After plummeting from first to fifth place over the Christmas period, Liverpool are back in the top four this evening after a fairly routine victory over Hull City at Anfield.
Post-match reaction:
Lucas Leiva
"Great way to start the New Year. Now get some rest and be ready for the cup".
Neil Mellor
"Good to hear Back to winning ways for Liverpool and Suarez scoring again"
Simon Mignolet
"Happy and healthy 2014 everyone! My best wishes for the new year!
"What better way to start it with 3 points and a clean sheet. A massive thank you as well for the support in the past year from all of you!"
John Aldridge
"Not one of our best performances but 3 points is all that matters. Got the prediction right 2-0 but Countinho 1st goal. My man of the match was Henderson".
Brendan Rodgers
"That was our best win of the season. To play with a lot of the same players against a team that won their last Barclays Premier League game 6-0, we knew we were going to have to tough it out today and dig in".
Daniel Agger disagreed with Rodgers' assessment. When asked after the game about Liverpool's performance, he told Sky Sports:
"I think it [the performance] was a bit mixed to be honest. We didn't keep the ball that well, but when you keep a clean sheet it's easier to win"
A few thoughts about the game:
* 'Best win of the season'? I can't see Rodgers' thought-process here. How can a middling performance in a home victory over inferior opposition = best win of the season? The Spurs hammering is clearly a greater achievement, with the team producing a superb, dominating AWAY performance without Gerrard and Sturridge. For me, Agger's assessment is far more realistic.
* Iago Aspas got his chance from the start, but it has to be said that he didn't really take it. Gave the ball away too much, and didn't utilise possession effectively enough. One great lay-off for Henderson, though, who should've scored, and an assist would've been a good confidence booster. Alas, with Steven Gerrard back in the fold, it's probable that Aspas will be back on the bench for the next few games.
* LFC were almost undone again by another weak refereeing performance. Suarez was on the receiving end of several X-rated challenges, with a horror 'tackle' from Meyler - who should've been sent off - the worst of the bunch. Referees need to get a handle on these challenged because sooner or later, one of them is going to seriously injure Suarez. His reputation for histrionics still seemingly precedes him, but that's no excuse for ignoring blatantly bad challenges.
* The quality of Coutinho's passing continues to decline, which is a concern. Many of his passes are overhit, or just plain inaccurate at the moment, and his shooting accuracy is even worse. Hopefully, this will improve in the second half of the season, but some serious competition for his place could be beneficial, and with Mohamed Salah allegedly on the horizon, the Brazilian could find himself on the bench sooner rather than later.
* Good to see Gerrard back in the fold, but his mobility is still restricted, which could've been a problem for the team against better opposition. Still, he needs match-fitness, so it was probably a gamble worth taking.
* Luis Alberto ignored once again by Rodgers. It really is a sad state of affairs, and just underlines once again that Rodgers' performance in the transfer market leaves a lot to be desired. If you're never going to play a €7m player, why sign him in the first place? Alberto is 20, not 16, and there are younger players in the squad who get much more pitch time.
* Suarez is (inevitably) back on the scoresheet. He's clearly a world-class goalscorer, but only - it seems - against inferior opposition. The Uruguayan scores bucketloads of goals against the likes of Norwich, Sunderland, and Wigan, but he rarely makes the difference against the best defences in the league. This is again apparent this season, with Suarez failing to score against Chelsea, Man City, Man United, and Arsenal.
* Raheem Sterling continues to impress, but his decision-making, composure, and final pass are still lacking. He's young, though, and these things will hopefully improve as he matures as a player.
* Another imperious performance from Martin Skrtel, and Daniel Agger had a good game too.
A top four place is Liverpool's to lose at the moment, and if Rodgers gets it right in the January transfer window, LFC will almost certainly be back in Europe's premier competition next season. Arsenal, Spurs, Man City and Chelsea must all visit Anfield in the second half of the season, and with a favourable run of games coming up over the next few weeks, the opportunity is there for LFC to consolidate a strong position in the top four.
Don't blow it now!
Author: Jaimie K
Post-match reaction:
Lucas Leiva
"Great way to start the New Year. Now get some rest and be ready for the cup".
Neil Mellor
"Good to hear Back to winning ways for Liverpool and Suarez scoring again"
Simon Mignolet
"Happy and healthy 2014 everyone! My best wishes for the new year!
"What better way to start it with 3 points and a clean sheet. A massive thank you as well for the support in the past year from all of you!"
John Aldridge
"Not one of our best performances but 3 points is all that matters. Got the prediction right 2-0 but Countinho 1st goal. My man of the match was Henderson".
Brendan Rodgers
"That was our best win of the season. To play with a lot of the same players against a team that won their last Barclays Premier League game 6-0, we knew we were going to have to tough it out today and dig in".
