Liverpool FC Forum

by **Sabre** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:08 am

For those interested on knowing what the international press say about the match, the headline in Marca is that Fabregas avoided the first defeat of Arsenal in the league.

Marca says that Liverpool would have desired the match lasted 80 minutes, because according to their view we lost the match in the last 20 minutes.

Maybe I give more credit to them but I'll say, and I know it's controversial that Arsenal didn't impress me that much. What you have to do with teams like that is to make a couple of good counters, put yourself with 2-0 and leave them with stupid face. We failed to do that and in the second half they played better.

I'm gutted, because it's raining and it saddens me, but also because I feel that in our best we could have beaten them.

by **bigmick** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:12 am

woof woof ! wrote:In pure footballing terms we were outclassed and were lucky not to have been beaten yesterday, it's as simple as that .On the positive side the effort put in by our lads was gratifying and more performances like that will certainly see us picking up 3 points in other games.

Was disappointed that Rafa didn't take off BOTH Voronin and Kuyt and throw on Benayoun and Babel . Both Voronin and Kuyt are decent players but no more than that, lets face it we got Voronin on a free otherwise there's no way the fella would be at our club . As for Kuyt , sadly for me he's finally proving to be a major disappointment. Despite his well documented success in dutch football , the goals that built his reputation are not flowing for him at LFC. Perhaps as some have said it's down to the role he's being asked to play with us, but even in that role his performance despite all of his willingness to run and run is not paying any dividends. Evident again yesterday were his poor first touch and lack of anticipation . Whilst we still have concerns regarding cover for Agger at CB and to a lesser extent the effectiveness of our wide positions I think despite the signing of Torres we are still very much in need of another striker who possesses some pace and guile. Some have made a shout for Babel and it would be interesting to see him given a run out as a strke partner alongside Torres. Either way Voronin is no more than a decent squad member and unfortunately Kuyt is increasingly looking like he also falls into that category, Crouch certainly derserves to be above the pair of them in the pecking order. Over the last couple of years the list of hit men with large reputations coming to LFC and failing has become embarrassingly long. Baros, Cisse, Morientes, Bellamy and now Kuyt. Hopefully come January Rafa will off load those that aren't cutting it and bring in someone who can actually stick the ball away.

Yeah I'm not going to argue with any of that Woof, although it must be borne in mind that they have always looked different gravy in posession. I actually thought with about 20 mins to go we might hold on as they looked to be running out of ideas a bit, but once they scored they could have had a couple more in truth.

I actually think though that man Utd will bully them a little like we did, but will also have a that little bit more quality in posession than we showed and will beat them next weekend. FWIW I hope they don't as I dislike arsenal slightly less but that's how I see it.

I agree also on the front men situation. I had great hopes for Kuyt at first but those who called it with the thumbs down called it right I'm afraid. Voronin just simply looks not good enough for a top six club to be perfectly honest. Given that and Torres's injury, I would have thought that despite not being on each others Christmas card list, Rafa is going to have to play Crouch.

Out of the adversity of injuries, we may actually eb able to get something going off the back of it. Sorry for being pessimistic but I suspect our league challenge is at best hanging by a thread, and I'd be inclined to take a bit of a punt from here on in. I'd put the best back four out that we can, I'd move Gerrard out right, bring Luvcas into the centre with Masherano, have Benayoun on the left and start Babel alongside Crouch up top. We'd have goal threat and some glue to hold it all together in the form of Lucas. The team would look a bit like this, and needless to say I'd give it four or five games before changing it.

Reina

Finnan Hyppia Carragher Arbeloa

Gerrard Masherano Lucas Benayoun

Crouch Babel.

by **Leonmc0708** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:18 am

puroresu wrote:
The Manhattan Project wrote:The way the media are going on about Arsenal today, you'd think they WON yesterday.

I think its cos this was there first huge test and they passed it with flying colours.

They pass with flying colours with a draw yet we have questions ?

by **66-1112520797** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:23 am

In pure footballing terms we were outclassed and were lucky not to have been beaten yesterday,

Dont agree with the "lucky not to have been beaten.

We'll leave it at that hey Woof.

Que Woofs favourite icon at the mo

:talktothehand

by **112-1077774096** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:25 am

Bamaga man wrote:
In pure footballing terms we were outclassed and were lucky not to have been beaten yesterday,

Dont agree with the "lucky not to have been beaten.

We'll leave it at that hey Woof.

Que Woofs favourite icon at the mo

come on mate, they rattled the woodwork twice and only poor finishing from the rebound robbed them of another goal, we were lucky they didn't put one away and lucky that carras shirt pull in the box wasn't noticed

by **woof woof !** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:30 am

I still don't support the Gerrard on the right role Mick, if only because (a) i think all round he's more effective in the middle and (b) when he's put out wide he often goes walkabout leaving our right flank totally exposed with only Finnan desperately trying to shore it up.

Certainly in the abscence of Torres I'd give the Crouch - Babel partnership up front.

