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Liverpool Vs Celtic - 10/08/13 - Match thread


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Without Sturridge or Suarez on the pitch there will always be odd games where we struggle to score. You could say the same if Utd were without Van Persie and Hernandez, or if Arsenal were without Giroud and Podolski. City are probably the only club in the league equipped to cope without their two top strikers. We've actually done well to score as many as we have this pre-season in the circumstances.

 

That being said, we definitely do need to add more goals to the team if we're going to make the top 4. I think that is obvious to everybody.

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Not worried about the result. I think the most worrying thing is Brendan still thinks a midfield of Lucas, Gerrard and Allen is acceptable for where we want to be. Post injury Lucas could be improved upon very easily, Allen shouldn't even be in the team on form.

 

Gerrard doesn't have the legs to be surrounded by two weak and slow players. He does have the quality to make up for that but only if you put the right bodies beside him. Players who'll compliment him and make up for the things he's lacking now.

 

A midfield three of new DM (Big African or French sort preferably, Gerrard and Coutinho pisses all over what we continue to use. Yet there seems there's no chance of getting new bodies in that position.

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On form? His form has been excellent pre-season. As for being slow...

 

I'd say you're very easily pleased then. He hasn't been excellent in a Liverpool top at all. He certainly shouldn't be starting this season in the team when he's been stinking the place out since October or so. I doubt he would if he wasn't the managers record signing tbh.

 

He might have the tools to back Gerrard up and play that role, but Brendan is doing him no favours shoe horning him in sides, moving the likes of Coutinho to get Allen in the team.

 

We're going to find it very hard to progress relying on Lucas, who hasn't recovered from his injury sufficently as of yet. With Allen and Henderson being any more then bit part players.

 

It's all pointless for now. Sinc Brendan looks to have faith in this midfield set up.

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Guest Numero Veinticinco
I'd say you're very easily pleased then. He hasn't been excellent in a Liverpool top at all.

 

So you wouldn't say he was good against Man City last season?

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So you wouldn't say he was good against Man City last season?

 

Good yes, excellent far from it. He was supposed to be playing as a defensive midfielder that day yet his excellent passing took peoples eyes of the misgivings. He wasn't giving what you'd want from a dm.

 

As I said the only role I see for him is where Gerrard's playing. He's not a defensive midfielder, as Lucas comes in for once fit. He's no attacking midfielder as he's nowhere near creative enough and he's not going to displace the captain any time soon.

 

Even Downing's played a handful of good games for the club. Doesn't mean they should be forgiven for months on end of poor performances. Allen's younger and can at least be used as a squaddie backing up Gerrard but if's clear as day the midfield suffers when he's forced in anywhere just to get on the team sheet.

 

Brendan probably bought him to play where we have Gerrard now, with Gerrard as AM. Once that didn't work out, Allen should have been benched. It seems the gaffer is doing whatever he can to justify what's been a poor signing.

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Great, this place is back where it used to be. Lucas to blame. And Allen is just fine. Oh well.

 

Based on the pre season, Allen is not fine. If you wish to have a big African dude, well, Allen is the one to replace. Gerrard and Allen play too close to each other, the only one in the midfield who has a clearly defined role is Lucas. The other two are all over the place.

 

I'd go back to 4-2-3-1 of the end of last season. And I'd keep that as long as Gerrard plays for us. Lucas, or someone else (he needs competition), partnering him as "2". Allen dropped immediately, Henderson or someone else with a presence, in the "3", with Coutinho in the middle.

 

And the midfield is not really the main problem. Downing needs to go, and Enrique, as well, both offer nothing but misplaced passes and pointless crosses. On top of that, the CBs need to pass better, Toure-Lucas-Gerrard is way too obvious and easy to deal with. Agger is needed, and a fast, ball-playing CB to cover Toure and Agger. Wisdom is not there yet.

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Just seen that Anzhi have their whole squad up sale. Lassana Diarra would be good buy, if his wages aren't massive. He'd replace Lucas instantly, as least until Lucas returns to form.

 

That's provided he's still playing as well, seen nothing of him in Russia and can't remember if he played against us.

 

They've a few other players I've heard of but not seen enough of.

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Just seen that Anzhi have their whole squad up sale. Lassana Diarra would be good buy, if his wages aren't massive. He'd replace Lucas instantly, as least until Lucas returns to form.

 

That's provided he's still playing as well, seen nothing of him in Russia and can't remember if he played against us.

