JohnBull

Stevie and Crouch up front Xabi, Mascherano, Sissoko and Riise in the middle Carra, Sami, Arebola and Finnan at the back

Well I too trust in our manager and it certainly looks as though he will continue with the Carra/Agger pairing. But, I just have the feeling that Sami would handle the immense physicality of Drogba better than Agger. As far as the attack is concerned, I'd play Stevie and Crouch up front. Stevie is as good a striker as any at the club right now, at least any that are likely to play tomorrow, and himself and Crouch link well off each other. We need to get out wide and get balls into the box ... if Carvalho is indeed a non-starter it will be a big advantage to us. In the middle it is Xabi, Mascherano, Sissoko and Riise. Momo must play!!! He has been giving the ball away a lot recently but his power in midfield will be vital tomorrow night. At the back then it would be Carra and Agger/Sami with Arebola and Finnan on the wings. Hopefully Finnan is fit as he has been our most effective winger this season, not to mention defender. I hope we come at them fast and furious tomorrow night and do it for the full 90 minutes. We need to score 3 goals I feel and we can do it too. We have the Anfield crowd behind us and the fact that they KNOW we can beat them will be in the backs of their minds. Also, they must absolutely dread losing to us again so close to the CL final so they are under serious pressure. They will also be very vulnerable at the back without Carvalho. Come on you Reds!!!!! .... destiny awaits us in Athens!!!

Obviously Danny Agger is our future and hopefully will be playing centre back for us for another 10 yrs. And it's not to say that Drogba manhandled him last Wednesday but I do believe that he got the better of the battle, even apart from the goal. Would anyone else here not be surprised if Rafa put Carra and Sami back together for this game? Although Drogba is quick, he is not that quick to expose Sami's lack of quickness. His biggest assets are his strength, his hustle and his aerial play, all facets in which Sami can match him toe to toe. Either that or Carra takes him but I do not believe Rafa will let Drogba be the decider against us in the 2nd leg. Say what you want about his diving and his constant crying to the refs but he is having an immense year for Chelsea and they would not be where they are now without him.

Thanks for the info, Torby. So we will have to wear that ghastly yellow kit eh .... Oh well, the Mancs will hate it even more when we shite all over them, home gears and all!!

who will wear red? How do they decide that .... coin toss?

We are Liverpool, gentlemen!!!!! We are not here to bow, but to conquer!!! And facking conquer we will!!!!! Any facking body who gets in our way!!! We will beat Chelsea next and whomever it is that gets into the final from the other draw. And I personally hope it is Man U because how much would it burn them to lose to us and have to watch as we parade around the stadium with our 6th Cup? Come on you Reds!!!! ... The hotter the battle the sweeter the victory!! We are Liverpool and history awaits us!!

We'll be playing Bayern in the finals this year, not Man Utd. Just as long as Carra can deal with Drogba over the two legs we'll beat Chelsea handily.

This is bollocks!! His cock isn't that big .......!

Do you dispute what I said? ... that neither Bellamy nor Kuyt are Liverpool class strikers? Look ..... you can curse all you want but if you know anything about this game you will realize that what I said is true. Obviously they aren't totally useless ... both are decent in their own ways. But neither is world i.e. Liverpool class. One only has to see them play for that fact to be driven irrevocably home.

Since when have we been the type of team that chase people around? ... isn't it us who should have the ball and be the ones being chased? Robbie is not a paraplegic for fucks sake ..... obviously he is no Kuyt in terms of work rate but to say he wouldnt have lasted 20 mins is a bit harsh. and to say that we wouldnt have been able to harry and pressure them as effectively with him on the pitch is also faulty as perhaps, with him on the pitch we would have converted one or two of the many chances that fell our way .... that would certainly have changed the whole game around, yes? Rafa is a top manager and a master tactician, who am I to question him, really? However, I still think he needs to get Robbie on the pitch. The biggest reasons for our failures this season have been a lack of creativity in the final 3rd and a lack of clinicality in the 18 yard box. Hustle and chasing people all over the pitch alone will not get it done. (are you saying that were Jari here Rafa would not play him because he couldnt chase people for 90 minutes?)There has to be a way to get Robbie's finishing skills into the team and I really feel it would be a strategy worth employing. Neither Kuyt nor Bellamy will ever be the striker that Robbie still is and waiting for that to happen is a plain waste of time. They are both always going to be iffy in front of goal and I feel thst that just may not be good enough at this stage of the CL. I made a comment earlier in the thread that Man U and Barca are superior to us and I stand by that. They are both more clinical, creative and assured on the ball than we are. They both always look to have more time on the ball and more options when they have it. Especially against Man U on Saturday, eventhough we outplayed them and were desperately unlucky to lose, I felt they were the better team when they had the ball.

Have no fear of atomic energy (or the words in a message board post) cause none of them can stop the time. What is wrong with what I posted, exactly?

Neither Kuyt or Bellamy are Liverpool class strikers ... not even close. And neither of them will ever be prolific for the club. Of the two I would keep Bellamy ... his speed and ballsy play will always have a use against certain teams. Kuyt I would sell in the summer. I love the guys heart and tireless, unselfish working for the team. But for a striker he is simply not skillful enough to play for LFC.

