Cardiff (H) – FAC 4th Rnd, Sun 6th Feb 2022 (12:00pm)

[Trumo 16,086]

The squad goes into this one after the Premier League’s 2-week winter break. We’ve been working off the bare bones in recent weeks and have done very well considering. Jota’s found some form. Fab’s turned into a goal machine. The team will be at Wembley for the League Cup final at the end of February. As I mentioned in the last match thread, we’ve had a Sunday-Thursday-Sunday schedule for the past month now. It’s the sort of thing teams in the Europa League have to deal with, and for us the ‘normal’ schedule doesn’t start until we take on Inter in the Champions League.

 

Work rate. Heart. Intensity. Tenacity. Effervescence. Cleverness. Luck. Incision. Fear of God up ‘em. Flair. Speed. Organisation. Firepower. Drive. Offensive strength. Vim. Endeavour. Recharged batteries.

 

I don’t ask for much.

 

The two sides have faced each other in the league on 4 occasions over the past decade, and the Reds have dominated and pretty much scored at will. Before that, the last meeting had been the 2012 League Cup final where a lacklustre display needed a penalty shoot out to settle it. Stevie’s cousin Anthony missed the key spot kick to give Liverpool their record 8th League Cup trophy.

 

The teams have met at Anfield in the FA Cup before, but you have to go back to the 3rd Round on 11th January 1930. Liverpool lost that tie 2-1 thanks to a Len Davies double for the Bluebirds, scored after Liverpool had taken the lead through Archie McPherson (not the commentator bloke!). It won’t surprise you to learn that I can’t find clips of this one.

 

A cup tie at Anfield that Liverpool did win against Cardiff came in the 4th Round of the League Cup in October 2007. The visitors had ex-Red Fowler up front, alongside Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The two were well into their 30s but experience-wise were as strong an attacking pair as any in the second tier. Rafa had selected a line-up that included future persona non grata Itandje in goal, Hobbs in defence and Leto on the left wing. None of them went on to have stellar careers, although Leto briefly tore it up with Panathinaikos in the Greek League.

 

Liverpool took the lead in the second half when Stevie teed up Nabil El Zhar (remember him?) to hammer a 30-yarder into the net at the Kop end. It was a goal worthy of the captain himself. 20 minutes later, sloppy defending allowed Cardiff’s Darren Purse to bundle in an equaliser. He was a bit of a cocky twat was Purse, and he was the Birmingham player who equalised on 90 minutes from the penalty spot in our first visit to Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium for 2001’s League Cup final. That jolt to the system saw Stevie and Yossi immediately steam up the other end, combining down the left for the Israeli international to square the ball for the captain to drive the ball through the legs of the Cardiff goalkeeper. The manager had rested the likes of Nando and Dirk for this one, and the players saw out the rest of the game to advance to the next round.

 

 

31st October 2007 saw Ridley Scott’s American Gangster atop the US box office. Denzel Washington is on less showy form as a Harlem crime lord, with Russell Crowe as the lawman tasked with bringing his operation down. Of course there's more to it than that but the basic premise remains. It’s a slick film in its own right, but it has some definite parallels with Michael Mann’s Heat which came out a little over a decade earlier, Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables which is 20 years older, and even Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. And that's before you get to the nods to other classic crime thrillers. There are bits reminiscent of both Serpico and LA Confidential for example. Considering their status at the time, the two leads are far more understated in this one than you might expect, and I think it works for the story a lot better as a result.

 

 

While it’s hard to know for sure, I think Jurgen will put out a mixture of youth and experience again for this one. The likes of Gomez and Kostas need games to gain some rhythm, Naby might be back in time for this one, Thiago, Harvey and possibly Div might make returns to the squad, and Kaide deserves a chance to stake another claim for a starting spot. Whatever the selection, the mantra has always got to be the same. Take it seriously, be professional, do all the right things, avoid complacency and do whatever it takes to get through to the next round.

[AngryOfTuebrook 24,033]

I was at that game (the 2007 one, not the 1930 one, you cheeky get). I remember shouting BAM! after El Zahr's goal, but the people around me weren't Futurama nerds, so they pretty much ignored me. 

 

We've got to one Cup Final and I'd love to see how far we can go in this, too.

 

Just get these beat, Reds.

[Bjornebye 33,148]

6 minutes ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

I was at that game (the 2007 one, not the 1930 one, you cheeky get). I remember shouting BAM! after El Zahr's goal, but the people around me weren't Futurama nerds, so they pretty much ignored me. 

 

We've got to one Cup Final and I'd love to see how far we can go in this, too.

 

Just get these beat, Reds.

Stringy had a spare mate 

[aRdja 2,857]

Kelleher, Williams, Konate, Gomez, Tsimikas; Morton, Milner, Ox; Gordon, Taki, Firmino.

