Marseille Home CL - Post Match Discussion

[Neil Young]

Then why did Rafa buy him?

IMO Babel has more potential than any other player at the club.

It just seems madness to me to have a player of his obvious quality not getting the amount of play he should.

Really seems odd why Rafa purchased a player (at great cost) to leave him on the bench, unless Rafa will be introducing him more over the next couple of months so he's chomping at the bit for the final half of the season?

That's what I've been wondering/hoping.

[Woobus]

That's what I've been wondering/hoping.

Pretty much what he done last season with him, he was still semi fresh in the second half of the season which meant he was skinning the tired defenders for fun.

[Scratch]

Not if Lucas had performed as Mascherano had done for the majority of his LFC career.

If Lucas was given a sustained run in the team, he may well do...but if he is just given a run here and there, and expected to make an instant impact.

Last season, when he was given a run in place of Alonso, he started to show glimpses of the player he may become.

[BFG]

If Lucas was given a sustained run in the team, he may well do...but if he is just given a run here and there, and expected to make an instant impact.

Last season, when he was given a run in place of Alonso, he started to show glimpses of the player he may become.

Lucas looked a decent little player when he was regularly in the team but it's obvious his confidence is shot at the moment. Even then he's not as bad as some people make out.

[dww]

I keep saying this but being as it keeps coming up. I don't think that the problem with Lucas is talent but a/ the expectations of him to be a player he isn't and b/ the fact that he doesn't impose himself enough on games. If he made the runs that he does out wide when played more centrally I'm convinced he would start getting a lot more praise. He like a lot of our young players seems too nice and not aggressive/arrogant enough. The same thing in particular seems true of Plessiss.

In a way I think that more games would help but I feel that Rafa is willing Lucas to take his chance so he can play him more. At a top team you have to fight to win a place and at the minute few of the fringe players are doing so - our form as a team has dipped and this should be a prime opportunity for the likes of Babel, El Zhar, Benayoun and Lucas to push for a place.

[Shanks]

Thought the object throwing at Gerrard was a disgrace.

Seems to be creeping back into the game a bit more often of late.

Thought he gave a decent post match interview about the incident as well.

[rage]

riera's starting to look like the guy that played at city and is increasingly ineffective.
doseena is awful - there is no dressing it up.
masch has been **** this season.
torres needs better support.

playing on the counter against a poor french team at home is kinda depressing. hope we improve on monday but i'm increasingly wondering how we're getting through games at the moment.

[Woobus]

playing on the counter against a poor french team at home is kinda depressing. hope we improve on monday but i'm increasingly wondering how we're getting through games at the moment.

Thankfully it seems the other top 3 sides have been struggling as well since the international break. Fingers crossed Arsenal do us a favour over the weekend.

[Redspin]

LOL. We seem to have exceptionally high standards and high expectations don't we? We conquer the top teams in europe on a regular basis and after each conquest their always seems to be a post mortem on here to discuss how badly we played. I say that we got the job done, our defensive held them off late on and thats what we do best when we are ahead. Well done to all the players and Rafa n co on another qualification (with a game to spare) from a difficult group.

On the subject of Babel- I don't think its very clever to write off his Liverpool career just because he is not first choice at the moment. Im pretty certain he hasn't been involved the last 2 games purely because he has been mouthing off in the press. Iv no doubt that he will get games this season, we have a very busy period coming up and its up to Babel to show his worth.

Dossena- Yeah he looked shaky when he came on last night and was getting turned and beat easily at first but then did he not recover? Im pretty sure that i remember him blocking shots and covering for our centre halfs when the pressure started to mount. Im also sure i remember seeing him winning a couple of corners up the other end. I wouldn't write him off just yet, he said himself that he is not playing well and he is obviously short of confidence. Clearly he is struggling for pace but i think he could sort it out. Might take a month or 2 so i wouldnt write off him off just yet

First sensible post in this thread

[Tee]

Why is Dossena not playing in the reserves? Surely that is a good way for him to get used to playing in this country, albeit at a much lower level but helpful IMO nonetheless.

