Stoke (H) Match Thread

[philyhamann]

The sky is still falling....but at a less accelerated pace as before. Don't give a shit, I hope SoS's plans have not changed one iota....This club should not win the top tier league, it will only damage us in the long term.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Well in Reds. Confident and composed display. You could visibly see the pressure lift off everyone's shoulders as soon as Torres scored.

 

hankfully we started with a really high positive tempo and once we scored the result was probably not going to be in doubt barring a bad bit of defending. We had a spell between 20-30 where Stoke were well on top and keeping us pinned in our own box with the long throws and they kept getting cheap set pieces. They actually looked more threatening from free kicks than the throw in actually. They targetted Ayala but without any success.

 

Then, the worrying point for me. Lucas and Mascherano aren't midfielders who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Alonso was and Gerrard is, but Gerrard plays much further forward. Stoke pinned us back a but because we were not getting a grip in midfield and the ball was being given away cheaply. Thankfully we got it sorted. The problem didn't manifest itself again too much in the second half.

 

 

Scoring the second goal just before half time was also extremely important. It was a terrific finish from Johnson, I thought the chance had gone but credit to him. I'm not a fan, but the worries I have aren't going to be tested at home to Stoke, it's at home to your vermin and your Chelsea and your Arsenal. He was MOM tonight and was a threat throughout.

 

In fact, even though we had all the play Stoke had us pinned in our own penalty box for the first 5 minutes of the second half with a series of corners and set pieces. No concerns with them, but Reina made a world class save from a volley outside the box. It was sailing in and it was a quality save.

 

But that was it from them really, Kuyt took his goal really well but watch the skill and turn from Gerrard. World class. And the 4th goal just put a seal on it. It was a very good performance all round, we controlled the game totally and once we scored very early on you could feel the pressure ease a bit.

[RedKnight]

Good result but that front six that finished the game must be the worst to take the field in the premier league for Liverpool. And why did so many leave so early? Poor that was.

 

Johnson was excellent as was Gerrard and Yossi. Lucas was okay but people are so desperate to see something in him that he was applauded every time he passed the ball to someone in a red shirt.

 

Gerrard's turn for the third was magnificent.

[RobbieOR]

Stoke have to be the worse footballing team ever to grace this fucking planet. I dont think the ball touched the ground. Every time they get a throw, They throw it down the line in the hope to get another throw closer to the opposition goal. Everytime their centre half gets the ball he hoofs it into the corner hoping to gain a throw. That fat fucker Beattie dived in the hope of getting a free kick everytime he went near one of our back four. I never thought someone could play worse football than Allardyces Bolton.

[Crazyhorse7778]

Just saw Reina's save for the first time. Amazing.

[SpeedyG]

The sky is no longer falling. I now predict we will win the boat race by an innings and seven tries.

 

Sublime!

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Just saw Reina's save for the first time. Amazing.

 

World class. The commentator said: "He had a clear view." Did he fuck. That came through legs, arms and all sorts. Absolutely astonishing save.

[The Party Boy]

Good result but that front six that finished the game must be the worst to take the field in the premier league for Liverpool. And why did so many leave so early? Poor that was.

 

Johnson was excellent as was Gerrard and Yossi. Lucas was okay but people are so desperate to see something in him that he was applauded every time he passed the ball to someone in a red shirt.

 

Gerrard's turn for the third was magnificent.

Jesus lad that's miserable, have you bought one of those brick hero

phones too?

[RedKnight]

Jesus lad that's miserable, have you bought one of those brick hero

phones too?

 

Still with my Sony Ericsson.

 

I thought I was quite positive.

[The Party Boy]

Still with my Sony Ericsson.

 

I thought I was quite positive.

 

I know your getting an iPhone though?

[RedKnight]

I know your getting an iPhone though?

 

Probably, depends if I can weasel a 12 month contract out of vodafone. Don't wanna fork out the cash for an iphone, beautiful though they are.

[The Party Boy]

!style! !jazz!

[Herp McDerp]

I feel sorry for whichever young un plays, Stoke's tactics make Fat Sham's Bolton look like 70's Brazil. I've gone for Ayala simply because I've never seen Kelly play, hope Ayala keeps his brain farts in check if he gets the chance tonight. On a side note, havn't heard much about retardo delapesma recently, did his arms fall off or something?

Stoke have to be the worse footballing team ever to grace this fucking planet. I dont think the ball touched the ground. Every time they get a throw, They throw it down the line in the hope to get another throw closer to the opposition goal. Everytime their centre half gets the ball he hoofs it into the corner hoping to gain a throw. That fat fucker Beattie dived in the hope of getting a free kick everytime he went near one of our back four. I never thought someone could play worse football than Allardyces Bolton.