 

They've a few other players I've heard of but not seen enough of.

 

How do you envisage that happening if Lucas isn't playing? Also, Diarra is a flaky character who hasn't settled at any club he played for.

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How do you envisage that happening if Lucas isn't playing? Also, Diarra is a flaky character who hasn't settled at any club he played for.

 

Cups and the odd game here and there. Reserve football if needs be. Why doesn't anyone do that any more? We can't keep expecting him to be fit all season and not have any cover for him. I'll be surprised if that decision doesn't bite us in the ass this year. His post injury form has been poor, that's to be expected. It's not guaranteed that he'll ever return to form.

 

Good point about Lass not settling but I think Chelsea and Madrid might have bought other players that replaced him in the team. If he's playing anything like what he was at those clubs, he'd easily improve our midfield. Another midget but with the strength and pace to make up for it. Good on the ball too for a dm.

 

Wages is probably a big stumbling block going for anyone from there. They probably offered all their players a fortune.

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The worry about yesterday if you want to worry about a friendly was that it was all to familiar. That was a really poor Celtic side and they really did contain us very easily, they let us play our game and we fell short which is a common occurrence. The first 11 needs improving if we don't its incompetent at every level from FSG to the supposed great new scouting network and the manager. We will not improve on last year by wanting/wishing it too happen.

 

We've proven we can control the play but we don't do enough with it, we seriously need a proper finisher, its weird how many of our players just can't hit the target 9 times out of 10 we hit it at least 5 yards wide, almost every single time a sproffesionals they should be embarrassed, all of them. There's plenty of positives and plenty of worries but ultimately how we end this transfer window will have more of an impact on our season than anything else.

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Guest Numero Veinticinco
Great, this place is back where it used to be.

 

Based on the pre season, Allen is not fine.

 

Yeah, it is back to normal! Amazing what conceding a goal does. Especially when people have been itching to have a pop for the last 6 games. You could feel people turning when we conceded a goal. Then came the lossgasm.

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IMHO the most balanced midfield we've used where were relatively solid (against admittedly poor opposition) was Allen, Henderson and Alberto. Lucas to me still looks a yard off the pace and there have to be question marks on whether he will ever regain his pre injury form and as a club we seem unwilling to purchase at least alternatives. But then again maybe Brendan sees that player (long term Lucas successor) as Allen.

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My summing up

Mignolet.. Solid display

Johnson.. Erratic

Toure.. Looks a quality signin

Wisdom. Made mistakes but needs time

Enrique .. Another madcap display, strange player

 

Allen.. Poor performance

Lucas.. Treading water, injurys starting to tell?

Gerrard, wasteful but still try's to pass forward and shoot

 

Courtinio.. Wasted out wide, diamond.

Aspas.. Impact player for now, needs time.

Downing.. No Jesus navas unfortunately

 

 

Ibe, great potential

Henderson.. Can't play wide, must play in the centre

Sturridge, flashes of brilliance, must stay fit and focused

 

General performance...poor. No attacking patterns, little guile, no game intelligence, powder puff display against third rate opposition.

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Great, this place is back where it used to be. Lucas to blame. And Allen is just fine. Oh well.

 

Based on the pre season, Allen is not fine. If you wish to have a big African dude, well, Allen is the one to replace. Gerrard and Allen play too close to each other, the only one in the midfield who has a clearly defined role is Lucas. The other two are all over the place.

 

I'd go back to 4-2-3-1 of the end of last season. And I'd keep that as long as Gerrard plays for us. Lucas, or someone else (he needs competition), partnering him as "2". Allen dropped immediately, Henderson or someone else with a presence, in the "3", with Coutinho in the middle.

 

And the midfield is not really the main problem. Downing needs to go, and Enrique, as well, both offer nothing but misplaced passes and pointless crosses. On top of that, the CBs need to pass better, Toure-Lucas-Gerrard is way too obvious and easy to deal with. Agger is needed, and a fast, ball-playing CB to cover Toure and Agger. Wisdom is not there yet.

 

when co commentator steve nichol was asked where do you think lpool will finish this coming season, he said sixth or seventh, then he was asked what do we need to do to be in the top 4, he said we need to do what shankley did and go down the middle ie, decent centre forward, centre half and keeper, we may now have the keeper, but without the other 2 we will struggle, personally I think we have'nt even come close to replacing big sammy hyypia.

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