thoughts on tonight

[JCase]

Just as an aside lads. We were 3-0 down at half time in Istanbul. Look what happened there.

True mate but somehow I don't think that the Chavs defence is going to crumble like Meelan's. We just made it difficult for ourselves with the dire first half performance.

[Guest]

Rafa needs to change his ****in' predictable tactics for a start. That's what he should do for the second leg. We need 2 goals to qualify and without being gung-ho, we need to play Pennant and Gonzales with Stevie and Xabi in the middle. Crouch and Kuyt should start upfront as we don't have a better option.

We need to work our socks off upfront and stretch Chelsea's defense by playing wide and with variety. If we get an early goal then it would be game on.

But Chelsea are no mugs and are fantastic on the break. They will have Essien back and probably Ballack also. That makes our task very difficult.

I've said it before last night's match that the first leg would be crucial. It was and we've blown a chance to control the second leg. It's Chelsea's to lose now, and statistically they are very very difficult to break down.

All I would say is that at the end of the day it's a football match. If we lose it will not be the end of the world as we still have next year and better players to come. We haven't cut it at any of our away matches against the top teams. That's what needs to be addressed next season. A more offensive / aggressive style of play away from home.

[JCase]

Rafa needs to change his ****in' predictable tactics for a start. That's what he should do for the second leg. We need 2 goals to qualify and without being gung-ho, we need to play Pennant and Gonzales with Stevie and Xabi in the middle. Crouch and Kuyt should start upfront as we don't have a better option.

We need to work our socks off upfront and stretch Chelsea's defense by playing wide and with variety. If we get an early goal then it would be game on.

But Chelsea are no mugs and are fantastic on the break. They will have Essien back and probably Ballack also. That makes our task very difficult.

I've said it before last night's match that the first leg would be crucial. It was and we've blown a chance to control the second leg. It's Chelsea's to lose now, and statistically they are very very difficult to break down.

All I would say is that at the end of the day it's a football match. If we lose it will not be the end of the world as we still have next year and better players to come. We haven't cut it at any of our away matches against the top teams. That's what needs to be addressed next season. A more offensive / aggressive style of play away from home.

sad but true. Too many stray passes yesterday and very little passion. We didn't fight hard enough to win possession when we lost it. Its still within the realm of possibility that we can turn this around at Anfield next week but we made our own lives more difficult. Rafa doesn't normally get it wrong in Europe but yesterday things went tits up. I really hope that we can turn this around next week but said you said Chelsea are no mugs.

[Guest]

sad but true. Too many stray passes yesterday and very little passion. We didn't fight hard enough to win possession when we lost it. Its still within the realm of possibility that we can turn this around at Anfield next week but we made our own lives more difficult. Rafa doesn't normally get it wrong in Europe but yesterday things went tits up. I really hope that we can turn this around next week but said you said Chelsea are no mugs.

I actually thought Mourihno outwitted him yesterday. Rafa wouldn't have thought they would be playing on the counter at home, but they did. We very rarely break teams down when we play against a packed defence because we lack that variety and pace in attack. That's why Gonzo and Pennant need to play next week. We need quality balls in the box for Crouch to exploit but Chelsea will know the score.

I'd say, give our all and hopefully we'll prevail, but on the cold light of day, realistically it will have to take a massive performance even bigger than that night in Istanbul to beat this Chelsea team. They are the best around no doubt at the moment. The stats don't lie.

[breffniboy]

We're relying on something fantastical happening to get us through. A Stevie wonder goal. A Riise thumper. Etc. Roy of the Rovers script required urgently.

If the match plays out along the expected lines and tactics it'll be them sitting deep and stinging us on the break with quick out ball up to Drogba, and us shuffling the ball about laboriously before getting to the edge of their box and finding we don't have the class to go any further with it or create anything when we get there. Football isn't always predictable I know but there's a very grim sense of inevitability about this one already.

Sometimes against top teams we're little more than a rich man's Bolton and saying that just about sums up how pissed off I am watching these pedestrian performances away to top domestic sides, in Premiership or Champs League, whatever.

The truth is we are now hoping to get past Chelsea despite the way we play rather than expecting to do so because of the way we play. You could never apply that statement to United or Chelsea and that is Rafa's single biggest failing in his reign so far in my opinion.

[anfieldanfield]

We're relying on something fantastical happening to get us through. A Stevie wonder goal. A Riise thumper. Etc. Roy of the Rovers script required urgently.

