Some Home Truths

[Imy]

spot on, they had a lot of the ball, but most of it was in the middle of the park, even when they got behind us their final ball was poor. If we hadnt had the injuries and a lack of pace we would have held on.

The lack of pace is an issue even when our players are fit, the entire back line (including Xabi and Mascha) are not quick, compare that to sprinters in Arsenal and we can see why we don't play the same expansive Arsenal type game.

[red g]

arsenal have been playing this sort of quality for football for the past 3 years.....yet who has the most success....?

[Imy]

arsenal have been playing this sort of quality for football for the past 3 years.....yet who has the most success....?

They have been building for success, planting the seeds, it's going to be very interesting to see how they play vs the Mancs,

Could this arsenal team be like the Manc team with the Neville sisters, scholes, Beckham, Giggs etc?

[red g]

They have been building for success, planting the seeds, it's going to be very interesting to see how they play vs the Mancs,

Could this arsenal team be like the Manc team with the Neville sisters, scholes, Beckham, Giggs etc?

well hopefully our youngsters will be the team to take the mantle over

[Dhav]

Arsenal were playing some pretty nice, fancy football yesterday but the way Andy Gray was jizzing all over them was laughable. As good as it was it wasn't particularly incisive and there wasn't much cutting edge. They never once sliced us open in the first half. In fact the only time when the did get in behind us was in the second half when the game became more stretched and expansive, when we pushed up looking for a second goal and left space in behind them. I don't see what passing a team to death is going to achieve, except may be tiring them out for the last 10 mins.

[dww]

I thought we played pretty well and agree that we worked their keeper more than they worked Pepe. It would be fair to say that Arsenal played better football than us but we played the more effective football.

I think Alonso and Mascher were staggeringly good. Other than that I think we did alright but our weaknesses were fairly obvious. We failed to create many clear cut chances (I know Arsenal didn't do too much better but they had at least two opportunites where they 'should have scored' and hit the post or blasted over). Sami and Carragher both look like they need a rest.

[Imy]

well hopefully our youngsters will be the team to take the mantle over

Rafa giving a youngster a chance...

[Imy]

Arsenal were playing some pretty nice, fancy football yesterday but the way Andy Gray was jizzing all over them was laughable. As good as it was it wasn't particularly incisive and there wasn't much cutting edge. They never once sliced us open in the first half. In fact the only time when the did get in behind us was in the second half when the game became more stretched and expansive, when we pushed up looking for a second goal and left space in behind them. I don't see what passing a team to death is going to achieve, except may be tiring them out for the last 10 mins.

Our deconstruction football was effective in that they did not tear us apart, this led to us playing like an away team with an inferiority complex, set pieces and long balls were the order of the day, is this the type of football we want to see?

[red g]

Rafa giving a youngster a chance...

very true.

[bigfooty]

The injuries are a bit of a concern and I guess also a bit of an excuse, but then again we did fire our main fitness guy. Perhaps Pako would have stood up to Rafa and said Torres wasn't ready, which he clearly was not, or advocated an alternative course of treatment for Pennant. That would be one or two less for the treatment room. Whilst you cannot do anything about freak metatarsal breakages you can do something about rushing players in when they are not fit.

[Helios Creed]

I thought yesterday that the game was crying out for Voronin to be replaced with Babel to inject a bit of pace.

I mean christ, our front three at one point consisted of Kuyt, Voronin and Crouch. That isn't exactly going to terrify the Arsenal back 4 who are all pretty quick

I agree. I hate it when we don't have any pace up front. It was clear that Crouch scares them in other ways (and actually poses a goal threat), but once Torres went off we lost any potential pace. I think Babel was rested though? - he could hardly stand at the end of the game last week - he seemed to be trying to take them on on his own - I've never seen a player look so tired.

[Nic83]

What were Arsenal singing? "liverpooooooool, HOOF the ball" or something?

That was funny.

we do play a little too many long balls. Gerrard needs to be told to stop trying killer long balls and just find his man.

