15 Dec 2012

LFC predicted line-up vs. Villa: Lucas/Enrique out? Cole, Downing or Suso in?

Liverpool face Aston Villa at Anfield today, and depending on other results, a win could move the Reds up to 7th place in the table, only one point off 4th place (!) Last night, Brendan Rodgers suggested that 2nd place is not out of the club's reach, but to achieve that, home games against lesser opposition need to be won, and with Luis Suarez back, there's no real excuse for anything but three points.

In an interview last night, Rodgers insisted that the Reds can make second place in the league this season. He mused:

"Everyone talks about fourth place, but what about third? we are 11 points off second, so if you can get a consistency, anything is still possible. There are 17 points between us and Manchester United and that is a big ask of course, but 11 points to second isn’t and four points certainly isn’t".

Great stuff from Rodgers, and exactly the kind of ambition required of LFC manager.
Rodgers also revealed that both Jose Enrique and Lucas might not make the squad for today's game, and given the form of both players recently, that would be a disappointment. However, Liverpool are well covered in their positions, so it should've be a problem.

Prior to the West Ham game last week, Enrique's hamstring was 'tight' (according to Rodgers), yet he still played him, and look what happened. As such, even if Enrique passes a fitness test (doubtful), I would still rest him for today's game to avoid an immediate recurrence. What team will the manager pick? I would go with the following:

If Lucas is not available

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

Wisdom ----- Agger ---- Skrtel ----- Johnson

------------- Lucas -- Allen

---------------- Gerrard

Sterling ---------------------- Suso

---------------- Suarez

If Lucas is not available

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

Wisdom ----- Agger ---- Skrtel ----- Johnson

--------- Henderson -- Allen

---------------- Gerrard

Sterling ---------------------- Suso

---------------- Suarez

The team I do not want to see (!)

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

Johnson ----- Agger --- Skrtel --- Downing

--------- Henderson --- Allen

--------------- Gerrard

Sterling ------------------------ Cole

--------------- Suarez

Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson predicts a 2-0 win for the Reds:

"Liverpool are having a decent spell at the moment and they did very well to come back from 2-1 down to beat West Ham last week. Villa will be competitive at Anfield but they are probably going there just at the wrong time, just as Liverpool are starting to play well. They [LFC] have won their last three games in all competitions and I sense they might be putting a bit of a run together".

Jaimie Kanwar


116 comments:

  1. Apparently Sterling's not in the starting 11, nor is Hendo. Hard to see why, especially since Cole is supposedly getting another game due to his good form.

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  2. I would like to see Sterling on the bench finally as I think he would be much better coming in in the second, but with his contract talk in progress that is probably impossible... And would like us to change our 433 routine which is also probably impossible, but home vs Villa- we could risk it..

    wisdom agger skrtel johnson
    -----------lucas-----------
    ----allen--------shelvey----
    ----------gerrard-----------
    -----sterling---suarez

    That looks much more dangerous than having two wings with nobody to cross the ball to...

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  3. If Sterling aint, the postive man will say he is being rested, can`t burn the lad out, he will need a few more breaks this season. The negative man will say, contract issues mean BR is showing Sterling its him who has given him the chance to prove himself and reportedly ask for big money, and its him who could take that away.

    I hope its the first option.

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  4. Great news! Hendo will probably come in the second for not fully fit Lucas, and Raheem for not that good Cole...

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  5. What happened to playing on merit? Does Joe Cole not deserve a game?

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  6. Any win is a good win and we must be right up for a scrap, come on you reds!!!

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  7. why is he trying to reinvent downing's game.he isnt a left back just play johnson there and wisdom plays rb if enrique is not fit today..for me our midfield three should be hendo,gerrard and lucas..allen isnt doing anything special to warrant to be in the team every week..and what do you feel about sturridge and ince coming to liverpool jamie..for me i dont think they are what we need right now..everybody says am not a true fan when i say it on other sites

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  8. That looks good, generally like the formation. If and when Suarez or Sterling go wide to collect the ball, Stevie can push forward when needed.

    For the long term (beyond this game) with that formation, I probably would have gone with Sahin, instead of Shelvey, in that position, if possible. Maybe considering all the bodies in central midfield to protect the defence, Johnson and Enrique on the flanks would be interesting, although Johnson definitely defends better at left back than he does at right back!

