Something special occured tonight

[lamai]

from a neutrals view, it would have been like watching paint dry

[RobbieOR]

It's these nights you can really be proud to support Liverpool.

[robslappa]

Nah, I've not seen this sort of performance since the Chelsea 2007 Semis.

 

Now I know you're taking the piss.

 

Marseille away, Besiktas home, Porto home, both games against Inter Milan, the home game against Arsenal and the home game against Chelsea last season were all better performances than tonight.

 

We played well tonight, make no mistake about it but to say it was great is pushing it a bit.

 

In European football, we fear no-one and other teams fear us. It's clearly obvious and that's down to the Manager no doubt about it.

[Brownie]

Yeah, great result but was anybody really that surprised? Rafa has proved himself over the years to be the best there is at stifling the opposition to get a result.

 

I thought Souness summed up Rafa perfectly though. When the opposition do the same to us he is incapable of overcoming their stifling tactics. The continual signing of mediocre "flair" players suggests he may never work out a way to correct that weakness, because it is not his forte.

 

Sums it up perfectly for me.

[JK1980]

Now I know you're taking the piss.

 

Marseille away, Besiktas home, Porto home, both games against Inter Milan, the home game against Arsenal and the home game against Chelsea last season were all better performances than tonight.

 

We played well tonight, make no mistake about it but to say it was great is pushing it a bit.

 

In European football, we fear no-one and other teams fear us. It's clearly obvious and that's down to the Manager no doubt about it.

 

We played well defensively. Attacking wise we were as poor as we have been all season (there are reasons for this but we were poor).

 

This place really lacks perspective, and thats why you get such stupid over-reactions to bad results in the league.

[The Dude Abides]

In European football, we fear no-one and other teams fear us. It's clearly obvious and that's down to the Manager no doubt about it.

 

Even that is pushing it. Few teams "fear" us in truth, they just hate playing us. Its like Kuyt, a pain in the arse for opposing fullbacks that like to attack down his flank, but at the same time, he's rarely going to do something to really trouble them going the other way. He epitomises everything that Rafa as a coach is about. Honesty of effort.

 

Now all that is fine, for the time being, given where we are, what we've spent, the overhaul Rafa has undertaken. But long-term its just not enough. What worries me, is there's no signs of Rafa looking to evolve our play. So it'll only be the £20-30m signings that can truly push us on.

[Vincent Vega]

Madrid were completely clueless about how to break us down and our players looked so adept with playing the waiting game, not conceding chances and being patient enough to know we may get a chance. They could have played all night and wouldn't have scored and only Robben looked like being capable of creating any kind of danger, and we did a great job on limiting his threat. Barcelona from what I've watched this year look to be light years ahead of Real Madrid.

 

Agree with Hermes (typed with fingers crossed) on where Rafa's strengths and weaknesses lie though.

[redrosetints]

]It's alright doing it on the big glamour CL nights' date=' but the true test of champions is going to the Brittania and Riverside and grinding wins out.[/b']

 

I knew people would start going over board after tonight and forget the limp league performances and silly off field nonsense that has stunted yet another title challenge.

 

We know we're good in Europe, it's high time the manager started instilling that belief in the league.

 

But isn't that the paradox of the value we, lfc, place on the league ?

 

We want to win it, because we value it the most, yet how can beating shitty little teams like Stoke and Boro be of higher value than doing what we did last night ? They can't.

 

The reality is, that's it's exactly in these games where our squad depth is most tested and usually exposed as being inferior to United and Chelseas.

 

In europe there are less games and you play your strongest eleven as do the other sides, it's a far greater test.

 

I want the league, but the journey to the destination is far less exciting, pulsating or passionate and for me the sheer exhilaration of winning these games will always be greater than any dissapointment at not winning the battle of the squads in Stoke.

[jsjazz]

That was a calm, composed, typical Liverpool European performance. Today we got the away goal, on another day it might have stayed 0-0.