[Imy]

I agree. I hate it when we don't have any pace up front. It was clear that Crouch scares them in other ways (and actually poses a goal threat), but once Torres went off we lost any potential pace. I think Babel was rested though? - he could hardly stand at the end of the game last week - he seemed to be trying to take them on on his own - I've never seen a player look so tired.

Babel was on the bench, but due to injuries did not get his chance, had Xabi not got injured he may have come on.

[FatTony]

Yeah Arsenal played some fantastic football yesterday. But they didn't win, that's the point.

No, its not the point. This happens in football, a team can do everything but score, and this happened yesterday. It was just one of those games for them, twice hit the post and missed two open goals. 9 times out of 10 that would've been 3 or 4 goals for them.

We have injuries, granted, but there is no need for one of the big 4 to result to hoofing the ball into nowhere for long periods of the game. That shows a lack of technical ability on the players behalf. It may also say something about the instructions from the manager. I remember in the last season with Houiller we adopted the same tactics whenever Owen was fit, this was no different.

Rafa's rotation policy comes under fire why? Because we've yet to mount a premiership title challange under his management. Until he does, then everyone is entitled to question it. To add to this, I'm really not convinced that it will make a blind bit of difference to the fitness of the players. Injuries happen, but his resting of players hasn't really helped us so far this season has it? Rafa does seem to rest players for the sake of resting.

The squad yesterday had no balance, there was no creativity and no width at all. You don't stick two players with the limited technical ability and lack of pace of Voronin and Kuyt out wide. They offered very little. As Houllier used to do, pack the centre of the pitch to stop them playing and keep hoofing it forward.

There is one reason and one reason only that we are just 6 points off the top, and that is the fact that we've played just 10 games. No doubt we'll go through a decent spell sometime this season, but I think the gap is going to get bigger before that happens.

There is far too much mediocrity in the squad that Rafa has built. People have said that no team can live with Arsenal when they pass the ball like they do, but what sort of defeatest attitude is that for a fan of Liverpool FC?

I expected to see Rafa's team playing as his Valencia side did (the one I was lucky enough to watch when they visited Anfield) and gave him a couple of years to achieve this. A couple of seasons down the line and his football is becoming very, very similar to Houlliers.

[Tee]

No, its not the point. This happens in football, a team can do everything but score, and this happened yesterday. It was just one of those games for them, twice hit the post and missed two open goals. 9 times out of 10 that would've been 3 or 4 goals for them.

We have injuries, granted, but there is no need for one of the big 4 to result to hoofing the ball into nowhere for long periods of the game. That shows a lack of technical ability on the players behalf. It may also say something about the instructions from the manager. I remember in the last season with Houiller we adopted the same tactics whenever Owen was fit, this was no different.

Rafa's rotation policy comes under fire why? Because we've yet to mount a premiership title challange under his management. Until he does, then everyone is entitled to question it. To add to this, I'm really not convinced that it will make a blind bit of difference to the fitness of the players. Injuries happen, but his resting of players hasn't really helped us so far this season has it? Rafa does seem to rest players for the sake of resting.

The squad yesterday had no balance, there was no creativity and no width at all. You don't stick two players with the limited technical ability and lack of pace of Voronin and Kuyt out wide. They offered very little. As Houllier used to do, pack the centre of the pitch to stop them playing and keep hoofing it forward.

There is one reason and one reason only that we are just 6 points off the top, and that is the fact that we've played just 10 games. No doubt we'll go through a decent spell sometime this season, but I think the gap is going to get bigger before that happens.

There is far too much mediocrity in the squad that Rafa has built. People have said that no team can live with Arsenal when they pass the ball like they do, but what sort of defeatest attitude is that for a fan of Liverpool FC?

I expected to see Rafa's team playing as his Valencia side did (the one I was lucky enough to watch when they visited Anfield) and gave him a couple of years to achieve this. A couple of seasons down the line and his football is becoming very, very similar to Houlliers.

Good post

Whilst you have to admire Arsenals style of play it really really pains me that we do not adopt a similar pass and move style of play.

I expected a better style of play from a Rafa team, I really did. But in fairness if we had managed to sign his targets (Heinze, Alves) and we had Agger in the team, there would be less hoofing the ball.