zenden(prem), kuyt bellamy garcia(CL),
am i talking sheight or what?
now if we play like that on tuesday i'll get back to you,

by **babu** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:25 am

the reina thread 'one season wonder' was started before the league kicked off and well before the everton game, and so was not a reaction to the loss.

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