Assorted post match comments

[Morph]

I'll take responsibility for everything I post mate.

Let me explain myself a bit better. I agree Rafa expected Finnan to play. But this was a CL Semi-final. How and why did he think Zenden was up to this game, when he hasn't been all season in much less crucial games? I don't know.

Stranger things have happened

Why do I think we should have played Momo? We know what Momo brings : energy and and ability to break up everything. I wouldn't have cared if we'd have got a 0-0 tonight (yes of course, I'd have preferred a score draw or win), but Chelsea would have struggled to get through us with the 5 in midfield (it hasn't stopped us doing it before). As it was we didn't track enough or get early enough tackles in (Agger not tackling Drogba when he had the chance led to their goal).

I'm still not having that, he would have given the ball away and lost posession so much that theball would never have been out of our half

Well, as for Bellamy v Crouch: Chelsea have struggled against Crouch in the past, and he has scored against them. So I'm not sure why Rafa thought Bellamy deserved his place over Crouch.

It seems obvious to me that rafa wanted to play some counter attacking football using bellamy's pace, but through a combination of Bellamy being ****e, and our overall play in the first half being worse than ****e, it never came off.

So, imho, Rafa got the team selection wrong and we paid the price. We're not out of it by any means, so that's the upside - and if given that result before the game (and the way thew 1st half went), I think we would have settled for that at HT.

easy to talk about team selections with hindsight, but if he had the chance to go back i'm sure he probablyt wouldn't have changed much from the off, appart from maybe asking his players to grow some bollocks.

I hope that explains things better.

It did mate, thanks

YNWA. Let's stand up and be counted iun the 2nd leg.

[Kopite_Colin]

[QUOTE] Originally Posted by Kopite_Colin
I'll take responsibility for everything I post mate.

Let me explain myself a bit better. I agree Rafa expected Finnan to play. But this was a CL Semi-final. How and why did he think Zenden was up to this game, when he hasn't been all season in much less crucial games? I don't know.

Stranger things have happened

not with Zenden they haven't!

Why do I think we should have played Momo? We know what Momo brings : energy and and ability to break up everything. I wouldn't have cared if we'd have got a 0-0 tonight (yes of course, I'd have preferred a score draw or win), but Chelsea would have struggled to get through us with the 5 in midfield (it hasn't stopped us doing it before). As it was we didn't track enough or get early enough tackles in (Agger not tackling Drogba when he had the chance led to their goal).

I'm still not having that, he would have given the ball away and lost posession so much that theball would never have been out of our half

Maybe - but as it was we did just that - so what we did wasn't any better and we would have been 1 man better off in MF with Momo in there.

Well, as for Bellamy v Crouch: Chelsea have struggled against Crouch in the past, and he has scored against them. So I'm not sure why Rafa thought Bellamy deserved his place over Crouch.

It seems obvious to me that rafa wanted to play some counter attacking football using bellamy's pace, but through a combination of Bellamy being ****e, and our overall play in the first half being worse than ****e, it never came off.

And it seemed obvious to me that Crouch has been our biggest threat against Chelsea in 2 games this season - so why change soemthing they're scared of - didn't make sense to me

So, imho, Rafa got the team selection wrong and we paid the price. We're not out of it by any means, so that's the upside - and if given that result before the game (and the way thew 1st half went), I think we would have settled for that at HT.

easy to talk about team selections with hindsight, but if he had the chance to go back i'm sure he probablyt wouldn't have changed much from the off, appart from maybe asking his players to grow some bollocks.

I actually said this before the game kicked off tonight when I walked in and saw the team - and had said it on various threads over the weekend - so honestly, it wasn't with hindsight - it just made sense to me on what I'd seen this season

[tomasjj]

correct, it was diabolical really, no wonder arbeloa didn't have his best game, he had no one in ****ing front of him, if Gerrard is right wing then he should stay on the right wing instead of coming into the middle and ****in screwing every pass he tried to make FFS!!!

Which is why we can't play him there anymore. He doesn't stay out wide.
Lacks positional discipline.
If Rafa should play him there, well, that is another questions. But when he is picked there - stay there.

[Nic83]

If gerrard was limited to the wings, it would be a waste. IMO, every team shouls have one out and out winger and one who drifts inside 9if playing 442). I'm right.

[Morph]

[QUOTE=Kopite_Colin;411162]

Originally Posted by Kopite_Colin
I'll take responsibility for everything I post mate.