If the match plays out along the expected lines and tactics it'll be them sitting deep and stinging us on the break with quick out ball up to Drogba, and us shuffling the ball about laboriously before getting to the edge of their box and finding we don't have the class to go any further with it or create anything when we get there. Football isn't always predictable I know but there's a very grim sense of inevitability about this one already.

Sometimes against top teams we're little more than a rich man's Bolton and saying that just about sums up how pissed off I am watching these pedestrian performances away to top domestic sides, in Premiership or Champs League, whatever.

The truth is we are now hoping to get past Chelsea despite the way we play rather than expecting to do so because of the way we play. You could never apply that statement to United or Chelsea and that is Rafa's single biggest failing in his reign so far in my opinion.

Spot on.

I think we are relying on something out of the ordinary on Tuesday night.

Even so, a 1-0 victory is what we should be aiming for and that is by no means impossible at Anfield on a European night.

[badpiggy]

A typical Rafa Benitez-type away performance against a domestic rival. We see all too many of these and after three years it's no longer good enough. We're just too easy to stifle, no craft, no guile, no finesse. And now we've money we're looking at filler like Voronin, Simao, Pedersen etc.

Make no mistake, that 20 minute spell after the break where we sort of had the ball a bit, that was our 'big response', our 'go at them at full tilt' type football. Sometimes under Rafa, and GH before him, our efforts to rouse ourselves and claw back a defecit is the singularly most pitiful, lamentable and downright depressing thing I've ever seen.

Agger was owned tonight by diver Drogba and Carra struggled on him as well. He always does well against us.

The selection of Zenden was surprising, his retention for the full 90 minutes was bordering on the ridiculous. Why bring on Crouch if you know there's nothing on the flanks to service him? An appalling blot on Rafa's copybook.

[B]Xabi had a very poor game with his passing.[/B](disagree withn this - he found zenden constantly in good positions who then proceeded to "win" us throws from which we created nothing)

Arbeloa was solid enough defending-wise (edit: goal apart obviously) but distribution was shocking at times.

Now that Chelsea can sit back in the second leg and watch us shuffle it about in front of them, and hit us on the break like they love to do, it's easier to see them scoring before we do. And the way we play, us getting the first goal is crucial.

We're relying on the Anfield factor to lift us and in my opinion we'll need a wonder goal or set piece to score because we're such a laboured workmanlike attacking 'force' I can't see us scoring any other way.

And so much for resting players. Some of our guys looked like they were coming out of a coma. The only consolation is that we are only 1-0 down as it could and should have been 1-0 before it was and Gerrard's chance apart, they had the better chances after that as well.

Very unhappy after that. Cat and mouse battle tonight. Who were the mice?

that's a brave post brother and in my opinion almost 100% correct. my lingering worries about rafa are in the forefront of my mind today followed closely by the realisation that as yet we are just not as good as chelsea in the sense that our players are not as good. we have noone of the caliber of drogba or cole. drogba was the real difference last night but our total ineffectiveness up front gives me very little hope for next week. of course we might get through but if we don't it'll hardly be a shock result.

for the record - why the **** did rafa constantly stick cisse out on the right wing for his pace but bellamy never? surely bellamy had the beating of ferreira last night? of course that would have meant dropping/subbing zenden and playing crouch. this decision leaves me totally perplexed.

should i stick YNWA at the end of this to make sure that i can't be accused of not being a real fan or that my negative vibes sre going to directly affect the outcome of the second leg?

[Lecter]

When they had the ball they bypassed our midfield by playing it long, when we had it they crowded us out. Tactically crude but extremly effective. It'll be more of the same second leg.

The thing is I actually think we sat off them and gave their players too much time on the ball

This had a double whammy effect in that we were also very deep

I think we have to be in their faces from the first minute from front to back and maybe even risk holding a higher line

Its not Mission Impossible but it will be extremely difficult

[bazza76]

The thing is I actually think we sat off them and gave their players too much time on the ball

This had a double whammy effect in that we were also very deep

I think we have to be in their faces from the first minute from front to back and maybe even risk holding a higher line

Its not Mission Impossible but it will be extremely difficult

Sat off them? are you serious?.
I think Chelsea played deep, so deep it maybe looked like we were sitting off them.
I think we should have been doing something similar, id have preferred if we played deep, then, we may have got the best out of Bellamy upfront with his pace. We may have also got Mascherano and Alonso more time on the ball.

