Liverpool FC Forum

We are 4th, West Ham are only 2 points behind us in 5th (on level games) so this is an important game, they are in good form as well winning 6 and drawing 1 of their last 7 games in all comps (including a win against Everton).
If we still harbour any pretensions of hanging on to our title we need to win this one though.

Next two games are a must win if we want to stay in the top 4 this season IMO, and we need to beat City as well if we want to stay in the fight for the title.

West Ham are on a good run and they're in form, it's not going to be an easy game. They'll likely park the bus and hope for a counter attack or a corner/free-kick, but as long as our forwards do their job we should be able to beat them. Thankfully, our front 3 seem to be getting back in form, so I think we'll be fine.

Talk of Fabinho missing this one as well so it will probably be Hendo and Phillips at the back, I hope these are not famous last words but I think games against say a Moyes, Alladyce or Pulis team probably suit Phillips’s game a bit more than Williams’s.

Yeah i'd go phillips for sure. After the everton loss, let's hope arsenal can do us another favour vs the Scum later. I reckon that'll finish 1-1. Also reckon Sheffield UTD, as awful as they are, might nick something against the Mancs

Franky000 » Sat Jan 30, 2021 3:25 pm wrote:Yeah i'd go phillips for sure. After the everton loss, let's hope arsenal can do us another favour vs the Scum later. I reckon that'll finish 1-1. Also reckon Sheffield UTD, as awful as they are, might nick something against the Mancs

As I write this there’s about half an hour to go in the City game, if it stays at 1-0 and they don’t get a second City will deffo start to get the jitters in the last 10 minutes.

well that's that then....was probably too much to ask from fat sam and his troops

Franky000 » Sat Jan 30, 2021 4:53 pm wrote:well that's that then....was probably too much to ask from fat sam and his troops

Chris Wilder manages Sheff United mate as I’m sure you well know (one of those brain on autopilot moments)

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:40 pm wrote:

Franky000 » Sat Jan 30, 2021 4:53 pm wrote:well that's that then....was probably too much to ask from fat sam and his troops

Chris Wilder manages Sheff United mate as I’m sure you well know (one of those brain on autopilot moments)

Whoops, brain fart

Good news re: United...knew they'd drop points today. Well done Arsenal. Now let's capitalise...

Franky000 » Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:22 pm wrote:

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:40 pm wrote:

Franky000 » Sat Jan 30, 2021 4:53 pm wrote:well that's that then....was probably too much to ask from fat sam and his troops

Chris Wilder manages Sheff United mate as I’m sure you well know (one of those brain on autopilot moments)

Whoops, brain fart

Good news re: United...knew they'd drop points today. Well done Arsenal. Now let's capitalise...

Yep, beat WH tomorrow and we’ll be just a point behind United on level games, they looked like they were going to pull away from us a week or so ago as well, the league is that tight that a couple of back to back losses or wins can either catapult you up the table or see you drop like a stone.

I honestly think we need to be a lot more concerned about City than United. Flech  was very unlucky not to score a brilliant goal in the 85th minute to level the score with City. De Bruyne is out for most of February. Our next two games and they won’t be easy are vital followed by beating City at Anfield next weekend. The next three games could be season defining.

West Ham will give our defence considerably more problems than they had to encounter during the second half of the Spurs match and for that reason Hendo and Phillips are a concern.Let’s face it Spurs were poor and only had three shots on goal in the whole game. Our front three definitely looked a lot more like themselves against both United and Spurs and hopefully that will continue. Press the life out of them and get an early goal would make life easier for the team and my heart !!

COYR

YNWA

devaney » Sun Jan 31, 2021 9:53 am wrote:I honestly think we need to be a lot more concerned about City than United. Flech  was very unlucky not to score a brilliant goal in the 85th minute to level the score with City. De Bruyne is out for most of February. Our next two games and they won’t be easy are vital followed by beating City at Anfield next weekend. The next three games could be season defining.

West Ham will give our defence considerably more problems than they had to encounter during the second half of the Spurs match and for that reason Hendo and Phillips are a concern.Let’s face it Spurs were poor and only had three shots on goal in the whole game. Our front three definitely looked a lot more like themselves against both United and Spurs and hopefully that will continue. Press the life out of them and get an early goal would make life easier for the team and my heart !!

COYR

YNWA

Oh absolutely, City are by and far the biggest threat but we are still in 4th and the first thing we need to do is reign in the teams immediately above us including United.
As you say though these next 7 days are crucial, they won’t decide the outcome of the title but they will decide if we are going to participate in the race. Say we draw today, draw against Brighton on Wednesday and then lose against City next Sunday which let’s face it given our results since the turn of the year could easily happen, then we are done for this season.
These next 3 games are massive, don’t get me wrong even if we win them we’ll probably still be 4 points behind City with a hell of a lot of work to do but if we don’t win all 3 then I think that premier league trophy that we waited 30 years to win will be prized from our grasp.

City are the biggest threat but LFC, Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs have all had lapses in form which City won't be immune to. We need to get as close as we can to City and hang on in there waiting for them to hit a speed bump. Our biggest challenge of course is that we're doing this with one hand tied behind our backs without any centre backs.

Sadio Mane is absent due to a minor muscle injury, which is expected to be only a short-term issue, while Roberto Firmino is also replaced, with Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi restored to the XI.

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Henderson, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Milner, Thiago, Shaqiri, Salah, Origi.

Subs: Adrian, Kelleher, Firmino, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Minamino, Tsimikas, R. Williams, N. Williams.

Absolutely unbelievable - Mane out injured now as well... 

I always get nervous when we shake up the front 3...usually it means we will struggle for goals.

Annoying Mane is out, but it's reportedly a slight knock and shouldn't put him out for long.

We can't afford any more injuries to anyone for any length of time. Sadio is arguably our most influential player in most matches.