v Villa (a)

[mypost]

Match thread.

Right lads, we're up against Gary Barry on the last day of the transfer window, so hopefully Alonso will show us all why he should stay. :)

[gerrard008]

if carlsberg only done unlikely scenarios lol,they'll have to improve on last nights performance to maintain the unbeaten run away to villa.hopefully alonso can step it up a gear.

[wonit5times]

Tough game for us coming up especially the way we are playing at the moment
Villa will be hard to brealk down and will be quick coming forward we need everyoe to be top of there game and shake off the cob webs from the last few games.

We were lucky to come away with something last year after Gerrard came good for us again but wuld like to see us play like we kno we can and run amok!!!

[noodge74]

we def need to bring masch and agger back into starting line up and hope xabi sorts his head out and gets back to how we know he can perform

[mrpotatohead]

I'm going to this so I'm obviously hoping for a win!
But its going to be a really tough game. Villa have lots of pace and strength up front which will cause us problems, and they are strong from set pieces (maybe the word is organised, they treat set pieces like goal scoring opportunities unlike us!)

Will be great to hopefully see Masch back in the team, really think he will bring on the team loads, we are kind of over reliant on him to do alot of work, but he seems to thrive on that sort of thing.

Will Robbie get his first goal?? We will have to wait and see.

[CrazyDaize]

Will Robbie get his first goal?? We will have to wait and see.

Robbie is waiting for the Manc game!!

Anyway I went to the last 2 games and was more worried about the look of defeat on the faces of some players faces (Torres, Alonso, Carragher) than the performances of the team. Rafa said after the first training session after the Boro game that the mood in the dressing room was really positive. But it doesn't look like it out on the pitch. There's something wrong and the players don't know what it is. We've been keeping possesion and passing around pretty well (most of the time) but just can't get decent balls into the box for Keane and Torres. I don't rate our full backs at all but we're stuck with them til January at least and think they will come good after a few more games. And I hope we have another miracle on Sunday and come away with 3 points. The players need another win to build more confidence.

Mascher back on Sunday. He'll be the key to a win if we get it. Otherwise it will be more of the same from the last few games.

Liverpool win 2 - nil. Torres x 2

[windhover]

Tough one.. We might kick start some good form here though

[edcarroll02]

I know everyones fed up hearing about it but we really do need to get it together soon enough. I wasn't too upset about the Liege game because i still thought most of the lads were knocking the ball around pretty well but they were just so well organised and we were missing that final killer ball and a bit of pace out wide. Not meaning to slate kuyt too much over it but i thought he had an abysmal night giving the ball away at every oppurtunity but having said that he did get the goal.
Anyways moving on to this weekend i think Villa are going to be very tough to break down and will be really fired up for this one after the Gareth Barry saga but i still think the lads can hopefully get a win. If we have as much possesion as we did against leige i can't see Villa being able to cope with the pressure.
I'd be inclined to play 4-2-3-1 with Masch and Alonso tying the midfield down and keane, babel and kuyt (maybe El Zhar??) interchanging in the wide areas and second striker and obviously Torres upfront. Fullbacks are a bit of a conundrum but i'd probably stick with the line up from wednesday evening unless we have someone fit to replace arbeloa (possibly carra???)

[mcinerdo]

I like that El Zhar guy, I'd like to see him get a run.................

[mcinerdo]

mind you....I do remember saying....."I like that Peter Crouch guy","I like that Dirk Kuyt".................

[redeagle]

wonder if masch and lucas will start in midfield although masch is almost certain to start and should provide the much needed high tempo game. Think kuyt should be dropped in place of el zhar. Not sure if I prefer yossi or babel out left, neither of them seem to be playing well.

I actually think we might lose this game.

[mcinerdo]

A lot of the reason why manu win is about confidence and the expectation of winning, that's how they can win in the last few minutes.....I'm hoping that winning 3 games we should have lost will do a bit of this for us

[Phil!]

Think Mach will definately be in for Stevie and hopefully Yossi and Kuyt out and El Zhar and Babel to start bit more width would get the ball into the box and give Keane and Torres a chance to finish them off!

[FlyingMagpie]

It's a tough game.
Rafa v O'Neill: Lots of bitterness over the Summer...
Barry out to prove a point to Rafa on what he's missing...
Alonso out to prove a point to Rafa on what he's capable of...
Villa are no great shakes but will be out to prove a point after losing to Stoke last weekend.

[Badman]

still fancy us to score though, they've shipped 5 goals in their first 2 games and 3 of them against stoke - i think we'll get chances to score - just a matter of taking them

[windhover]

We also have "big problems!" think we will scrape it though

[rebelred]

Will Milner make his debut?

[fitzpatrickgary]

carew is a big threat from set pieces especially when barry can deliver a great set piece
this game was going to be a real test before the season started now with us not playing well at all and stevie out its even tougher

this game is going to be hyped up by sky due to the barry deal collasping
masch should come in for stevie and help out our defense by tracking the runs of barry and hopefully keep him quiet

cant see kuyt being dropped for this especially with it being away from home
we havnt played well at all yet but have 6 points id settle for playing badly again and adding another 3

[Niall]

No chance of Kuyt being left out.