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  9. I hate seeing Wisdom in any starting line-up. This kid is NOT ready he is very raw and offer absolutely NOTHING going forward! Id honestly rada see Downing at left back. Nehu Id like Sahin for allen d lad needs games in hz prefered holding role. Allen has been very poor. Sterling on the bench is good he wasnt dat good in previous game aside for his assist to Joe Cole. Assaidi needs a run out aswell my eleven....

    Reina

    Johnsson Skrtl Agger Downing

    Sahin Lucas

    Gerrard

    Cole Suarez Assaidi

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  10. Will assaidi ever start a game, I advice him to hand in a transfer request, his career is getting destroyed as hell

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  11. let's dance on Johnson, haha.. and sahin in gerrard out with shelvey closest to the front two is another possibility...

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  12. reina, johnson, agger, skertl, downing,allen, lucas, gerrard, sterling, suarez. confirmed line up

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  13. subs jones wisdom suso cole carra hendo coates

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  14. we should shouldn't be so over confident. We should field 11

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  15. like to see henderson get a start today hes been playing well and has earned his chance if

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  16. I agree about Wisdom. I would rather see young Robinson at left back or even the reintroduction of Flanagan (who I don't really rate either) at right back.

    Sterling? I'm not a fan at the moment although that could change. He hasn't done enough to convince me he could get into Aaron Lennon's class let alone Ronaldo. He's a striker all day long for me or at the very lest needs to be played more centrally. He like Wisdom have so many aspects of their game they need to improve before they can be considered regulars like their...1st touch, second touch and quite shockingly on some occasions their 3rd touch.

    My intention isn't to necessarily slam the players it is more get us to take a reality check. Wisdom is no Rob Jones when he burst on the scene and Sterling is definitely no Ryan Giggs. They are more like Bramble and Routledge..

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  17. You forget that Wisdom is 19 and Sterling 18?

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  18. Pepe Reina...goodness me I wont even waste my thumbs...

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  19. 2-0 Villa... oh dear this is just embarrasing

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  20. Maybe Rodgers should stop thinking he can make sh!te players better by playing them in positions they dont really know

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  21. Very poor ....nor sure why Henderson doesn't merit a place .....lets be honest gerrard and allen have been poor for a while and lucas is still finding fitness.....hate it when form is not rewarded and poor form is no matter who the player is ...its been one of liverpools main problems for some years

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  22. 2-0 down at home to relegation fodder! My excuses for Brendan Rodgers have run out anyone care to help him out..?

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  23. Terrible! allmost 65% possession and down by 2. First with Benteke, a good shot, but Reina saw it coming and he shouldve got it. and second a lovely backheel by Benteke again, but when Skrtel charged at Benteke Downing didnt bother to backtrack to center and that cost us. I hate Downing. he can score 5 on second half but still wont make difference. you cant utilize him anywhere. utter failure transfer...

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  24. To be honest Henderson as hardly played well, he scored and made an assist, he was still overall pants in them matches, what Rodgers should be doing is playing Sahin in his actual position as then he can drop Allen who is absolute sh!t and giving Assaidi a chance

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  25. hendo for allen or maybe gerrard somthings got to change,dont think there playing as a team to many trying to do to much,painful

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  26. Downing aint a left back i dont rate him and never have but when the manager plays a terrible winger at left back when he dont know the role very well at all what do you expect?

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  27. There just sh!te mate and it aint gonna change anytime soon

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  28. HT 0-2 Villa
    Not a fan of our 4-3-3 formation, defensively, its a major liability.
    Getting caught on the counter far too often.

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  29. lets hear what the excuse the brendan army would give...villa are in the relegation zone and are playing like epl contenders at anfield.allen and downing add nothing to the team but he keeps playing them..hendo has been on good form but rodgers never plays him..he is the architect of his own failure..dont blame the team,blame brendan

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  30. BR really needs to shake it up ...but hes got a really negative bench ......no assadi no Morgan or Yesil but 3 defenders .....strange when your at home to relegation fodder ......just shows what a poor team we are...and rodgers is trying to sell the reds to stirling on the cheap.

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  31. Actually Downing has played ok. Allen not tracking back AGAIN. Yet another poor side made to look like world beaters at Anfield. They have scored 2 out of just 3 attempts...

