Post Match Thread v Arsenal

[EwarWoo]

I see the sky is falling again

[Marky]

FFS get a grip some people.

Im a satisfied man.

You cant please everyone.

[DaHongDe]

Does anyone know whether Rafa was watching the game on Sky? If so, could Andy Gray have been influencing Rafa and therefore the game?

[EwarWoo]

Does anyone know whether Rafa was watching the game on Sky? If so, could Andy Gray have been influencing Rafa and therefore the game?

rafa taking advice from andy Gray? About as likely as rage being positive.

[el matador]

before the game xabi alonso came out in a newspaper and said that this was near to benitez' idea of a perfect side. Mechanical, efficient and ruthless.

Yesterday we saw the mechanical side of our play, no real efficiency and when arsenal went down to 10 no ruthlessness whatsoever.

We are a counter attacking side plain and simple and when teams dont come out we cant score goals.

Until rafa addresses this we will not win the league. I dont think he has the money or the willingness to invest in creative wide players and attacking full backs because that's not his way because it leaves us vulnerable.

We only play 6 games where we need to worry about the opposition attacks, generally we are expected to have better attacking play than any other team we come across in league games.

Its against united, chelsea and arsenal that we need to play a more controlled and compact game not against wigan or west brom.

Im really disappointed with yesterdays result because even before the arsenal first goal they were there to be had and even more so when we equalised and adebayor was sent off.

We cant break teams down because rafa only knows how to play counter attack and the culture in the english game where the smaller teams only come for a draw is alien to someone who has managed in La Liga.

[Vermilion]

We did ok, away, against a side that nearly always plays very well against the other Top sides.

http://www2.portsmouthtoday.co.uk/blogs/prem_goals/2008/12/watch-liverpools-robbie-keane-equalise.html

[RedSpartan]

Good result, good performance. Pity we didnt push more in second half...once Raffa loses that negative streak (hopefully removed by the surgery)...then expect us toi be ripping all and sundry new A-holes on the march to number 19!

[The_weatherman]

We are a counter attacking side plain and simple and when teams dont come out we cant score goals.

I think most good teams are counter attacking, United, Chelsea at their best, Arsenal are all capable of very direct counter attacks. I think a high percentage of goals are scored in this transition of play where one team loses the ball in an attacking position.

But I agree that we need to add players to the team that can pick open defences and don't need a lot space to operate in, though I think that Keane was meant to be that player.

[Helios Creed]

I think that for us it was a must not lose game and we therfore appeared to be happy with the point, even when it looked as though we could have taken all three. If we'd lost the game, it would have dented our confidence and given Arse a huge boost, even tho on paper they should have won anyway. As it is we got a point and Arse are in even more unsettled than they were before the game.

If we'd won then I think people would have started saying that the title was ours and the pressure would have been too much.

[Roboklopp]

Good result, good performance- could've been better, but I'm not going to complain at that one at all.

We do need to go after the little teams at home more- & that's really why the gloomers are pissed off at yesterday's result. Had we not exercised similar caution at home vs WHam, Hull etc, then that wouldve really been a tidy point.

Hopefully the return of Torres will go a long way to solving our lack of creativity at home & help Keane bed in easier. We seriously need to look at that issue tho.

Very good game from Keane, who I've been saying should be getting more game time. Sweet finish. Poor again from Babel, who I've also been saying should get more play. Hopefully he'll be given time to play his way back into form cos Riera does seem to tire round the hour mark.

Poor game from Stevie, who doesnt suit that role without Torres but Insua and Agger were big positives.

[rudedog]

Good result, good performance- could've been better, but I'm not going to complain at that one at all.

We do need to go after the little teams at home more- & that's really why the gloomers are pissed off at yesterday's result. Had we not exercised similar caution at home vs WHam, Hull etc, then that wouldve really been a tidy point.

Hopefully the return of Torres will go a long way to solving our lack of creativity at home & help Keane bed in easier. We seriously need to look at that issue tho.

Very good game from Keane, who I've been saying should be getting more game time. Sweet finish. Poor again from Babel, who I've also been saying should get more play. Hopefully he'll be given time to play his way back into form cos Riera does seem to tire round the hour mark.

Poor game from Stevie, who doesnt suit that role without Torres but Insua and Agger were big positives.

Pretty much sums up exactly how I feel

[Pass-move]

I think we have to be happy overall. It was a decent performance at a tough place to go, and I would have taken a draw before the game. Disapointing that we didn't show enough after the sending off, but you have to give credit to Arsenal, who were suddenly transformed into an organised unit and driven on by an angry crowd.

Still think we lack cutting edge on the flanks, and hopefully Rafa can pull a rabbit out of the hat during the window.

[BG1973]

lol, 11 vs 10 and we take our striker, who scored off!! JOKE.

we put two fresh strikers on the pitch to replace one knackered one.

your post is the joke.

[Redspin]

that's it laugh all the way to another season without the title. they were there for the taking adown to 10 men, lost their captain and we take off our striker and play for a draw.

today is why we won't win the league under this over defensive minded manager.

That's complete and utter nonsense. I watched a re-run of the game on Arsenal TV just to see what their take on the game was. For what it's worth their commentators conceded that Arsenal took the lead against the run of play and had been "...completely outpassed..." by Liverpool.

If they'd lost a key centre-back I would say that we would have had a good chance of winning, but to lose a lone striker made no difference to the shape of their team apart from making it even less likely that they would score. Watching it again last night, every time we took possession or a move of theirs broke down, they all funnelled back so that all outfield players were in their own half - two banks of four defending very deeply.

If we'd gone all gung-ho and threw everything forward we would have been risking being caught on the break, indeed twice they tried to do this only to fail because of poor play and poor choices by the breaking players.

In the second half it was Liverpool having goal attempts, not Arsenal, who were happy to get behind the ball at any sight of danger.

Their captain's loss made little difference to them as he'd been a very peripheral figure in the first half - and they were only down to 10 men for a little over 25 minutes. It's not like Adebayor was sent off in the first few minutes of the game.

Keane had worked tirelessly and was knackered when he was replaced. Two fresh wide players and a fresh striker doesn't look to me like a defensive attitude. If we'd brought on Hyypia for Keane I'd understand your rant. Mind you, you'd have been whingeing that we should have scored more goals even if we'd got the winner.

[Redspin]

Feel a little flat with that if i am honest. Should of won that and pressed more when they went down to 10 men. Lucas should of come off instead of Riera and keane should of stayed on. Rafa is being to careful at times putting on defensive players when we ned to push for th win. He is to obsessed with the other team rather than his own team at times as he tries to stop the other team winning rather than his own team going for the win.

Maybe I saw a different game, so please remind me what "defensive players" we brought on on Sunday