12 Nov 2012

LFC legend slams 'awful' Reds performance against Chelsea. Harsh?

Luis Suarez came to Liverpool's rescue once again at Stamford Bridge yesterday, but if Chelsea's finishing had been better in the first half, the Blues could've been out of sight at half time. The Reds were poor in the first forty-five minutes, and Anfield legend Alan Hansen has criticised the players for failing to utilise possession well enough.

Analysing the game on Match of the Day last night, Hansen observed:

"I thought in the first half Liverpool were awful.

"They were awful in possession – they had a lot of it, but it was like 25 passes back to the same point.

"Chelsea just rolled over the top of them and conceivably could’ve been three or four up at half time, but through a lack of composure (from Chelsea) they got away with it.

"They almost paid for it - Liverpool came back into it, got the goal, and were the better team in the last 10 minutes".


Liverpool were awful in the first half, and this was characterised by players constantly giving the ball away. In this regard, Joe Allen was the biggest culprit, which is strange for him as he rarely wastes the ball.

In his post-match press conference, Rodgers took responsibility for the first half malaise, accepting that it was his 'fault' the team looked so disjointed.

To be honest, I don't see why he started with a 352; what difference did it make? None in the slightest. Things only started to look up when the Reds returned to their normal formation after the introduction of Suso.

Why tinker needlessly? It just smacks of Rodgers trying to overcomplicate things for no apparent reason.

As Hansen says, Liverpool could've won the game in the last 10 minutes, but just imagine if the team had been set-up the right way from the word go; perhaps the game could've been won long before then...?

Jaimie Kanwar


67 comments:

  1. As long as the other team no matter how well they are on top, do not score a second goal you are always in with a chance.
    Liverpool were awful in the first half and in the second half they realised this Chelsea team isnt all that great despite the money spent on them.
    Yesterday was a classic example, Chelsea failed to score a second and Liverpool gained heart and confidence from that and got a goal that merited the way they played once Suso replaced Sahin.
    Turning point was Jones save which would of made it 2-0 game over.
    I hope Steve Nicol saw that save.

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  2. abysmal first half better second jaimie commend you for saying allen was poor but for once he was hardly alone

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  3. Fair enough in trying 3-5-2. He was trying to get more support for Suarez.

    You can try things on the training ground but at some point you have to try them for real.

    It didnt work. We were fortunate not to be two or three goals down at half time.

    At least he admitted it wasnt working and changed the players and the system.

    The midfield three were very poor in the first half. I've yet to be convinced by Sahin. At this stage he doesnt look like a £20m player although there is still time for him to adjust and come good I suppose.

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  4. you know whats hilarious, the fact that Chelsea's starting XI, 8 of them were starters against a difficult Shaktar Doneskt, None of them were rested so you could just about see how fatigued the players were, Terry back after a ban and was not match fit and Azpilicuenta started with hardly any experience under his belt, No lampard/ashely/luiz and yet a sloppy Liverpool had 8 players rested and played for a pathetic draw..........One man show Suarez saved the day and it showed when he celebrated ALONE! LOL

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  5. I personally think Rodgers was thinking that Chelsea's biggest threat would come through their "wingers" Mata and Hazard. By nullifying the wing play through densive wing backs, Oscar and Torres would have to feed off scraps which they did most of the game. So the formation worked in that sense. The problem was going foward where after we won the ball, it looked like we had no shape at all, the angles were not good and in my opinion, Allen looks tired while Sahin can't play in games which are physical and intense. I believe that's where the problem was, the wing backs were not that good going foward

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  6. I think BR was trying to copy the Juventus 3-5-2 which worked well for them during the CL clash but, Allen was s'posed to be the "Pirlo" but honestly, that was Allen's worst game and we don't have the Vidal-Marchisio combo either, it was a pretty fair result though. I think Suso should be given the run as a our AM, the kid is really buzzing!!

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  7. These guys earn enough money to play 2 games a week. Shankly won the league using 14 players all season.
    I therefore dont agree with anyone who uses the fatigued excuse. I dont use it for Liverpool either.
    Chelsea drew because they failed to score a second goal to kill the game when they were on top. Once that never happened the overpaid mercenaries that they are got sloppy lost their way and in the end were lucky not to concede a second, because only Liverpool looked like scoring a 2nd. I never noticed any hanging on for a draw, certainly Enrique was not hanging on he was charging up the pitch like a Spanish bull knocking Chelsea defenders to one side as he rampaged down that wing in the last 20 minutes.
    I seem to recall Chelsea once had a one man show themselves Didier Drogba, without his goals in past seaons they would of won very little.

