Build up to the big one on Sat-Pool vs United

Hobart

TheMonster wrote:

Would you ever cop the f*** on and stop dragging every thread off topic due to your obvious hatred of United. This has absolutely nothing to do with tomorrows match.

And would you stop being so rude. Notice I quoted a pice I was replying too. Nobody forced you to sit up in the bed and start tapping on the keys, if you don't want to read it, click the big X in the right hand corner.

PHB

Seriously lads, the only option with some people is the ignore function, if their posts bother you so much. JUst ignore people you don't like to read, if everybody did this, the forum would be much nicer.

PiE

Ah but half the fun is laughing at the rubbish spouted.

The Rooster

I dont think Alonso will be picked, whether he's fit or not.

United will play somewhat cautiously. It won't have escaped anyone's attention that Liverpool have struggled to break down team's recently. 0-0 will do United fine, whereas a draw would be a real pain for Liverpool.

For whatever reason, Saha has caused the Liverpool defence a lot more problems than RvN and Rooney recently. If Ferguson was in a positive frame of mind he'd play Saha alongside RvN, with Rooney in midfield. I think Rooney will play deep, but that he'll keep Saha until the last 20 minutes (depending on how the game is going).

gracehopper

The Rooster wrote:

I dont think Alonso will be picked, whether he's fit or not.

A Big loss for Pool if they have to rest him. he was excellent against Rooney at OT.
if alonso is rested i'd defo put Saha up with RVN and rooney in the centre of the park and throw caution to wind.

HashSlinging

I think Liverpool will approach this game with caution, esp as they will be defending the champions league title next week, and in fairness the egg cup can wait for Liverpool, they have bigger fish to fry, I can see the new guys getting a run out, and maybe a few reserve players. Maybe they won’t be as confident going in as they were against the arsenal, but I think they will hold off any attack from Man utd, and possibly get one in the back of the net.

1 - 0 to the 'pool

gracehopper

HashSlinging wrote:

I think Liverpool will approach this game with caution, esp as they will be defending the champions league title next week, and in fairness the egg cup can wait for Liverpool, they have bigger fish to fry, I can see the new guys getting a run out, and maybe a few reserve players. Maybe they won’t be as confident going in as they were against the arsenal, but I think they will hold off any attack from Man utd, and possibly get one in the back of the net.

1 - 0 to the 'pool

Very optimistic! Good man
I think they'll need to mix and match if they want to contest the game. For eg. i dont see them dropping carragher or Hypia or Gerard. I'd say kromkamp and agger might get a run at some stage. if they dont mark Rooney sufficently they'll get beaten. I have a feeling that Rooney is going to destroy somebody one of these days. He's been in good form of late but hasnt scored in a while. I have my fingers crossed that he brakes his duck tmrw

dirkey_wynne

HashSlinging wrote:

I think Liverpool will approach this game with caution, esp as they will be defending the champions league title next week, and in fairness the egg cup can wait for Liverpool, they have bigger fish to fry, I can see the new guys getting a run out, and maybe a few reserve players. Maybe they won’t be as confident going in as they were against the arsenal, but I think they will hold off any attack from Man utd, and possibly get one in the back of the net.

1 - 0 to the 'pool

And good luck to them defending it. Personally I hope Barca win it, some side to watch.

Incidentally, if ye do get knocked out of this now after resting players, it'll look a foolish decision when ye get knocked out of CL this year. And yes, I said when.

HashSlinging

ouch thats just nasty. not a whole lotta love here! any chance of a group hug? everyone just hold hands then.

Green_Martian

dirkey_wynne wrote:

And good luck to them defending it. Personally I hope Barca win it, some side to watch.

Incidentally, if ye do get knocked out of this now after resting players, it'll look a foolish decision when ye get knocked out of CL this year. And yes, I said when.

Lol:D looks like you can see into the future....wanna give me my lotto numbers:p

i can see liverpool getting past benfica, as much i will hate to see that, they might also progress further than we think

dirkey_wynne

Green_Martian wrote:

Lol:D looks like you can see into the future....wanna give me my lotto numbers:p

i can see liverpool getting past benfica, as much i will hate to see that, they might also progress further than we think

I definitely think they'll get past Benfica alright, they're far too strong for them. A side we should have progressed instead of, but made an absolute monkey's of it! I'd say they'll comfortably beat Benfica.

Tusky

This thread is a joke, so many snide comments and arguements about irrelevant issues.

RasTa

Tusky wrote:

This thread is a joke, so many snide comments and arguements about irrelevant issues.

Just wait until after the game!

Tusky

RasTa wrote:

Just wait until after the game!

Im going to move country!

TheMonster

Tusky wrote:

This thread is a joke, so many snide comments and arguements about irrelevant issues.

not too hard to figure out who started the crap.

