Salzburg (H) 2/10/19 - Champions of Europe League

[Trumo]

On 29/09/2019 at 16:57, Trumo said:

And fuck off CT. Every time I get negged, the team end up toiling for a result. If that happens again, that is all on you.

 

Don't say I didn't warn you lot.

 

For 35 minutes we were excellent and really looked like running up a score. As lively as Salzburg had been, we were getting in behind their defence regularly. Brilliant one-two between Sadio and Bobby to put Sadio in and put us 1-0 up. Even better second goal as Robbo went on a charge and then ran into a great position to get on the end of Trent's low cross after another sweeping move down the right. Incidentally, Gini was quick to slot into the left back position to give Robbo the chance to charge forward in the first place. Then Mo tucked in the rebound after the Salzburg goalkeeper fumbled a near post header from Bobby after more excellent work down the left. Not the best hit but still had enough on it to squirm beneath the hapless goalkeeper. 3-0 and things were looking good.

 

Then, despite sporadic forays upfield, we started to get complacent and let Salzburg come back at us. Adrian had to make one save, but could do nothing moments later as Hendo lost the ball in midfield, Salzburg worked they way in, and their Chinese attacker did superbly to turn Big Virg and smash into the far corner. It was a goal they merited to be fair, as they had had a go rather than simply sitting back like most teams do.

 

We didn't heed the warning, and the sloppiness and complacency continued in the second half. It wasn't helping that Hendo and Gini were getting bypassed when they were quite high up, leaving Fab to cover too many runners and the defence having to drop further back. They put one effort wide at the near post, when the attacker was flagged offside when he wasn't. Slackness from Adrian almost let Salzburg in when his clearance cannoned off the attacker and bounced wide. I can never understand why goalkeepers take an age to deal with the ball in those situations - it's reckless and can unsettle a team as well as giving the other team a lift. Salzburg had another chance soon after that also just went wide. And then they pulled another goal back when we were once again caught upfield. We were floundering. They brought that Haaland kid on and it wasn't long before he got a goal that owned as much to Salzburg's attacking enterprise as it did our defensive slackness. Fab and Big Virg didn't communicate and got caught in no man's land. 3-3, and this wasn't in the script.

 

Klopp took Hendo and Gini off, bringing on Origi and Milner, and we looked a bit more organised. Not massively, but enough that we could still pose and attacking threat and keep the Austrians at arm's length. Mo got what turned out to be the winning goal when Bobby played him in to fire past the keeper.

 

We saw one or two brilliant moments after that. One was a great bit of close contol from Mo on the left to Lallana-turn his way past 3 opponents, and the other almost resulted in a carbon-copy of Big Div's winner against Barca last year. Sadio somehow missed the ball almost right on the line after another brilliant quickly taken corner by Trent. Great work that should have resulted in a second goal for Sadio.

 

The game this most reminds me of is the 6-3 game against Sion in the Cup-Winners' Cup back in 1996/97. Going forward, creating and taken chances wasn't an issue, but there was far too much complacency and sloppiness defensively.

 

We have 3 points on the board at least, and a chance to make it 9 points with the double header against Genk. We need to do everything we are good at, and none of what we aren't in order to make sure of that though. The mantra which served us (and me!) so well last year is still the right mentally now.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

You have to admire what Red Bull are doing in football so far. Spending enough to challenge, not OTT in the big scheme of things but building Leipzig and Salzburg gradually. I wonder how long it will be before they take a punt on an English team. 

[3 Stacks]

Salzburg are a genuinely good side. Said it in the MF, FiveThirtyEight ranked them statistically as the 11th best team in Europe. They have the look of a side with loads of players that will become household names soon enough. 

 

We did well to just pull it out. Sometimes it's like that and you have to give credit to the opposition. 

[Kevin D]

Didn't play well at all after going 3-0 up, but in fairness to the lads, if I knew Firmino would be out later for his birthday, my mind would be elsewhere, too.

