observations

[spider-Neil]

a) babel really shouldn't be starting games
I can see why rafa did it, it was due his midweek running of johnson, today was alway going to be about keeping the ball so he was the wrong choice and even though I like babel I said this before the game.

b) liverpool show too little urgency when there is room to play, 'oh we can make up the points later'. liverpool were absolutely at their best when there was no room for error and a draw or loss and it was over. we finished in blistering form and now we are sluggish like we were sluggish at the start of last season.

c) our fullbacks have got to stop hanging the ball up for someone to head, I like to call it 'the pennant special', instead they should be driving the ball across with venom, push the ball into 'the corridor of uncertainty'.

d) this is week one of a 38 week league, there is more to come from us as we get fitter and sharper and no one should be judged on one game. lucas has to gel with masher, gerrard and torres have to get back into the groove again. have patience and hope that while we are finding our feet we are picking up points no matter how ugly.

e) alonso was always going to be a loss but we have to get on with it concentrate on what we have not what we don't have.

 

[Judge Jules]

Neil makes a post and I agree with pretty much all of it. Hold the front page. 😉

 

[Y1]

Neil makes sense!

Neil is nail on.

 

[spider-Neil]

here's another obsevation;

when reira is fit again rafa may want to drop gerrard back into midfield so he can squeeze yossi into the side until aquaman is fit (especially at home).

 

[Squiggles]

- Firstly credit must go to Spurs, they defended very well indeed, and took their chances

- Although we didn't deserve a point today, we had several elements of bad luck which proved costly; the clash between Carragher and Skrtel really fucked his over, and we looked all at sea for the rest of the half, and then of course being denied a blatant penalty.

- Reina deserves a massive pat on the back

-Babel was appallingly awful and Kuyt was little better. Gerrard's our captain - I'm not expecting match-winners every match, but if ever there was game where we need to be rallied, it was this, and he just didn't deliver.

- Lucas has finally grown a pair, now fans will be able to support him.

- Great moment of class from Johnson. 

- We need to find a way to offset the sale of Xabi Alonso; it looks like Benayoun's the key. Fuck the Gerrard, Torres partnership. People have been talking like it should be set in stone all summer, well - it's not. What's the point in having two world class but completely isolated individuals?

 

[spider-Neil]

- torres should really have been stronger and chosen better option. obviously he gets a pass because he is a class player but this really wasn't a good day at the office for nando.
don't blame him for dropping deep though, the ball was never going to reach him up front the way the midfield was playing.

 

[Judge Jules]

I'd have preferred not to "fix" what ain't broke where the Torres-Gerrard combo is concerned, but (for now at least) I agree it's hard to see how else to plug the gap left by Alonso's departure.

 

[Roger REDerer]

Another observation.

Insua = Argentina's answer to Warnock.

 

[spider-Neil]

[quote author=Roger REDerer link=topic=35270.msg925798#msg925798 date=1250444365]
Another observation.

Insua = Argentina's answer to Warnock.
[/quote]

like my first post says he should drive the ball into the box. if we had crouch up front I could understand the lofted crosses, we don't so there's no point.

 

[Squiggles]

I'm not sure if it's

-------------Torres---Kuyt------
--Reira/Yossi--------------Kuyt/Yossi
-----------Gerrard---Masher------------
Or

------------Torres
--Reira----Yossi----Kuyt---
-------Masher--Gerrard---

But it sure is one of them.

(Poor Lucas)

 

[rebel23]

Carragher was appalling at the back

Babel's got a cheek clapping the supporters.

 

[spider-Neil]

[quote author=rebel23 link=topic=35270.msg925802#msg925802 date=1250444557]
Carragher was appalling at the back

Babel's got a cheek clapping the supporters.

[/quote]

it's never cheeky to acknowledge fans

 

[Roger REDerer]

[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=35270.msg925800#msg925800 date=1250444479]
[quote author=Roger REDerer link=topic=35270.msg925798#msg925798 date=1250444365]
Another observation.

Insua = Argentina's answer to Warnock.
[/quote]

like my first post says he should drive the ball into the box. if we had crouch up front I could understand the lofted crosses, we don't so there's no point.
[/quote]

Yeah but the way you said it was crap.

"...our fullbacks have got to stop hanging the ball up for someone to head, I like to call it 'the pennant special', instead they should be driving the ball across with venom, push the ball into 'the corridor of uncertainty'...."

What the fcuk is a corridor of uncertainty ? And Pennant special ??

 

[ibromurph]

[quote author=Roger REDerer link=topic=35270.msg925806#msg925806 date=1250444715]
[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=35270.msg925800#msg925800 date=1250444479]
[quote author=Roger REDerer link=topic=35270.msg925798#msg925798 date=1250444365]
Another observation.

