Brendan Rodgers has recalled Raheem Sterling for today's Premier League game with Tottenham Hotspur, which means Spurs will face Liverpool's strongest possible attacking line-up.
FULL TEAM: Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Flanagan, Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge, Suarez
SUBS: Jones, Allen, Aspas, Sakho, Lucas, Cissokho, Moses
SPURS: Lloris, Naughton, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose, Bentaleb, Sigurdsson, Lennon, Chadli, Eriksen, Soldado
It's great to see both Coutinho and Sterling in the team. Those two, combined with Suarez and Sturridge, destroyed Everton and Arsenal earlier this season, so there's no reason this quartet can't have a similar impact today.
At home, LFC should always start off the with most attacking team available, and then change things if the need arises. Approaching it the other way round is (IMO) cautious rather than progressive; after all, why should Liverpool fear anyone at Anfield?
Dietmar Hamann's prediction:
"An end to end game but I believe Liverpool are going to edge the game 3-2"
Author: Jaimie K
FULL TEAM: Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Flanagan, Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge, Suarez
SUBS: Jones, Allen, Aspas, Sakho, Lucas, Cissokho, Moses
SPURS: Lloris, Naughton, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose, Bentaleb, Sigurdsson, Lennon, Chadli, Eriksen, Soldado
It's great to see both Coutinho and Sterling in the team. Those two, combined with Suarez and Sturridge, destroyed Everton and Arsenal earlier this season, so there's no reason this quartet can't have a similar impact today.
At home, LFC should always start off the with most attacking team available, and then change things if the need arises. Approaching it the other way round is (IMO) cautious rather than progressive; after all, why should Liverpool fear anyone at Anfield?
Dietmar Hamann's prediction:
"An end to end game but I believe Liverpool are going to edge the game 3-2"
Author: Jaimie K
Come on Liverpool!
ReplyDeleteMy God. Is it really... is it really happening?
ReplyDeleteLuis Suarez 29 goals in a season = new club record. BOSS!!!
ReplyDeletef**king finish suarez!
ReplyDeleteHe heard you!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love it that even when Spurs counter attack, we beat them back to defend.
ReplyDeleteNo I mean't 'what a finish'!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful arrogance.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure...read like you were yelling at him.
ReplyDeletenah nah
ReplyDeleteWant Sturridge to score now. I hope we don't sit back. I hope we keep attacking. There is always a GD possibility at season's end.
ReplyDeleteyep yep yep yipeeeeeee
ReplyDeleteSo far...as long as we don't go into a defensive shell. We need to stick with the plan that got us this far.
ReplyDeletewell the players are believing i think its time the fans did
ReplyDeleteDid you see Hendo giving Coutinho the word????? Next captain of LFC new era coming but we need to give Stevie what he's always deserved....If we don't win it this year surely we are the favourites for next
ReplyDeleteExciting to be a Liverpool supporter.
ReplyDeleteAfter long long long time..
ReplyDeleteGod Agger is slow...
ReplyDeletetimes up Aggie tnx for de memories time to join ur mate in Italy
ReplyDeleteJesus christ henderson, you gotta put those away!
ReplyDeleteMan!!Henderson is shit in front of the goal
ReplyDeleteThat's it!! Thank You Spuds
ReplyDeleteEriksen is playing the part of the invisible man today.
ReplyDeleteWhoopie! Fantastic! All my spud mates are silent:)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant finish Phillipe .... growing each game . Hendo couldn't hit a barn door at 5 paces . Defence sound today tho
ReplyDeleteHe's shockingly lazy for a top-flight playmaker, slows the game down, and seems unintelligent for such a technical midfielder -- doesn't seem to be alert to the movements of others, or the positions of the opposition. Coutinho is twice the player. We dodged a bullet there really.
ReplyDeleteOur defence is sound because Spurs have hardly done anything to make our defenders defend. Agger has shown how slow he really is though.
ReplyDeleteLike old times at Anfield ....... even Tarbys there ;-)
ReplyDeletegood sub good timing BR is growing with this team the future looks good
ReplyDeleteEriksen is a good player but as you say Coutinho is by far the better player.
ReplyDeleteShould Stevie come off because of a possible yellow?
ReplyDeleteI've always said Eriksen is a good player; but I saw enough today to change my mind. He'll have to play well consistently, influencing games for his team, for me to change my mind again. I think he's a fairly poor player and I'm surprised he's played as often for Spurs this season as he has on this evidence. If they've got any sense they'll try and cash in on him sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteBullet dodged :-)
ReplyDeleteEven Migno has looked more confident and Shouting ..... distribution better as well . Good to see Lucas on ....... no yellow for Stevie ;-)
ReplyDeleteanother good timely sub BR is really getting his sh@@@it together
ReplyDeleteYeh needs to get up to speed - might need him if any injuries etc.
