As predicted earlier today, Lucas Leiva drops to the bench for today's game with Aston Villa at Anfield, and his removal from the starting line up is a heartening sign of attacking intent from Reds boss Brendan Rodgers.
Someone had to make way for the return of Daniel Sturridge, and with Steven Gerrard now deployed a holding role for the club, Lucas is the obvious choice to drop out of the first XI.
FULL TEAM: Mignolet, Johnson, Cissokho, Skrtel, Toure, Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Sturridge, Suarez
SUBS: Jones, Kelly, Lucas, Moses, Allen, Aspas, Alberto
Cissokho aside, this is arguably Liverpool's strongest possible starting line-up. Some may argue that Agger/Sakho could replace Toure, but for me, Toure gets the nod over both of them.
Liverpool's front six is very exciting, and potentially full of goals, so hopefully Villa be put to the sword this afternoon.
Author: Jaimie K
Someone had to make way for the return of Daniel Sturridge, and with Steven Gerrard now deployed a holding role for the club, Lucas is the obvious choice to drop out of the first XI.
FULL TEAM: Mignolet, Johnson, Cissokho, Skrtel, Toure, Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Sturridge, Suarez
SUBS: Jones, Kelly, Lucas, Moses, Allen, Aspas, Alberto
Cissokho aside, this is arguably Liverpool's strongest possible starting line-up. Some may argue that Agger/Sakho could replace Toure, but for me, Toure gets the nod over both of them.
Liverpool's front six is very exciting, and potentially full of goals, so hopefully Villa be put to the sword this afternoon.
Author: Jaimie K
first off is anyone watching the west ham match my word andy carrol is horrible that said no lucas hm don't know how to feel about this starting 11 all i can do is hope for the best come on liverpool we need a win
ReplyDeleteWell.. I thought coutinho had to make way, this is very attacking but dangerous as well, lucas has been always the unsung hero, not sure if gerrard got the legs for that job!
ReplyDeleteGood it is not coutinho, he needs to build his confidence with a few assists. Calling 4-0.
ReplyDeleteQuite delighted with the team selection. Hope SG will do better than previous game. This is definitely an attacking lineup. Hopefully will see a lot of goals in this match from Liverpool.
ReplyDeleteIt shows..... like u jamie, some of us got the line up spot on which shows BR is singing from the same hymn sheet. Good to see Allen on the bench hope he's comes on later.
ReplyDeleteThe attacking lineup looks fantastic, very interesting to see how Gerard plays in this new role.
ReplyDeletewe look lightweight in midfield without lucas
ReplyDeleteDeep lying Gerrard is calamity waiting to happen
ReplyDeletegerrard in a 442 hahahahah
ReplyDeleteWe just can t get into the game at mo - no forward play at all with no chances created
ReplyDeletesomeone have a word with BR
ReplyDelete3 in the middle. HAS TO BE
ReplyDeleteAll over us
ReplyDeleteIt's not lack of Lucks that's the problem (IMO), it's just Gerrard can't play the holding role effectively.
ReplyDeleteif were going to play 442. surely it has to be a diamond with Coutino at the top end and Lucas on the other. PURE MADNESS
ReplyDeleteThis is surely you score two,we score 4 type of line up. This is bound to happen.
ReplyDeleteKenny got sacked for playing 442 without Lucas. Gerrard is no Roy Keane or Viera. Tactically he is so weak
ReplyDeleteWell spoken!
ReplyDeletewe dont need two wingers with the pace we have up top and lack of height. BR decided Sterling was playing and sacraficed the team. should be the other way round
ReplyDeleteWithout a better passing play we will walk away with a draw, the ball is just being kicked all over aimlessly, if you can hear me LFC, slow down and pass.
ReplyDeleteok we've swithced to a diamond. BOUT time
ReplyDeleteCissokho looks positive today. good to see.
ReplyDeleteGerrard is not, and never will be an effective definisive midfielder.
ReplyDeletelordy lord
ReplyDeleteYeahh. It's one of those days.. Bentekeed
ReplyDeleteRogers PLEASE PRIORITISE A DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER!
ReplyDeletewe've played benteke back into form. we've given him back his mojo by crapping it everytime he's near the ball
ReplyDeleteor stop dropping Lucas
ReplyDeleteNot giving up yet, if we still 2 down at 60, i give up.
