3 Nov 2014

Possible XI vs. R. Madrid: Can LFC overcome this shocking stat? BR to axe £46m duo?

Saturday's abject defeat to Newcastle is the worst possible preparation for tomorrow's Champions League clash with Real Madrid, and with the Reds struggling to score goals at the moment, it's hard to see Brendan Rodgers' struggling side getting a result at the Bernabeu.

I wish I could be more positive about the game, but given Madrid's imperious form right now, it's looking like another defeat is on the card.

After all, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals this season than Liverpool's entire squad.

What an embarrassing statistic.

On the injury front, Enrique, Flanagan, and Suso remain on the sidelines. Daniel Sturridge has travelled with the squad, but Rodgers has played the possibility of LFC's star striker playing any part in the game. He told reporters today:

"I brought every player out with us. This game and the game at the weekend [against Chelsea] are very important for us, and it's a sign that we're very much together. With Daniel, we'll see how he responds, but it's highly unlikely he'll be fit."

The Newcastle game underlined once again the utter failure of Rodgers' two core tactics: 4231, and Balotelli as a lone striker. Neither of these is working, but the manager is too stubborn to change things, so I fully expect to see the same approach against Madrid. Probable line-up:

---------------- Mignolet

Johnson --- Skrtel --- Lovren ---- Moreno

---------- Gerrard --- Allen

Henderson ------ Sterling -------- Coutinho

--------------- Balotelli

Lazar Markovic didn't even make the bench for the Newcastle game, and Adam Lallana failed to make the starting line-up, so I doubt that will change for the Madrid game.

I doubt many fans expect Liverpool to get a result in Madrid, but there is a historical precedent for such an unlikely result. In the 2008-9 season, Liverpool also faced Madrid in the Champions League, and went into Bernabeu fixture in the midst of a poor run of form (2 wins in 8 games; only 6 goals scored).

The Reds still managed to pull of a shock 1-0 victory, and in some ways, it served as a catalyst for an extended run of brilliant results, which took the club to the brink of winning the league.

Yes, I'm clutching at straws (!), but it's not totally inconceivable for Liverpool to get a positive result. That said, Gareth Bale should be back for the game, which means the team's beleaguered defensive unit will be under even more attacking pressure.

My prediction: 3-1 to Madrid.

Author:


42 comments:

  1. lallana and marko two players costing 46m which havnt improved the team .....gerrard and allen is about as static a midfield pairing you will see in top flight football

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  2. yes i am being negative but I do not see anything less than a 6-0 margin in Madrid's favour.


    Not sure i am even going to put myself through such torture.

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  3. It just came to me in a flash, the solution to all our defensive problems, call it a eureka moment if you will. We just need to buy a 50 ton goalkeeper.

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  4. Or park the bus like Cheslea did to us at Anfield last season. 11 players in the box except we have a defence which will still screw it up.

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  5. if real show any attacking prowess our mickey mouse defense could well be ran ragged

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  6. Like parking the bus is so easy.

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  7. liverpool are not capable of parking the bus as they have to many Hollywood ball players who crave the limelight and lose us possession.Its not like you need the golden ball to unlock our defense a simple chip into the box causes a full scale flap attack

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  8. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:45 pm, November 03, 2014

    Perfect game to experiment as we know we will get beat no matter what we do :
    ..............................................balotelli...............borini
    ...........................................................sterling
    .....................................lallana...............................henderson
    .........................................................gerrard
    ..................................moreno........skrtel...........lovren.......manquillo
    ..............................................................mignolet




    * coutinho deserves a rest
    * borini desrevs his chance a goal vs real might make him be world class
    * i wish gerrard would get lost and we can play can there

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  9. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:46 pm, November 03, 2014

    parking the bus requires you to be 100% efficient


    not one mistake or you pay for it

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  10. id actually like us to go down fighting and play an all out attacking team

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  11. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:58 pm, November 03, 2014

    Maybe we should play all new players:


    ......................................markovic..........balotelli
    ....................................................lallana
    .....................................can..........................henderson
    .....................................................allen
    ...................................moreno.......lovren.....toure........manquillo
    ...........................................................mignolet


    i really want to see all of:
    balotelli,markovic,lallana,can,moreno,manquillo and lovren on the same pitch

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  12. Not without practice but it is an easier tactic otherwise lesser teams wouldn't do it.

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  13. Seriously what does Allen bring to the game...........Side passing

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  14. allen like gerrad are on a free ride and seldom get critised even though they both create and defend very little , Allen is okay if you are two nil up but offers nothing when you are a goal down

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  15. Its like he is afraid to make a forward pass

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  16. its just not his natural game, i genuinely think gerrard inhibits the other midfielders from being free sprits and thinking for themselves

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  17. Liverpool have no chance in Madrid and should field a weakened team, the focus should be on the league and in particular the next game against Chelsea. A different team, different formation just may catch Madrid out and maybe cause a slight upset. It is not being defeatist, it's realistic, the squad at this point in time is in no position to be competing in four competitions. Focus on the league, finish top four and build confidence and stability. A stepping stone in the right direction with another years experience gained for a very junior manager.

