2 Nov 2013

LFC predicted XI vs. Arsenal: Huge problem for BR? Midfielder to be dropped?

Liverpool face a top-of-the table clash with Arsenal today at the Emirates. Let's just savour that sentence for a moment: Liverpool are battling it out at the top of the Premier League! - how often have fans been able to say that over the last twenty three years? Arsenal represent formidable opposition, and it will undoubtedly be a tough game, but with Suarez and Sturridge on fire, and Coutinho possibly making a comeback from injury, the Reds have a real chance of going back to the top of the table.

Brendan Rodgers has a very strong squad from which to choose his starting XI:

* Coutinho is definitely back in the fold.

* Recently injured players like Glen Johnson, Joe Allen and Aly Cissokho have retained their fitness.

* Jose Enrique is the only senior player likely to miss out through injury.

The burning question today is obvious: Should Rodgers bring Coutinho straight back into the starting line-up, and if so, who should make way?

* Gerrard and Lucas will not be dropped. They are automatic starters under Rodgers, and neither play in Coutinho's role.

* Suarez and Sturridge will also not be dropped, for obvious reasons.

* That leaves Jordan Henderson. In the 352 formation, for Coutinho to come back into the team, the only way it works is if Hendo drops to the bench.

That would be tough on Hendo, but it's the only option; and as much as Rodgers rates the midfielder, we'll have no choice if he wants to accommodate Liverpool's Brazilian magician. The other option, of course, is to revert to 433 (or variations thereof), which would allow Hendo and Coutinho to operate in the same team, though it would mean a central defender being sacrificed:

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

Johnson ------ Skrtel ------ Toure ----------- Cissokho

----------------- Lucas --- Gerrard

--------------------- Hendo

------ Coutinho -------------------- Suarez

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

I can't see this happening, though. Rodgers will probably keep the 352 formation, and start Coutinho on the bench, which (IMO) would be the correct decision. It should be remembered that prior to his injury, Coutinho had failed to score/create a single league goal, so there's no burning need to get him straight back in the team.

Having said that, Henderson is also not scoring or creating goals at the moment, so if Rodgers does decide to drop him for Coutinho, he can't really have any complaints. With all this in mind, I fully expect to see the following team line-up against Arsenal this evening:

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

------------- Toure --- Skrtel --- Sakho

Johnson ---------------------------------- Cissokho

------------ Gerrard --------- Lucas

---------------------- Hendo

----------- Suarez ------------ Sturridge

Hopefully, Henderson will respond to the pressure of having Coutinho in the background and produce at least a goal or an assist during the game. He'll know deep down that his place is under threat, so it should motivate him to do his best to stay in the team.

Predicting a 1-1 draw, Anfield legend Mark Lawrenson told the BBC:

"The Gunners' best hopes of winning this game lie in forcing Liverpool to play in their own half, but I am not sure that will be possible with the Reds in such confident form. I am going for a 1-1 draw because I think both teams would probably take that result now if it was offered to them".

Reds hero Dietmar Hamann expressed a more optimistic view:

"I Fancy LFC to get a result today. Not sure whether Arsenal [have[] the defensive weapons to stop Suarez and Sturridge"

Author:


99 comments:

  1. Surely not? Kelly must be pretty close to fitness. Also, why not Henderson at right wing-back and Coutinho/Alberto/Moses in the middle?

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  2. don´t know why but i´m quite excited to see flanagan... i mean it must be for some reason, we could have used kelly or sterling at rwb - but BR decided to give flanagan a chance - very interesting

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  3. sorry what?! why not agger so toure could play as rb or even kelly but flanagan wooow im fearing for a red card now like hes done it before what a shock, no coutinho as well... just lost some big hopes

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  4. Aggers on the bench. we paid 7 million for Ilori why not let him start? hes got pace and hes a more composed defender with the ball at his feet

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  5. Flano...oh god. I'm not convinced he's ready for this type of game. Or indeed if he'll ever be. Hopefully he'll have a stormer and prove me wrong.

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  6. Never seen Flanagan play - Rodgers must feel he's ready, lets hope so.

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  7. remember the game against city two years ago when flano played..lets hope he does the same

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  8. what the hell flanagan is doing in the starting line up?!
    yes he is an adept of red cards

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  9. Remember the game in april 2011 when there were two late penalties? well robinson and flannagan both started and played well. everyone was talking about our great youth prospects. Flanno has dissappeared since then but hes shown he can do it. Toure can give him protection

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  10. I don't know either but he is so all we can do is hope... :)

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  11. I'm hoping Flanno has been on the juice and has become unexpectedly massive since he last played.
    I haven't seen many of the youth/reserve games this season- does anyone who has understand this, or think it warranted?

