01 Oct 2014 23:50:53
Tonight's result is disappointing but I don't think we were as bad as some are making out. We've been pretty dire all season till now but tonight wasn't our worst performance.
Basel away was going to be a tricky fixture and I think a draw would have been a good result before the game. BR is clearly inexperienced at this level and it's showing with some of his selections but I still think we will qualify from this group.
Playing Gerrard has it's pros and cons and right now he is taking a lot of the blame. But Mario and coutinho were quite poor, whilst some may say Mario needs a partner I still feel he is a player who cannot be relied upon. Put simply Mario is a player I enjoy watching but would not want playing for the team I follow. I'll support the guy and hope he proves me wrong though.
Clearly the absence of sturridge is hurting us and the pressure on raheem is showing but I think in Adam we have a top player and hopefully he'll step up these coming week's. There's a long way to go this season and we have a lot of improving to do least of all with our defence, let's just focus on the coming games with sturridge set to return. We can only get better.
Liverpool Banter Archive October 01 2014
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01 Oct 2014 23:17:45
first off. As I pointed out earlier today, Basel are NOT a bad side, why did so many fans expect us to beat them and for it to be a walk over. They are well drilled, have a good coach and lots of talented young players.
I remember a post where a lot of fans agreed retention of champions league football was what was important this year. If we win in the comp great, but i'm more focused on the league and getting back in for next year.
We lost our main man that we built an entire strategy around last year. Those asking for a diamond need to remember we don't have sturridge and suarez up front, we currently have ballo, borini and lambert. You can't just throw a winning tactic from last year in with different players and demand the same results.
Calls for BR to be sacked already are ridiculous. It's an entirely new squad. How much of it is down to he andhow much to the committee i'm unaware, but if you expected an instant gel and results.you're a moron.
4th spot and improved team cohension over the season is this years target, nothing else. Any trophies are a bonus.
Pretty difficult to see us achieving 4th at this rate. Hopefully things turn around, but in a little under 72 hours near the same team we just put out that already looked exhausted will be playing a WBA side that just had a very good result. It will be another tough one.
I think the issue is that BR has not addressed our defensive frailties. We are worse than last year, despite spending about £38m on defensive additions this summer.
I don't think BR should be sacked, however he needs to do something quick because we are on a slipper slope at the moment, and with defence as it is, I can't see us challenging for anything this season.
Surely they must work on defending?! Do we have a defensive coach? If not, get one in!
Totally disagree. First why change a whole system to accommodate the loss of just two players, in order to create a new system that everyone has to learn.
Second people are entitled to point at the manager. How long do you or does he think he needs to sort out defence? Two years later and he hasn't got a defence that works. Third 45 million spent on Lallana and Markovic, has either scored or got an assist, or accredited man of a match? 18 million on lcb last year, 20 million on new lcb this year and the rcb is still playing the man and not the ball, it led to the goal tonight, but as one poster who gave scores out of ten put it, solid performance though at fault for goal. Being the reason for a goal scored against you is not a solid performance.
02 Oct 2014 03:53:34
Bob
Niether Basel nor Boro or even Ludo ain't a bad team. So whom you think we would actually beat.
I don't see us beating anyone.
I don't think the defenders were at fault, the forward for me was awful especially Sterling and Markovich.
The whole problem has been created by the manager. He spent a better part of 18 months developing a system to maximise the players' talents and strengths but ripped it up completely just bcoz Suarez left. He does not know his best 11, takes too much time to change things around, and his record in the transfer market is nothing short of disgraceful. BR hid behind the SAS last season but right now he has nowhere to hide. He has been found out, just look at how much he tinkers with the team not to forget trying to build a team around a 34 year on his last legs. He does not have the b***s to drop his captain inspite of being so poor every game, he cannot organize his defense and his inability to recognize the team's weaknesses will cost LFC dearly.
He has attempted to address the defensive frailties, he bought 2 new players and loaned 1.
Michael if you think sticking to the diamond with that attack will work, you have no clue about tactics. I'm not saying BR isn't at fault, i'm saying calls for his head already are pretty much a pre mature ejaculation.
lallana has been brilliant. .
Boro was a cup match where we played a 17 year old and man reserves, ludo gave mardid a good run for their money last night. Simply cus you don't know much about them harry doesn't make them a bad side.
01 Oct 2014 23:15:26
I like BR philosophy when players aren't playing well keep on playing them and when they do play well bench them or most importantly make sure they are not even on the squad sheet. honestly i'll be a lfc fan for life but BR arrogance is making me sick 2 my stomach. What has
Markovic done to be starting ever so often although he is rubbish at the moment and why isn't Borini getting a chance as he always give 100%. Well i guess i can see the horrid season ahead which right now seems like it will be worst than MANU last season unless some drastic changes are made all round. Sloppy defending, complete lack of composure in front of goal and elsewhere plus bad team selections. We might as well buckle up for a rough ride guys n girls we not going to enjoy this season that much believe that.
01 Oct 2014 23:12:03
What a bunch of whingers! All you posters moaning that only 2 up front works for us, what 2? Who would you have playing up alongside Mario tonight? Borini, Lambert?
Let's face it, we over achieved last season as we had by far the league's best player who was supported by a real goal scorer. That goal scorer is injured and that best player has got the move he always wanted.
I agree we could have bought better, but hindsight it a wonderful thing. It was just a few weeks ago that there were lots of comments about how happy people were with the summer signings.
Burkeboy it's not hindsight, the posters here cried out for a player to cover Sturridges injuries, they also cried out for a top class player to replace Suarez. We got Lambert and Balotelli.
Remy was by far a better option, Bony was by far a better option, Welback was even a better option, Huntelaar was a better option good God Crouch would have been a better option
Agreed entirely, Mcgovweb. I think Balotelli would have been somewhere near the bottom my list- doesn't really score often (if you take out penalties), has 16 assists in his entire career, and is very, very static.
02 Oct 2014 09:36:29
Burkeyboy, whose fault is it that we only had Lambert and Borini as options up front? Anyone remember Ed002 saying Pedro and Huntelaar wuld have been much better options for the club? Everyone at the club f****d up big time, they have nowhere to hide.
01 Oct 2014 23:08:15
Ed001, when we got the Suarez money along with whatever the pre-agreed budget was, why on earth did we spend it so quickly? We really should have bide our time and see what happened with players becoming available, while focusing on securing critical positions (LB & Striker).
Surely it was apparent to everyone at the club that Luis would be going by 24th of June at the LATEST.
I think there needs to be a proper inquiry, to a degree in the public. The so called Transfer Committee should all be sacked, and if Rodgers was on it he should be to. We've wasted more money under him than perhaps under any other manager. The only necessary signings, arguably, were Can, Moreno & Balotelli; perhaps Lovren too.
Markovic, Lambert, Lallana, Manquillo (although I'm glad we did sign him) & Origi (one for the future) did not NEED to be signed. Lallana stumps me the most, and although he has been playing well, it just seems that we do not play with a system that would best utilise his skills.
Taking into account fees alone we've spent >£60m that was not required. Although I maybe way off but as fan, I feel that this money was not spent in the best interests of the club, not by a long shot, and by extension the transfer committee has not shown the fans respect in this situation. The money could have been spent in other areas, not just transfers, but in enhancing our compliance with FFPR or towards signing real quality, ready to go into the side.
