Liverpool FA Cup s/f (N) | Post Match Thread

[elbearos]

Good job you weren’t at Grimsby away then in 85!

Or Fulham 5-1

 

[Carlos- the- jackal]

Let the media salivate over the benefit boys, be funny as fuck when the only thing the best team since Brasil’70 is parading down Lime St is the League cup!

 

[OB1]

I think you hit several nails very firmly on the head here. This morning I read Pep's comments on the games and thought I must be his ventriloquist's dummy because he explained the difficulties of managing the best team in the world with a clarity that I certainly can't match, but then he is actually managing the best team in the world.

City have had to play 5 games in the last 14 days. We played 5 in the 3 weeks before that and 6 in the 3 weeks before that and so on. What marks the 5 matches played so far in April out is that they are in 3 different competitions and leaving aside Burnley were 2 against Liverpool and 2 against Atletico, one of which was a brutal and bruising encounter. Defeat in any would have disastrous consequences and Pep picked the best team he possibly could for the home and away legs against Madrid and the home game against Liverpool. It has to be pointed out that games against Liverpool are always high intensity, draining games and the game in Madrid left Walker and KdB unfit to play on Saturday and those who played in the previous games too drained to meet the physical demands of a sudden death game against Liverpool at Wembley. Pep had to rotate, though his options were limited: only 3 players who had not played at all in Madrid played yesterday and these 3 had all played 90 minutes at home to Liverpool and in the case of Phil Foden he had been singled out for particularly violent attention in Madrid. The three players you name are indeed good players but are not first choice and the team is weaker with them in.

Liverpool had not had the problems we had. Indeed 7 of their high profile players had a week off before the semi. Our experience is that against Liverpool the first 25 minutes see them playing at very high intensity and trying to press the life out of the opposition; weather this storm and you seize the initiative. Yesterday their fresh players pressed a team which understandably was a yard at least off the pace and just as slow in thought - the set up was ideal for Klopp's gegenpress and it worked well. City couldn't play through it and the legs in midfield were too weary to play through it. We improved greatly in the second half but we were never our real selves.

I would say that if we had to lose a game yesterday's would be the one I'd choose. Pep would be horrified at that and tell us all that he picked the best team he could in the circumstances and, of coure it goes without saying, he's right.

A sensible reasoned post as ever.

I think there was some tiredness in the team but I also think the goals we conceded would have been felt mentally and physically. I saw Pep made mention of momentum and their first two goals fell just right for that from their point of view. Their third didn't give them momentum, becuase of HT, but it did ultimately win them the game.

 

[J.G.Blue.]

70 years. true,

Fair play, might be the worst first half we have played since Pep came but I am sure you will agree not the worst first half ever :-)

 

[Bill]

So you are saying he didn’t throw it now then ?

if it helps i'll type in block capitals.
HE PICKED A TEAM HE KNEW WOULD LOSE , I'D SAY THAT WAS THROWING IT WOULDN'T YOU ?
good on him ,he sees the bigger picture .

 

[SK14BLUE]

Good job you weren’t at Grimsby away then in 85!

I was! 15 year old and remember like it was yesterday. Something fishy going on.

 

[kaz7]

I switched off as soon as the third went in, went to my happy place , gogglebox , not reading all the bile and vile stuff aimed at the team in this thread and most of the others

Over it already

 

[Katsunari Takayama]

Good job you weren’t at Grimsby away then in 85!

I’ll see your Grimsby away 85 and raise you Stockport away 97 !!

 

[OB1]

Good job you weren’t at Grimsby away then in 85!

I was. Great fish and chips before the game.

Yesterday was nowhere near the worst first half I've seen.

 

[StillBluessinceHydeRoad]

People near me were specualting that Stones thought the ball went out in their first goal but I didn't notice that. The angles they showed at HT at the ground didn't answer the question and I have so far not brought myself to watch any TV coverage. One of my dauthers was watching at home - the other was ta the game with me - and she said one of the pundits criticised Zack on all the goals but I don't think there was much he could have done about the first.

I've not seen any replays of the third so I'm not sure if Zack should have been closer to his post but I think a lot of keeprs would have been caught out by that strike.

I watched on the TV and didn't see anything wrong with the first goal though I can't bring myself to watch any replays. There was the usual argy bargy in the area and Konate seemed to go straight through a couple of our lads but I was hoping they were there to block him and van Duyk off anyway. The third goal was arguable in that Zak seemed to take off from the wrong place because his feet movement was sluggish but that could be very harsh criticism. His real blunder was, of course, the second goal but to be fair it didn't affect his play as much as I feared it would. All through the game he seemed so concerned to appear unruffled by the pressing that he lost a sense of urgency.

I must say though that GB's post does answer several questions which were puzzling at the time in particular the feeble resistance/block and the lad who "put his hand up".

Sorry the visit to Wembley didn't go as planned. The thing about watching at home is that the tele went off straight off at the final whistle, I gave the door a kick (not advisable to kick the cat these days!) and the beer came out.