Liverpool FC Official Thread

What a fucking top LAD

getting his pick of birds in the 'Pool

Another shit performance by Balotelli, he sure is proving us wrong

Keyser Söze wrote:Another shit performance by Balotelli, he sure is proving us wrong

lmao u joking?? welbz and ozil were invisible tonite

Balotelli hasn't looked terrible, what he does looks good, it just seems like everything he does is with his back to goal.  I would have liked to have seen what he could have done partnering Lambert in the absence of Sturridge.

At least they celebrated with a bit of dignity and humility at being dragged to a 30 penalty shootout against a Championship team. Not like Arsenal who celebrated beating a Championship side on penalties with their strongest possible XI like they had won the Treble.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:At least they celebrated with a bit of dignity and humility at being dragged to a 30 penalty shootout against a Championship team.  Not like Arsenal who celebrated beating a Championship side on penalties with their strongest possible XI like they had won the Treble.

I feel like it got to the point where nobody was really bothered by the result.  At 12-12, you could see the Boro & Liverpool players laughing together, united by a precious moment of footballing hilarity.  It was really quite touching and put football into perspective.

Glen Miller wrote:Balotelli hasn't looked terrible, what he does looks good, it just seems like everything he does is with his back to goal.  I would have liked to have seen what he could have done partnering Lambert in the absence of Sturridge.

Come on Glen He's played against Spurs, Villa, Ludogorets, West Ham, and Middlesbrough. He's played as the main striker on all those games bar Spurs and yet he's only managed to score only goal against a bunch of amateurs. With Sturridge out of the line up this was his time to shine and he hasn't done that at all in my opinion.

Keyser Söze wrote:

Glen Miller wrote:Balotelli hasn't looked terrible, what he does looks good, it just seems like everything he does is with his back to goal.  I would have liked to have seen what he could have done partnering Lambert in the absence of Sturridge.

Come on Glen    He's played against Spurs, Villa, Ludogorets, West Ham, and Middlesbrough. He's played as the main striker on all those games bar Spurs and yet he's only managed to score only goal against a bunch of amateurs. With Sturridge out of the line up this was his time to shine and he hasn't done that at all in my opinion.

I'm not denying that he has been disappointing, I'm just commenting on the fact that (Spurs aside) he hasn't done that much wrong, but it's all been very simple from him and it all seems to be coming from deep.  I don't think he is suited to playing up front on his own.

Glen Miller wrote:I don't think he is suited to playing up front on his own.

I agree with that, he's too static and he wants the ball to much to be a reference point that you would want in a lone CF. It would be a waste of his playmaking abilities to leave him up front just to convert chances (in theory). I think a le partnership with Sturridge and Balotelli would be able to thrive but it forces Liverpool into a tough situation.

(1) Playing 2 up front
(2) Accommodating Sterling/Coutinho/Markovic/Lallana in offensive roles
(3) Accommodating Gerrard

A possible solution would be a 4-4-2 but I don't think Liverpool has the right personnel for it. Liverpool can't play it like Atlético or Madrid simply due to personnel issues. The defence is shite and the midfield doesn't have the all-around threat that the two Spanish teams do when they play it.

Liverpool won't finish in the Top 4, that's for certain. Bitey was by far Liverpool's best player and it was hilarious when Liverpool fans used to say that during the run-in, it was Sterling and Gerrard who stepped up whereas Suárez dropped off. Utter horseshit.

vel wrote:

Glen Miller wrote:I don't think he is suited to playing up front on his own.

I agree with that, he's too static and he wants the ball to much to be a reference point that you would want in a lone CF. It would be a waste of his playmaking abilities to leave him up front just to convert chances (in theory). I think a le partnership with Sturridge and Balotelli would be able to thrive but it forces Liverpool into a tough situation.

(1) Playing 2 up front
(2) Accommodating Sterling/Coutinho/Markovic/Lallana in offensive roles
(3) Accommodating Gerrard

A possible solution would be a 4-4-2 but I don't think Liverpool has the right personnel for it. Liverpool can't play it like Atlético or Madrid simply due to personnel issues. The defence is shite and the midfield doesn't have the all-around threat that the two Spanish teams do when they play it.

Liverpool won't finish in the Top 4, that's for certain. Bitey was by far Liverpool's best player and it was hilarious when Liverpool fans used to say that during the run-in, it was Sterling and Gerrard who stepped up whereas Suárez dropped off. Utter horseshit.

Yeah, I felt that Suarez was given much more space in the first half of the season, hence why he scored 20 goals in 15 games or whatever it was.  After that, teams thought that if they closed down Studge and Suarez and battered our backline, they could get results.  That just left ridiculous oceans of space for the lesser attackers like Coutinho and Sterling to run riot.  That is highlighted by the fact that those two showed up really well in the big matches.

4-4-2 doesn't really seem like an option, we clearly want to play Sterling centrally and beyond him we don't have any wingers who have played consistently.  It will have to be a diamond, I suppose.  I would love for Gerrard to be dropped, I would even prefer Lucas in that role.  Can just seems like an Henderson-type player Instead of the great midfield destroyer some claimed. I do suspect that Rodgers is too stubborn to play a true defensive midfielder in this lineup.  Right now, his "philosophy" is failing to address our 3 biggest problems: our defensive balance, our defending from set-pieces, and the balance of our midfield.  West Ham just stuck STEWART DOWNING on Gerrard and he was completely ineffective-if you can't control a game from that position, you better have the legs and intelligence to cover defensively. Gerrard has neither.