[Lecter]

Sat off them? are you serious?.
I think Chelsea played deep, so deep it maybe looked like we were sitting off them.
I think we should have been doing something similar, id have preferred if we played deep, then, we may have got the best out of Bellamy upfront with his pace. We may have also got Mascherano and Alonso more time on the ball.

Yes I am serious

Look at that game again midfield wise we didnt pressure them or close them down as effectively as we can do

Rafa even complained that we didnt win enough second balls

Alonso and Mascherano were virtually sat on top of our back four

Second half we did better but I'd still liked to have closed them down quicker

Look at Rafa's Valencia and the times his Liverpool teams have shone invariable its been when we have been pressing high up the pitch forcing teams further back and condensing the play into 40-50 yards

Chelsea's back 4 sat deep but their midfield wasnt forced on top of them like it should have been

Personally I was disappointed with us tactically AND with the performance of the 2 central midfielders they could and should have done better

Personally I'd have played Sissoko last night, he pressurises players and doesnt give them time, he also does an awful lot of covering play also some of his best games have been against Chelsea

[bazza76]

Yes I am serious

Look at that game again midfield wise we didnt pressure them or close them down as effectively as we can do

Rafa even complained that we didnt win enough second balls

Alonso and Mascherano were virtually sat on top of our back four

Second half we did better but I'd still liked to have closed them down quicker

Look at Rafa's Valencia and the times his Liverpool teams have shone invariable its been when we have been pressing high up the pitch forcing teams further back and condensing the play into 40-50 yards

Chelsea's back 4 sat deep but their midfield wasnt forced on top of them like it should have been

Personally I was disappointed with us tactically AND with the performance of the 2 central midfielders they could and should have done better

Personally I'd have played Sissoko last night, he pressurises players and doesnt give them time, he also does an awful lot of covering play also some of his best games have been against Chelsea

To be honest, I thought Rafa got it wrong tactically, but I, in no way think that we sat deep yesterday. To say that is just wrong and untrue.
I agree our two central midfielders didn't have a great game, but when I think of the form of Sissoko of late I dread to think what would happen if he gave the ball away as much as he has done in the past. Although I do understand the positives of his closing down the opposition.
Alonso and Mascherano or two holding midfielders will always have an important part to play infront of our back four, its nothing new to us or Rafa, thats not what I was worried about.
what I was worried about was us, playing right into their hands for much of the game. by allowing them to break like they did. We should have been using Bellers pace to much better effect. I guess rafa though after the frist game two seasons ago that Maureen was gonna throw the lot at us this time, we in reality, they were prepared to play on the break.

[CAD]

70 % chance for Chelsea to go through. One goal at Anfield and we're done for and Drogba just looks ****ing scary.

Rafas persistence with Gerrard on the right makes as much sense as playing Zenden on the left. With Gerrard running all over the pitch we have zero width on the right. Everything therefor went through Zenden who, when he finally got a cross in, had Kuyt to aim at agaisnt 3 chelsea defenders and Cech. Bellamy looked like Chevy Chase in the Invisible Man but without the funny one-liner. Crouch should have started. The balance suffers without a RM who stays right. As it always has and will continue to do. I rather play Pennant on the right and drop Gerrard if Rafa won't play him at CM. Seriously!

Alonso/Mascher at CM is almost as stillborn as Mono/Alonso or Mono/Mascher. Mascher and Alonso are too alike. When you provide them with zero width and balance they just look ordinary at best. Who wouldn't? Rafa; how can you take advantage of Alonso's long range passing when there is no width?

Hyppia should have started. Agger at LB. Riise in Stavanger.

I think the season is over. Sorry - I really do

[Red_Polo]

Agree with that except for the last two lines.

[anfieldanfield]

Pennant HAS to start.

I think it's obvious Rafa isn't going to play Stevie in the middle.

Which means...

a) Gerrard on the left
b) Gerrard just off the striker

[CAD]

Agree with that except for the last two lines.

Hi Dude

I think Riise was abysmal. You liked him? Agger had problems with Drogba. So did Carra. Riise didn't help the situation though. With Hyppia in there and Agger at his side they would have a better chance to shut him down. Hyppia could have dealt with the headers. He is the only one who can match Drogba in the air.