ReplyDeleteNever Imagined Spuds were this much crap..I expected a fight. Where is their manager?Relaxing, Phoning,Enjoying Anfield. Great!
ReplyDeleteSterling's my man of the match tonight. Glen Johnson has once again put a performance in.
ReplyDeleteWhy has sherwood been sitting in the stands lately?
ReplyDeleteFor me it's Saurez!
ReplyDeletepoor levy...
ReplyDeleteGood goal diff - might very well come down to that !
ReplyDeleteis Van Gaal managing by phone??!
ReplyDeleteSCOUSE CAFU!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the EPL Soldado.
ReplyDeletedid you see that pass from Hendo....very Gerrardesque...ohhh de future looks good....Oh my God Moses do we need to see him again I dnt think so
ReplyDeleteWhaa Flanno! Now that was a man's tackle. Think Soldado will be walking for the rest of the match.
ReplyDeletehe won't be tommorow
ReplyDeleteWhy not Aspas ?
ReplyDeleteTop today. Enjoy the rest of the day. Back to work tomorrow. Great match lads.p
ReplyDeleteSoldado has a heart the size of Allesandro Pistone. If ever there were two men playing to stay fit for the world cup its Ozil and Saldado. They've blatantly bottled any type of challenge this season.
ReplyDeleteyou are so right i don't understand why though i find it foolish u play for your club if your lucky and good enough your country your not supposed to put one over the other thats why i back england i've never seen an english player holding back for the world cup(probably as we always lose it lol)
ReplyDeleteWe are top of the league again. Now all we need to do is stay there!
ReplyDeleteNerves? what nerves :)
ReplyDeleteis there any other team you want to be involved with either as fan manager player physio whatever...LFC finally your back to where you should be... I'm a New Zealander living in the Philippines my dad was scouse I've been fan from birth.....this is my happiest moment
ReplyDeleteAh, yes. Just write off a player with 14 goals/assists on the basis of one performance, ignoring the fact that just seven days ago, he scored two goals for Spurs :-)
ReplyDeleteI guess the entire Arsenal and Everton teams - who also got hammered by LFC - should be sold too.
Couldn't be more proud right now. Super off the ball movement and decision making throughout the whole game. Add to that tons of commitment e.g. Skrtel's block on Eriksen in the first half; Flanagan's tackle on Soldado. Maybe I'm going soft, but the momentum that we've gathered has an almost 'other-worldly' feel to it - at the moment it just feels like we're unstoppable, whatever is put in our way. Feels like it's meant to be.
ReplyDeletetemper tantrums.
ReplyDeletehe says he gets to emotional on the pitch like when he threw his jacket after chelseas first or second goal in there 4-0 win so he said he'll be in the stands only coming on the pitch when needed
ReplyDeleteDon't think it could be one man. The middies were awesome today...all of them. Hendo shoulda scored...that was a sitter, but that was the only blip on an otherwise massive performance.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this kind of performance is the reason why lot's of teams did not buy him. LFC was not the only team looking at him. And JK nobody is implying he is not a top payer.
ReplyDeletei was thinking the same thing too wtf was he doing on the field beats me ?
ReplyDeleteSterling was BOSS
ReplyDeletehaha England have no chance, but thats nothing new :) Ozil and Saldado are the new Robinho, they'll probably start turning up after the summer, but for now, you can can forget it,
ReplyDeletetime to play some fifa 14 and beat up people online with THE BEST FOOTBALL TEAM IN THE LAND
ReplyDeleteI believe they call that 'throwing the gilet'
ReplyDeletewhat a great display today by the lads...we were absolutely brilliant in every sense of the word...
ReplyDelete'Brendan Rodgers - the carefully chosen one'. Ha ha - great banner lads.
ReplyDeleteid still take him.
ReplyDeleteYNWA!!
ReplyDeleteits pretty funny to think back Vertonghen commenting that only difference between us and them is Luis Suarez. ?!. saying it like the difference isnt all that big. it is! its two games between the two units and 9 goals. the difference is huge. we were better in every aspect today.
ReplyDeleteafter suarez scored they never looked like getting back in the game. playing like a group, not a team.
the contrast, Liverpool, intelligent movement, patience, passing. EXPLOSIVE CHALLENGES! thanks to Flanno, (dont you dare walk into our box =) AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST. Manager who knows what he is doing.
im still sceptical, but atleast its on our hands, we win the rest! we win the league!
One thing is for sure whether we win the league or not and that is CL football is finally back at Anfield!
ReplyDeleteSkrtel was a beast. He blocked two good shots. One was as good as a goal for us.
