Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014 - Mod Warning in OP, 10/12

Bandana boy

Gbear wrote: »

And we're currently ahead of 3 of our main top 4 rivals.

It wasn't until November when we really got going.

Won our first 3 games and were top in September too

Maybe I should try being more positive ,but last season I though we were good at this stage ,not perfect by any means but going the right direction and in the main playing positively .

This year we are worse in October than September , look lost on how to address the problem and I am finding it hard to see any positive sign that we are going to turn it around.I certainly don't think incorrectly recalling that something similar happened last year can asuage doubts

~Rebel~

Bandana boy wrote: »

We were top of the table at Xmas !

Obviously the first half of last season was a hell of a lot better than this, but it was still clear at that point that we were building to something, but hadn't quite gotten there - then in the new year everything clicked.

This year is very different unfortunately.

In terms of last years form, at the turn of the year after 19 games we had 3 draw's and 5 losses (and sat in 5th).

Right now we have 2 draws and 4 losses after 10.

We obviously won't be matching last years mid season or end season tallies, but what would be acceptable at the midpoint of the season? If we could stead the ship and somehow snag 14 - 16 points from our next 8 games i'd be very happy, with a view to kicking on a bit in the second half of the season. Would leave us 6 - 8 points off my target of 2ppg, with 18 games to play.

the kelt

Bandana boy wrote: »

Won our first 3 games and were top in September too

Maybe I should try being more positive ,but last season I though we were good at this stage ,not perfect by any means but going the right direction and in the main playing positively .

This year we are worse in October than September , look lost on how to address the problem and I am finding it hard to see any positive sign that we are going to turn it around.I certainly don't think incorrectly recalling that something similar happened last year can asuage doubts

In September we played 5 games and won just one game at home to Ludgorets whereas in October we played 6 games winning 3 so not sure how we are worse in October than we were in September to be honest.

We were performing much better this time last year, we are in fact 2 losses and 6 points worse off than at this stage last season but crucially our schedule of games was much lighter, for example for the whole of October and November last year we only played 6 games in total due to no European games and no Carling Cup and we have in fact played double that amount this season in the months of October and November.

Thats where the manager is struggling for me, he hasnt adapted to those 3 day turnarounds whereas last season he had 5 or 6 days to plan, coach and prepare for a weekend match he doesnt have that luxury now. Its a crucial area of management trying to rotate enough but not too much and one where the manager is not particularly experienced.

mav79

Really hope it doesn't happen but I can see us playing with a back 5 against Real.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

I'd play...

Mig
Manq-Skrtel-Lovren-Moreno
Gerrard-Can (or Lucas)
Hendo-Lallana
Sterling
Mario

Having two defensive midfielders would be my preference. Having six defensive players on the pitch is the only way to play Madrid imo. I'd be looking to bring on Philippe for his trickery and Borini (the new Kuyt?) for his workrate at the 60+min mark. Then Rickie or Marko at the 80 mark.
On the off chance we have something to protect I guess Allen would need to come on with either Can or Lucas (whichever one of them didn't start).

Pool need to get very very very lucky to get anything at all from this game.

smileyj1987

mav79 wrote: »

Really hope it doesn't happen but I can see us playing with a back 5 against Real.

Back 5 is probably the only option . Toure , Lovren and Skrtel being the ones to start in central defense .

Demosthenese

the kelt wrote: »

Thats where the manager is struggling for me, he hasnt adapted to those 3 day turnarounds whereas last season he had 5 or 6 days to plan, coach and prepare for a weekend match he doesnt have that luxury now. Its a crucial area of management trying to rotate enough but not too much and one where the manager is not particularly experienced.

Can't argue with that. BR is learning to deal with the added pressure of not just midweek games but BIG midweek games. We've seen plenty of teams struggle in the past either in Europa or the CL. It would have been interesting to see how he would have handled Sturridge as well considering we all knew he was made of glass before these latest injuries.