Let me explain myself a bit better. I agree Rafa expected Finnan to play. But this was a CL Semi-final. How and why did he think Zenden was up to this game, when he hasn't been all season in much less crucial games? I don't know.

Stranger things have happened

not with Zenden they haven't!

lets use smicer as an example then

Why do I think we should have played Momo? We know what Momo brings : energy and and ability to break up everything. I wouldn't have cared if we'd have got a 0-0 tonight (yes of course, I'd have preferred a score draw or win), but Chelsea would have struggled to get through us with the 5 in midfield (it hasn't stopped us doing it before). As it was we didn't track enough or get early enough tackles in (Agger not tackling Drogba when he had the chance led to their goal).

I'm still not having that, he would have given the ball away and lost posession so much that theball would never have been out of our half

Maybe - but as it was we did just that - so what we did wasn't any better and we would have been 1 man better off in MF with Momo in there.

We could do this all night but you'll never convince me that playing momo would have in any way been better for our game, just look at how we came out in the second half and extra man in the middle didn't really matter

Well, as for Bellamy v Crouch: Chelsea have struggled against Crouch in the past, and he has scored against them. So I'm not sure why Rafa thought Bellamy deserved his place over Crouch.

It seems obvious to me that rafa wanted to play some counter attacking football using bellamy's pace, but through a combination of Bellamy being ****e, and our overall play in the first half being worse than ****e, it never came off.

And it seemed obvious to me that Crouch has been our biggest threat against Chelsea in 2 games this season - so why change soemthing they're scared of - didn't make sense to me

If I recall rightly Terry didn't play the home match when we beat them, which contributed a great deal to crouch causing them problems.


So, imho, Rafa got the team selection wrong and we paid the price. We're not out of it by any means, so that's the upside - and if given that result before the game (and the way thew 1st half went), I think we would have settled for that at HT.

easy to talk about team selections with hindsight, but if he had the chance to go back i'm sure he probablyt wouldn't have changed much from the off, appart from maybe asking his players to grow some bollocks.

I actually said this before the game kicked off tonight when I walked in and saw the team - and had said it on various threads over the weekend - so honestly, it wasn't with hindsight - it just made sense to me on what I'd seen this season

Hindsight or not, we all know the saying about opinions

[Darth Marty]

It wouldnt have been my starting 11 either...so K.C has a valid point. The end result is o.k, could have been far worse, next tuesday it will be forgotten as we will undoubtedly thrash the c*nts and it will be another great European night at Anfield.

[Kopite_Colin]

True Morph. Let's just agree to disagree then mate. What I can safely say we'll agree on is that we hope for a much more positive performance in the 2nd leg and the right outcome.

[Morph]

True Morph. Let's just agree to disagree then mate. What I can safely say we'll agree on is that we hope for a much more positive performance in the 2nd leg and the right outcome.

I just don't have the feeling that it's going to happen, we've given ourselves a mountain to climb

[Darth Marty]

I just don't have the feeling that it's going to happen, we've given ourselves a mountain to climb

**** off...its a teeny hill.......and we will stomp on the ****ers!!!!!

[The incredible igor]

I'm an emotional wreck

Thank **** today is over and I can relax for a while. I've been a bag of nerves all day, I let the occasion get to me a little too much. Almost broke down in tears when i saw Bolo on the team sheet. I think I'll have another few beers before I colapse in bed.
We'll have them in Anfield. I miss Steve Finnan

[Kopite_Colin]

I just don't have the feeling that it's going to happen, we've given ourselves a mountain to climb

No me neither if I'm honest. But then again you're talking to a man who went on holiday the week of Istanbul, went for a piss at HT, and ssaid to the wife..." I'm glad we didn't spend 3 grand (we couldn't afford) on going to see this....." so what do I know

[kurtangle01]

because merk is a tosser, and he couldn't wait to get back in the dressing room to receive his bumming from mourinho

FLMAO.

[stuartb]

Their goal

In the pub on the replays we were all initially saying that Dagger should have just taken Voodoo Dr out initially - even if it meant a yellow card.

However - on the replays - it looked like Areola let potatoe head run through without sufficiently covering his run.

I really dont want to blame anyone directly - just curious as to what we might have done better?

Should Dagger have committed the foul or did he do right by tracking back and was let down by insufficient marking?


Theres another thread on it but wtf was Zebedee Bolo doing out there the whole game?

[Craig_H]

Agger should've taken Drogba out when he was 50 yards from goal. Inexperience cost us.

[anfieldanfield]

Agger's fault unfortunately.

Out paced and out fought by Drogba.