Post match wash-up/rant thread

[AFII]

Harry and Luis is our only two creative players and both of them is out injured or isn't match fit yet.

We really missed them today. Missing Harry the whole season so far has hurt us very much. I will be very happy when he is back again.

[mick the click]

Let us not console ourselves too much with the fact that we dominated the champions elect.

First off, we are Liverpool, and all that entails. The day we don't offer stiff competition at home to United is the day I hand in me cards and start supporting Everton.

Don't console youselves too much that we were unlucky either. Luck has nothing to do with not having the craft, guile and imagination in attack to fashion gilt-edged chances and most importantly, put them away when they present themselves. It's been said in this thread already, our attacking personnel and method are all distinctly second rate and teams know if they're well organised that we can be easily blunted.

To look at the bigger picture, we need to forget that this was United. We need to forget how we owned the ball, forget that Rio done us at OT, forget that it wasn't a free, forget that our goal was disallowed and so on ad infinitum. The bare facts, leaving clouded emotion out of it, are that we had 70% of the ball and not for the first time against a top side (or a non-top side for that matter, think Everton a few weeks back) we singularly failed to press home our advantage. I say good luck and well done to United, they took their chance and in a way deserved to win on that basis alone. Replace Bellamy with Pony Boy and Kuyt with Rooney and ask: would they have ****ed up that first half chance between them like we did today? Would Saha have missed with that Crouch effort?

It's subjective and we'll never know for sure but my guess is: Unlikely.

We've come a certain distance, now it's time to buy top class attacking talent. We desperately need to improve our miserable record against the contenders. Three years into Rafa's reign to be battling for third/fourth is not good enough, neither is the sorry lack of high-tempo fluency and passing accuracy on display from a number of players all day. So let's hope he spends wisely.

I'll agree with that, and try to move on with the aid of a jar or two...or three....

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Don't console youselves too much that we were unlucky either. Luck has nothing to do with not having the craft, guile and imagination in attack to fashion gilt-edged chances and most importantly, put them away when they present themselves. It's been said in this thread already, our attacking personnel and method are all distinctly second rate and teams know if they're well organised that we can be easily blunted.

Completely agree, but not easily blunted, again it's all about degrees. It's true that we're easier to stop than the scum or the arse. The simple fact is that they've got better players, and managers who believe in an attacking ethos - that's not to say that Rafa doesn't, but anyone who suggests that we are as attack minded, or as free flowing in attack as the other top sides in the league is clearly deluded.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

just got back in, gutted but a result on tuesday would improve things. No excuses today the game showed everything all of us deep inside already knows.
Defensively we're as good as we need to be. Our centre backs and keeper would compete in any team. Our full backs are good to solid but could be improved on though not a priority.
Our width is crap. Speedy nor Pennant would get into any of the top 4. FACT.
Momo is suited to 2 types of games, in a 3 man midfield where he has the defensive role or in games when we won't have much of the ball. He is USELESS in the oppossitions half.
Non of our 4 strikers are capable of leading the line. Bellamy is not clinical enough, kyut and crouch are both limited in their own ways and Fowler is past it.
There will always be a game when we just can't unpick the defense. Garcia is out injured and there is no-one else like him in our team.
These limitations need to be overcome if we are ever to compete for the title under Rafa. But in a cup run, we can still dream...

All true.

I'd add that Rafa has to be more adventurous with his tactics, brave even. Playing Gerrard on the right to accommodate Sissoko just screams negativity and it also effects the teams attacking ability. If he continues in this vain then we'll struggle to win the league. In the Premiership you are rewarded for being attack minded, especially so as 4/5th of the division is either mediocre or cannon fodder.

Yes it is different against the top sides, but against the rest (home or away) do you ever see Demento or Mourinho changing their team because of the opposition like Rafa's done in recent times? Hopefully he's learned.