I think we - the fans - must demand that these people justify their decisions in a public forum, a lot of these people are not subjected to public criticism & I think if this was to be the case they would act a lot less frivolously!
01 Oct 2014 22:56:47
On another note, just watching a piece on CNN about wages in 'soccer' comparing the MLS to other leagues. It turns out that the highest paid player in the Premier league is none other than Wayne WOONEY !
02 Oct 2014 00:58:31
Falcao earns more doesn't he, possibly even Di Maria?
The point being the name stated on CNN!
Thought I was watching an excerpt from "life of Brian" film . "fwee wudolph the wed nosed weindeer"
Maybe they asked Roy (or Woy) hodgson on the question.
To answer your question, maybe they are, but last years figures quoted I guess, not this.
01 Oct 2014 22:53:44
it could be worse, raheem stirling might come out in the 2nd half of your next CL game wearing a real madrid shirt lol, with the deadwood brenda purchased, its going to be hard watching lfc once a week never mind twice, luckily that doesn't look like it will last long
3-0
Run along lad
01 Oct 2014 22:56:20
On second thought. having calmed down and looking forward to playing Real with Sturridge and the rest fit. what's happened to us? Was Suarez so influential in our play? Honest answer? YES. I think we would've won all our games, all of them, if Suarez was still with us. Tonight, he would've had a field day with the Basle defence.
You know, Mancs and Evertonians etc can mock as much as they want. truth is: they are NOT in CL and we are, period! So, let's look forward to the matches, we are Liverpool, we never do things the easy way.
You, me and all of us. we never walk alone. DO NOT FORGET!!
01 Oct 2014 22:29:54
Oh and Huntelaar scores again but wasn't good enough for us
02 Oct 2014 09:36:16
Me and Ed002 repeatedly suggested Huntelaar, Pedro etc. Everybody was too focused on a super star name.
01 Oct 2014 22:29:11
Brendan interviewed on Irish Tv says Gerrard was outstanding, what the hell??
He then says we've shown enough over the two games to show we will qualify, what the f***, we were shocking in both games.
2 and a half years in charge and the defence is horrendous shipping goals at set pieces for fun. We cannot defend, we commit defend. Can the rose tinted glass brigade please explain to me how a manager cannot make any improvement to his defence in 2 1/2 years.
Please tell me when it will get better because I don't see it but some of you guys say give him time, 2 1/2 years and the Defense is as bad if not worst than when he joined ???
01 Oct 2014 22:49:21
Compare his spending to what Hodgson got to spend.
And some here say. we progressed. lols
McGoveb, as you've said for 2years the defence has been poor, this season we've spent more money on it and there getting worse, it will all end in tears and BR will get the sack . RODGERS OUT.
The players are losing confidence, Rogers is making too many changes, it seems being in the champions league has put him in a panic and he's lost clarity in how he wants to play.as long as we keep playing Gerrard back there and have to have hendo doing the work of two men we will struggle, not enough support for strikers.suso had a great impact agains boro, not played since, then lallana has a good game against Everton and is dropped, sakho dropped, will brendan see the season out I wonder
01 Oct 2014 22:28:17
I can hear the Evertonians and Mancs laughing at us, i can't hear the Spurs fans etc. my hearing isn't THAT GOOD!
01 Oct 2014 22:26:26
so stressed and so angry, can't post anymore without it being considered foul and abuse.
01 Oct 2014 22:22:47
I like so many fans didn't want Balloteli
then i thought i may have been wrong seems i was right after all, he needs to spend more time on the training pitch and less time in the hairdressers! i want a center forward who scores and is in the right place to score not on the halfway line doing a midfielders job.
His scoring record has never been overly impressive if you take out the penalties and free kicks.
01 Oct 2014 22:22:10
I've stayed optimistic until today. Worst Liverpool performance I've seen in well over a year.
Enrique is possibly the most mindless player ever to play in the Champions League.
Sterling's confidence seems to have been shot by the Middlesborough debacle, although being played out on the wing doesn't seem to help.
Main worry though is we weren't the second best team in the league last season on paper, but we had by far the best team spirit of any of the big clubs, and that, which carried us to huge wins and thumping performances has gone.
Yes, obviously Suarez was hugely influential, but take the Arsenal game. Sterling and Sturridge were both as important as Suarez there, and both are still at the club (OK Studge is injured right now).
But we were blowing past teams at times last season with that team spirit, and there are multiple reasons for which me may have lost it:
*Balotelli. It's pointless to speculate what effect he may be having behind closed doors, but, he may well have caused a rift, even just through being signed. He was selfish tonight and that could be related.
*Too many new signings. Although a good proportion of the players who held that spirit from last season remain at the club, enough personnel have changed for their to be some kind of change in the atmosphere within the dressing room.
*Tactical change. Last season we played with a ridiculous energy, which brought about a positive vibe in and among the team. That energy has gone. Whether we've been intentionally trying to play slower or not, we've lost the midfield dynamism and ability on the break of last season. And that can't have all packed his suitcase for the Nou Camp.
There needs to be a change. Not managerially, I think those are huge overreactions, to be honest, Brendan was a quasi-God two months back. But, take Ferguson's ideas as the way to manage a group of players. Fergie would swap assistant manager every now and then just to mix things up and keep the players on their toes. Offer Didi Hamaan a role maybe, switch things up a little.
Being played out on the wing doesn't help. erm? where did he make a name for himself?
01 oct 2014 23:36:27
nailed it toddy
01 Oct 2014 22:22:02
I noticed something tonight. After searching for it for a bit I noticed the center halves splitting and Gerrard dropping for the keeper to have a pass. Is this the reason it happens? To keep the ball on the deck? Is that what that is about?
I thought we played decent tonight. I'm not sure what everyone is expectin from us. A rubbish goal conceded but a solid first half for a change.
Talk is cheap and real Liverpool fans see through that but this wasn't a Villa or Ludogrets display. But it does show some glaring things.
For me and this is just my. Personal opinion. Sterling will not get any better.
Our final ball isn't there and there's 1 or 2 don't suit Liverpool. But once that's sorted we will be ok.
Just my opinion.
Hope you don't all kick off.
01 Oct 2014 22:52:17
We had 1 shot on target in the first half. So howz it a decent first half?
Opposition players have a tendency to suss players out mate.
Stirling will get better, but like all profile players, he'll adapt his game accordingly.
All part of the game, and for a young lad being kicked and man-marked at times - a great learning process.
01 Oct 2014 23:00:27
We've been doing that for ages. Don't you remember Gerrard slipping against Chelsea and there was no one behind him?
It's like three players doing the job of one.
01 Oct 2014 22:20:22
Get Carragher in ASAP. Go and take ye dolly birds with ye and ye mistress. 120 million up the swanee .laughing stock of the premier and now europe. and by way their is even worse to come .
01 Oct 2014 22:20:00
If our form doesn't pick up before the REAL MADRID games this whole thing could get messy, along the lines of GERMANY v BRAZIL. . RODGERS has had enough time to sort the defence out.
01 Oct 2014 22:14:44
God have mercy!!Its become frustrating watching this team play this season.This is nowhere near the team we all say and loved watching last season even when we lost a game, For goodness sakes why do our defenders love passing the ball needlessy at the back and they cany even do that properly, I'm always to look at positives but thres none whatsoever in this game, Yes we have lots of new players and they take time to settle but that shouldn't change how the entire team plays, I seriously think we should play two up front because this system that we playing now is utter rubbish.Please feel free to comment.