ReplyDeleteWorst first half of the season.........cannot believe what im watching!
ReplyDeletegerrard is past it no lucas sigh and a crappy glen johnson there goes my weekend good thing i keep an emergency bottle in my apartment come on alcohol
ReplyDeleteI voted for Coutinho to be benched in the poll, especially as villa have lots of pace on the counter and Lucas would have given us that little bit of control in the midfield. Annoyed that BR waited until we were a goal down to change things but it's hard to be too critical towards such a good manager overall.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that this is a ploy to convince Mr Henry that we need to spend because we have been absolutely rubbish this half.
Coutinho is anonymous and Cissokho is so far away from the player I saw at Valencia a few years back.
Oh well, heads up and on to the next...
Disagree he's been fairly quiet! We're not dominating possession or setting the tempo!
ReplyDeleteShitoko
ReplyDeletealrighttime to turn back on my feed sigh
ReplyDeleteKeep your head up guys, we have scored the 2nd most goals in the league, with good passing we will be back int he game.
ReplyDeletesometimes i really hate being a liverpool supporter sigh
ReplyDeletehead up?????????? are you shiting me??????? Im gona throw up........
ReplyDeletelook how ragged we are. nothing good comes out of such chaos unfortunately
ReplyDeleteI disagree. Gerrard should've been dropped, with Lucas in his place. I only chose Lucas to be dropped as Rodgers would never leave Gerrard out, so it's not even worth considering.
ReplyDeletewe have to buy now have to FSG i hope your watching this comedy show
ReplyDeleteHe is terrible mate, so much so that it's almost funny. Almost...
ReplyDeletehow much is the flight from liverpool to spain? can we club together some money to get cissokho back to valencia?
ReplyDeletewe have to pick the right team. That involves dropping skrtel picking Lucas and playing a system that took us to the top of the table at xmas
ReplyDeleteskertel saved 2 goals mate
ReplyDeleteEr.....cough cough
ReplyDeletestill our midfield is ineffective when will the wrld see that gerrard is past it even though we had lucas theres still glen johnson aston villa could've scored earlier when glen lost his man urgh this is getting ridiculous
ReplyDeleteskrtel is probably the least problem we have atm ...
ReplyDeleteskrtels nerves cause us a lot of jitters at the back
ReplyDeleteBravo indeed :-|
ReplyDeletealright thats one come on men
ReplyDeleteall the clicks clickity click ......if it aint broke dont fix it .....gerrad is no holding midfieder villa are completely in charge
ReplyDeleteDanny Boy!!
ReplyDeleteBR u can still save this match take off gerrard put on lucas allen i don't give a f*** just take him off please
ReplyDeleteWe still have 2 in this, suarez will come back after the half hungry.
ReplyDeletei said this guy was average all along and wasnt a patch on jose
ReplyDeleteu know its bad when were missing jose the day dreamer that said jose is a beast in the attack
ReplyDeleteHe's not past it, he's just tactically not aquitted to play definsive midfield. Rafael Benitez knew that too.
ReplyDeletesturridge <3
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. We need some f**king control down the middle.It's embarassing to Gerrard himself to play in this unfamiliar role and getting spanked. More over these two were doing good in his absence
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw him disappear from the screen in the AV half with ball going towards us, I knew we were in trouble. Sure enough he never tracked back to help out...no defender...cross...header...goal. He needs to go in January.
ReplyDeleteimo he doesnt even deserve the title average, hes poor in all aspects..
ReplyDeleteLol, that is why i did not bet money on it.
ReplyDeletehe pgets away with it for England, Because international football is all about walking. He doesnt read the game and his lateral movement is non existent. he is NEVER in the right place at the right time ala all great defensive mids
ReplyDeleteexactly liverpool was dare i say briliant in midfield with lucas allen and henderson
ReplyDeletei want that midfield trio back again my gosh we've been terrible in the middle of the park
cissokho + johnson are atm the worst fullback combination in the league imo, i´d rather have rat and o´brien in defence ..
ReplyDeleteWell maybe the Sturridge goal aside, this actually hasn't worked Jaimie. I've never been so frustrated watching us this year. We let Villa march up the field every time they had possession; and not just passing possession, but barnstorming dribbles and balls up the field. We couldn't string 2 passes together.
