Girona (A) - CL League Stage, Tue 10th Dec 2024 (5:45pm)

[Trumo]

This game is a chance for us to confirm our place in the knockout stages and avoid having to go through the play-off route. A win would also maintain our 100% record and keep us top. Bear in mind it's in the earlier kick-off time.

 

Girona are newcomers to the Champions League after finishing a surprise 3rd in La Liga last season. Lack of European football and an early exit from the Copa Del Rey meant that they and their coach Michel could concentrate on the league, and they did it by finishing on 81 points, 5 points ahead of 4th placed Atletico. They’ve found it much tougher going this time round as their squad has to cope with the European schedule. In La Liga they sit outside the top 6 and have just been demolished 3-0 at home by Real Madrid. A major reason behind their difficulties this season is the loss of several key players from last season, most of whom were loanees. They are part of the City Football Group sportwashing projects so could use their connections to secure some players with a City connection like Savinho (who has signed for City), Yan Couto (now on loan at Dortmund from City) and Eric Garcia (Barcelona signed him from City and loaned him to Girona last season). They also sold Aleix Garcia to Leverkusen in the summer, along with top scorer Artem Dovbyk to Roma. In the summer, they brought in another raft of loanees which include players with Premier League experience such as Arnaut Danjuma, Bryan Gil and Oriol Romeu. In addition to that, they added Czech international Ladislav Krejci from Sparta Prague (from what I’ve seen of him, he’s decent but error-prone), Colombia international Yaser Asprilla from Watford (he is their record signing, and I’ve no idea if he’s related to Faustino), plus Dutchman Donny van de Beek from the Mancs, who had one or two good seasons at Ajax under Ten Hag but has been shit ever since moving to the Mancs for over £35m 4 years ago. In the Champions League, they’ve been propping up the table alongside the Red Bull clubs.

 

I suspect that Slot was going to use this game to rotate his squad a bit, maybe giving a starting place to the likes of Jarrel, Tyler, Endo and Harvey. He would have preferred if we had some of our injured players available to allow the available ones to have their minutes managed a bit more prior to the upcoming festive schedule. The derby postponement is probably a bit of a benefit as it gives a few the chance to rest up a little bit and re-energise. Macca is suspended for the game (he’ll also miss the Fulham game as he would have been suspended for the derby were it not postponed), but maybe Slot will think he can go stronger than expected for this one. Hopefully Ali and Diogo are closer to being in contention for the squad (and thus our upcoming schedule), and maybe Fede will be brought out of cold storage and be involved. Unfortunately thus far his story is similar to that of every other Italian to don a Liverpool jersey, as they’ve either not been all that (Paletta, Padelli, Dossena, Balotelli) and/or have tended to be injury-prone (Aquilani, Borini). We need him to be a viable option and buck the trend of Italians at Liverpool. Lastly I’d say Darwin needs this game badly to show that he can still be a handful as well as take his chances. We haven’t had that game from him at all yet, and he arrived over 2 years ago. He could do with a game where he delivers a conversion rate like the cave troll.

 

How have our previous managers got on in their first game against Girona? Well, this is the first time we’ll have played them so there is literally no history there.

 

I don't ask for much. Maximum motivation, control, application, attitude and concentration from minute one. 3 points please. Get it done!

[AngryOfTuebrook]

I don't know anything about Girona.  They've got a few players with experience of not setting the Premier League alight, but then so did Atalanta. Still, we've had a bit of recovery time since Newcastle and should be ready to get back to the kind of form we've shown so far.  A win here should guarantee that we don't need playoffs, so it's worth going for it.

 

Just get these beat, Reds.

[an tha]

Get this won and then we can treat the remaining fixtures as a chance to rest a few/give some squad players some minutes.

 

I'd go:

 

Kelleher

 

TAA

Gomez

VVD

Robertson

 

Gravenberch

Jones

Elliott

 

Salah

Gakpo

Diaz

[Freddo]

I’d give Gravenberch extra rest here. Maybe we’ll see Chiesa get some minutes. Harvey to start. 

[Numero Veinticinco]

 

[Megadrive Man]

They are the Spanish part of the Man City football group. 

 

If we beat them we are almost assured of a top 8 finish and they will be eliminated. 

 

Let's absolutely cunt them in the bollocks!

[manwiththestick]

Thought these were Italian for some reason.

[LFC 6 Times]

Kell, TAA, Gomez, Quansah, Me nan, Endo, Dom, Mac, Elliot, Nunez, Gakpo.