Daniel Agger disagreed with Rodgers' assessment. When asked after the game about Liverpool's performance, he told Sky Sports:
"I think it [the performance] was a bit mixed to be honest. We didn't keep the ball that well, but when you keep a clean sheet it's easier to win"
A few thoughts about the game:
* 'Best win of the season'? I can't see Rodgers' thought-process here. How can a middling performance in a home victory over inferior opposition = best win of the season? The Spurs hammering is clearly a greater achievement, with the team producing a superb, dominating AWAY performance without Gerrard and Sturridge. For me, Agger's assessment is far more realistic.
* Iago Aspas got his chance from the start, but it has to be said that he didn't really take it. Gave the ball away too much, and didn't utilise possession effectively enough. One great lay-off for Henderson, though, who should've scored, and an assist would've been a good confidence booster. Alas, with Steven Gerrard back in the fold, it's probable that Aspas will be back on the bench for the next few games.
* LFC were almost undone again by another weak refereeing performance. Suarez was on the receiving end of several X-rated challenges, with a horror 'tackle' from Meyler - who should've been sent off - the worst of the bunch. Referees need to get a handle on these challenged because sooner or later, one of them is going to seriously injure Suarez. His reputation for histrionics still seemingly precedes him, but that's no excuse for ignoring blatantly bad challenges.
* The quality of Coutinho's passing continues to decline, which is a concern. Many of his passes are overhit, or just plain inaccurate at the moment, and his shooting accuracy is even worse. Hopefully, this will improve in the second half of the season, but some serious competition for his place could be beneficial, and with Mohamed Salah allegedly on the horizon, the Brazilian could find himself on the bench sooner rather than later.
* Good to see Gerrard back in the fold, but his mobility is still restricted, which could've been a problem for the team against better opposition. Still, he needs match-fitness, so it was probably a gamble worth taking.
* Luis Alberto ignored once again by Rodgers. It really is a sad state of affairs, and just underlines once again that Rodgers' performance in the transfer market leaves a lot to be desired. If you're never going to play a €7m player, why sign him in the first place? Alberto is 20, not 16, and there are younger players in the squad who get much more pitch time.
* Suarez is (inevitably) back on the scoresheet. He's clearly a world-class goalscorer, but only - it seems - against inferior opposition. The Uruguayan scores bucketloads of goals against the likes of Norwich, Sunderland, and Wigan, but he rarely makes the difference against the best defences in the league. This is again apparent this season, with Suarez failing to score against Chelsea, Man City, Man United, and Arsenal.
* Raheem Sterling continues to impress, but his decision-making, composure, and final pass are still lacking. He's young, though, and these things will hopefully improve as he matures as a player.
* Another imperious performance from Martin Skrtel, and Daniel Agger had a good game too.
A top four place is Liverpool's to lose at the moment, and if Rodgers gets it right in the January transfer window, LFC will almost certainly be back in Europe's premier competition next season. Arsenal, Spurs, Man City and Chelsea must all visit Anfield in the second half of the season, and with a favourable run of games coming up over the next few weeks, the opportunity is there for LFC to consolidate a strong position in the top four.
Don't blow it now!
Author: Jaimie K
Suarez is living by a different set of rules to everyone else.
ReplyDeleteWhether it's a ban (John Terry receiving half the games that Suarez did), or on the field.
At some point, someone is going to get hurt because of this and odds are it will be Suarez. How will the FA react when someone tackles Suarez, breaks his leg, and a brawl breaks out on the field.
Surely Alberto will get a chance vs Oldham. Despite others being younger and playing I would say that his readiness for premier league action is probably best judged by the manager. It is a great pity we didn't get our primary targets in the summer so we would not notice the lack of game time of a young (yes 20 is young) player in a new country and league.
ReplyDeleteSuarez did score against Arsenal and Chelsea (just of the top of my head) last year. Also he was instrumental in the goals that we did score against City and Chelsea. Unfortunately for him he doesn't have enough quality around him to worry defenders as much so they can give a lot of focus to him and they are defenders in the best teams for a reason.
ReplyDeletei agree with pretty much everything you say (for once) but i would also add that cissokho should be given a run of games to give him confidence. he hasnt done anything wrong and its difficult for players to get any form when theyre in and out of the team but it seems rodgers only ever wants to play him when he absolutely has no other choice (a bit like alberto, why did he get him if he doesnt believe in him, albeit cissokho didnt cost much being on loan). johnson was terrible...again. and lucas was man of the match for me today.
ReplyDeletePrior to today, the only team not to get 'teabagged' by Suarez was Hull? Thought you slowly turned the corner JK, guess not quite there yet (got your luis blinkers on).
ReplyDeleteNo idea what you're going on about here.
ReplyDeleteBrendan comments just to boost players confidence..johnson is a liability, his decision making needs to improve..with the way we want to play.. This is our worst home performance after southampton.coutinho certainly got but he was overpowered physically..YNWA
ReplyDeleteI thought we had a steady game. We could have scored more but were never all that sexy. Hull are a dogged team and we have not long played some really tough games.