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  8. We messed up their composure, for Christ sake!! With little better Allen, Sahin or Gerrard, we would have scored at least twice in first half... or with Shelvey.

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  9. I hate this BR hypocrisy, Joe Cole I agree he is rubbish but he played just 1 game under BR and he started bashing him for not being good, same with downing who played one bad game but had few good games before in Europa...he blasted him as well, Andy Carroll too. Now when Allen is our worst performer since last 4-5 games, why no bashing? I really see this disturbing players morale when he says something like "Only Allen carried the midfiled" against swansea when he was poor too. This is ludicrous from BR who also defends Borini. Before he joined liverpool, "Borini is the fittest player I have ever seen", "Borini is the player liverpool fans will be excited about", Borini is this and that ......after few flop performances...."I always maintained Borini is the one for future, he can be Liverpool Legend" fuck this BS.

    Andy Carroll was 100 times better than Borini and Suso who should have started yesterday is 100 times better than Sahin or Allen.

    Common BR, just agree that playing your signings will keep us at 15th in the league like swansea

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  10. in my intense observation of Liverpool play yesterday i noticed an interesting phenomenon which i feel is directly attributed with our poor performance. I feel during big games against big opponents the team sort of switches off offensively. Yesterday against Chelsea no one wanted to penetrate the Chelsea defensive third. In the first half we seemed content in knocking the ball around in our own half. This practice caused at least two turn overs which could have led to goal scoring opportunities for Chelsea had they not squandered their chances. Unlike the rest of his teammates who did not want to run at the Chelsea defense Suarez on the other hand provided more penetration , clearly tempting the Chelsea defense to have a go at him. He plays without regard to what happens to his body physically and it is what makes him special. He is clearly a leader on the field in the first half.

    In my opinion it was the second half change to our traditional 4-3-3 formation and the introduction of another very direct player (Suso) that sparked things on the offensive end for us. The psychological shock for Chelsea regarding the John Terry injury didn't hurt us either. Chelsea was clearly in the drivers seat in the first half and they could have easily finished us off had they scored their chances.

    We are ofcourse indebted heavily to Luis Suarez once again. Players like him do not come around every day we certainly have a special someone on the team. I propose a statue be set up for Suarez at Anfield when he retires. Currently the only person taking the offensive responsibility of scoring goals.

    I feel that Joe Allen has gone missing and has not lived up to the hype that Rodgers built up about him. If he were more expensive it would be seen as a great waste of money. I think we should also be on the market for a string puller like Lewis Holby or someone of equal talent.

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  11. We dit get rolled over but all it really shows is that Chelsea are a far better team right now than we are. As if that needed to be confirmed in any other way than looking at the league table. We were playing a team that has been improving and receiving much needed investment for over a decade now. Obviously we invested a lot of money too but we don't need to get to deep into the fact that we did it not so wisely. We were playing a team built on the core of a league winning team and we were playing the current European Champions. All in all, a draw was a good result for us and to get it after being under pressure is maybe more positive than getting draws against Stoke or Sunderland after dominating the match. We can moan about what went wrong every weekend but that won't change the simple fact that we need to bring in players who can replace the rubbish brought in under (the) previous manager(s) before we can start attacking teams like Chelsea and Man United again. There is nothing to suggest that we would have fared any better had we started in a 4-3-3 formation. The positive is that we're grinding out results. It's not getting us up the table and we need a good winning streak to do so but we're playing with a team that has changed in at least five positions compared to last year. It will take time, no matter how much people moan and no matter how many pundits fall over each other to point out that things aren't going well. We know all that but right now all we can do is try and gring out results and give ourselves the best possible position that we can build on starting January.

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  12. They are EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS, there are consequences, you can't expect to be champ and play the same team, but only once in the week! They have no rest, we have no experience, they have bench with proven millions players on it .. you are defending THEM, do not believe it, aaaa

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  13. We started badly, the system didn´t work, but the players were also poor, so he changed it, and we could have won. He hasn´t changed the system all that much. But if he gets criticized for how we played in the first half, he should also get some credit for changing it around and bringing Suso on, which worked a treat for the second.

