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