ReplyDeleteRodgers has got some big calls to make about Gerard as he cant play in that role by himself needs Lucas in there with him for Coutinho who is not on form.
ReplyDeleteWe really just need to calm down, maintain some possession and good things will happen. This match has been a track meet so far. The mid-field is once again absent. Cissokho needs to be subbed at the half. Gerrard gets 10-15 minutes to pick up the pace and then Lucas needs to enter.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the f*** Johnson was doing at that second goal. It's like he's been cooking his brain with meth lately.
ReplyDeleteI think Lucas is owed an apology. Football is not always about how many attacking players you have on the pitch if the balance is all wrong. Complacency, lead to that suggestion. I just hope we reset things in the second half :(
ReplyDeleteBest comment of the day.
ReplyDeletei'm taking about whole season gerrard has been past it whole season and its time we've realized that look how good our midfield was with his absence hendo was on fire now its back to same old same old leaking f**king goals cant take this f***ery
ReplyDeletejust saw the Weiman goal again. WHat is Gerrard doing?
ReplyDeleteFor that to happen BR should in his own words should have the bottle to drop him
ReplyDeleteI could dead set attack better than Cissokho does. Devoid of any imagination or guile
ReplyDeletecovering for the absent Cissokho
ReplyDeleteApart from the passing, our problem is in the back. Big gap at Gerrard-Kolo zone. Gerrard was not keeping an eye on his eye on the 1st, and look where kolo was on the 2nd. Bring in Lucas for Gerrard at half to fix it BR, but Lucas still needs to be on the bench in future games once we work out this glitch.
ReplyDeletehe was touch tight and switched off. great cover..... but cover properly
ReplyDeleteor feet
ReplyDeletethere is no way Gerrard is coming off
ReplyDeleteOn any other day I would have said that, not today though. Hiw passing and defending is off.
ReplyDeletei hope so brb need to top up my drink
ReplyDeletebut knowing br doubt he will he does not make the tough decisions ever sooooo here we go again
ReplyDeleteWHY is so much of our play down the left? Surely we need to limit the time Cissokho has the ball at his feet?!?! Add to that the lack of an attacking wide player and it is astounding! Delighted for Hendo, he goes into his shell far too much when Gerrard is on the pitch. Before our goal there was a minute of frustrating play with people dribbling back to the keeper. Hendo looked up, spread the play and then added a touch of flair at the end.
ReplyDeleteif we are playing 3 in the middle are best 3 are allen ( never thought id say it ) lucas and hendo..period
ReplyDeleteJust looked at the bench and Kelly is the only other defender there...we're in trouble. BR better hammer Cissokho into moving up less and staying home more. He's not helping us. The front four need to calm down...the openings are there the passes just need to weighted better.
ReplyDeleteLucas in for cout, 433?
ReplyDeletehis defending has always been off, Unless that is off course he has to chase 40 yards and put a sliding tackle. Positionally he is terrible.
ReplyDeleteAnd Lucas comes on :')
ReplyDeletelucas for coutinho so i'm going to be finishing this bottle here
ReplyDeleteit doesnt work not with gerrard it means you ahve two show ponies with hendo having to do the work of 3 but no doubt hedo will get the blame and rogers will praise gerrard
ReplyDeleteCoutinho started to play some nice passes when he was in the middle, but still managed two where there was noone in sight in the direction he played it. I feel quite a few times things havnt come off, eg pass hitting back of suarez' legs. This is symptoomatic of the total lack of control in midfield. Possession first 30 mins was disasterous.
ReplyDeleteVilla have been dirty dogs
ReplyDeletehip hooray tino isnt a cetral midfielder in the memeory of man and i dont care what you say
ReplyDeletenow grow a set rogers and put allen on for gerrard
ReplyDeleteYo man!! Suarez
ReplyDeleteYippeeee!
ReplyDeletedive?
ReplyDeletedefinitely lol
ReplyDeletewho cares?
ReplyDeletei dont
ReplyDeleteok being a hypocrite now
ReplyDeletecome on gerrard
ffs liverpool making the top 4 is not about producing games worthy of being re-run on premier league classic matches
ReplyDeletei'm having a heart attack come on liverpool
ReplyDeletelovely ball by gerrard
ReplyDeleteSee the change when you play people in their rightful position. Classic Gerrard
ReplyDeleteme neither
ReplyDeleteNow Knock the Villans out
ReplyDeleteif we ever start with a 4-4-2 again with two center mids im gona go looking for BR lol
ReplyDeletenooooo gerrard should have been through to suarez....