ReplyDeleteObviously he's had back to back defeats, so he needs to regroup and stop heads from falling. So he's trying to uplift spirits by saying this was the best they played is pat on the butt... He maybe using patronising means to get his players mind set right, but that's a part of coaching a largely youthful group. Think you hounded BR for using words like 'BRAVE' & 'COURAGE', believe it or not this is how all coaches motivate teams, he didn't go the whole hog and do the Al Pacino speech from 'Any Given Sunday'. Courage comes in may forms... People are sayin, in the year 2013 that Tom Daley has courage because he told the world he like to hold hands with boys. Courage isn't not just jumping on a grenade...
ReplyDeleteSuarez has been on his "best" behaviour despite all the rough stuff dished out to him over the last three games. I counted two players today, who on another day (against another player) would have received a red card.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is two fold:
1. BR is not defending his players or Liverpool vociferously enough in the press after the games - to calm and diplomatic.
2. No one in the press corp are taking up the issue of defending Suarez.
Now had this rough stuff been dished out to one of the press "luvvies" (eg Bale) there would have been a clamour by now to supress this type of challenge and to preserve the more skillful players in the EPL. But due to past bad behaviour, no one is willing to take up the case for Suarez.
The thing I do not get is, how did Catona get over his kung-fu kick, and can we learn anything from that to help Suarez????
Big teams have realised that if you take out Suarez, LFC are nothing. That is why he does not get goals against them and we have lost. We need a plan B for such situations. Hopefully Coutinho-Salah-Sturridge cab fix that.
ReplyDeleteJohnson is not his old self. Slow, bad passes, stupid on the field with the mall just looking around, what happened? I know he is missing injuries, but if that is the case he should not be first choice RB at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI was implying that if you liked Suarez, you may fact check this statement before writing it. Even on the day of the infamous bite he equalised. Maybe this will rekindle some memories..
ReplyDeleteTwo excellent points.
ReplyDeleteThe plan B issue is something I've been jumping up and down about for over a year now. Whenever we are losing, BR does not revise his tactics.
I think (but please don't hold me to this!!) there is some stat out there that Rafa was the most successful manager during his era to improve the score following his substitutions.
Against the Big teams we have been over run in midfield so we have less control of the game, so we become less fluid going forwards. Gary Neville makes a point about needing some power, which is lacking on our end. Against bigger player we need to press with speed, as we don't have muscle in the middle. Lucas isn't the best at pressing at speed, maybe some comp or upgrade on him sooner, rather than later.
ReplyDeleteNow Fenway,show your bottle and bid for Mata..A Gift Horse staring you in the mouth.Test your ambition and stick it to Mourinho.
ReplyDeleteI agree. This is a bigger problem than teams double teaming Suarez to take him out of the game. We are starting to get better production from mid-field but we still lack an attacking/ball winning mindset there. Sturridge re-entering the line-up will solve the Suarez double team so that problem will fix itself soon. But we will be way more effective when our MF consistently presses a relentless attack like we did against Spurs. Not sure I agree with the power part though. Arsenal doesn't have powerful MF's. And with the exception of Hazard, neither does Chelski. Their MFs are just faster, quicker, and more aggressive than everybody else's...including ours.
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely certain Mourinho will not let Mata go to such a rival. If they let him go it will be to somebody who is our rival like Everton or Newcastle. But the thought isi nice. However, someone who might be available...Rakitic...would be superb. He plays like Hazard: confident, decisive, smart, and powerful.
ReplyDeleteI really think BR is making a mistake not playing Alberto more. I think he is a very compsed player and would add assists, goals and possession to the team.
ReplyDeleteCheck your stats, and see who Suarez has scored against of the top teams, ok he didnt score "this week" against those teams(as stats would confirm) but overall, do your stats thing and supply the facts.
ReplyDeleteLoved Steve Bruce interview "You could see a lot of tired bodies and the third game in six days was a bit too much for us". Means If we were fresher we could have fu**ed Suarez better. Bit worried about the pattern being set by chelsea. Can't wait for Dan to come back atleast to take away some of the attention.,Suarez , Sturridge,Salah, could do it for us.
ReplyDeleteI think when Sturridge plays, he increase the space, as team are wary of his pace (so they retreat 3-5 yards back), allowing Luis to have a better first touch. Power could be size, tenacity, aggression or ferocity (like Flamini or Ramiers/Mikel). I not a Lucas hater, just think with a different player, we won't need two sitting DM's for large parts of the game.
ReplyDeleteIf Alberto was good enough he would be playing, thats a no brainer.
