2 Dec 2014

Confirmed XI vs LC: £55m trio out; BR snubs £12m star for 4th time. Mistake?

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has made three changes for tonight's Premier League clash with Leicester City.

Coutinho, Enrique, and Allen make way for Lallana, Manquillo, and the inevitable return of Steven Gerrard:

FULL TEAM: Mignolet, Manquillo, Johnson, Toure, Skrtel, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Sterling, Lambert.

SUBS: Jones, Lovren, Coutinho, Moreno, Allen, Can, Markovic.

In my view, Rodgers should've kept a winning team, but the changes he's made are ultimately justifiable:

* Coutinho an Allen (arguably) made the least impact against Stoke City; Enrique's fitness is an ongoing concern, so it makes sense not to over-play him.

* Lucas and Toure deserve to keep their places, as both put in creditable performances against Stoke City.

* Alberto Moreno is on the bench for the fourth game in a row, which is a concern. It looks like he's well and truly out of favour right now, and being dropped 4 times in a row won't do his confidence any good. To be fair, he has made several defensive errors this season, Rodgers' decision is hardly surprising.

* Lovren misses out again, and deservedly so. If Toure maintains his form, the Croatian could end up spending a lot of time on the bench. Perhaps Rodgers feels that Moreno and Lovren - both left-sided players - are a major part of LFC's lack of defensive solidity?

Leicester City are bottom of the league, so anything by a win is (IMO) unacceptable. To that end, Lallana, Sterling, and Henderson seriously need to step up. It's 12 games without a goal for Sterling now; Lallana has only one all season, and Hendo has contributed only one goal in the last nine games.

My prediction: 2-3

Author:


194 comments:

  1. I feel that there is too much pressure on Sterling (both England and Liverpool are relying on him), BR should probably rest him for this match. Oh Well.

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  2. Drop Mignolet and Johnson replaced by Jones and Moreno and we have a half decent team.

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  3. We need to seriously start playing moreno and can. Wtf does BR see in Johnson?!

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  4. You and I have same name:p........Agree with you on Can and Moreno

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  5. kolo,skirtal.gerrard,Lambert,lucas its hardley the harlem globe trotters

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  6. On second thoughts I agree with you but we also have a average manager

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  7. We were lucky to beat Stoke your luck only goes so far so the result 2-2.

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  8. Closer to the Washington Generals

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  9. Jaimie, at this point I think you should have dropped the mic and walked away.

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  10. IMO there has been an increase in the number of flippant comments on this site.


    I don't have any stats to back it up though

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  11. grandad gerrard again!!!!! rodgers cannot drop his landlord for long!!!!!!!!!

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  12. Lambert's 4th game in 10 days or so

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  13. I am not sure if us depending on Sterling paid off this season. Besides given the amount of money he spent this year, BR should not have been in a position where he relies on one player to "keep" his job.

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  14. Allen didn't do badly enough to get dropped for Gerrard, but as people are always reminding me, what do I know? Thought he and Lucas had a good combination going.


    In other news, a pundit on TV called Don reckons Glen Johnson played "really well" at right-back against Stoke, to the extent that he should have kept that spot for tonight. Thought I was the only one who didn't completely hate Johnson's guts.


    Anyway enjoy the match everyone.

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  15. Need more movement from midfield, but clean sheet is still intact. So far so good. The next few games were always going to be scrappy.

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  16. Lucas doing what a good defensive midfielder should do.

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  17. Lamber you're so dumb

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  18. Ok seriously Mignolet, f*** off.

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  19. Championship goalie Migs

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  20. Henderson is so negative look up

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  21. Jones cannt be this worse

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  22. That was bloody awful. Top level keepers should never get flustered in situations like that

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  23. Ahem.


    To be fair to Mignolet, that stemmed from zero support for Kolo Toure from the midfield, who was then forced to put Johnson in a corner and GJ's only option was a tight pass to the 'keeper. Still a brain fart from Mig but it would never have happened with a quick-thinking midfield.

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  24. Blooooooooody hell

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  25. Yep.. thats why mugs should be dropped

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  26. Yeahhhh thats what I am talking about

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  27. Jesus it's worst in slow mo... so so bad

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  28. Exactly. I seriously doubt Jones could do any worse.

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  29. Oh well and then he concedes. Unlucky. I'll just keep quiet now.

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  30. How can our defenders be confident while they've got this guy behind them!!??

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  31. Also thanks to BR suxking up to Gerrard we zero pace up front

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  32. All that discussion abt Jones being worse

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  33. I cannot believe this. Why does Gerrard have to play?

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  34. Jones is better than Migs

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  35. Reckon Jones is about to get a run.