Lex Luthor

I'm gonna stick my neck out and go for the following team for Liverpool

---

Reina

---

Finnan

---

Carragher----Hyypia----Riise
Cisse

---

Gerrard

---

Hamann--Kewell

---

Morientes

---

Fowler

---

Bench: Carson, Alonso, Garcia, Warnock, Sissoko.

Fowler to take the penalties.

Another close game as the last one but I think this time Liverpool could edge it by a goal, maybe 2.

cruiserweight

Lex Luthor wrote:

I'm gonna stick my neck out and go for the following team for Liverpool

---

Reina

---

Finnan

---

Carragher----Hyypia----Riise
Cisse

---

Gerrard

---

Hamann--Kewell

---

Morientes

---

Fowler

---

Bench: Carson, Alonso, Garcia, Warnock, Sissoko.

Fowler to take the penalties.

Another close game as the last one but I think this time Liverpool could edge it by a goal, maybe 2.

Fowler is cup tied

TheMonster

Lex Luthor wrote:

I'm gonna stick my neck out and go for the following team for Liverpool

---

Reina

---

Finnan

---

Carragher----Hyypia----Riise
Cisse

---

Gerrard

---

Hamann--Kewell

---

Morientes

---

Fowler

---

Bench: Carson, Alonso, Garcia, Warnock, Sissoko.

Fowler to take the penalties.

Another close game as the last one but I think this time Liverpool could edge it by a goal, maybe 2.

Fowler is cup-tied:p

Jazzy

---

Reina

---

-Finnan--Carragher--Hyypia--Riise-

-Garcia--Gerrard--Hamman--Kewell-

---

Crouch--Morientes

---

cruiserweight

Alonso is definitely uot but should be okay for Tuesday!
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N151496060217-1357.htm

Necronomicon

Alonso out? I'll take that all day! Hopefully there'll be one or two other precautionaries. Sky are reporting that Crouch is doubtful, so even if he does make it I doubt Benitez would risk him. I think Cisse---Morientes is the only part of the team you could really predict.

cruiserweight

As for the speculation about the defence apparently Kromkamp and Agger are doubts as well

bbc.co.uk wrote:

Peter Crouch (heel) is a doubt, Robbie Fowler is Cup-tied and Stephen Warnock (groin), Daniel Agger and Jan Kromkamp (ankle) are all fitness concerns.

I would like to see Garcia play RM, looks like might be Cisse and Morientes up front!

mike65

Rafa is playing with our heads! Can a mod please lock this tomorrow morning and start a fresh match thread, otherwise this'll be 26 pages long by Sunday evening.

Mike.

PiE

Well seeing as Morientes is in the paper today saying he's all fired up for revenge and what-not, he won't play. Seems to be the Rafa way.

yop

Impossible match to predict yes United need to win it, hard to know about liverpool chancing it with reserves, cannot see it, cannot see Rafa taking a chance of leaving themselves having to win the CL to get some silverware.

Good start, 7 pages already, pity only about 1 or 2 pages is actual sense.

gracehopper

So who do ye reckon United will go with?
I elect the same starting 11 that scored 3 against pompy last weekend. i hope giggs is fit to play in the centre of the park as he did in the league against liverpool. We must avoid playing Smith and Fletcher together at all costs!

The Muppet

Alonso being out is bad news for liverpool but will allow Gerrard to play back in the centre. Happy to see Cisse up front (I hope that doesn't come back to haunt me).

mike65

I think Gerrard with either play wide right or in the hole, with Hamann/Sissoko in the middle.

Mike.

Green_Martian

gracehopper wrote:

So who do ye reckon United will go with?
I elect the same starting 11 that scored 3 against pompy last weekend. i hope giggs is fit to play in the centre of the park as he did in the league against liverpool. We must avoid playing Smith and Fletcher together at all costs!

Unfortunately i think he may play Fletcher and Smith, have to agree with you i would stick with the team that beat Portsmouth

The Muppet

mike65 wrote:

I think Gerrard with either play wide right or in the hole, with Hamann/Sissoko in the middle.

Mike.

Sorry about the comment Mike I clicked the stats for the Liverpool/arsenal post by mistake.

That would be a pretty physical midfield. I dont rate Sissoko skill wise but he does put himself about a bit.

yop

Aye, how did ye finish against Arsenal, was Gerard on the right with the other 2 in the middle. IF SG is on the right then Evra or Silvestre will not handle him

If we play as how we setup again Portsmouth then that would be our strongest formation but some of the formation that Sir A has put out over the last 2 years anything wouldn't suprise me.