[The Chanter]

We were expected to dominate and win the last 3 games (2 home and away to SL). Villa will be at home on Sunday - it'll be a different type of game.

I'd leave El Zhar as sub for now - he's been doing well but we need something different in the last 30 mins when they're tired.

[Bren100]

we def need to bring masch and agger back into starting line up and hope xabi sorts his head out and gets back to how we know he can perform

Xabi has a good attitude; but in all fairness weve been waiting for him to get that form back since 2005?

Very interesting scenario if Barry and Alonso are on the pitch. They shouldnt have anything against eachother; but I can see myself rising from my seat with my eyes pealed if there is a 50/50 ball between them and they are a couple of yards away from eachother!! :D#


I hope Skrtel can handle Carew, he is a real danger.

[Bren100]

Not sure about a Masch start ... would he be fit enough? Villa are a tough enough team without risking positions.

I wonder will Sami get a look in; considering Carew will start?

[D-Red]

Not sure about a Masch start ... would he be fit enough? Villa are a tough enough team without risking positions.

I wonder will Sami get a look in; considering Carew will start?

God I hope masch starts. I think we'll need him, especially with Stevie gone.

Sami is a doubt with a hamstring strain. But they haven't completely ruled him out... Fitness test closer to the time i guess

[megager]

A very difficult tie. A potential Banana Skin TM

AS stated we will score so I see us winning, 1-0

[Bren100]

God I hope masch starts. I think we'll need him, especially with Stevie gone.



I forgot that Gerrard was out for a week ... he will have to start then.

[GaryMc]

team for this weekend

Reina, Carragher, Srktel, Agger, Dossena, Kuyt, Alonso, Masherano, Babel, Torres, Keane.

Would like to El Zhar in for Kuyt, but not in a million years, esp away from home. Arbeloa has been a liability and Ashley Young will take him to the cleaners. Stick Carra out their to tame him.

[megager]

Dont think Dossena will play. Just a hunch

[edcarroll02]

That's an awful thing to call him :D

Quality! But all joking aside i think Aurelio will start at left back, probably not an ideal game for Dossena while he's trying to adapt to life in the premier league!

[Phil!]

Aurelio is the much better attacking option of th two so i would be going for him anyway

[GaryMc]

Aurelio is the much better attacking option of th two so i would be going for him anyway

You are probably right but away from home Dossena is a lot tougher. Plus I have him in my Fantasy Football team. Rafa, do the right thing ;)

[Phil!]

Will Agger be back for tommorrow??

[Phil!]

Ah i really dont know who i prefer between Skrtel and Agger i think they are both excellent players

[Phil!]

Yeah Skrtel would have Carew in his pocket imo

I said before the start of the season that I would play Carra RB and Skrtel and Agger in the centre especially if are other right back option is Arbeloa who is sh1te because Finnan definatly wont get a look in

[Phil!]

Yeah I'd go with that for this game. Arbeloa is so frustrating.

But Rafa rarely drops him

He is one of those that Rafa loves but it seems to baffle everyone else there really is no second guessing him and i wont complain to much once we keep winning

[D-Red]

He is one of those that Rafa loves but it seems to baffle everyone else there really is no second guessing him and i wont complain to much once we keep winning

Amen to that!

I don't care if it's Arbeloa or Alvin and the chipmunks at right-back so long as the wins keep coming

[THEFINALWORD]

Yeah Skrtel would have Carew in his pocket imo

I said before the start of the season that I would play Carra RB and Skrtel and Agger in the centre especially if are other right back option is Arbeloa who is sh1te because Finnan definatly wont get a look in

I agree 100%.

Skrtel and Agger should be our 1st choice centre back pairin' wit' Carragher on the right.

Think Aurelio deserves a run in the team at left back.He was finally comin' good last year when he got injured against Chelsea.

[gerrard008]

I agree 100%.

Skrtel and Agger should be our 1st choice centre back pairin' wit' Carragher on the right.

Think Aurelio deserves a run in the team at left back.He was finally comin' good last year when he got injured against Chelsea.

im not so sure about skrtel and agger,carragher still has alot to offer,ideally id like to see a 3-5-2 formation and play all three,all depends on how good riera actually is,but against villa id like to see hyypia start to counteract the carew threat.

[THEFINALWORD]

im not so sure about skrtel and agger,carragher still has alot to offer,ideally id like to see a 3-5-2 formation and play all three,all depends on how good riera actually is,but against villa id like to see hyypia start to counteract the carew threat.

You make some good points but Carew is nuthin' special so Agger and Skrtel will deal wit' him no problem.

It's a dodgy game.If we wanna win the title then we simply have to win.