Vinay
01 Oct 2014 22:12:38
Failing to understand the change to a 4-2-3-1 this season. The 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 diamond seemed to serve us pretty well. We lose pressing high up the pitch under the system we are playing this season which leaves the tempo slower and more players behind the ball. It's no wonder our attacking threat is nullified. Everything has become safe, no bravery and we can't defend set pieces not a great combo. Although we seem desperate for Sturridge mobility I think the mobility in midfield and high pressing is more important. Never realised how important joe Allen was!
Cheers
01 Oct 2014 21:58:16
I blame Johnson and Lucas.
They were terrible tonight and should never play for us again.
Sack Rafa too, he's too defensive :)
Who else can we blame?
It was awful stuff to watch in fairness!
We are missing some midfield steel, hopefully Can will fill that void soon.
Gaps appeared all over the field at times.
They look tired and / or lazy.
Not working hard enough in midfield in my opinion.
Coutinho was walking around like a toddler at times after wasting possession, no hunger whatsoever.
Markovic, slightly less so but needs to work much much harder.
One man upfront is all well and good if he can create for himself but Balotelli clearly can't. at least not often enough.
Rodgers knows this yet perseveres with it to out detriment over and over again.
We need 2 upfront, we did it against Spurs and look at the performance and result.
Spurs did the same tactic last season and look what happened to them.
Awful stuff!
01 Oct 2014 21:55:10
Ed001,, what dya make of that mate?
I'm struggling to find any positives of our situation expecially life after Suarez. We all knew Sturridge is made of glass so now we've no goal scorer,,, and now we have got worse at the back!
Basically can't score unless Sturridge plays and now we are leaking goals on top of that. Stupid to sell him without replacing him
{Ed001's Note - I don't think it is so much that we don't have a goalscorer as that we are lacking any real creation. It is like watching the Rafa era, with the team sitting deep, but without the organisation he brought. Going forward, well no one seems to want to pass, they just want to run and run and run, no matter how many player they are facing, until they lose the ball. The midfield is sitting too deep, because Gerrard doesn't have the legs to get forward and Hendo is baby sitting him. The full backs are getting forward too early and making it easy for the opposition to mark them and leaving no space for our wingers to run into. We aren't putting any pressure on them on the ball, so it is easy for them to play the ball around and keep possession. It is a complete shambles and the manager has to accept the blame for this. It is simply not good enough.}
Well said Ed001. Spot on.
01 Oct 2014 22:54:29
Adam
You still here. I though you might be off for a vacation after all your facts on new signings have been a joke till now.
lols. No offence mate.
Clearly in brendans head he must see the fullbacks down the flanks as one of the main threats but then we don't cross the ball much and when we do there's so many along the ground. ballo is decent in the air and powerful so why not just whip it in? I think he or possibly the players are caught up in two minds
{Ed001's Note - so why bother having wingers in the team, if they are not more of a threat down the flanks than the fullbacks? Seems like one of those new-fangled ideas that is more of a gimmick following a trend, rather than being a well thought out tactic. It works if you don't have wingers in the side, or if you are controlling possession and dominating the ball. Otherwise full backs should hang on before charging forward and, firstly, make sure we have full possession of the ball, unlike Manquillo last night, who left us exposed a number of times as he charged forward only to find the opposition won the ball and played it into the space he left. Secondly, they need to learn to time their runs. It is no good charging into space that someone else needs. Our full backs just bomb forward regardless, it is idiotic and has to be a tactical ploy. A tactical ploy that simply doesn't work and has never worked. Their is no timing to their runs, it is simply head down and charge forward the moment we get the ball. No thought, no intelligence, no use to it.}
01 Oct 2014 21:51:16
We really just don't look like scoring this season! Or maybe just with sturridge. We have replaced a hungry, ball chasing real goal threat with a lazy self absorbed non threat. I hate to say it but I would have much preferred Danny welbeck!
Patience is a virtue but this season we look like we did under Kenny the most recent time.
Sack of mario n borini in jan!
I actually feel sorry for Mario. He holds the ball up really well and constantly wins free kicks (which Gerrard consistently screws into the first man). He literally gets lumps kicked out of him every game because our midfield is too slow to get forward and support him. Half the time when he starts to make a run the man on the ball turns and passes it backwards and the other half of the time they spot his run far too late and he is offside.
I also don't know where you got lazy from. He has put in a shift in every game so far. Our midfield is clearly the problem because they are static and too scared of losing the ball. At least when Sturridge is back poor Mario will have somebody else up with him. It's no coincidence we instantly come alive as soon as Rodgers switches to two up front.
When a manager spends £120m, only somebody looking for an easy scapegoat ppints the finger at one signing who is getting absolutely appalling service.
I thought the whole team was below par tonight. We are now 9 games into our season. How long before we stop using the "settling in" excuse and accept this is a management issue? Any fool can see we have an excellent core group of players. They're not bring utilised right and we all no that. The wannabe 'uber-fans' are just refusing to acknowledge this fact because Rodgers belongs on an untouchable pedestal after 18 months of good football that got us a grand total of zero trophies (obviously).
01 Oct 2014 22:37:05
Mario Scored only 1 goal in 20 PL games. You should check facts before buying.
You mean balotelli actually makes runs? I don't see him move until the balls at his feet and then he's not exactly ripping up defences.
01 Oct 2014 22:57:14
Who on earth claimed BR was responsible of last season's performance.
We had 16 players. All he did was pick 11 from it and kept Suarez and Sturridge fit.
If he was any good. our defence should have been solid by now.
Can't wait for all the disagrees. Yet Ed001 says the exact same thing in the post above (but slightly more sugar coated) and everybody agrees!
Harry, Sturridges strike rate wasn't great either. Balotelli is suffering mainly because of a complete lack of creativity from the midfield. He isn't a complete player, and perhaps he never will be, but our current system isn't getting the best out of him (or anyone for that matter).
The blame quite simply has to lay on Brendans shoulders. A child could set our team up better currently. It's almost embarassing to watch.
When was Sturridge's strike rate not great? He's always scored at a pretty high rate when played.
Balotelli, on the other hand- 13 open play goals in his last 2 seasons with over 4,000+ league minutes is simply not very impressive.
01 Oct 2014 21:50:11
I understand people saying give it time, we have new signings, things have changed, but seriously, Its another loss and we look awful, a real lack of penetration,
I think Sterling has too much placed on his shoulders for his age, Manquillo is no better than the likes of Wisdom who isn't here, Enrique looks solid enough for me but why was Moreno dropped?, Markovic needs to adapt and fast as right now he dosnt cut it, Balo, well I like him but he tries to do too much and usually ends up on his backside,
And i know he's saved us a time or two this season already but I don't see where we benefit from Gerrard in DM, play him where he's effective even if its for 60 minutes,
Also Lallana, why was he dropped as he's been our best player last 3 games?,
I never expected this start to the season like many but i'm already wondering If Rodgers can turn it around,
I hope so for what its worth, but right now I doubt even he knows his best line up
Worrying times
YNWA
01 Oct 2014 21:59:12
Which game were you watching. Enrique was very poor.