I don't think bottle or "balls" have been lacking in the league; I've been impressed by the way we've kept fighting after going a goal down and rescued a point (or 3) in many league games. I think what we're lacking is enough quality to break down teams on a more consistent basis.

[Guest Ibetitsme7]

I thought Souness summed up Rafa perfectly though. When the opposition do the same to us he is incapable of overcoming their stifling tactics.

 

didn't seem to have many problems last season (or previous seasons at Anfield for that matter) when it was not beating the big sides (home or away) that was the perceived problem

 

people are too quick to jump on recent trends (probably not helped by all the verbal diarrhoea on Sky) and focus on them as "the problem" instead of looking at the picture over a few seasons

 

beating sides large or small is largely going to be a matter of keeping Torres fit. Any club misses its best striker but he is way better than anything else we can put out. It's not surprising our form dips. People shouldn't be drawing conclusions from half a dozen matches. It's kneejerking.

 

I do agree that we need to push more men forward at times but we've improved on that this season. Best comeback side proves it. I agree that there's still room for improvement though.

[stringvest]

It was very comfortable - we were hardly ever exposed.

 

One thing has to be said though. The quality of Italian and Spanish teams is pretty low compared to the top English teams. We tend to get reeled in by the hype over here - they're playing in a hot country, they're permatanned and gorgeous and they've got long hair - they must be fantastic. Erm, no. They're decidedly average. I'm not being complacent here, I'm not saying they're absolute cack, but I don't think they're in the same league (I know) as our big four.

[Guest Ibetitsme7]

It was very comfortable - we were hardly ever exposed.

 

One thing has to be said though. The quality of Italian and Spanish teams is pretty low compared to the top English teams. We tend to get reeled in by the hype over here - they're playing in a hot country, they're permatanned and gorgeous and they've got long hair - they must be fantastic. Erm, no. They're decidedly average. I'm not being complacent here, I'm not saying they're absolute cack, but I don't think they're in the same league (I know) as our big four.

 

yep

 

arguably all 4 English sides are in the driving seat after the first leg, laying waste to serie A's finest

 

Inter were absolutely shocking last night, I couldn't believe how poor some of their players were, especially Stankovic who really may as well take the last 4 letters off the back of his shirt

 

the serie A heyday with old James Richardson sitting there in his cafe trying to look suave and seeming to think he was the only Englishman that could speak a foreign language seems like a long time ago

 

what odds there being 3 English clubs and a Scouse one in the semifinals ?

 

bet Platini's glad he's taken country protection off otherwise it'd be a fair bet and he'd be slitting his wrists

[Hermes]

didn't seem to have many problems last season (or previous seasons at Anfield for that matter) when it was not beating the big sides (home or away) that was the perceived problem

 

people are too quick to jump on recent trends (probably not helped by all the verbal diarrhoea on Sky) and focus on them as "the problem" instead of looking at the picture over a few seasons

 

beating sides large or small is largely going to be a matter of keeping Torres fit. Any club misses its best striker but he is way better than anything else we can put out. It's not surprising our form dips. People shouldn't be drawing conclusions from half a dozen matches. It's kneejerking.

 

I do agree that we need to push more men forward at times but we've improved on that this season. Best comeback side proves it. I agree that there's still room for improvement though.

 

I've been saying it for 5 seasons. I'm not and never have been crying out for "the title or the sack", the results in the league this season are not my gripe either. If we get 80pts that will be a good season whether we win the title or not.

 

It's Rafa the political animal that moves me to want him out. He is a cold, manipulative, trouble causing control freak. He's been the same wherever he has been. He has to realise that he is not the dictator at LFC, accept the situation or go. His continual off the record briefings to the press are the biggest cause of disharmony at the club and 90% off the fans I know are sick of it and know who is the cause of it all.

[Kevin D]

I didn't think we were that impressive tonight, probably because we didn't need to be. Composed throughout and rarely troubled but I've seen us perform much better than that and draw this season, it helped that we were playing a team that resembled ourselves at home, no urgency and very little guile.