ReplyDeleteMy concerns: That guy aspas needs to leave asap, no need to even talk about him anymore, he even wears no 9! Coutinho very poor, almost the opposite player of the last season, I cant stand his shooting, a disaster. Good to see steven back. No alberto at all, why? Henderson how could he miss that? And finally Assaidi bossing at stoke, rodgers never gave him epl chances but brought shocking moses who looks like a complete fool around the pitch. Vs oldham br should rest suarez he looks so tired might get hurt, call texeira ilori for that one, and gerrard needs now game time.
ReplyDeleteThey will be happy because England will not have to face him in the World Cup. The way they direct the referees to treat Suarez, they are openly inviting someone to injure him. It's their plan.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you insinuating, ? I never said you were paranoid,
ReplyDeleteScored against City in both games last year, Scored against Tottenham, scored against Everton, Scored against United. Fact is he has now scored against EVERY team in the League with today's goal.
ReplyDeleteI think Lucas has become a soft target of late. However, if you analyse the stats, he is currently being rated as one of the best defensive midfield player in the EPL.
ReplyDeleteFor example:
Rated #2 best DM on http://www.whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/Seasons/3853/Stages/7794/PlayerStatistics/England-Premier-League-2013-2014
Rated #2 best DM on http://www.squawka.com/football-player-rankings#defensive-actions#player-stats#english-barclays-premier-league|season-2013/2014#all-teams#midfielder#16#43#0#0#90#17/08/2013#01/01/2014#season#1#all-matches#total#desc
And all with a 91% pass accuracy. In comparison, Allen is a complete waste of space.
There may well be room for improvement. However, it would appear that he is as good as it currently gets in the EPL for his DM position.
There was a plan B. In the City game Suarez set up team mates numerous times for sitters, but they couldn't convert. Guess that's Suarez's fault too.
ReplyDeleteHow can you claim that Brendan isn't defending his players enough... he outright accused Lee Mason of favoring Man City because he is from "greater Manchester".
ReplyDeleteI've just posted some stats (waiting on it to be moderated) on Lucas. He compares favourably as one of the top 2 defensive midfielders in the EPL.
ReplyDeleteSo, I would urge caution when trying to lay the blame at Lucas. The real question is do we need a Lucas type player if SG is also playing a deep play maker type role? That is up to BR to explain his tactics and team setup.
one person that had a good game that never got a mension was the ref and what we"ave to put up with over the last games it made a refreshing change never want to see webb or mason incharge of a reds game again
ReplyDeleteReading your take... one would think we lost today.
ReplyDeleteI thought he settled down in the second half... The ref had a rough first half, and Suarez in particular suffered because of it.
ReplyDeleteReally? That is pretty funny actually, so no defenders can stop him every time. Not sure how Jaimie missed it.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part is, BR is between a rock and a hard place on this issue, first getting investigated by the FA for the City remarks, then coming out and making comments about the reffing at Chelsea. Now he really should be saying something, but it would be hard not to think that there's a little retribution from the refs for making these comments.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there will be a few editorials tomorrow about this treatment - what would they write about if Suarez were injured???
Agreed... as foolish as Mourinho has been this year with his handling of Mata, he understands that the last thing he'd want to do is give him an opportunity for redemption with a team Chelsea is competing with.
ReplyDeleteSuarez was getting kicked badly and didn't get enough decisions really. I don't think it was a good game but we have certainly seen worse recently.
ReplyDeletethe bloody telly kept freezing in the pub in the1st half so really couldn't judge saw the full 2"d half and thought he done well ,a few tired legs out there after a tough week but a welcome 3 points
ReplyDeleteI'm really laying blame, it's more to do with as BR flip the triangle. Would Lucas be able to hold the fort, when the other two midfielders move into advanced positions? A high ball, a muscly midfield or a speedy player engage Lucas and 'ish hits the fan'. I think if Lucas was more dominant in the air, Sakho wouldn't come out as much to head the ball that come in Lucas's area (cause if no one wins the second ball, we are on the back foot as Sakho has stepped up). I wouldn't get rid of Lucas just yet, as new player don't always work straight off the bat..like Aspas
ReplyDeleteThe second half was toned down. 1st half was dirty, it was an obvious tactic to deal with Suarez.. It's not that they set out to foul him, but rather it seemed like they set out to injure him. I was fuming.
ReplyDeleteIMHO attacking the ref for showing bias towards Man City (when he was a Bolton fan) is a bit silly. That's what has got BR in to hot water.
ReplyDeleteInstead, he should have just defended his players, logically pointed out ALL the refereeing deficiencies but with more vigour and passion than a damp squid.
He should have aggressively confronted the not-so-special one about the swimming pool dive claim, especially following the Oscar fiasco today - which Mourinho has brushed off as a non-event.
He doesn't have to support Man City to favor them he just needs to be under undue pressure. If you walk around Bolton there are plenty of different footy tops. Both manchester teams are well represented.