ReplyDeleteWon't stop him being the scapegoat!
ReplyDeletenope ;)
ReplyDeletenow we look like LIVERPOOL
ReplyDeleteoh lucas off? hold that thought :D
ReplyDeleteNow I worry a bit, I was hoping for more chances and a 3rd goal by mid 2nd half.
ReplyDeleteLol...all the chances have been our way
ReplyDeletei do
ReplyDeletekelly must be dreadful as he's left on the bench whilst cissokho plays
ReplyDeletecrap not average
ReplyDeleteOnly about 3 though. 12 minutes left now.
ReplyDeleteHe is, not quick on the ball.
ReplyDeleteHe gets injured just from breathing
ReplyDeleteDisgusting.
ReplyDeleteIt's not Gerrard. Why do people persistently look for that link? It's like some kind of neurosis that it must be his fault because he is favoured. The problem was clearly the system and trying to push him into a role he is not best suited to. The player that needed to be rested - and eventually was - was Coutinho.
ReplyDeleteJust let Gerrard do what he has been doing impeccably for the last 15 years. I personally am not ready to sacrifice that to accommodate an off form Coutinho.
In saying that, singling out players is never the a sensible move; the team as whole is always far more culpable.
Loving all this gerrard 'quaterback' talk on sky by jamie redknapp...i know we are owned by americans but come on....
ReplyDeletebad call BR.. today proves y lucas deserve to be in first 11!
ReplyDeleteextremely dissapointing match. to get 2 goals back was not enough and this should not be seen as a point gained. Mingolet was fantastic at the start of the season but hes has been poor in recent weeks and again he made the wrong decision which cost us a goal. IMO all the poor performers of the past weeks have cost us points, Coutinho against city, Mingolet against Chelsea and City, now Villa. GJ has been poor as ive said on countless occasions and because of hi contract situation just always plays the ball back to the keeper and doesnt bother. the first goal was his fault as well as he was caught out of position and Villa scored. im really upset and its starting to get me really angry the way teams turn up against LFC and were always having to really fight for results instead of comfortably winning games. Mingolet, Coutinho and Johnson should all be benched for next game against Everton and Bournemouth. theyve all been not just poor but very poor. Coutinho's final ball today was dreadful and he was ineffective. think we need to recall Suso ASAP. and Reina too. were in need of alot of help and Mingolet is really having a torrid few weeks. hes let in a lot of goals of late, many of them down to him.
ReplyDeleteSuarez was good but the service him and sturridge recieved today was very poor and shows the need for new midfielders at Anfield. Lucas is just quality, and Rodgers favouritism of Coutinho cost LFC points today. Coutinho was the obvious person to be dropped after being subbed at Stoke and seeing how LFC improved. Rodgers basically changed a winning side which was wrong of him IMO. Coutinho must now be used as an impact player. poor.
next game ill go with the following line-up
-------------------------Mingolet
Hendo-------------Skrtel------------Sakho-------Cissokho
-------------------------------Lucas
-----------------Gerrard---------------Texeira
--------Sterling-------------Suarez--------------Sturridge
cissokho is BAD. how bad? KONCHESKY BAD !
ReplyDeletein a 3 man midfield you need 3 players who are prepared to to the donkey work not two not one but 3 or it doesn't work and you have gaps you can drive a bus through...it just about works with Gerrard if he has two grafters with him and gerrard puts a shift in and follows the runners...i support the team not the players if a player is off ill say it...
ReplyDeleteheartening sign huh? for all u brainless individuals who believe Lucas serves no purpose in team, today u saw how badly the team needs him. I never understood the stupid calls for Lucas to be dropped. The guy more often than not does an excellent job for us. If anyone needs to be dropped it's Steven Gerard. He doesn't have the legs anymore. Sorry to say it, but it's true!
ReplyDeletebless him he's got the skill and touch of a walrus
ReplyDeletethat is what he deserves.
