Liverpool Rumours And General Discussion 2007/2008

machiavellianme

Call_me_al wrote: »

Reina

Finnan---Hyypia---Carra---Riise

Gerrard--Masch--Alonso-Voronin

Kuyt-Torres

i guess but it could be 4-3-3

who's on the bench?

Yeah that looks right. Voronin played well in midfield for the recent internationals. Tracked back ok and was excellent going forward. Although he did have Shevchenko as a target for his crosses which makes things easier. Kuyt really doesnt inspire me with the confidence we need here

AdrianII

copacetic wrote: »

happy with that side except for lacking a bit of width and wish agger was around for this game...

and lacking speed, if arsenal counter attack, we could struggle for pace

machiavellianme

Subs - Itandje, Babel, Benayoun, Crouch, Arbeloa.

Arbeloa is on the bench. Wonder how long Sami will last before he's exposed and needs replacing?

zAbbo

more Rafa Rotation Rabble from the duds on Sky Sports.

This time its Magic Georgie Graham...

Chardee MacDennis

bloody sky - stop talking about rotation. they make the same points week in - week out. we get it, and none of them have successfully managed in the last 5 years, so who cares.

machiavellianme

Much as I hate Rafas persistent tinkering, I was actually looking forward to a completely altered team today. I'm nearly of the opinion he didnt rotate enough players

Chardee MacDennis

anyone see Rafa's Stewie Griffin socks?

zAbbo

Quality.

Lovely buildup before that, Steve Finnan just keeps on surprising with a lovely shift of feet.

emc2

1-0 stevie g

AdrianII

1-0 but not playing well at all

arsenal all over us

Paul Tergat

liverpool are being completely dominated...whenever they get the ball its being pumped up to Torres...really need some proper width and then go 2 up top!?

Chardee MacDennis

arsenal are going down easier than drogs...

AdrianII

Call_me_al wrote: »

arsenal are going down easier than drogs...

and nani

Chardee MacDennis

torres off for crouch at half time...

hope they keep the same formation, it's limitng arsenals passing to an extent.

whatawaster

Call_me_al wrote: »

torres off for crouch at half time...

hope they keep the same formation, it's limitng arsenals passing to an extent.

the formation is utterly pointless from an attacking point of view with Kuyt and Voronin on the wings. No pace and no threat. Get Babel on sharpish.

Dirk Gently

It's only a matter of time before arsenal make a breakthrough and potentially open the floodgates. I'd be very surprised if we hung on for another 45mins playing as we are. It's so frustrating watching Liverpools bad passes and woeful long balls compared to arsenals slick free flowing movement. Torres on his Todd up front was a woeful decision.

Here's hoping Rafa gives them a crash course in passing 101 at half time.

AdrianII

1-1 typical

and they have mised two open goals

i hope at this stage we can hold on

Chardee MacDennis

arbeloa has to take the blame for that - didnt track cescs run. losing alonso was a massive blow. but i would have taken a draw at the start

AdrianII

This team we have at the moment is not good enough,

its time for rafa to have a good at himself and quit this piss farting about.

6points off the top, havent played good football since the chelsea match at the beginning of the season.

Arsenal deserved 3 points, fabresas scored, hit the post and missed an open goal, bentner missed open goal

with blackburn up next and three matches in the champions league to come - our season could be over by november

Dirk Gently

I think it's fair to say we robbed that point. Hopefully it will give them some confidence that they held the best team in the country but our passing is truly awful and needs working on. Riise needs to be introduced to his team mates and told to pass the ball to one of them if he spots them on the pitch.

darkskol

Torres obviously was not fully fit, noticed Finnan and Kuyt having a go at Alonso's passing. Hope Alonso isn't badly injured. We looked like we did not know what to do with the ball a lot of the time going forward, Kuyt kept running into the Arsenal defenders. Really dissapointed we did not win but I know a lot of people will say Arsenal deseved at least a point. Still too hyped up after this match to type much more

AdrianII

darkskol wrote: »

Arsenal deseved at least a point.

they deserved all three of them

machiavellianme

I feel the two worst players on the pitch today by a long shot were Kuyt and Voronin. Neither did anything of note and persistently gave away a stupid amount of ball. If we had one good striker up fron to hold the ball with Torres it could've been a different matter. We desperately need wingers who can pass. Even Yossi doesnt do it enough. How often does he just hare straight across the middle from right to left or along the left side line only to give it away to the first defender who asks for it? Once the ball crosses the half way line its as good as given away. Its rarely passed and usually hoofed randomly. If we want to win anything we need Arsenal style play or at least Chelsea style play of just tiring the opposition and sneaking a late one. We seem incapable of either

mike65

Well I'd have taken a point before the match in truth.

Arsenal were the team playing most of the football but aside from thier actual scoring moment, Liverpool kept the Gunners quiet enough where it ultimatly mattered. Torres clearly should not have started, Crouch did well I thought creating oppotunities for others and a few decent chances for himself.

Mike.

darkskol

Girlfriend just said they said on sky sports Alonso broke metatarsel again and will be out longer than last time :mad:

Im_No_Superman

darkskol wrote: »

Girlfriend just said they said on sky sports Alonso broke metatarsel again and will be out longer than last time :mad:

Yeah Richard Keys just confirmed it there.

mike65

Jebus Christ! So two players back and both out, Torres did'nt look like he'd be ready to play very quickly.

Mike.

machiavellianme

It'll all be ok. Dont forget HARRY's back.

mike65

Well now would be the ideal time for a returning talent to show the doubters wrong.