 

I do, however, talk great pride in the fact we've been to Goodison(league), the Emirates, the Bernebeu and Stamford Bridge, then proceeded to play all these sides off the park. Gives me confidence for the Old Trafford trip.

[ScottyT]

Hermes rocking the house.

[philyhamann]

We can't defend and nick a goal against lesser teams.

[Guest Ibetitsme7]

I've been saying it for 5 seasons. I'm not and never have been crying out for "the title or the sack", the results in the league this season are not my gripe either. If we get 80pts that will be a good season whether we win the title or not.

 

It's Rafa the political animal that moves me to want him out. He is a cold, manipulative, trouble causing control freak. He's been the same wherever he has been. He has to realise that he is not the dictator at LFC, accept the situation or go. His continual off the record briefings to the press are the biggest cause of disharmony at the club and 90% off the fans I know are sick of it and know who is the cause of it all.

 

top section, fair enough, I agree to an extent, but there are positive signs this season that we're getting there. It's pretty clear to me that some of our fans are swayed by Sky, or at least have Sky-like reactionary thinking. Man shoot, man miss, man bad, ugg.

 

 

lower section, well he irritates the fuck out of me too in some ways but for the good of the club I think we need to put aside personal dislikes and focus purely on whether he is the best man for the job. I'm as sure as I can be that he is, and even if he isn't he is certainly the best man for the job right now. We can't afford the disruption of starting all over again while the yanks are in charge. It could even kill them pulling out of selling the club. Personal like or dislike of Rafa shouldn't come into it. It's the club's future at stake. If you or I don't like him, tough, we need to deal with it for the sake of the club. I am absolutely positive that if he leaves and the yanks are still here then this club is in danger of terminal decline. I honestly think we could end up joining the likes of Everton, chasing a UEFA Cup spot, or worse. That would fuck our business model and we'd probably start jettisoning high earners and then we've seen it happen to other clubs, once you get in a vicious circle, who knows where it'll stop.

 

getting rid of Rafa would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. Simple as that.

 

 

kudos for putting your point across with dignity though, and I do see where your frustrations stem from

[STATT71]

I can't understand why we are so in awe of RM - we are in, with La Liga, the best league in Europe only 2nd behind the Euro champs:wallbutt: and still in with a shout. There is not a team out there that wants to play us, Utd, Chelsea, Barca, and Munich. We are in the same 'league'.

 

Saying that GREAT RESULT(6)

[Superfly]

It's a great win but this competition is made for us. our style is perfect..sit deep,defend like demons and then nick a goal. We can do that all day.

 

The problem is the league isn't a 2 legged knockout comp or we'd piss that too.

[Dicko]

So Europe's a piece of piss now?

And people say we haven't progressed.

[STATT71]

Yeah, see where your coming from, but we qualified (not 2 legged really) with most points we have eveer done and are also 2nd only to UTD in the league - maybe best in Europe?

 

I know 2nd isn't good enough.

[rebel23]

people are in danger of taking results like that for granted

 

somewhere in a mirror universe, we win the league every year but 'fans' are going apeshit because we get knocked out of the group stage of the CL or the knockout rounds and the mancs are closing in on our cups

 

Benitez has proven his worth, he just needs patience and backing for the league.

[zigackly]

Is this the thread for fickle fans? I've been feeling a bit fickle over the last few games.

[Superfly]

no, what im saying is to win a league we have to go and show we can get wins, not draws vs the shite teams that defend like demons against us..Madrid are better than Stoke or Hull but we struggle when they do to us what we did to madrid tonight.

[Hermes]

 

Benitez has proven his worth, he just needs patience and backing for the league.

 

The changes needs to come from within himself, if he realises that it will work. He is in control of his own and the clubs destiny. The problem is he doesn't realise it and is obsessed with the faults in those around him.

 

"Physician heal thyself".