Need to get through this game in tact, without getting murdered (More than 3-0) and then plan for the weekend. Thats football, we all wanted CL footie back ... well, here it is

Stargate

Demosthenese wrote: »

Can't argue with that. BR is learning to deal with the added pressure of not just midweek games but BIG midweek games. We've seen plenty of teams struggle in the past either in Europa or the CL. It would have been interesting to see how he would have handled Sturridge as well considering we all knew he was made of glass before these latest injuries.

Need to get through this game in tact, without getting murdered (More than 3-0) and then plan for the weekend. Thats football, we all wanted CL footie back ... well, here it is

From behind the couch .

Tonight's game is a damage limitation job. We need players fit and ready to go for the Chelsea game . Another early kick-off . Hate those .

Cartman78

Have to say I'm dreading the game tonight

The fact that it's on TV3 only adds to the impending sense of doom.

Hopefully we can at least show a bit of life, energy and cohesion. We've been chronically flat and lethargic for the last few games

citytillidie

Cartman78 wrote: »

Have to say I'm dreading the game tonight

The fact that it's on TV3 only adds to the impending sense of doom.

Hopefully we can at least show a bit of life, energy and cohesion. We've been chronically flat and lethargic for the last few games

Its on ITV as well

rob316

citytillidie wrote: »

Its on ITV as well

UTV HD ftw.

5starpool

Cartman78 wrote: »

Have to say I'm dreading the game tonight

The fact that it's on TV3 only adds to the impending sense of doom.

Hopefully we can at least show a bit of life, energy and cohesion. We've been chronically flat and lethargic for the last few games

It'll be on itv as well, and in HD if you have sky.

Edit: oops should have refreshed before posting.

Daemonic

The way we're playing at the moment I'd go

---

Mig--Jones

---

Manq-Toure-Lovren-Skrtel-Enrique
--Lucas--Can--Moreno

---

Borini

---

Might get a 0-0

LuckyLloyd

They're in the Champions League in the Bernabeau really needing to get something out of it results wise. This is Liverpool. I EXPECT them to rise to the occasion, and turn in a performance befitting of the jersey and the legacy of the club.

Getting embarrassed is unacceptable.

Demosthenese

Cartman78 wrote: »

Have to say I'm dreading the game tonight

The fact that it's on TV3 only adds to the impending sense of doom.

Hopefully we can at least show a bit of life, energy and cohesion. We've been chronically flat and lethargic for the last few games

I'm not dreading the game per se ... but definately conceded to the fact that IF Madrid wish to punish us and not take the foot off the gas it could be a 7-0 job like Bayern last week on Roma.

Going by the QPR/Newcastle games Liverpool have become a chore to watch these days and it hurts me to admit that. Don't mind that we lost Suarez and his brilliance, don't mind that Sturridge is out and thats football sometimes ... but i mind seeing the full squad go through some sort of zombie like trance for 90 mins trying to remember what it was like last season. Its just painful to watch.

but i'll still be there, telling the 9 year old not to expect ANYTHING and to laud praise on Madrid for being what football should be. Despite their millions of quid they have a serious hunger in them.

European nights FTW!:D

5starpool

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

They're in the Champions League in the Bernabeau really needing to get something out of it results wise. This is Liverpool. I EXPECT them to rise to the occasion, and turn in a performance befitting of the jersey and the legacy of the club.

Getting embarrassed is unacceptable.

Expect to get angry again then.

Francie Barrett

Can't believe those idiots on Twitter are trying to raise money for a fly over banner. Have they actually raised anything yet?

Demosthenese

Francie Barrett wrote: »

Can't believe those idiots on Twitter are trying to raise money for a fly over banner. Have they actually raised anything yet?

United were a laughing stock last year with this nonsense. you know you've lost sight of football when you hire 2 planes to fly over stadiums saying you want your manager sacked and a past player to return ....

"BRENDAN OUT" - "Come home Luis" ... by the very least we should be saying "Defencive Coach Needed, Apply to LFC.com" or "0 Days since our last clean sheet" ...

