Besiktas(h) match thread

[matt1983]

I can't remember him taking one for us, but have vague stirrings that he might have taken one in a penalty shoot out?

In the pre-season shoot-out with City.

[ratcatcher]

My question is, did Henderson give the ball to Mario, did Mario take the ball that made Sturridge react to Henderson or did Sturridge react because he actually wanted to take it?

 

From what I saw, henderson's body language wasnt 'you're not having the ball!' It looked like he had the ball in the palm of his hand when the 'debate' started. Whether balotelli said he wanted to take it or was taking it, only they can say. Balotelli then put two hands on the ball to pick it out of henderson's hand note not two hands.

 

Like has been said, rodgers will sort it. I personally think comments made by gerrard about it and reputedly to have said about mignolet is being blown up. I hardly think gerrard's going to say 'pity he didnt make the save 3 months ago' when he slipped creating the chance. But that's just my thoughts.

[KevieG]

Best game Mario has played for the club. He was 100% right to take control there. He might be braindead but he is a brilliant penalty taker. Not a bad time to hit a bit of form.

 

Can had a poor night but great to see him trying to sort out all that shit. I like his mentality.

 

Ibe and Sakho the other standouts. A decent result which should have us in the next round.

[billypilgrimnz]

Strange game that one - i actually thought Allen was the pick of the midfielders, he certainly made the most interceptions and kept things ticking over.

Allen was a non-entity as he usually is.

[WhiskeyJar]

Sturridge was telling Mario to give it back to Hendo. He wasn't arguing he should take it himself.

Doesn't explain why he threw a strop after Mario took it though if that's the case.

[stringvest]

Allen was a non-entity as he usually is.

 

Either that, or you're just a bit ignorant and can't see what he brings to the team in games like that. 

[Torvald Utne]

Irony

[WhiskeyJar]

Allen was a non-entity as he usually is.

My gripe with Allen is that he never, not once played the risky ball to a player with space bit rather choose always the safest of passes. Very Lucas-esque.

[ratcatcher]

Doesn't explain why he threw a strop after Mario took it though if that's the case.

 

Danny seemed to be saying to henderson 'its your ball, tell him. Tell him.'

 

If henderson had of been confident of scoring maybe he wouldnt have handed it over. seeing as it was likely the match turning point he wasnt that confident? Who knows?

[magicrat]

Doesn't explain why he threw a strop after Mario took it though if that's the case.

No it doesn't. He was pissed off that if Hendo wasnt taking it Balo not him got the ball.  Pecking order had been disturbed . 

[stringvest]

Irony

 

Not really.  Some of us are more realistic about what your mate brings to the team.  Anyway, we won, and we kept a clean sheet, so we should all be happy, shouldn't we?

[Paco]

I thought henderson was going to take the pen but sturridge wanted it as well as mario.

 

I d have rather moreno hit it than sturridge tonight because he had a poor game despite what gerrard thought but the more I ve seen it the more it looks like sturridge is saying to henderson get the ball back off him.

 

henderson obviously didnt fancy it that much and mario scored so fuck it.

[stringvest]

Danny seemed to be saying to henderson 'its your ball, tell him. Tell him.'

 

If henderson had of been confident of scoring maybe he wouldnt have handed it over. seeing as it was likely the match turning point he wasnt that confident? Who knows?

 

Hendo is not the bravest when he has time to think about his options.  However it happened, the right player stepped up and took charge, and won the game.  No-one can be too upset about that.

[Paco]

My gripe with Allen is that he never, not once played the risky ball to a player with space bit rather choose always the safest of passes. Very Lucas-esque.

hes the out ball more often than not. When theres nowhere else to go hes free.

 

I thought he was good tonight.

[billypilgrimnz]

Either that, or you're just a bit ignorant and can't see what he brings to the team in games like that.

He brings nothing a multitude of other midfielders couldn't do in their sleep.

 

Get the ball, give it to someone else. Jog around. Get a nose bleed when you get near the box. Retreat.

 

Repeat.

[WhiskeyJar]

Liverpool vs Besiktas 1 : 0 - Jordan Henderson post-match interview: http://youtu.be/3TCxY6umYJc

[Paco]

From what I saw, henderson's body language wasnt 'you're not having the ball!' It looked like he had the ball in the palm of his hand when the 'debate' started. Whether balotelli said he wanted to take it or was taking it, only they can say. Balotelli then put two hands on the ball to pick it out of henderson's hand note not two hands.

 

Like has been said, rodgers will sort it. I personally think comments made by gerrard about it and reputedly to have said about mignolet is being blown up. I hardly think gerrard's going to say 'pity he didnt make the save 3 months ago' when he slipped creating the chance. But that's just my thoughts.

I think thousands said the same thing. I know I did. Not that I ve ever blamed mignolet for it.

[xerxes]

Some of us are more realistic about what your mate brings to the team.  Anyway, we won, and we kept a clean sheet, so we should all be happy, shouldn't we?

