Anyone still think Gerrard and Torres should have started on Sat?

[thesilverfoxlfc]

Yup i thought if they started on Saturday they would of been sharper

[El Jefecito]

TBH I thought that it was quite funny that the team that the IKBTR (I kow better than Rafa) brigade chose performed just as badly as the team which played against Pompey.

[thesilverfoxlfc]

TBH I thought that it was quite funny that the team that the IKBTR (I kow better than Rafa) brigade chose performed just as badly as the team which played against Pompey.

[cobain]

TBH I thought that it was quite funny that the team that the IKBTR (I kow better than Rafa) brigade chose performed just as badly as the team which played against Pompey.

It is funny, yet very worrying

[El Jefecito]

It is funny, yet very worrying

They'll do better in the EPL though

[Icon]

I bet all of you would have been quiet if we actually won the match, regardless of the way we performed.

Only reason Rafa gets the criticism for not playing Torres and Gerrard is the result of the match. I remember plenty of times before when he "over-rotated" and nothing was mentioned about it and you know why? Because we won. Not only that but he was praised for the same actions.

In football there is only one guarantee: Somebody will find something wrong about what you did when you lost, regardless if it helps you win more.

At this stage of the season we need to be winning points early and then relying on the bench / reserves to prop things up.
The likes of Torres / SG / Kuyt are the means to do such things.

[El Jefecito]

At this stage of the season we need to be winning points early and then relying on the bench / reserves to prop things up.
The likes of Torres / SG / Kuyt are the means to do such things.

IKBTR

[Joe King]

Yes they should start against the Brummies

[kurtangle01]

Yes they should start against the Brummies

They should indeed.

[JohnDoe]

Yes I CAN explain!

First of all, he knew Porto had quick players and gave a chance to slow Sami Hyypiä. Why he didn't play Daniel Agger is beyond me... If he played, maybe we wouldn't have conceded a penalty.

Fair point, but is it tactics? If you are criticizing Hyypia's selection in the team due to the opposition having quick players, you should do so nearly every game he plays because EVERY team at this level have quick players in attack.

Why do you criticize it now then? Because the statistical chance that Hyypia will eventually be caught for pace was materialized today.

That is not a reason to criticize Rafa, unless you're also saying that Hyypia shouldn't have a place in the squad because of his weakness and Rafa's a big idiot for not realizing that. This is another issue.
If you do acknowledge Hyypia's benefits as a squad member, you should also acknowledge his weaknesses and that as a player who will get plenty of games this season, he WILL be caught for pace at certain situations. That is not the manager's fault for not sticking a rocket up his arse is it?

On the other hand, he couldn't have known that the whole squad (Kuyt excluded) would be ****e today!

Which is again, NOTHING to do with the manager. Thanks for helping me strengthen my own argument.

Porto were playing mainly through the flanks and we have had difficulties with clearing and stealing the ball, yet nothing was done to prevent this. Porto broke every attack we tried in the middle and were we trying to get to them down the flanks? No, we kept losing the ball in the middle of the park. Then here is Pennant: in the first half, he looked like he was going to grab that red card, but Rafa did nothing. And BAM! Pennant gets sent off. How unpredictable eh?

The reason we were poor on the flanks is because Pennant, Babel and Finnan were ****e, was it not? It's not that we didn't try to get balls to the flanks. Every time we did, we lost the ball. Rafa usually doesn't make substitutions at half time unless he's forced to and a player's error and temperament has nothing to do with TACTICS. It's a human error, like a centre back slipping on his arse. I find it hard to believe Rafa screamed at Pennant to kill the opposition's players, so a guy at this level should know better and be careful when he has a yellow.

And not to mention this ****ing high balls from defence to our forwards that are getting us nowhere! Rafa ****ed it tonight again and he is making too many mistakes lately! He is still a TOP MANAGER and all that, but he needs to acknowledge that he too makes mistakes! I think he is full of himself after two CL finals in three years and takes everything for granted.

Why is it the manager's fault when the players couldn't string two passes together? At this level, players don't need their manager's 'spiritual help' to string two passes together! Obviously the poor possession game caused the players to hoof the ball up the field often, but do you honestly think that was a manager's order? Or was it more an effect of the players' poor performance?

It could be the manager's fault if the passing was inconsistent in its purpose, or the structure of our team wasn't right, but the players tonight couldn't play a simple pass! Why is it his mistake that he put out a team, which consisted of 10 of our "fans' unofficial best 11", and it, as you said yourself, horribly underperformed?

Other than ranting about them, you haven't pointed out one single tactical mistake by the boss.

[Johnny]

Idkbtr.


IRWT.

[Cormack74]

The whole team looked sluggish tonight.

Maybe it's a hangover from the International week. It certainly can't have helped Mascher that he's made a round trip of 24,000 miles in the last few days.

[JohnDoe]

They both should have started on Saturday - bolocks to all this energy level bullcrap - if their 'energy levels' dropped on Saturday they could have been subbed. Play your best team at all times.

We looked like we had 11 strangers out there for most of the game - rotation? I just do not get it.

You have no case, because you just saw that team everyone would have liked to play against Pompey do just as bad, if not worse.

[Johnny]

It`s easy to blame Rafa but the fact is some of our best players were rested against Portsmouth so we could attack Porto.Rafa can`t factor in the possibility that our best 11(Barring Hyypia) forget how to pass a ball in a game involving our hardest CL group opposition away from home.The players shoulder the blame tonight,not Rafa.until the kickoff Rafa was spot on.

[fah-q]

Surely it should be RCDNR