a few inescapable conclusions...

[Laddsy]

[QUOTE=bloody and porcine;329069]

so last night in barcelona, we were watching the best team in the world? how standards have dropped... they certainly have some of the best players in the world but that's saying a totally different thing.

overall then, we were watching the two best teams in the world but amazingly neither are top of their own leagues, ourselves by a considerable distance. now if people are saying that we are the best club in the world with the most amazing fans, history and tradition, i'd agree 100%. given that amazing tradition and history, none of you find it the least bit disappointing that we gave the ball away so much under fairly minimal pressure.

so the rest of you were reclining in your armchair, sipping armagnac and toasting a suberb tactical approach - "that's it, let them have the ball, we don't need it"? no you ****in weren't - you probably wanted to throw the tv out the window such was your frustration just like me. today the result is all that matters. agreed. we've progressed and that's what matters. agreed. atmosphere, fans etc unsurpassed and legendary. agreed. brilliant play and workrate without the ball. agreed. should have finished the game in the first half. agreed.

barcelona were something to be scared of on the night. wrong.
giving the ball away is a good tactic. wrong.

OK im off to bed




All you doomsday ****ers can come with me

[badpiggy]

[QUOTE=Laddsy;329077]

OK im off to bed



All you doomsday ****ers can come with me

again? laddsy, it seems totally obvious to me that you haven't actually read one word of what i've written. all you say is that we are the best team in the world or barcelona are the best team on the planet and we beat them. now these are sentiments i agree with in conversation with fans of our rivals but the approach on here at the moment is "we won - all defeatists **** off. the party line is that we were ****in amazing. i still have to hear one coherent justification of our appaling wastefullness last night.

everyone seems to think that possession footall is about constant moving forward and all out attack . what i'm thinking about is the type of possession football that lead to argentina's famous 40 (or whatever) pass move and goal in the world cup last year. last night we were in aposition to do this. given the barcelona team and mentality that showed up in anfield last night we had absolutely nothing to fear. it's possible to have the ball inyour possession outside of counter attacks.

[Red_Al_77]

I thought we were bloody excellent. We attacked and defended as a unit and had a lot more goal scoring chances than Barca. We weren't defensively minded at all. Loved every minute of our performance.

[Redspin]

**** me, some people are never satisfied.

One of the reasons I look at Liverpool forums less and less theses days is that they seem to be largely populated by the kind of people who would phone in to You're On Sky Sports or 6-0-6.

We knock out the CURRENT European chapions when few outside our fanbase gave us any hope and still we get nit-pickers on how we went about it.

If we go on to win it no doubt the originator of this thread will still be whingeing and slagging off players

[redlancer]

Maybe it shows how far we've come when we create so many chances and beat over 2 legs one of the best attacking teams in the world and people moan about negativity.

Last night we were like Valencia were against us but the only differnece 1st 20 minutes we didn't get the goal.

With Momo on the pitch we will give the ball away but its these match's when you need him.

Riise was given licence to go forward at every oportunaty and considering Messi was the right winger is a positive strategy.

Over the 2 legs we were the better team and had more shots seems spot on tactics.

As has been said last night we were one player away from being the complete side.

[badpiggy]

**** me, some people are never satisfied.

One of the reasons I look at Liverpool forums less and less theses days is that they seem to be largely populated by the kind of people who would phone in to You're On Sky Sports or 6-0-6.

We knock out the CURRENT European chapions when few outside our fanbase gave us any hope and still we get nit-pickers on how we went about it.

If we go on to win it no doubt the originator of this thread will still be whingeing and slagging off players

that totally depends on the manner in which we win it.
i really don't ever remember anyone raving about valencia during their heyday under rafa - the were rightly considered to be a dour, inyourface nearly impossible to beat side. not a flowing attacking thrilling team. not the sort of team that i supported throughout the 80's. not the sort of team that any of us ever originally loved football for.

i just find it hard to get really excited about functionality and effectiveness as opposed to the sort of football we played in the 70'sand 80's and barcelona played last year - NOT THIS YEAR.

i fully understand that last night was in it's own way a typical european football night - tense, tight, not given to exciting flowing football. my only real complaint was that barca were not as good as we thought they could be and got a level of respect that was totally undeserved on the night.

