Liverpool (A) - Pre Match Thread

[Banned Tosspot]

3-1 Liverpool.

 

[BlumerMooner]

Wouldn’t want you anywhere near me at a game

I take it by your response You don’t like my post...

Mendy great going forward but defensively he has been weak. With Salah and TAA on his side we could be exposed. That’s all

 

[threadkiller]

Last night will have shown liverpool how to press and harry us no neutralise our threat - EXACTLY HOW PEP INTENDED! See, he's actually been drilling for weeks how to counter this, and last night was orchestrated just to draw Liverpool into playing exactly how we want. Right?... Right?

 

[hammocity]

A really good and measured post.

I'm sure Ian Darke said Liverpool have conceded in each of their last eight games. It's by no means convincing but only really a steady flow of one-per-game (I'm not counting the severely under-strength five against Arsenal).

The biggest difference, as I see it, is that they appear to have a much better fitness regime than us. They finish games strongly and seem to avoid the 2-5-week soft tissue muscle injuries that we seem to pick up with alarming regularity. That's with less rotation than us as well. The difference in fitness was put into focus in the Community Shield but I thought we'd gradually improve. I don't think we really look as fit as we did two years ago. Our press isn't what it was and the 900 passes-per-game we'd clock up has dropped markedly. After two years of intense work, remarkable consistency and unparalleled success, maybe we've just lost that edge. It's not made us a bad side, but it is amplified by the fact we're up against a side that's won 10 of their first 11 games. In reality, 10 CL points after four games, a LC q/f and 25 points after 11 league games is pretty good but these aren't normal times.

You simply cannot legislate for the bad injuries suffered by Laporte and Sane. No fitness regime is responsible for those injuries but it's the equivalent of Liverpool losing VVD and Mane - losses which would be catastrophic had they happened when Sane and Laporte had got injured.

Liverpool are a really good side and if they win the league they'll have deserved it. Yeah, a lot of their fans are annoying but it is only a game and life would return to normal eventually.

Fuck that, I don’t want to see Bugs Bunny and his team of diving, cheating twats aided by VAR winning the Premier anytime soon. The dive v Leicester for the penalty, the disallowed goal by VAR for Chelsea when they brought the play back 12 seconds and two phases of play to find an offside and a dubious free kick that lead to a Dipper goal. Then Sheff United rag keeper letting the ball slip through his hands, shit defending by the rags and Spuds completely bottling the last 20 minutes have all contributed to a false position.

I’d take a draw now but the last thing I want to see is these plastic ****s winning anything of note. Our trophies last season seemed to count for fuck all when they won a knock out comp despite losing 4 games from 13, if they won the league we’d hear about it for at least a year, Champions this, Champions, that, etc.

Horrible fuckers the lot of them.

 

[TheThirdDeano]

Liverpool echo have drudged Capello out from the crypt today so he can give his brain dead opinion on how great Liverpool is.

apparently pep treats the team and stadium as a theatre.

No I haven’t a fucking clue what he’s on about either:

 

[Eds]

Glad he’s (Sean Cox) on the mend but can’t help but feel cynical about the timing of this. That club really is something else.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50328815

My first thought as well. Don't be surprised if he comes on the pitch and is introduced to the crowd. We should also delay coming out of the dressing room so it screws up their timings in allowing their anthem to be played in full.

 

[BlueMoonz1977]

My worry is Liverpool only need a 15 minute spell of intensity. We're that brittle at the back we could concede a few.

That's the problem - our defence does not cope well at all when under pressure - it all seems a bit hopeful by the players when you watch it unfolding. We made a massive error by not replacing a leader in Vinny with someone else who could step in and take the baton to sit alongside Laporte

Otamendi has been a great servant but he is not a leader and he definitely does not inspire confidence when in the back line

I am hoping that Pep has a solid game plan (which i am sure he does) but the players need to keep their heads at the same time - and at the minute (and after last night) there is a question mark over that

Liverpool will revert to the same tactic - play a mad intensity for the first 20-30 minutes looking to rack up a lead of about 2 or 3 goals to go in with at half time. If that happens then they will go back to counter-attacking in the second half, happy to let us have the ball where they will pounce on either a player that has been identified to press with 2 of theirs, or it will be the worst possible way and a stray pass gets picked off

 

[SebastianBlue]

Liverpool echo have drudged Capello out from the crypt today so he can give his brain dead opinion on how great Liverpool is.

apparently pep treats the team and stadium as a theatre.

No I haven’t a fucking clue what he’s on about either:

Smacks of an embittered playwright that has never had a successful production slurring his way throw a diatribe at his local after seeing Hamilton the previous night.

 

[MAG]

So everything possible that could go against us before this game has gone against us ...

Players aren't really in form ... KdB seems to have lost a bit last few games. Only perhaps Sterling is in form but then the caveat against him is he never really plays any good back at Anfield ... add to it both had to play full 97-98 mins last night ...

Injuries ... the long list continues ... now add Ederson to it ... sure it's a "maybe" right now, but might play without being fully fit and yesterday he sprayed three-four passes just nowhere, very unlike him so something was definitely niggling him ...

We already know the refs and the whole system is against us and pro-them anyway ... so expect penalties going their way ... but forget bigger decisions, even the smallest of fouls will be going all their way and we'd be getting nothing ...

All of that points to ... Liverpool 0 - 1 City, last minute Sterling winner!

This is football ... who gave United any chance against them a few weeks back and even they managed a draw ... I think we're coming away with a win this Sunday! The force is strong with this one ;) Bookmark it!!

 

[jared]

Would be happy with a draw to be honest. Given our abject record there and our injury situation.