 

I iz Nostradamus.

 

To be fair Stevie Wonder could have told you the same.

[Unrighteous]

Good result. I was sitting in an airport whilst it was on so I missed it. =(

[Unrighteous]

So, I just wanted to add... watching full highlights. Johnson is fucking ace. Holy shit.

 

He's upped his game from Portsmouth already.

[Paul]

What a fantastic response to Sunday that was. There's nothing like an emphatic home win to blow away the cobwebs, is there? Having said that, I was not so worried about the whole "parked bus" thing this season as I felt we'd already developed a style that would address that last time around and the addition of Johnson would only cement it further. However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried after the abject awfulness of the Spurs defeat. Clearly the early goal helped, but we were very comfortable last night - as we should be against opposition of such prosaic and lowly quality.

 

If the most glaring aspect of losing to Redknapp's rejuvenated side was the disappearance of our aggression, then the most pleasing feature of the Stoke performance was its return. We were right at them all over the pitch, playing with a much more compact shape and a higher defensive line. Furthermore, the movement up front was superb to see with Gerrard, Torres, Benayoun and Kuyt causing havoc with their interchanges.

 

Yossi especially impressed me. He looks like he intends to carry on where he left off in May and wants to snatch a regular place in the starting line up. His feet are fantastic - there was one lovely switch of the ball between them to go round an opponent that had me purring - and he has the vision and anticipation to match, but what is starting to become clear is that he has an almost Dirk-like work rate. I think he will be a very important player for us this season and he now looks like an absolute bargain at the £6m or so we got him for from West Ham.

 

The other three members of that front four all looked right up for it too and Gerrard had clearly benefited from being a couple of days further along in his recovery from the groin tweak he had, because he was rampant at times. However, that doesn't do justice to his touch for Dirk's goal. What a fucking player he is. I'm not sure when I last saw a touch that good - certainly I'm talking years. He took it on the turn and under close pressure while changing the flight and pace of the ball so he could just run onto it without breaking his stride. The pass to Dirk was then hit with precision and venom, almost as if Gerrard was simply hitting it in himself off Dirk's toe (although I don't want to diminish the Dutchman's finish or effort in getting himself into position). Probably the best thing about the whole move though was the imperious manner of its execution. Gerrard didn't make a single concession towards acknowledging his opponent's presence throughout the entire move. He had his head up looking for Kuyt and them simply laid it on a plate. It was a genius piece of football from a truly great player.

 

After that, I have to mention Glen Johnson. In just two appearances, this lad looks like he knows exactly where he is and exactly how much is expected of him and has absolutely no intention of failing to meet those expectations. I knew his propensity to get forward would be significant for us this season, but what I hadn't realised was just how good he is at going round players with the ball at his feet. Furthermore, he's very, very athletic with pace and strength in equal measure from what I've seen so far. His finish was fantastic for the bicycle kick goal, but he was beating opponents for fun and - more importantly - linking up with team mates brilliantly, nearly always using the ball well. When that is combined with one very solid tackle and a cool-headed goal line clearance, I'm willing to stick my neck out and say after only two games that he's going to be brilliant for us. I've no doubt that he does need to work on his defensive positioning and timing at the highest level, but with an attitude like he's shown already, I can't conceive of him not doing so successfully.

 

Elsewhere I thought Mascherano and Lucas looked a bit more purposeful playing further forward, but they had little to do defensively and certainly this was no indication of how they'd fare in the face of quality similar to that displayed by Huddlestone and Palacios at the weekend. However, they both passed and moved consistently all night long. I know that is a prerequisite, but it's one that was absent throughout the entire side four days ago.

 

I had a similar view of the other three members of the back line: they had so little to do (Stoke's set-pieces were surprisingly unthreatening) that it's hard to draw conclusions. Insua still looks quite raw (if talented) to me, but Ayala acquitted himself with composure in a high pressure situation. I wouldn't have been unhappy to see our financial restrictions preventing a new 4th choice centre half from coming in as I feel that young players have to be trusted at some point to show they can step up. However, it would be a huge risk to rely on Agger's fitness in this campaign and I can't see us getting through an entire season with just two senior centre halves. In some ways it's a shame for the likes of Ayala and Kelly, but, as long as the new lad isn't getting a long deal, it's in the best interests of the club.