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  32. PEPE REINA is SH!TE maybe this is how I should put it. He never saves anything! I was watching a repeat of the Liverpool versus arsenal 4-4 thriller and he was so awful that day. Compared to Fabianski who saved his team a point Reina was beaten by nearly every shot at his goal and I am including the disallowed goals from bendtner and fabregas. We need a new keeper. Arsenal want PEPE sell immediately!

    Joe Allen is crap. Whats the point of having a squad if your team selection is affected by current form??

    The elephant in the room STEVEN GERRARD; what has he done whole season can anyone enlighten me please?

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  33. 3-0. We play ok, just all season we have no edge, its too much pass, pass no end product. I said when Br came in we would ship loads of goals in, and we are. The 4-3-3 did the same when he was a Swansea. Theres a lot of things I like about BR, one being the use of youth, but something is seriously wrong with the team. They all put there heart into it, but my god when I look at the team sheet its so weak. I`m still behind BR, and think he should at least have a full season min, but too think Van Gaal wanted the role and we turned him down :-(

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  34. your over reacting.

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  35. Brendan rodgers fans lets hear you now??? So how was king kenny worse than this??? Embarassing. Joe ALLEN IS WORST BUY EVER I THINK bISCAN WAS EVEN BETTER.

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  36. Agree Reina aint what he was, and we need to get a different keeper in. I don`t think hes been that good for a few years now since Rafa left. Maybe its Torres syndrome, Only plays great under certain managers.

    I don`t think Joe Allen is that bad, if played with the right players. His role is a good one, but unless you play with a good DM, and really good AM he doesn`t work. His role is to just play the small simple passes to link the defence to the attack. If the DM is poor, or out injured and the AM is poor, his role means one more spot used up.

    Agree from a view point Gerrard has been one of our worst players this year. Massive ELEPHANT in the room. That said on paper, some how he is still up there with most passes, most assists??? etc.

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  37. The facts of the matter are Liverpool have regressed in the last year. They are no better in almost every single department. And much worse in defence. The only plus has been they have brought a few young players through. And Suarez has found his shooting boots.

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  38. Getting worse by the minute mate. Rodgers aiming for 2nd spot this morning sum laugh!!! Cant wait 4 the interview after ...

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  39. mate a better coach with this same team..and the money he wasted on borini and allen..we wont be this way???why would downing play befor wisdom.or allen before hendo,what happened to suso.where is assaidi he is obviously clueless..i hope he leaves before january so we can buy better players..not those english flops he's after

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  40. Really??? worst buy ever??? Andy C 35mil. Need I say anymore! That was the worst buy ever imo, if looked at for money spent with player gained. Kenny was Worse purely on the stupid cash wasted. Team wise, we were playing or doing better imo. There is tho no hiding from spending 100mil and getting Downing, Henderson and Andy C in.

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  41. One word.... impotent. And we are hoping sturridge, ince or hooper to save the season? delusional. FSG needs to tell us what exactly is their ambition.

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  42. I don`t disagree. A better coach wouldn`t have the same players tho. That is the main problem. If Van Gaal had taken the job (who imo is the best manager in the world at present) I don`t think he would have brought either Borini or Allen. I`m guessing Downing is playing for either shop window reasons, or in a hope he will fit in.

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  43. And before people say Van Gaal wouldn`t have taken the job, he publicly came out after the role was given to BR and said he wanted it, and had talks about it, but they didn`t offer it him.

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  44. Yeah it will be interesting to see what he has to say mate, bet you Allen was outstanding though..

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  45. Thats cos they got fooled by Rodgers salesman patter

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  46. Ya Allen was amazing the way he controlled the game!! Should have had a few penalties..blah...blah...the man is not good enuf for Liverpool...i dont care about the players he has, the owners, BR is not a good manager and a joke he is manager of LFC

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  47. I don`t think its there ambition thats the problem, but there lack of knowledge, or whoever is advising them. They spent over 100mil last year. What more ambition signs do you need? There problem is employing the wrong people to manage. Kenny I get as us fans all wanted him. I`m not sure if they understand how football works, a few seasons off the pace and you can be gone forever. It`s not like Baseball where you can come bottom one year and win the next. Re-building imo doesn`t work unless your winning while you do it. Your top players and youth you train will leave once they get good, as your team wont be giving them the money, medals of dreams they want.