ReplyDeleteHOW THE HELL ON EARTH CAN RODGERS DROP LUCAS...hard to digest really
ReplyDeleteskrtel was a rock today among many other days.
ReplyDeleteIf you give me your brief's number I'll arrange for mine to pay half the fare(Ryanair or Easy Jet good enough).
ReplyDeleteI wonder who ties up his bootlaces?
ReplyDeletenothing.
ReplyDeleteGJ poor attitude has become a joke. he constantly just back passes all the time to take the pi$$. i think u need to make an article about this, including his contract issues and his dedication to the team because he is playing terrible.
ReplyDeleteCoutinho has been poor and must make an impact from the bench from now on. im sure that will help him. how we havent signed no1 yet is beyond me but wen BR and FSG talk, we need to invest at least £60M on 3 quality £20M signings. or £15M for 3 players and £25M on a world class player. i think effectively if we invested early in the window people will really be on edge and we woul have our fixtures much easier. if we dont sign players soon going into the next 2 fixtures against everton and arsenal i dont think BR starting 11 will be in the top 4.
During the past week there was a large swell of opinion that Lucas was not required for the Villa game. Even JK alluded to the fact that "as predicted" Lucas has made way for Sturridge. I was one of the few suggesting that Lucas was a key cog in the team, keeping a fine balance between attach and defence.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope today's game end's this debate once and for all. Every team need a good holding midfield player, and we have one in Lucas, which some may now come to appreciate a bit more after today. The fact that he only played approx 15 minutes and it was probably one of his worst games of the season (considering the number of mistakes he made) still adds credence to his value to the team.
For those 15 minutes, the team was balanced and we played our best football of the game. The first half was poor - no need go into detail. However, I would like to draw attention to the enforced change resulting in Allen taking over Lucas's role.
This game was an utter mess. SG looked like he was running in sand all day. Today shows we need offensive and defensive mid quality adds. Cissoko was poor as well. He was set up beautifully and shot the ball into the seats from less than ten feet!
ReplyDeleteUggghhhhh.........
Sadly agree. Every hero eventually becomes a liability. Same as Derek Jeter in baseball with the NY Yankees.....
ReplyDeletedigusted. .
ReplyDeleteGJ caught out of position for the first goal. not bothered at all and played the ball backwards on many occasions to the anger of the anfield fans even though he could keep the move flowing with a pass ahead. he needs to be dropped.
Coutinho was poor and we must stop babying him as he poorness is leading to bad results. hes been terrible of late and must start making an impact. at least we know if the starting 11 is playing well without coutinho, maybe if he came on as a sub he'd be able to make more of an impact. he should play against Bournemouth but not against Everton. hes been poor and i doubt he will overcome Barry and Barkley in midfield so he'd be better off making an impact off the bench.
I think kevin mirallas is going to cause Cissokho some real problems when we play at Everton. Cissokho is not up to the challenge of the PL. he tries his BEST but that is clearly his best. Bertrand was quality today and something must be said about BR's loan signings.
Stevie was poor in the 1st half. he played well in the second half but with the team now evolving around Suarez i think he should now be the captain of LFC. against tottenham everything was perfect. if Suarez is captain Stevie can be a great substitue for LFC.
Mingolet was poor again and his consistent mistakes is costing LFC points. that second villa goal was comedy. Benteke couldnt believe it. i think we should have personal talks with Reina and ask him to assist us with our PL title challenge. we need to win every game starting from Everton right the way through to Newcastle. we need the top 4, minimum but if we win every game we can win the league. Reina should be spoke to and asked to give his maximum as we know hes a world class keeper. Mingolets passing is also costing LFC possesion alot and Reina was very quality with his passing i must admit, almost like a 11th man.
Suso should also be recalled and should be asked to play in the hole with similar effect to what hes done for Almeria. we want him to break up the defences and thread through passes to sturridge sterling and suarez.
something tells me LFC wont get top 4 this year. its going to be extremely diffucult. if we want to do that we have to win literally EVERY single game from now until the end of the season. which means the players are going to have to do serious shooting practise to make sure every chance is converted. it realy hurts not to pickup maximum points. doesnt matter the opposition, it really hurts.