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  14. Allen, Sahin and Gerrard were ones to blame for lack of penetration- Enrique tried with no support, trio kept us not concede but little effort to try to score. Stevie tried the most, as usual, and made most mistakes...

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  15. Martin Skrtel not being fit might have caused him to use that system. It was to help protect Carragher who had just played 90 mins in Russia. The team has played well using the 353 formation last season and the few games played this season but it did not work yesterday.

    The biggest surprise for me was Stirling playing up front. Both him and Suarez hardly touched the ball in the 1st half.

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  16. Managers are paid to make tactical switches. Many get it right many get it wrong.
    Thrre examples of managers switching tactics and formation at the weekend getting it right
    Ferguson two goals down brings on Hernandez they win 3-2, manager takes credit as he scores 2 and the other he claimed.
    Everton 1-0 down to Sunderland, they bring on a striker, push Fellaini back deeper, two goals in three minutes scored by Fellaini and made by by Fellaini playing in a slightly different position.
    Liverpool down 1-0 to Chelsea looking out of it, a change made Suso on for the ineffective Sahin, change of formation, equaliser and in the end looking like scoring a second to win it.
    All 3 teams named above had shocking first halfs and the manager got it right in the second half by switching tactics.

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  17. first half was poor, i couldn't see us scoring if we played for 2 days. second half improvement was ok, but until we bolster the squad with quality players, be it bought or brought through, we will struggle.

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  18. Shelvey was injured, he would have provided the penetration needed.

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  19. My comment is waiting for approval Jaimie.

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  20. Joe Allen needs to find the well timed through ball to add to his game and the odd shot until He does He is a one half clockwork mouse, a good clockwork mouse mind.

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  21. I think that Rodgers opted for three centre backs, because with our normal 4-2-3-1 (4-3-3) formation we would have risked to be to much open in defense and as we all know we are prone to making defensive mistakes ... especially against such a talented in-form offense.

    Everybody needs to understand that playing a 4-3-3 formation to the effect Rodgers wants needs time ... it's all about movement, awareness, keeping the shape and quick thinking to play similiar to Barcelona. This will take a lot of hard work in training over a few years and that's the brutal truth !!

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  22. First half we were poor, far better in the scond. Not impressed with Allen, Gerrard or Sahin. If the Special One thinks that Sahin is worth mega bucks then he should think again, 'cos he certainly does not seem to be a 'special 'player. Nice to see Enrique puttimg in a decent shift.

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  23. I think you've hit the nail on the head about penetration. I think our major problem has been that we're too slow in our build up and allow teams too much time to get back and get organised. We're too preoccupied with making sure we get the obligatory 10 passes together before moving forward another 10 yards. Even my boy's school team would be hard to breakdown for us at the moment.

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  24. I still think BR and his vision of how to play is right for us, I just don't think he's found the right way to implement it yet.

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  25. Liverpool had actually won their last four meetings with Chelsea,
    You can tell a manager is a media favourite when his team’s losses are used as examples of the “challenges” facing him rather than tangible evidence of his own shortcomings.

    Brendan Rodgers’ much vaunted ‘style’ hasn’t much been evident as Everton, Anji, and Swansea have dominated possession and passing stats against Liverpool in the last week. His naivety and lack of big match experience was demonstrated by the less than imposing line-up he fielded in a derby, which led to Everton dominating the midfield. The sorry state of the squad has merely been exacerbated by his dogmatic refusal to use the resources left to him by Kenny Dalglish, meagre though they are, Liverpool would be a better football team with Jose Enrique playing left back, and without Jordan Henderson being asked to play Right back.

    Seemingly everyone has forgotten that “they’ve played quite well but haven’t taken their chances” was the exact same tune last year under Dalglish. Rodgers will survive but pretty soon he’s going to run out of excuses, and run out of people willing to make excuses for him.

