15 Dec 2013

Confirmed LFC XI vs. Spurs: BR snubs €19m star again. Anfield exit soon...?

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has named an unchanged team for this afternoon's crunch game with Spurs at White Hart Lane.

Joe Allen, Mamadou Sakho and Raheem Sterling keep their places, and despite the absence of Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger is once again on the bench;

TEAM: Mignolet, Flanagan, Sakho, Skrtel, Johnson, Allen, Lucas, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Suarez.

SUBS: Jones, Kelly, Agger, Toure, Moses, Aspas, Alberto.

SPURS: Lloris; Walker, Capoue, Dawson, Naughton; Paulinho, Sandro; Lennon, Dembele, Chadli; Soldado

As predicted earlier in the week, Luis Suarez captains Liverpool for the first time, and based purely on his inspirational form this season, the Uruguayan is absolutely deserving (IMO) of the honour.

I can't help feeling that this is yet another nail in the coffin of Daniel Agger's Liverpool career.

* The €19m-rated Dane is consistently failing to hold down a regular starting place this season.

* Mamadou Sakho is a ready-made, like-for-like (in terms of being left-footed) replacement.
* Snubbed as captain even though Steven Gerrard is out injured.

Agger is a huge fan favourite, and he has many great qualities (leadership, technique, passing accuracy, running with the ball, comfort in possession), but he's increasingly prone to mistakes, and it's no exaggeration to suggest that his errors - along with those of Skrtel and Pepe Reina - contributed to Liverpool's failure to challenge for a Champions League place last season.

It's funny how things work out. Skrtel has exponentially upped his game, but Agger remains as error prone as ever. Most Reds fans probably thought that the Slovakian would be the first to leave the club, but (IMO) it increasingly looks like Agger is the more likely to leave, and with Barcelona constantly monitoring his progress, a move could happen sooner rather than later.

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64 comments:

  1. pretty much the lineup i expected to see. good decision keeping agger sidelines

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  2. As I said before. Serious lack of defenders for Spurs. Should take this opportunity to get at them. I dont think Naughton is particularly powerful and hopefully Johnson can get the better of him and feed some balls for some Suarez Magic.

    I think AVB is clearly planning on making us work in the first half to try and tire us out - and get Andros townsend running at some tired legs. So IMO we've got to win this in the first half and then try and catch them with a break in the second to kill it off.

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  3. As expected Kaboul, Chireches and Vertongen are out injured. I hope we can take advantage of that and go for an all out attack.

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  4. If we had stevie and daniel im sure we would of smashed this spurs team, but we dont, lets hope cou and luis do the job for us, but if we concede first its all over for me.

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  5. I would not be surprised if Agger turned it around. BR has a habit of getting the best out of bad performers by dropping them. Hendo/Skrtel/Jose/ .. I don't know if his plan or just lucky. But now the players are fighting to stay at LFC not holding us to ransom and leaving.
    Today will be a hard match

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  6. Assist for Hendo. Just sayin' ;-). Btw, that's his THIRD, not second

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  7. Get in, you beauty!

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  8. what a sublime finish

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  9. I'm loving our intensity:) Man love levels for the team is off the scale now! Well done Hendo & Sterling!

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  10. Hennnnndooooooo u beauty:)

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  11. woooooooohooooooooooooooo twwwwooooooooooooo

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  12. Technique wasn't too shabby on that volley was it ;)

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  13. Sterling.....what a pass now thats what he needs to do more. MAN OF THE MATCH 1ST HALF. Lucas still not mobile enough looks nervous

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  14. in the back ref haha

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  15. Excellent volley. Agree Sterling is playing with a hunger I haven't seen in ages! A little warrior!

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  16. sterling and hendo putting on a show for good old woy

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  17. Allen has been fantastic IMO

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  18. i agree, i think hes been good last couple of games before as well.

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  19. Lets hope second half curse doesn't strike again

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  20. long may it continue

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  21. Allen, Henderston, Sakho, fantastic. Sakho's passing, Henderson's energy. passing, and support play, Allen's creativity and technical ability, make a fine blend. Really proud of this performance so far... but a lot can change in 45 minutes.

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  22. come on you lads keep up the pressure and defend with your lives

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  23. we look more energetic without Gerrard. I haven't seen us dominate a potential top 4 side with Gerrard in the team for two seasons. I'm not saying boot him out, just stating a fact. The energy in the engine room along with Flanno Sterlin and Coutinho closing down like lions has been ace.