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  36. for once I agree with you

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  37. Completely agree

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  38. we have to sell migs he is a below average keeper

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  39. send in the clowns where are the clowns ,.......on the pitch in the red shirts

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  40. Johnson always does this atacks thinks he is messi and leaves teh defence open

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  41. No idea.. Markovic would be a hell of a lot more effective

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  42. Average team your are right

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  43. One other thing- how bad was Skrtel in the build up to that goal. The sooner Sakho comes the better

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  44. As some of you might have surmised, Jones has relatively good stats against lower-tier opposition. Leicester is bottom. Try him as a second goalie.

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  45. because he is messi :)

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  46. Thank god Leicester are just as bad as us defending

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  47. Lallana dropped for next match

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  48. Get in there Adam- been good in the game

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  49. thats lallana dropped next game

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  50. I said the same thing

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  51. He'll be home by half-time.

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  52. $2.00 on Rodgers to call him outstanding.
    $3.00 on Rodgers to call him incredible.

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  53. but i wasnt joking

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  54. No - the notion that Jones has predominantly played against lower-tier opposition has already been proven to be false. He's played against Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Newcastle etc, plus five games in the Europa League. He's only played 4 games against lower-league opposition.

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  55. Manqui has been bad

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  56. Statistically or in reality?

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  57. I think we have made more than 100 side passes

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  58. I know; I was just continuing the joke from yesterday. Unsuccessfully, by the looks of it. :-(


    I agree with you. Unless Jones is absolutely shocking in training he should at least get one league game to strut his stuff soon.

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  59. We are so slow in our play

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  60. Rodgers owes him 6 months rent

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  61. Did that defender just choke Lambert? Hahahaha

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  62. Sorry :-) I saw your comment via email, and not in context on the site.

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  63. WhereTF is Manqui not covering enough

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  64. No worries!


    Hey look - Mignolet made a save. That's his place safe for the next six months.

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  65. he could if he was blindfolded and drunk

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  66. if he plays to well hell get dropped

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  67. That's the third time tonight Sterling has tried to catch the ball after falling/being pushed. That's way too risky. Just play to the whistle and argue with the ref later.

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  68. or at the very least there defenders

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  69. We've needed that kind of brutish misbehaviour in midfield for some time now.

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  70. From SAS to no pace

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  71. Our forwards are cleverly concealing their pace and skill so that they can strike like lightning when the Premier League least expects it.

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  72. unless its to the free buffet

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  73. Can for Hendo and sub Sterling will give him some rest

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  74. Much better playing sterling up front
    Hid pace and presence is making them think twice

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  75. He works in Qatar at the minute but can pass on an email and ask.

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  76. but no one at receiving end

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  77. You are exaggerating
    no game in the pl is a easy game
    we are doing the best we can with our resources we dont have Sturridge or Suarez up front
    Lambo is doing his best but yeah
    do not expect too much we look good on the break

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  78. withh our resources you mean 120m pounds

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  79. Right now after that 5 losses you can see players are nervous
    so are reluctant to push up too high the only time we did with glen messi johnson we got punished

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  80. your right after 200m spent it was always a hard game against the bottom club

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  81. I actually feel for Mignolet. He's being asked to play a style he is clearly uncomfortable with. With error-prone defenders in front of him it's a recipe for, well, this.


    He makes mistakes, sure, but perhaps the reason he's not being dropped is that Rodgers feels that would be tantamount to scapegoating him when the problem is systemic.

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  82. We have already established the money has been wasted and Liverpool have to do the best with what they got in present situation

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  83. Are you even reading what you are writing?

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  84. sheiki how can you walk the touchline in Leicester and type at the same time

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  85. our only threat?
    lets also put Lmabert in goal while we are at it eh naveen?

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  86. Yes these use stats in every sphere. But they don't use stats that only show one small part of something and extrapolate to suggest it means more unless they are incompetent or disingenuous. Which are you?

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  87. he couldnt be worse than mingo

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  88. I believe in Rodgers he is going through a rough patch i will support him

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  89. you are rodgers that can be the only logical answer or his mum

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  90. yeah play a 19 yera old Sterling every 3 days and burn him out and then blame england

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  91. The goal was Johnsons fault for running aimlessly he should ahve got rid of the ball shoot or pass to sterling , similar situation to newcastle
    he left the left side exposed and we were punished

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  92. oh well if hes wasted the money thats okay

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  93. Burn him out?
    Look the focus has to be the present tense , getting through this period.

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  94. So if i am Rodgers are you Arsene Wenger still hurting from that 5-1 loss ?

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  95. Lambert and Gerrard off. Can an Markovic on. We need pace going forward.

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  96. I am thinking the same........ at the moment we have no pace

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  97. Thing is we do not know what goes on at the club.
    Does Rodgers actually buy the players, how much influence does the committee have?
    because Rodgers buying prominently young players cant be because he wants young players it is clear a philosophy is being imposed on him

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  98. the 6m a year wage more than makes up for it

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  99. Wake Jonesy up and put him on.