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  26. at this stage in the season we as a team need to have figured out what works and what doesn't for different types of opponents. It seems to me that Rodgers is still busy tinkering around with his systems. It is my opinion that we do not have all the right type of players required to play the type of foot-ball he really want Liverpool to play. We would need to acquire an attacking mid who is technically sound like City's David Silva for example if we are to take our game to the next level. What makes players like Chelsea's Juan Mata or City's David Silva so special is that they are artists who do nothing but run at defenses. They relish the opportunity to take people on. In so doing they draw out defenders creating space for other teammates. Both these players produced a lot of assists last season. Besides buying another striker we are in desperate need of a top class playmaker, someone who specializes in breaking down stubborn defenses. Allen is not that type of player. If you watch Chelsea or City you will see that a lot of their offensive buildup goes through Silva or Mata. We need at least one player like them.

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  27. Chelsea's NEVER been a one man team, they've had goals coming in from mid-field and defense, what Chelsea have this season is a new breed of players, a new style of play, a transition period in the process.....however moving back to your one and only chance that could of changed the game was Enrique's low drive shot, unfortunately that was the only clear cut chance for Liverpool, now you compare it to Chelsea's chances which they failed to capitalize, big difference! All Chelsea need is finisher upfront because Torres lacks the in-front of goal finish but his work rate can be top notch on a good day, if/buts & maybe's we can be here all day but lets wait until Anfield ;)

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  28. couldn't agree more with the steve nicol comment.

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  29. the key Non E is the movement off the ball IMO. If during possession of the ball a player has two or three options of possible passes to make in many directions that is when tikki-taka pass and move football can be truly achieved. If the next person has a few options when passing the ball that is when the other team can easily end up chasing the ball. This is what I feel is Rodgers is trying to achieve. The problem we have is that sometimes there is no space for the players to run into so that they can receive the ball in the opponents defensive third. When this is the case (like it was during the first half against Chelsea) you need players who are comfortable taking people on who can beat there man in other to get behind the defense or draw others out. What makes Barca so special is that they are experts at creating space, even if it is not that much they know how to make just enough room for some to take a shot. The movement off the ball for Barca never stops, it is a living breathing thing. People with out the ball are sometimes more active than those with it. You could see that even on the second leg CL clash against Celtics. They had clearly more possession than Celtics just unfortunate that they did't score. Certainly had more opportunities to score than the home team hitting the woodwork on two separate occasions . Celtic made the most of their chances and won the game. That victory won't happen again against Barca. Barca continues to set the bench mark of what real possession foot-ball should be like. Liverpool has a long way to go.

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  30. Going from ESPN stats, Mata has started every single game for Chelsea in all competitions, apart from one. Definitely don't rotate much, Chelsea. Marin is nowhere to be seen. They got three great attacking midfielders but a pity their choice of forwards are questionable, in terms of form and/or talent, to take full advantage of the work of Hazard, Mata and Oscar.

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  31. Yep, Sahin and Gerrard have nowhere the near the energy and work rate of Vidal & Marchisio. Barely helped Allen, who was having a stinker.


    I'd rather Suso was kept as a sub and as a occasional starter. I don't trust him enough to be a reliable presence in games as a regular starter, just yet. Fades in and out of games too much for my liking as a starter. Let him take his time, only a puppy.

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  32. Agreed, but BR bought two midfielders, and our main problem is that, alongside the bigger problem- striker, and he bought Borini which equates to none... Still have faith in him, but think he allready filled his quota of mistakes for the year...

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  33. So they came inside instead (Mata & Oscar) and even though they weren't on form, they made life really hard for Allen along with Oscar. Allen had a shocker and he wasn't helped at all by Sahin & Gerrard. Allen didn't start the midweek game, so I don't agree with the tired excuse for Allen, especially considering the likes of Mata played in midweek. He simply got outfoxed by the movement of their attacking midfielders as well as getting no help from Sahin & Stevie. They had loads of space as illustrated by Allen looking so poor but they (Chelsea's attacking midfield trio) were poor too, in exploiting it. I don't think it was that effective the starting formation, defensively, as Chelsea had a lot of possession in the danger areas in the first half. Well thats how I saw it anyway.

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  34. I think managers have studied Joe Allen inside out, hence his losing of the ball last 2 or 3 games. It seems you need to overwhelm him and then he gets forced into making mistakes. Either that or he is just tired. 3 at the back was a very defensive move. If that 1 goal didn't go in for chelsea, perhaps Hansen et al would be singing a different tune. I do agree he should have just gone 4-3-3 from the beginning though.

    All things considered I can't help but be happy with the result. unbeaten in 6, but it's time to start winning. Suarez on fire!