Enrique . Solid . Were we watching the same game . I don't know how many times he was caught out of position and lovern had to cover . He is a defender first and foremost but wanders up the pitch at the wrong times and then just hopes his pace will get him out of trouble
Embolo played very well in fairness, enrique for his first game back did okheld him off and caught up with him. lovren didn't come across that much.
Sterling was very very poor. Brendan should have taken him off.Tonight wasn't his night
Enrique actually doesn't think about any knock on effect or context to what he does. The foul where we were chasing the game and their right winger was running back towards their half for instance, Enrique takes his legs- what on earth can he win from it? It gives them time and an opportunity for Christ's sake.
01 Oct 2014 21:49:12
I wish I'd posted this at half time as I detest writing in the aftermath of defeat! But I'm disgusted with this performance.
It was lifeless, impotent and completely devoid of any type of recognisable structure. It was symptomatic of this season, picking offensive players to play a negative defensive minded system. I thought that Basle were a very average team, but were still better than us and fully deserved their victory.
Before anyone starts the boring Skertel, Gerrard, mignolet, yawn bashing. Think very carefully about who actually played better than these usual targets? They were all poor, to a man! Although I must say that I did wander off during the game through sheer boredom so may have missed any impressive moments!
Our manager needs to either play the system he excels in or get some help implementing this drivel he appears to be wanting to wanting to play!
01 Oct 2014 21:56:21
Brendon is the sole reason of our mess. We had a system in place last year and Money. Brendon spoiled it completely.
Spot on Boom but added to that bear in mind the transfer restrictions imposed by the owners which to a large extent limit the 'like for like' possibility. Clearly once a big player goes, we take a few strides backwards to generate the next 'resale' cars cow and on and on we'll go cyclical with this unti the American parasites sell up and leave.
02 Oct 2014 02:31:41
Spot on Ozone.
The sooner we see the back of these parasitic owners. the BETTER.and they can take their mouthpiece manager with them!.
01 Oct 2014 21:48:58
Sickening display. Yes, Basel are playing at home, and doing it well, but I am fed up with this 1 striker system Rodgers is pushing. Why not start with Lambert and Balotelli, with Sterling and Markovic for width? To me, we're winning the midfield battle but our hold up play is hopeless when there's two people marking Balotelli. We look a lot better in the last fifteen minutes once an additional striker comes on for the sacrificed attacking mid. Honestly, buying Higuain doesn't excite me, but at least we'd be playing 2 strikers week in and week out
01 Oct 2014 22:04:36
winning the midfield battle
===========
Not the game I watched . they bossed the midfield . but do agree the hold up play is hopeless .
01 Oct 2014 21:45:03
Dissapointing once again, our end product is just woeful. My take on the game -
Mignolet 7 - didn't make a single error all game made a few decent saves also
Manquillo 7 - looked solid as always
Skrtel 6 - at fault for their goal other than that solid
Lovren 6 - average game
Enrique 6 shaky start but got better as the game progressed
Gerrard 5 - so poor defensively that his few hollywood passes don't increase his rating, players just drift by him
Henderson 5 - worked hard but didn't impact the game.
Coutinho 6 - looked good in parts
Sterling 5 - end product was just non existent, looks burnt out needs a bit of a rest I think
Markovic 5 - some decent touches but passing and finishing was poor
Balotelli 6 - looked unplayable at times, won us countless free kicks, hit a nice free kick. All flashy but no goals to show for it which is the only thing that matters really.
{Ed001's Note - Manquillo was running forward too early, hardly looked solid, he was never in the defensive area to judge him as solid!}
Mignolet didn't make a mistake?
1st rule of goal keeping is tip it around the post, NEVER into the 6 yarder. Wow!
How can sterling and markovic have 5 sterling should have a 3 and so should markovic 20 million for that is awful business i can now see why chealse wouldn't pay 8 odd mill for him he is useless
01 Oct 2014 21:58:04
Sterling has become very selfish. Either He think he is bigger than the club or We are relying too much on him
Migs pass to Gerrard was typical Mignolet distribution whole last season.
Jesus, what game were you watching? Marckovic "decent touches" - gave it away time and time again. Balotelli was useless as was Gerrard and Coutino!
01 Oct 2014 21:44:04
Ed 1 have we really became the next tottenham? Our midfield is as good as numb. Can not believe what going on!
{Ed001's Note - Spurs weren't this bad last season.}
01 Oct 2014 21:43:54
For the most positive fan that I am, I saw no positives against Basle. non whatsoever.
The CL dream is turning sour quicker than I thought. Basle are one of the weakest teams in CL and we wasted a great opportunity to solidify our position in our group. What a waste! Everyone had a stinker and that must be a first even for us! Lallana when he came on showed signs of life that was missing. Markovic could've scored a couple as could Sterling.
I am too gutted to think straight. don't want to criticize the team and to be honest I wouldn't know who to start with. Is it the formation? The team selection? Lambert should've been given a chance sooner? Did Gerrard look out of pace? I don't know.
Too gutted to write anymore. must do much better, that's if we haven't already made things more difficult for ourselves.
Here's hoping for better displays. YNWA
01 Oct 2014 22:07:33
Cheer up IranRed, if we match Basle results and beat them by 2 goal margin at home will qualify to the last 16, its not the end of the world, there is another 4 games in the group
01 Oct 2014 22:28:43
Roy
We won't beat Ludogarets. 100%.
01 Oct 2014 22:53:22
We don't need to beat them. If they that good then Basle won't beat them either, so all we need is a draw against them.
01 Oct 2014 23:11:23
Roy
We won't beat Basel at home either. I don't see us beating Westbrom too next.
What if Basel park the bus and snatch a point?
Certainly possible.
And we have every chance to loose against Ludo.
01 Oct 2014 21:39:32
Well, i did say i would take a boring 0-0! I think we have just blown our chances of the knockout stages.
01 Oct 2014 22:08:59
Come on Irish there is another 4 games . we played them away, we can do much better at home , If Madrid play fair then 2:0 at home against Basle and we through to the next round
I will have a pint of what your on Basel could lose all there games and we still won't go through .Liverpool are about as good as an average championship Sid at the moment .taxi for Rodgers.not enough experience for this level of football .suarez help him last year, and BR said we can cope without Luis and the squad is stronger .give me reina, agger and luis allday long .the bloke needs to wake up and smell the coffee our season is over .simples
01 Oct 2014 22:30:06
Roy
Y do you think we will beat Ludogarets away. who made Real hard today?
We are definite not to beat them away.
01 Oct 2014 21:36:42
Well, another game that raised more questions than offering answers. At times we linked OK, bit for the most part it looks like a bunch of actors reading different scripts. We did however have several chances (Markovic had two chances to score, Stetling lost control when he was one on one with keeper) and last season we would have buried those. We desperately need Sturridge back, and I think markovic would benefit from some time on the youth team.
01 Oct 2014 21:31:19
God help us against Real, tonight we have produced yet anther disgraceful performance
01 Oct 2014 21:26:29
Too many changes, too many new faces
Forget building on last years performance we've gone backwards this season.
Our defending was bad last year it's even worse this term, mingolet is a terrible keeper
Skrtle is by far the worse CB he's a liability and until Sakho and Lovren are paired together for a long run we will continue to go backwards
Totally agreed
01 Oct 2014 22:01:15
Can you tell me what does Lovern bring to the team at 20 mill. Skretel might be poor. But Lovern has been below average from day 1.