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  12. It still seems to me Hendo on the right and Allen in the midfield would have been the way to go.

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  13. no idea tbh - but if he handles özil like he did it against Balotelli 2 years ago i´ll be more than happy!

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  14. or kelly, sterling, Ilori, toure on the right.. whatever there must be a reason for this!

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  15. sacked!
    rodgers is out of his depth
    how can you play flanagan? why not sterling?
    bring robeto mancinni in
    such a dfensive line up!
    unbelievable

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  16. damn dude, were 2nd at the table atm and the game hasn´t even started...

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  17. why do you coment on this website..im surprised jamie hasent booted you from this site..YOU are out of your depth..plastic fan..go on some mancs website which is better suited for you

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  18. rodgers is out of his depth
    he al;ways amkes theese stupid decisions
    like 4 centre backs againts southampton
    or playing allen when injured
    rodgers has to be sacked
    he does not know what he is doing

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  19. apart from SAS who will score
    no attacking threat
    rodgers is worse tehn hodgson
    so defensive

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  20. Worse than Hodgson? We're 2nd, not 2nd bottom.
    Criminy!

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  21. rodgers played 4 centre backs againts southampton
    he makes stupid decisions every once in a while
    he is roy hodgson no sane manger will play john flanagan

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  22. whats wrong with hendo? and theres a reason hes the manager and not you - maybe he will get tactics right or he may not, wait and see...

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  23. lets wait till the game is finished but if we lose its all cuz of rodgers playing flano, if we lose Id sack him right away because hes amazed the world just mins ago, what a decision too bravery there just shocking

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  24. özil is not balotelli ! but I hope BR has something smart in mind with starting Flanagan.

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  25. 2nd for how long?
    we need a top manager for games againts everton,chelsea,city and spurs
    not a manager that picks jon flanagan

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  26. Are you serious guv'?

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  27. finally someone who agrees with me no sane manager would choose john flanagan

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  28. So I'm right in thinking that we all think this Flanno thing is either a master stroke or a plain old stroke, right?
    Brain fart or brain wave?
    Balls up or just ballsy?
    I can go on...

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  29. 5-0
    arsernal will destroy
    and it will eb flanagans fault
    such a bad player

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  30. Christ Almighty! Let the kid play!

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  31. seriously shut the f up..

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  32. unbelievable isn´t it?

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  33. are you on the training pitch every day, watching flanagan?

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  34. If he doesn't shut the f up, we're going to have to k him in the a and then s him in the f to make sure he is d.

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  35. cmon guys don't feed the troll..

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  36. come on where is the attacking threat now

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  37. remember teh game againts sunderland
    when jon lost it for us
    5-0

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  38. Sturridge, Suarez. Best attacking threat in the league. Gerrard has over 100 league goals, so he's still a decent threat. Hendo got 5-6 last season.
    Are you forgetting Flanno!? He's a goal-machine, baby!

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  39. hahahh, sorry i´m not the guy to offend others here, but thats exceptionally stupid..

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  40. he is creating a breach on the flank,... I am baffled by that line up but he must have something in mind, shouldn't he!!!! otherwise I get the feeling he is drunk! I am sure that he'll be substituted and this leaves us with only two effective substitutes to change the course of the game eventually... déjà that we have won only one of the last 12 encounters!

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  41. Suddenly crisis on right flank. No cover for RB in 3-5-2 formation. Flanagan is not right answer, but Kelly is not suited for right side except in four in line defense.
    Weakest point tonight, will need lot of help from Toure and Lucas.

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  42. Can people please just wait till after the game to criticize? We are supporters our job is to SUPPORT!!! People saying Rodgers to be sacked??? personally this is the most excited ive been about the team since 08-09.


    People suggesting playing sterling there against arsenal are deluded. Personally the only other options were henderson (allen in) or Toure (agger in). But Rodgers is playing someone who will actually be in their natural position... shock horror!


    Arguably being at wing back relieve a lot of pressure. He has a lot of back up in defence and if he does nothing going forward so be it we have other players for that.

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  43. Very very very surprised to see this. Still don't understand why Mclaughlin isnt getting a shout. Twice the player Flanno is and is far more suited to an attacking RWB role. Baffling. Flanno is still a decent player though so hopefully he puts in a solid performance.

