Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014 - Mod Note in OP, 1/09

Utopia Parkway

klose wrote: »

Not a fan of skrtel by any means but id have lovren out of the team before him. Looks lost out there at the moment.

Lovren was better than Skrtel today. Not that he was great or even good but Skrtel was a complete bombscare.

Benzino

noodler wrote: »

I am not sure what more it will take for the rest of the fans to realise what an imposter he is. The lack of effort, walking the other direction when a trick doesn't work, shooting from ridiculous positions, breaking down attacks, giving out to other players for his own mediocrity.

An imposter? lol. Balotelli didn't start doing this overnight, so I dunno why people are so shocked. Rodgers signed him, so ultimately it's down to him, and he can help Balotelli out by playing a system that suits him. Otherwise, it's going to be more of the same I fear until Sturridge.

Raif Severance

whatawaster wrote: »

Why is it a weird thing to say?

He has spent the last 2 years praising players, especially young players

Yeah he does. And most of the time, I'm used to it.

But this Line: "“He prefers to play in that holding “controller” role."

Make it seem, that Can chose to play that Position in that Game. Instead of BR, putting him there.

It's sort of a Misdirection. He basically didn't want anyone Focusing, on why Gerrard is not in his Customary Role.

Harry Palmr

Raif Severance wrote: »

Definitely a Weird thing to say by BR.

If I run my BS FIlter on it, it would probably come out as: "I played Can there because I was going to try another Gerrard Experiment. It didn't worked out, so I had to subbed him, since I didn't have the Balls to drop Gerrard."

That's exactly what is it. Scary how much revolves around Gerrard and where he is played.

Utopia Parkway

Amazing that we're actually 5th tonight given how badly we've played this season. We've played very well in just one game (Spurs) and been decent in another (Everton). The rest we've been pretty much awful in bar the odd decent spell here and there.

noodler

Benzino wrote: »

An imposter? lol. Balotelli didn't start doing this overnight, so I dunno why people are so shocked. Rodgers signed him, so ultimately it's down to him, and he can help Balotelli out by playing a system that suits him. Otherwise, it's going to be more of the same I fear until Sturridge.

I for one am not surprised.

He doesn't get to blame his stupdity, poor decision making, woeful finishing, horrible attitude etc on the system.

5starpool

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Amazing that we're actually 5th tonight given how badly we've played this season. We've played very well in just one game (Spurs) and been decent in another (Everton). The rest we've been pretty much awful in bar the odd decent spell here and there.

There is only 5 points between 4th and 17th though, it's incredibly bunched, even considering there are only 8 games gone.

daithijjj

Mr Alan wrote: »

Skrtel has been been out of the team plenty over the last 2 years & our defending actually worsens when he's not on the pitch. He always cons back into the team on merit.

Blaming Skrtel is actually hilarious.

Skrtel has the lowest win ratio at the club for anyone who has played 25+ games.

It is my recollection that Rodgers dropped him after a series of sh1te performances, possibly Oldham being the straw.

Harry Palmr

Time for MOTD, its great to watch when went the day well.

mikeym

During Robbie Keanes short spell at Liverpool he scored 7 goals.

2 in the Champions League and 5 in the League if Ballotelli doesnt score more than 7 goals by January he should be sent back to Italy.

noodler

mikeym wrote: »

During Robbie Keanes short spell at Liverpool he scored 7 goals.

2 in the Champions League and 5 in the League if Ballotelli doesnt score more than 7 goals by January he should be sent back to Italy.

5 assists for Keane as well!

Amazing bit of perspective alright.

Can't win them all but he should not have been our be all and end all. We knew your man was leaving for well over a year.

Damien360

5starpool wrote: »

There is only 5 points between 4th and 17th though, it's incredibly bunched, even considering there are only 8 games gone.

It the points difference between top and the rest of the bunch that worries me. It is looking like a 2 team league at the moment.

Having clawed our way back closer and closer to the top, we are going to go all the way back to massive distance from top again. We might be really lucky and sneak 4th (based on how close the bunch of teams are to each other) but still a long way off where we need to be.

8-10

mikeym wrote: »

During Robbie Keanes short spell at Liverpool he scored 7 goals.

2 in the Champions League and 5 in the League if Ballotelli doesnt score more than 7 goals by January he should be sent back to Italy.

Got that cracker against Arsenal too!

5starpool

Damien360 wrote: »

It the points difference between top and the rest of the bunch that worries me. It is looking like a 2 team league at the moment.

Having clawed our way back closer and closer to the top, we are going to go all the way back to massive distance from top again. We might be really lucky and sneak 4th (based on how close the bunch of teams are to each other) but still a long way off where we need to be.

