Atlético Madrid (A) - CL, Tue 19th Oct 2021 (8:00pm)

[3 Stacks]

55 minutes ago, TheBitch said:

Fair play to you for coming on here and being pretty fair. 

I'm the fairest. 

[Pidge]

Snow white over here...

[Harry Squatter]

[Caramac]

7 hours ago, Einch said:

Anyone else notice Van Dijk wince when he landed on his right leg after winning the header vs Suarez. Understandable he's still got some way to go though that did worry me.

 

Could've been nasty for VVD, it's a cunts trick that one.

 

 

 

[an tha]

442oons take....

 

Love these.

 

 

[CapeRed]

10 hours ago, clockspeed said:

Have to laugh with all the grappling and pulling going on , run towards goal take a slight nudge fall to the floor better chance of a penalty than blatant holding .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep. When are they going to get a grip on the wrestling that goes on at corners??

[CapeRed]

7 hours ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

Some people are just best remembered as players and ignored as pundits.

This is so true.

[CapeRed]

8 hours ago, Manny said:

100x this. I genuinely think not enough has been made of the fact that we started the same team (GK aside) that started at Watford just ~80 hours before - that game itself coming off the back of a three-games-in-a-week fucking international break (with typically associated injuries) - whilst our opponents, benefitting from a league that seems to value its teams performing in Europe, had the weekend off. There's arguments to be had about the Watford selection and also whether we should have rotated more (although I take Klopp's word that it was simpler to keep the team together from the weekend since they did virtually no training between games), but it's no wonder their midfield ran through ours a lot. They had their feet up while ours did 10k.

 

I'm fucking delighted. Nobody will go there and control the game comfortably as they're a clever, quality, well-coached and well-supported side: the best pretty much anyone can hope for is to stay in the game, control periods of it and take your chances, which is exactly what we did.

 

I get that it'd be nice to control the game more at 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 and 3-2 but they're like us - built on emotion and adrenaline. If we were behind at home we'd come roaring out like that and no doubt the opposition fans would bemoan not controlling us as well.

Some excellent points.  Agree with you.i dont understand the negative reaction to an away win in Europe at a side who are rayed as fairly decent.

[TheHowieLama]

8 minutes ago, CapeRed said:

When are they going to get a grip on the wrestling that goes on at corners??

Oh, I see what you did there.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

7 hours ago, Jose Jones said:

Curry is not a good date meal. Poor choice by Trippier there.

He'll be disappointed when he looks back at that.

[CapeRed]

10 hours ago, aRdja said:

Our defending left a lot to be desired though. They had one trick; defend deep, position your forwards wide, long diagonals to the space behind the full backs. We failed to deal with that time and again. Could’ve been two goals down at half time. If I was Ole, I’d try and replicate the setup on the weekend with Greenwood and Rashford upfront and Bruno playing the Lemar role. 

Bruno isnt quick enough to play tbe Lemar role.

[CapeRed]

9 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

Oh, I see what you did there.

Haha...nice one

[VladimirIlyich]

3 hours ago, Reckoner said:

Good article this

 

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Beckerpraised Jurgen Klopp for being a “maestro” in the dressing room but the Liverpool manager admits he probably got his team selection wrong against Atletico Madrid.

The Reds won an enthralling encounter in the Wanda Metropolitano 3-2 to make it three wins from three and take a five-point lead in their Champions League group.

It was not without its mishaps, however, as they squandered a 2-0 lead before half-time with momentum switching to the hosts.

That was when Klopp got to work, making his first tactical change by replacing Naby Keita with the more defensively minded midfielder Fabinho.

“I believe the boss is a maestro in talking in the right moments, the right things,” Alisson said. “I think he brought us in the game again in the changing room and also our attitude changed a little bit in the second half.”

Klopp’s decision to hook Keita did bring more control, although Antoine Griezmann’s red card handed Liverpool the advantage.

Keita had scored a brilliant volley but the defensive side of his game is still lacking and he was culpable – though not the only one – for allowing opponents to drift past him too easily for both Atletico goals.

The Guinea midfielder was playing his fifth match in 14 days – four of which have been starts for club and country – and that is considered a long run for a player with a chequered injury record over three previous three seasons at the club.

With Thiago Alcantara still not back in training after a calf problem a month ago and Curtis Jones only returning this week, Klopp’s midfield options have been reduced and that has meant relying more on Keita.

But the manager accepts balancing the needs of his team and keeping an eye on the workloads of key players is difficult and probably adversely influenced his selection in Madrid.