LuckyLloyd

5starpool wrote: »

Expect to get angry again then.

If they play with pride, with purpose, with energy and they take the game to Real and make them ****ing sweat for it and keep it a going concern until the final whistle I'll be happy. This isn't about the result so much as it is about avoiding a gutless rollover like we suffered at Anfield.

City put in a great performance at Real a couple of year's back for example despite losing in the end.

5starpool

Francie Barrett wrote: »

Can't believe those idiots on Twitter are trying to raise money for a fly over banner. Have they actually raised anything yet?

That's not being done by Liverpool fans.

LuckyLloyd

Francie Barrett wrote: »

Can't believe those idiots on Twitter are trying to raise money for a fly over banner. Have they actually raised anything yet?

It's nonsense. Modern trolling. Best to ignore it.

rob316

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

If they play with pride, with purpose, with energy and they take the game to Real and make them ****ing sweat for it and keep it a going concern until the final whistle I'll be happy. This isn't about the result so much as it is about avoiding a gutless rollover like we suffered at Anfield.

City put in a great performance at Real a couple of year's back for example despite losing in the end.

We lack the quality and defensive mindset the get anything. City have a couple of world class players too pointless comparing us.

Real have the best player in the world currently and superior players in every position, not to mention they are European Champions playing at home. My expectations are extremely low.

rob316

5starpool wrote: »

That's not being done by Liverpool fans.

The sad thing is, it probably is.:mad:

5starpool

5starpool wrote: »

That's not being done by Liverpool fans.

I just that presumed that tbh.

5starpool

rob316 wrote: »

The sad thing is, it probably is.:mad:

I doubt it. It's the same account that last week thanked thousands for turning up to a Rodgers out March before the Swansea game. I think we have heard if that happened.

Augmerson

Francie Barrett wrote: »

Can't believe those idiots on Twitter are trying to raise money for a fly over banner. Have they actually raised anything yet?

A lot of Twitter trolling going on. There's a Twitter account called Liverpool Union which is super cringey until someone figured out it's just trolling LFC and the fans. Same with this thing going on now.

Turtyturd

One of the regulars in the United thread spends a lot of of time on RAWK and happens to know Liverpool and City fans who engage in this stuff...he'd have posted up here if it was true.

Also the Brendan Rodgers is a football genius slogan should make it obvious where it's coming from, that must have touched a nerve.

Talisman

Agent Coulson wrote: »

In game mangement not really working thought.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29889961

I said it last week, fixture congestion is a problem for Rodgers.

It's no coincidence that the team haven't achieved the performance level of the Tottenham game. There was no distraction of a midweek game or a depleted squad due to internationals so the team was properly prepared for the game that weekend.

The excerpt from Luis Suarez in the Guardian last week explained how Rodgers prepared the team for games last season. Preparations for the weekend games began on the previous Tuesday, they don't have that luxury this season.

Luis Suárez: ‘Brendan said I would like the way we were going to play’

Liverpool are in very good hands with Brendan Rodgers. The way he coached us during my time there was impressive and I am sure that the methods I enjoyed and found so effective will continue to be employed. Everything Brendan does is built towards perfecting the mechanics of football and making adjustments for the next game or to fulfil a particular objective. Although there weren’t any specific instructions to begin with, I knew that as soon as I got into training on Tuesday all the exercises were conditioned by the game the following weekend. It might be a small exercise where we couldn’t yet see what he was working towards, but it was always building towards the match.

He doesn’t explicitly tell players the plans for the game all week long because that would just wear you down and you’d end up switching off. If you came into training on Tuesday and he was already telling us how the opposition’s left-back was going to play then by the Friday we’d all be going mad. So we worked slowly towards the game and then on the Thursday or the Friday, he might say, “they’re weak here” or “they’re vulnerable in this space”. The instructions became more explicit: “Look, if they step up here, you’re faster than them cutting inside”; “They always hold the line and you can run past them”; or “Watch the left-back – he’s the one who reacts slowly and doesn’t step up, playing you onside. He stands watching and doesn’t respond as quickly as the other defenders.”