[Lee909]

1 hour ago, Freddo said:

I’d give Gravenberch extra rest here. Maybe we’ll see Chiesa get some minutes. Harvey to start. 

 

 

This

Play Mac Allister and Jones with Dom in front. Give Gravenberch the rest with Mac suspended for the Fulham game. Bring Elliot on for Dom or Mo at HT/60 mins

[Freddo]

7 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

 

 

This

Play Mac Allister and Jones with Dom in front. Give Gravenberch the rest with Mac suspended for the Fulham game. Bring Elliot on for Dom or Mo at HT/60 mins

Macca is banned for this

[Lee909]

3 minutes ago, Freddo said:

Macca is banned for this

 

Ok, good on him getting a week off

[TheDrowningMan]

Rest anyone who needs a rest, but otherwise take the opportunity our weekend postponement has given us to go strong and hopefully put the CL more or less behind us until March.

[LFC 6 Times]

5 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

 

Ok, good on him getting a week off

He has a separate CL ban?

[an tha]

47 minutes ago, LFC 6 Times said:

He has a separate CL ban?

Yeah 

[an tha]

2 hours ago, Freddo said:

I’d give Gravenberch extra rest here. Maybe we’ll see Chiesa get some minutes. Harvey to start. 

I don't fancy going away in europe to a half decent side with no defensive midfielder.

[Anubis]

Just win.

[Lee909]

46 minutes ago, an tha said:

I don't fancy going away in europe to a half decent side with no defensive midfielder.

 

Play Endo

The lad deserves a run out. I'd be tempted to play him against Fulham aswell to make sure Endo doesn't miss the Spurs game

[an tha]

3 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

 

Play Endo

The lad deserves a run out. I'd be tempted to play him against Fulham aswell to make sure Endo doesn't miss the Spurs game

Can't see it and Slot just isn't having him at all.

 

Champions league games where still need something are not the places for giving players you clearly don't rate a "run out" IMHO.

[Lee909]

1 minute ago, an tha said:

Can't see it and Slot just isn't having him at all.

 

Champions league games where still need something are not the places for giving players you clearly don't rate a "run out" IMHO.

 

No I don't see it either. But we have 3 games against Girona,PSV and Lille so I'd have no issue making a few changes to keep players fresh

[Freddo]

1 hour ago, an tha said:

I don't fancy going away in europe to a half decent side with no defensive midfielder.

These are shite. Needs must and all that. 

[an tha]

15 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

 

No I don't see it either. But we have 3 games against Girona,PSV and Lille so I'd have no issue making a few changes to keep players fresh

I see the argument - not 100% sure I agree with it but I deffo see it.

 

I think nail this down ASAP and can then rest players in last 2 games.

 

My gut feel is Slot will go as strong as he can especially after no game at weekend.

 

The bigger issue that needs addressing is us getting into position where Slot has players in reserve so to speak who he actually wants to use. If only there was something in Jan that gives clubs the opportunity to do something about this.

[Razoray]

There is a 4 day gap between our fixtures from now until West Ham away on the 29th. That's a lot better than the schedule from City to Girona (until the derby was postponed) Sunday/Wednesday/Saturday 12am/Tuesday early ko in Spain. 

 

I don’t think there will be huge changes over thd next 3 weeks. Rests may come in the form of substitutions during games, rather than non-starts for the main players. With Jota and Alisson back they will help freshen it up. Even Harvey and Chiesa might start the Southampton game but that's about it. 

 

Gravenberch is on 4 yellow cards. If he is booked v Fulham, will the suspension cover the Southampton league cup game or would he miss the Spurs game? 

[niallers]

2 hours ago, LFC 6 Times said:

He has a separate CL ban?

Got 3 bookings already so that's why he's banned. Gravenberch is 1 away from a premier league ban also. He'll miss spurs away if he's booked v fulham

[Lee909]

2 minutes ago, Razoray said:

There is a 4 day gap between our fixtures from no until West Ham away on 29th. That's a lot better than the schedule from City to Girona (until the derby was postponed) Sunday/Wednesday/Saturday 12am/Tuesday early ko in Spain. 

 

I don’t think there will be huge changes and rests may come in the form of substitutions during games rather than non-starts. 

 

Gravenberch is on 4 yellow cards. If he is booked v Fulham, will the suspension cover the Southampton league cup game or would he miss the Spurs game? 

 

Spurs I think

[Razoray]

2 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

 

Spurs I think

balls. Would have been clever to take a handy booking in the 85th minute and rest up for a week before the Tottenham game