UCL - Liverpool v Ludogorets

[Strontium]

Lucas's 100% win record this season continues.

 

33% win rate without him in the team...

[billypilgrimnz]

I'm currently watching a replay of the first half, and we are playing shit. I didn't even notice Lallana was there until his goal attempt at 35 odd minutes.

 

So many bad crosses in good position, so many players who dither with the ball at their feet, a lack of movement. Our midfield is very weak.

[El Rojo]

Markovic being judged on how many minutes? Has he even played 90 in total yet?

 

Great result but more clownish defending and clearly we'll struggle at the other end in every game that Sterling and Sturridge don't start.

 

Moreno already a huge positive. Fantastic display from him tonight. Honourable mention for Manquillo on the other side too.

[Josef Svejk]

See Charlie Adam

 

You can't miss him.

[stringvest]

40 mill on CBs in the last two seasons and nobody wants to see either of them played. 

 

We have a problem.  Defensive scouting and coaching.

 

I want to see them played.  So you're wrong again.  

[Dr Nowt]

The highlight was the result. The rest of it was like watching someone fix a broken car. 

 

With a balloon shaped like a dog.

[stringvest]

Wow! You can tell markovic looks out of his depth? After 1 game at Anfield! You should be manager.

 

He looks out of his depth at the moment.  He could go on to be a world beater.  Let's hope so.  

On the plus side, Lallana is improving.  Once he reaches somewhere around full fitness he will be a real asset.  

[stringvest]

Lallana reminds me of a Championship player

 

You don't rate Lallana but you rate Lovren.  Cool.

[billypilgrimnz]

Sterling has been poor 50 minutes in...

[Etienne77]

I think Lovren is struggling to come to terms with playing on the right of the two having spent most of his career on the left.

It's not easy for some players to take to it right away.

I think he'll be OK. We'll improve. Lallana will get better. Some over the top flapping tonight.

Long long season ahead. Enjoy it. 

[Melchett]

Well, that's the easy one out the way!

[Adebisi]

Bloody horrible game that. Not sure what I'd go with at the weekend after watching that. Lallana obviously fit and Coutinho is really out of form. Probably with 2 up front and if Allen's not fit get Lucas in the team. 

[billypilgrimnz]

Finished watching. We were terrible.

[Alan Sex]

Don't know if we are going to get many goals from Balotelli.

 

His positional sense is awful.

 

It's alright tracking back and all, but from what I could tell it looked like he was playing half the match as a central defender.

[Red House]

See Charlie Adam

Adam was in the PFA team of the year and nominated for the PFA player of the year? News to me.

[Boss]

Why is Lovren getting stick for the goal? he was covering the left centre back position and Manquillo came and covered the right but couldn't get to the ball after Mignolet was beaten, where was our left sided centre back during all this? where was Mignolet who should of came off his line much sooner? 

[therevivalist]

I don't know what is going on but we look like a shadow of ourselves. Poor passing and even worse no movement from some of our key players. Confidence seems shot which is really cause for concern. And Lovren can't hold his ground defending as he's caught out of position time and again. Rodgers has quiet a homework on his hands and we've to cut out all this crap fast. Lucky to have started with the Bulgarians; we would be murdered if we faced Madrid, even Basel in this condition.

[Iceman]

Agreed. But I have total faith in him to do it. He is almost blinded right now by the different parameters and the different options he has but you can see him working it all out. I just hope it doesn't take more than about 7 matches. He needs to use the template he had from last season and use that as his guide. We didn't have any lightning quick breaks tonight, or they were few and far between. Our best move came around the 37th minute, it was front to back and about 5 players were involved and it looked just like last season. Tonight there was no blitzkrieg footy when we were breaking, it was pedestrian, and there was very little quick receiving and turning to face the opposition while other players ran behind the defenders, when we did build slowly.  

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

I'm still not concerned.

 

We aren't playing well, but it's not terrible either. We started slowly last season and then it all clicked.

 

We're still bossing possession and we're creating between 15 to 20 chances in most games.

 

I think what the past few games have shown is what a huge miss Sturridge is. Balotelli has done okay, but in his own way, back to goal, hiding it up and bringing players into the game. But we've missed that attacker who'll be a bit more direct, running at teams and looking to get in behind. Sturridge will offer that when back.

 

I think in both tonight's game and the villa game, we've suffered because of the laboured build up pace of our game. Too many unnecessary passes in areas which won't hurt the opposition.

 

Going forward, a few things I'd consider for the weekend are:

 

- dropping Coutinho. He's trying, but it's just not coming off. Needs to be taken out of the firing line, to rest his mind and to give him a bit of a kick up the bum, although you can't fault his effort.

 

- 2 up top. We just look better with it.

 

- further to above, back to the diamond. But I'd play Lallana at the tip of the diamond for now. Get Sterling up front, floating either side of a more central Balotelli, with Sterling looking to get in the spaces between centre and full back.

 

- maybe get Lucas in the half back role. Gerrard plays well there. I don't think his legs have gone. There's been a few noticeable times when he's exhibited a burst of pace to cover for defenders. But, I think Lucas can play that role if we're struggling to break teams down, with Gerrard's passing and more creative game being of more use a good few yards further up the field.

 

- later on in games, if we are looking for a different attacking option, Moreno played as a winger? He has all the attributes, plus the necessary engine to get back too.

[Iceman]

Would it be wrong of me to want to see Gerrard given 30 minutes just attacking the hell out of the opposition? I miss it. He doesn't have pace but he has guile and a great shot. He looks like a lion that's not allowed to eat the wilderbeest anymore. Fuck all this quarderrback shite and let him off the leash. 

[Jose Jones]

Would it be wrong of me to want to see Gerrard given 30 minutes just attacking the hell out of the opposition? I miss it. He doesn't have pace but he has guile and a great shot. He looks like a lion that's not allowed to eat the wilderbeest anymore. Fuck all this quarderrback shite and let him off the leash. 

 

I reckon that Rodgers will have in mind that he could switch Gerrard further forward - but he is maybe giving Gerrard more time to bed in his deep position, before fucking about with the team formation a bit more.

[A_S]

Why is Lovren getting stick for the goal? he was covering the left centre back position and Manquillo came and covered the right but couldn't get to the ball after Mignolet was beaten, where was our left sided centre back during all this? where was Mignolet who should of came off his line much sooner?

 

Sakho had to push over to cover Moreno who was ahead of Sterling when he lost possession. Why he was bombing on like that in the 90th, who would know? So absolving everyone else for doing the exact same thing as what Sakho is copping blame for is a bit harsh.

 

The worst part of it was 3 midfielders around their 1, yet nobody was near enough to him to affect or intercept that pass either to him or from him.

[billypilgrimnz]

Sakho had to push over to cover Moreno who was ahead of Sterling when he lost possession. Why he was bombing on like that in the 90th, who would know? So absolving everyone else for doing the exact same thing as what Sakho is copping blame for is a bit harsh.

Par for the course. Manquillo had to cover Lovren because he had to cover Sakho because....eh, stories are hard. I think I'll stop there and just blame Sakho.

[KopOut]

Fuck me. We won. Wasn't expecting that at all.

 

I suppose NEXT season we'll buy a whole heap of VILLA cast-offs because THEY beat us at home THIS season.

 

Ballotelli is one dimensional 'ey?

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Why is Lovren getting stick for the goal?

Because people are stupid.