Weekend Football 14/15 Sep 2013

[Blackcanary]

Fuck me.

You have wrote the poor lad off after watching him for, by your post time, 31 mins. That's not knee-jerk at all is it? If he had signed for you no doubt you would be preaching patience as its only his first game in a new country for a new team.

He could become the new Djimi Traore or become the best French CB since Blanc for all any of us know at this juncture, unless you have the ability to time travel to the future where he is now playing for Seattle Sounders with Djimi.

Erm...I didn't rate him anyway and was delighted we bought Vlad instead. But please don't let that little fact interrupt your misplaced little rant.

You're a little bit overly sensitive on this aren't you? You secretly know he's crap.

 

[Mr Pink]

2 games, 2 penalties (1 against Palace very fortunate as Olly's ban will attest to), 2 wins. That's a little bit of good fortune surely? It all works itself out in time anyway.

Did we deserve to win both games? A resounding yes I think.

 

[Toela65]

Shelvey playing a blinder. 1 goal and 2 assists in that first half.

Anybody know what all the fuss w/ Coutinho is about? Maybe I'm catching him on an off day, but hasn't done f' all in that first half. Liverpool fans talk him up as he his one of the top 5 players in the league.

He's been disappointing this season so far tbf, but if he gets back to his top form again like last season he's a fantastic for our team. He basically, in Suarez's absence, creates everything for us one way or another.

FourFourTwo tweeted some stats from tonights game for LFC with, and then without, Couts on the pitch in his positoin and the difference was mind-bending. Once he went off we had no creativity even if we had the ball or a chance to counter. Very worrying if he's injured for a long time but luckily Suarez is back next week.

 

[Legend10]

Serious question, can anybody see anything even remotely decent in that Aspas? Who looks too far out of his depth for words!

Incredible signing!

 

[Bus-Conductor]

There was talk we were interested, wasn't there? Am glad we didn't go for him...

Sakho looks like a lumbering oaf.

Unlike the fleet footed genius that is Dawson you mean ?

 

[Legend10]

Unlike the fleet footed genius that is Dawson you mean ?

We didn't just pay £18 million for Dawson!

 

[Bus-Conductor]

We didn't just pay £18 million for Dawson!

We passed up 9m for him, hurts almost as much.

 

[Toela65]

yup, agree they're much better than last year and not writing them off but.....

stoke - but for a shit penalty, 2 points dropped
villa - played them at the right time right after villa had 2 tough games (? or was it just a day or two after chelsea?) in a short space of time
united - admittedly they've not beaten them for a while but united were poor and anything can happen between 2 rivals
swansea - been utter shit and have massively self-destructed via uncle fester

so yes, they're better and they'll be competing for a while but they're still a better version of 6th/7th for me.

Besides Norwich I could say the exact same about your games, esepcially Palace and Swansea which you only won by 2 pens. At least our 1 niles were from open play!

We already have 10 points which took us till nearly October to accumulate last season and we beat the Champions without too much worry, although at home granted, too.

We haven't lost a game since, I actually can't remember but it must be like Feb or March or something.

I still feel we'll narrowly miss out on top 4 tbh, but no OBJECTIVE commentator could deny we've had a very good start compared to where we were as a team last season, but 10 games will be more of a barometer. We have a really could run of winnable games now until Arse in Nov too and for me, I'm finally looking forward to our matches again confidently and enjoy them.

 

[Legend10]

We passed up 9m for him, hurts almost as much.

No we wanted to take it, Daws passed on it.

 

[Legend10]

Besides Norwich I could say the exact same about your games, esepcially Palace and Swansea which you only won by 2 pens. At least our 1 niles were from open play!

We already have 10 points which took us till nearly October to accumulate last season and we beat the Champions without too much worry, although at home granted, too.

We haven't lost a game since, I actually can't remember but it must be like Feb or March or something.

I still feel we'll narrowly miss out on top 4 tbh, but no OBJECTIVE commentator could deny we've had a very good start compared to where we were as a team last season, but 10 games will be more of a barometer. We have a really could run of winnable games now until Arse in Nov too and for me, I'm finally looking forward to our matches again confidently and enjoy them.