[gerrard008]

carew will be the catalyst for the villa attack,long balls ,crosses ,corners ,free kicks, we can cope with young and aghbon we got speed at the back,but ariel presence is something we lack without hyypia,look at stripey head for liege ,look at their set pieces at andfield,they dominated our centre backs with height,hyypia will not have to use speed versus villa .

[THEFINALWORD]

carew will be the catalyst for the villa attack,long balls ,crosses ,corners ,free kicks, we can cope with young and aghbon we got speed at the back,but ariel presence is something we lack without hyypia,look at stripey head for liege ,look at their set pieces at andfield,they dominated our centre backs with height,hyypia will not have to use speed versus villa .

They would not of dominated if Agger was playin'.

Just think if Hyppia starts we could get caught out for pace.Young and Agbonlahor would rip him to shreds wit' their pace.

[gerrard008]

hyypia wouldnt have to go near young or aghbon if the other 3 do their jobs,his sole objective for the game would be carew.

[gerrard008]

but hey hyypia might be still out injured so there goes my theory

[honald_tdb]

team for this weekend

Reina, Carragher, Srktel, Agger, Dossena, Kuyt, Alonso, Masherano, Babel, Torres, Keane.

Would like to El Zhar in for Kuyt, but not in a million years, esp away from home. Arbeloa has been a liability and Ashley Young will take him to the cleaners. Stick Carra out their to tame him.

What! Drop Yossi Benayoun! More a shock than keeping the same 11 I'd say - Babel and Kuyt are our "best" wide men.

Having said that, if we keep winning 1-0 then we have the look of champions again.....:)

[Fowler's God]

team for this weekend

Reina, Carragher, Srktel, Agger, Dossena, Kuyt, Alonso, Masherano, Babel, Torres, Keane.


Along the lines of who we should start with. Possible Carra and Agger in central defence with Finnan coming in at RB.

---------------------------Reina--------------------------------------

----Finn------------Carra---------Dagger-----------Dossena-----------

--------------------Alonso-----------Mascherano----------------------

------Kuyt-----------------Keane-----------------Babel---------------

---------------------------El Nino-------------------------------------

[REDHEART]

i really think the next 2 games in particular could show wheather or not we are going to be title contenders.with our captain out today we need other players to step it up now and take the responsibility.if we don't win we will hear the usual crap about missing our captain and stuff.we have agood record against villa,so we need to keep it up especially with utd not playing today.we also have utd in the next game and we really need to avoid defeat in that 1 aswell to show our credentials.

i think robbie keane will be the 1 today to step it up.:D

[trucker]

Arbeloa is a major case for panicing today, i can see ashley young having a field day against him, Dirk will be playing fullback alot today i reckon! Finnan should be playing but rafa wont swallow his pride on this 1!

[redeagle]

The Liverpool team in full: Reina, Arbeloa, Dossena, Carragher, Skrtel, Mascherano, Alonso, Lucas, Kuyt, Torres, Keane. Subs: Cavalieri, Aurelio, Agger, Benayoun, Babel, Ngog, El Zhar.


looks like a 4-1-2-3... although this is rafa.

Looks like we will be very very narrow again today. I fear we might not get the win!

[paddypower111]

would like to see el zaher playing on the right he looks a good player and controls the ball good . also skertel ahead of agger whats d story with him not starting???????? even though skertel is playing well. era were hopefully good enogh to keep our 100% record going come on the reds;)

[paddypower111]

come now lads hopefully we can be top of the leauge after 90 mins spurs actually done something good kept chelsea from winning . oh jesus jamie the lick ass redknapp is on sky sports today i can,t stand that asshole

[RedMurph08]

Fcuk sake Torres off with hamstring injury.

[windhover]

Balls. They were right to pull him off... both him and steve out for the mancs?? :(

[windhover]

Well lads?? Let the rant begin

[GaryMc]

Andy and the commentator are doing my head in. Liverpool aint been great, but Villa have done very little.

Kuyt and Ngog both could have scored while Villa had one chance.

Get Lucas off and babel on the left after 60 and go for it. Lets hope not behind by the then. Marty on a yellow had me worried.

Hope Nando aint out for the scum game.

[wickla_mucker]

comfortable enough altho not creating enough..
keane looks like a lost lamb looking for its mother!
ngog had 2 awful first touches but looks good (nice effort)
lucas hasnt shown enough
would like to see Babel on the left and keane to stay up and stop dropping so deep...
good chance to go top of the league here

[RedMurph08]

Well lads?? Let the rant begin

Nothing to say its been DIRE!

[REDHEART]

Nothing to say its been DIRE!

yeah pure tripe.

