LB

[marls]

Aurelio is a winger and Garcia isn't providing cover for him. It's blatantly obvious that we get exposed this side far more easily that the Pennant Finnan combo.

[Five_Times]

dosnt help we dont have a natural ball winner in the middle. imo anyway

[marls]

Rotation rotation rotation :P

Someone had to fall off :P

Bring back Riise!

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Fair play to Gala, they exposed us on that side often. Garcia doesn't track back at times and Aurelio is better going forward than defending.

Johnny Riise will back against Bolton.

[Five_Times]

Fair play to Gala, they exposed us on that side often. Garcia doesn't track back at times and Aurelio is better going forward than defending.

Johnny Riise will back against Bolton.

yeah I would expect so, with Crouch and Bellamy up front.

[REDSCOUSER]

Why did not RAFA do something about it then ?

[Five_Times]

Why did not RAFA do something about it then ?

we'll never know how Rafa's mind works

[Rich]

Rafa can justify it as we won!

Riise has just come back from being out for 4 weeks, maybe he didn't think we was fit enough for 3 games in 6 days.

[Resu]

Aurelio has the worst positional sense I`ve ever seen on this level, yes even worse than Djimi. While Djimi could get caught out now and then it looks like Aurelio hasn`t got a clue where he should be.
On at least three occasions before the break we were lucky Gala couldn`t make more off it. I thought Rafa would sort it out during the break, but Aurelio came out even worse.
He`s great going forward, and his crosses are top draw, but he just can`t play LB.

[Red_Polo]

dosnt help we dont have a natural ball winner in the middle. imo anyway

Most tackles won by a Liverpool player in the league last season: Xabi Alonso, something like 3rd most tackles won by anyone in the league. Plus it's not like Gerrard doesn't put in defensive work. I know Sissoko acts as a very effective screen across the pitch but I don't think we should be exposed without him, Xabi and Stevie should be able to take care of things themselves. For me the problem is definitely Aurelio at LB. People bemoan his positional sense but to me the biggest problem is he's just too soft.

[redlancer]

Most tackles won by a Liverpool player in the league last season: Xabi Alonso, something like 3rd most tackles won by anyone in the league. Plus it's not like Gerrard doesn't put in defensive work. I know Sissoko acts as a very effective screen across the pitch but I don't think we should be exposed without him, Xabi and Stevie should be able to take care of things themselves. For me the problem is definitely Aurelio at LB. People bemoan his positional sense but to me the biggest problem is he's just too soft.

wouldn't say he was soft.

Positionaly he's way off and Gala saw that and rang him ragged 2nd half.

Can't help feel as it was on the other side of the pitch to Rafa the true extent was realised till it was too late.

Always feel the defence and Riena are nervous when Aurelio is LB. Last night he was exposed time and time again.
Riise may have his faults defensivly but the back 5 work as a team and are confident.

Last night was like watching valencia
100miles an hour 1st 20 minutes
get 2 goals

but after the formation left us open to attacks on our left.

Speedy helped stop these. He tracks back with speed.

And for me Speedy and Riise have to be the left paring.

[Depth_Charge]

Why did not RAFA do something about it then ?

Don't know, it didn't seem like Rafa really wanted to - perhaps (as Souness pointed out in the post match chat) Rafa wanted ammo to show Stevie G. why he should be playing wide in a free-er role, rather than in the Centre - I would have taken Garcia off at half time with Stevie on the left and Momo in the Centre - we would all have more fingernails this morning.

Galatasaray did need to go looking for goals, we should have strangled the game in the second half - especially after the third. Fair play to Gala tho' they really went for it.

[Parm]

Rotation rotation rotation :P

Someone had to fall off :P

Bring back Riise!

[Redspin]

Aurelio has the worst positional sense I`ve ever seen on this level, yes even worse than Djimi. While Djimi could get caught out now and then it looks like Aurelio hasn`t got a clue where he should be.
On at least three occasions before the break we were lucky Gala couldn`t make more off it. I thought Rafa would sort it out during the break, but Aurelio came out even worse.
He`s great going forward, and his crosses are top draw, but he just can`t play LB.

If Aurelio has the worst positional sense you've seen at this level you must never have seen Warnock play. Like Aurelio (and Riise for that matter) he's a left-side midfielder converted to full-back so he doesn't have an innate sense of positional play at left-back. All of them are 10 times as good going forward as defending