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  44. I don't think he wanted to move Henderson out of the middle for a number of reasons. First of all I doubt Coutinho is ready to start after only just coming back form injury, especially agaisnt Arsenal where Hendo's energy and ability to press high up the field could honestly be a game changer. I think Henderson in the middle is going to be very important for us today as I just outlined. I'm surprised at the inclusion of Flanno as I think Kelly and especially Mclaughlin would have been far better options however I think making one change (johnson for flanno) rather than a whole host of changes is the way to go. That way our winning team remains largely unchanged.

    Rodgers hardly ALWAYS makes these stupid decisions? You've outline 2 that stand out from a whole host of games. Care to name any more? I think BR has proven he is an astute tactician and hopefully will do so again.

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  45. I think toure and kelly aren't suited to the role. They aren't attacking enough. Kelly is a decent option but the thought of Toure as RWB is a little silly IMO. Also by just changing one player we keep the same shape mostly. As well as this, last time we played 4 CB's is didnt go so well. If we had to move toure out to RB we change the backline too much. I think its a smart move just making the single change I would however, prefer to see Mclaughlin

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  46. I don't think so. Henderson is going to be crucial in keeping the Arsenal midfield at bay. His energy and high pressing could change the game for us. I think BR is making the correct decision in just making a single change. It keeps to team largely the same. Its brave but I think the correct decision.

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  47. remember how good this site was before you showed up..yeah the good ol days..platic

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  48. Some of our fans baffle me. Do they even think before they speak? I'm actually ashamed of plastic fans like this. Let him have his chance. Flanno has played well for us in the past and I have faith he can do so today. Its the correct decision making a single change rather than shuffling the entire team. Of our three reserve RB's flanno is a decent option of RWB. Kelly isnt attacking enough and Mclaughlin may not be seen as ready (although I think he is)

    Stop calling for BR to get sacked and saying he is defensive. What a ridiculous statement. LFC scored a shed load of goals last season top 3 in the EPL If I can recall and we are top 3 in the goal scoring charts once again placed 2nd in the table. You are a nutter for wanting him sacked.

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  49. *shakes head* I don't understand you...

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  50. Couldn't agree more. Why shift people around when we can just play someone naturally suited to the position. Lets see how he goes. Admittedly is a big call in such a big game but the risk may pay off and if it doesnt I still support the decision. Its the correct one to make.

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  51. You are a troll.

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  52. Could you folks who are in attendence please run into the locker room and pull the lead inserts out of our mid-fielders' boots? It was frustrating to see them outrun to every loose ball until it just became embarrassing. Lucas is joggin geverywhere. We have no pep whatsoever. Surprised by Flanagan but he hasn't played bad. To sum up we are slower than Arsenal by a step everywhere. Cmon lads we need a better 2nd half. We can do this but we need better effort.

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  53. Yep. If Hendo hadn't choked it could have been a completely different half.

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  54. Would rather we actively look to keep the ball, instead of going halfway between looking to counter and attempting to close down quick (the latter only seemed to happen consistently before their goal). Very little response from the side since that Cazorla goal. We looked good before it but now we are simply just relying on individualism from the usual suspects up front, when they get the ball that is.


    No way should someone like Cazorla be allowed to win a header in the box. CBs not got to grips consistently with Giroud either, on the ground or in the air.


    Do rate the way Ramsey looks to drive at opposition box with or without the ball, especially on the give-n-go combinations. Combine that with the attacking midfielders they have, you can see why he is scoring goals and causing problems.

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  55. What a goal from Ramsey. Not quite the give-n-go movement I mentioned above but what a hit.

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  56. We 're lacking quality in the middle!

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  57. We flapped it. Bottled it, whatever you want to call it. Mentally we are still weak in the big games. when the pressure is on we lose our shape. The problem isn't BR it is mentally soft players. Big bucks buys mentally strong as well as technically strong players. Peanuts buys you one or the other.

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  58. pass it luis!!

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  59. That's what you call a reality check

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  60. when i saw flannagan knew we were going and lose no teeth at all

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  61. New nickname for him Flan-never-agan. They guy either has a vision problem or a neck problem, can't look for a good pass, slow, didn't track back, lazy!!!

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  62. I wouldn't get overly critical after this result. Arsenal have shown that for the moment they are a way better team and you can't do much about it apart go back to the training ground and work.

    And sign some good players in January.