01 Oct 2014 22:11:11
Skrtle is by far the worse CB he's a liability and until Sakho and Lovren
=================
Watch a replay of the goal, Lovren was doing exactly the same thing Skrtle did , the ball happened to hit Skrtle . stop this childish thing of blaming players for every little thing
Again, spot on Boom re Skrtle and Lovren.
01 Oct 2014 21:20:39
How can a team that was so good going forward suddenly be so bad ok Suarez is gone but we've spent enough to be better than the rubbish we're seeing this season
01 Oct 2014 22:12:38
you can spend a lot buying lots of players , but you can only field 11 . one very good player is much more important than 3 average players
01 Oct 2014 21:19:17
Sterling looks so tired. How can he not be taking him off. Been awful.
01 Oct 2014 21:18:07
Poor poop so sad what's rodgers problem with suso:€
01 Oct 2014 21:15:58
Oh and worst performance I've ever seen from sterling. Needs a rest maybe haha.
01 Oct 2014 21:15:48
Why,
Cant Balotelli stop trying to shoot from 40 yards,
Cant Sterling stop losing the ball,
Cant Markovic shoot instead of passing
Does our back four look like a schoolground back four,
Does Rodgers leave it till the apocalypse is upon us before changing systems that aren't working,
Oh and what does Couthino do?,
Sorry for the negativity but last year was a joy, why has it changed so much?
Come on boys!
01 Oct 2014 21:15:12
What is really strange is we haven't even got a second gear when we go behind. nothing changes. its painful to watch. New players poor, old players poor, our captain poor.
01 Oct 2014 21:06:40
Markovic looks to be slightly more fluent today, and almost got a goal. He has a worrying likeness to Aquilani though! Same hair, same touch, no end product
01 Oct 2014 21:05:45
Hoping BR takes Mario off for borini. We need some legs and running up top. Markovic having a better game tonight. didn't expect much from hin for the first 6 months or so but he looks so be settling ok
01 Oct 2014 18:03:34
Hi eds just a general question about injuries because if I remember in the 80 and 90s as I was not born before then half of the injuries players get now would not kept players out then. I understand that now its all sports science and players playing in peak condition but has it gone too far?
Players would of played 30 or 40 games straight with little niggles and still performed to there max. I also understand that today is a squad game but would like one of your opinions on the matter are players let off too easy?
{Ed001's Note - the pace of the game was slower and players had more fat to cope with stresses and strains. They were much less finely tuned than they are now.}
01 Oct 2014 21:02:17
Who honestly didn't see that coming
Brendan Rogers obviously or he would have hired a top class Defence Coach
01 Oct 2014 21:24:40
The Real AG
I expected us to get a hard fought point.
Real ag .
Reading saw it coming & even Swansea haven't suffered. Unfortunately the Americans were taken in by the 100+ page dossier and somebody who talks the talk.
With you on that.
This is going to get a painful season!
Kpm100 are you for real . Rodgers done an amazing job last season andyou are showing a complete lack of respect . Rodgers is a brilliant coach but perhaps needs to take a step back from transfer dealings . He has tried changing the style of play to cope with the loss of Suarez and the sturridge injury . Unfortunately as ofyet it has not paid off . I think one sturridge comes back we will see a very different system
01 Oct 2014 22:33:36
John
The only reason That's keeping BR at the club i'd a tradition that Liverpool FC don't sack a manager midway through.
If you give him another 100 mill to spend, He would still loose against Basel.
As stated I still believe he will do well and appretiate what he was,trying trying to do last season . I can't remember enjoying watching Liverpool play as much in a long time . He needs to realise he has made an error in the system he is playing at the moment and I believe he will get us back to winning ways sooner rather than later . Either way I think we should all stick with him
01 Oct 2014 21:01:11
We just do not look like a team.
Don't know how each other play.
Don't know how to defend (what was Skyrtl doing?).
What is Rodgers doing on the training pitch???
Enough said.
Looking at balotelli this second half is really making my blood boil .
01 Oct 2014 21:39:09
Rodgers is running around the training pitch with them from what i can see trying to stay thin to hold on to that girl haha.
01 Oct 2014 21:43:22
Imo i really feel sorry for Gerrard and Hendo. Playing their hearts out. Players like Coutinho, Sterling and abit on Markovic easily gives away the ball. I agree the Refree is pretty cynical in his decision.
But we are Lfc and are expected to do better then that. After the introduction of Lallana there were some improvement. But a lil bit too late i must say. Enrique had a horrible game, fitness was not there, first touch were poor.
Utterly disappointed.
YNWA
Totally agree we are a shambles. No urgency, no legs and simply a poor side. How a team can give the ball away as often as we do and keep making the same mistakes week after week after week makes you wonder what they're up to at training!
Forget about defending - we cannot score a goal for the life of us. I don't remember such a poor quality in the final third from us ever. And we did get many times to their box and there were spaces and they definitley didn't park the bus, but our guys played as if they will be beaten if they score a goal. Just passing the ball to the opposition softly softly. Pathetic. Any other Pl club - any other - even Burnly, would score 2-3 here today with the number of times we had the ball near their goal. Honestly I don't mind losing 5:4 on Saturday to WBA I just want to see that we can score goals. I won't say much about Markovich because he is clearly is some kind of deep adjustment shock but the really dissapointing player for me in the last 3 games was Raheenm. He was really poor in the last three games. In general the whole team looks like they are in a deep post-LS-leaving-trauma. They just wait for him to come and score the goals.
01 Oct 2014 20:48:36
The #1 rule of playing away in europe is don't get beat.
The #2 rule of plaing away in europe is DON'T GET BEAT.
Come on lads.
01 Oct 2014 21:49:03
#3. Practise passing and moving in training and try harder
01 Oct 2014 20:46:36
Midfield none existent, we need a ball winner, a top quality midfield player in the Souness mould who ran the game, a McDermott who was always making forward runs, at the moment we have nothing, no closing down, no tackles, no creativity, no running off the ball, need BR to watch Case, Kennedy, Souness, McDermott and learn
Is that you Hansen??
We've got a player like that Alan he's called Steven Gerrard and he's totally wasted and not much use in the position he's playing.
Much better to get half an hour out of him in his best position I would suggest (again)
01 Oct 2014 21:12:40
I agree Chris. We don't have a general in the middle at the minute.
01 Oct 2014 21:25:56
Chris
Well said. BR should have signed a top class DM and push Gerrard further up in the pitch.
Haha Chris, is this the Steven Gerrard who EVERY time takes a free kick or corner CANNOT beat the 1st man.
Is this the Gerrard who is hitting 30-40 yard hit and hope balls
Roy Evans on Talksport this morning-
"Steven Gerrard still has something to offer but I don't like him in that position back there"
Looks like Roy agrees with me
01 Oct 2014 20:35:39
Yet another sterile, impotent performance so far.
Dear lord baby Jesus give me patience.
Where exactly did all this creative flair we had last season go? It's surely not all sunning its hole in Barcelona right now?!
01 Oct 2014 20:23:28
Good god how many times has Gerrard given the ball away, he is miles off the pace and still looking that stupid Hollywood pass every time
01 Oct 2014 20:45:10
Migs. Yet again stuppid distribution to Gerrard.
Enrique is very poor and should be taken off.
Y is sterling so selfish.
Thank God. Basel aren't pressing us.