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  35. Enrique has been injured but has been playing more and more recently. I actually think we are taking more of our chances this season as can be seen by the 8 goals Suarez has accumulated in the league, however I do feel that we need more goal scorers from the wings and midfield and this is something I'd like Rodgers to invest in. The defence is also an issue with too many lapses in concentration occuring and I'm not sure Henderson will be a cause for concern for much longer especially with Lucas coming back into the fold soon.

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  36. To be fair on Allen and his very poor performance, he got nothing, absolutely nothing from Gerrard and Sahin in terms of help in the first half.

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  37. 'where are the people who have been criticising his lack of "clinicality"' - they came when he wasn't scoring goals and they have gone as he has started scoring goals left, right and central. They and I were reasonable to criticise him for not scoring......as he wasn't scoring goals was he.

    As for his theatrics and behaviour, early days, regardless of how important he is for the team.

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  38. if you trust in rodgers than good luck to you and i hope you will enjoy championship very soon or fighting near relegation zone.WAKE UP ALL LFC FANS,WE ARE LOOSING RESPECT OR I AM NOT SURE IF ANY RESPECT IN PL OR EUROPE IS LEFT.If we dont ask for Rafa than god help us .

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  39. dont forget czech's save which also could have killed the game in our favour

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  40. what about Suarez's one on one with Peter Czech?Did you watch the Game?Chances dont win the game man (take it from us), goals do!! we created more chances than any other team last season but finished 8th because we were not scoring but hitting the post instead

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  41. one thing we didnt note is that chelsea were also afraid of Liverpool (especially the magical Suarez & the manecing Sterling) thats why they opted for a counter attacking game than their usual attacking style.Once BR realised that, he changed the tactics and alas! its all Liverpool!!

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  42. instead of rellying solely on the ever absent Lucas, i think we must buy another holding Midfielder & at least 1 striker. can't FSG realise that all we lack is Hunterlaar? imagine Hunterlaar backed by Suarez and Sterling

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  43. how is Carrol even better than Borini? Borini has pace, is not afraid of getting into the box, and is hard working whereas Carrol is lazy, cannot use his height or power & had Bellamy Suarez Kuyt and Maxi supplying him but still couldnt score 15 goals in 18 months!!! yet you say Borini is worse after less than 6 months!!
    how many did Carrol score so far this season at W.Ham?(they all got injured , so no excuse)

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  44. the mid was pathetic!!! the defense(excluding Agger's mistake of course!) and strikers worked very hard, but could not do anything without the help of the mid. I think Charlie Adam was better than Allen because he wasnt bullied in the mid, he tried the ball forward(not always sideway to win passer of the year award) he had 6 assists last season and had many goal attempts(how many does Allen have?)

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  45. Borini is not a mistake (take it from me) the mistake is Allen!! we could have kept Charlie Adam or Spearing and but a striker with 15m (if not 2 or 3 if we bargain lyk we did on Assaidi)

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  46. because the mid trio were awful!!! they never got the ball forward!!

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  47. im wondering why Rodgers is getting the blame after showing such class in reading the game. he outclassed a CL winner Di Matteo and Liverpool fans are complaining!!! Di Matteo had millions to spend than BR and we criticise BR for getting his tactics correct(against mega spenders in his 1st spell & away from home)!!what would these critics be saying had Suarez or Enrique scored the winner??? I GUESS THEY DID BE SINGING THERE IS ONLY ONE BRENDAN RODGERS!!! Grow up guys!!!!!! Even Rafa when he had mega bucks to spend, he had problems with Chelsea(and they were not as strong as now & were not CL holders)!!

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  48. spot on mate!!! Barca didnt start passing the ball & woke up world best the following morning!!! how many years did it take Spain to dominate the world with possessional play?? we must cheer up because we have a complete set (if not 2 or 3) of upcoming youngsters who can suit the style and are coming good, so I believe in the next 2-3-4 years we will be up there again(if we do not sell our future young guys of course)!!

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  49. you mean the C.Adams & A.Carroll (not to mention the brilliant Downing!!!) left to him by KK??how many goals did Carroll/Adam score this season (i would like to add them to ours to see the their impact)??who would you play my friend, the clueless Downing or the energetic future C.Ronaldo (Sterling)??Would you play Enrique on injury every game??

