Real Madrid build up

[SB]

Maybe we will start something like this:


_______________Reina

Carra____Hyypia______Skrtel_____Aurelio

Kuyt____Alonso______Mascher___Babel
_______________The Anfield crowd
___________Gerrard
_______________N'gog

Enough to win by two goals methinks

That looks the goods to me

I wouldn't risk Arbers or Torres from the start. ( if they are fit ?)

[dww]

so take it torres, arbeloa and yossi defo out

if so i'd be tempted with

reina

carra--sami---skrtel

kuyt------------------aurelio

-----Gerrard--mascher---Xabi

-------Ngog ----Babel

Really, Christ I hope not. I really think that against a decent team th back three would either cede control of too much of the pitch or leave us exposed on the flanks. The away game showed that under pressure Real struggled to create - for me that means we should keep a compact back 6 in a 4 + 2 holding players with the rest of the team allowed to be flexible to cope with whatever circumstances come about.

We will have to play at least one questionable player IMO. I'd be tempted to put Kuyt against Robben and Babel on the other flank. Alonso and Mascher in the middle with Stevie off Ngog.

I can see Rafa putting Aurelio into midfield though (I guess Dossena behind him).

[Tee]

Desperately gutted I cannot get to the match tonight and just hope the Anfield crowd really turns up the volume. It is critical that we get at them from the first whistle IMO because they are vulnerable at the back and an early goal for us will really bring them out far more and leave enough room on the counter for this to become a rout.

Alternatively if we play it too tight they will sniff out the odd chance and it could become one of those nervy Euro nights.

Torres playing would be a massive boost but with the Man Utd game so close I think he might have to settle for a place on the bench tonight.

[PTP]

Really, Christ I hope not. I really think that against a decent team th back three would either cede control of too much of the pitch or leave us exposed on the flanks. The away game showed that under pressure Real struggled to create - for me that means we should keep a compact back 6 in a 4 + 2 holding players with the rest of the team allowed to be flexible to cope with whatever circumstances come about.

We will have to play at least one questionable player IMO. I'd be tempted to put Kuyt against Robben and Babel on the other flank. Alonso and Mascher in the middle with Stevie off Ngog.

I can see Rafa putting Aurelio into midfield though (I guess Dossena behind him).

fair enough - thats all i could think off with no agger, arbeloa, riera, torres, yossi! - doesn't leave us much we basically have to pick XI from

reina
carragher
skrtel
hyypia
dossena
aurelio
mascherano
alonso
gerrard
lucas
babel
kuyt
ngog
el zhar

anyone i have missed? i am just trying to work out a team that we could field

for me the players that have to start are

reina
carragher
skrtel
aurelio

mascherano
alonso

kuyt

gerrard


so it's fill in the gaps with what we have left???

[dww]

I totally agree with your assessment of the player makeup of the team. If we stick to Rafa's prefered formations of 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 then I think that the 3-4-3 is the riskiest in that if we don't have a very attacking attitude then it becomes a formation all about stiffling the opposition with the wide players effectively as fullbacks a lot of the time. I worry that with Real having good attacking players but a lack of pace except Robben that it hands them the advantage in terms of being able to work him one on one with defenders and is harder to switch emphasis to attack if we get hemmed in.

Knowing Rafa it will probably be Mascher at rightback with Lucas in the middle or something (I'm not sure this is such a bad idea actually but if it went wrong he would be slaughtered).

Is Derby fit/eligible.

Not entirely confined to this game but El Zhar seems to have fallen a bit out of favour since the start of the season.

[PTP]

I heard that darby is not fit -

i kinda see what you mean - i just wouldn't be suprised if rafa did something that noone expects and either lucas or el zhar started

I wouldn't like to see mascher play right back - i think he did a great job along with aurelio on double teaming robben who for me is their major threat and i'd like to see him doing the same again from midfield.

Surely then - carra HAS to play right back for the team!! or we give arbeloa some ketamine and get him out there - as much as torres is a superstar - i actually feel at the mo getting arbeloa playing is more important for this game!! - if we have a fully fit back four of arbeloa, carra, skrtel, aurelio - sit masher in front harrasing their midfield, xabi doing his job, kuyt running his bollocks off, and hope with all that going on we create enough space for gerrard to do something special and kill off the game

if we can get that - then it doesn't matter who the other two players are! they will just need to work hard and keep it simple - so with that in mind for me i'd go with el zhar and ngog over babel/lucas haha

Without arbeloa though! - well that just unbalances the defence! and brings up all kinds of issues!

[cumbriankop]

all this 'liverpool just defend' stuff is pissing me off from the real camp, we've only scored 3 less than full-attack-you've-got-to-love-how-they-just-go-after-teams-andy man u in the league, and are joint 2nd top highest scorers. personally i'd like to see us grind it even more just to piss them off, then get a goal late on again to rub in their faces

[Neil Young]

personally i'd like to see us grind it even more just to piss them off, then get a goal late on again to rub in their faces

That's exactly what's going to happen.

[PTP]

all this 'liverpool just defend' stuff is pissing me off from the real camp, we've only scored 3 less than full-attack-you've-got-to-love-how-they-just-go-after-teams-andy man u in the league, and are joint 2nd top highest scorers. personally i'd like to see us grind it even more just to piss them off, then get a goal late on again to rub in their faces

oh i agree - i think thats funnier, it winds people up even more and i'd ****ing love it tomorrow if all the papers/rival fans etc moan cause we defended well, limited their space and chances and nicked it 1-0 in the 85th minute with a gerrard 30 yrd screamer

[Roboklopp]

i'd like a besiktas repeat to really shut em up

[wiw]

Really, Christ I hope not. I really think that against a decent team th back three would either cede control of too much of the pitch or leave us exposed on the flanks. The away game showed that under pressure Real struggled to create - for me that means we should keep a compact back 6 in a 4 + 2 holding players with the rest of the team allowed to be flexible to cope with whatever circumstances come about.

We will have to play at least one questionable player IMO. I'd be tempted to put Kuyt against Robben and Babel on the other flank. Alonso and Mascher in the middle with Stevie off Ngog.

I can see Rafa putting Aurelio into midfield though (I guess Dossena behind him).

I agree but I think it will be the same as in Madrid.. i.e a compact back 8 with no-one being particularly flexible I really hope not, as it's going to be a stressful game if that's the case. Bet you any money though it will be painfully obvious that the players are massively restricted in where they can move (this isn't really a criticism btw)

[Vermilion]

Would love it if only we went through, ended up being the only club representing the Premiership, would like that i really would.

Unpatriotic...Yes, Selfish...Yes, er.....Small Minded...Ye.......NO! It's just that Liverpools interests must come first....always, and it would be great to see the Scum & Chav's out especially.

[Tee]

Scum will breeze past Inter IMO, Chavs will struggle and Arsenal will walk it as well.

I have a sneaky feeling we will get Arsenal for a Q/F rematch if we bothe get through that is.

[Kenneth]

Would love it if only we went through, ended up being the only club representing the Premiership, would like that i really would.

Unpatriotic...Yes, Selfish...Yes, er.....Small Minded...Ye.......NO! It's just that Liverpools interests must come first....always, and it would be great to see the Scum & Chav's out especially.

Well of course.

[SERVO1]

I can see Rafa playing this team tonight -

Reina
Carra Skrtel Sami Dossena


Babel Alonso Mascher Aurelio

Gerrard

Kuyt