Where it all went wrong

[Mr Tourette]

Actaully I'm in Oz so it already is another day...nobody is decrying the achievement in getting to the final...but we missed a golden opportunity against a very average side. Just having the ball a lot doesnt me we controlled the game

....stay there.

did you think they were average against utd?

Stop complaining, go to the beach and stop making people more depressed. :whatever:

[SRR]

Incompetence - no. My opinion was that Crouch should have started, but then you could also argue that we may not have scored had he started. The problem with Crouch starting would have been the amount of free kicks that would have gone against him so he would have been neutralized in that respect. Every time a Liverpool player challenged a Milan player in the air a free kick was given against us, so there is no saying whether starting with Crouch would have made a difference or not. At the end of the day Rafa got it right, it was just poor finishing that cost us as it has done in the last couple of seasons.

[bigfooty]

Bigfooty just hates Rafa, he slates him at every given opportunity

Absolute nonsense. I think Rafa is generally an excellent manager who has a great European record and as I've said many times on other forums would be a huge success back in Spain.

But I've had a problem with his tactics / selection in the Premiership for a very long time now and tonight was just a further example. Rafa ballsed up Istanbul with his initial team selection but was able to rectify this in magnificent style. Tonight he came up short.

He'll get his 40-50M or whatever, fingers crossed we make the most of it. That said I can't see us doing so if we stay so negative in our approach.

[Mr Tourette]

i agree 100% that the tactics are fine. Top level football often comes down to luck - put it this way, i reckon if gerrard scored when he was one-on-one then we'd have gone onto win the final. I also feel that for liverpool to be a TOP TOP team, they only need 4 first choice players at most - maybe a few squadies as well. There is no way that Zenden should even be at liverpool and i reckon he's kicked his last ball for us. Rafa was recently singing his praises in the media but i reckon that must have just been a psychological move because if zenden really was that good, he'd have been given a new contract by now.

I reckon all we need is 2 proper top quality wingers -
get rid of zenden, gonzo, harry (and even pennent as well if you ask me) because they are never going to play better than they already have and that is simply not good enough. I think it is very hard to identify them but in my opinion that is all we need. I reckon it could be Gamst Pedersen, Nani, Quaresma, Simao (although im not so sure)

At the end of the day, i feel that we have - without doubt - the BEST set of central midfielders of any club in England - if not europe. Our defense is sound as well. And if you ask me, if kuyt or crouch got really really top quality service, then we have the complete package.

Its not rocket science. We're a good side short of another couple of shakes of class. It was a deflection that changed the game tonight and the opportunity to over analyse in this day and age is so apparent to me tonight. These dickheads are doing my head in. whats the point?

[Mr Tourette]

Absolute nonsense. I think Rafa is generally an excellent manager who has a great European record and as I've said many times on other forums would be a huge success back in Spain.

But I've had a problem with his tactics / selection in the Premiership for a very long time now and tonight was just a further example. Rafa ballsed up Istanbul with his initial team selection but was able to rectify this in magnificent style. Tonight he came up short.

He'll get his 40-50M or whatever, fingers crossed we make the most of it. That said I can't see us doing so if we stay so negative in our approach.

i think you should be our new manager. Youre so insightful, its incredible.

[bradsdad]

we were ****...ac milan were **** ...the ref was ****...big **** off dissapointment

[bigfooty]

i think you should be our new manager. Youre so insightful, its incredible.

Okay then, what's your verdict on why we've been so ****e away from home in the Premiership?

[Johnny]

Okay then, what's your verdict on why we've been so ****e away from home in the Premiership?

Parry`s dealings in the transfer market?????

[Mr Tourette]

Okay then, what's your verdict on why we've been so ****e away from home in the Premiership?

NO. You tell me - youve got your coaching badges havent you?

[SouthAfricaRed]

Okay then, what's your verdict on why we've been so ****e away from home in the Premiership?

Because we have a team that contains about 60% players who dont care about the Premier League

[Mr Tourette]

Because we have a team that contains about 60% players who dont care about the Premier League

What is everyone talking about?? im off.

[SouthAfricaRed]

What is everyone talking about?? im off.

Notice the Sarcastic Smiley

[SRR]

Okay then, what's your verdict on why we've been so ****e away from home in the Premiership?

Ultimately it comes down to not taking the chances, bad defending and in some bigger games players going AWOL. Take Chelsea at the beginning of the season for example we had enough chances to get at least a draw but we didn't take them. Bolton, a bad decision for the first goal and poor defending for the second. Utd poor defending, Arsenal poor defending. It's very easy to blame Rafa, but he can only do so much and at the end of the day it comes down to how the players on the pitch perform.

What needs to be addressed before next season is a striker that is prolific in front of goal. Look at chelsea and utd they have players that scan bang in 15+ league goals a season and that is what we are lacking. Oh and a decent left winger.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Well what a crap final. Anyone else think that we didnt even give it a proper go?

Where it went wrong?

1:Season finished to early
We qualified for the final and then had meaningless games to play. You mess around with the team and everyone relaxes. It is then difficult to get back into top gear

2:We played them at their game
English football is based upon pace, power, strength and aggression. We should play to those strengths the continentals dont like it. We met Milan and felt we had to play a European game. Thus we went 4-5-1 and played to their strengths.

3:Wrong players and positions
Zenden is a hard working and honest chap but he looks like a 14 year old playing against bigger boys. Out of his depth and too easy to keep out of the game.
Alonso..how did he stay on? Absolute stinker of a game.
Gerrard...played in a position guaranteed to isolate our most influential player. An absolute crime.
Kewell....ahh yes his one or two games of the season when glory time comes around...absolute dross. waste of money and goodbye in the summer.
Kuyt....hardworking and determined. If we are playing one up front the striker has to stay up front and not drift out wide in midfield etc...seems lost on him.

We are all gutted mate.

We were the better side on the night.

A general lack of creativity and clinical finishing cost us. That happens sometimes.

Next season will be telling for me. Rafa should be able to buy top level players - whoever he deems them to be - for a consistent title challenge.

It's impressive actually, we're far from the finished article yet we've reached 2 European Cup finals in 3 years. Remind me again, how many have Man U and Chelsea been in recently?

Really looking forward to next season now.

[rage]

Our team wasn't good enough, no blame here but the game showed us all the weaknesses we already knew.

Our left wing is weak, if zenden's getting in a starting 11 that says it all
Gerrard is not a behind the striker player, he's better in the middle, just play him in the middle ffs.
Kuyt plays too deep and is limited in his own way.
Pennant isn't good enough. Tonight for all his posession he had no end product.

When we go one down we struggle, we don't have enough creativity. Hard work, organisation and team work only get you so far. We lack magic my friends and like all of us i'm gutted.