    I only agree with you on Henderson, he's better for me than Allen.I mean Henderson is more creative, has pace, adds numbers into the box when necessary & above all , has goal attempts (which Allen never tries)

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  50. At least we can compete for titles in the championship. But IMO we can't be relegated, god won't let that :p. We just need to tweak our system a lilttle bit and start winning. So don't bother getting chapionship tv schedules tho, U will not find us there :D

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  51. yes! it just amaze me how the manager has the guts to play young players like Sterling ,Suso, Wisdom e.t.c & has no guts of starting Gerrard at the bench!! he claims to chose the players on merit yet Gerrard is an automatic starter!!!had Reina not been injured we would have not seen how brilliant Jones now is.BR is rotating every position except that of Gerrard , Reina , Suarez & Sahin.Suarez I understand because he is scoring goals and playing well but the other 3, heeeeeish!

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  52. so next time don't judge someone after only four games!!! especially in a new system of play!!!!!!

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  53. Rafa=Mancini , the more money the more titles.BR has no funds!!!

    when Rafa had mega bucks to spend, he nearly won the league and had CL every season and what happened the 1st time he ran short on funds?? no need to remind you on that one. under FSG, Rafa will get us relegated(if not to D2)!!

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  54. I thought Chelsea set up as usual but they were poor in executing their usual style and add in our dominating of possession in the first half, it meant they had little choice but to pounce on us on the counter. For e.g. Ferguson set out his team to attack Barca in the CL finals but because Barca dominate possession so much, the only way out is to counter them, regardless of your intentions prior to the match.

    If they were that bothered about Sterling or about our attacking ability, they would have put the experienced and defensive-minded Ivanovic at right back, instead of the inexperienced and attack-minded Spaniard, and played Cahill-Terry at CB.

    I guess its all perception and opinions.

    Its a interesting problem though the change in tactics as that tempo and style after his tactical change is not what he probably wants (just guessing of course) as it was end-to-end and messy, instead of retaining of possession that he liked at Swansea.

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  55. Eh? Who said I judged him after only four games? I criticized him for his finishing last season, which was based on far more than four games.

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  56. At times Allen had NO options when he was on the ball. Sahin and Gerrard were way too far up the pitch. Allen had no one to go to, so of course he was going to lose the ball.

    Sick of seeing Gerrard and Sahin in the same team. Gerrard should play behing the strikers or not play at all. Same with Sahin. With 3-5-2 they had to play with Allen, not leave Allen all on his own.

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  57. Keep Adam or Spearing and not go for Allen?! Are u a Manc?! :-|

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  58. Pls Allen has been playing as a DEFENSIVE MF, and not in his regular position, Allen couldn't defend, misplaced passes, and his workrate was negative. Did u compare Allen's stats at Swansea and Adam's at Liverpool?

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  59. Allen is being played as a defensive MF, how many passes does he need to impress you, and he's better than Speraing at DM and better than Adam at CM. Adam misplaces too many passes, is a bad tackler and has a low work rate! Try comparing Allen stats at Swansea and Adams stats at liverpool last season!!!

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  60. Anyone who can suggest either of Henderson, Spearing and Adam can do a better job than what Allen has done as stand in for Lucas, just leaves me shaking my head! Henderson hasn't even had a decent Europa League game worth of note. Andy Carroll would be just a wasted talent at Liverpool. I've watched him at West Ham where he's allowed to just move around as he pleases without being criticized, there's much less pressure there and he still hasn't scored a goal yet

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  61. Anyhow........

    The article was about Alan Hansen. So I will add that not only do I agree with him, I also loved the way he 'owned' Owen and Roberts on Match of The Day. :0

    I read an article accusing Owen of being more interested in his application for the South Carolina Police Department than getting fit for Stoke.
    As for Roberts, media work and T-shirts appear to be his main focus......

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  62. So far he is, and hope you are right that he won't be...

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  63. Owen is now injured with a hamstring injury. Cannot believe anyone would sign him, for Stoke's sake I hope they got him on a pay as you play deal. He would be injured joining the South Carolina police, his Krispy Kreme donut would fall on his foot and break his toe. (American cops are always drinking coffee and eating donuts case you wondering what on earth am I going on about)

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  64. Alls we are saying is give Bren a chance

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  65. no iam not iam saying guess were talking about a revolution lol

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