Lille v Liverpool

Mr Alan

whatawaster-rafa has said that aqua needs games in a row to get match fitness, but unfortunately we can't accomodate that at the moment wit the way our season has panned out, ie. Vital to win games, so many people struggling wit form. I don't really agree, but if we drop Gerrard for him, we have him sulking for the rest of the season and being a cancer in the team, i'd imagine he's hoping he'll sort his **** out after the meeting after the wigan game and play a part in a uefa cup run and push for the top 4. Personally i'd just drop him, but i can assure you if he did it'd be just used as an example of his poor man management skills by his critics.

whatawaster

Kess73 wrote: »

One thing that this season has shown us is that form counts for nothing with this current Liverpool squad, and that there are a number of players who will get games no matter how poor they do over a period of time.

exactly. And it's such an unhealthy situation for us to be in.

- The players starting - Gerrard, Kuyt, Carra . . . they are too comfortable.
- The players not starting - Babel, Aquilani . . . must think "what do i have to do?" Their morale must be zero.

The net result is a poorly motivated squad, whether you're one of the starters or not.

redout

Sir Gallagher

niallo27 wrote: »

Anyone going to get behind the team in here

No we all hate Liverpool and are delighted with how this season has turned out.

whatawaster

Mr Alan wrote: »

whatawaster-rafa has said that aqua needs games in a row to get match fitness, but unfortunately we can't accomodate that at the moment wit the way our season has panned out, ie. Vital to win games, so many people struggling wit form. I don't really agree, but if we drop Gerrard for him, we have him sulking for the rest of the season and being a cancer in the team, i'd imagine he's hoping he'll sort his **** out after the meeting after the wigan game and play a part in a uefa cup run and push for the top 4. Personally i'd just drop him, but i can assure you if he did it'd be just used as an example of his poor man management skills by his critics.

I see where you're coming from but:

- we can't accomodate passengers in our team, but that's exactly what half of them are at the moment. See my above post on the effect i think the current situation (where form counts for nothing) is having on starters and squad players alike.

It's just poor management. And cowardly management. Just my opinion

Sir Gallagher

I can understand him not dropping Gerrard, why not drop Lucas?

Kess73

whatawaster wrote: »

exactly. And it's such an unhealthy situation for us to be in.

- The players starting - Gerrard, Kuyt, Carra . . . they are too comfortable.
- The players not starting - Babel, Aquilani . . . must think "what do i have to do?" Their morale must be zero.

The net result is a poorly motivated squad, whether you're one of the starters or not.

What caught my eye was Rafa's comments today as to why Aquilani is not playing. Now Rafa says it is because he is not matchfit and that he needs a few games in a row to get that. So what does he do? Plonk him on the bench again to no doubt come on with a few minutes to go.

Kess73

niallo27 wrote: »

Anyone going to get behind the team in here

Yeah once the game starts.

K-9

Sir Gallagher wrote: »

I can understand him not dropping Gerrard, why not drop Lucas?

So he can have 2 defensive midfielders!

Mr Alan

it wouldn't be my choice whatawaster. but i don't think its fair calling it cowardly to not drop gerrard for his poor form, most top teams continue to accomodate their top players when they go through poor spells. Kuyt i think still deserves his place in the team and babel is gettin his chance in the uefa cup this season by the looks of it. Lets hope he impresses tonight.

Kess73

Sir Gallagher wrote: »

I can understand him not dropping Gerrard, why not drop Lucas?

Lucas has been more consistent than Gerrard this season. So in my eyes Lucas would have a genuine right to be miffed if dropped. Gerrard on the other hand would not based on his form.

Never thought I would be saying that 12 months ago.

Mr Alan

lucas has his place in the team on merit.

Kess73

Mr Alan wrote: »

it wouldn't be my choice whatawaster. but i don't think its fair calling it cowardly to not drop gerrard for his poor form, most top teams continue to accomodate their top players when they go through poor spells. Kuyt i think still deserves his place in the team and babel is gettin his chance in the uefa cup this season by the looks of it. Lets hope he impresses tonight.

True most teams will try to accomodate their top players through a run of bad form, but the other side of that coin is that most bad runs of form for a top player do not last the whole season to date.

Sir Gallagher

So Kess do you agree with a midfield comprising of Masch and Lucas? Lucas has played well this season but he doesn't do anything that Masch can't do and better too, i'd prefer aqua in there ahead of him, not because Lucas is going through a bad patch just purely down to having a better team dynamic.

whatawaster

Anyway. Post match is the traditional time to complain, so let's just hope for a good performance.2-1 I reckon. Babel and torres

rossie1977

liverpool have a pretty awful recent record against french opposition

hammered 3-0 by Strasbourg in first leg of the 97 uefa cup and then knocked out by them
knocked out by psg in the cup winners cup
knocked out by marseille in the uefa cup
beaten by marseille at anfield in the champions league
beaten by lyon at anfield in champions league

redzerdrog

is channel 5 available on sky? and if so what number is it on?

Mr Alan

Kess73 wrote: »

What caught my eye was Rafa's comments today as to why Aquilani is not playing. Now Rafa says it is because he is not matchfit and that he needs a few games in a row to get that. So what does he do? Plonk him on the bench again to no doubt come on with a few minutes to go.

Did you stop reading half way through his comments on it, cause he kind of elaborated a bit further than that saying that the way the team is struggling all over the shop makes it not the time to drop aquilani into the mix. I don't agree wit him. But i can certainly see the logic.