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  63. We got schooled to the max .poor show lfc.Kelly should have been starting not Flanagan.plus cutinho looked as if he didn't leave.cissokho poor game.sakho looking better in every game.skertel been great so far.Lucas and captain Gerard poor sadly.needed attacking minded players.arsene made SAS look like spectators.lfc at best looked like kindergarten.

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  64. With that team selection Liverpool were always going to be in trouble if they conceded first. There wasnt enough creative quality in the side. The wing backs they started with were never going to offer much going forward. When Johnsons out and Lucas and Henderson playing its going to be hard. Even if were being kind and calling that a 3 5 2 youve got a mid 5 with Henderson lucas sissoko and flannagan. Thats just crap. Ok if you can keep it tight and pinch one but the squad was shown up today.

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  65. wing back is unforgiving. He's not fit enough for orthodox right back! wing back would have killed

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  66. Sturridge pulled some kindergarten stunt at the end.

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  67. horrible imo provided no outlet whatsoever we were bare on the right hand side sigh flan-never-again is right

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  68. Answers:
    Cissokho seem that won't work at the the same way Aspas won't.
    Sakho doesn't seem to be worth the money paid for at the moment and might won't. Why did Rodgers play 3 cb's? Bad transfer dealing this summer. Cissokho causes the problem that the level of our CB's created - in not being just quite good enough - in terms of team selection. I ansist, more questions should be directed at Rodgers; He could and can do better at his job and it's not difficult in a way the shouldn't be acknowledged.



    Midfield isn't good enough to achive the clubs goals. Period. No matter how they do against weaker teams; Weve seen enough by far to hold a comfortable perspective on our performances ability etc. Unless something unusual happens...


    352 doesn't justify it self. We lose our strength by playing it - for example the level we achived constantly during the term of last season second period - and that as well could be directed to just how good of a manager is Brendan. He seems to miss integral big picture peaces who make a team more than a good one. By the way, great performance from Wenger today you just have to say. He studied our tricks well and made all the right decisions. I wasn't that upset to be honest every body tried hard today eventually, even if during the game they weren't pushing enough in my view. For example how the first goal came out of a leisure midfield work on our side.


    My prediction was wrong cause it wasn't based on reality; It underestimated the current Arsenal just a bit and complimented Liverpool a bit.


    At this point i will pan vital goals for the club till the rest of the season and act with restricted patience if they're not accomplished. No fighting just being polite about it and move forward. This is life with how much i like anyone whose part of our team.
    I did have some moment just hoping they don't go 3-0 or worse. That is under my expectations i must emphasis.

    Again mistakes made by Rodgers, he must redeem and we should help him by asking the right questions if not he will just talk and talk plainly-like and never address them deeply enough.

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  69. To be fair young flana wasn't the problem (predictet by some deluded guys) today. IMO the immobile midfield pairing of Gerrard and Lucas cost us the game and our strikers looked frustrated upfront + Cissokho just isn't good enough. Arsenal were the better team they played better in every aspect and clearly outplayed us IMO

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  70. It's a different kind of coping from the one Suarez has, that is born out of frustration from our midfield poor returning performances.

    You gotta be YNWA with Sturridge cause he doesn't necessarily has the never ending confidence that Suarez has...

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  71. Rodgers bad transfer market, both in defense and especially midfield neglecting. Make it right in Jan. At least 2 midfielders that can upgrade our team.

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  72. Rodgers at least 4th place by end or season or we should just get a more series guy. I just come to rather the second option. This is getting old now. Reality check. What reality check? Things doesn't really change for us. We spend money but we never get it right enough. I lost patience i need actions.

    Deadline than dramatic change.

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  73. Watch your heads... the sky is falling.

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  74. True... Henderson is an honest player but he'll never be the one who unlocks a match. I wonder if he's had a single shot on target this season...

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  75. Wasn't an awful game, but there are concerns.


    Flanagan?? Flanagan!!!
    Kolo talking smack before the game, then not being his cool self - was nervous, stood back and let Ramsey score.
    Sturridge losing his cool at the end of the game - then kicking it out - was that intentional.
    Henderson - wtf, the run was nice the finish horrific, same as his other shot from the box, he had time, but messed it up. Too bad he trys hard, maybe tries too hard.
    Coutinho - rusty, but his head is in the right place, making through balls, once he shakes it off it'll be all good.


    It's not so bad to lose to the top team away, but hopefully there will be some improvement soon. Fulham should be alright, Everton is winnable, the 3 easier games.


    Some new players in Jan.