[Harry Squatter]

5 minutes ago, Pistonbroke said:

You have to admire what Red Bull are doing in football so far. Spending enough to challenge, not OTT in the big scheme of things but building Leipzig and Salzburg gradually. I wonder how long it will be before they take a punt on an English team. 

Imagine Red Bull Everton...

[Guest Pistonbroke]

3 minutes ago, Doctor Troy said:

Imagine Red Bull Everton...

Hahahaha......

[Butch]

33 minutes ago, rotoq said:

I think Gomez has a bit of a mare but he has it in him to be a class player.

He was outstanding before his injury. He needs games. 

[Jordy Brouwer]

14 minutes ago, moof said:

Some top level hysterical fannying in here tonight but the poster who compared Salah to Aaron Lennon takes the award. 

I bet when we shipped three goals you were as calm as a Hindu Cow. Feel free to virtue signal after the event though. 

[El Rojo]

That game was a bit more entertaining than I’d have liked. We probably had it a bit too easy in that first half.

 

Salzburg potentially this year’s Ajax. Their game with Napoli will be interesting. 

 

Firmino really is something else. What a footballer. 

[Guest Pistonbroke]

15 minutes ago, Doctor Troy said:

Imagine Red Bull Everton...

 

I'm still chuckling about that.

 

I reckon Newcastle would fit the RB criteria. 

[moof]

8 minutes ago, Jordy Brouwer said:

I bet when we shipped three goals you were as calm as a Hindu Cow. Feel free to virtue signal after the event though. 

“Virtue signal” that’s alarmingly close to a negging offence. I’ll let you off because you had a difficult night with the Aaron Lennon stuff. 

 

I was a bit disappointed with some of the defending during their spell on top, although I was expecting a difficult game as they are dangerous going forward. I also had confidence that we would find a way to win. I generally don’t get too down watching the reds as we are absolutely fucking boss and what’s the point in wallowing in negativity anyway? Waste of energy, for me

[TheDrowningMan]

17 minutes ago, Doctor Troy said:

Imagine Red Bull Everton...

Given Red Bull’s naming convention, they’d surely become Red Bull Liverpool.

[Jordy Brouwer]

I'm not wallowing in negativity. The 30 mins or so was horrendus. That's not wallowing in negativity it was just a horrible 30 mins. 

 

You can neg me if you want. 

[Jordy Brouwer]

"I generally don’t get too down watching the reds as we are absolutely fucking boss and what’s the point in wallowing in negativity anyway? Waste of energy, for me"

 

Really Moof? Really? You weren't too down during that? Really??

[moof]

4 minutes ago, Jordy Brouwer said:

I'm not wallowing in negativity. The 30 mins or so was horrendus. That's not wallowing in negativity it was just a horrible 30 mins. 

 

You can neg me if you want. 

Sorry, I didn’t mean I thought you personally were wallowing in negativity. Was speaking in more general terms. Apologies for the misunderstanding 

[3 Stacks]

21 minutes ago, Butch said:

He was outstanding before his injury. He needs games. 

Gomez needs games, but playing like he did today and against MK Dons is a good way of not getting more in the future. Lovren is still here, he'd do well to remember that. 

[Pidge]

[Jordy Brouwer]

I actually didn't think Gomez was as terrible as some people said and the goals weren't all his fault. It is also worth remembering that he isn't fully match fit. 

[Davelfc]

What are they running those scoreboards on, a fucking Raspberry Pi? Salzburg scored their first and the scoreboard said 3-3 for a while, a portent of things to come. 

[littletedwest]

Any comment form Jurgen yet?

Edge of the seat stuff

[Harry Squatter]

They look like one of those clubs with a good scouting network, probably with less work permit restrictions than an English club who sell their players on for big profits. Four or five of those players probably will move on at the end of the season. But then they will probably do the same all over again but with a wedge of cash.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

Complacency. 

[Sugar Ape]

 

[Sugar Ape]

 

[sir roger]

Can't look at Aaron Lennon now without smirking about Dave's description of his shaved eyebrows, saying he looked like he had been run over by a toy train.