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  48. no point! "its not easy banging your head/heart against some mad buggers wall". And that is exactly what is happening. Villa defence cosists of 11 men and Liverpool run out of creativity once they come closer than 30m to opponents goal. Sad display.

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  49. I think caroll was a better buy...he still beat the toffees in the semi and will always be remembered 4 that. At least Caroll looked lik had bit of passion...allen looks like a dummy all day long. PS I agree 35mil for caroll was way too much but had just got 50mil for Torres who wanted out so in fact was 15mil profit we had after that day. What else could K Kenny do...not buy a striker...hmmmmm tats why BR has done and wow that has so worked out hasnt it

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  50. This is embarrassing gerrard and Allen have been woeful

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  51. carroll is a donkey..but would still give villa's defense something to think about..allen does nothing

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  52. Personally I always fought Caroll looked lazy, like he didn`t wanna be on the pitch. I think he is over rated. At West ham he aint nothing anything. He didn`t really do anything for us, but he scored one goal for England at the Euros and everyone was like OMG he is amazing. The price was about 20mil too much imo. I agree they had to sign someone, not just cause of losing a striker, but also cause us fans would have gone "damn american owners" if they hadn`t. I could forgive this over paying if it was a one off, down to the fact Torres stiched us up. Thing is it wasn`t, Downing 20mil, Hendo 16mil. I know Hendo may come good, but it was still 10mil over the true price. He has to become not just good, but world class for us to ever get that cash back.

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  53. which would be fine if it ended 0-0 but its 0-3.

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  54. Gerrard just scored!

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  55. Allen isn`t a striker. You can`t blame Allen for not scoring. He is a deep lying Mid player. Thats like blaming Reina for not troubling there defence. It`s not there role.

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  56. Great pre-match comments by Rodgers yesterday(!)

    Conceding 3 goals at Anfield and losing is not ok at all, regardless of how mediocre we are.

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  57. haha yes, totally forgot about that ;)

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  58. Yeah,almost by accident

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  59. PEOPLE what the hell just happened... when LFCstarts off good u can be guaranteed that they will loose....is that the MO of the club now? shocking ......Lucas not good YET, Allen poor,Sterling - woeful today and where is Assaidi...give the lad a chance. I am afraid it's ROGER(s) and OUT ............... Wish we had a $100 mil to spare now....

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  60. Agreed. Story of the season tho. Same old lines will come out, were re-building, giving youth a chance, we play pretty football etc etc. What is it 4 wins in 17 games??? that simply is shocking.

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  61. Even a relegation-battling side would be livid with conceding 3 goals at home to a not-so-special side Villa and losing. Its just not on. Wonder what Rodgers will say after the game.....

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  62. Sterling is to blame for not scoring enough, same for Gerrard, Suso when he plays, Jonjo, and whoever else is in the attacking section. Some of the young players can be excused, but that just means they aint ready to start games yet imo

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  63. only fsg know what they saw in him..if you say rodgers isnt good enough on the liverpool banter page..they would call you names..liverpool was not a good team last year but any smart manager coming in should know we needed an amc and a striker..not useless players like allen and borini..whats hurts me the most is lambert would feel like a tactical genius after this game..when his team are in the relegation zone

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  64. I think the fans will start losing faith in Rodgers. Personally I still think he should get a full season. He has done some good things, like getting rid of some shocking players. However he has also made a awful lot of mistakes, mainly wasting 35mil in the summer

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  65. If rogers loses the next game hed better start looking over his shoulder

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  66. Ditto about Allen. His game and his useful-ness is very much dependent on the DM and AM he plays with. Very much a system player, rather than a individual who can pull something out of the bag. Not a bad thing, if we can accomodate it well enough. But we got problems in the AM area.

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  67. I guess he will say we gave it our full blah blah blah. I kinda get he has to tho, as long as behind the closed doors hes killing them.

    Whats your view on going forward? Do we say, enough is enough and kick him now, so a new manager can be in before Jan. Trying to stop the rot? Or do you risk waiting till the end of the season in case its still a case of him tweaking things? The risk there is that if we finish below 8th, I reckon anyone who is half good will leave us, and we will be really done for. I really really wanna support the manager to the full, but there is a big part of me thinking, if we wait, it maybe to late for us for decades!

