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I full expect Rafa to play the exact same team as the last two games.

 

-------------Reina--------------

--------------------------------

Johnson---Carra---Skrtel---Insua

--------------------------------

---------Gerrard----Lucas-------

--------------------------------

Yossi----------Kuyt--------Riera

--------------------------------

--------------Torres------------

 

 

Seen someone shouting for Babel to start on the right on another thread. Personally I think he is far better on the right then left, and seems more comfortable there which I think he showed just a little with his appearance in midweek.

 

But I fully expect the team above. Only change would be Mascherano coming in somehwere.

 

0-2. Torres, Gerrard.

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Back to the same old I think for this one..

 

--------------Reina-------------

 

Johnson---Carra----Skrtel----Insua (possibly Aurielo)

 

------Lucas-----Mascherano----

 

Dirk--------Gerrard--------Benayoun

 

-----------Torres-------------

 

 

I'd personally like to see the same team as the last two games, but away from home I cant help but think Rafa will revert to type and bring in the Lucas Mascherano combo.

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Back to the same old I think for this one..

 

--------------Reina-------------

 

Johnson---Carra----Skrtel----Insua (possibly Aurielo)

 

------Lucas-----Mascherano----

 

Dirk--------Gerrard--------Benayoun

 

-----------Torres-------------

 

 

I'd personally like to see the same team as the last two games, but away from home I cant help but think Rafa will revert to type and bring in the Lucas Mascherano combo.

 

I agree. 1-0, Gerrard.

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Suprised so many people would drop Riera. Whilst he isn't our most in form player, I think the natural width that he gives us is vital to the system we play, and that it's no surprise that our performances have improved since he has been in the team.

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If it's a case of 2 out of Benayoun, Kuyt and Riera, at the moment i'd definitely go for Kuyt and Benayoun.

 

Fair enough, but I don't see why it has to be a case of picking two out of those three. I think Lucas has done very well the past two games, but I think in a difficult away game like this, it would make sense to go with our strongest possible eleven that are fit for the next game, which for me would be Mascherano in place of Lucas, and Aurelio in place of Insua.

 

Whatever the team is, I think we will win 2-0.

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Fair enough, but I don't see why it has to be a case of picking two out of those three. I think Lucas has done very well the past two games, but I think in a difficult away game like this, it would make sense to go with our strongest possible eleven that are fit for the next game, which for me would be Mascherano in place of Lucas, and Aurelio in place of Insua.

 

Whatever the team is, I think we will win 2-0.

 

I think Lucas is in our strongest 11 for this game though.

 

Lucas and Mascherano in the middle. Gerrard behind Torres with Benayoun and Kuyt either side.

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Can't see how Lucas and Mascherano is stronger than Gerrard and Mascherano. We would control the midfield. I think Lucas weakens the team more than Riera does. Maybe some would prefer Gerrard in an advanced position but Kuyt has scored at Upton Park before.

 

I don't think either 'weaken' the team, and to be honest, you could argue that Lucas deserves to play alongside Gerrard rather than Mascherano (who has been poor this season). I just think that offensively, Riera's width on the left creates more space for the likes of Gerrard, Yossi and Dirk to play their game. I don't think playing on the left suits Yossi. We saw it at the start of last season, he played there and he kept cutting inside, and never looked that comfortable.

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I don't think either 'weaken' the team, and to be honest, you could argue that Lucas deserves to play alongside Gerrard rather than Mascherano (who has been poor this season). I just think that offensively, Riera's width on the left creates more space for the likes of Gerrard, Yossi and Dirk to play their game. I don't think playing on the left suits Yossi. We saw it at the start of last season, he played there and he kept cutting inside, and never looked that comfortable.

 

I don't really disagree with this but on balance I'd start with Yossi on the left and bring on Riera if it isn't working. Riera tends to do his best work during a game in patches anyway.

 

I think both Yossi and Mascherano will be well up for this game so I'd play both and re-unite the Gerrard/Torres partnership which seems to get the best out of both players.