Sometimes what we worked towards was even more explicitly focused on the opposition. When we faced Andy Carroll again, Brendan had seen that West Ham played the ball to the full-backs who then lofted diagonal balls looking for him. So in training we had Martin Kelly pretending to be Andy, playing like him. We were working against movements that were designed to mimic the way the opposition play.

Brendan didn’t obsess about telling us about opponents constantly, but through working on certain exercises the message seeped into our minds.

Now Rodgers is admitting it himself - that has to be a hopeful sign.

Demosthenese

Turtyturd wrote: »

One of the regulars in the United thread spends a lot of of time on RAWK and happens to know Liverpool and City fans who engage in this stuff...he'd have posted up here if it was true.

Also the Brendan Rodgers is a football genius slogan should make it obvious where it's coming from, that must have touched a nerve.

Of course it did touch a nerve, we've basically been laughing at them since Moyes' arrival and how it turned out. Banners over the stadium, laughing stock those supporters know no limits on how to publicly embarrass themselves. Even now in their forums they still think they'd have gotten something out of the City game had they kept 11 on the pitch. Living in cloud cuckoo land. All of a sudden LVG has them believing they need time and to accept mediocrity and they are lapping it up. Fellaini is the new go to guy despite being boo'd half of last season.

... such a pity we couldn't at least keep up our own momentum this season it is another serious chance to stay in the top 4 and progress. Aside from City/Chelsea who will be in the top 4, Arsenal are beginning to look like firing with Sanchez at the helm. That leaves a rake of teams playing poorly with their eye on that 4th place.

brevity

Match Thread...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=92892459#post92892459

LuckyLloyd

rob316 wrote: »

We lack the quality and defensive mindset the get anything. City have a couple of world class players too pointless comparing us.

Real have the best player in the world currently and superior players in every position, not to mention they are European Champions playing at home. My expectations are extremely low.

It's pointless comparing us, with our tremendous history in Europe (not ancient history either) and our taking City to the wire last year, to City? Your expectations are extremely low? What was the ****ing point in qualifying for this thing then? Why does it matter if you're all going to shrug your shoulders as we get steamrolled out of the group stages? :mad:

I don't know when this type of thinking became acceptable tbh.

klose

Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Kolo, Moreno, Henderson, Lucas, Lallana, Coutinho, Markovic, Lambert


Rumoured to be the team, rodgers going for the least immobile first eleven for god knows why. Looks a 4231 to me also.

Augmerson

Rickie Lamb Bear has his chance to shine!

Benzino

Getting destroyed by Madrid will help Markovic settle right in :P

Gbear

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

It's pointless comparing us, with our tremendous history in Europe (not ancient history either) and our taking City to the wire last year, to City? Your expectations are extremely low? What was the ****ing point in qualifying for this thing then? Why does it matter if you're all going to shrug your shoulders as we get steamrolled out of the group stages? :mad:

I don't know when this type of thinking became acceptable tbh.

You're either being obtuse or delusional if you think we have some magical quality that'll stop us getting tonked by a vastly superior team.

"The standards are slipping" lark is about 25 years too late. Bar one or two years we haven't been a big team for a very long time.

Talisman

klose wrote: »

Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Kolo, Moreno, Henderson, Lucas, Lallana, Coutinho, Markovic, Lambert


Rumoured to be the team, rodgers going for the least immobile first eleven for god knows why. Looks a 4231 to me also.

Not bad for a reserve side if true.

ArmaniJeanss

klose wrote: »

Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Kolo, Moreno, Henderson, Lucas, Lallana, Coutinho, Markovic, Lambert


Rumoured to be the team, rodgers going for the least immobile first eleven for god knows why. Looks a 4231 to me also.

Seems perfectly reasonable for tonights Carling Cup tie away to Bournemouth.