[Aido82]

Shocked stuff. Keane and kuyt both playing wide with Ngog up top. Where is babel

Any idea how long torres is out for. I betting he will miss the mancs game

[kingofkop]

id like to see liverpool starting to play with alot of width babbel el zhar and running the flanks with the pace of these two were playing far to narrow at the moment with no ideas but to keep playing through the middle all the time and if barry plays well he could hurt us playin like this and here whats the story with rafa buyin 30 million pounds worth of FORWARDS in keane and kuyt and stickin them on the wings why does he like playin players out of position so much

[Aido82]

id like to see liverpool starting to play with alot of width babbel el zhar and running the flanks with the pace of these two were playing far to narrow at the moment with no ideas but to keep playing through the middle all the time and if barry plays well he could hurt us playin like this and here whats the story with rafa buyin 30 million pounds worth of FORWARDS in keane and kuyt and stickin them on the wings why does he like playin players out of position so much

Are you jamie redknapp:)

[GaryMc]

Are you jamie redknapp:)

He is now a top top chelsea fan :mad::mad:

[Tarabuses]

Shocked stuff. Keane and kuyt both playing wide with Ngog up top. Where is babel

Any idea how long torres is out for. I betting he will miss the mancs game

He'll have the international break to recover.

[windhover]

kuyts passing is shocking......time for keane to step up..

[windhover]

kuyts passing is shocking...time for keane to step up...

[wickla_mucker]

kuyts passing is shocking...


... and youve only realised this now? :P

[wickla_mucker]

dossena having a good game
put in some quality balls

[windhover]

... and youve only realised this now? :P

LOL. Worse today than most... Just confirmed it for me.. Needs to be dropped

[RedMurph08]

LOL. Worse today than most... Just confirmed it for me.. Needs to be dropped

Thats a bit harsh, maybe a kick in the arse would be enough!:D:D

[windhover]

Terrible game to watch... brutal

[wickla_mucker]

wtf was keane at
clown

[RedMurph08]

Win and we go top, Torres is off with an injury and we take off Keane???

[DomoT]

He must be happy with a point

[wickla_mucker]

why was babel not introduced at all?

[RedMurph08]

The only thing i can take from this game is that Mascherano is back and he was the best player on the pitch. Welcome back Chief!!

[GaryMc]

Rafa's lack of ambition is scary, it does not say much for Championship contenders when you do not have one shot on target. His tactics today were to get a draw and maybe snatch a win, bullshit in my opinion.

Taking Keane off, WTF. What is Lucas function in the team? He seems to run around like a headless chicken.

Good performance defensively, Dossena looks a lot better and Carragher was man of match. Masherano and Alonso were very good as well. Kuyt as usual put in a shift but he slows down all attacks when he gets the ball. Keane had some bright moments, but too many hand in the air gestures you see for IReland. Its final third we are screwed without Gerrard and Torres Rafa seemed afraid to attack without them away from home.

[wonit5times]

Its very poor when we cant even hit the poxy target
we need to start scoring goals and not just the strikers

[Fowler's God]

That was a chance for us to take the initiative going into the Utd game next month. Negative again from Rafa, surely we can't carry on with this negativity during the season we will get nowhere. Why the hell Babel was not a used sub is beyond me or even El Zhar.

We could have upped the pressure on the Mancs had we won today, chance missed. Not a great day furthered by Chelsea not winning. We have a habit of not taking advantage of these situations and it always comes back to bite us in the ass.

[wonit5times]

Rafa's lack of ambition is scary, it does not say much for Championship contenders when you do not have one shot on target. His tactics today were to get a draw and maybe snatch a win, bullshit in my opinion.

Taking Keane off, WTF. What is Lucas function in the team? He seems to run around like a headless chicken.

Good performance defensively, Dossena looks a lot better and Carragher was man of match. Masherano and Alonso were very good as well. Its final third we are screwed without Gerrard and Torres and manger's seemed afraid to attack without them away from home.

its very negative stuff from Rafa if he chooses lucas over babel on the left
lucas is a defensive midfielder and not a winger imo
he should have brought on el zahr at some stage in the 2nd half

[GaryMc]

its very negative stuff from Rafa if he chooses lucas over babel on the left
lucas is a defensive midfielder and not a winger imo
he should have brought on el zahr at some stage in the 2nd half

If he wanted to win he should have taken Lucas and Kuyt off for El Zhar and Babel. Who Knows, at the end of the season, it could be a point gained without our top two players.

[9Torres]

same shit different day... no improvement on last year. we wont be contending for anything this year. no ambition and struggling against a beatable team... with or without gerrard and torres.

arbeloa is still gettin a starting place... how? he must be class in training because he;s a rubbish full back. bring back finnan. kuyt, as hard as he works, just hasnt got whats required. benayoun is a west ham player at best. el zahr who causes trouble when he comes on didnt even get a run, neither did babel.

i'm writing no more on the subject.. i'm too annoyed and biased toward slating the team... i hope i'll be eating my words at the end of the year... i really do...

[Monty]

I'm a strong backer of Rafa, but, for a man that always speaks of balance in his side, how he can go with Lucas instead of Babel, i'll never know.. We played for a draw and got one, so i'd say we got what we wanted (not as supporters, but as management)
I'm not rafa bashing, but i just don't agree with all his decisions... We're still joint top after three games and have played two games away from home, while we're only getting our full squad together this week. So while the media goes nuts, i'll keep some perspective...