Perhaps a bit harsh, but he is quite poor at breaking up play, which a holding midfielder should do well
Not just Gerrard mate the whole team are playing like amateurs and couldn't pass wind . Rogers needs to sort this out or we will loose this game and the pressure is on us . has loveren won a header yet I am sure that's why we bought him for give me Danny agger any day
Ok so let's remember he's the Captain, once more he's THE CAPTAIN, if he can't lead the team, lead by example, pull the team together then what's his point
01 Oct 2014 21:27:27
We have spend 20 mill to get a Leader and till now, We have conceded in every game.
Someone has to tell me, Hows He better than Agger?
, blaming migs for the pass to gerrard, he dropped, he asked for it didn't look, come on harry.
01 Oct 2014 20:19:48
Manquillos delivery is very hit and miss
01 Oct 2014 20:18:14
I know it's early in the game, but what screams out to me is the lack of confidence in the team. Fiddling around and taking too long over decisions instead of the instinctive play we saw last year. Maybe it's a question of new shape/personnel, I'm not sure. Thoughts?
I think some are trying too much. Balotelli, Sterling and Coutinho have had good options to pass to, but decide to try take everyone on. Then there's Markovic who passes when he should shoot. Everyone needs to start working for each other and the chances will come.
Red Rum
I think Enrique had looked very shakey so far . Don't understand why Moreno was rested for the game we are early on in the season and he definitely offers a lot more than Enrique both offensively and defensively . On a plus point lovern and skrtel look like they are getting more of an understanding
Agree. .
01 Oct 2014 20:47:28
I have no idea, How would we beat the heavyweights of Europe.
AG
Thats the 200 mill team assembled. 1 Shot on target till now.
01 Oct 2014 20:16:55
Does markovic know how to shoot? Would prefer suso or jordon ibe.
01 Oct 2014 20:08:20
If anyone could give one thing ( physically, not mentally ) gerrard offers more on the pitch than other cms we have. I'll be interested to hear them. Time he started to sit out.
Although they're more hit or miss then they used to be I still don't think anyone in our squad can hit a diagonal ball quite like he does Hendo is getting better at it but not quite gerrards standard yet, you asked for one thing so there you have it
A good header
All our midfield can head. Even Allen. As for those Long diags, God give men strength.
Benny a little bit of sarcasm there mate.
01 Oct 2014 20:02:13
Why have we changed our style from last season please close down again from the top and have willing runners please
01 Oct 2014 21:47:20
Because everyone on here and elsewhere was moaning about the defensive mistakes
You get what you ask for.
Personally i loved the way we played last year.
Of course without suarez this was bound to happen
01 Oct 2014 19:23:11
It's been found out many a time on this site that I'm not anywhere near a football manager but is there any reason why Moreno and lallana are on the bench I thought lallana was without a doubt our bet player last game and Moreno has been excellent from the get go, is it just a case of resting them If so isn't that under estimating Basel a little bit it shouldn't matter what team you're up against in the champions league you should always try to field your best 11 is there something I don't know here?
01 Oct 2014 20:12:05
Human Being. They need adequate rest.
Boom it's early on in the season surely a rest is not required already .
01 Oct 2014 19:12:47
So this season we have to
hope Sturridge gets fit soon and stays injury free for the rest of the season.
Hope Balotelli learns to run into spaces so Coutinho can find him
Hope Mignolet learns to command his box and his defenders and come for crosses (this will be the second season we hope for this).
Hope the centre halves learn to talk to each, pick up their men at set pieces, and stop leaving so much room through the middle.
Hope Stevie learns to become a DM and protects the back four (again second season waiting for this).
Hope Coutinho learns to short straight (another second season syndrome).
Hope Henderson is allowed press the opposition further up the pitch (managers decision I presume)
Hope Markovic gets dropped to reserves to get confidence and shooting boots sorted.
Lallana will be fantastic, I have no doubt of that.
Hope Ricky gets his wish of a punishing gruelling training program to get match sharp (his request).
Hope the fullbacks continue in their great form.
Hope Sterling improves as he did last year but needs to stop the silly flicks and concentrate as he has become liable to lapses in concentration causing some really poor passes which sometimes get us caught when we're breaking
Hope Can comes through soon as I think he could be great.
Hope the manager gets his act together, pick a settled defense, drop players who aren't performing (no matter who they are), get in a defensive coach and an attacking coach (Sheringham did wonders for West Ham this year), play two up top and go back to pressing the opposition further up the field.
I'm sorry guys but with the money spent I expect to beat teams like West Ham, Aston Villa, Everton and Basle and not be worried every time we walk onto the pitch and I expect to push the big two/ three teams at home and away. We lost one player and so many on here talk about rebuilding, needing time etc etc. just how long do you guys think we should give the manager. I'm not advocating sacking BR far from it but surely somebody at a high level has got to be querying money spent versus results.
And before you all jump on the Sturridge is nearly back, let's remember he gets injured quite frequently and if he becomes our primary scorer playing every game he will go down again we can be sure of that. We needed a player to cover for Sturridge before we even lost Suarez and I don't think we got that and I think we are seeing the impact of that error.
Well said, i agree totally, how can we take such a massive step backwards, lots of average players signed. finish mid table at best
01 Oct 2014 18:16:33
I admit I am jealous of Chelsea. They have had some brilliant players over the last decade. One in particular being John Terry. Given a choice I always wished it was him that was injured or banned when Liverpool match came round, rather than any other of their players. Boy does he fight.
Then along comes Sakho. Yes Sakho. I love him. Yes he looks awkward on the ball but he still makes his pass. Even the header against West Ham, was an attempt to play football, it went wrong, can we fault him for trying?
I love him because he is so aggressive. He fights for the ball. He played against Boro and took every header. He took our own Lovern clean out. Sakho wanted to win that ball, that's all that mattered to him, he took ball and player. I've done it, because I want to win. Have you? I look at Sakho and I see someone who wants to fight for the jersey. And he fights with aggression and yet rarely fouls.
He walked out at the weekend. Wrong but understandable. I'm in the camp that wants players caring that they didn't get picked, caring that they are being subbed. Sakho cares. He's clearly shown that. It certainly mattered enough to him to walk off.
John Terry is near the end of his career. We've got someone in his style, a warrior, aggressive, a fighter, physically strong, a club captain (PSG), French international centre half. I want to see Sakho stay and play for Liverpool.
Jim Furyk the golfer looks awkward, his swing is a mess, but don't tell me he's not a winner! My email does not do justice to Sakho. I truly believe he is a great player to have in our team.
01 Oct 2014 19:27:53
Good post. But " EMAIL" ??
01 Oct 2014 16:39:48
Hi Eds,
2 things if you have time to answer, Firstly do we have any new injury updates? Secondly do you know of any sites who will have a free stream for tonights match? Thanks in advance
{Ed002's Note - The only updates from the club were yesterday and mentioned Sakho under investigation for a thigh/groin and hip issue with no mention of a return. There was nothing about Sturridge or Allen but I understand they both might be one to two weeks away from being match ready. I only glance through the press releases but physioroom.com make an effort to try and get further details - they should be a good bet to look for such data.
Those looking for a stream have always recommended FirstRow - I don't recall the others but no doubt folks will chip in and help.}
VIPBOX is excellent and IMO, better that FirstRow.