We are certainly a long way off where we want to be performance wise, but the first 8 games are rarely representative of how a season will pan out. City and Chelsea are 1/20 to finish in the top 3 anyhow, and one of them are almost certain to win the league, but there are a lot of twists and turns in this league yet. At least one of us/utd/Arsenal/Spurs will go on a great run at some point, but no real sign of that yet really from anyone.

martyos121

Damien360 wrote: »

It the points difference between top and the rest of the bunch that worries me. It is looking like a 2 team league at the moment.

Having clawed our way back closer and closer to the top, we are going to go all the way back to massive distance from top again. We might be really lucky and sneak 4th (based on how close the bunch of teams are to each other) but still a long way off where we need to be.

That's it exactly. We can't be expecting to compete with the big 2, for this season at least. Neither can Arsenal or United. It's a race for 2 CL spots between us, Arsenal, United and maybe Everton, and it's a race I fully expect us to win.

On another, slightly unrelated note, I genuinely believe Chelsea can do an unbeaten season with their squad. Injuries are the only thing that might prevent it. Hope to God I'm wrong though, can't stand the pure arrogance of Mourinho.

Benzino

noodler wrote: »

I for one am not surprised.

He doesn't get to blame his stupdity, poor decision making, woeful finishing, horrible attitude etc on the system.

He has shown in the Spurs game that he can be good for us, sure his finishing has been poor, but the guy has a lot of pressure on him (Rodgers I feel has not helped in this area).

Look, if we are going to play him, let's play him in a system that suits him to get the best outta him.

Harry Palmr

Looking at that final goal, if the ball had reached Balo he'd surely have missed.

Coutinho's balls were nicely timed I have to say.

razorblunt

Kerrigooney wrote: »

Oh I definitely think he could...

Sandro was wearing Pro Combat gear, he was asking for it.

8-10

razorblunt wrote: »

Sandro was wearing Pro Combat gear, he was asking for it.

He liked showing it off too!

GBX

Oh how I would love if Sturridge was fit going into Wednesdays game cos by jaysus we need him

Talisman

livinginkorea wrote: »

In reality we still have players trying to intergrate into the squad and it's taking longer than usual for this (not sure how long it normally takes but with players with Premier League experience you would think it would take less than usual).

It's not taking longer than usual. Rodgers has said that it shouldn't take as long to integrate the Southampton players into the team because they played in a similar system at Southampton - that's wishful thinking on his part. In the summer of 1999, Houllier signed a new defence - Westerveld (GK), Hyypia, Henchoz and Hamann. He said at the time that it would normally take around three months to integrate three first team players into the team and a fourth would take even longer. It was February 2000 before the team became consistent. Benitez said something similar during his time as manager - integrating more than three players into a team would take up to six months.

How many players is Rodgers trying to integrate this season?

New faces in the starting line-up:
Southampton (H) : Lovren, Manquillo
Man City (A) : Lovren, Moreno
Tottenham (A) : Lovren, Moreno, Manquillo, Balotelli
Aston Villa (H) : Lovren, Moreno, Manquillo, Lallana, Markovic, Balotelli
West Ham (A) : Lovren, Moreno, Manquillo, Borini, Balotelli
Everton (H) : Lovren, Moreno, Manquillo, Lallana, Markovic, Balotelli
WBA (H) : Lovren, Moreno, Manquillo, Lallana, Lambert
QPR (A) : Lovren, Lallana, Can, Balotelli

Is it coincidence that the Tottenham game was our best performance? The midfield was that of last season and the forward line resembled last season's because Sturridge was in the line-up.

If the team becomes consistent before the New Year we will be doing very well - in the meantime we need the players that were in the team last season to deliver the performances they showed they were capable of and that hasn't happened.

Guy:Incognito

djPSB wrote: »

Skrtel has been our best defender for the past couple of seasons.
.

Least worst surely?:)

Demosthenese

So sick of all this talk about players needing time to settle in ... different players than last season, new faces to integrate ... my arse! The absolute minimum that should be expected from ANY Footballer is 100% honesty and committment. That means you go out on the field and work your hole off until the final whistle blows and give everything you have in order to win the game. Sure enough some games you will be carry a knock, not 100% fit, or simply have a bad game but at least your effort should match the wages you are on.

Looking at MOTD2 now and only thing i will say is that we have too many players hiding on the field at the moment. Delighted for Coutinho today cos he came on and got us something from the game. He wanted the ball! Gotta be said other than the Fer chance where MIG came into no mans land he had a really good game for us as well and deserves credit for his game.

Talking points should be Gerard playing in his role of yesteryear for some bloody reason! Hendo not able to influence the game as BR calls it "Breaking lines" consistantly and the incredible lack of effort on our parts when we are not in possession. Where has the work effort gone when we lose the ball??? Last season it was almost like someone was trying to sleep with their wives the way they chased after the ball. The whole speed of the game today was pedestrian. Teams suddenly sit 11 men in front of us and we struggle to make 5 passes.