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  76. Lars Andreas Moltu8:29 pm, November 02, 2013

    First things first. Arsenal played some excellent one touch football and should be given credit as due. However. what really upsets me is the summer transfer window and how it now pans out at one of the worst ever-. Come on, fellow fans. to spend £25+ million on IIori, Sakho and Cissokho to keep Agger out of a first-team job is nothing but insane. Where is the real value added to the team. Let's not forget 8 mill spent on an completely useless player for Celta Vigo and another 8 mill on a reserve reject from Barca. I do understand you have totake a calculated risk and, hence, win some and loose some in the "moneyball approach". Couthinho and Sturridge has been fantastic signings and can offset a lot in terms of other failed signings - moneywise atleast. That said, I am really upset about this summer transfer window - can anyone PLEASE tell me different and explain some sort of common sense and justification for, what I perceive, as a completely wasted effort and massive "opportunity cost mistake" by the manager and owners.

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  77. People will be disappointed and they should be, after a good start to the season. But today Arsenal proved they are the real deal, so let's hope they win at Old Trafford next week.


    When we lose a game people try to pinpoint why we lost. Today, the targets are Rodgers, Flanagan, Cissokho, Hendo and the supposed immobility of Gerrard and Lucas. Some individual performances were not great but overall I think we were just beaten by a better team. Across the 90 minutes we were second best in everything.


    Home to Fulham next week with every chance to bounce back.

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  78. Absolutely, the immobility of our midfield was for all to see, everyone else barring Gerrard & Lucas will be scapegoated. Interesting when Coutinho came then we saw midfield link up with SAS.
    Cissoko isn't the greatest, but he isn't the reason we lost, we lost it in the middle!

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  79. TBH I fully understand Sturridge's response at the end with Saurez's greed. If it were the other way round we wouldn't hear the end of it. Kicking the ball out was unintentional, but I'm not sure why you focus on a tiny incident?!?
    The bigger picture is, IMO:
    -We lack real depth & quality in the middle- Coutinho is our only bit of creativity in the middle. WE DONT PASS & MOVE! Hendo is a grafter that's it! Stevie is losing is legs & Lucas is good at what he does but we need more!

    - No real width offered from right back. Johnson is an unsung hero! Cissoko is ok, nothing more!

    - SAS very isolated, we are over-reliant on them! Midfield where art thou?

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  80. Sturridge does way worse than that. It wasn't must or should pass situation, taking the shot was perfectly reasonable, the reaction was childish - especially considering how often Sturridge does the same or worse.

    Agree with the rest pretty much.

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  81. I'm not too fussed about the defeat, in terms of losing points, as its been a weird season thus far, so nowhere near the end of the world at this stage. Performance-wise, rather disappointed by the team's response after the first goal as I want more character from the team than that. Always been the very unlikely ones, Arsenal and us in recent seasons in terms of winning the damn league but this season, heavily due to the infallibility of the usual suspects, we got a big chance of making this a season to remember for ourselves. So come on lads, show some fight and nous.

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  82. The game was won by the better tactician, take nothing away from
    Arsenal, that was a good display. However fielding 7.5 defenders against
    a possession team is only gonna leave you with one outcome, and it was 2
    avoidable goals today. Wonder what would have happened if Wilshere was
    there to make his surging runs down the middle.

    Back
    to my team, it's not all gloom, Rodgers just needs to be more inventive
    and daring, the worst that could happen, happened today. Creativity is
    badly need in the middle, if we press high up, less pressure on Gerrard
    and Lucas, the former is seriously in need of bench time, seriously
    what's can happen playing Allen in his place? Should have played the
    Spanish chap behind SAS.

    Totally lost my mojo after that game!

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  83. Truth be told, I was hoping for a win, happy for a draw, but wasn't going to be shocked to lose. Playing the number 1 team at their house is always tough. Chelski lost so that cushions the blow a bit. I knew we would have a tough time against that mid-field. Despite a mid-week Cup game, which I hoped would have them tire late, they outhustled us the entire game...and THAT is a poor reflection on our mid-field. There just doesn't seem to be the hustle that comes with a good sense of urgency with our MF. I know we're in trouble when SAS are tracking back to help the MF start an attack. Still we had chances and could have pulled even. I thought Flanagan played ok. I think Cissoko is slow and I think he was exposed for it. I hope the team is not too disheartened. This could be a good thing in the long run...to show us how much work needs to be done to stay a top four team.