BR mentioned that Sakho should be back in 2-3 weeks and that Sturridge may be fit for the weekend.
01 Oct 2014 17:02:15
VIPBOX. Its the best available.
You could try Wiziwig as well where they have a a lot of free streams
Myp2p
01 Oct 2014 17:54:29
Ed did Allen have a hernia op like some media outlets reported or was it a knee injury?
01 Oct 2014 17:54:29
Ed did Allen have a hernia op like some media outlets reported or was it a knee injury?
01 Oct 2014 16:35:30
Looking forward to tonight's game and cannot wait for real at anfield I hope everyone of us reds has a good one tonight.
Your joking ain't you fella after watching first half here they will hammer us were rubbish
01 Oct 2014 15:53:33
Do none of Liverpool's teams realise that matches last (at least) ninety minutes? Four last minute goals for in four matches for the first team and now the Youth have concede two right at the death in Basle. Fergie always had +6 minutes - can't we have -6 minutes to make up for it?
01 Oct 2014 11:13:15
Wow, whatever happened to supporting your players!
I have been disgusted by the amount of abuse our players (and now Rodgers, the man who took so close last season) have come in for so far this season from you so called 'supporters'!
So many Football Manager 'experts' it unbelievable! 'We should have signed this player and that player'. I bet you one thing, had we signed these wonderful players that would have made you go weak at the knees and they hadn't immediately hit the ground running you would be saying Rodgers is clueless and listing other players we should have signed instead.
I remember a couple of seasons ago there were loads of comments on here and other forums from you 'experts' saying we needed to sign an out and out goal scorer because Suarez wasn't prolific enough in front of goal after scoring 11 goal in the League. The next season he goes and score 23 League goals, 31 the season after that! I suppose that was just a fluke and nothing to do with a player settling into a new country, language problems, new training methods, new style of play, new team mates, etc, etc or Rodgers and his staff's ability to improve a player!
Now loads of you 'experts' are writing off Balotelli, Markovic, Lallana et al before they've even finished unpacking the boxes in their new houses!
This is not blind faith in players just because they play for my team, it's called giving them a proper chance to make an impression, not 5 bloody games! No manager gets every signing right!
I wonder how many of you slagged off Henderson in the first year and said he was a waste of money!
01 Oct 2014 12:17:59
Say goodnight to the bad guy. Top post mate
01 Oct 2014 12:22:58
rightly said. still there is a long way to go.A little bit of momentum now can help us get through top 4. And once experienced to cope with all four competitions,with riches of talent we can look up for trophies.
YNWA
I think we all wanted the team to kick on from last season, but we have already lost a lot of ground on the leaders.
The loss of Suarez has had a huge effect on the club, not just his presence on the field but also in the confidence of the squad.
Instead of kicking on we as supporters have to accept we are rebuilding.
I think also being out of CL for so long makes us desperate to hold on to it. We are nervous as a fan base and a team. I think the loss of Suarez has let a lot of self doubt creep in. The man to address it would be Gerrard but his form has dipped and he is subjected to unreasonable criticism from his own fans.
Is Steve Peters still working for us? We need him right now.
Top post! I have been saying that for ages. People said Suarez saved BR. Nonsensity at its finest. BR built the beast that Suarez is today. If anything if Suarez got his ove to Barca thru his heroics on the field, it is all thanks to BR, his system, the team built around him, and the fans that stood by him. LFC MADE SUAREZ!! Class dismissed!
I can't disagree with that scarface, what is a harsh reality in football these days, rightly or wrongly, is that revenue is key to ongoing success on the pitch. Not being in CL is a huge problem to the club and it's prospects for growth and is a constant pressure that I think fans subconsciously also feel.
No success, long term, impacts transfer budget, player recruitment and keeping your best players.
Fans therefore get anxious and impatient.
To be fair, LFC did sign an outstanding poacher (among other things) in Daniel Sturridge, and no doubt it helped Suarez.
01 Oct 2014 13:32:06
Ken
I am not a huge fan of " have to accept we are rebuilding. " Slogan. I thought you too weren't.
01 Oct 2014 13:33:38
Redohio
The OP has nothing to do with Suarez or any player.
Second. LFC made suarez the beast. Suarez left and we are now doing very poor on the pitch.
Brendan Rodgers got us to the top with a fluent and attacking style. That style has now deserted the team and it appears Brendan has lost his way a little. He's tinkering too much.
I don't buy this 'settling in' stuff. I have no doubt it can have a slight affect, but nowhere near as much as people make it out. It is the change in system and attitude hurting us; not the change in personel.
Yesterday, i think people misinterpreted what I meant when i said we don't miss Suarez the player. My point was that the squad has more overall quality. The style has been ripped to pieces though and we seem to have lost the winning mentality that Suarez seemed to rub off on others.
The team needs to be unleashed because it is so blatant they're being instructed to hold back and play cautiously. Last season we were winning 3-0, 5-1 etc with about 45% possession. Now we're losing 1-0, 3-1 etc and having 75% of the possession. There is no cutting edge and that is 100% because of the style of play and team selection.
Good Day fellow Eds and Reds,
Scarface; I had been contemplating sending in something similar, but having monitored a lot of the posts from the negative brigade led by certain non stop posters, I held off.
As supporters we were spoilt by last years team and this year the expectations have somewhat been raised to a level of sustained expectancy that we will be the all conquering, swash buckling goal machine that we were last year; reality check; TRANSITION. I know we all hate this word, but please face reality, this is where we are.
BR addressed some areas that needed improvement but neglected others; other managers of other clubs are guilty of the same; I agree we could have done without the luxury of Markovic when we have similiar within our ranks, but is the potential in 2-3 years of say someone like Suso (who i think is brilliant); going to be as big as someone like Markovic if Brendan can instill his magic on him? we don't know; was it worth the £20mn punt? at the moment, no; in the future? WE DON'T KNOW.
I am not a football manager and I don't think that 99.9% of people on here are either; if you guys are that good at talent spotting and managing teams etc, I am afraid you have missed your calling in life and urge you to go and get your coaching badges; once you have these and manage a team, especially of the stature of LFC, realise the pressure that comes with it; and hope you win every game, never concede a goal, and always buy the most perfect and complete players who score 50 goals every game; reality check; this never happens!! this is real life!
Hats off to you scarface for a very well written post.
P.s oh and by the way to all of those so called LFC supporters who were previously having a debate about standing areas after the loss of their fellow supporters; 1 innocent death is 1 too many, we have 96 angels who lost their lives that day; but the wound goes deeper, think about their families and friends, and how devastating this was to them and to us all, and then imagine it was you or someone you knew, or a one of your family members, or your best friend who was involved and lost their lives, and then think about posting your cr4p about standing; SERIOUSLY STOP!!!
YNWA
JFT96 always and forever!!
Agreed with you, EMS. I don't think the play style we seem to be using (or trying to) is doing us any favors.
With respect to new signings and recommending/wanting others, I simply didn't (and don't) think Balotelli was the answer and I think people overestimate his abilities, if I'm being honest.
Last season at AC Milan, he played 2, 294 minutes and scored 7 from open play, along with 4 from free kicks and 3 penalties. That's one open play goal every 328 minutes.
The half year before at AC, he played 1, 146 minutes and had 5 open play goals, along with 1 from a free kick and 6 penalties. That's one open play goal every 229 minutes.