“The period we are in is really intense. So, would I choose exactly the same line-up again? Not sure,” Klopp said. “But we had so many things to consider: who is playing that didn’t play, who played where.

“I think in the end we had too many players on the pitch who played now for their national teams all the games, last Premier League game and stuff like this.

“My boys want always (to play well), that’s what I love most about them and if they can’t in moments, it’s most of the time my fault.”

Klopp was also keen to avoid Keita being the scapegoat for their erratic first-half performance.

“First and foremost, it was nothing to do with Naby – we just had to defend the right side a bit better,” he added. “But Naby scored a goal and I spoke to him already. It is really important to me that nobody thinks we played the first half – or the second part of the first half – because of Naby.

“Not at all, he is in really good shape, but he played three games for Guinea there and the last Premier League game 90 minutes. Forty-five minutes I think was absolutely right.”

Liverpool have a 100 per cent record in the Champions League, are unbeaten in the Premier League – in which they are the top scorers – and have scored three or more goals in all seven away matches in all competitions.

They have not lost since April – a sequence of 21 matches which is their longest run since going 24 unbeaten from January to May 1989 – but Klopp insists they are far from being comfortable.

“We are not that confident, to be honest. We know our struggles, we know our problems but we try to ignore them very often,” he said.

Someone who is not struggling for confidence is Mohamed Salah, who set a club record in Madrid after scoring in his ninth successive match and overtaking Steven Gerrard as the club’s leading Champions League goalscorer with 31.

He has 12 goals in 11 appearances this season – two of which have been brilliant individual efforts against Manchester City and Watford – and only Burnley, in late August, have prevented him scoring.

“He’s a fantastic player. He’s showing on the pitch all the time, making really nice goals, not just easy goals,” Alisson said. “But he contributes a lot for the team as well, not only scoring but helping in the defensive phase, playing for the team.

“He is a hungry player, he’s a hungry striker. I’m really happy for him. I hope that he continues that.”

Source: Independent

 

 

I'm not defending Keita's performance but playing so many games internationally and still being selected at club level is stupid.

[TheHowieLama]

26 minutes ago, VladimirIlyich said:

I'm not defending Keita's performance but playing so many games internationally and still being selected at club level is stupid.

Fabinho had played just as much - the only option who hadn't was Chamberlain.

 

A midfield of Henderson, Milner and Ox might have sounded good about three years ago.

[Harry Squatter]

If we beat these in 2 weeks do we win the group?. 

 

Would be funny if we played weakened teams in the last 2 games and they somehow ended up in the Europa League.

[Mudface]

11 hours ago, Harry Squatter said:

If we beat these in 2 weeks do we win the group?. 

 

Would be funny if we played weakened teams in the last 2 games and they somehow ended up in the Europa League.

Not quite, Porto could still end up on 13 points. A win or a draw would see us qualify though I think, as Porto and Atletico have to play each other once more (although I'm not sure if they go on goal difference or head to head results these days).

[aRdja]

I don’t understand how people can enjoy their football in Spain. It’s genuinely some of the most pathetic spectacles I’ve ever seen anywhere. Grown men cheating non stop for 90 mins. 

[VladimirIlyich]

22 hours ago, aRdja said:

I don’t understand how people can enjoy their football in Spain. It’s genuinely some of the most pathetic spectacles I’ve ever seen anywhere. Grown men cheating non stop for 90 mins. 

It isn't always. The problem is that the refs allow it and the fans expect it.

[Barnesey]

On 20/10/2021 at 19:34, TheHowieLama said:

Fabinho had played just as much 

Fab didn't play at Watford...

[LFC 6 Times]

Have to say it was as good a performance as I’ve seen from a team down to 10 men. They were a constant threat and as it’s been alluded to many times absolutely horrid to place against.

[Elite]

10 minutes ago, LFC 6 Times said:

Have to say it was as good a performance as I’ve seen from a team down to 10 men. They were a constant threat and as it’s been alluded to many times absolutely horrid to place against.

Yeah I was impressed with them for most of the game, apart from the first 20 minutes.

 

They are horrible to play but also play some good football and are very dangerous. It was a great result.

[magicrat]

22 minutes ago, LFC 6 Times said:

Have to say it was as good a performance as I’ve seen from a team down to 10 men. They were a constant threat and as it’s been alluded to many times absolutely horrid to place against.

In a totally type of game Chelsea shut up shop for the the second half with 10 against us and we never had a sniff. 

OK they never looked a threat going forward in the way Atletico did but on the other hand they got a point and Madrid got fuck all .  No cigar just for being impressive, Chelsea I think are the toughest side we have played so far.