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Mascherano will start if fit. We need Gerard a bit further forward for this I reckon, especially if Torres is tired - we need all the pace we can get up front. Can't wait for tomorrow. I just hope we go out and attack - last season the game was all over in the first few minutes. You can't afford to be too cagey against these away from home as their fans get behind them if they're seeing a lot of the ball. I hope we play at a high tempo. Weird that when we went there 5 months ago we coudl do nothiong wrong and it just felt like we were gonna win every game. We did that by being positive and just going after these average teams. Fuckin come on!*

 

*I may have staated on the wife beater already

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Back to the same old I think for this one..

 

--------------Reina-------------

 

Johnson---Carra----Skrtel----Insua (possibly Aurielo)

 

------Lucas-----Mascherano----

 

Dirk--------Gerrard--------Benayoun

 

-----------Torres-------------

 

 

I'd personally like to see the same team as the last two games, but away from home I cant help but think Rafa will revert to type and bring in the Lucas Mascherano combo.

 

Looks like it should be that team:biggrin:.

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No match thread set up so I thought I would get one going.

 

Some relevant articles from the offal:

 

 

THE BOSS PREVIEWS TODAY'S BIG GAME

 

Journalist: Three consecutive victories for you. Are things beginning to take the shape you would expect for Liverpool so far?

 

We hope so. I think the team has been doing well - winning the last three games and scoring some goals. The last game we had 25 attempts and scored just one goal - it wasn't the best game, but when you are really close to scoring more goals it means something is going well.

 

Journalist: The performance last weekend against Burnley - parts of it were exceptional. I know you were disappointed with the start, but there were elements of sloppiness against Debrecen?

 

Yes. I think it is true that for the first 20 minutes we were not really good, but afterwards it was a very good game with a lot of opportunities, which is the way for us to try to score goals in every single game. If it is possible to score that means other teams have to be more open, but now we have some confidence and we have to keep on winning games and West Ham will be a tough game.

 

Journalist: You have some wins and some defeats - but where do you take the most confidence from this season from what you have seen from your team?

 

Now you can see from the mood in the training sessions that the players have more confidence because they know we are performing well again. You can see some players have more belief that we can win any game, so that is a positive. We showed character against Bolton, which is also a positive thing, but I would prefer to score early goals and then have easier games.

 

Journalist: Have you put the defeats by Tottenham and Aston Villa behind you now?

 

Yes - you cannot change the situation, but if you analyse both games we were making mistakes. When we scored our goals we were back in the game, but made another mistake too early. I am sure if we played the game again then we would draw against Tottenham and probably score against Aston Villa and, again I am sure we would be back in the game. But the mistake was too soon and it is something we can maybe improve upon in the future.

 

Journalist: After the two games early on in the season an awful lot was made of it in the media. Is that because you lost two games early on?

 

I think expectation was very high. People were thinking this year Liverpool will win every game because we lost just two games last season. So when we lost one people panicked - especially the media. So when people talk too much about this it is not easy for the fans, it's not easy for the players and it's not easy for the staff. So you try to send out the right positive messages, but if you lose the second game - then again it is the same situation. I think we had to show character and experience and then analyse things properly and look at the bigger picture. People say if you lose more games it will be impossible to win the title. I don't think so. This year you will see the top sides losing points against the other teams.

 

Journalist: You have a lot of gifted players in the Liverpool squad - some absolute world beaters, but confidence is such a key factor. When that is missing even from the best players does that make a massive difference?

 

Yes. In all jobs confidence is very important, but in football maybe it is even more so, because you are talking about people normally between the ages of the 20 and 30 years old and small situations can change the entire confidence of the players. So if you score the winning goal one day - then the day after you are best in the world. These things can happen with young people and it is important to be calm and analyse the bigger picture.

 

Journalist: Fernando Torres has got a few goals under his belt already, but he said yesterday that he felt that we was quite a long way off from what he felt was his perfect game. How do you analyse your striker at the moment?

 

I would agree with him. He is trying to do his best and the last game I was really pleased with his effort but he can still play better and he knows this, and that is another positive thing. He knows that he can improve and he is trying to improve so I am quite confident that he will do well.

 

Journalist: It is quite noticeable how other teams have tried to bully him in the Premier League. Do you think that has inspired Fernando to combat that even more and try and raise his game even more?

