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Liverpool Football Club Thread

glb

By glb
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dogsout

dogsout

Posted
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Would have preferred to see Markovic rather than Ibe, as he would provide better cover down the right. Is he injured?

I've been moaning about this since the first game. He's not injured, to my knowledge. He just hasn't been picked. Ibe isn't good enough and shouldn't be getting minutes ahead of him. All I can think is Markovic isn't doing himself justice in training whereas Ibe is trying hard. I don't know.

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Timbuktu

Timbuktu

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There are still quite a few players we haven't seen yet; we looked a bit more settled now. We should have taken one of the first half chances, I didn't expect a clean sheet either so a point seems fair. Keeps us lot grounded at least.

If that was Lucas' last game, it's not a bad one. Will miss seeing that guy, but we now have another Brazilian to keep Couthino company.

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Istanbul

Istanbul

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A very good performance tonight at a ground we usually struggle.

Thought the team was spot on and we potentially could have scored 3 in the first half if it wasn't for Cech and the woodwork. Very unlucky.

The defence was outstanding. Skrtel was like a brick wall. Gomez too...what a bargain buy! So young as well. Quite a player we have there.

Milner working his socks off as well.

Very pleased we now have a lot more variation in our play...crossing, long balls, as well as the usual tight passing.

All in all, very encouraging. Take that attitude and performance into future games and we will do well.

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Chewylegs

Chewylegs

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I got the feeling as he went off that it was Lucas's last game. I really hope not as I think he still offers something, especially considering Toure got handed a new contract. He wouldn't be a starter every game, but his experience is needed in certain games.

Firmino wise, I think he struggled at first with the pace but came into the game more towards the end of the first half. He'll take time to settle in I think.

I to would like to know where Markovic is!

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Azrael

Azrael

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Before the game I'd have been happy with a draw. Based on the first half i'm disappointed to not have won. After the second half i'm relieved we got a point.

I really hope that wasnt Lucas' last game, by the way he left the pitch I assume it is. :(

Whats the deal with Ings? Have we paid Burnley yet? Is not playing him some kind of tactic to keep his cost down when the tribunal decide a price to pay?

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Jamin

Jamin

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Quality point last night, could've been more too! Rose-tinted glasses maybe but thought Ramsay was slightly offside when you see the replay and adjust for the angle. Would've been upset if it were us though, admittedly - isn't the linesman still meant to give benefit of doubt to attacjer? Really decent performance though and the defence is looking really solid.

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Steely

Steely

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One year on.

Looks like he has gone back to Milan, on loan for free whilst you still pay some of his wages.

Seems like shrewd business at the time aswell but he just never fit into a Rodgers system? Surely if he was good enough he would have forced himself in regardless! But he looked completely devoid of anything anytime I saw him, similar to Di Maria in the second half of the season.

I think Balotelli would be superb for you. Rodgers may be wary of Mario's potential for antics, but Rodgers is the best man manager in the league. If anyone can sort Mario out, it's Brendan.

Balotelli really could light up the premiership for you this season. :)

Always been a big fan of Super Mario so hopefully we get him in.

£16m fee agreed according to Echo.

Itshappening.gif

Best transfer ever.

Good move for you lot, on his day can be a top, top player.

The more I think about the possibility of this actually coming off, the bigger my grin gets.

Ha, we lose one mental and replace him with another! Could end up being a stroke of genius or a disaster but I can't wait to find out. £16m for a player of his quality is peanuts in a world where Shane Long is worth £12m

I've gone from being horrified to actually quite liking the idea. Amazing price as well. If he grows up.

A bit of a scary signing, if it happens, but at that price and what potentially he's capable of it could turn out to be a fantastic signing.

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Steely

Steely

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I am in two minds about him. When he is good, boy is he good. But he does put in poor perfromances and he is renowned for being difficult in training.

The team dynamic at Liverpool is part of the reason for Rodgers success. I hope he doesn't destabilise that. On the flip-side it could be that excellent comradery that gives him somewhere to flourish.

A volatile yet lovable nutter. Why always us?

It'll be interesting to see how they manage him.

While on paper it's one mental out and another in, but Suarez for all his faults worked like a madman on the pitch and I'd imagine he was the same in training. He was a nutter, but one that seemed to love playing the game. Balotelli looks great when he looks like he gives a toss, but often looks like he can't be bothered.

What ever happens I guess it'll be interesting!

Just curious really, but why are Milan selling him at a potential loss? He's done well there (I know Italy is considered a bit of a dead league these days) so why get rid?

He is a nutter? I don't think he gets on well with people.

I'm not entirely sure the signing will work because of his lack of work ethic from what I've seen but at 16m the club aren't risking massive amounts and will recoup most of the fee easily enough, if required.

I'm paraphrasing Janes Horncastle here but seemingly they haven't got a pot to piss in and had to sell to buy anyone.

Selling Balotelli seems like madness though. He was their biggest goal threat.

At that price he's not even half an Andy Carroll. It's a bargain.

Lack of Champion's League football probably put pressure on Milan to sell. After what seems like an eternity, we're once again benefiting from a constant need to play at the top.

Personally, I can't wait for him. Even if he doesn't set the world alight on the pitch, just having him about the city being a goon will be brilliant.

He can be amazing and I'd rather have him than Giroud but more often than not he doesn't put the pieces together and is very meh, so it'll be interesting to see what he does. Can't see him displacing Sturridge though if you only play one CF.

Dunno why, but I'm a bit... disappointed. Can't quite put my finger on it, but maybe I was secretly hoping we'd somehow pull out a mega signing. To me this just feels like an 'oh, that'll do I suppose' kind of signing because our preferred options were too tricky to negotiate.

