3 Feb 2013

Man City 2-2 LFC: Two superb goals from Sturridge & Gerrard (Video)

It's another crunch game for Liverpool today, and a win against Manchester City - and a defeat/draw for Spurs - this afternoon would take the Reds to within four or five points of a coveted Champions League place. Brendan Rodgers' team selection will be crucial today, so who will make the final XI?

In the corresponding fixture at Anfield in August, Sebastian Coates and Martin Skrtel both started the game, but it's safe to predict that neither will make today's starting XI, and based on the duo's recent performances, that is absolutely the right decision.

Jamie Carragher put in a man of the match performance against Arsenal on Wednesday, so he deserves to keep his place.

If he's dropped in favour of Skrtel, then it will make a mockery of the general principle of keeping players in the team on merit. Carra has hardly played over the last four months, so it's not as if he needs a rest, is it? Right now, he's probably fitter than most other players in the first team.

The same applies to Jordan Henderson: he scored in the last game, so he should keep his place. Dropping him would be a massively demotivating man-management faux pas, and again, it would send the wrong message to the rest of the players. Henderson has worked hard to fight his way back into the first team, so he should be rewarded by keeping his place in the team.

Lucas had an off-night against Arsenal, so it may be a good idea to give him a rest and replace him with Joe Allen. IMO, defensive midfield is the only position Allen should play in this Liverpool team, and he should share the role with the Brazilian.

I would play the following team:

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

Wisdom -------- Carra --- Agger -------- Johnson

------------------- Allen

----------- Gerrard ----- Henderson

------ Suarez --------------- Enrique

------------------ Sturridge

Inconsistency is the defining characteristic of all the teams fighting for fourth place this season, and even if the Reds lose today's game, there's still a big chance of making the Champions League places.

FINAL SCORE: 2-2

1st Short Highlight




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64 comments:

  1. it must be drilled into wisdom, that he MUST close down quicker. he tends to stand off and watch, instead of shutting the player down.

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  2. id play reina; johnson, skrtel, agger, enrique; lucas, henderson, gerrard; downing, sturridge, suarez. its our strongest lineup and while downing is pretty lame in my opinion, he is quite solid and works hard enough. if borini, sterling, suso or coutinho did well id have any of them in place of downing in the longer term.

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  3. Interesting playing Enrique left mid. I could see how that would work. Not sure I'd start Allen though.

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  4. What you on about?? Last 2 trips to the Emirates ended 2-2 only on wednesday, and 2-0 to us last season???

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  5. I'll continue to argue that a goal is no conclusive proof that a player has had a good game, or not. That being said, Henderson does deserve to retain his starting place though. And Allen has played himself behind Shelvey in the pecking order for the centre midfield spot for me.

    I've never been a fan of defenders even playing in midfield and so I'd be disappointed if Enrique is played in what is supposed to be a front 3! I do want Downing out of the team though.

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  6. I'd go with:

    Reina
    Johnson-Carragher-Agger-Enrique
    Gerrard-Lucas-Henderson
    Sturridge-Suarez-Allen

    Allen's lack of size and strength makes him a liability in the middle of the park for me. 

    I'd be looking to move him further up the pitch, to reprise the Iniesta/Silva/Mata type role, at the expense of Downing, rather than backwards towards our own goal where he has to foul players on the edge of our box to stop them

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  7. I very much doubt Carragher will play today against Man City, he played amazing against Arsenal but playing two games full 90mins this week might be too much to ask for. Skrtel had an off game in the FA cup match but so did the whole team it happens. Skrtel got dropped Arsenal so hopefully he will be rearing to go.

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  8. My team would be like, reina johnson carra skrtel enrique henderson lucas gerrard sterling sturridge suarez. Agger gotta be benched hes costed us a few goals recently also on bench jones allen downing shelvey borini suso

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  9. Carra in his prime caused concernes when we played City- like teams.

                    reina
    enrique skrtel carra ager johnson
             lukas henderson
                  gerrad
        suarez
                        stturidge.

    Sterling gets half an hour at expence of Henderson or Lukas, Shelvey twenty for one of last 3- if it is Gerrard than Downing for Stturidge(maybe Enrique).
     If fitness is as it seems, and scoring part of the game works, with wee bit of luck- we win.