The biggest problem offensively is that we just haven't had anybody running in behind with Sturridge out. The only time we looked threatening today was with one-touch football down the flanks, and only Lallana & Enrique pulled that off successfully.  Sterling and Markovic are clearly skilled, but they prefer seven-touch football and often bite off more than they can chew.  Sturridge's return should paper over a few cracks.

What are your thoughts about the Valdes deal?

Honestly I expect Liverpool to have an okay season, get out of the group stages of the CL and finish in the top 6 of the Premier League...unless Manchester United fuck up heavily (again), Liverpool will almost certainly finish outside of the top 4.

VAldés pre ACL-injury was in really good form, he's always been a great goalkeeper. He's easily better than Mignolet

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/tactics-and-analysis/67/post/2050805/whos-to-blame-for-liverpools-defensive-woes

Glen Miller wrote:

Keyser Söze wrote:

Come on Glen    He's played against Spurs, Villa, Ludogorets, West Ham, and Middlesbrough. He's played as the main striker on all those games bar Spurs and yet he's only managed to score only goal against a bunch of amateurs. With Sturridge out of the line up this was his time to shine and he hasn't done that at all in my opinion.

I'm not denying that he has been disappointing, I'm just commenting on the fact that (Spurs aside) he hasn't done that much wrong, but it's all been very simple from him and it all seems to be coming from deep.  I don't think he is suited to playing up front on his own.

I can see where you're coming from. I guess I'm just of the opinion that being very simple is doing something wrong.

Didn't Balotelli only get 1 assist in his City career?

That's what people say, only the Aguero goal.

Off the top of my head I can't remember any others to prove that stat wrong.

Keyser Söze wrote:

Glen Miller wrote:
I'm not denying that he has been disappointing, I'm just commenting on the fact that (Spurs aside) he hasn't done that much wrong, but it's all been very simple from him and it all seems to be coming from deep.  I don't think he is suited to playing up front on his own.

I can see where you're coming from. I guess I'm just of the opinion that being very simple is doing something wrong.

It kind of is, especially when the player in question is allegedly a direct replacement for Suarez, ie someone who adds something special to the attack.  I don't want to be too hard on him when the rest of the team is playing so poorly as well.

Zzonked wrote:That's what people say, only the Aguero goal.

Off the top of my head I can't remember any others to prove that stat wrong.

Sean wrote:Didn't Balotelli only get 1 assist in his City career?

Glory hunting plastics know fuck all go support ur local club BERTIES

every real City fan who has watched Colin Bell and Kinky Kinkladze sitting in the Kippax remembers Balotelli's assist to YAYA against Villarreal in the 2011-12 Champions League



remember sitting in the City end chanting my heart out when YAYA scored this le blooter golazo

vel wrote:

Zzonked wrote:That's what people say, only the Aguero goal.

Off the top of my head I can't remember any others to prove that stat wrong.

Sean wrote:Didn't Balotelli only get 1 assist in his City career?

Glory hunting plastics know fuck all go support ur local club BERTIES

every real City fan who has watched Colin Bell and Kinky Kinkladze sitting in the Kippax remembers Balotelli's assist to YAYA against Villarreal in the 2011-12 Champions League



remember sitting in the City end chanting my heart out when YAYA scored this le blooter golazo

One league assist then

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2770494/Raheem-Sterling-leads-line-Mario-Balotelli-Romelu-Lukaku-miss-place-Merseyside-XI-ahead-Liverpool-s-clash-Everton-Anfield.html

This article is retarded.

It breaks my heart that cunts like that get paid to watch football and write about it for a national newspaper.

The Naismith selection takes the biscuit.

On why Gerrard was included:

The questions, here, will come over Gerrard, whom Rodgers staunchly defended on Monday. Some will ask why he gets in, so here are the reasons: if, say, you want a last minute penalty converting [..] Gerrard remains the man to do it.

Glen Miller wrote: The Naismith selection takes the biscuit.

Why? His inclusion in the team may be debatable, but I think the points are fair.

• The most improved player at Goodison Park in the last 12 months, Everton are better when he is in the team
  
• uses the ball intelligently
  
• Everton may have started the campaign slowly but that is not something you could level at him.
  
  

Probably true.

• Works relentlessly, 
  
• has the knack of popping up in the right areas at the right moment to score goals.
  
  

Definitely true.

Bruv, he moved Raheem Sterling out of position & ignored Studge to include the wee Scot. 

@Keyser:  To be fair, at least he was honest and didn't say anything about Gerrard's "intangible" qualities such as his leadership and his presence.

I'm completely unable to give Naismith any recognition.

2-0 to Everton. No attacking threat in our last three games, and Everton will benefit from individual errors and suicidal backpasses of this shithouse team.

Dagbon wrote:2-0 to Everton. No attacking threat in our last three games, and Everton will benefit from individual errors and suicidal backpasses of this shithouse team.

I think 2-0 is being optimistic. I'm afraid everton are going to run riot.

Roll on next season.

I knew Balotelli wouldn't be great but I didn't expect him to be this dogshit.

Also great way to end the game, any confidence that would've been gained lost. Probably worse than it was before the game.