I think I'm a bit wary of his antics and the fact he's not exactly been amazing for Milan in what is a pretty piss poor Italian league. Will be plenty happy to be forced to eat humble pie though!

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Rev

Rev

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I'm surprised I'm not in that little lot of quotes, I was very impressed by signing him. He's a great, great player...Sometimes. I don't think he was treated very well though, he was by far the best striker Liverpool had available much of last season and he still didn't get trusted with the job. He's not a player who is happy to make up the numbers, so trying to use him like that seems very silly indeed.

Even compared to Andy Carroll it's bad business. Carroll was at least signed for the right reasons, Balotelli was clearly signed for a role he was wholly unsuited to.

EDIT: Also, his revelation of a replacement, Benteke, who enables Liverpool to play a completely different game is literally only half an inch taller than Balotelli. I'm really not convinced Benteke is an improvement at all, albeit one who is incredibly likely to do much better.

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ryodi

ryodi

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I agree and if he'd taken his chances in that game it might have been a different story. In the end Rodgers decided to use Stirling up front as a replacement for Suarez but his finishing was never good enough for that. And of course taking the penalty of Henderson undermining the futur captain and getting slated for it on ITV by Gerrard was probably the end of his Liverpool career.

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Gabe

Gabe

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I'm surprised I'm not in that little lot of quotes, I was very impressed by signing him. He's a great, great player...Sometimes. I don't think he was treated very well though, he was by far the best striker Liverpool had available much of last season and he still didn't get trusted with the job. He's not a player who is happy to make up the numbers, so trying to use him like that seems very silly indeed.

Even compared to Andy Carroll it's bad business. Carroll was at least signed for the right reasons, Balotelli was clearly signed for a role he was wholly unsuited to.

EDIT: Also, his revelation of a replacement, Benteke, who enables Liverpool to play a completely different game is literally only half an inch taller than Balotelli. I'm really not convinced Benteke is an improvement at all, albeit one who is incredibly likely to do much better.

It was probably a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy in the end: Balotelli wasn't given a role he could play, so he stopped trying. Then, because he stopped trying, he didn't get picked. Lambert was equally unsuited to what was asked of him. I'm not really sure Rodgers knows how to get the best out of strikers - a few of us thought Benteke would get isolated last night and, lo and behold, he did for a fair bit of the game. Without Coutinho's running he'd have had even less support.

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dogsout

dogsout

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Benteke was always going to be isolated for parts of that game because we were using the medium block (which eventually turned into a low block due to Arsenal's pressure and our ailing energy levels in the forward positions). He had his moments when we were able to get the midfield near him but it wouldn't have been wise to force it and start leaving gaps. I thought Rodgers set us up excellently. The thing to remember is, Benteke still had an excellent chance and should have won us a penalty despite the isolation. He could still influence the game and generally doesn't need a whole lot of support in order to do so.

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Chooch

Chooch

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Benteke was always going to be isolated for parts of that game because we were using the medium block (which eventually turned into a low block due to Arsenal's pressure and our ailing energy levels in the forward positions). He had his moments when we were able to get the midfield near him but it wouldn't have been wise to force it and start leaving gaps. I thought Rodgers set us up excellently. The thing to remember is, Benteke still had an excellent chance and should have won us a penalty despite the isolation. He could still influence the game and generally doesn't need a whole lot of support in order to do so.

I've seen 'blocks' being mentioned by a few people - what do you mean by that and what's the difference between a medium and low?

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dogsout

dogsout

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I've seen 'blocks' being mentioned by a few people - what do you mean by that and what's the difference between a medium and low?

A defensive block is just the shape a team takes up in the defensive phase. We have certain pressing triggers - for instance, when the opposition are trying to pass out from the back and play it into someone that's facing their own goal, or when an under-hit or over-hit pass is played that may require extra touches to control, or the most common one: when the ball is played from wide to a central area and the receiver is forced to turn. But, specific triggers aside, we have transitioned from a team that looks to press first and foremost (thus leaving gaps everywhere), to a team that seeks to control the space when we don't have control of the ball. We employ second line pressure when the ball is in the opposition half (as you can clearly see if you watch the two wide players as well as Milner and Henderson's movement when the opposition are trying to play out from their half. But once you're in the defensive phase, you sit in a defensive shape that is designed to offer little in the way of passing lanes, meaning the attacking team will either lose the ball cheaply, waste a lot of energy and leave gaps that can be exploited by making loads of overlapping, diagonal runs (this is the best kind of movement to beat the block, but also the riskiest), or have to reset the play by going back to their own half and starting their possession phase again. The difference between a medium or low block is just the position of the defensive block - as in how deep it is.

I keep mentioning it because it has been one of my major criticisms of Rodgers during his time at the club and I'm very excited to see him addressing it.

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Istanbul

Istanbul

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Balotelli antics from The Echo:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/mario-balotelli-antics-made-liverpool-9935471

Though I have to admit, The Echo certainly isn't what it once was...so take it all with a pinch of salt I feel.

Think this is probably the best quote that sums it up nicely:

Sky Italia pundit Mario Sconcerti -“Balotelli is a strange phenomenon. Champagne corks are popped when he arrives but also when he leaves a team.”

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Chooch

Chooch

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Balotelli antics from The Echo:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/mario-balotelli-antics-made-liverpool-9935471

Though I have to admit, The Echo certainly isn't what it once was...so take it all with a pinch of salt I feel.

Think this is probably the best quote that sums it up nicely:

Sky Italia pundit Mario Sconcerti -“Balotelli is a strange phenomenon. Champagne corks are popped when he arrives but also when he leaves a team.”

I heard that quote when he signed for your lot.

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