The defence was so bad today as whole that Johnson is even escaping the regular abuse he gets by being our best defender! Bobby Zamora looked like a world beater today he gave Lovern such a hiding - BODDY FCKING ZAMORA!

Can only hope that Madrid were watching that game today and are lulled into a completely false sense of security, that they feel not only is it a forgegone conclusion that they will win but so much so that they lack motivation as we are not worthy!

... that said, savage 3 points in a week where we actually STOLE a better result than Ireland somehow!

Harry Palmr

LOAN WATCH!

Texieria - 30 mins in 1-2 defeat (tactical not injury)
Wisdom - plays tomorrow
Alberto - No game
Ibe - played 90 mins in 0-3 win for Derby - scored a goal
Origi - Played full game in 1-2 home defeat
Smith - No game for Swindon (injured I think).
Ilori - Injured
Ossiadi - Came on at at 73 mins 2-1 win, assist for second goal
Coates - no game for Sunderland (again)

klose

Alberto started well but seems hes fallen out of favour, ilori seems to be always injured lately. Coates surely has to get a game after sunderland shipping 8 yesterday :pac:

8-10

klose wrote: »

Alberto started well but seems hes fallen out of favour, ilori seems to be always injured lately. Coates surely has to get a game after sunderland shipping 8 yesterday :pac:

There'll be big changes for the next game you'd expect after Poyet's comments post-game. Would be great for him to get a run of games.

Not really a good fixture next week to get back on track though....

MD1990

A player i think Liverpool's scouting team should keep an eye on is Jese Rodriguez. A great talent who might not get the gametime at Real even though the Real fans wanted him to start instead of Bale last year before his injury. He would be perfect for us.

gafferino

"The scan shows that there is a little bit of damage in his calf. So the medical team tell me it's probably between two to four weeks, which is a huge disappointment for us. But we have enough players now. We need to keep rallying forward and hope Daniel gets back sooner rather than later."

http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/172755-rodgers-gives-details-of-sturridge-injury

jesus_thats_gre

Mr Alan wrote: »

Our defence has gotten worse & worse over the last 2 years & we seem totally powerless to eradicate the utter clownishness. Very worrying.

The reality is that the more he puts his own stamp on things in that area of the pitch, the worse it gets.

We are ****ing god awful though. Thankfully, everyone else seem to be nearly as bad so we are somehow managing to stay in the running for CL.

gafferino

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

The reality is that the more he puts his own stamp on things in that area of the pitch, the worse it gets.

We are ****ing god awful though. Thankfully, everyone else seem to be nearly as bad so we are somehow managing to stay in the running for CL.

Its a mental season so far. We have been utter dog shîte. But if Jagielka hadn't scored that last second goal we'd be 2 points behind city. Ifs and buts I know but seems weird given how bad we have been.

Charlie19

I wonder would Sami Hypia be any benefit to the coaching staff, his Brighton side cant seem to get a win, think they're 9 without a win now and his job must be under some threat.

Demosthenese

Charlie19 wrote: »

I wonder would Sami Hypia be any benefit to the coaching staff, his Brighton side cant seem to get a win, think they're 9 without a win now and his job must be under some threat.

Bring in another guy who is struggling for a win?

... only basing this on what i've seen this season but i'd be pretty sure that we don't have a defencive coach or anyone that knows about defending on the staff .... could be wrong though

Nalz

Best place to see the highlghts of todays game lads?

Damien360

Trilla wrote: »

Best place to see the highlghts of todays game lads?

From behind your couch. Awful stuff

Sir Gallagher

Funny that Lovren who was bought for more than Mario gets a pass as opposed to the latter. Completely gick so far.

Demosthenese

Sir Gallagher wrote: »

Funny that Lovren who was bought for more than Mario gets a pass as opposed to the latter. Completely gick so far.

Started well, been shocking so far. Today was completely bullied by Zamora. Embarrassing how bad he was at times. Was delighted with his signing ... but getting worried.

5starpool

Colin Pascoe used to be a centrehalf as far as I know.

Hangballlouie

5starpool wrote: »

Colin Pascoe used to be a centrehalf as far as I know.

For the Under 12s? He's about 4ft.

ben.schlomo

hangballlouie wrote: »

For the Under 12s? He's about 4ft.

Midfielder, 1m78cm.

Sir Gallagher

Demosthenese wrote: »

Started well, been shocking so far. Today was completely bullied by Zamora. Embarrassing how bad he was at times. Was delighted with his signing ... but getting worried.

Made a bad mistake in his first game for us and hasnt put a foot right since. Looks pure ****e to be honest.

Always excuses made for defenders, less for strikers. Both positions are just as important.