[VladimirIlyich 9,466]

7 hours ago, Bjornebye said:

Stringy had a spare mate 

I'm sure he had lots of mates back then that he gave away.

[Razoray 867]

8 hours ago, aRdja said:

Kelleher, Williams, Konate, Gomez, Tsimikas; Morton, Milner, Ox; Gordon, Taki, Firmino.

We play better when we have rhythm. Klopp even mentioned this in the Palce press conference. I think he will play most of the first eleven that are available and be ready to exact revenge on Leicester the following Thursday. 

[dockers_strike 4,080]

I think we can play 5 subs in the FA Cup? Play the kids but have a strong bench. Leicester in the league is a far bigger, more important game.

[Allan 2,757]

10 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

I think we can play 5 subs in the FA Cup? Play the kids but have a strong bench. Leicester in the league is a far bigger, more important game.

5 subs from 9 named, with an additional sub permitted in case of a concussion injury.

[Wezza 581]

5 games in 13 days is intense in Feb. Need to mix it up for this one. Seemingly no attempt in the fixtures to support our European adventure

[aws 7,966]

The last thing we want against Leicester is to to look as rusty as we usually do after a break (nearly three weeks this time). We should give a few of the first teamers who haven't played for their countries during the break an hour against Cardiff. 

[AngryOfTuebrook 24,033]

42 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

I think we can play 5 subs in the FA Cup? Play the kids but have a strong bench. Leicester in the league is a far bigger, more important game.

"Play the kids" has a different meaning these days. You'd look at a team that includes the likes of Kelleher, Neco Williams, Morton and Gordon (plus, maybe, the revenant Rhys Williams) and you'd fancy them to beat Cardiff.

[Pureblood 7,452]

Outfield I'd go mostly full strength with the odd kid, e.g. Morton/Gordon. 

 

I wouldn't risk Alisson for this.  Kelleher is a competent deputy dawg and deserves to retain his place in the domestic cup team. 

[dockers_strike 4,080]

38 minutes ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

"Play the kids" has a different meaning these days. You'd look at a team that includes the likes of Kelleher, Neco Williams, Morton and Gordon (plus, maybe, the revenant Rhys Williams) and you'd fancy them to beat Cardiff.

Exactly.

[an tha 8,226]

Kelleher

 

Williams

Gomez

Konate

Tsimikas

 

Thiago

Henderson

Morton

 

Minamino

Firmino

Origi

[Razoray 867]

Allison Fabinho and Firmino will get games with Brazil. Salah or Mané will back this week. 

Kelleher

Trent Matip VVD Robertson

Thiago Henderson Keita/Jones

Ox Jota Mané/ Salah.

 

Aside from the 16 players above, Konaté, Gomez, Tsimikas, Elliott, Milner Origi, Minamino and the kids should all be fit and available in February, barring new injuries. 

Klopp said last week that he prefers playing every 2/3 days for momentum. We have enough players to ensure we get through a busy February

 

[alles ist gut 4,641]

1 hour ago, Razoray said:

Allison Fabinho and Firmino will get games with Brazil.

 

Firmino wasn’t selected.

[Harry Squatter 13,653]

Win and another lower league team at home in the next round please (3 days after Wembley). 

[sir roger 8,658]

2 hours ago, Harry Squatter said:

Win and another lower league team at home in the next round please (3 days after Wembley). 

Sorry Harry , I think you are looking for the Blue Moon website.

[Pete 1,904]

Would like to win this one please red men.

[alles ist gut 4,641]

20 hours ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

 the revenant Rhys Williams

‘Revenant’ is a most cromulent word, much more beautiful than, say, ‘cup-tied’.

[AngryOfTuebrook 24,033]

On 25/01/2022 at 09:00, alles ist gut said:

‘Revenant’ is a most cromulent word, much more beautiful than, say, ‘cup-tied’.

Williams, N, is also unavailable. 

 

The boy Bradley for this, maybe? 

 

[No2 1,649]

6 hours ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

Williams, N, is also unavailable. 

 

The boy Bradley for this, maybe? 

 

I'd go with Gomez if he doesn't play Trent, he needs games. I watched the 4-3  game against City last week and he looked a beast that day. Every bit as fast as Sane, he deserves to get back to that level.

[AngryOfTuebrook 24,033]

2 hours ago, No2 said:

I'd go with Gomez if he doesn't play Trent, he needs games. I watched the 4-3  game against City last week and he looked a beast that day. Every bit as fast as Sane, he deserves to get back to that level.

Good call. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised to see Trent play, to get some game-time after this weird hiatus.

[aws 7,966]

Robbo,Trent, Fab and Hendo tend to be among those who look rusty after a break so I hope they get an hour or so. No reason why Joe can't start at CB. 

[aRdja 2,857]

Kelleher, Trent, Konate, Gomez, Tsimikas; Morton, Milner, Ox; Gordon, Taki, Firmino.