Insua = Argentina's answer to Warnock.
[/quote]

like my first post says he should drive the ball into the box. if we had crouch up front I could understand the lofted crosses, we don't so there's no point.
[/quote]

Yeah but the way you said it was crap.

"...our fullbacks have got to stop hanging the ball up for someone to head, I like to call it 'the pennant special', instead they should be driving the ball across with venom, push the ball into 'the corridor of uncertainty'...."

What the fcuk is a corridor of uncertainty ? And Pennant special ??
[/quote]

An Andy Grayism.. a cross whipped in with pace and curve from out wide which is in between the goal keeper and line of defence.

Pennant Special - A floated cross with no pace, which the goalkeeper invariably comes and collects easily.

 

[spider-Neil]

[quote author=Roger REDerer link=topic=35270.msg925806#msg925806 date=1250444715]
[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=35270.msg925800#msg925800 date=1250444479]
[quote author=Roger REDerer link=topic=35270.msg925798#msg925798 date=1250444365]
Another observation.


Insua = Argentina's answer to Warnock.
[/quote]

like my first post says he should drive the ball into the box. if we had crouch up front I could understand the lofted crosses, we don't so there's no point.
[/quote]


Yeah but the way you said it was crap.

"...our fullbacks have got to stop hanging the ball up for someone to head, I like to call it 'the pennant special', instead they should be driving the ball across with venom, push the ball into 'the corridor of uncertainty'...."

What the fcuk is a corridor of uncertainty ? And Pennant special ??
[/quote]


corridor of uncertainty = space between the defense and keeper.
the defender HAS to play the ball otherwise the striker has a tap in and if he plays the ball there is a good chance he will kick it into his own net.

pennant special = ball hung up in the air with no pace and to no one in perticualar
a) the person who has to play the ball has to generate power from his own neck (really hard to do)
b) the defender has time to position himself to challenge the ball or the opposition player who is going to challenge the ball
c) the keeper can come out and claim

it's soft and rubbish.

 

[refugee]

I'd rather play Dossena at left wing than Babel, at least he tries.

 

[ArneSlot4PM]

One more observation:

Our next 6 games are all quite friendly.

 

[Tinto]

That moment of sheer class by Johnson shows us why Rafa was willing to blow a fortune on this fullback. I think he will add another dimension to our attacking play on our right hand side. It wasn't a bad debut at all by him. It was a real shame, though, that Kuyt didn't offer him much assistance attacking wise today.

 

[spider-Neil]

[quote author=Tinto link=topic=35270.msg925828#msg925828 date=1250445931]
That moment of sheer class by Johnson shows us why Rafa was willing to blow a fortune on this fullback. I think he will add another dimension to our attacking play on our right hand side. It wasn't a bad debut at all by him. It was a real shame, though, that Kuyt didn't offer him much assistance attacking wise today.
[/quote]

don't really expect johnson to come into his own in away matches its home matches where he'll earn his pay as teams attempt to park the bus.

 

[rage]

i've got some observations:

- we played shit. what's the point of playing a pre season if you start like that?
- alonso just passes the ball, yea that's right
- babel is shit, just sell him
- lucas see babel
- lucas, if he isn't shit i don't think we can afford to give him the time to grow unless we are prepared to write off this season
- carra really needs to start trusting the players next to him


oh and rafa, what formation were we playing at the end, it made real sense taking off kuyt for voronin and all the time seeing torres and gerrard dropping deeper and deeper.

 

[spider-Neil]

[quote author=rage link=topic=35270.msg925858#msg925858 date=1250448060]
i've got some observations:

- we played shit. what's the point of playing a pre season if you start like that?
- alonso just passes the ball, yea that's right
- babel is shit, just sell him
- lucas see babel
- lucas, if he isn't shit i don't think we can afford to give him the time to grow unless we are prepared to write off this season
- carra really needs to start trusting the players next to him


oh and rafa, what formation were we playing at the end, it made real sense taking off kuyt for voronin and all the time seeing torres and gerrard dropping deeper and deeper.
[/quote]

he took off kuyt because he (kuyt) played middweek, no point exhausting your player, it's a long season and we are an injury away from a crisis.

 

[Tinto]

[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=35270.msg925862#msg925862 date=1250448223]
[quote author=rage link=topic=35270.msg925858#msg925858 date=1250448060]
i've got some observations:

- we played shit. what's the point of playing a pre season if you start like that?
- alonso just passes the ball, yea that's right
- babel is shit, just sell him
- lucas see babel
- lucas, if he isn't shit i don't think we can afford to give him the time to grow unless we are prepared to write off this season
- carra really needs to start trusting the players next to him


oh and rafa, what formation were we playing at the end, it made real sense taking off kuyt for voronin and all the time seeing torres and gerrard dropping deeper and deeper.
[/quote]

he took off kuyt because he (kuyt) played middweek, no point exhausting your player, it's a long season and we are an injury away from a crisis.
[/quote]

Kuyt was also fighting Babel for the prize of being the worst player in a red shirt.