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  84. I agree with the Arsenal play...beautiful to watch. Reminded me very much of watching Barcelona...except Arsenal still have a big front man that must be accounted for. 5 nimble MFs with an attacking mind set is a thing of beauty.

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  85. Agree with PC's head. The through balls were good...just rust. I don't see why he was on the right so much. He needed to be right smack in the middle.

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  86. So true, on their best days those two can dominate everybody in the middle, but unfortunately those days are rare. We really need some fresh legs in the middle of the pitch - Hughes and matic would be some good names IMO, to cause healthy competition and coverage. I don't like the undroppable status of Gerrard and lucas in our team... So glad Allen is back..

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  87. Arsenal is our frikken bogey team. We never really get a result against them.

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  88. He had a shot on target today. It was a tame effort because of the challenge but on target nether the less. Also he had 1 or 2 on target against Stoke with Begovic was lucky to get to. I honestly think our best midfielder is Henderson because he seems to do more with the ball than Gerrard and Lucas. Henderson doesn't lose the ball anywhere near as much as Lucas and Gerrard which they did countless times today. People say Lucas and Allen don't work together well because they are "similar" but they aren't similar just the styles they are don't work well together but Lucas and Gerrard don't work well together either. I think the starting midfield with the players we've got should be Lucas, Henderson and Coutinho because Henderson would add the moveability that is needed in that defensive midfield and I think it's time we stop clinging to Gerrard and accept he is not the player he once was.

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  89. Not since the restraining order...

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  90. Yip, we have not had many wins against them going back many years now.

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  91. Again all will find spots to moan about but the simple truth is that Rodgers just didn't do a well enough job so far. For about 3 or 4 years now i feel it's a miracle when we manage to pass the ball fluently for times. It has to end. We need someone more series and ambitious than FSG/Rodgers. Not the real deal. That is the simple and long lasting reality check there is.



    There is a small chance that Rodgers will improve to the level needed but at this point just give a deadline and lose the sentiments we need to progress during the following year or we will stay mediocre. It's always weird the way we don't make the simple stuff right over and over again.
    Hope he loses the 352 and starts thinking true offense and football playing.

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  92. Joal - I suspect you are a previously banned poster who's returned under a different username. The constant negativity is a big giveaway.

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  93. I agree... it's was poor game lfc after last week's victory......seems rigged to me... IMHO. Back to the grind. why is Rodgers so stubborn with some of his decisions. Last season Flanagan struggled with his play and I though Lfc would give him away but to see him ahead of Kelly is mind numbing. We were sitting ducks today. Sad to see the SAS partnership totally isolated.....Suarez could have had 2 but then so could have Arsenal. Lucas poor game , he doesn't run back fast enough and Gerrard is like him. I am not a big fan of Coutinho this season but yesterday I was happy to see him get to the grind of things immediately and he will create havoc for weaker teams but bigger teams we need bigger attacking mid fielder. Last season (1st part) it was no strikers and this season (1st part) no attacking midfielders.Next week fulham is scary too!

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  94. Truth is, they've been better than us for a while now! Their transfer dealings make this possible, whilst we've largely ended up with duds over the years! Wenger is a great manager, the first to unleash the athletic midfield & total football!

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  95. Give it a rest for God's sake.
    How many times in the last 10 years do you think we had more points after 10 games?
    I'll tell you. ONCE.
    Once in all those seasons under 4 different managers. And we finished second the year we did beat that total, in 08/9, and we qualified in the top four 5 times from lower totals after 10 games.
    Sack the manager ? More like lose the so-called fan....

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  96. Was tuff to watch us get whipped. Just was not our day. Mentally I don't think we were ready to perform. When your under pressure one tends to resort to the basic mistakes like putting head down and individual efforts. Just felt like we choked a bit under the pressure. You could see the stress on the players. Minolet seemed a bit rattled. How about the reaction from sturridge when LS shot on that goal chance -low right wide shot. Frustration says it all. Plus LS looked like he was trying to do too much near the end. SAS looked BAD. They did not play off each other at all. I suppose this played right into the hands of Arsenal back line.
    Bothered the heck out of me that Arsenal was cutting thou our back line with 1-2s. Like you could see it coming but they could not stop it.
    Tactically we really needed another ball winner in front of Skrtel. Just didn't seem to be our day at all. Depressing really.
    Oh and by the way what a terrible call from Mike Riley. Foul on LS from Sagna. WTF. What the F was the reasoning for that again. I almost got kicked out of my pub.

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