[Dhav]

By special request of bloody and porcine

This is true. I wonder how much of that possession was in their own half, where like Al says it would count for very little.

All in all I was very disappointed with Barca. They talked a good game but didnt exactly put up a spirited fight, not in the first leg, not at Anfield, and not even in the last 10-15mins where a goal would have sent them through. DOnt know if it was the combination of our tactics being better than theirs, them having little inventiveness or spirit, I dont know, but it was quite sad to see them being such a shadow of the side that rampaged through Europe last season.

Barca

[Jazzmaster]

I thought we were bloody excellent. We attacked and defended as a unit and had a lot more goal scoring chances than Barca. We weren't defensively minded at all. Loved every minute of our performance.

No we were clearly not excellent. Apart from the first 25 minutes we gave the ball away far too much and invited barcelona to attack which, if they were on form, would be suicide.

We got an excellent result, but did not play well. I did not love every minute of our perfomance, and could barely watch after they scored.

I dont entirely agree with Bloody and Porcines view of matters in that its a bit too 'well it was better in my day' but he is accurate in much of his analysis.

Im totally thrilled that we're through, but I think barca's low morale and lack of motivation had more to do with it than our ability. Carra and Finnan aside that is.

[badpiggy]

come on back ynwa ireland - there can be 3 of us swimming against this understandable but totally ott overpraising tide!!!

[Red_Al_77]

No we were clearly not excellent. Apart from the first 25 minutes we gave the ball away far too much and invited barcelona to attack which, if they were on form, would be suicide.

We got an excellent result, but did not play well. I did not love every minute of our perfomance, and could barely watch after they scored.

Well we all have differing opinions. My comment about loving every minute was partly based on being fortunate to be standing in the Kop last night although I was close to having a heart attack in the last ten minutes.

[brikkis]

that totally depends on the manner in which we win it.
i really don't ever remember anyone raving about valencia during their heyday under rafa - the were rightly considered to be a dour, inyourface nearly impossible to beat side. not a flowing attacking thrilling team. not the sort of team that i supported throughout the 80's.
i just find it hard to get really excited about functionality and effectiveness as opposed to the sort of football we played in the 70'sand 80's and barcelona played last year - NOT THIS YEAR.

Football has changed a lot since then mate. Training methods, making players much more fit have improved. This is 2007. Your sitting in a time warp mate - No offence intended

[Dhav]

Football has changed a lot since then mate. Training methods, making players much more fit have improved. This is 2006. Your sitting in a time warp mate - No offence intended

I have to say that's news to me. I must be having a massive de ja vu, it's lasted about 2 months.

[brikkis]

I have to say that's news to me. I must be having a massive de ja vu, it's lasted about 2 months.

**** i'm caught in a time warp lol. I'll change it now

[captainfog]

that totally depends on the manner in which we win it.
i really don't ever remember anyone raving about valencia during their heyday under rafa - the were rightly considered to be a dour, inyourface nearly impossible to beat side. not a flowing attacking thrilling team. not the sort of team that i supported throughout the 80's. not the sort of team that any of us ever originally loved football for.

i just find it hard to get really excited about functionality and effectiveness as opposed to the sort of football we played in the 70'sand 80's and barcelona played last year - NOT THIS YEAR.

i fully understand that last night was in it's own way a typical european football night - tense, tight, not given to exciting flowing football. my only real complaint was that barca were not as good as we thought they could be and got a level of respect that was totally undeserved on the night.

Barcelona try and play that kind of football and look what happened to them.

Anyway I thought we were very exciting last night, especially in the first half

[brikkis]

Barcelona try and play that kind of football and look what happened to them.

Anyway I thought we were very exciting last night, especially in the first half

It doesn't get much more exciting that