Liverpool Betis (may contain goals)

mike65

Liverpool have pretty much a total squad from which to choose, Luis Garcia and Alonso are apparently fit to play.

Betis are badly hit by injury with both main strikers out and a bunch of defenders. They are now 19th in La Liga.

My line-up

=========Reina

Finnan==Cara==Hyypia==Riise

Gerard====Alonso====Kewell

=======Luis Garcia

=======Cisse==Mori

Which won't happen but I'd like to see attacking football, I think they are there for the taking.

Mike.

whiskeyman

Really looking forward to this... especially after the woeful match last night on TV.
Liverpool always seem to up their game in Europe, and this is a big game for them... and Anfield will lap it up.
Might even put a flutter on Crouch..

yom 1

---

Reina

---

Finnan----Carradona----Hyypia----Riise

---

Sissoko

---

Alonso

---

Gerrard

---

Kewell

---

Cisse----Garcia

---

Benitez knows that they have to win so they have to attack us so Cisse will start to occupy the room that they will leave at the back. I would like to see Kewell start to see if he is rediscovering his form or just a one game wonder, but I cant see Morientes not in the starting line up so I will say that Kewell will be on the bench with Garcia on the left.

ButcherOfNog

i expect liverpool to continue with their good form and win this one with a bit to spare, i'll be keeping a close eye on the chelsea game tho, i have an odd feeling that Anderlect will end their run of CL defeats tonite, dunno why, but I do

The Rooster

I think Morientes is a definite starter. The question is who'll partner him - Crouch, Cisse, Garcia or Kewell. I think he'll go with Cisse. Difficult to pick the midfield as we dont know the real fitness status of the Spainards or Kewell.

redspider

I hope Alonso is fully fit if he plays and Benitez is not risking him by putting him back in too soon, as we will need him for the season. This is a game where the opposition are there for the taking and another game that Liverpool should win, so I hope Rafa picks a strong team to start with and then uses the subs to rest players once a lead is established.

Goals though may be difficult to come by in some respects, but Liverpool always seem to be able to score "unplanned" goals. I dont expect it to be a walloping 4-0 win with Liverpool creating 20 attempts on goal or anything of that level or like that. A lot will depend on whether the strikers get anything. Kewell, if he is ever going to do anything at Liverpool and presuming he gets decent time on the pitch tonight, will have to use this game as a stepping stone to greater things. If he plays woeful in tonights game, it will be yet another nail in his coffin, and his coffin lid has enough nails in it already.

Overall, for the likes of Morientes, Crouch, Cisse, I expect to see what has been on show already this season .... misses, more misses, and misses.

My prediction is 2-0 to Liverpool.

redspider

Chardee MacDennis

3-1 to liverpool crouch to score his first competitive goal... with stevie and luis g to score and joaquin to get a conselation goal...

mike65

Crouch to start with Morientes! Cisse on the bench.

---

Reina
finan-cara--hyypia-riise,
gerrard-hamann-sissoko-zenden,

---

crouch---morientes

Subs Dudek, Kewell, Cisse, Josemi, Traore, Warnock, Potter

So no Alonso or Luis garcia

Mike.

Chucky the tree

2-0 to the pool

Pighead

Should be a cracking game as Betis must attack Liverpool in order to gain the 3 points they need to give them hope of progressing.Pighead reckons we could be in for a 3-3 thriller.Also fancy Crouch to finally break his duck tonight.Cisse must be fuming at being overlooked again.

Spider_Baby!

Anyone watching rte 2?? Lol, they're slagging the crap out of each other. "Get your facts right!" "No, you get your facts right!"

therecklessone

Dunphy's losing it!

Vikings

Spider_Baby! wrote:

Anyone watching rte 2?? Lol, they're slagging the crap out of each other. "Get your facts right!" "No, you get your facts right!"

Making for some interesting viewing - Dubphy just flat out called Niall Quinn an idiot.

Spider_Baby!

Did you hear what he said about the guy who wrote some article in a sunday paper?! Lol
"Do you remember his name, Bill?"
"No, no i dont."
"Well, hes a man who ran out on his wife for a younger woman..." Wtf has that got to do with anything, eamon??

Tusky

That was the best 10 minutes of tv I have ever seen on RTE! Great arguement... I think dunphys pissed and was making an eejit of himself. He called Niall Quinn a creep and an idiot. He also had goes at Liam Brady and some of the other panel.

el rabitos

the liverpool v betis match will have to go some way to top that for entertainment value

therecklessone

Lads, just so we don't end up highjacking the thread, might be worth continuing the Dunphy discussion on the Roy Keane thread, there's a few comments there already.

Dr. Dre

that was some good shiat right there. I'd rather this lot for the rest of the night - it would come to blows.

