LFC vs South China FC (Match Thread)

[Frenchie]

aced (eigthed)

[akjs123]

Official site has Alonso as MoM

[stevie_gerrard_8]

Best player in the first half was by far Alonso, who looked really up for it. He then faded in the 2nd hald which is understanding given the conditions.
Momo was very much the same.

The Crow looks to be very good and desreved to be MoM. Very nice touches, good vision and very clever runs. Desevred a gaol and probably should have got one.

Defence was fine.
Carson made a mistake and that highlighted the difference between a small club and a big one.

Crouch,Yossi and Kewell were poor, but the main thing is to get fit.

Overall it was a very good workout for the lads and NO INJURIES.
I hope Lucas, Torres and Babel get their international clearance in time for Friday and hopefully start, as they should be looking to get match practice in after missing today.
Hopefully Gerrard recovers from his injury aswell.

[Kenneth]

Carson made a mistake and that highlighted the difference between a small club and a big one.

Not sure what that means.

[Guest]

From the offal.

Rafa Benitez praised the form of Ukrainian striker Andriy Voronin following the Reds' 3-1 win over South China on Tuesday afternoon.
The Liverpool boss has been delighted with his Bosman signing in pre-season – and believes there's even more to come as Voronin gets used to playing with better players.

"He is doing really well," said Benitez. "It's early but we knew he'd be a good player because he has game intelligence, and normally when you come and play with better players, you play better yourself."

The Spaniard was pleased with the performance in Hong Kong but hopes his team will be even more impressive come Friday's Asia Trophy final against Portsmouth.

"I think the performance was okay in the first half when we were winning 2-0. After we conceded the goal we were under a little bit of pressure but overall we were in control of the game.

"We will play against Portsmouth and it will be tough, but hopefully we'll be better after two or three days here."

The only minus from Tuesday's win – the fifth of pre-season – was a long-range free-kick conceded in the first half.

Benitez added: "It was strange. Carson wasn't expecting the shot to come in like that. A keeper is disappointed whenever he concedes a goal but I think he will be with the type of goal here.

"It's not a problem for him – it's just one mistake and it's not important at the end."

[bobbyfallon]

Reading between the lines he was cack as soon as he crossed the halfway line.

very true... great man for a tackle, absolutely **** going 4ward. should keep it simple and stay in our half..

[stevie_gerrard_8]

Not sure what that means.

At small clubs, keepers in the thick of the action, so are always on their toes.
However, at big clubs you may not need to do anything for 85 minutes or so, and will then be required to pull of a save. You need to have very high concentration levels.

This for me is the difference between top keepers liek Cech and Pepe and good kepers like Given, James and Jaaskeleinen.

[steveheighwayrobbery]

I'll ram a foot long screwdriver up your arse,but you'd probably enjoy it! h:

is that the sub of the day over there?

[dww]

At small clubs, keepers in the thick of the action, so are always on their toes.
However, at big clubs you may not need to do anything for 85 minutes or so, and will then be required to pull of a save. You need to have very high concentration levels.

This for me is the difference between top keepers liek Cech and Pepe and good kepers like Given, James and Jaaskeleinen.

I've said before that I think Carson needs a season behind a good defense even if that means a season in the Championship to aid his development. I think he is a talented keeper but he needs to get used to having to concentrate all of the time and if he wants to put pressure on Pepe he also needs to learn to do a more proactive sweeper role.

[DeeGame]

I hope Lucas, Torres and Babel get their international clearance in time for Friday and hopefully start, as they should be looking to get match practice in after missing today. .

Where did you hear that

[Tee]

Whilst Carson will be adeqaute cover for Pepe I am not sure he can cut it as a No.1 at a big club like Liverpool. He is still young and keepers peak in their 30s, so time is on his side. Stick him in the reserves for 7 or 8 years.

[mickeydocs]

I would have loved to have seen Lucas replace Momo in the second half. Our gameplan was crying out for a cm that could link with the forwards and wide midfielders. Momo let our attacking play down time and time again. With Stevie out it was a pity we didn't have the option to use Lucas.

[Tee]

Is Lucas out in HK with the squad? Has he got a work permit yet?

[mickeydocs]

He is in HK... has had passport clearance, and is now just awaiting international clearance. He may take part in the final.

[stevie_gerrard_8]

Is Lucas out in HK with the squad? Has he got a work permit yet?

Yes he has. he's in the squad and was there today

Where did you hear that

During the match on Sky Sports. They said that Lucas, Torres and Babel didn't have the clearance to play today. However they said officials were doing the paperwork so that they could play on Friday.