[Redspin]

Our best passing football displays are when Xabi and Gerrard play in the middle. Our best displays, although not pretty, were against united and chelsea becuase the results were right. I don't think we've played a full 90 minutes to our potential yet in a dominating passing attacking performance yet, maybe not even 70 minutes in one match.

We turn into a counter attacking team with Mascherano playing. For me Mascherano is a specialist that should only be called upon when needed, namely the big games and away. The same goes for Dirk.

I don't think we have the players in the squad to play like Brazil against the big boys and I think Rafa knows this by bringing teams down to our level by squeezing the play and creating pressure and then hitting teams on the counter attack.

Against the lesser teams at home we need to dictate the play and need more passers, and less runners and tacklers on the pitch.

Still overall, joint top in the league, qualified in europe, not playing at all well with lots of room to improve. I'm happy.

I disagree 100% with your view on the Man U game - and the Chelsea one for that matter. After the first 20 minutes against Man U when they scored and had one near miss we totally took control, played fine attacking football, made them look extremely average - they never remotely looked like scoring after we equalised - and but for a combination of wasteful finishing and good saves by their keeper should have put at least 4 past them and it would not have flattered us. If you think somehow that we "brought them down to our level" and only hit them on the break, I suggest you try to watch a recording of the game.

Against Chelsea we were comfortably better than them in every area of the pitch and thoroughly deserved our win. Let's not forget that no other team had managed to win there in an extremely long time. Had Man U or Arsenal gone to Stamford Bridge and put in a similar performance and won everyone would have been praising them to the heavens and lauding the tactical acumen of their managers.

I fully expect to have our achievements and performances glossed over and denigrated on Sky Sports and the like, but it's getting like that on here now.

[MrMichael]

I disagree 100% with your view on the Man U game - and the Chelsea one for that matter. After the first 20 minutes against Man U when they scored and had one near miss we totally took control, played fine attacking football, made them look extremely average - they never remotely looked like scoring after we equalised - and but for a combination of wasteful finishing and good saves by their keeper should have put at least 4 past them and it would not have flattered us. If you think somehow that we "brought them down to our level" and only hit them on the break, I suggest you try to watch a recording of the game.

Against Chelsea we were comfortably better than them in every area of the pitch and thoroughly deserved our win. Let's not forget that no other team had managed to win there in an extremely long time. Had Man U or Arsenal gone to Stamford Bridge and put in a similar performance and won everyone would have been praising them to the heavens and lauding the tactical acumen of their managers.

I fully expect to have our achievements and performances glossed over and denigrated on Sky Sports and the like, but it's getting like that on here now.

We played by far our best football of the season in those two games, we were genuinely good and fully deserved both victories

[The Erectile Banana]

We played by far our best football of the season in those two games, we were genuinely good and fully deserved both victories

Agreed. I thought we were especially outstanding in the Chelsea game - played some lovely football and controlled the game from start to finish.

[DannyMan2006]

We are actually a very good team on the attack when our players do so like they have nothing to lose. When down and out this season we have been great, when epecting to lose they have also played good football.

We need to be more attacking tactics wise against the lesser teams. 4-4-2 seems the best option for me. Whether that is Gerrard and Alonso in the centre or Mascher and Alonso wit Stevie on the right. Maybe Keane and Torres up front or possibly Torres and Babel. Maybe Babel on the right.

Any of the above would suit. Not particularly because I feel we are any better with that formation. I just feel that we would be sending the right signal to our players and to our opponents. As well as to the fans.

[Craig_H]

If Lucas was given a sustained run in the team, he may well do...but if he is just given a run here and there, and expected to make an instant impact.

Last season, when he was given a run in place of Alonso, he started to show glimpses of the player he may become.

You said that almost as if you believe it