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  18. Nevergonnacrackthecode9:38 pm, November 03, 2014

    hey i never made this comment
    what going on you are not nevergonnacracktehcode

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  19. Nevergonnacrackthecode9:41 pm, November 03, 2014

    sorry the disqus had a glitch
    i saw my name on top of teh comment

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  20. i agree....it should be a wake up call to them

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  21. I expect Rossiter and Borini to play,some of our eh...leading lights may want to avoid this one.

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  22. Jaimie-can you git rid of those stupid bloody pop up ads from 'contest-winners.com?'

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  23. I really don't see us scoring. I'm genuinely concerned we could be on the receiving end of a good hiding tomorrow. Hopefully I'm wrong

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  24. what difference does that make? he is ,i assume, a human being, with a unique personality and make-up. the money is totally irrelevant.

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  25. unfortunately i think you are right. we don't look capable of doing anything positive at the moment.

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  26. Don't get me wrong, I think a couple of good league results could get us back on track and I think we're more than capable of that but Real at the Bernebau? Asking too much I think

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  27. a weakened team, as opposed to which particular strong one at present!? we were torn a new one last time, i hate it when i hear people talking about looking ahead .....no....we play our strongest team available for the immediate game to come. if we get injuries, we deal with it, if we get suspensions, we deal with it. f**k the chelsc*m game, that's an irrelevance until wednesday 05/11/14. regardless of our ability to compete on four levels, it is defeatist. realism is a different perspective, but only after you have given your all to the game at hand, is it acceptable to offer this.

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  28. at this moment in time probably, but they are not the european champions for nothing. they are possibly the best team anywhere at present. as for the ex-manc, well he is superb.....euuuuurrrrrrggggghhh......i am definitely getting softer with age...note to self...toughen up again!!!

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  29. our bus would have no windows and have the doors open so madrid would get through us that way.

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  30. add lucas and we have a scouse Tussauds.

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  31. --------------------Mignolet

    Johnson ----Skrtel ----Toure ----Moreno

    Sterling---- Cotinho---- Gerard----Lallana

    --------------Baloteli--------Borini





    Sub: B.Jones, Lovren, Sturidge, Markovic, Henderson

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  32. I still believe the tactics are just fine, it's just that the players are not currently implementing them. The slow pace, the poor passing, the lack of movement ... these are not things that Rodgers is coaching them to do. These are the same systems we used last year and they worked brilliantly. Are we suggesting that the club abandon the approach that worked so well last year and not try to play that kind of football any more? I'd rather Rodgers stick with the system and work with the players until they get it right.


    We can't beat Madrid, it would be a fluke based on our current form. They'll score a minimum of 2 goals and we don't seem capable of scoring anything at the moment. At their best Liverpool could make a game of it, maybe hope for a 3-2 win if things went their way. That's extremely unlikely. What I actually think is that we'll play a tighter game and hope to contain the damage. Quite honestly, a 2-1 loss would be a good result for us.

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  33. My liver, knowing what's in store for it today and Saturday (and after what I
    did to it 4 days ago), has been threatening a strike if I proceed with my
    current plans to self-medicate. This may very well be my final post. If
    that's the case, it's been nice chatting with you guys the past few
    months...

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  34. Nothing matches the melodrama of a Liverpool fan after a poor run of form. We should write a rock opera about this.

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  35. "We deal with it" Unfortunately our inexperienced manager, many new signings and injuries means we don't have the capacity to deal with it, so we need to look at the aims for this season. The aim has got to be at all costs qualify for the Champions League. Without it we have no chance of having the financial muscle to progress as this FFP idea doesn't look like it has any teeth.

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  36. I wonder what Carra thinks about 18 year old Luke Shaw picking up £100,000+ a week at Man Utd because he sure doesn't like it when 19 year old Sterling wants a piece of the money cake. He hasn't I don't think mentioned his disgust at this has he?

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  37. Graeme souness used the diamond!

    Clough

    Hutchison Redknapp



    P stewart


    It was at the time when McManaman and Walters were not performing and Barnes was injured. Needless to say it didnt work :)

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  38. Real 5 LFC 0. Sad but true. I hope we sign Deulofeu and play him on the wing with Sterling and Coutinho, with Origi paired with Sturridge up front and Song next year. The HMS liverpool is adrift and laden with passengers. Need to nuke, Allen, Johnson, Enrique, and Lucas, loan out Markovic to see if he can develop. In the meantime, it's time for BR to use. Stevie exactly the way Fergie used Scholes and Giggs in their last three years: final 20 usually and a spot start against weaker teams or the derby vs Everton. He is a legend no,doubt about it. That ship has largely sailed and we need to recognize it. Lastly, if offensive guys don't want to move, make runs and make themselves available, sit their ass down and use Rossiter, recall Ibe and Origi and stop torturing the loyal fans who believed the lie that we would see marquee signings that would propel us forward. We got anchors instead.....

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  39. please don't do this :_(

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  40. Pound long balls into Real Madrid with both Mario & Lambert, just to spice things up.... Mario alone would mean death to lfc tonight. No red cards for sterling or anyone as Real is known for their playacting..

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  41. Dearest liver, when did you get a Disqus account?

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