ReplyDeleteHe does not have the work ethic of Coutinho, Henderson or Allen so that could very much be the reason why LFC and other clubs as suggested by StevenG above said thanks but no thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnd there in lies the central fallacy on stats. Pivotal game, Coutinho showed up, Eriksen didn't. When you're in the trenches you want to dodge bullets like Eriksen and carry machines like Coutinho.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, the Title is at our hand now, I guess. MCity is 4 behind with 2 games in hand, if they loose at Anfield, can't cross us, if both teams can win rest matches. & if we avoid defeat at home against special clowns plastics, they can't cross us, but MCity can. So, we can end up with 89 points. Both Blue plastics & NUFC at home & C Palace, West Ham &Norwich away. Both MCity & Chelsea has tougher fixture as they 'll have to visit Anfield. & if SG avoids booking against West Ham, he is clear for the season.
ReplyDeleteSomeone please correct me if anything wrong. Can anyone some up the remaining schedules of top 4? (I hope the Blue motor mouth moron ends up 4th, if not 5th)..
That doesn't make sense. Even the best of players have off days. Look at Ozil. Spurs are rubbish - none of their signings have done well, whereas in their previous teams, they were top notch (Soldado, for example). That suggests it's the team/management, rather than the individual.
ReplyDeleteCoutinho and Sterling would probably struggle (occasionally) at Spurs too. They are not a team; they are disparate group of individuals.
There you go again making unbacked generalisations. What do you know about Eriksen's 'work ethic'? Just because a team loses 4-0 doesn't mean players on their side have no work ethic. Did Eriksen have no work ethic last week when he scored two goals? What about Arsenal's players when they lost 5-0? Or Everton's when they lost 4-0? It's a nonsense generalisation.
ReplyDeleteYes, 7 points clear of Arsenal in fourth is a great cushion, but it's not over till it's over. Both Suarez and Sturridge were up limping at least once to day.
ReplyDeletePerhaps judging him by his performance instead of the result?!
ReplyDeleteSo you just ignore everything else about the game? What about the 10 other Spurs players on the pitch? The fact they're basically in disarray? Managerial change/uncertainty etc?
ReplyDeleteWhat about all the 'pivotal' games during Dalglish's final season, when LFC finished 8th - did Gerrard not show up? Suarez? Lucas?
It's much complicated that your simplistic analysis.
Plus, there have been plenty of games this season where Coutinho didn't 'show up'.
He's not judging by performance. Logan - as usual - is making grandiose, unbacked, speculative generalisations, suggesting that other clubs didn't sign Eriksen due to his 'work ethic'. He's not just talking about this game.
ReplyDeleteI was repeating what StevenG said re other clubs passing on Eriksen.
ReplyDeletePivotal game. No Eriksen. Coutinho's goal could be worth 5 of Eriksen's. Teams don't just sign players on numbers and that's why so many armchair pundits get it wrong so often.
ReplyDeleteYou've just totally ignored the points made to repeat the same thing you just said.
ReplyDeleteNo one (especially me) has argued that teams sign players 'on numbers', so what are you on about?
Coutinho didn't perform against Southampton, and had no impact in quite a few other games that could be deemed 'pivotal' this season, but that doesn't suit your argument.
CL qualification IMO is done and dusted ;-)
ReplyDeleteI wish you were as keen to defend Liverpool players.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't fit the ethos.
ReplyDelete*Deleted response*
ReplyDelete*sigh* it is not mathematically secured yet....therefore, it is not for sure.
ReplyDeleteIgnorant comments really piss me off mate
Not as slow as Mauricio Pellegrino. Remember him?
ReplyDeleteWho are you? Go crawl back in the hole you came out of.
ReplyDeleteHe still looked the most likely of any of the Spurs players to do anything with the ball. It's much more difficult to be a play-maker when the rest of the team are playing like crap; not moving into space to give you options.
ReplyDeleteI can't help bu feel if that was said by someone else and you had the opposite view you would say that argument was nonsense.
ReplyDeleteAnd the point of this comment is what, exactly?
ReplyDeleteAs in, half way through the meeting, Putin finally threw the gilet, and attacked Obama with the ornamental samovar?
ReplyDeleteFantastic win, although I don't necessarily agree about ALWAYS starting off with the most attacking team possible (though as a fan I'd like to see it), at least not in the way you mean it. Tottenham, Arsenal, Everton...all teams that come to win, Tottenham in particular plays a very high line, so we can crush them with our pace and ability to get in behind. Rodgers doesn't just change formations he changes tactics, it's important to recognize that we played the same formation and personnel as today against Arsenal, but with different tactics (which side Suarez was on, etc). Against a team like Sunderland that came to park the bus with 5 defenders and 2 DM's, our "most attacking team" was one that would rely more on possession and the ability to break down the opponent over time, rather than run in behind them - there's nothing cautious about playing Allen instead of Sterling if there's good reason to believe that is the best way to beat a certain opponent, in fact one could argue that it IS progressive...it might not make sense on paper, but if you take a closer look at it the logic is clear and the results have shown that it's right. BR knows exactly what he's doing, the players trust him and are executing, and it's making for a great team to watch.