You won't finish above Everton, they've got a stronger first choice 11, a stronger squad and a better manager!

Liverpool have had a very good start in terms of results but I very much doubt last seasons top 4 will be losing any sleep thinking about them let alone worrying they might take their top 4 place.

 

[Mr Pink]

Besides Norwich I could say the exact same about your games, esepcially Palace and Swansea which you only won by 2 pens. At least our 1 niles were from open play!

We already have 10 points which took us till nearly October to accumulate last season and we beat the Champions without too much worry, although at home granted, too.

We haven't lost a game since, I actually can't remember but it must be like Feb or March or something.

I still feel we'll narrowly miss out on top 4 tbh, but no OBJECTIVE commentator could deny we've had a very good start compared to where we were as a team last season, but 10 games will be more of a barometer. We have a really could run of winnable games now until Arse in Nov too and for me, I'm finally looking forward to our matches again confidently and enjoy them.

Profligacy against Swansea, two or three nil wouldn't of flattered us. Not like the lesson they gave you second half tonight I might add. You would of drawn against Stoke had they converted that penalty, although you did deserve to win that game, no doubt about it. Villa deserved a point though and you caught United at a good time, they still dominated that game although they were blunt in the final third.

Furthermore we hadn't even integrated the creative components into our side until Saturday. Ok, you have Suarez to return and your attacking options look strong but there is no doubt in mind that we are vastly stronger in midfield, and in terms of real depth we most definitely have the upper hand.

But I do see Liverpool being involved in the fight for fourth as opposed to being on the periphery of it.

Exciting times for Liverpool

 

[gushayes11]

What rating would you give shelvey tonight. Genuinely one of the strangest performances I've seen for a while. Scored and created one, fcuked up twice for them, but still always wanted the ball. Don't know if it was a 3or 7 out of 10?

 

[Toela65]

Yep. No idea why everyone is fearing them. The gap widened between them and the top 5 this summer. It didn't decrease.

The no European games helps them immensely and could see them a bit closer than they otherwise would be but the quality is just lacking in midfield. Berbatov and Keane got us close but we lacked the midfield to seal the deal. Yr after yr the same thing happened. Once we got our midfield sorted, we have even carried strikers who can hardly be called top level, no offence to Crouchie or Pav etc, to top 4 finishes.

I bet you £10 to your forum here that we finish closer than 12 points off 4th this season. Gap increased by ass. Our squad is miles better this year and our form since Jan when Sturridge and Coutinho came in is as good as anyone's. We'll be buying again in January too based on what JWH has aid about better value/players available then.

No fair-minded person could make the argument that Arsenal and Spurs have pulled further away from Liverpool when you look at form this year and consider purchases, and mainly you have lost your 3 points machine but we have kept ours. There is zero evidence to suggest the gap has widened other than tribalistic bullshit.

I don't think we'll finish 4th ahead of you and Arse but you can be certain we won't be 12 points off this season, especially while you bed in all your new players who, like was said about Sakho after 31 minutes of his first game, could be flops as they ain't impressed me at all so far, but I know its too early to judge yet.

The gap is most definitely decreasing based on all objective evidence we have at this time.

 

[Toela65]

Makes our comfortable swatting of Swansea look more impressive.

Conceded twice as many goals as us this season too. leaky

At home by a penalty. Thats some swatting that. The only team thats looked properly impressive so far this season in the top 4 race is Arsenal and now with Ozil their 100% dead certs for 4th in my humble opinion, God help us if they buy a top Striker in Jan because, without injuries, thats all their missing and they'll be gone into the distance.

 

[Toela65]

Not really. Thei midfield is OK but just not good enough. Gerard is still a fine footballer but several yrs past his peak and Lucas is also a good CM. That's their strongest duo though. Hardly puts the fear of God into you does it? Let's just not bother discussing Henderson (who is showing glacial signs of improvement) or the Welsh Xavi at any length.

Henderson has been our best CM for ages. Any Liverpool fan will tell you that. Thats why we get pissed off when he doesn't play there. He has strength, physicality and stamina that makes all the difference and he basically carries Gerrard's water for him. When he plays CM properly we always play better. If you watched Liverpool week in, week out and not just MOTD you would know this, or you could look at the stats as they show this too.