Exactly.

 

The record books will show 1-0. Job done.

[Gym Beglin]

Vile display from Allen and Lallana, and not much better from Sturridge and Coutinho.

 

We were hesitant, we didn't move the ball quickly enough, and Sturridge was very isolated, it was a poor performance in all.

 

But we won, which goes some way to saying how bad Besiktas are.

 

That said, they should have been down to 10 men, that challenge on Coutinho was disgusting.

 

We miss Lucas on nights like this, and Sturridge needs to get some shots away early. His titty lip over the penalty wasn't funny, we can do without that shit. The way he was playing I wouldn't have fancied him anyway, and a miss there would have had consequences.

[Paco]

Vile display from Allen and Lallana, and not much better from Sturridge and Coutinho.

 

We were hesitant, we didn't move the ball quickly enough, and Sturridge was very isolated, it was a poor performance in all.

 

But we won, which goes some way to saying how bad Besiktas are.

 

That said, they should have been down to 10 men, that challenge on Coutinho was disgusting.

 

We miss Lucas on nights like this, and Sturridge needs to get some shots away early. His titty lip over the penalty wasn't funny, we can do without that shit. The way he was playing I wouldn't have fancied him anyway, and a miss there would have had consequences.

allen did what he had to do.

 

the onus is on lallana coutinho henderson sturridge ibe and moreno to create and score

[billypilgrimnz]

allen did what he had to do.

 

the onus is on lallana coutinho henderson sturridge ibe and moreno to create and score

Correction: Allen did all it is possible for him to ever do.

[stringvest]

Vile display from Allen and Lallana, and not much better from Sturridge and Coutinho.

 

We were hesitant, we didn't move the ball quickly enough, and Sturridge was very isolated, it was a poor performance in all.

 

But we won, which goes some way to saying how bad Besiktas are.

 

That said, they should have been down to 10 men, that challenge on Coutinho was disgusting.

 

We miss Lucas on nights like this, and Sturridge needs to get some shots away early. His titty lip over the penalty wasn't funny, we can do without that shit. The way he was playing I wouldn't have fancied him anyway, and a miss there would have had consequences.

 

That's like concentrated wrong. You could water that down so that there's enough posts for the rest of the year, and there would still be a wrongness about each one that could be spotted from Jupiter by someone with a space helmet on and one of those plastic magnifying glasses found in Christmas crackers.  

[WhiskeyJar]

Steven Gerrard accused Mario Balotelli of showing "disrespect" for taking the penalty duties off Reds captain Jordan Henderson in Liverpool's 1-0 Europa League win over Besiktas.

 

Balotelli tucked away the spot kick to earn the hosts a narrow first-leg lead in their last 32 encounter, but only after an apparent disagreement with Henderson, the captain on the night, and Daniel Sturridge over who would take it.

 

Gerrard, who is injured, and normally much less outspoken, openly criticised Balotelli for his behaviour.

 

"Jordan should have taken the penalty. Rules are rules. It should have been Henderson. Mario has been a bit mischievous," Gerrard told ITV.

 

 

"Credit to Mario, he's scored, but it's not nice to see when footballers are arguing.

 

 

Balotelli slots away the spot kick

"I think Jordan has handled the situation very well. He can see that Mario really wanted to score.

 

"Jordan walked away at the right moment and handled his post-match interview very well.

 

"Jordan is the captain and Mario showed Jordan a bit of disrespect there, but he's scored a very important goal. I think six or seven players would have wanted to take that penalty so if they all say they are taking it, what happens then? Rules are in place for a reason."

 

Henderson tried to play down the disagreement after the match, and insisted he was happy with the way it panned out.

 

 

"Jordan is the captain and Mario showed Jordan a bit of disrespect there, but he's scored a very important goal."

Steven Gerrard

 

"I wanted the penalty, Mario felt confident and he has taken big penalties before," Henderson said.

 

"Everyone wants to take them. I felt confident in Mario, he has taken big penalties before and he got the nod."

 

Balotelli also tried defuse the furore by turning to social media to insist there was no problem.

 

"Thank you Hendo for let me take the penalty. Stop drama now. We won that's what it count," Balotelli tweeted.

 

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher also turned to social media to give his views, and backed the Italian for stepping forward.

 

"It was obvious Sturridge was supposed to take it and looked a little peeved along with Henderson, but at that moment the best penalty taker Liverpool had on the pitch was Balotelli as we've seen with his spot kicks for Man City," Carragher said.

 

"So in this instance I was ok with it because the main penalty taker wasn't on the pitch in Gerrard."

 

He later tweeted: "Also just heard it was Henderson supposed to be on them not Sturridge, more reason for Mario to take it!!!"

[Paco]

Correction: Allen did all it is possible for him to ever do.

hes all about the press

[Einch]

I'm getting tired of some of the players trying to do it all. Sterling, Coutinho and now Sturridge hold onto the ball too long and slow everything down. Fucking pass and move you greedy bastards.