17 Oct 2009

Rafa's line-ups for the 5 previous games GERRARD and TORRES have been out. PLUS CONFIRMED LINE-UP

With Gerrard and Torres out of today's game against Sunderland, Liverpool fans are waiting with bated-breath to see what team will be sent out by Rafa Benitez. As a comparison, Liverpool have been without their two star players five times in the past. How did the teams line-up in those games?

TOULOUSE: August 2007 (4-0 win)


-------------- Reina

Arbeloa -- Agger -- Hyypia -- Riise

Benayoun -- Sissoko -- Masch -- Leto

----------- Crouch -- Kuyt

CHELSEA: December 2007 (2-0 defeat)


-------------- Reina

Arbeloa -- Carra -- Hobbs -- Aurelio

--------- Alonso -- Sissoko

Voronin ------ Lucas ------- Babel

------------- Crouch

LUTON: Jan 2008 (1-1)


-------------- Reina

Finnan -- Carra -- Hyypia -- Riise

---------- Alonso --- Lucas

Kuyt ------ Benayoun ------ Babel

------------ Crouch

FULHAM: April 2008 (2-0 win)


-------------- Reina

Finnan -- Skrtel -- Hyypia -- Riise

Benayoun -- Masch -- Lucas -- Pennant

---------- Crouch -- Voronin

MANCHESTER UNITED: September 2008 (2-1 win)

-------------- Reina

Arbeloa -- Carra -- Skrtel -- Aurelio

---------- Alonso -- Masch

Kuyt ---------- Benayoun ------- Riera

---------------- Keane

The Chelsea defeat aside, Benitez hasn't gone particularly defensive when Gerrard and Torres have both been missing. I have a feeling, however, that today he will go more defensive that usual, as the game is basically must-win for the club. As such, we could see a Line-up similar to the one that started the 3-2 away victory over Portsmouth last season (*shudder*):

--------------- Reina

----- Skrtel -- Carra --- Agger

Arbeloa --- Masch -- Aurelio --- Dossena

--- Babel ----- N'gog----- Benayoun

I doubt we'll see that, so I predict one of the following three line-ups:

LINEUP 1


--------------- Reina

Johnson --- Carra -- Skrtel --- Insua

---------- Lucas --- Aurelio (if Masch isn't fit)

Babel ---------- Benayoun ------- Riera

---------------- Kuyt

LINEUP 2

--------------- Reina

Johnson --- Carra -- Skrtel --- Aurelio

---------- Lucas --- Masch (if Masch is fit)

Babel ---------- Benayoun ------- Riera

---------------- Kuyt

LINEUP 3

--------------- Reina

Johnson --- Carra -- Skrtel --- Aurelio

---------- Masch --- Lucas

Kuyt-------- Benayoun ------- Riera

---------------- N'Gog

My preference is for line-up 2. And as I argued in my previous article, Liverpool should be fine without Gerrard and Torres.

EDIT: 2.40 PM - Confirmed Line-up


----------- Reina

Carra ----- Agger -- Skrtel

Johnson --- Lucas -- Spearing -- Aurelio

Benayoun ------ Kuyt -------- Babel

That is how I think the team will line up - a very similar formation (possibly) to the Portsmouth game last season. Looks pretty defensive to me, with 7 (ostensibly) defensive outfield players.

The team could also line-up like this:

----------- Reina

Johnson -- Agger -- Skrtel --- Carra

Spearing -- Lucas --- Aurelio

Benayoun ------ Kuyt -------- Babel

I'm going for a draw.

----

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14 comments:

  1. Wasnt the reason we lost the title last yr cuz of gerrard and torres' injuries??? but number 2 formation is the correct choice! maybe agger instead of skrtel (a bit shaky, no?) masch has been declared fit too along with lucas and insua

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  2. btw its spelt hyypia just to let u know :)

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  3. I don't think it was injuried to G+T that lost ius the title; It was the 11 draws that kille dus, and G+T played in amy of those. Converting just two of those draws into wins would've seen Liverpool win the title on goal difference.

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  4. Thanks.  Silly mistake to make really, especially since Sami has been my favourite Liverpool player for 10 years ;-)

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  5. So, if as you say, Rafa doesn't have a tendency to play defensively in previous games without G and T, he will this time because it's a must win game?. What kind of a cynical, negative, useless comment is that? Especially as you say we haven't before! We as a club have enough negative press without so called fans perpetuating the "we're screwed without G and T" myth. We will go there, and play to win full stop!

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  6. You've completely and utterly misread my comment.  Given the fact we've lost 3 out 8 league games this season, I believe Rafa will be mnore cautious than he has been in the past as losing another game would be devastating for LFC's title bid.  And your comment about 'perpetuating the we're screwed without G+ T myth' is also completely out of place, especially since yesterday I posted an article arguing that we will be FINE without them!

    http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2009/10/gerrard-and-torres-injured-liverpool.html

    I've also argued in the last that Liverpool perform well without Gerrard:

    http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2009/08/debunking-liverpool-fc-myths-no-2.html

    So to accuse me of being on the 'we're screwed without G+T bandwagon is ridiculously inaccurate ;)

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  7. oh no.... weve lost...wat does this mean now???? why didnt he play riera??? im the person who wrote before btw... lets see wat rafa has to say now... no more excuses...

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  8. btw my comment before that is wat everyone said.... no torres and gerrard is why we did not win...

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  9. yet again raf is blowing our tittle hopes time for that fat fool to walk this is serioulsy pissing me off now wtf no alonso no gerrard no torres we are nothing that fool been here 5 years now and what have we won 2 cups FACT get out off lfc now 

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  10. it's mean that we have to forget the title league this season.. 
    damn it, totally spoil my mood and emotion this weekend.. 
    last few weeks i cannot sleep well after being defeated by chelski.. 

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  11. we are screwed with out gerrard and torres we need to win tody to catch the scums next week and what does rafa do play it safe yet again 3 players in the whole team that c an score babel? benny kuyt 3 center halfs lucas and spearing are you foking serious rafa your a fat stuborn nub how worrys more about the other team than your own what a joke we lost the league by the end off november

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  12. something went wrong in our beloved team..
    i cant see the picture of us grasp title league champion this season..

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  13. I appreciate your frustration but please don't hurl personal insults at the manager/players/staff.  Liverpool fans are better than that.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like it when a guy isn't too full on but isn't so shy that he won't even approach me. Something like "Hey" *nice smile*, "what's your name?" usually works. Or, if you have a good sense of humour, saying something witty makes her laugh and remember you.

    ReplyDelete