1.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 11:11:08
Nice review Ed, I do wander why Pep insists on playing sterling against us when every single game he has a shocker, clear mental block vs Liverpool, I would of gone with sane and taken him away from the pressure he clearly struggles with at anfield.

But at least it’s a good thing for us!


2.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 11:47:38
Love your match reviews. Thank you for doing them!

{Ed001's Note - welcome mate, sorry it took so long.}


3.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 11:48:22
I think it was a fair game ed. It wasn't very bad like the Napoli one. Ball kept moving and there were enough attacks. Both sets of defenders played particularly well and it was a well balanced game. It felt like a good old top of the table clash with two very good teams respecting each other and not committing to making a statement. Seemed like both teams had decided this will not be the game that decides the bragging rights.
I look forward to when we go to Etihad. Will we park it there for the draw.
Times certainly are changing at lfc, a sense of responsibility and discipline is there for all to see and it has worked wonders for our defence.
We have the attack and it will click once players get used to the new style by matchday 12-15. Till then we will keep grinding.


4.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 12:25:45
Great review Ed. Every time one of the front three gets the ball, 2 and sometimes 3 defenders collapse on them. By now, you would think that they would expect that and have a counter.

{Ed001's Note - that is why Keita should have been closer to pick up the ball and run at them and draw away defenders.}


5.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 13:14:55
As always, very well written and spot on. Thanks Ed, much appreciated mate.

{Ed001's Note - cheers mate.}


6.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 13:27:44
Great review ed001.

It’s pretty obvious that teams are looking to reduce the space with the front 3 and the marking as you mentioned is quick and tight on them. You can clearly see there are gaps when you have 2/ 3 men say, around Salah and we should be looking to exploit this.

Not sure if you saw, one of the few times Keita drove forward ( through the middle ) it drew 3 men around him to make a tackle. A quick release to someone in space and it completely opens up.

{Ed001's Note - exactly mate, Keita needs to do more of that.}


7.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 14:04:34
Thanks for the review Ed001. Very good points about Keita and Mane. With Mahrez and Walker on that side I think Robertson should've been told to hold back at some point to allow Keita to get forward which would've made more space for Mane. Either that or as I was actually hoping to see Shaqiri replace Mane and be given the freedom to find the space. Not really I bad result I suppose but we were lucky to get the point with the way we played. Nice now that we've an easier run of fixtures than all the rest coming up. A 10 game winning streak in all comps would see us right, including Arsenal, Everton and United. I actually think the break came at the right time, seems we need to refocus a bit.
YNWA.


8.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 15:20:35
Cheers ed. Not sure what angles you saw for Lovren penalty shout, mind. Certainly the ones I saw showed no touch on Aguero, or at least one worthy of a pen. Maybe your super duper 4K box which showed it up properly.

{Ed001's Note - he certainly kicked through, whether he got him or not is irrelevant, it is given more often than not.}


9.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 15:20:51
Great review Ed001 mate. I generally agreed with everything you said but I thought both teams looked too scared to lose and that actually impacted on the players' mentality. Whether this stems from respect or not will become more apparent in consequent games. I think Man City paid us huge respect but in a way I'm not sure that a gung ho attitude would have actually helped them or played into what would have ultimately benefitted us. I do agree that had Naby moved closer to the front three this would have reduced the Man City forward play and our attack could have been more impactful but I now have the magic of hindsight. What is good is that luck was on our side for this result and I may of been heard shouting "God supports Liverpool! " after the penalty, lol ;)


10.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 15:49:32
Thanks Ed! Always a pleasure to read your reviews!

{Ed001's Note - cheers.}


11.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 16:05:26
Cheers Ed, great to have the match reviews back, they were sorely missed after the Chelsea games.

Games like this and against Napoli make me miss the Ox more then I already do. He was inconsistent as he adapted to his new role and there's no guarantee he would have made a difference, but on his day he was a bright spark. That city goal was something else.

{Ed001's Note - yep, but Keita could have done similar if he had been at his best. VVD needs to stop telling him to drop in to cover Robbo and tell Robbo to hang back instead. Let Keita get on the ball in the opposition half and run at the opposition.}


12.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 16:28:22
Thanks for the great review as always, Ed001. I'm with you on the utilisation of Keita. We were all very happy when we realised that he was being signed as a replacment for Can. Because based on what we had seen, Keita would do a better job of bursting forward with the ball and either passing off or taking a shot at goal. Can was too inconsistent in all aspects of his game. And it is turning out that Keita is not doing or being told to do what we thought would happen. It's easy to point fingers, but I would question the tactics and coaching being dictated by the coaching staff. I'm aware that Keita was simply doing what Milner does (cover for Robertson), but as you rightly mentioned, it's a waste of Keita's talents. I still think Keita is at his best when playing in the middle. His talent is being stifled. Perhaps have Wijnaldum shifted to the left below Mane?