The half season before at City, he had 1 goal in 590 minutes played.
So for the last 2 full seasons, he had 13 open play league goals in 4, 030 minutes played, or 1 every 310 minutes played.
By comparison, Sterling had 11 open play league goals in 3, 967 minutes over the last two seasons for 1 every 360 minutes and he's not even a striker. Sturridge is at 30 in 3, 357 minutes, or 1 in every 111.
Added to which, the vast majority of Mario's open play goals are literally from within 6 yards of goal, typically to an open net after the ball came to his feet (either a pass or poor clearance/deflection).
Mario is not a bad player, he does have a degree of talent, and he is giving it a proper go, but my expectations are (based on his history) he'll get about 10 open play goals for us this year which isn't necessarily bad but I think people are expecting more from him than he is capable of.
01 Oct 2014 14:57:34
Post of the day.
Harry, if you read Scarface's post, he quite clearly talks about Suarez.
01 Oct 2014 10:18:06
I actually think Ballo will come good and do ok for us if he knuckles down. We all know he is not Suarez but if Brendan does play him isn't it up to him to set the team up to get the best out of him. Especially if he is up front on his own?
Anyway, big game tonight! I will happily take a boring 0-0 and get the point. Brendan needs to be more savvy in these games. The result counts more than the style of play (which we are hardly doing anyway). Take a leaf out of Jose's book and park the bus Brendan! Do we have a bus to park?
01 Oct 2014 10:36:28
We couldn't afford a defeat, As I am not convinced we would beat Ludgorets away in the second leg. We will have to play for a win today than a draw.
I am not concerned by the style of play nowadays.
Would be exicited, If BR plays two up the top.
We are playing Basle away, not Madrid. I would think we can do better than hope for a draw.
Ag
We are also playing rubbish at the moment. Toothless in attack and fragile at the back. Basle were in pot 2! I would be happy enough with a point.
I think that we have to look at setting up for the counter .
Basel are a very good counter attacking side and at home rely on an intense atmosphere .
Like us if they often leave themselves short at the back when they play at home due to their ambitious attacking play .
They have not had the best start to the season either and of course we should have the quality to go out and beat them but this is our first real test since 2009 .Incidentally it was them that effectively progressed instead of us .
I think we need to have someone closer to Balotelli he will not chase down as much as others but does give us a decent target .
I think that if we go all out to attack we will play into their hands . Another performance like Everton with a more clinical attack should do it .
Come on you redmen
I can see us beating ludogorets away as well. We will be playing a bit better by then and they won't be so much as a surprise to us.
Real ag,
Basel played brilliantly in the europa league vs chelsea 2 years ago and tottenham.
Beat chelsea in the champs league last year in both games.
They aren't a bad side.
I agree Mikey. Hopefully by the Ludogrets away game we should find some form. In the meantime we have to make sure we still have a chance by then. I think we made Ludogrets look good due to our current "issues".
Babatron: WE played brilliantly LAST YEAR. Comparing what Basle did 2 years ago or even last year in the CL to now is ill-advised.
Irish Rover: Agree. But, don't you think it is about time we stepped up? We have already played 8 games this season!
01 Oct 2014 12:20:26
We go for the win. Another 3 points will put us in a fantastic position
They beat chelsea twice, we beat chelsea 0 times. It's not that I think we won't beat them. I justdon't think they're a walk over or that a win is a given against basel. You seem to think it will be a much easier affair than I
Yes AG in the ideal world we would go there without fear, full of confidence. I just don't think we are there yet. 3 wins on the trot would help!
Bobatron, I didn't say it will be a walkover, what I said was that I expect us to go there and get 3 points.
I expect a team assembled with over 200 million pounds to beat Basle.
01 Oct 2014 13:36:25
I expect us to play 2 DM yet again and scratch a point which in today's cicrumstance would be a fantastic result.
How much did chelseas cost?
it's not about the price of the team. I wouldn't expect anything, not with how our frontline is playing
01 Oct 2014 13:55:04
I think we really, really need to win tonight. A draw is not the end of the world, but with Madrid both home and away as the the next two games in the group we could easily go two games without picking up another point. If we only drew tonight then the group will be wide open depending on the Basle-Ludogorets results and it will be tough to get through.
01 Oct 2014 13:56:32
Bobarton Mate.
If it was not about the money, Then I would have repaid our debts a bit with the Suarez sale than spending.
It is about the price of the team. Otherwise, you would have West Ham, Hull and Crystal Palace fighting it out for the league.
I agree our frontline is still "gelling", but they need to get their act together soon.
It saddens me some liverpool fans think simply spending money makes you better than the other team.
What Liverpool spend doesn't detract from what the basel team offers
ALL of these teams spend money, big money. If you spend big, you have a good chance of bringing in players who can help your team. I am sure, if given the option of having a large some of money to spend, FC Basle, would gladly spend it on better players.
I said nothing about what Basle will be offering. They are a good team, but ours is way better, and I expect us to go and win that game.
Think you under estimated them pal
01 Oct 2014 09:17:57
Got a bit of a feeling we are on a collision course with england over studge. I think woy will name him in his squad tomorrow which iam sure will please brendan to no end. A question for one of the eds if i may? If we say studge is not fit enough to play for england & say he gets some playing time against wba on saturday do you think we could face some sort of action frm the fa?
Cheers
{Ed002's Note - No, there would be no direct action and England would certainly not be looking to play someone who the club say is not fully fit. This would already have been a matter of discussion. What might be more of an irksome situation would be asking the National side to rest a player - which has been suggested in respect of Sterling. This is hole digging again and doesn't help anyone, least of all the players who it is really embarrassing for.}
I don`t see a prob w/ it. A lot of club coaches lobby their players` national tem because each side is trying to look after its interests. You might diagree w/ how he`s doing it BUT a lot of coaches especially in the PL (a list as long as my arm) who whine about such things so IMO, it`s nothing new.
01 Oct 2014 01:00:21
With all the depth we were supposed to have this year, it seems to me that other than replacing between Coutinho and Markovich, BR cannot afford to let any of our other starting 11 to rest either tomorrow or over the weekend (assuming Sturridge will be on the bench at best on Saturday) unless he wants to play youngsters or players he doesn't rate very highly. It is partly a result of the many injuries we seem to suffer from (now Sakho as well). Not ideal when we have away game in the CL on a Wednesday and then a game on Saturday.And a lot of them played 120 minutes last week midweek. I thought this affected some of our players on Saturday especially Raheem, who' other than that great pass to Mario from the left didn't have a great game and wasn't very accurate.
01 Oct 2014 07:39:00
Didn't BR said the other day, Sterling is a Super Human?. Lols.
01 Oct 2014 00:44:36
Hey ed can you clear something up for me.
{Ed002's Note - We have no interest in such discussion. Sorry.}
01 Oct 2014 07:59:51
That was a bit harsh, Ed, Aron didn't even get to ask his question.
;)
Of course he asked the question, telepathically. You didn't hear?
The question was "can you clear something up for me?".
Wot no cream then Edd?
01 Oct 2014 13:30:26
You don't need Ed002 for "clearing something up" man. Just get some laxatives.
01 Oct 2014 13:30:50
I stopped listening to the voices in my head years ago, AG, on doctor's advice.
I believe that Ken is right, Aron spilled something and Ed002 was busy doing her makeup so didn't have time to get the dustpan and brush out.