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  68. Definitely need another striker, no real cutting edge! I've been talking about Benteke for a while now, that's what I call a bruiser strong atheletic & quick with some skill. I'd love to see Loic Remy in Jan!

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  69. pepe reina`s dropped a stone in weight,ok keep it clean

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  70. lol am sorry but i have to agree with you tikka takka don,t make me laught allen is untouchable

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  71. But people fail to see that, and blame him for it. AM is our weakest spot this year. Striker wise LS scores, wing wise no one scores and AM wise no one scores often. We miss the 10 goals a AM should get. He is the driving force for the strikers. If he plays poor, then people look at allen and say we need goals, what you doing about it Allen??? It baffles me. How about what you doing about it Sterling, Gerrard etc

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  72. I think he has a lot of good points, but shouldn`t have been allowed to sort transfers. He doesn`t have the pulling power of Van Gaal etc to get in the top players.

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  73. BR, we don't care how much possession we have.How many you convert that matters.

    Please please don't buy anymore British players....just look at Michu and Diame.We have no clinical striker and a solid midfielder to boss the park.Allen is too lightweight and so mediocre.The like of Sturridge,Ince,Bent,Walcot will never make Liverpool a top team.Sadly we are now competing with the like of Swansea,Aston Villa,West Ham etc.Our scouting department has been poor for decades and now BR simply doesn't have the clout beyond his ex players or some overrated British dross.

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  74. My worry is he will win the next one, and we go, ohh its ok, then lose the one after, and so it carry ons lol

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  75. Yet again our build up play was too slow, too predictable and too static. There were very few runs off the ball and pretty much none from the midfield. I don't know what to say about the team selection, it is what it is! I fear Sterling is starting to get found out because he needs to be running at players to be really effective and he doesn't get that opportunity when our build up is at a snails pace. I've said before that we give teams too long to get back and set themselves up against us and that was soooo evident today, we have decent players that aren't being allowed to play to their strengths in this system, how are we meant to cut through defences when we allow their whole team to get back and defend.

    As much as I want to get fully behind Rodgers and his tika-taka style, I just can't. A good manager, no even a mediocre manager, should be able to recognise when he needs to change the shape and system of play when Plan A isn't working!!!! Forget Plan B, we don't even look like we have a Plan A at the moment. Buying 1 decent striker in January isn't going to solve our problems, how much difference would Huntelaar have made today? Not much when we are sooooo slow that he would have had 3 or 4 defenders around him.

    BR needs to concede that the snails pace 4-3-3 doesn't work for every game. Dominance of passing means nothing if we can't put the ball in the net, Villa are the perfect example of this, how many chances did it take them to get their 3 goals? Did they pass it around for 10 minutes before each goal? No. They broke fast and didn't allow us to get back and get set.

    I don't care about 70% possession, I care about goals and wins. Change your tune soon BR or you're going to lose the fans and then inevitably your job.

    Well done Villa, knew exactly how to play us today and deserved the win. Gutted!

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  76. brendans bias towards allen is pathetic. the refs desicions are pathetic. getting beat of villa 3-1 at home is pathetic. and to think that sturidge and ince are gonna come in come jan and help the team is just rediculas.

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  77. Jas man, you must be feeling it bad, your super negative even when we win, so you must be dieing a little inside right now. Feeling for your bud!

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  78. The speed comment is bang on mate. I`ve thought all season how slow we are. We get the ball on the break and we take so long by the time were in there final third, they got there whole team back.

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  79. Its hard to know...maybe should just give him til may not that i want him there but getting somemone in Jan will be hard to progress unless some serious money behing him. Rodgers is woeful nothing will improve while he in charge he inherited a philsophy at Swansea and it worked for a while. he is not or ever will be LFC material. On review just sack him and get caretaker manager in til May...i propose GOD fowler and Didi he wants get into management and can they really do any worse than BR between here and May?? They hold the reins til May and then get the big boy in.
    One thing that bugs me is people saying no good managers ie Guardiola, Mourinho want come Liverpool. I dont understand this any great manager in the world would surely love to be the man to turn LFC around like fergie did in 80s with utd. it can happen and would be considered there greatest achievement ever if won title with LFC. So its wheter the owners have any ambition or not...get behing the club or get out.