Vokes

Hmmm, no Alonso.
And its really telling this early on. We can't keep the ball.

Vokes

Playing much better now. Morientes is looking very sharp and scrapping for every ball!

Spider_Baby!

Lol at crouch, i wonder how many chances he'll get tonight, and if he will finally lose his anfield virginity!

Vikings

We were totally outplayed in that half of football - the first 20 minutes was a joke. Major improvements needed in the second half.

p.s No Dunphy in the studio .... wonder what went on behind the scenes.

Davei141

Think he went off to watch the chelsea match

Spider_Baby!

Red card for eamo?

PiE

IncredibleBulk wrote:

We were totally outplayed in that half of football - the first 20 minutes was a joke.

What match are you watching? Last time I checked, the possession was slightly on Betis' side, but the shots on goal stat was something like 7-1 in Liverpool's favour.

Vikings

The stats dont do justice to the game - we were run ragged in the first 20 minutes, only then did we start to get some of the ball. And of the 7 shots on goal we had ... maybe 1 was on target?

At least we have started this half better.

Davei141

Davei141 wrote:

Think he went off to watch the chelsea match

was trevor steven not watching that???? me thinks dunphy got the road for his ron liddell, and niall quinn remarks

therecklessone

Deleted User wrote:

was trevor steven not watching that???? me thinks dunphy got the road for his ron liddell, and niall quinn remarks

Dunphy was watching the Chelsea match.

Pighead

Pighead wrote:

Should be a cracking game as Betis must attack Liverpool in order to gain the 3 points they need to give them hope of progressing.Pighead reckons we could be in for a 3-3 thriller.Also fancy Crouch to finally break his duck tonight.Cisse must be fuming at being overlooked again.

Yeah nice prediction there Pighead.:rolleyes:
Back to After Hours with u,ya big eejit.

Davei141

That was rubbish. 2 of the worst champions league games ive ever seen 2 nights in a row.

PiE

IncredibleBulk wrote:

The stats dont do justice to the game - we were run ragged in the first 20 minutes, only then did we start to get some of the ball. And of the 7 shots on goal we had ... maybe 1 was on target?

Whereas Betis' 1 shot on goal was a clear cut cha... oh no wait it wasn't. They had a lot of possession in the first few mins but not once did they threaten Liverpool. Stats do it a lot of justice, 27 shots on goal to Betis' 6(?) at the end say a lot more about the game than the possession stats.

Second half as you said has been all Liverpool. Should have won this easily, disappointed that we haven't though I guess I would've grabbed this with both hands when the groups were announced. Just hope we don't regret this result by ending up 2nd in the group and being drawn against someone like Barca, Milan or Juve unnessecarily.

Ronan|Raven

Shame liverpool couldnt converty one of the chances, was a nervy closing with betis getting a corner in the final seconds. Both chelsea and liverpool through now. Even if liverpool do beat chelsea away and betis win I cant see them making up the goal difference needed.

mike65

Only saw the last 35-40 mins so can't make detailed comment, except to say I think the Hamman/Sissoko midfield meant there was always going to be difficulty driving forwards. Still 28 shots (I think) pity somthing did'nt go in.

I'd have swapped Sissoko for Zenden in the 2nd half bring Kewell in on the left.

Mike.

therecklessone

therecklessone wrote:

Dunphy was watching the Chelsea match.

oh your right. trevor co-commentated with GH on pool betis game

Davei141 wrote:

That was rubbish. 2 of the worst champions league games ive ever seen 2 nights in a row.

good barney before the game though LOL!!! as someone said they almost wished the game wouldnt start

Kingp35

Another poor game of football. Im beginning to get less and less excited about Champions League football these days. the sooner the knockout stages start the better

el rabitos

there were times during that game where someone watching a football match for the first time would think that football is a game played with the ball in the air :rolleyes: was awfull to watch at times.

with the amount of chances liverpool make for themselves these days one has to wonder if owen would be well into double figures by now

crouch is like a double edge sword, he makes space, brings players into the game and is a platform for long balls....all great....but he doesnt score, if only goals werent needed to win games

PiE

Ronan|Raven wrote:

Even if liverpool do beat chelsea away and betis win I cant see them making up the goal difference needed.

Wouldn't matter. Even if Betis were level on points and had a better GD, Chelsea would go through as they have the better record against Betis. I think.

mike65

Betis can't catch Chelsea, they are 3 goals down in the head to heads.

Liverpool should go for the top of the group, they don't want to end up playing Barca or Lyon if they can help it!