Sir Gallagher

Oh jesus i forgot that stocking Jeff Kenna was commentating on 3e, bollox anyway.

Mr Alan

Kess73 wrote: »

True most teams will try to accomodate their top players through a run of bad form, but the other side of that coin is that most bad runs of form for a top player do not last the whole season to date.

In fairness to him, i don't often stick up for him, but he has been injured quite a lot. Rafa was pretty cutting about the players lack of desire and poor attitude after monday-its quite obvious who he was talking about, i'm just hoping for a reaction tonight.

Rockee

Lads Ive posted an excellent streaming link in the links section. C'mon the Pool!

MementoMori

Had TV3 on as opposed to TV3e and nearly ended up watching Expose:eek:

I'm strangely kinda optimistic .....mainly due to the presence of Torres on the pitch.

Fingers crossed for a 4-0 win and a chance to play the kids in the return leg.

Tusky

Mr Alan wrote: »

whatawaster-rafa has said that aqua needs games in a row to get match fitness, but unfortunately we can't accomodate that at the moment wit the way our season has panned out, ie. Vital to win games, so many people struggling wit form. I don't really agree, but if we drop Gerrard for him, we have him sulking for the rest of the season and being a cancer in the team, i'd imagine he's hoping he'll sort his **** out after the meeting after the wigan game and play a part in a uefa cup run and push for the top 4. Personally i'd just drop him, but i can assure you if he did it'd be just used as an example of his poor man management skills by his critics.

Sorry, but thats bull****. Its rafa being over cautious and choosing the hard working grafter (Lucas) over the more skillful and less defensive Aquilani. He will do the same thing every time. We see him do it every week choosing Kuyt over many better footballers. We do not need Lucas and Mascherano as a midfeild pairing, its far too negative and they dont create or score goals enough.

Rockee

MementoMori wrote: »

Fingers crossed for a 4-0 win and a chance to play the kids in the return leg.

I admire your optimism!! Not being smart saying that btw

MementoMori

The French are utterly ****e at televising sport.
They seem incapable of providing decent coverage.

Commentater "Glen Johnson looks like a player that hasn't played much recently"

No fúcking shít sherlock !!

Insua getting murdered again.

Poor lad is useless

MementoMori

Positives - Torres and Babel looking lively
Negatives - Everyone else is not

happyoutscan

Geez Kenna is a bit of a dose alright.

SlickRic

Insua and Agger have been disgraceful at the back so far.

Lucas has done nothing but foul, and Masch is anonymous.

Torres almost doing wonders with no service as usual.

Babel lively.

the team has pressed well these last few minutes.

i did get angry at these 3e eejits saying Johnson is looking suspect defensively so far. lazy punditry if i've ever heard it. our most solid defender in there so far.

that cliché still struggles to go away.

oh, and no Aquilani is farcical of the highest order.

MementoMori

rarnes1 wrote: »

Commentater "Glen Johnson looks like a player that hasn't played much recently"

No fúcking shít sherlock !!

happyoutscan wrote: »

Geez Kenna is a bit of a dose alright.

Mute button is your friend. Couldnt cope with their ****e talk tonight.

we have missed those runs from Johnson

SlickRic

how good was that to see?

5 players in the opposition box in open play.

Jaysus, the pitch is a shocker

MementoMori

Insua started poorly but has made a couple of decent challenges there lately.
Seems like everyhting by Lille going down that side - maybe a lack of cover by Babel in front of Insua not helping. Maybe switch Kuyt to the left and Babel to the right?

GJ in the box:)

Hoki

I really feel aggressive anger towards gerrard the last couple of matches , has to be at least 5 or 6 times where he has berated a player for a mistake while play is ongoing in front of him but he just stops to have his say .

Play til the ball is dead then give him a bollocking ffs.

kryogen

so the match isnt going well then?

happyoutscan

Unlucky Babel, great play.

Headshot

the fecker should of scored

Should have scored there.

Good play though

Yakult

The other commentator who makes the obvious, very obvious.. reminds me of Jake stevens. the voiiice.

flugel

Just when ya think babel going to do something good ...

Decent save but got to be scoring them

joe123

We are utter ****e.

Babel should of put that away.

Has the team forgotten how to pressureise and actually pass the ball? And why isnt Aquilani playing.

FFS :mad:

Hoki

great chance, lovely link up play by babel & torres , just goes to show that they can play alongside eachother

SlickRic

Torres and Babel = potential awesomeness.

MementoMori

nice interplay by Torres and Babel

good recovery by Gerrard prior

kryogen

joe123 wrote: »

We are utter ****e.

Babel should of put that away.

Has the team forgotten how to pressureise and actually pass the ball? And why isnt Aquilani playing.

FFS :mad:

Aquilani cant play because the situation of the team means that you must be match fit to play

so obviously not giving him matches will help this in the long run

Sir Gallagher

What i do wo der is, who does Rafa think will get on the ball in the middle of the park and actually dictate the play for us? Basically just link defense and attack? I just would love to know what way he thinks we should be playing.

SlickRic

joe123 wrote: »

Has the team forgotten how to pressureise and actually pass the ball?

we're doing it in spurts today so far.

it's weird.

everytime we do, it results in Lille sh*tting themselves. yet we don't do it all the time.

murpho999

Insua is terrible.

Did you see the pass he made there straight to a Lille player.

How can a professional footballer do this?