ReplyDeleteYea probably but my intention was to raise the negatives despite the win, which is always goob but the season doesnt finishes here so gotta improve in certain areas, that was my idea, otherwise I was happy for the win as well, you see we cannot perform and get results vs big teams so theres always room for critics and I guess this site is more suitable than any other to do it!
ReplyDeleteAgainst Chelsea it was Coutinho who did the job of taking out Suarez, not so much the defenders. His passes have been off, and he's opting to shoot when he should pass.
ReplyDeleteThere's hardly a better creator in the game. Ozil might be king of assists, but if half the chances that LS created were taken he'd be leading in assists right now too. Time for some new recruits to come in, and everyone get their act together - more goals and assists will come!
ReplyDeleteJust heard murinho told mata he can leave after protesting for getting subbed. Should we bid? Imo yes.
ReplyDeleteWe should absolutely bid. It would be nice to thave that crewative energy in red. My one hair standing up on my neck is why such an amazing player has fallen so far out of favor so fast. Schurrle is good, but I don't think he is better than Mata. Hazard is better, but Mata is world class.
ReplyDeleteBut he did play. He was on for 20 minutes the other day and within 7 minutes he had assisted on a Suarez goal with a deftly weighted pass. Certainly that was better than the guy, Lucas, he replaced had done all game.
ReplyDeleteOur little Stoke City loaner, Oussama Assaidi almost took Everton down today with is third goal for Stoke. It it weren't for a penalty at the death we would be two points clear of Everton too.
ReplyDeleteWe were playing ten men at the time though. More space.
ReplyDeleteSuarz fails to score against top oppo because our midfield are not world class to play him in, put him in a world class team and he would score bucket loads there too
ReplyDeleteSuarez did score goals against Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City, Everton and Tottenham last season. I feel its wrong to say that Suarez struggles against big teams, we as a team struggle entirely and Suarez needs much more support from the team when playing against bigger teams.
ReplyDeleteAre you being deliberately obtuse ? Rodgers is clearly using a turn of phrase in describing it as the best win of the season . It's obviously not a literal description. It's aiming a psychological message to his players . Ffs , this hasn't hard.
ReplyDeleteOne thing nobody can deny, it was the best win of the year!
ReplyDeleteI'd love it if we got Rakitic,plays and passes with authority.Seen him live and he covers some ground,good shot and strong in the tackle.
ReplyDeleteStats don't differentiate between a two foot pass and a thirty yard one.IMO nothing beats a live game with a TV replay later.
ReplyDeleteFrom twenty yards in, Countinho has become very reluctant to pass it to Suarez. This wouldn't be so bad, if his shooting wasn't horrible.
ReplyDeleteI thought Lucas played very well today...but he gets overwhelmed by a squad of, fast aggressive MFs like Arsenal and Chelski...who wouldn't. That's why we need our own fast, aggressive, smart MFs...like Rakitic.
ReplyDeleteI think that Rodgers was afraid this match because team was tired and thin. That's why when we did it against Hull he exaggerated. Anfield must remain a fortress. We have a clear chance to be champions in the end of this season. But we need some help (transfers) and some respect (referees). Suarez can score against anyone and we don't have to exaggerated from our part. In his time with Liverpool he has scored goals against all our big rivals: Everton (4), Tottenham (3), Arsenal (2), Chelsea (2), Newcastle (2), Man City (1) and Man U (1). I don't know why we have to complain all the time...
ReplyDeleteThat's it, it's not like he's in great positions when he shoots - usually a few yards from outside of the box. He has the league's 3rd highest shooting rate. Out of 59 shots, has 2 goals, neither of which came from outside the box.
ReplyDeleteaspas looked super bad he seems scared of the contact and his first touch is almost as bad as chicharito hernandez. as far as coutinho, i think he is sufferin from fatigue, honestly they have been playing like crazy and if we had some depth maybe he would had one game rest, but his passing has been a lil off and for a former futsal player his finishine in front of goal is really bad. nice dribbles to get shots off and they both ended up onto the keeper.lets not be too harsh on BR maybe he works better on the Jan transfer window than the summer one. haha. YNWA
ReplyDeleteAssaidi and Suso out on loan getting the job done but instead we have Aspas and Moses. Why does Moses get on the pitch ahead of Alberto?
ReplyDeleteNo point in making an enemy of Mourinho
ReplyDeleteThat's why he kept quiet I would say........
Could be a Chelsea player or two coming on loan.
The following has no basis in known facts but I would like to speculate that Mourinho is quite bitter towards Man Utd, given that he cried when he wasn't appointed there. Would it be a stretch to imagine he might loan his old apprentice another player or two? Mata's not happy...... We would take him...... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........
Webb denied Man Utd the most blatant penalty ever today. Lloris almost killed Ashley Young with a wild lunge
ReplyDeleteWebb also allowed De Jong's attempted dismantling of Alonso's rib cage go unpunished in last World Cup
He makes odd decisions at times.......