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  10. allen is the worst player to put on a liverpool shirt 

    reina
    enrique carra agger johnson
    lucas
    gerrard hendo
    downing suarez sturridge

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  11. Isn't Assaidi back? I just hope LFC puts in a great performance and gets their victory.....they have to beat the upper level teams now...

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  12. Carragher will start unless he is ill or something like that. Rodgers said after the arsenal game.

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  13. id be looking to play allen in midfield at another club......im really hacked off that sissoko isnt in our line up bargain buy playing for newcastle and we are left with crap like allen in midfiled..........if jk is reaing this carroll played all over williams yesterday and you would rather still  have borini ..........

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  14. plus one.......we are weak at set pieces to begin with and playing with 5 foot allen just reinforces that

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  15.  you take hendo out of our midfield and whose gonna press and tackle

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  16. Suarez sympathiser2:16 pm, February 03, 2013

    To 'reprise the Iniesta/Silva/Mata type role' would suggest that JA has already played this role, or has the capability to do this!!! When? How? 

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  17. i wouldnt even have allen and borini on the bench there are better optiond like assadi and yesil

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  18. its fairly obvious that he means etihad

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  19. Downing- Stturidge might work, while their defenders are busy with top scorer of the epl from 6 pm today.

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  20. its a big if...borini is crap

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  21. wisdom has done well ...its agger skirtel and reina who have messed up

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  22. All this Allen bashing 'worst player to put on a liverpool shirt' etc. over the opening ten games of the season he was our best player. His forms gone but hes not suddenly a bad player. He was quality for swansea against the top teams last year too. I'm not saying play him, i'm just saying that if he had another run kf good games the fuckle/embarrassing fans will be talking about his quality again.

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  23. At that stage of the game two full backs, one central with Lukas and Stevie helped with those three up front should be enough.

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  24. I thought Lucas players well against Arsenal. Allen starting is just a very bad idea as he gets walked all over by powerful players and sometimes looks like a schoolboy..

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  25. Assidi at the African cup of nations and secondly you would play Yesil instead of Borini. Playing a youngster at such a tender age could be damaging.

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  26. No he isn't, he's just had a bit of a dip in form. At the start of the season Allen was our best player, since then he hasn't played so well but it doesn't mean he's a bad player and we have to get rid. He'll find his form again, don't worry.

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  27.  its a simple answer he cant play this role....people are being kidded by allen and rogers ...in a nutshell hes crap...no pace ..no skill...no presance...crap in the air....no devastating through balls...but we are told thats not his job ..hes the metranome??????????..who job it is is to pass the ball 2 yards to another player in the same posistion...well rogers may have kidded the fans on tghis site but he aint kidded me...bottom line is allen has no place being on the anfield carpack picking up litter let alone the pitch.....

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  28. What suggests he does not have the capability to do so, at least to the same level as Downing/Enrique playing as wide forwards?

    Allen has proven that he's not physically strong enough to be our Wilshere atm, but has good movement and technical ability in tight areas (like Iniesta/Silva/Mata etc), so what have we got to lose by trying him out in that role?? It would be a lot more interesting for me than seeing a full-back up there!

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  29. jonjo over allen everyday.....do you not think jonjo is capable of standing at the back passing it 5 feet...jonjo makes mistakes as he tries things he tries to beat a man he tries shooting...allen plays it safe.....oh oh dont blame me its not my job to tackle and score...WHAT A CROCK OF S*IT

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  30. Assaidi dont know if hes back yet, as for yesil hes shown hes too young too immature to play in big games, he was terrible on carling cup and europa league, you forgot, i dont like allen or borini too, but thats the options we have atm

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  31. Sissoko is exactly the type if midfielder we needed. A box to box player. Can defend, attack and has stamina, power and desire. Joe isn't this player so in a way is not a fair comparison, but that's not to say he won't offer something to lfc at some point.
    However I have to wonder what our scouting system has been asked to unearth in world football? Sissoko was a real steal as was Michu. We just seem to blow limited resources constantly! Michu and Sissoko for £5M (am i right to think sussoko was under £3M?) or joe Allen and Borini for £25M?! I don't understand the logic personally. Borini has never achieved anything of note so far and cost £10M. Michu was banging them in the net in La Liga for an average team last season. The Joe Allen deal we should have walked away from at that price.
    I hope the players we have bought come good. They wear the shirt so the support they shall get. These are just balanced observations.