Hollister11

West ham had a decent defence last season. 14 CS or something.
Wally downes is their defensive coach, maybe try poach him.

Chucky the tree

Got battered, looked completely useless in pretty much all facets of play but when I read back over the match thread knowing the full time result I can't help but love it. I'll be delighted if the rest of our matches go the same way.

garra

8-10 wrote: »

There'll be big changes for the next game you'd expect after Poyet's comments post-game. Would be great for him to get a run of games.

Not really a good fixture next week to get back on track though....

Coates is not agressive enough to be a premiership defender, this fact does not tally with him being selected for Uruguy from time to time, but is my opinion regardless

Charlie19

Well after watching the highlights on motd it actually looks a lot worse than the first time around. Just basic things like clearing the lines, If in doubt put the ball into the row z. The equalizer to make it 2-2:mad: So much wrong with that but what I didn't notice the first time was sterling giving up on chasing down the ball to the corner flag, he could of probably stopped the ball and hoofed but he just stopped his run, he certainly would have cleared it for a throw.

Think a six pack and a pack of smokes will be needed for Wednesday.

martyos121

martyos121 wrote: »

That's it exactly. We can't be expecting to compete with the big 2, for this season at least. Neither can Arsenal or United. It's a race for 2 CL spots between us, Arsenal, United and maybe Everton, and it's a race I fully expect us to win.

On another, slightly unrelated note, I genuinely believe Chelsea can do an unbeaten season with their squad. Injuries are the only thing that might prevent it. Hope to God I'm wrong though, can't stand the pure arrogance of Mourinho.

I can see the 100 point barrier being in danger this season.

OwaynOTT

In defence of Mario Balotelli, both own goals were down to his presence in the box. Both defenders took a swing at the ball, as it was going through to Mario if they didn't.

Criticised for not being in the box and yesterday there was a marked improvement there.

Obviously he missed a good chance and could have done a bit better on one or two more but he definitely helped towards the win.

People are criticising him for not closing down and making an effort, that's not fair. The top half of the pitch are not closing down like they were last year and a lot of those players were there last year and doing it.
Pressing high was one of the teams strongest assets last year. This year the team aren't doing it, apart from the Spurs game which was our best performance.

Every single player has to look at themselves over the performances and Rodgers needs to get the finger out soon.
Defence needs better protection and this cant be laid solely at Gerrard's feet. Can was in the holding role in the first half and we still were soft through the middle.
All our centre backs need to be stronger - constantly bullied.
Deeper players need to be braver with the ball and more proactive. Can't be passing it back to Mignolet four or five times in the space of a minute and putting him under pressure.
Pressing from the top needs to start again.
Balotelli on his own up front is not helping anyone. Borini needs to be playing up front with Mario, heck even Lambert.

Allen and Can back will hopefully help the midfield out a bit.

Coutinho looked very lively when he came on, hopefully he can kick on now.



Balotelli will score against Madrid this week and we will get a shock win. Everything will be hunky dory until we lose to Hull.

OwaynOTT

Also, I'm glad to see last season's madness return to show its insane head.

Augmerson

Charlie19 wrote: »

Think a six pack and a pack of smokes will be needed for Wednesday.

It will certainly be a pizza free event.

I would go the extra mile and buy a bottle of whiskey.

djPSB

OwaynOTT wrote: »

In defence of Mario Balotelli, both own goals were down to his presence in the box. Both defenders took a swing at the ball, as it was going through to Mario if they didn't.

Criticised for not being in the box and yesterday there was a marked improvement there.

Obviously he missed a good chance and could have done a bit better on one or two more but he definitely helped towards the win.

People are criticising him for not closing down and making an effort, that's not fair. The top half of the pitch are not closing down like they were last year and a lot of those players were there last year and doing it.
Pressing high was one of the teams strongest assets last year. This year the team aren't doing it, apart from the Spurs game which was our best performance.

Every single player has to look at themselves over the performances and Rodgers needs to get the finger out soon.
Defence needs better protection and this cant be laid solely at Gerrard's feet. Can was in the holding role in the first half and we still were soft through the middle.
All our centre backs need to be stronger - constantly bullied.
Deeper players need to be braver with the ball and more proactive. Can't be passing it back to Mignolet four or five times in the space of a minute and putting him under pressure.
Pressing from the top needs to start again.
Balotelli on his own up front is not helping anyone. Borini needs to be playing up front with Mario, heck even Lambert.

Allen and Can back will hopefully help the midfield out a bit.

Coutinho looked very lively when he came on, hopefully he can kick on now.



Balotelli will score against Madrid this week and we will get a shock win. Everything will be hunky dory until we lose to Hull.

Sounds very similar to the excuses we used to make for Carroll.

El Inho

Would anyone fancy a two up top partnership of lambert and borini?

Traditional target man and fast partner. The classic football manager combo!