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  80. FT 1-3 Villa

    Can someone explain to me why we persist with 4-3-3.
    I for the life of me don't see the advantage.

    Sure, lots of possession, but its not breaking down defenses or setting up quality goalscoring opportunities.
    And defensively, (if you can call it that), we leak like a sieve.

    BR needs a good long rethink here because the current strategy isn't working, nor does it look like improving anytime soon either.

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  81. Liverpool where bad today period.Forget about the ref our middle 3 where dire today id like to see hendo sahin and shelvey there next game.Lucas needs more time to get fit and Allen and gerard are crap ..front 3 of enrique assaidi and suarez ...i actaully think hendo at 20 million is better than allen at 15m ...

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  82. Generally, I always like to give a manager a full season. I must admit I wasn't hopeful about us before the season started and still am not, as I feel the rot is too much for the long term as the squad is simply nowhere near good enough. Before they brought in older players in the last two seasons, we've seen the frustrating inconsistency of young players at Arsenal, and that is a side that kept on finishing top 4. The amount of faith we have in our young players is just well over the top (I got a bit carried away I admit with Sterling a few days ago). We don't even have enough reliable and consistent older players to lead them. No performing leaders. A manager change may prove to be a catalyst to us finishing higher this season but I still see us being back, doing the same inconsistent and incomplete performances next season as this squad simply isn't reliable and the next manager probably won't have the balls to deal with Gerrard either.

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  83. Swansea did a newcastle to us on Allen ...5million at best but lets pay 15million...lucky Swansea didn't ask for more because Brendan would have happily paid it

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  84. stated a while back that reina will cost u your job rodgers .my view is u treated brad jones like shite put reina back in goal and its now back to pepe no saves .1 st goal was piss poor keepin !!

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  85. bit harsh on pepe think rodgers results will cost him job and his signings

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  86. May have to go with Sahin in the deep CM role, instead of Allen, to try and somehow compensate for the problems further ahead in the AM role. Sahin can be a bit more forceful, can carry the ball a bit and more willing to do longer passes if its on.

    That is my one big criticism of Allen's passing, regardless of system and team mates, is that he uses the long switch ball very little. Just to stretch now and then the opposition but I don't know, he doesn't seem to have it in his locker.

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  87. We had 72% possession.

    But our build up is so slow that we need a miracle to score, we have no height and nobody busting a gut to get into the box.

    We seem to lack passion and need to draw teams out a little and hit them quickly.

    Villa had a line of 5 in front of 4 for most of the match, only Barcelona with Iniesta, Xavi, Messi etc can break that down..... We are some way off being Barca, but we are heading in right direction.

    We need a passionate centre forward who can make a real difference. Sturridge appears to be a done deal, and at £12 million ish is not bad but we need an additional CF with height a la Cordoza, Samaras, Michu etc, or bring Carroll back......

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  88. Just look at how poor the players were today. If UTD had lost like this at old toilet against Villa then whiskey nose would have had a tea cup thrown at every player that walked out onto the pitch.

    We need a new GK, you can see Reina just doesn't have his heart with this club anymore. Skrtel does not fit into this system and it once again showed today. Downing is not a LB, Rodgers told him before the match that he can leave if he wants to so he is being played for the shop window. Cole huffs and puffs, hopefully some club will be interested in him in January.

    Lucas was pants today, yes he is still finding his feet but should have been taken off in the first half already. The Villa midfield was making fun out of him. Shelvey is also not a wide player so the one thing I would ask Rodgers is why he is not giving Assaidi a chance? The only thing one can think of is that there is a issue between Rodgers and Assaidi?

    We have more possession in every match, create more than enough chances, pass and move but the end product is missing, that's all.

    We are relying on Suarez to score all the goals and that is a recipe for disaster. Add two more players who can contribute 20 or more then things will look totally different.

    All you who are calling for Rodgers to go, please get a grip.

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  89. Nothing wrong with tiki-taka, if played properly. We are nowhere near a genuine tiki-taka... Barca/Spain complete on average 50%+ more passes than us.

    The question is whether we lack the players to play tiki-taka or our manager lack the real practical understanding/experience of tiki-taka?