-------------------------------Reina
Hendo-----------Skrtel------------Sakho---------Flanagan
----------------------Lucas----------Gerrard
-------------------------------Suso
--------------Sterling------Suarez-----Sturridge
Yes, bravo Brendan for trying to fix what was not broken? Attack attack attack doesn't work, you need balance. Coutinho part of the midfield does not work, it has already been tried with Suso and lasted 30 minutes, it will never work. You need a dedicated 3. This shows how important Lucas and his DM position is.
ReplyDeleteGerrard is not Pirlo. Play him in his regular role or not at all.
The next step for Rodgers is to get over his susceptibility to play favourites, grow a pair, keep a constant formation (433) and pick players who deserve to play and fit each individual role in the team.
Henderson is a central midfielder and Suso is better suited out wide. At least you have Lucas in the team, but you are just doing what Rodgers loves to do, try to fit square pegs in round holes, consequently losing us points.
ReplyDeleteOur defences 'confidence is shot along with Mignolets.
ReplyDeleteHard to believe we were the home team at Anfield - the 'fortress'
AV hit the ground running and we were on the back foot all of the first half . Villa proved in the second half that what you lack in quality you can make up in spirit stopping us getting the winning goal .... We should have had all the motivation needed to win this - keep in top 4 above Everton before they come to Anfield and in front of the owners ! ( lets hope they have their cheque book with them ) Talk formations as much as you like but our defence lacks not only skill but determination . We have been unable to defend leads and today we had to chase the game ..... fortunately we are able to score goals ! We have to sort this and quick or be left behind in the wake ......
I'd like to talk about three players and get other fans opinions.
ReplyDeleteFirst - Sterling. He has improved immensely over the last 6 weeks, so credit where credit is due. His is able to receive the ball with his back to the defender, turn and pick out a pass - thus relieving pressure on the defence. He is also keen to take on the last defender thus providing attacking impetus, while also making very well timed runs to break the off-side trap. However, he is not the finished article, and is IMO wasteful in the last 3rd, whether it be crosses, shots on goal or an opportunity for a goal scoring pass.
Second - Courtinho. He is an immensely skilful player with the ability to have the ball glued to his feet. He too can receive the ball anywhere and is good at laying the ball off to a team mate. Most importantly, he has the ability to pick out a goal scoring opportunity. He is the glue that makes Liverpool's possession football work in the opposition half. However, of late, he has become wasteful. As someone commented recently, maybe he's trying to impress the Brazil coach more than BR.
For the above reasons, I believe we need to buy an attacking midfield player in this transfer window to support SAS in a front 3. Courtinho and Sterling should be dropped to the bench, and either be rotated into the team or come on as impact players, to change the game if needed after 60 mins.
Lastly - Allen. Today's game clearly highlighted why Allen just is not good enough for Liverpool. After having a settled first 15 mins in the 2nd half, Lucas's departure allowed Villa back into the game. Allen was easily bustled off the ball, unsettling the centres backs, and too often we were 2 v 2 at the back, with Allen going AWOL. Worst of all, with the front 5 bombing up the pitch, there was no continuity in our build-up from defence to attack. I lost count of the times one of our defenders was looking to lay off a short pass to midfield, only to hoof the ball long. So much so, Skrtel dribbled the ball into the opposition half no less than 3 times.
This season, we've been at our best, when we've played slow methodical build-up play from the keeper to the centre circle, kept possession with short accurate passes, and then allowed one of our attacking players to quicken the play and make an decisive pass leading to a goal or chance. Allen's stats in all of the above have been woeful this season. He is a short-term stop gap, who should be jettisoned as soon as we can get a better replacement.
I picked up on Mingolet's poor distribution very early in the season and was shouted down due to his excellent shot stopping. But now that he's making mistakes leading to goals, you are right to make a comparison with Reina. It's unlikely Reina will ever play for Liverpool again, so the coaches need to work with Mignolet to iron out his shortcomings.
ReplyDeleteMany teams now try to press Liverpool in our third of the pitch, knowing our keeper and CB's have very poor distribution. This is where Lucas was missed the most today.
Positivity doesn't make up for the lack of ability. His touch is poor, he cant cross and he is constantly breaking up our counter attacks. IMO he is very poor. He makes Enrique skills going forward look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on BR. It took we a good few hours to calm down after the game. He, and he alone, is the one to blame for the 1st half performance.