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  24. I know its just one game but sometimes i think Lucas or Gerrard not both because we have so much more energy with hendo and allan.

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  25. I hold my hands up he's kept things moving quickly, it's like we 're playing around their physically imposing midfielders. What I love is that we're getting stuck in:)
    I think Gerrard's injury is a blessing in disguise, I hope BR has the testicular fortitude to drop Gerrard as & when!

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  26. Half time. great performance. We should be out of sight by now. Suarez has had 3 one on ones and missed two. Coutinho hit the bar as well.
    Johnson still frustrating, giving away cheap possession under little pressure and losing his man by 2 m in the box for a free header over for them.
    Other than that very happy if we keep it going- need the next goal (or a clean sheet obviously)

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  27. Stevie in the studio looks happy but worried :D

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  28. Hmmm, I think we are playing better without Gerrard. Maybe its time he gets used to coming off the bench?

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  29. as good a 45mins that ive seen from Liverpool...the midfield looks very strong

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  30. this is why Rafa played stevie of the striker. He scores great goals, has great delivery but hardly ever dominates the midfleld in the big games.

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  31. Sakho looks more like Thuram and less like Djimi Traore today as well. keep it up lads.

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  32. Loved Henderson's goal celebration too. You can see how much it means to him when he scores.

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  33. Totally agree but someone more mobile than Lucas and our midfield will be even better. Allen and Hendo have been top notch.

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  34. Sterling has worked his socks off today. He deserves some credit for his first half display.

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  35. Ha Ha, i can already vision Daniel Levy trying to figure out how he is going to recoup the money AVB has wasted :-o

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  36. Skrtel and Sakho look like they might be our unlikely SAS at the back. The biggest center back chemistry surprise since vermaelen being dropped for a pairing of mertesacker and Koscelny.

    Keep your stats its ALL about observable chemistry.

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  37. Spurs cannot even win a penalty today. Ha Ha.

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  38. oh my. red?

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  39. this ref has been trying to cook spurs all match and I'm a pool fan

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  40. yeah y ou would say that :D

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  41. he hooks his leg to try and catch him its a red

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  42. I'd be disapointed if Gerrard got done for that

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  43. Louis got him done. There was contact but not hulk Hogan big boot contact. Im not worried anyway..... 3 points is all that matters :D

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  44. Alberto or Aspas for Lucas? Really put them to the sword???

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  45. I heard Louis scream and I havent got my tv on lols

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  46. Maybe for the last 5mins, spurs are not dead yet!

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  47. He's really starting to look the part. Great to see.

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  48. flannnnnnnnnoooooooooooo

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  49. Fllllaaaanoooooooooo

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  50. AVB sacked

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  51. And to think I said Flano may never be good enough. Delighted for the lad.

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  52. I haven't laughed like that at a Liverpool goal in years and years, maybe since Robbie's quick hat-trick. Brilliant by Flanagan! What a win this is.

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  53. 3-0 game over three points in the bag now get that clean sheet.What an amazing team performance from the lads.

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  54. Just like that!

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  55. See Rodgers reads this forum.

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  56. Id love 2 more goals, 5-0 sounds great! MoD is going to be so sweet tonight!

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  57. In all honesty flannagan played well, but he still isn't great. He is average at best. So is Allen, Henderson and Lucas. For them to be class, quality , they need to be performing to 8/10 standard every week no matter who we play against

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  58. Your words were marked, and proven wrong.

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  59. that many transfers would never happen especially in the Jan. window. id see that amount of signings hurting the team, just as how Spurs is now, plenty of names that cant play together.... Salah, a solid DM to compete with Lucas, and a LB is what i can see happening this window no more than that. with those players and our current squad i definitely see a top 4 finish

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  60. two games doesn't make a player, consistency over the course of a season marks a players class, quality and worth.

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  61. How many players were brought to club in summer: Alberto, Aspas, Llori, Sakho, Mignolet, Toure, Cissokho and Moses. 8 players, How many have been good buys. 5 of them, Aspas needs to be sold and shipped back to spain and Cissokho and Moses need to be sent back on loan.


    Those Out of those 6 players 4 should definately be brought to change side: M'Vila, Cabaye, Capel and Salah

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