 

I almost forgot to mention Pepe's save, before I finish. Fucking hell, he's started the season well and I don't think there's a keeper anywhere else in the world that I'd swap him for, he's that good. That was some stop after seeing it late. He is genuinely world class.

 

So, in summary, we looked encouragingly back to where we left off last season: playing aggressive attacking football and winning by a significant margin. Let's hope last night proves definitive over the course of the campaign and Sunday comes to be seen as a mere aberration then because I'm convinced that if our key players stay fit, we maintain those aggressive tactics and (the one I'm least sure about) we adapt to Xabi's departure, we'll win the league.

[Whelan]

I think we are going to twat these tonight, I predict 4 nil.

 

Ahem!

 

And no, I didn't put any money on it.

[Jose Jones]

Always enjoy a Paul match summary. Top stuff.

[lfclad_4eva]

Excellent from paul, great work.

[Salte]

In our last two matches Pepe's made two saves of such a quality that most 'keepers don't even make once in their careers.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Did anyone see Delap's bit of banter with the lower centenary late on? He was taking a throw in and someone said something to him. He had a go back messing about, it was all smiles I think. When he was about to take the throw the lad he was having banter with leant over the barriers and very gently tugged the bottom of his shorts. Delap turned around with a smile on his face and then launched the throw in straight on to JC's head. It made me laugh anyway.

[Guest LFD]

Most importantly last night we got a good result, clean sheet and put our season back on track. I thought we started the match very well, with a high tempo and Stoke couldn't cope with the urgency and pressure that we put on them and the goal was inevitable. However after the early goal, we didn't really kick on from that point and I actually though Stoke got better and better as the half went on. Lucas and Mascherano were not really controlling the centre of midfield fully and the team conceeded far too many throw ins and free kicks, which could have hurt us against a team that really is a threat from these areas.

 

It wasn't really until the second goal came just before half time and we really saw the team relax after half time and really just go into cruise control, passing for fun and it turned into a bit of a training match. Some superb movement from Benayoun and Gerrard in particular... and I think Benayoun really should be a regular in this team now as he's our third main attacking threat behind Torres and Gerrard. Johnson also showed what he could offer, with composure on the ball and a great combination of power, pace and skill... really hurting Stoke with his overlapping runs and what made it better he more often than not had a final product in the final third. I also think Insua is looking really good on the left in attack and defense and personally even if Aurelio was fit, I'd rather have Insua in the team... as I think he's more solid.

 

I am still concerned about the centre midfield partnership. Lucas and Mascherano really bossed the midfield once we were two goals up, but before then I was not overly impressed by the pairing. But hopefully they will grow as a partnership, as I said the second half performance they were in total control.

 

I am also puzzled at why Riera is getting so little action. I thought Kuyt had a very poor first half yesterday and I would have subbed him. But Riera has had very little match action so far, with Babel, Benayoun and Kuyt all preferred to him so far. For me against teams such as Stoke, I'd far rather see our best footballers on the pitch, that means Riera over Kuyt, for example... as he offers more threat in my opinion.

 

Good win, but I am not going to go OTT with the performance as I think in the first half we were far from dominant. Plus I do have major concerns as I have raised. But hopefully we can kick on from this.

[Red Phoenix]

Great result. Johnson was obviously amazing and he seems that good that some concerns about us not having a quality winger might have almost gone by him alone, Gerrard's bit of skill to set up Dirk was one of the best things I've ever seen him do, and Pepe's save was one of the best I've seen from him aswell.

 

I'd still like Yossi to be able to have the awareness to pick out passes a little more when he goes on his runs, but he was still brilliant and caused chaos for Stoke. Still split over who I'd like more between him and Riera when he's playing well, but he added a lot last night.

[RedinSweden]

Great result. Johnson was obviously amazing and he seems that good that some concerns about us not having a quality winger might have almost gone by him alone, Gerrard's bit of skill to set up Dirk was one of the best things I've ever seen him do, and Pepe's save was one of the best I've seen from him aswell.

 

I'd still like Yossi to be able to have the awareness to pick out passes a little more when he goes on his runs, but he was still brilliant and caused chaos for Stoke. Still split over who I'd like more between him and Riera when he's playing well, but he added a lot last night.

 

I think Yossi should be first choice for that spot. I like Riera, but I think Yossi is far better. he can also swap sides with dirk for some trans-wing-tomfoolery. As for babel, i am afraid i have given up on him. i am sure he will continue to make appearances and i am certain that he will have the odd moment and pop up with goals, but as a player who i would like to see on the teamsheet starting matches, i have given up.

[Guest]

Gerro is the best player in the world