I wonder if 4-3-3 will be used more often with the injury list as it is.

Finnan-Carra-Agger-Arbeloa
---Yossi-Gerrard--Masch
---Kuyt---Crouch--Kewell

or 4-3-1-2

Finnan-Carra-Agger-Arbeloa
Yossi

---

Masch----Kewell

---

Gerrard

---

Kuyt-Crouch

I think Gerrard is coming through his poor patch even if some of his passes are still wayward. As for Carra he has to stop fouling, a red card and we're fupped.

Mike.

machiavellianme

I have a feeling a lot of Carra's fouling is to do with him knowing Sami cant help so it was all on him. I reckon once Agger comes back that'll sort itself out.

jesus_thats_gre

Once we stop conceeding soft goals, we can worry about everything else. Hypia really does need to be put off to graze. I lost count of the number of times that he was left stranded out of position.

Mash had a good game but his passing was as wayward as ever. Gerard looks like he is regaining some of the form that we know he is capable off. It was great to have Alonso back but terrible to see him go again so quickly. Torres should not have been risked.

All in all, Arsenal played the better football but the result was relatively fair with Arsenal shading it. I understand what he was trying to achieve with Voronin and Kuyt but playing that system with Torres is a non started. He has more pace than both of them for one and this causes him to be even more isolated than the likes of Crouch who is perfect for such a role.

Chardee MacDennis

i think risking alonso was neccessary as he did do well in keeping cesc at bay while he was on, but torres shouldnt have been risked at all. sami was woeful again, we need some new defenders really, if carra gets injured we are f**cked

darkskol

Call_me_al wrote: »

if carra gets injured we are f**cked

Thats all I could think of when he went down in the first half, if we lose carra now we are in big trouble.

PHB

Much more likely situation of Carragher getting a straight red, then you're defo off. Things have evened themselves out, and then some for Liverpool now

Guy:Incognito

I've noticed Reina's decisions on coming for balls has been a bit suspect this week. The 2nd Besiktas goal during the week would most likely have been prevented if he ha stayed near his line, there was a covering player that would have forced the striker to either take a shot when not properly set or forced him wide. Either option would have done well to result in a goal.

Today he should have been quicker off his line and murdered the ball.

Only saw the 2nd hald today and it's just not good. We are past the point where we are in a bit of a dip and grinding results. We are riding on luck at this stage by still having an unbeaten season (league)

mike65

He made a superb intervention in the first half which stopped a near certain goal.

Mike.

d22ontour

Stekelly wrote: »

We are riding on luck at this stage by still having an unbeaten season (league)

All champions have that at some stage not that i think Liverpool are capable of winning the league but still they are unbeaten and only a few points off the pace. A defeat by some lowly team might send them into the expected freefall that normally happens to rule them out in November me hopes.

mike65

Oh just thought I should mention that Liverpool are now 6th in the league. Blackburn have played 10 and have 1 point more. Blackburn is the next game

Mike.

Jesus Wept

d22ontour wrote: »

All champions have that at some stage not that i think Liverpool are capable of winning the league but still they are unbeaten and only a few points off the pace. A defeat by some lowly team might send them into the expected freefall that normally happens to rule them out in November me hopes.

Thanks for that sentiment. :rolleyes: Donk.

KdjaCL

mike65 wrote: »

Oh just thought I should mention that Liverpool are now 6th in the league. Blackburn have played 10 and have 1 point more. Blackburn is the next game

Mike.

Lemlin should be back around then


kdjac

Zapp Brannigan

We shoulda won it, but ah well it's not a loss so I guess that's decent. Can't wait for Agger to be back, Hyppia just isn't cutting the mustard anymore.

jesus_thats_gre

There was a noticeable improvement having Alonso back today. Can't wait for Agger to come back and a replacement for Hypia to be signed in the New Year.

d22ontour

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

We shoulda won it,

Pretty strange no other Pool fan shares that sentiment ?

Guy:Incognito

mike65 wrote: »

He made a superb intervention in the first half which stopped a near certain goal.

Mike.

Just looking at the highlights on motd2 and he came way too far out wide to the right of his goal and completely missed letting the ball come across the middle of the goal that Hyypia hooked away.

I'm not saying he's not making saves but if he's going to make basic errors like that that are costing goals then it's not good enough. It's not the typw of thing you need when missing top players or players arnt playign well.

mike65

Yeah that was a bad 'un alright. Its Reinas biggest failing, he's quick but not that quick.

On the other hand we know he's stopped a good number of "point blank" shots that most would'nt have got near.

Mike.

Thanx 4 The Fish

KdjaCL wrote: »

Lemlin should be back around then


kdjac

Only if they win

d22ontour

Yeah i think Reina is an excellent shot stopper too but not in Givens league for it either, he is too dodgy at crosses to be classed a great keeper which is typical of most foreign/non-English keepers.Great at spotkicks ? Really says it all for a team to play for penalties maybe.

Cyrus

d22ontour wrote: »

Yeah i think Reina is an excellent shot stopper too but not in Givens league for it either, he is too dodgy at crosses to be classed a great keeper which is typical of most foreign/non-English keepers.Great at spotkicks ? Really says it all for a team to play for penalties maybe.

reina has been the best keeper in the premiership the past two seasons, check the golden glove awards

d22ontour

Wow that must make it absolute so ?

Cech and Given are better keepers and i don't need some awards to tell me different.I said he is a good keeper but great , i think not.He is infact Barthez-esque, wobbly at moments but can win a game for you too.

mike65

Given has been a great keeper and bearing in mind the team he plays for, a brilliant one!

Mike.