EFL Cup Thurs 22nd Dec. Man City vs Liverpool

[Lee909]

O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant

O come ye, O come ye to Anfield

Come and behold them

They're the Kings of Europe

O come let us adore them

O come let us adore them

O come let us adore them - L I V E R P O O L!

 

 

[an tha]

No messing around here - strongest possible side....great chance to get a really big for confidence win and a massive step towards silverware.

 

Plus we need to get rhythm ahead of league games.

 

No reason IMO why those who were at world cup Konate aside can't be involved - Ingerlund, Holland and Brazil were dumped out on what the 9th/10th - so that will be 12/13 days since then.

[Reckoner]

Not arsed. Play the rezzies.

[VladimirIlyich]

Forgot we were playing.

[Scott_M]

Although Keheller will start, I think we should go as strong as possible.

 

Fine with Tsmiskas playing. 
 

What are the odds on us winning a shootout? 

[Aventus]

Smash the cunts. 

 

Then give us a home draw in the next round. I'm trying to take my lad to more games and I keep getting shafted by the ballots. Members priority sale my arse. 

[Bjornebye]

Fuck them 

[Trumo]

Skill. Heart. Intelligence. Tenacity. Effervescence. Nerve. Elan. Ruthlessness. Gumption. Yer ma. Determination. Raring to go. Intensity. Nous. Know-how. Speed.

 

I don't ask for much.

 

The domestic season is back this week after the World Cup hiatus, starting with a fixture that nobody really wants. In Latin American domestic league parlance, the 'Apertura' saw us put in some very mediocre performances, return some very shit results and be hampered by the triple whammy of struggling to bed in new players in the squad, both our midfield and attacking options taking a hit due to injury, and both Naby and Ox continuing to show that we simply cannot rely on their availability. The Champions League group stage turned out to be a straightforward passage into the knockout stage after an awful start in Naples, but our league position shows how off the pace we have been.

 

Massive improvement is necessary in the 'Clausura' as there is a sizeable gap to claw back. The teams around us in the table have been similarly inconsistent, but we have to show we are still capable of the consistency of the past 3-4 seasons. Games like this one are a chance to iron out the creases and build some momentum.

 

I expect that both Jurgen and Guardiola will put out close to full-strength sides for this game, partly as it's more of an opportunity to regain some rhythm than an opportunity to rest players. Ibou won't be available for us, and City will be without Alvarez as both are likely to be involved in the World Cup final. For them, I think Stones picked up a knock in England's last game, and I don't know the fitness status of the likes of Ake, Laporte, Cancelo and Dias so they might be missing a couple of players too.

 

Who knows how this one will go? For our part, let's at least look as though we are getting our shit together.

[johnsusername]

Back to domestic matters. Would like to win. 

 

[Bobby Hundreds]

Just hope the medical team pick a good side.... or is it the sports scientists who do that?

[Karl_b]

Will Bellingham, Fernandez and Mac Allister all start?

[ZonkoVille77]

Fuck sake. 

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Anyone's guess what players start from either side. I think we can probably put out the better starting XI (given who missed the World Cup) but our squad depth is a bit shit these days. This is likely to be tight.

 

Whoever wins this stands an excellent chance of winning the cup.

 

Just get these beat, Reds.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

On 17/12/2022 at 03:32, Reckoner said:

Not arsed. Play the rezzies.

Nothing worse than this sort of defeatist shithousery.

[col06]

17 minutes ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

Nothing worse than this sort of defeatist shithousery.

Exactly always good to get one over that lot

[an tha]

1 hour ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

Anyone's guess what players start from either side. I think we can probably put out the better starting XI (given who missed the World Cup) but our squad depth is a bit shit these days. This is likely to be tight.

 

Whoever wins this stands an excellent chance of winning the cup.

 

Just get these beat, Reds.

Injurues aside looking at world cup it looks like the only players who deffo should be missing are Konate for us and Alvarez for them.

 

Nobody else for either side was involved out there after 9th/10th Dec.

 

Of course that weird little prick Guardiola is trying to play mind games about it all....

 

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2022/12/pep-guardiola-claims-man-city-have-four-or-five-players-vs-liverpool/

 

[dave u]

Kelleher

 

Trent

Matip

Van Dijk / Gomez

Robbo

 

Fabinho

Thiago

Hendo

 

Mo

Bobby

Darwin

[Reckoner]

4 hours ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

Nothing worse than this sort of defeatist shithousery.

I couldn’t care less if we win this cup or not. Even after the final lots of people hardly celebrated. Getting all het up and busting  a gut to win it cost us big last season so sack it off.

[Jurgen Knows]

Man City won 6 of the last 9 league cups. They have 8 in total and we have 9.

 

I’m up for this one and want us to beat them because I can’t stand the idea of them equalling our record in anything.

 

It was also a boss celebration last season:

 

 

 

 

 

[Evelyn Tentions]

I always have and always will want us to win every match in every competition in which we compete. Even more so since it's the oil cheats this time

[AngryOfTuebrook]

8 hours ago, Reckoner said:

 busting  a gut to win it cost us big last season 

Never heard such demonstrable cockwash in my life. Starting Nico Williams up front against Leicester cost us the Final in Paris? Fuck off!

 

If you don't want to compete for trophies piss off across the park.

[Chip Butty]

To live in the light and spirit of Mr Creosote "I want the fucking lot"

[El Rojo]

1 hour ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

Never heard such demonstrable cockwash in my life. Starting Nico Williams up front against Leicester cost us the Final in Paris? Fuck off!

 

If you don't want to compete for trophies piss off across the park.

 

In fairness, he's probably more talking about the later stages including the final, when we used our first team for 120 mins +, which would have had an effect on fatigue later in the season. 

 

I don't think we should have abandoned any competitions either as those domestic cup finals were great days, but we played an insane number of games and we were completely flat in the European Cup Final. 

 

Also, while I don't agree with it, it's hardly Evertonian to want to sacrifice a domestic cup if it you really think it boosts your chances of winning the league or European Cup.

 

[Creator Supreme]

1 hour ago, El Rojo said:

league or European Cup.

We're winning neither of those this season so we need to try and retain the 2 domestic cups!

[VladimirIlyich]

18 hours ago, Karl_b said:

Will Bellingham, Fernandez and Mac Allister all start?

Are we so short of options we've resigned Gary Mac?