MD1990

klose wrote: »

Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Kolo, Moreno, Henderson, Lucas, Lallana, Coutinho, Markovic, Lambert


Rumoured to be the team, rodgers going for the least immobile first eleven for god knows why. Looks a 4231 to me also.

Would be shocked & disapointed in that team was right.

klose

MD1990 wrote: »

Would be shocked & disapointed in that team was right.

Could be totally different, just what a few people on twitter are saying. I thought leaving out gerrard would be to add more legs in midfield but if its for lucas it just makes us more lethargic in that area

Connavar

klose wrote: »

Could be totally different, just what a few people on twitter are saying. I thought leaving out gerrard would be to add more legs in midfield but if its for lucas it just makes us more lethargic in that area

Funny, I have though lucas looks more mobile than Gerrard lately

Nerdlingr

Lucas starting? Great. Cant wait for all the free kicks outside our box so.

Cartman78

klose wrote: »

Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Kolo, Moreno, Henderson, Lucas, Lallana, Coutinho, Markovic, Lambert


Rumoured to be the team, rodgers going for the least immobile first eleven for god knows why. Looks a 4231 to me also.

Ugh...my sense of impending doom just got waaaay worse.

Kolo and Lambert are not fit for football at this level imho

Milkers

If we are looking for a defensive coach look no further than Tony Pulis imo. Not that he'd do it.

NEDDURC

Nerdlingr wrote: »

Lucas starting? Great. Cant wait for all the free kicks outside our box so.

Maybe, but at least he'd put a tackle in unlike Gerrard who just watched as Ronaldo ghosted by him in the first game.

Harry Palmr

Milkers wrote: »

If we are looking for a defensive coach look no further than Tony Pulis imo. Not that he'd do it.

Mentioned him yesterday, if he could turn that Palace rabble round he could do great things at Liverpool. Imagine the reaction if he got the gig as a coach!

ronjo

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Mentioned him yesterday, if he could turn that Palace rabble round he could do great things at Liverpool. Imagine the reaction if he got the gig as a coach!

It would also spice up games with Arsenal

LuckyLloyd

Gbear wrote: »

You're either being obtuse or delusional if you think we have some magical quality that'll stop us getting tonked by a vastly superior team.

"The standards are slipping" lark is about 25 years too late. Bar one or two years we haven't been a big team for a very long time.

Houllier beat the likes of Roma / Barca; won a European trophy and got within a few minutes of the CL Semi
Benitez beat everyone and has us top of the European tree

From 2000 through 2010 we were a competitive, feared side in Europe. That's a full decade in the recent past.

Crucially, under both Houllier and Benitez there was never the lack of belief and cripplingly low European expectations that Rodgers seems to have instilled in the players and fans. :mad:

kevohmsford

Not looking forward to the game tonight. We do need our younger players to play for the experience. If we brought in all these young players we should just play them.
Staying well clear of the match thread. It was a disgrace the last time.

rob316

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

It's pointless comparing us, with our tremendous history in Europe (not ancient history either) and our taking City to the wire last year, to City? Your expectations are extremely low? What was the ****ing point in qualifying for this thing then? Why does it matter if you're all going to shrug your shoulders as we get steamrolled out of the group stages? :mad:

I don't know when this type of thinking became acceptable tbh.

Seriously Lloyd be realistic - we ran city close with the best strike force in Europe last season...tonight we will arrive with Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert with a combined total of 0 league goals.

Tremendous history counts for nothing, seriously its no wonder we are accused of living in the past so often.

Gbear

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Houllier beat the likes of Roma / Barca; won a European trophy and got within a few minutes of the CL Semi
Benitez beat everyone and has us top of the European tree

From 2000 through 2010 we were a competitive, feared side in Europe. That's a full decade in the recent past.

Crucially, under both Houllier and Benitez there was never the lack of belief and cripplingly low European expectations that Rodgers seems to have instilled in the players and fans. :mad:

And we virtually never had to play a team like this Real side.

And never when we had a team this ****.