ReplyDeleteCheers to Coutinho and Sterling for huge games today, really everyone was good across the board, and once Allen came on we dominated possession to an even greater degree - I know the author doesn't like him but check out his passing and tackling stats for this season, especially compared to what he did last season, and it's clear that he does really excellent, important work for the team. Tottenham never came close.
What is not mathematically secure? Maybe You are the one that is being ignorant when all we need is 5 points from 24 points remaining.
ReplyDeleteWe are averaging 2.22 points per game so excuse me for believing that 5 points from 24 is done and dusted.
True, Ash, but he did lose the ball repeatedly under minimal pressure. I had high hopes for Eriksen, but he's been increasingly bad every time I've seen him play. I just don't think he's up to it. Maybe he'll turn it round, he's fairly young. But he doesn't seem to have the appetite required. You have to judge players on the evidence of their performances, and that was very poor from him today, as it was last several times I've seen him.
ReplyDeleteYes, sell them all!
ReplyDeleteSeen players like Eriksen so many times before, though, haven't we, that seem to have nice technique and to be fit enough to play at the highest level, but just don't have that little bit extra that's needed to play either at a club competing year after year for significant titles, or in positions of real responsibility for their sides. Cristian Eriksen is the new David Bentley, is what I'm saying. I've seen enough of him to make that judgement now. Of course he'll have good games, no doubt he'll have a respectable career, but he's not what we thought he might be when he was a kid.
What do you think of the rumours going around that Tim Sherwood punched one of the Tottenham players?
ReplyDeleteYou're completely ignoring Eriksen's history pre-Spurs, where he won three league titles in a row, performed well in the CL, and is a key player for the Denmark national team.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, you are ignoring Eriksen's 14 goals/assists this season, which is a good return for a young player new to the Prem (and still adapting), amidst managerial change/uncertainty.
Apparently it was a bust up with him and Michael Dawson. Rumours also saying that he has been sacked.
ReplyDeleteI've just heard this too. But it originates from Tw@tter so could well be garbage.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say I'm ignoring those things. It's just that they aren't important enough, in my judgement, to persuade me that he's not lived up to, and doesn't look like living up to, his early promise. If I could see some spark of life in him, that he was struggling to adapt, that'd be one thing -- but there's no sign of that struggle, really: he's just failing to try and adapt, I think.
ReplyDeleteDont try mate ..... you really thought it was sealed.
ReplyDelete+ just so you know, we need 10 points not 5
Since when has finishing 4th ever required 81 points?
ReplyDeleteCheckmate.
If everton wins all remaining games they will be at 81.......... its simple
ReplyDeleteIm just saying that from a purely mathematical point of view, 10 points are required to secure CL at this point in time. Obviously if everton drops points, the amount of points required becomes less every time.
ReplyDeleteHe was on the phone with the hitman and cancelled the hit. Figured he'd conserve his energy and take care of the job himself.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with you? What is 2.22 times 38?
ReplyDeleteI think you need to relax a little bit....
ReplyDeleteI don't know why an Arsenal fan gets so strung up about Spurs?
ReplyDeleteJK you are ignoring the point that many teams have all said he tends to disappear when things get tough. He was or is one of the young talents in Europe everybody said that's the best next thing. Same media hype as Hazard. Everybody has a bad day sometimes but the fact remains he does not show up on big games.
ReplyDeleteWith respect, how can I ignore something that just isn't true? You state:
ReplyDelete"Many teams have all said he tends to disappear when things get tough"
Can you provide any proof to back this up, or is this just another unprovable Logan-esque generalisation?
I think Stven G like many others are using Molby's words in 2012 when he said Eriksen was not ready for the big time yet. This analysis is being generalised so its a bit unfair to Eriksen who is also still as young as Coutinho.
ReplyDeleteSince it was his countryman who said this albeit 2 years, many people have kept this in mind but don't seem to acknowledge one source said this and in all fairness he said an extra year with Ajax was better for Eriksen.
As an LFC fan I would prefer to focus on the players we do have rather than debate the merits of those who chose to go elsewhere because there is plenty who did but the players who chose us are doing great for us this season http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-chelsea-tottenham-and-manchester-united-887987
Jon you make a strong point. Have you seen anything different from what Molby's comment? He is a great talents and maybe he will grow out of it. Coutinho had the same problem too when he first came to LFC and now look at him he is running all around park. Something that Mata still has not grown out of.
ReplyDeletePS. You are absolutely right on all the players who chose other teams and made us look bad in the transfer window.
BR will rest Gerrard v Westham
ReplyDelete