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  90. Jamie you may predict the squad but not the score lol. You still believe this muppet is the man to manage Liverpool. Don`t let your pride get in the way of admitting I was right!!!

    Make anfield a fortress he says.
    We will play the liverpool way.....

    Blah blah blah

    The most defensive manager in Liverpools history and we still let in goals.
    Totally dependable on Suarez scoring

    Plays his spice boy Allen who huffs and puff, average at defending at best and never gives a killer ball!! How many assists has he had this season and I notice he gives away fouls.

    You have got to be kidding

    give me the job ill show you guys how its done.

    There will be no experimentaling with my beloved liverpool.

    prefer it if we just sell everyone and keep just kids bringing down our silly wage bill cos there is nothing to win for the next two years and with this muppet other average players coming in.




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  91. or it just takes time for the tiki-taka system to get implemented? or the academy needs to be set up in a specific manner? or tiki-taka better suits certain type of players?

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  92. This muppet you are referring to has taken over a squad that has only won one trophy in six seasons and that trophy came under Kenny. Rodgers also took over a squad that has not finished in the top four since 2008/2009.

    He has only signed four first team players so how can they be blamed for how the season has gone so far when the likes of Gerrard, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Reina etc should be out performing the new comers but guess what they haven't.

    Every player was pants today. I am sure Rodgers asked them to play the way they did? The players need to be given a right kick up the arse for today's performance. Gerrard clapping to the crowd after the match was great comedy. He should have rather have taken a microphone and apologised to the crowd for what was a disgraceful team performance.

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  93. BR cut the blarney and sort this out. £15M for Allen! Fortress Anfield!

    We could finish 2nd! You think we can catch City and the scum!

    Do you think Liverpool supporters are stupid because you do come out with some unbelievable comments. You are an embarrasment who is not fit to manage this club!

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  94. not surprised and no one else should be.
    we have clown owners again, no idea and no ambition.
    stitched up from the last window it was always going to be a poor season.
    Rodgers doesn't help himself with selection and formation but hes hardly spoilt for choice.
    were a mid table team at best, and today was a result that mid table teams have, some you win some you lose.
    one thing I would say is I think moyes could do better with this team than Rodgers can.
    they need a kick up the arse (again)

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  95. When Br came in I said that tika taka is ok, but ONLY if he adds the word English. Look at our second goal vs WH-that is pass and move, but FORWARD, untill you score, if you don't- use those 3 fast guys upfront to make them lose posession, than forward again... When you do score than use the spanish tika taka to make them lose concetration, and than poke another.
    This is England, EVERY team knows how to run, jump, tackle and defend- specially away, if you are slow in your build up you give them 50% better chance of not losing. And no, 433 is not good, at least not always...

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  96. He is a happy fella compared to Vyas... I just admire that guy...

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  97. To anybody who still thinks our football is somehow better and more entertaining this season than last season when Kenny was in charge:

    I have an incredible 'double-your-money' real estate opportunity involving time-share properties and an inheritance from a long lost cousin in Nigeria. All you need to do is send me cash through the post and via pyramid sales I can guarantee an extremely healthy return on your investment.
    Don't delay.

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  98. the headline, first paragraph and the majority of your post- it is about Suarez...

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  99. I totally agree with what you 've said. We desperately need a world class finisher, but we clearly have budget constraints. Also, BR's targets and signings aren't good enough either. FSG have to talk to BR what is clearly not working. With FSG's background in finance, domination in possession with nothing to show for, the stats is easy to understand for a 12 year old kid. Once again, BR is gonna blow all his budget on players who are clearly not the solution. FSG should set things straight in this window period, even if it means to saying no to BR on sturridge and ince, before the gone forever is cast in stone. But then, you could be right on the advisors part. So far, FSG had appointed Chang and Comolli as directors.

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  100. Henderson came on and was better than anyone else. Downing was actually decent.

    If Hendo and Assaidi don't start next game and Sterling doesn't get a rest then I will have serious doubts about BR.

    Some changes that need to be made are crying out for all of us to see, I hope BR can see them too.