[edcarroll02]

Well i think that Rafa has made a terrible decision today with the line up, i really don't know what he was thinking with the way things started and he really didn't use his subs very well to cover when torres was injured.
I think he made a similar error in a game last year before the utd game, if we'd won today we could have taken a draw with the scum and even a loss wouln't have beent the end of the world but now we really need to beat them to keep us from falling behind too early!

[redchariot]

Very poor performance today; the team didn't look like they wanted it.

Can't believe we are level on points at top of league and we are complaining but it is well warranted. We will not be there much longer if we keep on playing like today.

[teedeepee]

Pants. Big, stripey pants. Not a single shot on target in the whole game. 2 points dropped really, even allowing for the fact that Gerrard didn't play and Torres came off injured after less than half an hour.

I'm starting to lose patience with the (apparent) attitude of Benitez which seems to suggest that it's better to nullify your opposition and get a point than it is to take the game to them and try to put the ball in their net as many times as you can.

That was another frustrating "let's pass the ball sideways or back 'cause that way we keep possession" game. Not happy. Need to see a big improvement against the Manc's but I'm fairly sure that there will be one.

[paddypower111]

what a waste all i can say to be honest . could of been top 2night but rafa played a team with no craetavety. how can we win games with keane and kyut on the wings???????????? one plus i could say its great 2 have mascha back he was great toiday i thought

[Aido82]

story of the season so far

late winner v sunderland - that we didnt deserve
late winner v boro - after being one down
nil all score bore against villa

Rafas tactics and squad selection is crazy at the moment, i know were joint top, still unbeaten but any decent team would beat us based on the last 4 games

dirk kuyt and robbie keane arent wingers?? rafa has taken two good forwards and basically tried to transform them into wingers whilst leaving torres up top on his own. and with babel and el zar on the bench and pennent (dont even know where he is anymore) around why does he continue to do this

On a few occassions today, torres was the only red in the villa 1/3 surrounded by 5 villa players ??

[dking]

Defencively , Rafas tactics to stop carew being used effectivly as villa always use him where spot on. I think villa scroed more goals from set pieces than anyone else last season ,so to that end how can you complain.

Sadly going forward we looked awful and i think that this is down to we havent got the players to impliment the tactics Rafa employed.
Basically attcking wise/invention wise/ abilitly to create/ability to score we
as I think we all know are a two man(top top notch class) team .


I think what made a draw away to villa so bad was how horrible it was to watch.

7 points from 9 having played 2 away from home .

[trucker]

Lads we can blame boardroom difficulties all we like but Hicks did'nt decide to play Keane on the left and Gillette did'nt make the decision to take Keane off and replace him with Yossi or to persist with Kuyt who is shit, lads we have a manager that sets his team out to get a draw and hopes for the best that we might get a break up front, 5 games played and yet to score in the 1st half is embarrising the mancs score against us 1st in a fortnights time and its game over,the world and his mother can see that we are shockingly narrow, Nicky Shorey would have laughed when he seen who he was up against today been Kuyt no 1st touch no pace, handiest game he'll have all season, the fact of the matter is our biggest hinderence on the field is our managers ego!

[mypost]

Only saw the last 5 minutes live, don't seem to have missed anything apart from Torres going off, which is a major concern.

Next away game is at the Scummy Toffee Puddings, we'll need to be a lot better to get something out of there.

[dg2]

Didnt see the game today but any side that is missing players like Gerard and Torres are going to struggle

As I said didnt see the game so cant really comment

[Juan]

Rafa said he was satisfied with the draw. i found his tactics today were a bit puzzling. losing torres is a big blow(hope its not too serious) along with Gerrard who has to go for a second operation tomorrow:(

[Niall]

Wasn't good at all today though second half i thought was a bit better than recent games though that's not hard. Lets see how we go against the Mancs the real test.

[trucker]

Wasn't good at all today though second half i thought was a bit better than recent games though that's not hard. Lets see how we go against the Mancs the real test.

Mancs score 1st and its game over FACT!

[dking]

Mancs score 1st and its game over FACT!

Probably not far off the mark.

Plus depending on the fitness of Nando and Stevie , I would NOT be amazed if we went for a draw in that game too!!!!!!!!

[Jockser]

very frustrating game to watch today. bewildering tactics and substitutions

[megager]

Mancs score 1st and its game over FACT!

That has been the way it has been in the last 5 league meetings ( albeit 2 of the goals were in the last minute). I think the best we will get is a nil nil draw.

The most dissappointing thing for me (apart from the entire game!!!) was Rafas demeanor after it. He was delighted with a draw. Yet we all know that when United go to Villa park they win 3-0. Rafa has gotta be more positive against mediocre teams like Villa, Sunderland and Boro

[dubit10]

Top of the league and Champs league to look forward to. All the Rafa bashers stick it up your arse. Sick to death of all the so called Liverpool fans on here. Support your manager and team FFS :mad:

[megager]

Top of the league and Champs league to look forward to. All the Rafa bashers stick it up your arse. Sick to death of all the so called Liverpool fans on here. Support your manager and team FFS :mad:

We do support the team and manager. But a blind dog with a mallett can see how negative we are lately. We are as fans allowed to expect better football. If in 34 games time we are joint top though you wont hear any compliants from me.