Mourinho often throws aside a talented player, seemingly inexplicably.
ReplyDeleteI think it's supposed to have a galvanizing affect on everyone or something. It seems to work, whatever he does
If he's consistent, Oscar should now be discarded because he doesn't like....... Wait for it, it's a classic......... PLAYERS THAT DIVE......... Hahahahahahaha
Like Hannibal Lector saying that he doesn't like eating people's livers with a nice Chianti.......... fhhhh, fhhhhhh, fhhhhh
The problem Suarez has scoring against the top 5 sides IMO is purely down to the dearth of chances and quality possession he receives from midfield when our own midfield is outclassed. Against these teams he gets no support whatsoever either through the middle or from the wings and has to live on scraps. Suarez is good enough to score against anyone IF he's given quality ball to work with. But that's a big if, with Lucas and Stevie both in the starting 11 the pace and drive we need to get the ball between the lines just isn't there. Coutinho seems to disappear in these games and I don't ever remember Sterling laying on a chance for Suarez. He's carrying the team ATM almost singlehandidly which can't continue until may...
ReplyDeleteGood point. His header was going in against Chelsea. Skrtel just made sure.
ReplyDeleteBetter defenders just cut out is supply more. Other than the header, the only other chance against Chelsea was a volley from outside the box. He got it on target, so you can't really ask for much more.....
Johnson was poor, but he was carrying an injury for the whole game. He kicked the floor instead of the ball early on, the dope.
ReplyDeleteI think it was our best performance purely in terms of; a potential banana-skin, coming off the back of two disappointing defeats, coping with a threadbare squad who look dead on their feet at the minute, and lastly and perhaps most importantly a CLEAN SHEET.
ReplyDeleteWe won ugly, but it was a hugely important win.
Moses has pace, it helps stretch the play when tiredness kicks in (in theory...but Moses has justifed the theory)
ReplyDeleteI'm losing count of the number of times Suarez plays in Sterling for easy chances, but Sterling never repays the compliment.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about this the other day. There could be another line of thinking in that WITH Mata Liverpool could take points off all of Chelsea's rivals, but he wouldn't be allowed to play against them if he was on loan. So long as Chelsea didn't lose at Anfield they would probably win the league....
ReplyDeleteIt's worth a straw-clutch anyway.
That was reason for Brad Smith last week... MOSES has relived himself on the theory, so disappointed with him. Might as well fake a injury, so Ibe can get on the bench.
ReplyDeleteI thought the ref was a bit shit, to be honest. Lots of challenges on Suarez went unpunished, and then he booked Luis for one mis-timed tackle.
ReplyDeleteThen there was the incident when their striker (Sagbo ?) was clearly taking the piss out of the ref, but he only threatened him with a yellow.
The only good decision was the off-side.
That was narky from Oscar. Rather than score he would rather get a pen and a fellow pro sent off. Well done to the ref for spotting it.
ReplyDeleteMoses may well have pace, but he never shows it. He jogs through every game. I wouldn't give him a contract even if he led us out of the wilderness.
ReplyDeletePlus in years to come top quality player may ask what BR is like, and 'special needs' will give BR a glowing reference. Plus don't want special needs and BR, to go down the Fergie and Keane route.. BR looks like a person that will show decorum to this situation.
ReplyDelete17m is the average length of pass for Lucas :-)
ReplyDeleteHe set up a goal at Norwich, but that's about it. But I don't think it's intentional, like he ignores Suarez, rather tunnel vision, but he is improving. Coutinho on the other hand ignores the good pass and opts for personal glory. He's credited with being Liverpool's creator, but is 4th ranked for key passes, behind Suarez, Gerrard, and Henderson.
ReplyDeleteJaimie, IMO, you sometimes agonise too much over what Rodgers says!
ReplyDeleteOK fair point.
ReplyDeleteAlberto has looked good in the limited opportunities he's had. BR probably has his own reasons for not playing him but I'm really puzzled. Hopefully he will get a run in the cup team so he can prove himself.
ReplyDeletemy dream signing. Thank you emotional one. Really should push the boat out to get Mata. I hope BR is aware of the situation.
ReplyDeleteClean sheet is a big one. When was the last 2-0? I love us scoring lots of goals but I love clean sheets almost as much.
ReplyDeleteBR said this was our best win. Dagger said it was not our best performance. Win and performance are different.
ReplyDeletethats bang on. Suarez set up gilt edged opportunities for sterling and johnson. The linesman disallowed one and then 1 chance was fluffed by each.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how much hendo has improved or sterling has improved - they still dont put away 10% of the chances that suarez creates for them.
Even coutinho - has had wonderful vision but his shooting is abysmal.
to judge suarez properly - look at the number of chances he has created and then look at the percentage converted.
Things will improve once sturridge is back in the fold - and if sturridge stays fit till the end of the season then we have a good chance to be in the top 4.