Like you I thought we might sneak the win yesterday but that certainly would've had to have been considered lucky if it had happend ,you might remember that Arsenal somehow contrived to miss TWO open goals. I'm gonna take a punt on them beating Man U .

by **Ace Ventura** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:33 am

I think we played ok, i know people are going on saying Arsenal had loads of posession and we should be dominating at home but we were in poor form before the game and they were absolutley flying.
Also Arsenal did play with 5 in midfield all very good ball players so it was probably inevitable that they would have most of the ball.
Lets be honest here though....how many clear cut chances did they create ? Mascherano and Alonso seemed to make sure that once it got into dangerous territory the danger was snuffed out.
We looked more likely to get a second at the start of the second half than them scoring imo and Crouch surely proved that whatever has gone on with him and the manager, the team comes first and he needs to be playing. The other two (Kuyt & Voronin) while working hard are giving the ball away too cheapy, they are both not quick enough and both dont offer any real goal threat. That system seemed tailor made for Babel, its what he plays for Holland and we might of seen a bit more of what the lads about if he had been given a chance, Rafa probably thought the other two would offer more coming back but you need to weigh up the positives and negatives, and Kuyt and Voronins negatives at the moment are far outweighing any positives.
If Alonso and Mascherano hadnt got injured i think we would of won the game, we didnt and while its disappointing this result is far from the end of the world.
Lets just hope the injuries to the 3 key players are not serious because with them in the team and adding Kewell and Agger i really think we have the makings of a very good side.

Onwards and upwards i say.

by **woof woof !** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:34 am

Bamaga man wrote:
In pure footballing terms we were outclassed and were lucky not to have been beaten yesterday,

Dont agree with the "lucky not to have been beaten.

We'll leave it at that hey Woof.

Que Woofs favourite icon at the mo

Suggest you put down the Fosters and watch the game again mate. Although as time went on I thought we might sneak it , a 3-1 win for Arsenal would not have flattered them.

:talktothehand

by **66-1112520797** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:38 am

peewee wrote:
Bamaga man wrote:
In pure footballing terms we were outclassed and were lucky not to have been beaten yesterday,

Dont agree with the "lucky not to have been beaten.

We'll leave it at that hey Woof.

Que Woofs favourite icon at the mo

come on mate, they rattled the woodwork twice and only poor finishing from the rebound robbed them of another goal, we were lucky they didn't put one away and lucky that carras shirt pull in the box wasn't noticed

Yeah but Peewee those wear only there real chances of the game. We werent constantly under pressure in terms of slicing the defence apart.

Had we had Babel we possibly could of made them pay, for what quite frankly is poor finnishing. We looked just as dangerous on the counter.

by **66-1112520797** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:42 am

woof woof ! wrote:
Bamaga man wrote:
In pure footballing terms we were outclassed and were lucky not to have been beaten yesterday,

Dont agree with the "lucky not to have been beaten.

We'll leave it at that hey Woof.

Que Woofs favourite icon at the mo

Suggest you put down the Fosters and watch the game again mate. Although as time went on I thought we might sneak it , a 3-1 win for Arsenal would not have flattered them.

Suggest you put down your pint of Vodka and your wacky backy. Because if you felt we could of sneaked it, then surely a 1-0 win would not of flattered us.

Yes we rode our luck but talk to the .....

:talktothehand

Cause the face aint listening dawg.

Leon back me up geeze, you know I'm right.

by **woof woof !** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:57 am

Bamaga man wrote:Suggest you put down your pint of Vodka and your wacky backy. Because if you felt we could of sneaked it, then surely a 1-0 win would not of flattered us.

Yes we rode our luck but talk to the .....

Cause the face aint listening dawg.

Leon back me up geeze, you know I'm right.

A one nil win would've have flattered us , not that I would've complained.

.Even Benitez admitted post match that Arsenal deserved something from the game. They had more chances that us , hit the woodwork a couple of times and somehow missed two open goals.

I'm all out of waccy baccy and vodka and yet still think we got got lucky and that Arsenal missed a couple of sitters.

by **dawson99** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:00 pm

you dont get points for hittnig the woodwork, what was the difference shots on target? even that dont count, its on goals. and we were 1-0 up til we lost soe players through injury.

thats how i see it

by **66-1112520797** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:10 pm

dawson99 wrote:you dont get points for hittnig the woodwork, what was the difference shots on target? even that dont count, its on goals. and we were 1-0 up til we lost soe players through injury.

thats how i see it

Good on ya Dawsie Daws.

by **stmichael** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:12 pm

Anyone criticising our quality of football after that yesterday is completely missing the point. Was there anyone who thought we were the technical match of the other CL sides before today? The worst thing about our recent run was the fact that we were so spineless, which is so un-Rafalike it's untrue. We got our ollies back yesterday and for that I'm made up.

Gerrard has shown really encouraging signs in the last two games. Infact yesterday it was like the Gerrard of old as he was throwing himself into tackles left right and centre. Alonso and Mascherano also played really well and Crouch looked really dangerous when he came on. If Crouch doesn't start at Blackburn next week it's an absolute disgrace.

by **66-1112520797** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:17 pm

I'm all out of waccy baccy and vodka and yet still think we got got lucky and that Arsenal missed a couple of sitters.

Withdraweles plays havoc with the mind.

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