{Ed001's Note - agreed, I would have done that with Wijnaldum. He is better defending than Keita.}


13.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 16:45:44
The Liverpool fan in me says Lovren on Aguero wasn't a pen but if it happened with Laporte on Firmino I'd have been screaming for one. Don't know how Lovren got away with it, maybe it was because Aguero got right back up to play? Thought the ref was poor anyway, City got away with murder at times although to be fair we got away with a pen call or two ourselves.


14.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 18:01:46
I have said it in the past. Kieta is wasted on the flanks and I was told “ I don’t know about football”. He is a central player. Drops deep, pick the ball and run it forward with precision and accuracy. That is what he did at RBL. He is a creator and not a paddy to Robertson and Mane.
This set up or instructions doesn’t suit him. He has to play through the middle.


15.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 18:22:12
Rating spot on we are improving at the back forwards not so good at the moment.


16.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 18:55:12
Thanks for late review Ed001. With this boring International brk back on. At least now I have something to read and ponder about this weekend. I think you should do late match reviews for the last match before brk. It will be great.

{Ed001's Note - that's not a bad idea actually. Gives me something to do too.}


17.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 18:56:14
Good review Ed thanks v much. Was it a better match second time round? Completely agree Hendo was our best player. He’s going to have to be the engine whilst Milner’s out.

{Ed001's Note - worse second time as you could see how little either team really risked to go for a win.}


18.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 18:57:51
Aguero never claimed a penalty. Lovren was close and serg fell due to upper body contact as much as anything else. Not a pen.


19.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 19:35:21
Great read, ed and I agree. Defenders should defend first and let the attacking players attack so Keita should not be covering Robbo. He be unleashed to drive at the heart of the defence. As for the Lov pen or no pen, I agree with MM. The ref may have thought that Aguero stumbled from the position he saw it from and since he never complained and just got on with it, the ref just kept the play moving.

Somehow like you Ed, I think Klopp should move the front 3 around a bit like play Salah at CF and Mane on the right, the position he played in his first season with us, just to give the oppo something else to worry about. I know Slah is getting closer and closer cos the chances are still coming and he just needs to calm down and take one of them as it seems he is snatching at things too much.


20.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 19:50:58
Harry, let me set things right. Actually you know TOO MUCH about football and the rest of us know nothing. And that, is where the problem is. 😉.


21.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 20:09:45
😄😄 Apparently it’s the other way around. They are just not convinced that I watch a lot of games outside the PL. This kieta lad was once called a similar to Lallana type here 😂😂.


22.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 22:25:47
Harry, I doubt you watch as much football as you think you do outside of the PL. Cos if you did you would either know that Kroos, Pirlo, and Fabregas are/ were NEVER true DM's like you posted recently OR you would know that Atletico play a variation of the high press, something you claimed just yesterday that you had "never, ever" (your exact words) seen them do.


23.) 10 Oct 2018
10 Oct 2018 22:29:01
If only you actually learned something from watching all of that football 😎.


24.) 11 Oct 2018
11 Oct 2018 00:11:53
Thanks for the review Ed001, I agree with everything you said actually, including your MOM choice. Hendo was absolutely brilliant. Ran his socks off and was always looking out for the first time ball forward but avoided playing them unless the odds were right. Gini was pretty good at retaining possession especially under pressure, but for some reason declined to take the opportunities to play the ball more quickly, choosing those precise moments to slow the game down. Occasionally fabulous; often frustrating.

As it was my first time at Anfield it was very disappointing not to see Liverpool score, but thankfully neither did City. Mahrez’s penalty miss was celebrated like a goal though so that was enjoyable. I have to say Mahrez did produce some absolute moments of magic in the game, though they have been overlooked by the media due to his penalty.

Hopefully the next time I am able to visit Anfield it will be a more open match!

{Ed001's Note - at least you didn't see a loss mate. The first time I went as a kid we lost and I wasn't allowed any food when we got in as my uncles decided I must be a Jonah. That was the one time I was glad some of the family were Evertonians as they were sneaking me food all night!}


25.) 11 Oct 2018
11 Oct 2018 10:02:28
BRover

And where did i claim they are a DM? It was a reply to your argument of “ Hendo is the best DM” at the club! No he is not! In fact he is not even close to a DM.
Hendo is a an Eric dier who scream and shout at others and hides away from brining the ball out from the back.
Do you agree there is a difference between Mascherano and. Alonso? Both sat infront of the back 4 apparently.

Atletico plays a deep defensive football under Simeone. You could ask the manager itself. They had the least amount of possession in the league against all opposition from years.


26.) 11 Oct 2018
11 Oct 2018 15:48:14
Thats hilarious Ed! Yes I was very relieved that the penalty was missed. I might not have dared to go back to Anfield in case I jinxed the next result!

{Ed001's Note - it is not quite as hilarious as Harry's ridiculous assessments of Henderson though.}