We are still short of a really aggressive midfielder in the mould of pogba and an attacking midfielder in the mould of mata.
Suarez was absolutely battered - and if it was an english player on the receiving end of all these tackles then the commentators and media in general would be getting their knickers in a twist. And im sure towards the end of the season he will be taken out!
Terrible analysis and comments. This after a solid 2-0 win over Hull? I don't see anything wrong with Rodgers saying it was the 'best win'. Considering we lost 2 consecutive matches and picked up injuries all over, and that hull hammered fulham before, this was always going to be a tough match. If you read Rodgers comments, he didn't say 'best performance'. In fact, he said the performance wasn't the best! Get your facts right Jaimie! Your Coutinhno, Suarez and Sterling bashing was uncalled for. True, there are improvements to be made but considering their recent performances, your negativity is really well..misguided.
ReplyDeleteJust happy that we kept a clean sheet. We had no control in midfield, Just shows how important Allen is to the way Rodgers wants to play football.
ReplyDeleteWin is all that matters. Johnson might be out now but he has done nothing to warrant a starting place of late. Hoping Kelly, Ilori and Alberto get a run against Oldham in the FA Cup.
Aspas needs to put on some weight. He will not make it in this league looking like a thin stick. He needs a proper run in the team though as he has no confidence at all.
Many people do. At least Rodgers is not saying things like "I guarantee fourth" etc and does not pick fights with just about everybody...
ReplyDeleteI generally agree with you Jamie, I however think that BR quote is out of context here resulting in the wrong analysis. BR said it is our best win given the run of games & performance. You can see his full post match comments here - http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/152341-brendan-our-best-win-of-the-season
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with BR, we certainly won ugly on the day & totally love the sound of 3 points in the bag
Could be many reasons why Rodgers is not giving Alberto a chance.
ReplyDelete1. Rodgers does not trust Alberto
2. Alberto does not work hard enough in training
3. Rodgers thinks Alberto is not ready yet
4. Communication problem between Rodgers and Alberto
5. Rodgers wants Alberto to be fully settled and will have him play a bigger part next season
6. Etc, etc, etc
We will unfortunately not know the real story behind Alberto having limited playing time...
Maybe Alberto will start for the match against Oldham in the FA Cup
Jaimie, you keep on pointing out the signing of Alberto and Rodgers' performance in the transfer market.
ReplyDeleteAlberto cost 7 million pounds. Who would you have signed for that amount of pennies?
Like you say, he is only 20 years old. We will not know the real reasons as to why he has not featured more. I am pretty sure all of us would like him to be involved a bit more but there are probably good reasons why Rodgers is holding him back and I doubt Rodgers will be mouthing off in the media about those reasons as that could open up a can of worms and turn it into a slaughtering for the youngster don't you think?
Jaimie, you keep on pointing out the signing of Alberto and Rodgers' performance in the transfer market.
ReplyDeleteAlberto cost 7 million pounds. Who would you have signed for that amount of pennies?
Like you say, he is only 20 years old. We will not know the real reasons as to why he has not featured more. I am pretty sure all of us would like him to be involved a bit more but there are probably good reasons why Rodgers is holding him back and I doubt Rodgers will want to be talking to the media about those reasons as that could open up a can of worms and turn it into a slaughtering for the youngster don't you think?
Jaimie, you keep on pointing out the signing of Alberto and Rodgers' performance in the transfer market.
ReplyDeleteAlberto cost 7 million pounds. Who would you have signed for that amount of pennies?
Like you say, he is only 20 years old. We will not know the real reasons as to why he has not featured more. I am pretty sure all of us would like him to be involved a bit more but there are probably good reasons why Rodgers is holding him back and I doubt Rodgers will want to be talking to the media about those reasons as that could open up a can of worms and turn it into a fiasco for the youngster don't you think?
Moderation on my comments again. Tried changing the comment three times but not once would it post. So frustrating!
ReplyDeleteJaimie, you keep on pointing out the signing of Alberto and Rodgers' performance in the transfer market.
ReplyDeleteAlberto cost 7 million pounds. Who would you have signed for that amount of pennies?
Like you say, he is only 20 years old. We will not know the real reasons as to why he has not featured more. I am pretty sure all of us would like him to be involved a bit more but there are probably good reasons why Rodgers is holding him back and I doubt Rodgers will want to be talking to the media about those reasons as that could open up a can of worms and turn it into a fiasco for the youngster?
Yes I was at the game and he was struggling all game after that, he should of come off earlier....
ReplyDeleteI think Alberto starting the cup match is a certainty due to our limited squad.
ReplyDeleteIt's just frustrating because he is young and obviously has potential. IMO Aspas is off the pace but nobody can make any judgement over Alberto because we haven't seen him.
But seriously, Moses instead of Alberto? A loan signing who has been very poor? There must be an agreement between Rodgers and Mourinho about pitch time because Moses would struggle to make the bench if everyone was fit.