[breffniboy]

Completely agree, but not easily blunted, again it's all about degrees. It's true that we're easier to stop than the scum or the arse. The simple fact is that they've got better players, and managers who believe in an attacking ethos - that's not to say that Rafa doesn't, but anyone who suggests that we are as attack minded, or as free flowing in attack as the other top sides in the league is clearly deluded.

Well said my friend

There's a slight re-alignement needed in a few areas...personnel, management attitude and general attacking philosophy.

We're not far away but we won't get any closer in the current climate/prevailing conditions. That's why this cash and how its spent, is absolutely vital. It's the only thing stopping me punching the wall at the mo.

Let's hope we don't get another Morientes!

[Dhav]

Well said my friend

There's a slight re-alignement needed in a few areas...personnel, management attitude and general attacking philosophy.

We're not far away but we won't get any closer in the current climate/prevailing conditions. That's why this cash and how its spent, is absolutely vital. It's the only thing stopping me punching the wall at the mo.

Let's hope we don't get another Morientes!

Yep - what is clear is that another £6-10m player wont cut it - we need real top quality. I'd break the bank for Etoo

[nebbers]

I love some statto to put together a list of chances created and shots on target for the season.......

[Marky]

Is it just me or is todays defeat only hitting home now?
I'm bloody gutted.

[Los Rojos]

For the record, I'd like to have seen Owen and Cisse together.

Give me strength

[Los Rojos]

Bellamy was class today. He destroyed the Premiership's best centre half this season.

Momo was terrible - his passing was atorocious. For every good tackle he put in, he passed the ball to a white shirt. I was gutted not to see Mascherano on the bench.

[kurtangle01]

Completely agree, but not easily blunted, again it's all about degrees. It's true that we're easier to stop than the scum or the arse. The simple fact is that they've got better players, and managers who believe in an attacking ethos - that's not to say that Rafa doesn't, but anyone who suggests that we are as attack minded, or as free flowing in attack as the other top sides in the league is clearly deluded.

I've got to agree with you there, mate. One thing that stood out today was that when we were hitting manure on the break our midfield seemed to be at a jogging pace and very rarely caught up until the scum had regrouped. When the scum were hitting us on the break their players were busting a gut to get up and support their attack. It's a small detail but one which we should be trying to do.

The match is over now though and there's no point dwelling on it for to long. A couple of the right players in the summer and we'll be right for next year.

Bring on Barca!

[kurtangle01]

Bellamy was class today. He destroyed the Premiership's best centre half this season.

He did didn't he? Vidic was ****ting himself everytime Bellamy ran at him with the ball. Rafa shouldnever have subbed him.

[Marky]

I've got to agree with you there, mate. One thing that stood out today was that when we were hitting manure on the break our midfield seemed to be at a jogging pace and very rarely caught up until the scum had regrouped. When the scum were hitting us on the break their players were busting a gut to get up and support their attack. It's a small detail but one which we should be trying to do.

The match is over now though and there's no point dwelling on it for to long. A couple of the right players in the summer and we'll be right for next year.

Bring on Barca!

No disrespect dude but we say that every bloody year.

[kurtangle01]

No disrespect dude but we say that every bloody year.

First of all my names not "dude".

Secondly we never had the resources to buy top, top, quality players before. It seems that we do now.

[Sir Bob]

just got back in, gutted but a result on tuesday would improve things. No excuses today the game showed everything all of us deep inside already knows.
Defensively we're as good as we need to be. Our centre backs and keeper would compete in any team. Our full backs are good to solid but could be improved on though not a priority.
Our width is crap. Speedy nor Pennant would get into any of the top 4. FACT.
Momo is suited to 2 types of games, in a 3 man midfield where he has the defensive role or in games when we won't have much of the ball. He is USELESS in the oppossitions half.
Non of our 4 strikers are capable of leading the line. Bellamy is not clinical enough, kyut and crouch are both limited in their own ways and Fowler is past it.
There will always be a game when we just can't unpick the defense. Garcia is out injured and there is no-one else like him in our team.
These limitations need to be overcome if we are ever to compete for the title under Rafa. But in a cup run, we can still dream...

Spot on mate.