ReplyDeleteYes, if a team came to park a bus at Anfield, it may be possible to play with the team selected. But, with Villa's good away results and their speed on the counter-attack, the team selection was negligent.
To his credit, BR rectified the problem at half time. My only fear, is whether Lucas has sustained a long term injury.
So what did we learn today? That we should have had a DM lined up on January 1st! Thanks for paying attention Brendan...Johnson, Toure and cissokho were shocking too.
ReplyDeleteRodgers got the first half wrong by trying to go all out attack with his selection and backfired. We are a bit lucky to walk away with a point. Johnson is becoming worse minute by minute. Not sure how he is still making the starting eleven?
ReplyDeleteCredit where credit is due, Villa were excellent. Luckily this result did not end up like the one at the Emirates at the start of the season when they beat Arsenal 3-1. If we had not scored in the first half then this result could have ended far worse.
What is important now is to beat Everton.
Exactly! Gerrard was beter when Lucas came on but that doesn't make Lucas a good DM. Just a beter one than Stevie. We need a DM now! And we should really sign Cabaye too
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone noticed how often he is the only player with space to receive the ball from the keeper or CB? Opposition attackers back off him knowing when he receives the ball he is hesitant on it, lost count how often he paniced today when the opposition pressed him on the ball. Invariably led to a long hopeful punt, a dribble to concede a throw or possession, or simple get tackled out of it. Not up to scratch and not comfortable playing possession football.
In the 70's the role used to be called a "sweeper", sitting in between the two man-marking CB's, and carrying the ball consummately into midfield, or spaying the ball out to the left wing.
ReplyDeleteHow times have changed :-)
Firstly, when Lucas came on, he got instantly skinned on the flank as usual. Secondly he gave away a needless freekick in a dangerous area as usual, then got injured. Hardly a sign of how much we missed him. If anyone who came on and made a difference it was Allen, he's alot more mobile and creative than lucas. We managed pretty well without lucas for majority of the 2nd half. Agreed Gerrard struggled in the 1st half but his great pass which lead to the penalty he scored. Your deluded comments are meaningless and carry not weight, which says alot about your intelligence. Jog on!!
ReplyDeleteI think Rodgers is a good manager who can take us even further forward but these types of errors from him seem to keep popping up. He did the same thing against Southampton last season, some of his team selections have cost us.
ReplyDeleteLucas hurt his knee, with his history who knows, hopefully not too long because Allen was average after coming on and I honestly don't think we will sign a midfielder, even though that should already be a priority.
We need to open the cheque book and sign Yann M-Vila and sell Allen (complete waste of £15m)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, this was not Lucas's best game, he made many mistakes.
ReplyDeleteHowever, to suggest Allen had a good game, or made a difference, would imply you saw a totally different game to the one I watched.
If possible, I'd be keen to see the replay with you, only for you to point out Allen's ineptitude :-)
Good observation !!
ReplyDeleteAt least we scraped a draw. Now we know Gerrard isn't a DM. But also how good is Skrtel - 22 Clearances, that must be some sort of record.
ReplyDeleteThe other question is how bad is Kelly? Really it surely must be time for him to get a game ahead of GJ - you think the height might have helped stave off Benteke.
Cissokho - well he's all we have at the moment, surely Enrique will regain that spot - despite all his flaws.
Mignolet - well had a couple of doozies lately, but compensates with some big saves - still wouldn't say I'd want Reina ahead of him, if they could combine distribution and shot stopping - that would be great.
Any how, bound to happen, at least it wasn't a loss - on to the next game. At least the owners were there to see for themselves that Suarez can't do it all - maybe there will be some supporting cast come in.
Clearly you dont like Allen, because you forgot to realise he has just come back from injury and is clearly more mobile and creative then lucas was when we first purchased him back in the day. Maybe you should watch a reply of all our matches starting from the norwich game and in particular the 4-1 win over west ham which i attended and you may get to see how Allen helps move the ball alot quicker in midfield plus can shoot on target when required. Funny you mentioned lucas and his mistakes because in the west ham game as soon as he came on in the 56mins within 10mins he loses possession AGAIN which lead to west ham's first goal. Seems to be a recurrence too often when lucas is about. Allen is young and has not been at the club very long so he can be excused. However compared to lucas who at his age should be well settled in and dominating that DM role, seems to keep on making those mistakes.
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