Mike.

whiskeyman

Anyone tape the Dunphy outburst?
Went to shop before game to stock up on food n booze and just came back for kickoff... seems I missed all the entertainment!

yop

Some bore of a game. Good to see harry hairdo make an appearance, nice double pony tail!

KdjaCL

Kingp35 wrote:

Another poor game of football. Im beginning to get less and less excited about Champions League football these days. the sooner the knockout stages start the better

Yeh it sucks i missed the pool game as i was watching Shevchenko and Adriano rattle in hatricks, and rangers grab an equaliser. Yeah down with this sort of football :rolleyes:


Kdjac

redspider

With this result, Liverpool are through to the last 16. Liverpool did more than enough in this match to win it. Although Betis had most of the ball in the early running, they didnt do anything with it and rarely threatened the Liverpool goal. Liverpool created chance after chance, many of which were scoreable.

Crouch will not get an easier one than that header he had from all of 5 yards out and which he somehow managed to steer wide. Most of us would have put that on target and scored, never mind a professional footballer. I realise I am sounding like a stuck record now and if I've said it once I've said it 100 times, but if people do not realise that Crouch wont cut it, wake up and smell the coffee.

The 4-4-2 formation was as follows:

---

Reina

---

Finnan - Carragher - Hyypia - Riise
Gerrard - Sissoko -- Hamann - Zenden

---

Crouch -- Morientes

---

We got the usual displays. The back line very comfortable. Finnan played very well, Carra played his usual self. Hyypia played better and was not left in a one-on-one situation. Hyypia did quite good in his going forward play. Liverpool played the offside trap a couple of times which Betis nearly unlocked but the linesman/woman must have been a defender in a former life and gave Liverpool any benefit of the doubt. Riise went up well on the left and did his defending duties tidily.

Sissoko and Hamann mopped up most things in midfield, but were lacking in creativity going forward. Stevie G had a good game, playing out wide on the right, at times he probably passed it to Crouch when he could have gone on to shoot himself. He did get in a couple of shots but he didnt connect with them fairly well and on another night would hve scored. He should be in the central midfield though where he is at his best.

Zenden, played his usually frustrating style, drifting inside from the left position, at times running away from the ball. The only saving factor for Zenden is that he does try hard once he is in or near the box with the ball, but its his play before that which is a let down as he didnt link up with Riise at all well. Liverpool really missed Alonso in midfield but I am glad he wasnt risked.

Crouch and Morientes: a typical game from both of them and what can be said about these two that hasnt been said before? Crouch did ok keeping the ball, but he lost it and gave it away just as much. He missed so many chances - you could say he is doing ok to get into some ok positions but thats all that hes doing. Morientes also had a golden chance, but dwelled on it for about half a second too long and hit it at the keeper. Crespo he is not.

So, this game typified Liverpool's form at the moment, solid at the back, usualy, missing fluidity in midfield, and lacking in finishers up front. Even with 27 attenmpts or whatever it was at goal to Betis' 6, the result was still a 0-0. Luckily for Liverpool, thats all that was needed on the night, but there will be times later on in the season when goals ar needed and which will end up frustratingly.

Cisse came on and did ok. Again, it was a display that we expect from him. Fast and direct. The lad has pace. But he doesnt have finesse, and he is not a wizardy winger, nor can he cross well. Kewell also got a run out but did his usual, not doing much but he did find Gerrard in space near the end as Betis fell asleep for a second. Not enough time on the pitch really to lambast him for his performance, or praise it.

So, that was the game.

Before the game, I caught the Dunphy, Giles, Brady and O'Herlihy "debate" and it made for great television. It was one of those moments which you wont see on other channels, because quite simply after such a display Dunphy would be sacked for life. It was similar to his WC outbursts in 2002, after which he should have been sacked for life. Dunphy resorted to calling other players names and failed to argue the points. He is "in love" with Roy Keane, no doubt about that, and is too close to judge his actions objectively.

It reminded me of some of the discussions going on here on boards.ie about Roy. Surely the mods would have banned Dunphy for his actions!

redspider

redspider

redspider wrote:

Goals though may be difficult to come by in some respects...
Overall, for the likes of Morientes, Crouch, Cisse, I expect to see what has been on show already this season .... misses, more misses, and misses.

sometimes, its not good when your predictions come true !

redspider

p.pete

Crouch was easily man of the match last night for me. Frustrating night for the whole team not to get the goals that were deserved and it'll be a harder job to finish top of the group now but thankfully we're through. I thought things might go pear-shaped when they got a corner right at the end.

I thought Crouch held the ball up excellently, there was only one or two occasions when it was taken off him but in general he was able to pick out a good pass, excellent distribution. On a few occassions he did some excellent support work creating chances for those around him. Still no goals and that's worrying, the "getting in the right places" bit is starting to wear thin.