jsjazz

I'm not sure that we do have bigger fish to fry. I've said before that I dont think the club is particularly interested in winning things, and is happy enough with hovering around 4th, maybe getting into top 4 if we're lucky, and keeping the masses happy with "entertaining" football. With the failure to strengthen in the transfer window, the league cup and the FA cup were our best chance of a trophy, and one of those is now gone. I don't know what the bigger fish are- the Arsene Wenger 4th Place Trophy?

I felt sorry for Jurgen watching that interview afterwards- he looked shell shocked. I really can't believe that he honestly thinks there are no other defenders than Van Dyke who can come into the team. I can only guess he thinks criticising the current cretins will be counterproductive, as will openly complaining about the owners, but this is killing his reputation, and cant be good for his health. Not sure what the solution is, but sadly I think this season is going to get uglier on and off the pitch.

No point in going over our failings- we all know them. Just wanted to say Sean Dyche is a fucking scruffy shitbearded tramp, his players are timewasting arsewipes in his image, and I'm sure Burnley is also a shithole pit full of moronic dickwipes who think the way their team play is "entertaining" (not that I've been there, but if I ever do go I now know what to expect).

Timewasting from the first 5 minutes, snide litlle bumps and pushes that the ref failed to see, euphoric celebrations at gaining a point. Wise up lads, you dropped two points, not gained one!

Someone mentioned being gutted earlier- I would have been gutted many years back when I thought we might be competing for trophies and titles. These days we are playing the role of plucky underdog who might get into the CL with a following wind and the rub of the green to perfection. In that context 3 points dropped is meh. So I'm disappointed but cant muster the energy to be gutted.

We'll probably win a couple of games, everyone will be oh its OK we're back on song- then the pattern repeats- but at the end of the season we'll be hovering between 4th and 7th again. Not good enough for the Liverpool I remember.

And the capitulation after going down to 10 men - unacceptable. At least keep it tight. 5-0, even with 10 men, is NOT the Liverpool way. Sorry.

We barely stumbled over the line for 4th last year, without CL games. Most people agreed we needed a strong midfielder, a commanding centre back, a left back instead of an out of position midfielder or a brain dead non-defending wing back. Almost as urgently, a striker as Sturridge can't be relied on, some pace up front for when Mane is injured or away, a reliable goalkeeper. Definitely needed to increase numbers to cope with the extra games, and hopefully people haven't forgotten how poor we were from end December to March.

SO....

Salah- excellent signing. If the plan is two quick goalscoring wide men as first choice, where is the replacement to rotate / replace if one is injured?

Midfield- Keita is next year anyway, but it looks like we will gain him and lose Can- so no great increase in squad depth.

Left back- somehow Moreno is first choice again, but I'll be amazed if he isn't dropped at some stage. I just don't see him improving the brain farts. Robertson may be OK, who knows- so OK with this.

Striker- Solanke is still a kid. Origi gone out on loan, so no stronger. If Firmino gets injured, what are the chances of Sturridge being fit at the time?

We've also lost Lucas who despite his detractors played a number of games for us last year, in midfield and in defence. Sakho gone as well- so defence looks really fragile.

Lemar- maybe next year? Who knows? But will be the replacement for Coutinho so no overall change, in fact a deterioration as Coutinho had been bedded in, got used to the league, improved, and was a pretty special player on his day.

So overall- B- from me. We've played very well the last two games- but we were blowing teams away for fun last year as well before Christmas. Don't underestimate the effects of the high intensity game we play, the thin squad, and the effect of the extra games.

Fantastic!!!!!!! Credit to Bobby F starting that move.

Karius hasn't had a save to make so cant tell if his goalkeeping has improved. His kicking seems to have got worse if anything. You'd think after the first one he'd just kick it first time but no.......

Brilliant first half.

Can - just give him what he wants. For years I've seen us come up against 2 banks of 4 and 5 and try to play the ball through and thought why doesn't someone flick it over the top rather than trying to chip it? Can did that twice today- so for that reason alone I say sign him up.

Mad game of football.Should be about 8-4.

F*** me thank God Benteke is still in Anfield LFC mode.

These are cannon fodder (Palace I mean). We still managed to gift them a couple of chances, but at least no Lovren and Moreno= we look a bit more solid.

No idea how Matip and Mane missed their chances.

That midfield is so pedestrian.

Gonna be a long old season this.

Cmon you red men!

Fuck me. Totally asleep from that freekick. I see better defending down the park on a Sunday morning.