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  32. As I said, next Stevie. Wouldn't dismiss Allen so easy, though... For this one yes, but at home Henderson should feel the bench and hopefully reinvented Jonjo will start too. That how roster looks like- use it.

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  33. "Allen is the worst player to put on a Liverpool shirt" nice that you have Lucas in your starting 11 considering that Liverpool fans said the same couple years ago and people said the same about Henderson last season. Give players time to settle, Allen has been in Wales playing for swansea since a kid. He's in a new city, new environment, new house, he is away from his family getting everything right takes time especially when he is 22. Take that into account he is roughly the same age univeristy students graduate and truly find there feet. Trust me give him 1-3 years he wont be the same player hopefully better.

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  34. I'm happy Caroll played well yesterday however he does not suit Liverpool and the way we are currently playing. So on that basis yes even I will take Borin over Caroll. Seccondly just because he played well for West Ham does not neccesarly mean he will play the same for Liverpool when against Williams.

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  35.  rotating players works if you have decent players...you dont replace a goalscorinf in form midfileder with crap like Allen...what message does it send out...HENDO ITS ROGERS HERE...I KNOW YOU SCORED AND WAS OUR BEST PLAYER BUT IM PLAYING ALLEN TODAY BECAUSE HES CRAP AND OUT OF FORM??????????....what are you talking about

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  36.  if allen is an attacking player ...coates is good in the air..it  just aint happening

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  37. if we are chasing the game id soon have yesil coming on than borini...hes more chance of scoring

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  38. No matter who we chose we aint gonna win the match if Reina dont pull his socks up.
    Imo he does not want to play for us anymore and thats why he puts in half-@ss performances every freakin time. Maybe he thinks he is too good for the club and his delusions of grandeur has clearly rubbed onto his dad who even said that his son could play for Barcelona! 
    The number of saves Reina make per match can be counted on one hand. Its ridiculous how clinical every team we play against are! Every opposition`s attacker has a 100% conversion rate for their shots! IF I were at the match on wednesday I would have kicked the cr@p out of him for conceding such silly goals and making theo walcott look like cristiano ronaldo.
    I hope he takes this match seriously otherwise it does not matter how good our passing game is, how many chances we create and how many goals we score etc cause he is gonna make us lose points in the end...

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  39. Today's lineup: Reina, Johnson, Enrique, Agger, Carragher, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Downing, Suarez, Sturridge
    Subs: Jones, Wisdom, Skrtel, Allen, Shelvey, Sterling, Borini
    TWITTER

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  40. Sends a message that nobody is cemented in the line up and that we realise that we need two good players for each spot because we want to be a cl club, and those clubs have them.
     So bring out best out of your players, and how better than playing them home in an easier game. What do you not understand, really?
    Not saying Allen deserves his spot at the moment, but you have to believe and give chances- Hendo himself got quite few chances- his contender deserves the same, and let's hope they BOTH come good.

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  41. And they are correct.....sissoko went for 1.8m and we are talking 8 to 10 mill for ince...its crazy steve g isnt getting any younger  a midfield 3 of lucas hendo and sssoko ..looks real strong...we will probaly buy him from newcastle for 20 mill in the summer

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  42. if he plays well i still dont want him....hes just not the type of player i want to watch...no risk no thrills ....i want players who try things who try and influece the result..who put there neck on the line

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  43. like when we got beat 3 1 by wba...and nether won a game for ages....yah a real star...my memory is not as good as it was...in these games where he was our best player how many goals did he set up or score...strange for a midfielder who is so good...i think not

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  44. i was one out, i said skrtel instead or carra. so not a bad lineup.

