Saddened! wrote:Arsenal have thoroughly outplayed Liverpool today. I'd be pretty worried if I were Brendan Rodgers to be honest. Allen is a neat player but does nothing but move the ball on, useful if you're winning but utterly useless if you are losing, Sahin looked much the same but we'll have to give him time as it was his debut today. Gerrard has had a truly terrible game today, as has Suarez. The bench also has absolutely no quality on it at all, I can't see why he'd even bother making subs.
Sterling looks quite a player, he's been a constant threat down the left. In fact, Liverpool's best moments today have all been from wide positions, Sterling down the left and Johnson down the right. They seem to be crying out for a target man, a Llorente or Andy Carroll type of player. I don't know where they will get one of those from though, they would be very expensive.
I know Rodgers has this Barcelona vision as his main gameplan, the little one touch passing and dominance of possession. It will take him a few years to achieve that at Liverpool as they just don't have players of sufficient talent to do it. Their back four isn't good enough on the ball, evidence in their calamitous showing at West Brom and their midfield, Allan and Sahin apart don't have the quality or the skill to do it well, Arsenal have passed Liverpool to death today.
I think he's made a major mistake in not keeping Carroll and using him to have a more direct plan B then moving to the possession based short passing game he wants when he builds a squad capable of playing it.
Your view on Joe Allen is hideous. He controls the tempo of games, superb on the ball and his passing is quite something. He really is a brilliant player.
I bet you don't rate Xavi because all he does is "move the ball on".
Lord Tony Smith wrote:Your view on Joe Allen is hideous. He controls the tempo of games, superb on the ball and his passing is quite something. He really is a brilliant player.
And how much use was that today when the midfield was well and truly bossed by Abou Diaby, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal team passed triangles around Liverpool all day? Gerrard has nothing left and Allen and Sahin were anonymous.
You need balance in a team and Liverpool don't have it. Who wins the ball for Liverpool in this team? With a midfield of Allen, Sahin and Gerrard, exactly who breaks play up and ensures you have the ball in order to control the tempo of games and be superb on the ball and display your passing skills? The ease with which Arsenal flooded through your midfield whenever Gerrard needlessly gave the ball away must be a concern?
Post subject: Re: Football Chat Thread - Euro 2012 edition
Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:18 pm
Dita's Slot Meter
International Star
Joined: Dec 18 2010 Posts: 3853
Saddened! wrote: Gerrard has nothing left ......... whenever Gerrard needlessly gave the ball away must be a concern?
Have to agree that while Gerrard has been a fine player, his time is looking up at the top level - Watching today, I had to wonder how long Rodgers will put up with him giving the ball away, while attempting his trademark 'Hollywood' pass, considering that the new manager is trying to instill a culture of keepball at Anfield?
He'll no doubt have flashes of the old Stevie G this season, but I think one of Rodgers major jobs will be to find a new midfield general to take his place as soon as possible.
And so you aim towards the sky, And you'll rise high today, Fly away, Far away, Far from pain....
Post subject: Re: Football Chat Thread - Euro 2012 edition
Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:33 pm
Roddy B
Player Coach
Joined: Mar 07 2007 Posts: 7121 Location: Warrington
Saddened! wrote:And how much use was that today when the midfield was well and truly bossed by Abou Diaby, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal team passed triangles around Liverpool all day? Gerrard has nothing left and Allen and Sahin were anonymous.
You need balance in a team and Liverpool don't have it. Who wins the ball for Liverpool in this team? With a midfield of Allen, Sahin and Gerrard, exactly who breaks play up and ensures you have the ball in order to control the tempo of games and be superb on the ball and display your passing skills? The ease with which Arsenal flooded through your midfield whenever Gerrard needlessly gave the ball away must be a concern?
Are you really this dim? Lucas is our ball winner, he's just been injured and he'll be out for three months. Allen will have to do the role now but it isn't the same. Without Lucas we lack balance, but stuff like that happens in football.
As for today. We never really asked much of Arsenal for long parts of the game, but we were relatively comfortable throughout. Their first was a fine counter-attack, a direct result of Gerrard cocking up. We had more possession than them today, we just lacked composure and quality in the final third. For me, our defence and midfield (with Lucas) is pretty much spot on, the problems occur out wide and up front, where we are thin and lacking variety and depth. Suarez was poor again today, trying too hard but coming up with very little. Gerrard was just wasteful and appears to be trying to play his way, not the team's way. Allen was good again, whilst Sahin was fairly quiet and underutilised. Sahin is a class player who should add a bit of everything to our team, but he will take time to gain influence in the team. Watching him today was a little like watching Aquilani when here, lots of quality and clearly gifted, but not given the ball enough and often making aimless runs that nobody wants to use.
Saddened! wrote:And how much use was that today when the midfield was well and truly bossed by Abou Diaby, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal team passed triangles around Liverpool all day? Gerrard has nothing left and Allen and Sahin were anonymous.
You need balance in a team and Liverpool don't have it. Who wins the ball for Liverpool in this team? With a midfield of Allen, Sahin and Gerrard, exactly who breaks play up and ensures you have the ball in order to control the tempo of games and be superb on the ball and display your passing skills? The ease with which Arsenal flooded through your midfield whenever Gerrard needlessly gave the ball away must be a concern?
Arsenal did not boss our midfield today. Gerrard was pretty poor today granted. Allen was good and Sahin did okay. Allen wasn't anonymous, neither was Sahin.
Like I said we were beaten today by a team who took their chances. We weren't as bad as you are making out, we had more possession, but we didn't do enough with it.
Post subject: Re: Football Chat Thread - Euro 2012 edition
Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 9:26 pm
WireFanatic III
International Chairman
Joined: Oct 07 2004 Posts: 31955 Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Saddened! wrote:And how much use was that today when the midfield was well and truly bossed by Abou Diaby, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal team passed triangles around Liverpool all day? Gerrard has nothing left and Allen and Sahin were anonymous.
You need balance in a team and Liverpool don't have it. Who wins the ball for Liverpool in this team? With a midfield of Allen, Sahin and Gerrard, exactly who breaks play up and ensures you have the ball in order to control the tempo of games and be superb on the ball and display your passing skills? The ease with which Arsenal flooded through your midfield whenever Gerrard needlessly gave the ball away must be a concern?
Anyway, since you have been very vocal on Liverpool's shortcomings this weekend, and throughout the season so far, you seem to have stayed pretty quiet regarding your own team's shortcomings on Saturday.
WireFanatic III wrote:Anyway, since you have been very vocal on Liverpool's shortcomings this weekend, and throughout the season so far, you seem to have stayed pretty quiet regarding your own team's shortcomings on Saturday.
Why is that?
Everton had a bad day at the office, Liverpool are PERMANENTLY garbage. That fact is more fun to discuss
Post subject: Re: Football Chat Thread - Euro 2012 edition
Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 10:18 pm
Roddy B
Player Coach
Joined: Mar 07 2007 Posts: 7121 Location: Warrington
Saint Viper wrote:Gerrard and Reina both looked a shadow of there former selves today, i hope they can get back to somewhere near their best pretty quickly.
Can't understand what's happened with Reina, nothing adds up other than poor form and confidence, but even then, he's a goalkeeper so it shouldn't be too hard to pick up your confidence or form. He had a poor season last year and he's continued in the same vein. Gerrard clearly is a natural decline through age and probably still paying for the Euros. We should be using him less and less now, or looking to play him into a different role. I'd consider moving him up front, Totti-style, if he continues his sloppy play as a midfielder.
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