Even the staunchest Rafa fan has to ask why Ngog for Torres when bringing in Babel would have left the team more balanced, why A left back for a rigth midfielder and why bring on Yossi for Keane. Like many I was bewildered at the atctics, substitutions and overall negative attitude. If you set your stall for a 0-0 draw with Villa then it strikes me that you arent taking the league seriously.

[red_shamrock]

it was awful stuff. It is so frustrating to see the likes of Keane being played out of position and the like of Kuyt on the field. For sure the mancs will go to Villa Park and win, so will Chelsea and Arsenal will do no worse than draw. It is now when we should be showing the league what we can do and set down a marker for the season. We could have gone into the manc game 5 clear knowing a win would have us 8 clear of them, what a boost that would have been.

Rafas tactics have us all baffled, it's all been said before. I know 7 from 9 is not a bad start, but I really cant see where the huge improvement is coming from. If Riera signs, he will be the obvious choice on the left, but that still leaves the golden retriever on the right. I have this awful feeling that we will be out of the title race by October again, I hope I am wrong though.

[REDHEART]

Mancs score 1st and its game over FACT!

from what i've seen so far the mancs will beats us even with a skeleton team.i find it very painful to watch such a great club brought up on pass and move football,attack,attack,attack play this tripe.i felt like crying at times today with some of the tripe i was watching.it's torture.how much more can we take.ok it's only football but i want to be entertained.we have the players but not the manager to play entertaining football.so we just suffer.when our board appoint these managers (houlier benetiz) do they not ask about the type of football he is seeking to play.do they not ask them if they know about the history of the club and the type of football out supporters expect to see.:mad::mad::mad::mad:

[frogg6]

It was painful to watch today. The only real chance we got was Robbie's effort which he prob should have scored. As Andy Gray said he prob would have had he been in a white shirt. But I guess he needs a few more games to find his feet!

Still on da bright side. We're joint top of the league and we qualified for the Champs league midweek (phew!!:o), but I must admit that game put me in a bad mood for da day.

Hopefully things will improve against Man U. We always seem to play better against the better sides. I really want da league this year!!

[Badman]

it would take way too l ong to pick the bones out of that game - way easier to highlight the positives.
1) Masch was back - cant pass the ball for shit but our best player by a 1,000,000 miles
2) Marginal improvement by dossena - esp some of his crossing
3) We didnt lose

This isnt an anti-rafa thread or anti-LFC thread. u can still support our club yet disagree with the tactics and bizarre substitutions in yesterday's game. he allowed his feud with MON to cloud his judgement and it became an all-consuming fear to lose to him so he played for a draw. Play like that (esp if torresa & stevie g are out) against Utd and they'll win handsome enough
Lucas brings nothing to the team - so sticking a poor defensive midfielder on the ;eft wing (or wa keane playing there at times) to stop the rampaging runs of the brilliant reo'coker was madness - instead of playing babel there to have a run at the clearly struggling Luke Young.
dunno what to make of the aurelio and yossi comin on and taking the two strikers off.
that was the worst LFC game ive watched since the souness era in the prem - just dire to watch - and there's no sign of any improvements on the horizon. not even the staunchest optimist can take too many positives from that. it was awful, just sad to watch. not looking forward to the utd game at all -

[dubit10]

Rafa set out to get a scoreless draw and we got a scoreless draw.

We're still joint top of the League and most teams will get beaten away to Villa this year.

It's actually a decent result and keeps us level with Chelsea.

Although I'm not denying it was terrible to watch.


jesus i know it was terrible to watch but FFS Rafa is the manager. We are no better than newcastle or spurs when we start to question the manager 3 games in. It's pathetic. Things will improve and when they do i just hope the same people who come on to sites like this and talk about how negative we are and how shite we are to watch can see that it matters none if we win the league. I just want ot win the bloody league FFS. Couldnt care less how we do it but the mancs are within 1 title of matching our domestic record and we must stop them at all costs. If that means winning ugly i for one welcome it.19 years is to long :(

[GaryMc]

I just want ot win the bloody league FFS. Couldnt care less how we do it but the mancs are within 1 title of matching our domestic record and we must stop them at all costs. If that means winning ugly i for one welcome it.19 years is to long :(

Winning ugly??? we did not even try to win.

If Rafa goes in with those Tactics and positioning of players, we will be lucky to get top four, never mind Champions.

I am a big admirer of Rafa, he is an excellent manager, but sometimes he needs to go for it, instead of playing it safe. We only lost four matches last season, but drew far too many by playing it safe and hoping to snatch something. We can't afford the same this year.