Its a shame BR won't stand up to Stevie and move him or drop him as he isn't cut out physically or defensively to be a holding midfielder. Lucas as DM, Hendo as the middle-man controller type, and Gerrard or Couts as the attacking 10 would give us much better balance between attack and defence and protect the back 4 much better.

This idea that Henderson is a poor player is a myth and him not getting the recognition he deserves has become a private running joke amongst Kopites. I honestly think no-one watches him ever besides us lot and just goes off his £16m price-tag.

In 3 years time tops he'll be our top centre mid starting every game.

 

[Toela65]

Somehow a Liverpool fan on the BBC live text has found a way to blame the lack of Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger for them being outclassed by Swansea all over the pitch.

So you're saying that if you were missing your best RB and therefore having to play a kid there whose not ready, and your best CB and organiser who is replaced by a player who knows little of his team-mates or system and starting his first ever game that somehow the all conquering Spurs team would STILL be firing on all cylinders and would still beat a team you only just beat due to a penalty?

Behave. Of course it had an effect. we were defensively solid every game this season so far with our first choice defence and had a dodgy defensive display when 3 of our 4 usual starting defenders were out. It obviously made a difference anyone who wants to can see that.

We battered them in the first half as well before putting in an abysmal 2nd half showing were we looked tired and totally unfit, so a draw was a fair result in my book. We didn't deserve the win but didn't deserve to lose either based on our 1st half display.

Its good to know that now were also only taking into account a team's LAST performance when judging a teams ability and chances this season, and all the ones before that are irrelevant. I'll remember that if you only draw or lose your next game after an impressive display against Norwich.

Some people here are so desperate to believe Liverpool are still as bad as the last few years they they are ignoring anything that suggests this obviously isn't true. Like I said we'll be a lot less than 12 pts off 4th this season. I'm confident of that.

 

[Toela65]

It's usually when the Liverpool title challenge comes to an end tbf.

There is no "Liverpool title challenge" and hasn't been since 2008-2009 so I have no idea why you are bringing that up. We sane ones know that 4th is as good as we can hope for and even then many of us don't expect us to be able to do better than 5/6th like me. That is the general consensus of Reds I sit by and speak to at the games and on my forum.

 

[Toela65]

That's astonishing. It really is ridiculous, Swansea would of won comfortably had they not made those calamitous mistakes.

Said all day in the what our opponents are saying thread, that 9 points flattered them in their opening games. The only game they definitely deserved to win was the Stoke one.

What did Utd though to warrant a win against us? They were rubbish. We sat back rather than risk the counter and they had nothing.

We categorically destroyed Villa in the first half. How we only had one I don't know. Villa improved second half but again, as BR siad afterwards, Villa's main weapon is the Agbonlahor and Benteke on the Counter. Their not very good when they have to take it to a team, so we sat back deliberately and they produced one decent shot.

We deserved all 3 of our victories comfortably but let ourselves down in the 2nd half tonight. I'll give you that one but so far we've looked every bit as good as Spurs which is also supported by the league table.

To say we only deserved the Stoke win is utterly laughable and not bore out by the facts of the game in any shape or form.

 

[Toela65]

why has he said they were in control until swansea scored their second??? i guess delusion flows from the top up there, jesus. after half time swansea were the better team by far and even in the first half fuck up frenzy they still had good chances.

i hate them. ****s.

You do realise that you lot are the only people who disagree with this. Even the BBC said Swansea done well to hold us to a draw. Maybe, just maybe, you few could be wrong and everyone else might be right?

 

[Toela65]

except for 45 min vs Stoke i dont think Liverpool have looked very good this season, and some of their players are just so overhyped. Most Scousers would tell you Coutinho is the best #10 in the league and Lucas the best DM, but truth is they are pretty avarage and that Aspas guy is a complete donkey.

Sturridge and Suarez on the other hand is so dangerous though.

Did you watch our first half against Villa? That was by far the best we've been this season, much better than against Stoke.