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  45. Id go with : Pepe , Johnson , Carra ( from his preformance against arsnel he deserves it ) Agger , Enrique , Lucas ( even @eaa1a5493df05cee8c3bc15fb2cbd30f:disqus  this worst game is mile better than allen ) Gerrard , Hendo ( the next Gerrard ) , Sturrige < Saurez and Downing ....with Sterling , Shelvey commimg off the bench in the second half .....
    Jamie you wanna start with allen pls go back the last ten games hes started vs the ones weve lost .....and  then check the game where he hasnt started and weve won and you mite be surprised with the result .....
    100 % if allen starts we loose ... And oh before the Joe Allen support club starts bashing my head in 1) never was a fan before we signed him ...15 mill wasted for nothing IMO 2) even wen every1 was poo pooing about how good he was in the beginning I didnt see wat was soo great about a 5 yard pass backswards or sideways 3) he costed us 3 points against Man City when he went missing wen Skrytl was looking for a pass and then DIDNT TRACK Tevez when he was the closest to him 4) I DID support LUCAS immediatly when we signed him becuase he had pedigree ( Brazilian U21 Captain ) and was signed by a Manager I trusted 5) I did support Hendo last season becuase he had pedigree ( England U 21 ) and was signed by a Manager I trusted ....

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  46. Orme you have lost me ...we are playing man city today its not an easier game...allen had that against olham and fluffed his lines...you dont drop players in form that is just crazy ...im sorry but i just cant understand the point you are making

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  47. 100 % Gilstrap ...much prefer a player like Jonjo or Hendo that go for it 100 % and make mistakes as eventually they get better not sit back and do nothing , dont press , hide in the game make safe passes and get 100 % passing accuracy ....

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  48. pls explain as to how in our opening 10 game he was our best player ..esp when in this ten game we were almost in the relegation zone with exactly the same players as last year except the ones Rodgers sold ...pls explain ...... I would love to hear it ....

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  49. I doubt anybody would've suggested Iniesta could play in attack before he was actually played there too...

    Besides, the comparison shouldn't be, would Allen be as good as Mata/Silva et al, but would he be a better bet than Downing for us. And I honestly think we'd be MUCH better off with Allen adjusting to that role.

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  50. sorry m8 allens crap waste of money,i think we would be a lot better off adjusting to life without allen ,if he starts today and we get caned rodgers has to take the blame for it plain and simple lose today season over 

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  51. jay your trying to fit a square peg into a round hole...we have suarez sturride and cortino in these positions  ...backed up by sterling, borini, downing ,jose ,assadi and yesil suso and co....theres just not a position there for him..if he cant play in midfield we should sell him nad get someone else as we are woefully weak in that position squad wise if gerrad and hendo get injured or lose dorm we are f*cked

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  52. lol i got it spot on ...we have a chance after ALL cuz Allens not in

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  53. Enough with the Allen bashing - It's not important today.... C'Mon u Red Men - Let's get a result today!!!

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  54. He was voted our best player vs man city and arsenal. Stevie G had a bad start to the season and the game against Arsenal at home was one of the worst games I've ever seen him play, does that mean he was a bad player? Of course not, players have dips in form and its part of the game. Allen is having one now along with Skrtel. So called fans are far too quick to jump on players backs when they have a few bad games and this is just another case of that.

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  55. for sale: one goalkeeper. occasional lapses of concentration, phobia of standing near posts. all enquiries welcome.

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  56. no hes not reina wins that title hands down!

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  57. they got knocked out on tuesday his camel was spotted the other side of birmingham sat morning should be home tomoro!!

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  58. and also drinks a lot of blood!! doesn t like crosses !!

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  59. just like the milk in my fridge..past it's 'sell-by' date.

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  60. Imraan, just because we werent doing too well that doesnt mean we cant have a player that played well!!!! Also, according to Liverpoolfc.tv he has the third highest man of the matches this season, all in the opening games. Behind only suarez and gerrard. Not bad for a players that doesnt score! Explained enough?

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  61. Why not in second half Downing must be replace by Sterling?Downing also lost the ball.Slow thinking for action.He cannot beat defender or cross the ball.Downing has problem during facing with high pressure level of games.He will give disapointed performance.

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  62. Meant for the WBA game. And City, as I thought, wasn't that hard at all. We only needed manager with balls and/or wisdom. Not the player, the mental capability.

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