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  100. Lambert is our best source of an outball
    when you are scrapping you need that big man

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  101. Inclined to agree, but Lambert could burgle a goal from nothing so I'd be hesitant to take him off.

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  102. The real problem is Martin Skrtel
    he looks so nervous and so weak his positional sense has been awful
    then Mr Henderson negative passing keeps ruining and over complicating every attacking opportunity

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  103. calm down brendan and concentrate on that half time team talk

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  104. I said the it was unconvincing. You said I was wrong. I said if I am wrong why is no one convinced? You said you don't care who is convinced. Well don't say I am wrong when the argument is unconvincing. You suggested that the bleacher report is not backed up. Well who backs up the argument that clean sheets and goals against is the way to judge a goal keeper? No one backs that up as near everyone accepts that those two things are a team statistic rather than an individual one.

    The best counter argument I have is that clean sheets and goals against only shows if a goal was scored. Shots against, clear cut chances against, one on ones against keeper, one on ones won by keeper, saves ratio, catching crosses are all ways of discussing the individual performance of the keeper. Your lack of knowledge of stats is profound.

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  105. Manqui is not tracking back so Skrtel is covering for him

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  106. you have forgot to mention mr bean aka rodgers

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  107. Top keepers have top defenders in front of them
    Why was skrtel clearance as weak as a girl?

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  108. We could wake up Mig and keep him on

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  109. or send him on a sleep

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  110. theres not enough adrenalin in the world to jolt mingo ...maybe we could stick a lightning conductor on his head

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  111. Skrtel is the wrong player to have covering for anyone. Ulloa is bullying Skrtel non stop.

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  112. I didn't think we could be slower.. I was wrong

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  113. Fair points but unless Jones and Migs played behind the same defence for the same number of minutes then the same argument applies to your own point about Jones.
    I was just trying to make the point that stats can pretty much always be skewed

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  114. Probably because he's got so much oil money that he can

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  115. My god we are bad

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  116. Newcastle are 5 points above us

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  117. Seriously. . I am just stunned how slow we are

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  118. I just remembered that Henderson is playing.

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  119. Still think he shouldn't be playing

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  120. Get in! Stevie G! I forgive you for everything.

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  121. yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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  122. Gerrard is too slow we need to drop him

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  123. gerrard anyone....

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  124. Me too, but credit where it's due.

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  125. this is why gerrard has to be up the field

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  126. AND LAMBERT, STOP BEING OFFSIDE! DON'T BITCH TO THE LINESMAN! IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

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  127. Gerrard from open play! Aye aye Captain!

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  128. Problem is we can not accommodate him there. It's like playing with 10 men most of the game

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  129. first stoke now leicster next the world

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  130. Then the moon. And according to Gerrard, we'll be there to support them.

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  131. *sparingly* I might add

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  132. BR plz sub Mignolet before he makes another mistake

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  133. Sterling... play to the bloody whistle.

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  134. bring on basle with the scouse geriatrics Gerrard and Lambert on fire we are moving baby

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  135. This ref is shite

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  136. All EPL refs are

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  137. Well Lee Mason is going for the worst

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  138. Wow. . Did you see Gerrard burst into the box for sterling.... yeah neither did I

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  139. Surely we must win now

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  140. Don't think that was a red card..

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  141. Ouch. Poor Morgan. Moment of madness.

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  142. It was, but maybe it shouldn't have been.

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  143. Still don't look comfortable- maybe another red would help

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  144. For me this would be the perfect time to bring on Markovic for gerrard. Use his pace to exploit the space

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  145. feeling nervous...

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  146. Lambert did him for pace

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  147. This is why I hate BR

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  148. Seriously BR pi@s off

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  149. To be fair Lallana was clutching his hamstrings a few moments ago.

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  150. Allen for Lallana oh god,

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  151. Perfect time to give Markovic and Can some game time and he brings on Allen for Lallana..

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  152. Told you this ref was shite..

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  153. Wow Leicester are pressing with ten men

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  154. Just a little observation. In the article above you say you you reckon Rodgers should of stuck with a winning team. Surely that would have meant keeping Mignolet in goals! There is a lack of consistency in your last 2 articles they contradict each other.

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  155. why would rodgers make a defensive change with 1 extra player...

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  156. He needs to give Jones a shot ASAP

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  157. All Suarez dramas, good and bad happened ON the pitch. Mario's only happen off it

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  158. People keep suggesting he mainly played against lower league opposition and that is just plain wrong.
    It is people like you who keep perpetuating that myth.

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  159. Do you really think we can challenge for the title next year?

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  160. the only myth i perpetuate is that mingo is a good goalie

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