Lucky again- Lovren nutmegged but Gnabry offside.

We really shouldn't be opened up this easily with a simple cross field ball. Get Henderson and Can to sit deep just in front of the central defenders and let the front 3 hit on the break.

Lovren caught arguing with the ref while Moreno left alone marking two players, both bigger than him.

Then another switch of play to the far side and Hoffenheim players walking into the area unmarked.

Don't know whats going on but we look pretty porous here. Be surprised if they dont score at least one.

Great game Juve-Lazio. Juve come back from 2 down in the last 10 minutes and then LAzio get a 3rd in the 93rd minute,

So so LFC.

"We can match Man City and Chelsea". Oh shit he wants to sign for us- quick, someone leak the conversations so we can be done for an illegal approach."We apologize to Southampton and withdraw our interest in VVD"

"Termas have been agreed with Salah. Negotiations continue with Roma regarding the fee". Oh shit they might accept a reasonable offer."Negotiations have broken down down and we are moving on to other targets".

Meanwhile, Man City, Bam Bam Bam, thank you very much, signings done.

Most critical question....

What's the OP's record on starting threads?

Beyond getting upset by results like this- its expected now.

On the plus side, we didn't lose to Soton- improvement on the last 2 times we've played them.

However, we still didn't look like scoring against them- 3rd game in a row.

We may still stumble into 4th, but it will be on the back of a couple of worldie goals by us and dreadful 92nd minute misses by our otherwise utterly shite opponents- we've hardly been setting the world alight.

And if we don't sign someone with pace and who can beat a man one on one, next season will be more of the same. The blueprint is there- defend in banks of 4 and 5, let us pass the ball around aimlessly for 90 minutes, and take advantage of the only chance you get in the match.

Oh well, c'mon you Arse!

Can laugh about it now, but when Lovren crossed the ball from the right wing for Matip in the middle in the 92nd minute...............

Ref was shit- that assault on Firmino in the corner, Deeney having a sly dig at Ming- ridiculous he didn't see either.

Same old same old. Brain dead defence, lightweights all over the field getting brushed aside by a puff of wind, slow side to side passing, no pace, "wing backs" that can't take a player on or cross the ball, a striker who spends more time tackling himself than trying to score, 1 fucking shot on target all game, and a bunch of kindergarten kids on the bench.

Where to start fixing this? I'd start with the defence. For all that Mourinho's a nasty tedious narcissistic turd, he's got them looking solid (ish ) at the back. Chelsea solid defensively. Spurs solid at the back (and big and strong all over the pitch). Even Arsenal can defend corners.  We've been shit at defending, especially corners and crosses, for far too long. Sort it out Jurgen.

Don't mind him punching rather than catching the ball. It seems to be the way all across Europe, and given the shiteness of current refs and the number of Prem teams that just put a couple of big lumps on the keeper and fire in long balls and throws, I think its probably for the best.

Better than flapping at it and knocking it straight down onto the opposition grock's foot anyway, which seems to be the alternative.

Got the ball first, Herrera rolling around like a wet fanny. Might be a yellow at most.

I know we won, but gotta say the referee was atrocious.

The first Ming save- came off a Stoke players chest, went forward to a player standing in front- surely offside?

The through ball that Indi-Martins stopped with his hand- surely handball?

On another day.....

Job done, but we made hard work of that.

Ming two blinding saves, even though the first one was well offside. Second was Dudekesque. MOTM?

If anyone still thinks Firmino isn't a good footballer they should start watching a different sport.Not just the goal- the control and technique, winning balls in the air etc.

Its a pretty shit performance though- you would think that even with 4 players out the players we have should be capable of competing with a mid table team, but Stoke could easily have been 3 up, and I dont think weve had a shot yet. So we rely on our best (in the loosest meaning of the word "best") 4 players to bail the rest of the shitbags out every time.

Poor show for LFC, the most decorated club in England, the 9th richest club in the world.

We'll never win anything until we sort out the defence. And we haven't done that for about 10 years. You need to be able to grind out 1-0 rsults or at least not lose the game if your attack doesn't fire, which it won't do every game.

Pointing out that the squad is paper thin and made of glass is all well and good, but whose responsible for that? Is the manager really happy with the squad he has, as he has said on a couple of occasions? Or is he covering for tightwad owners, and if so why? Does he think something will change this summer? If he doesn't get backed this summer he should walk as his reputation is being trashed. I'm struggling to understand what is going on with the squad.