You make it sound like Robbie is 90 yrs old with a limp. The man can still play football at the highest level and is twice the finisher that Bellamy and Kuyt are combined. Rafa needs to find a way to get him in the side for the CL run in. Goals are going to be harder to get as the competition enters the final stages, especially if we draw another Prem team, chances of which are quite likely since Man U are almost a sure bet to go thru and put at least 3 English teams in the last 8. Yes he's slow and yes he may not last the full 90. But fuck me if he won't get us some goals if he gets half the chances that have gone a begging to the other forwards. Another thing Rafa needs to do is get Momo out of the middle. Somehow he is getting too much of the ball recently and looking like a deer caught in the headlights when he has it. The kid is a monster tackler and ball winner but his possession play and distribution needs some work.

the Champions League is all we have left to play for this season, that and 2nd or 3rd place. We need to start scoring some goals ... this is the 2nd game in a row that we have outplayed, though not dominated, a superior opponent yet lost the game because we could not convert our chances. The games in the CL are not going to get any easier from here on in to the final and we need to start putting those chances into the net. There is no one at the club better at that than Robbie. He may not have the stamina of Kuyt or thew speed of Bellamy but we will not miss the chances that these two mugs do. Rafa needs to find a way to get him on the field if we are to win number 6 this year, that is how I see it.

I have to believe what these two men said in that interview. I have to believe that they will respect the traditions and fans of our club and not turn it into some sort of merchandising circus with cheerleaders on the sidelines and the wave in the stands. And I do believe it. I think that we can take them at their word in that they will respect and uphold all that is dear to us. Have said that though, they have also come here to make money. But there is lots of that to be made and there will be a way for them to both make money and keep the club's unique and special identity intact. They will make money just by improving on the currrent marketing/merchandising as someone else has already said. And revenues will only increase the more successful we are on the pitch. I think we are going to be ok.

I know Sinama Pongolle has fallen out of favour with Rafa and will be sold as soon as a buyer can be found but, in terms of football skills and what they bring to the team, can someone tell me what the fack exactly is the difference between these two players. I admit I have not seen Pennant play a lot but from what I have seen I think these two lads are VERY similar. Can't we save the 6.2 million and give FSP a couple good cuffs behind the ear to get him to straighten up? I trust Rafa's judgement but I am not too sure that Pennant is made for LFC at all!!

Carra, Sami, Sissoko and Reina will be immense and Morientes and Fowler will each make a goal for the other. 2-0

This discussion is pointless IMO. Reina is our no. 1 keeper and should start on Saturday regardless who we are playing. His suspension is over and he is back in the team. Simple as that.

Raight oh ............. fuck off then!

Points well taken, especially the one about Mellor being injured at the start of the season. Had actually forgotten about that :lol: I've gone back and read the first post and don't really see how you all saw this as a slag on Crouchie .... maybe you're all Rashided out and need a holiday from the board? :lol: I honestly meant no ill towards either Crouch or Rafa --- I am very happy with both of them and also the shape and direction our team is taking. The question was based strictly in footballing terms. Thanks for the sensible responses and the rest of you know what to do ..... :tease: Cheers

To all you lads who are annoyed by the thread ...... go and fact yourselves, individually and collectively!!! This is not meant to be a knock on either Crouch or Rafa. Nor am I in league with Rashid who I find to be a tiresome wanker most of the time. I meant the question honestly and out of pure footballing curiosity. TBM has always had a knack for scoring goals yet has never really been able to cement himself in the first team. Now along comes Crouch whose main claim to fame is not goals, tho he does score them, but rather his style of play. So again I ask, could Rafa not have converted Mellor into a Crouch-style player? To my mind, their styles are more similar than not already anyway!! Anyway, if you are offended by the question, again I say ........ fact off and don't answer!! Anyone who wishes to discuss it on strictly footballing terms .... i would welcome your responses. Thanks and rgds.

.... that Mellor does not? Height? First touch? Heading ability? Dribbling? Ability to hold up play and give neat little flicks and knock ons? One thing I know for sure that Mellor has that Crouch does NOT is the gift of goals!! TBFM just has the knack for putting the ball into the net .... he may not always have the best technique or elegance about him when he does it but fact me if he doesn't always seem to get it done!!!! Ever since all the Crouch talk started I have thought that Mellor could have been just as effective in the same exact role, that Rafa could have coached him into doing the exact same shite he wanted from Crouch. Now, far be it from me to question our manager. I am behinnd him 1000% and think he is doing a BRILLIANT facting job. Still though, the thouoghts linger that we already had a Crouch in our ranks and could have spent that cash elsewhere. What do you all think? Btw ........ a nice easy deuce for those twats at OT tomorrow and come home all alone in 2nd! Come on you REDS ....!!!

Anyone know how the draw will shape up after we get by Benfica ... couldn't find anything on UEFA's site? Thanks.

We are effectively nine points behind them now as we approach the half way marker so we will need them to have a dip in form or get some help from the other teams. The problem is two-fold though -- A) their squad is so deep and so quality that it is unlikely they will lose form for any exstended period and B) most of the other teams in the Prem are not good enough to beat Chelsea. And the ones who are, like Arsenal and Man U, are going thru rough patches currently. The other questiion is our form -- obvioiusly we are not going to win all our remaining games (or are we? ;) ) So at some point we must expect to drop a point or two which will make it harder to catch them. Realistically I do not see us getting there this year although I will be overjoyed to be proven wrong. We are, however, a mortal lock for 2nd! Hopefully we will get them in the Champions League round of 16 and have the pleasure of knocking them out again.

I hope we get the hardest possible teams in each round going forward from here on out. Specifically I want to play Chelsea, Barca and Juve as they are considerd the best teams in Europe. This way when we parade the cup around the stadium in Paris no one will be able to say shite to us. If you beat the best then you must be the facting best!! End of!!!!