I wouldn't have signed anyone for £7m; I would've kept Suso - who is a carbon copy, and used the £15m wasted on Alberto and Aspas on a top quality, experienced, first-team player.
ReplyDeleteThe word filter is temperamental; sometimes perfectly valid posts get caught. Happens to me too. Sorry about that. It's live now.
ReplyDeleteYeah I know, who'd have thought it, it's harder to score against Chelsea than it is against Hull.
ReplyDeleteYou have misinterpreted this, Rogers was just delighted with the response from 2 very unlucky defeats that could have killed our confidence. We beat Hull, as we should but theres no guarantee in any league game and they are in great form.
ReplyDeleteThanks
ReplyDeleteSuso and Alberto are not quite the same. Suso is not really a goal scoring midfielder, never has been whereas Alberto is.
ReplyDeleteSuso is doing well in Spain but did not rip the pitch up last season in the EPL. Suso will want regular football when he gets back and whether he gets that is another story. There will be even more competition at the start of next season in midfield an upfront so Suso will be up against it.
Who could we have got for even 15 million? We had targets like Costa, Willian and Mkhitaryan who were all 25 million pounds and above. I know you are going to say Eriksen by the way :-) but obviously we were just not interested in him.
Rodgers has plenty of faith in young players otherwise he would have never given Suso, Sterling, Wisom, Flanagan, Kelly and the likes of Ibe a run in the first team. Alberto still has many years ahead of him and there are probably some valid reasons why Rodgers has not given him more playing time. Let's wait and see what the future holds for Alberto before jumping the gun and saying he is a waste of money!
What do you mean 'who could we have got for £15m'? Are you kidding? Stop making excuses already! There are hundreds, if not thousands of players in the world in that price range who could do a great job for LFC. Look at Sturridge, for example: £12m and a massive success. There are also countless players in PL bought within that prices range over the last 5 years who are successes.
ReplyDeleteYour zeal to defend Rodgers clouds your ability to be objective. With respect, it's ludicrous to suggest that LFC can't find good players to buy in the £15m price range.
I personally think too much is being made about Rodgers' shortcomings in the transfer market and how he should or shouldn't be conducting himself in an out of the media. First of all I'll point out the obvious, the man is in his second season at one of the most illustrious clubs in the world where quite frankly in some people's eyes - he can do no right. A majority of fans were in absolute outrage when he replaced King Kenny, but quite frankly, I'd much rather be where we are now than where we were 18 or so months ago. When Hodgson took over before KK, again ..Outrage, people said rightly or wrongly, he simply wasn't good enough and making statements like, "we'd be lucky to draw" or "they'll be a real test", when referring to teams the masses may deem cannon fodder. Now, we have someone who at times over hypes his players performances and we're STILL not happy? I get confused when fans make statements when referring to the manager like> Why did he send that player out on loan or why would he sign this player for this fee? (I won't appear to have a dig at KK transfer dealings at this point). Especially when, for the first time in ages, we're at a point where we are (for the most part) playing great football, scoring goals (albeit through limited channels) and only 6 points off the league leaders in the new year. For once IO reckon it would be really very nice to have a thread giving the manager credit for what he has done and give positive opinions on how thinks can improve, call me mad but for the first time I'm very, very positive about our club and at the moment neither Rodgers OR FSG have done anything to quell that....That is all.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say Suso was a carbon copy, it may look like he's setting the world alight on loan but, it's a totally different league with the benefit of being his home country. Suso was played (albeit sparingly) and contributed zero goals to the best of my knowledge so bringing someone else in that is at the very least is built slightly better for this league can only be a good thing. £7m in this day and age is peanuts and we spent that one youngster and one supposed senior attacker, £14m on two players isn't an awful investment JK. Especially with the potential to make either a profit or a minimal loss on either if sold.
ReplyDeleteSturridge and Coutinho are both young and so is Allen? Sakho? Difference is that they have slightly more experience than Alberto at first team level.
ReplyDeleteI honestly think we should just sit back and wait and see what the plan is for Alberto. How do you not know that he won't play a bigger part next season? It took Lucas how long? Even Henderson looked like a 'waste of money' and is now the first player selected for the starting eleven.
It is impossible to predict his future at LFC when he is only 20. majority though Lucas was never going to make it but worked hard and now is a fixture.
I think Rodger is considering all the circumstances together and talking about the result, not the performance. The players were tired, it was the third game in a week, Hull had played very well last time out and frankly Liverpool were up against it. Let's not forget that this was a team we recently lost to and since that time we've been decimated with injuries. We none the less produced a win. Given everything that has gone against us ... maybe it's a fairer statement than you give it credit for. I often think in these situations you don't make any effort to understand the statements that you don't agree with. If what he says didn't make sense to you why not try and think about what's in his head when he says it?
ReplyDeleteCheers
ReplyDelete