[D-Red]

jesus i know it was terrible to watch but FFS Rafa is the manager. We are no better than newcastle or spurs when we start to question the manager 3 games in. It's pathetic. Things will improve and when they do i just hope the same people who come on to sites like this and talk about how negative we are and how shite we are to watch can see that it matters none if we win the league. I just want ot win the bloody league FFS. Couldnt care less how we do it but the mancs are within 1 title of matching our domestic record and we must stop them at all costs. If that means winning ugly i for one welcome it.19 years is to long :(

God sure I completely agree. If you look through various threads on this site you'll constantly see me defending Rafa.

There are too many muppets out there complaining about him after all the good work hes done at the club.

We don't play pretty football but I don't care. As you said yourself winning ugly is a lot better than not winning at all.

And as I said in my last post, the draw at Villa isn't a bad result and we're joint top of the League. It's a good start

[mcinerdo]

Nobody wins ugly for an entire season. The problem is that we don't seem to be making progress year to year.......and the Villa's and Spur's and City's are all beginning to catch up on our 4th spot.

[D-Red]

Nobody wins ugly for an entire season. The problem is that we don't seem to be making progress year to year.......and the Villa's and Spur's and City's are all beginning to catch up on our 4th spot.

It's early days mate. It'll come right

[DomoT]

Mancs score 1st and its game over FACT! Ah the Mancs wont be scoring anything:D:D

[Juan]

surely we cant play as bad as that again.
we now have a two week break,hopefully gerrard+torres will recover in time.
its a wierd situation, we play bad yet we are 2nd. and in the CL group stage.
Syrely Rafa will have a look at tactics/positioning ect..he will know they are not working out as planned.
Defence wise,we look sound.
just a few positive points,sure.it was a very frustrating game yesterday,
and its only 3 games in.we will play better,and the goals will come.
why are some predicting doom+gloom now is beyond me:confused:
Keep the faith,its early days.

[D-Red]

Ah the Mancs wont be scoring anything:D:D

Unless Scholes gets his fist to another cross :D

[DomoT]

Unless Scholes gets his fist to another cross :D

He just got a little carried away, he thought he was Maradonna Scholes

[Liverpool-law]

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/NG161121080901-0941.htm

Just thought this summed up alot about the debate above

[GaryMc]

Positions in the league mean **** all until xmas, so the fact we lie second after 3 games means nothing.

Man U were written off after 4 or 5 league game last season when they were around 15th.

Let's hope Stevie and El Nino are back for the united game.

Whats the bets we play really well and get mugged by the dirt bags?

[megager]

surely we cant play as bad as that again.
.

I have uttered that sentence that 5 times so far this season.:(

[Badman]

I have uttered that sentence that 5 times so far this season.:(

me 2...and about 10 times last season too. but i fear we CAN play worse, thats the worry. if we're setting out our stall to get a 0-0 against a very average side like villa (and i dont care what anyone says, they are not a top side - muck average and no cretivity in midfield, reocoker out right ), i dread to think of the formation we'll have out against the scum. i have one in my head with three defensive midfielders and three fullbacks

[mypost]

There are too many muppets out there complaining about him after all the good work hes done at the club.

We don't play pretty football but I don't care. As you said yourself winning ugly is a lot better than not winning at all.

And as I said in my last post, the draw at Villa isn't a bad result and we're joint top of the League. It's a good start

We may be joint top, but let's not cod ourselves. We're joint top...after 3 games...in August...while playing like a bunch of aul wans. We were very lucky last week to get a point, never mind all 3. We are fortunate to be in a tough CL group, after playing poorly against Liege...twice. The next away game is at top of the league Marseille, who are flying. Play like we've been doing this season, and we won't be winning 4-0 again, that's for sure. We can't keep playing like that all season, and expect to get away with it, because eventually the merde will hit the fan.

Yesterday's game showed once again, that the team doesn't function without SG, no matter how critical people are of him. We're entitled to expect a little more from the players after 4 years with the same boss.

[D-Red]

Yesterday's game showed once again, that the team doesn't function without SG, no matter how critical people are of him. We're entitled to expect a little more from the players after 4 years with the same boss.

I know the performance yesterday left a lot to be desired.

But we are joint top of the league and people carping on about the manager won't help us

[mypost]

But we are joint top of the league

Facade.

August was the easy month, this month will give a clearer indication where we are, and where we're going.

[D-Red]

this month will give a clearer indication where we are, and where we're going.

Sure will! And I think we'll be fine.

[DomoT]

There is no need to panic yet, No team is flying at the moment and all the "top teams" have had some poor performances

[redspider]

Well, a rather poor game by Liverpool against Villa yesterday. Rafa surprised me at least with his formation and selection:

------------ Reina -----------
Arbeloa - Carra - Skrtel - Dossena
--- Masch - Alonso - Lucas ---
Kuyt -------------- Keane
--------- Torres ------

It was sort of a 4-3-2-1 at the start, with Keane very much on the left and neither Masch or Lucas providing any width so very tight. Liverpool set up waiting for Villa to come on to them and Villa did likewise, which made for a very poor game as neither team wanted to take the other on in earnest. Villa were relying on their set-piece capability.