Jimi-Spandex

I reckon he'll go for,

---

Van Der Sar

---

Neville

---

Rio---Brown/Vidic

---

Silvestre
Ronaldo--Fletcher----Smith

---

Giggs

---

Ruud

---

Rooney

---

Subs
Howard
Park
Saha
Evra
Vidic/Brown

I think playing Giggs in cm will leave us too exposed at the back, especially if he's in with Fletcher. I reckon SAF could take fletcher/smith off at some stage, bring Park on and put giggs in the middle, if he needs that extra bit of penetration.

Jazzy

hmmmmm
i still like gerrard on the right. hes very effective here and drifting towards the middle in the last third of the pitch makes defenders crap their pants, Finnan works hard enough to cover for him aswell, almost wouldnt mind gerrard staying in that posistion.
Sissoko and Hamman in the centre of the park can work quite well in dealing with a poor united centre midfield and also break down any rooney/ronaldo runs.
The key to winning tho will be the performance of our strikers. either morientes or cisse NEEDS to be effective in this match, or else again... its gonna be alot of buildup for a flat end. Utd are only unlucky against weak opposition . against quality teams their luck seems to be made in a jam factory.

dont think pool will get a peno, but if he is on the pitch, i want the taker to be hamman

PHB

Aye, how did ye finish against Arsenal, was Gerard on the right with the other 2 in the middle. IF SG is on the right then Evra or Silvestre will not handle him

Just like they couldnt' handle him in the last match?
UNited will line up the following way I think,

---

Van Der Sar

---

Neville

---

Rio

---

Vidic

---

Evra

Evra will defo play because its Garcia, and evra is used to that style of RM.
Vidic will be needed against Crouch I think, although Brown can do a job.
I think the real issue for UNtied is up front, and where does Rooney play?
There are two ways I can see it happening,

Ronaldo--Fletcher----Smith

---

Giggs

---

Ruud

---

Rooney

---

or

Ronaldo--Fletcher----Rooney---Giggs(a lot tigher to the center)

---

Ruud

---

Saha

---

I expect the former, but I hope for the later, especially considering no Alonso, which means Gerrard would have to mark Rooney for the entire game, severly nullifying the Liverpool attack further.

bazzman

fletcher and smith just aren`t good enough for united cetre mid.
Sissoko will man-mark Rooney, and leave gerrard free. i can see Rafa playing 5 across the middle to stop Rooney although i`ld rather see them playing 4-4-2,

66/1 for neville to score an own goal. might b worth a euro or two.

Lex Luthor

better wind my neck back in then...fowler cup-tied...my heart was ruling my head there

I see Fergie is at the ref to try and be fair tomorrow and that he needs to be strong with the Neville affair.....sorry mate. He can do nothing about teh abuse from the crowd:p

PHB

Yeh, but neville can sort it out, like he did last time.

Sissoko will man-mark Rooney

He could try, but there are only three players in the liverpool team who have that ability, Alonso is out injured, Carragher is needed in central defense, and Gerrard

mike65

I just love this 'big man' talk!

Mike.

zAbbo

Reminds me why manu are dispised among other supporters.

Roll on tomorrow and may the best team win, as long as its controversal

Necronomicon

zabbo wrote:

Reminds me why manu are dispised among other supporters.

Yeah, it's all the United fans filling this thread with crap, Liverpool fans are all saints :rolleyes:

Hobart

zabbo wrote:

Reminds me why manu are dispised among other supporters.

Roll on tomorrow and may the best team win, as long as its controversal

Hear hear.

smemon

come on utd!! i dont care what goes on so long as utd win. 3-1 utd with a dodgy penalty in amongst it all.

Green_Martian

Well finally the day has come.........only 44 mins to go to k.o

I can say it will probabaly be a tight game today, and as with Utd Liverpool games there will be some incidents that neither teams will be happy with, and one of those incidents are sure to be invloved in the final result........

Come on Utd............

bazzman

Reina, Riise, Carragher, Hyypia, Finnan, Gerrard, Hamann, Kewell, Sissoko, Crouch, Morientes. Subs - Dudek, Garcia, Cisse, Traore, Krompkamp.

fairly happy to see that. no real worries. comon the pool!!

bazzman

Kieran Richardson is in. big surprize no space 4 smith in the team, although he will track gerrard back more then giggs who is in the middle
Edwin Van der Sar
2. Gary Neville
6. Wes Brown
15. Nemanja Vidic
27. Mikael Silvestre
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
24. Darren Fletcher
11. Ryan Giggs
23. Kieran Richardson
8. Wayne Rooney
10. Ruud van Nistelrooy

Thanx 4 The Fish

Nice to see Silvestre playing, even our rubbish attack should get some chances with him in there. Is ferdinand injured ?

Green_Martian

great silvestre is playing....oh the joys of watching him mess up at least twice in a game:rolleyes:

Rio is out as he has a tight hamstring..... why isn't Park playing????

mike65

Brown and Silvestre, Smith on the bench

Reina back Hamman and Sissoko in the middle and Crouch is back.

Mike.