 

I could see in the last game very positive things from Fernando and I think that is also good for the team. Not just because he was creating the space, but also because they know he is there and they can play with him. He will try and that means that the rest of the players will have more time on the ball and more options to find the space - so I think hopefully we will see in the next game against West Ham the best from Fernando.

 

Journalist: Fernando Torres has been a sensational player for you, but his partnership with Steven Gerrard has been absolutely incredible. Because you have moved your captain back to central midfield is Torres missing him?

 

No I don't think so. I think it was more the defenders were on top of him all the time and it was difficult for him to find space.

 

Journalist: As a consequence of moving Steven Gerrard back to a central midfield role that has meant a switch around for Dirk Kuyt, who has responded really well for you?

 

Your first question was about Gerrard playing deeper which may not be best for Fernando, but it has been really good for Kuyt. So when you have different players with different skills I think it is really important to manage them. At this moment Kuyt is really good, but we know that Gerrard and Torres are really dangerous for any defender so I think we will try to do something again this weekend using all the players now that they are on fire.

 

Journalist: You have had some misfortunes at West Ham haven't you?

 

Yes. West Ham is a difficult place to play and win. With Zola now in charge they try to play good football. Last year we scored an early goal and it was a different kind of away game that you normally expect, but it will be tough. They have some good players and they haven't conceded too many goals so I think it will be tough.

 

Journalist: How important is the first goal, especially away from home?

 

It is always very important, especially when you are playing at home. When teams are playing at Anfield they play deep, but you always try to score from the first minute, but it is not easy. So if we can score before them then I think that will also be important for the confidence and hopefully we will play better.

 

Journalist: West Ham have always had a reputation in this country for playing football the right way even when they haven't been that successful. Zola has instilled a real sense of discipline as well hasn't he?

 

Yes I think it is a good team. I have a lot of sympathy for Zola, because they are trying to play football and he is trying to put the ball on the floor. The team is well organised and they know what to do. I think with time he will be very good and they will enjoy a good season.

 

Journalist: They have good players like Carlton Cole, who on their day can be really problematic - even for the best defences?

 

He is very strong and has some pace. I think he is a very good player and they try to support him all the time. It will be difficult for our defenders to stop him.

 

Journalist: A quick word on Albert Riera. At the beginning of the season he didn't play a couple of games but he played midweek and after the game he said I am the sort of player who would prefer to retire than be on the bench. Is that the sort of attitude you want from all your players?

 

Yes. I was reading the interview when he was talking about this in Spanish and it was very clear. He was trying to say that he has to compete for his position and he has to be disappointed if he is not in the starting XI. That is positive and every single player wants players competing for their positions. It is part of their character and winning mentality that you are looking for in your players.

 

Journalist: You admire that desire to constantly be a first choice player?

 

One hundred per cent. The only thing is how to express this and that has to be on the pitch.

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CARRA PLEDGES REDS IMPROVEMENT

 

 

Jamie Carragher is confident Liverpool fans will see an improvement in their side's performance this weekend.

Rafa's men travel to Upton Park on Saturday to take on West Ham and his vice captain believes the team should take heart from their recent defensive displays.

 

"We have had three clean sheets on the trot, which is encouraging," the 31-year-old said.

 

"I expect the fans will see an improvement in performance from us.

 

"We did not have too much problem in general play, it is just that at set-pieces it has not always gone well.

 

"But we feel that we have rectified that over the last few games - we'll just have to keep working on that."

 

The defender also acknowledged that Liverpool need to extend their unbeaten run in order to feel their campaign is up and running.

 

He said: "This is still the beginning of the season and only when we have put together a run of say 10 or 15 games unbeaten will we feel we are on a good run.

 

"We have had a bit of a dodgy start, but losing two games isn't a total disaster just like winning three games doesn't mean we are back on fire."

 

Carragher, who holds the record for the most Liverpool appearances in European competition, also feels the Reds can progress into the knockout stage of the Champions League.

 

"This group is not easy, the sides like Debrecen will pose a problem," he added.

 

"But if we perform as well as we can we will get through to the next stage."

 

 

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