Torres went off quickly with a hamstring (I hope is is okay) which of course affected us. Before that with Robbie out 'wide', Liverpool were hopeless. That formation+personnel combo clearly doesnt work, at least the way the players played it. N'Gog came on and did okay for an inexperienced 19-yr old. But he is clearly not a replacement for Torres nor can he be.

Robbie was moved back inside when the formation switched back to a 4-4-2 which suited him better, as he played 'off' N'Gog, and as a result Liverpool created a few half-chances. Robbie was straight through on goal but showed once again that he does not have enough pace in a one-on-one sprint and was caught. It wasnt a foul as it was his kicking foot that came into contact with Reo-Coker. If that was Torres he would have scored probably 8 times out of 10 or at the very least forced the keeper into a good save. Robbie is no Torres.

But things got even worse for Robbie as both himself and Kuyt were subbed. The Liverpool formation became a bit of a mess then as Benni played in the centre. Why El Zhar or Babel werent used I cant fathom. Even a Voronin on the bench would have helped, or a Pennant.

A draw was a fair result in the end, as the two teams tied no more than to sneak it.

So, where does this leave Liverpool, Rafa's personnel and formations? Up in the air if you ask me. Rafa selects a formation at times based on the opposition, and if his aim was to draw with Villa he got that. But surely our ambitions should be more than that? Granted, on paper, an away draw at Villa is okay, but we need to at least be some danger to the opposition rather than being a damp squib. Points gained in such matches is what can propel us further up the table.

I fear that Rafa will be happy with a 4th in the league this year and a good run in the CL. If the league was a priority, the team selection and ambition would have been much higher yesterday. Much more attacking minded.

Granted the team was without Gerrard, but we need to have a squad that can carry injuries even to the best players. If both Torres and Gerrard are out for an appreciable amount of time, and lets hope that never happens, that is going to affect us badly.

I dont think that Robbie fits the 4-2-3-1 that worked so well last season, and if we switch to a 4-4-2 to accommodate Robbie playing in behind/close-to and moving with Torres, that compromises Gerrard.

Some people thought we would revert to a 4-2-3-1, well, nope, it didnt happen. Alonso was at times a holding defender in front of the back 4 and was circling from left to right all across the backline. At times the formation was more like 4-1-2-2-1. But basically, it didnt work and nowhere in yesterday's match were the players completely comfortable in their positions nor did the formation leverage the attributes of the players concerned.

So, definitely some worrying times. Yes, we could say that we are winning ugly and now drawing ugly, a win yesterday perhaps would have been more of an insult to football than anything. A loss may have woken the team and management up a bit.

There will be harder tasks ahead, and I am far from being confident that the team being used will be able to compete with it. If Riera is signed today, I hope that he turns out much better than I fear he will. We need a bit of luck ......

Redspider

[D-Red]

There is no need to panic yet, No team is flying at the moment and all the "top teams" have had some poor performances

Well said

[honald_tdb]

Well said

+1. To be honest, Villa should have beaten us because we deserved it - but they didn't and we kept a clean sheet. Out start is steady, not spectacular, bring on the manure.....:)

[Liverpool-law]

+1. To be honest, Villa should have beaten us because we deserved it - but they didn't and we kept a clean sheet. Out start is steady, not spectacular, bring on the manure.....:)

Let's not beat ourselves up, Villa shouldn't have beaten us because we deserved it, they did nothing to justify beating us, neither did we. A draw was a deserved result.

The scum have drawn at home with Newcastle

Arsenal were beaten away by Fulham

Chelsea drew at home with Spurs

We drew away at Villa

Liverpool have had two away games, won one and drew one.

I'm not happy with the way we played so far this season but it's 1st September and we haven't had our full first eleven out yet for one reason or another. Let's just keep a bit of perspective, that's all.

[kingofkop]

Are you jamie redknapp:)

no im harry :D

[mypost]

The scum have drawn at home with Newcastle

Arsenal were beaten away by Fulham

Chelsea drew at home with Spurs

We should only be concerned with how we're doing, not with how the competition are.

[trucker]

We should only be concerned with how we're doing, not with how the competition are.

Amazingly i'm gona agree with his last couple of posts on this thread!

[Molby Is a Legend]

Amazingly i'm gona agree with his last couple of posts on this thread!


:eek::eek::eek:

[Liverpool-law]

We should only be concerned with how we're doing, not with how the competition are.

Yeah MP, we'll see how long you can stick to that :rolleyes:

[robbie st leger]

what is more worrying is that we do not have much more to come into the team that played against boro/sunderland so is what is there at the moment going to get any better or are we dreaming again - when you see that chelski are still waiting on drogba/ballack etc and the scum have barely had tevez or the winker at all - is our best 11 capable of maintaining a season of a challenge?