 

[Hooz]

[quote author=Tinto link=topic=35270.msg925863#msg925863 date=1250448349]
Kuyt was also fighting Babel for the prize of being the worst player in a red shirt.
[/quote]

Skrtel's never lost a fight, and he was going to start today.

 

[spider-Neil]

[quote author=Hooz link=topic=35270.msg925864#msg925864 date=1250448630]
[quote author=Tinto link=topic=35270.msg925863#msg925863 date=1250448349]
Kuyt was also fighting Babel for the prize of being the worst player in a red shirt.
[/quote]

Skrtel's never lost a fight, and he was going to start today.
[/quote]

;D

 

[rage]

[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=35270.msg925862#msg925862 date=1250448223]
[quote author=rage link=topic=35270.msg925858#msg925858 date=1250448060]
i've got some observations:

- we played shit. what's the point of playing a pre season if you start like that?
- alonso just passes the ball, yea that's right
- babel is shit, just sell him
- lucas see babel
- lucas, if he isn't shit i don't think we can afford to give him the time to grow unless we are prepared to write off this season
- carra really needs to start trusting the players next to him


oh and rafa, what formation were we playing at the end, it made real sense taking off kuyt for voronin and all the time seeing torres and gerrard dropping deeper and deeper.
[/quote]

he took off kuyt because he (kuyt) played middweek, no point exhausting your player, it's a long season and we are an injury away from a crisis.
[/quote]

can't play 2 games at the beginning of a season, come on. i'm not sure how we're one injury away from a crisis on the right either in regards to kuyt. 10 minutes to go the substitution was lucas off, gerrard in the middle and let kuyt, voronin and yossi interchange behind torres.

we not only played bad we got the tactics wrong today also

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Rage chill - bar one team, all premier league champions have lost a game ... things could be worse.

 

[rage]

i am chilled. it was an awful display though. someone really needs to put an arm around carra and tell him he needs to trust the players around him.

oh and i know you expect it from me but rafa fucked up with both the starting line up (yossi should have started) and the kuyt substitution. when you're chasing a game with 10 minutes to go why have two deep/defensive midfielders?

 

[LeTallecWiz]

[quote author=rage link=topic=35270.msg925878#msg925878 date=1250449866]
i am chilled. it was an awful display though. someone really needs to put an arm around carra and tell him he needs to trust the players around him.

oh and i know you expect it from me but rafa fucked up with both the starting line up (yossi should have started) and the kuyt substitution. when you're chasing a game with 10 minutes to go why have two deep/defensive midfielders?
[/quote]

a) you seem tense, if you can, have a nice lager. If you can't, a good milkshake may do!
b) carra wasn't at fault here - the whole backline has some adjusting to do, but that will come
c) yossi should have perhaps come on earlier, but he didn't need to 'start'. we didn't lose the game because of our wingers
d) two DMs allowed yossi/gerrard/voronin/torres to do as they pleased - that was his logic I assume (4-2-4)

 

[rage]

[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=35270.msg925881#msg925881 date=1250450074]
[quote author=rage link=topic=35270.msg925878#msg925878 date=1250449866]
i am chilled. it was an awful display though. someone really needs to put an arm around carra and tell him he needs to trust the players around him.

oh and i know you expect it from me but rafa fucked up with both the starting line up (yossi should have started) and the kuyt substitution. when you're chasing a game with 10 minutes to go why have two deep/defensive midfielders?
[/quote]

a) you seem tense, if you can, have a nice lager. If you can't, a good milkshake may do!
b) carra wasn't at fault here - the whole backline has some adjusting to do, but that will come
c) yossi should have perhaps come on earlier, but he didn't need to 'start'. we didn't lose the game because of our wingers
d) two DMs allowed yossi/gerrard/voronin/torres to do as they pleased - that was his logic I assume (4-2-4)
[/quote]

well i hope we pick up for the stoke game. yossi should start at home against a team likely to be playing for a draw.

i don't think i'm the only one who'd move gerrard back into the middle and play yossi behind torres. imo this gives us our best starting 11.

 

[spider-Neil]

all well and good saying 'can't he play two games in a week' when you are the manager you have to look at the big pciture, and the big picture is kuyt is likely going to start every league and CL game.

what winds me up is many don't look at the big picture for example zonal marking, we go ten games without conceeding from a set peice we then conceed and people dive all over zonal marking, the fact is in the big picture zonal marking will help you more than man marking.

okay that turned in a rant but in the contexts of a 38 game season today will count for very little as long as we learn from the things we did wrong.