Liverpool (A) - Pre Match Thread

[SebastianBlue]

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

We managed it last night, mate, but what about the Liverpool match?

 

[jared]

. Only perhaps Sterling is in form but then the caveat against him is he never really plays any good back at Anfield ...

he never plays well against them anywhere actually. I can't remember the last time he had a good game against those. Apart from maybe this year's community shield where he scored. But it is just friendly

 

[TheThirdDeano]

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.

Smacks of him being a ****

 

[Didsbury Dave]

It's the perfect storm in Liverpool's favour I'm afraid. Assuming Ederson is out, that's five players who would be in the team absent. Four of them are key players, match winners. Throw in the psycological hoodoo of Anfield, the unease in our back four, magnified by Ederson's absence, and the way Liverpool play and I've got an extremely bad feeling about this one. I haven't felt like this since Pep game.

We are better than Liverpool and with Ederson, LaPorte and Silva I think we could go there and take them apart. But this could be a bad, bad evening for MCFC and I think we need to brace ourselves.

Not that I think Liverpool are that good and we due a win. God, it would be glorious to go there with the chips down like they are and get the points. I'll be leaping around the living room like a mad fool.

 

[Marvin]

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

Who was this leader to replace Vinny? Maguire? I wasn't convinced in the Summer, and he's since looked less than convincing for Utd. I'm glad we didn't buy him. I think it was the right move to keep our powder dry. Garcia and Harwood-bellis look very promising. Yes there's a gap before they will be ready to step up, but it maybe small.

 

[SebastianBlue]

Smacks of him being a ****

Yes, but that description lacks theatrical verve.

 

[ws01]

Who was this leader to replace Vinny? Maguire? I wasn't convinced in the Summer, and he's since looked less than convincing for Utd. I'm glad we didn't buy him. I think it was the right move to keep our powder dry. Garcia and Harwood-bellis look very promising. Yes there's a gap before they will be ready to step up, but it maybe small.

Maybe replacing Vinnie wasn't 100% necessary but we should've at least sold Otamendi and brought in a cente half to replace him. It's reduced us to only two centre halves that we can trust to play in any game when they're all fit.

 

[TheThirdDeano]

Yes, but that description lacks theatrical verve.

Prose may be pretty but a point made pithy may still pack plentiful punch.

 

[Bianco1979]

This is beginning to feel like a free hit for us given our situation with injuries/form. With that in mind, this could be a good opportunity to bring in one of the kids alongside Stones. There is no downside to this vs Otamendi or Fernandinho in that position. We can then play Fernandinho in his natural position which we're also clearly missing.

With Eddie in nets plus, Walker, Bellis/Garcia, Stone and Cancelo I think we've got a chance. If we have to go with Bravo and a combo of Mendy/Otamendi/Fernandinho at the back then we're losing this game by at least 2 goals realistically.

Have faith in our Kids Pep!

 

[Dr Jacoby]

If Ederson is fit, 2-0 to Liverpool.

If he’s ruled out, 5-0 to Liverpool.

Unless Pep makes some bold selection choices, I can’t see us getting anything from the game. I’d like to see Foden start but he’ll probably come on in the 91st minute.