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  101. 4-3-3 doesn't give you the cover required in midfield when being hit on the counter.
    All teams that use this formation give up a certain amount of defensive security for extra attacking threat.
    Our problem stems from the fact we cant capitalise when we do have overwhelming possession.
    Eventually we WILL lose the ball, and when we do, our formation leaves us scrambling to recover.
    Its not a problem with players, its an inherit problem due to our formation.

    Our main problem though is our inability to break down defenses.
    BR is mistaken if he thinks English players are going to excel in his system of breaking down defenses.
    English players aren't brought up playing this way and are not good at adapting to it.

    We continue to look impotent, indeed comical at times in the final third.
    This is why players like Sturridge are poor choices for this system and surrounding Suarez with them is an abject waste of time.

    So what do we do?
    Well, you change tactics that WILL suit the personel at your disposal.

    We need to change to a counter-attacking style and IMO a 4-2-3-1 formation.

    Its something our english players understand and are actually good at.
    We have a lot of speed in our team at the moment and I think this can be better exploited to our advantage.
    Also by sitting deeper our formation is more compact and much harder to breach.

    The question is, will Rodgers be willing to compromise on his footballing philosophy for the sake of the team and results?

    I really don't see an alternative.
    FSG aren't going to be spending a fortune on the type of quality players required to make this system work.
    This really is the only viable solution for now.

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  102. Redforlife Listen son, When a manager can`t inspire his players the buck stops with him. When a manager weakens a squad he inherited and not strengthens it...the buck stops with him. 25 mil was of money on allen and borini and thats minus wage!!! your having a laugh, could of got tevez for that !!!! Maybe he should learn not to talk publically about players wages and contradicting himself.
    Two finals with KD and people were not happy. We are going backwards. He is a muppet and the owners will bleed the club bit by bit. Wake up. Smell the coffee

    two sugars pls lol

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  103. It is you that is being impatient.

    17 EPL games and you want to wave the white flag? It is so typical. If we had more players scoring goals then you would have nothing to moan about as that is all we are missing. We are relying on Suarez to get the goals, surely you can see that?

    We could have got Tevez? It is you who is living in a dream world as he is earning 200k plus a week.

    The owners are not here to bankroll the club and Rodgers was not appointed to turn things around in half a season.

    Listen my child, keep on playing your fantasy football.

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  104. BR wont Pete because there is an almighty click at liverpool that just gets passed down manager to manager

    * Rodgers will never publically drop Gerrard or Allen
    * Hendo, Assaidi and suso should start next game
    These things wont happen as Rodgers as Rodgers has no heart or clue

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  105. No, I realise their age, I just believe they are both over-hyped due to the fact that every club and paper is always looking for the next teenage big thing. e.g none of these boys have the potential to be as big as Zaha could be.

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  106. well said.

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  107. Typical fanatic with no imagination and takes things literally.
    For the last 3 years we have needed another striker yet our new manager brings in 2 extra midfield players and an average striker.
    Fact he spent 25 mil which could of been used for a PROVEN STRIKER or my exaggerated tevez which we coud of used both of their salarys to pay him. Let me put it this way for 25 mil and given a salary of 100k a week I can think of a few strikers i would rather have in my team than borini and allen!!!

    I rest my case son. As for the owners bank rolling it? mmmm well not as if they are spending more son!!

    Weres my coffee?

    wink wink

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  108. correction 25 mil on allen and borini and over 6 mil on saha for his loan deal (2 mil more than the gooners offered )bearing in mind that madrid only bought him for 7.5 mil!!!
    There you go 30 mil money for a striker.
    not even going to include 6 mil got from carols loan deal to west ham or adams sale cos if I did we`d be in for Tevez son lol

    wink wink

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  109. It seemed the problem we had yesterday stemmed from the thought we had the game won against a Villa side full of kids before a ball had been kicked. Our attitude to defending yesterday was shown in our casual jogging and pointing when sprinting and taking charge was required. We lacked urgency in our defensive third and got what we deserved.

    We need to continue to see ourselves as the underdog for the remainder of the season and then have a clearout. We do not have the mentality within the group to class our selves as the favourites as it inevitably leads to performances like we had yesterday. Yesterday was the type of big headed performance the likes of Big Sam, Moyes and Pulis would never put up with.

    We need to shut our mouths, WORK HARD and never get above our station in terms of what it is we believe we have of quality because it is B-/C grade at best.

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