Any Links for tonights friendly

[rudedog]

Johnson and Insua were our 2 best players by far. Thought Darby gave a decent showing too.

[El Diego]

How were Darby and Spearing?? Did Kelly come on??

[BigChief]

The game was played through Spearing in the first half, even Gerrard stepped away when Spearing was roaming. He's a good little player yet to show more, maybe not ready for a full flight of games just yet but certainly needs premiership introduction. Insua was bl**dy great, as usual nowadays for him. Darby is solid and maybe a good option when we're defensive minded. However, play just stopped with him a bit like when Carra plays RB. Kelly was very impressive, miles better than (imo) the unimpressive Ayala and San Jose. Didn't Kelly get a CL taster last season? He's probably as good a backup as Evans for manure.

[RedReet]

Johnson and Insua were our 2 best players by far. Thought Darby gave a decent showing too.

Totally agree. Insua never ceases to impress and Johnson looked very very good.

Also enjoyed watching Lucas. He started a bit rusty with a few wayward passes (which people will probably focus more on) but was always looking to play the right ball which is more important at this stage. As the game progressed he looked more and more comfortable and was always available to receive the ball.

[Craig_H]

I'd say Benayoun is equally not as quick and three hundred times weaker than Voronin but has adapted. Maybe he needs to play in this new attacking Liverpool we're finally seeing. Glen on the other hand can win us games with a deft run, pass, cross or goal. His attacking positional sense is on par with Gerrard and Torres - and that's just from one warm up game!

Yossi's not a striker though mate, it's different.

As for Johnson - it's precisely that you've concluded it from one warm up game, against a Swiss 2nd division side, that makes me think of the need not to get carried away.

[el matador]

not bad for our first showing of the season against a team that are probably 3 or 4 weeks ahead of us in terms of fitness and preparation.

Unlike everyone else, I thought babel looked sharp yesterday. Voronin looked useful and is a better player than others gives him credit for. Insua looks ready to go and carra doesnt look like he's been away.

Second half, Ngog looks like he could definitely come on this year, yossi and dirk were solid but you do expect that from seasoned pros, plessis did nothing wrong and Johnson looks very accomplished. Good in posession and a definite threat going forward.

Kelly also looked very good for his 35 mins and his tackle on the gambian lad was excellent and skrtel also looked very solid.

Good run out for the lads.

[Chrono]

Not read through all the thread but I think first half best two players were Insua and Voronin. Second half I would say Johnson looked very very impressive and Benny looks like he is still playing some fantastic football.

I would say that everyone was fairly decent and had a good runout but Degen looked woeful

[BigChief]

Yossi's not a striker though mate, it's different.

As for Johnson - it's precisely that you've concluded it from one warm up game, against a Swiss 2nd division side, that makes me think of the need not to get carried away.

Confused. Voronin played in Benayoun's position, i.e. behind the main striker (Nemeth). And from what I could see he was the only tower of strength against big defenders, everyone else (Babel and Nemeth spent most of the game on the floor). You also must have missed the best move of the day where he backheeled in one touch to ??? who should have finished.

As for Glen, I'm not as 'pragmatic' or 'half glass empty' as you so refuse to douse my enthusiasm for his ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck. He's done it often enough in the prem - he ain't no new foreigner coming in for the first time.

[Craig_H]

Confused. Voronin played in Benayoun's position, i.e. behind the main striker (Nemeth). And from what I could see he was the only tower of strength against big defenders, everyone else (Babel and Nemeth spent most of the game on the floor). You also must have missed the best move of the day where he backheeled in one touch to ??? who should have finished.

As for Glen, I'm not as 'pragmatic' or 'half glass empty' as you so refuse to douse my enthusiasm for his ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck. He's done it often enough in the prem - he ain't no new foreigner coming in for the first time.

It's nothing to do with being pragmatic, it's just obvious to realise that opposition such as St Gallen are vastly inferior to PL sides and therefore, one might be bright enough to reserve judgement, or at least not base it on 45 minutes in such a trivial run out.

If you choose to see it for what you want to see it as, then that's upto you. It explains the 'tower of strength' comment in relation to Voronin, certainly

[Chrono]

It's nothing to do with being pragmatic, it's just obvious to realise that opposition such as St Gallen are vastly inferior to PL sides and therefore, one might be bright enough to reserve judgement, or at least not base it on 45 minutes in such a trivial run out.

If you choose to see it for what you want to see it as, then that's upto you. It explains the 'tower of strength' comment in relation to Voronin, certainly

Wouldn't that suggest that he would be not play as well as the others though regardless of the opposition?

[Craig_H]

Wouldn't that suggest that he would be not play as well as the others though regardless of the opposition?

Who are you talking about? I'm trying to work out what you're asking, it's a bit jumbled mate.

Let me put it another way, though. If someone had produced an absolute stinker of a performance, and i'd come on and criticised him for it, would there not be a barrage of 'Dont be stupid' and 'How can you judge based on 45 mins in a preseason friendly' type of posts?

Of course there would. And rightly so.

[Chrono]

Who are you talking about? I'm trying to work out what you're asking, it's a bit jumbled mate.

Voronin I thought although I was lazy in my reading of the thread

[Craig_H]

Fair play. I think Voronin is competent on the ball, has good game intelligence and can finish when he has a bit of time. Under pressure though, i think he lacks the pace and/or strength that a striker needs IMO to be a major success in the PL.

[wiw]

Ignore each other in here please

[red g]

vrononin in looks excellent preseason shocker.......would love to dig out some old posts from his last pre-season but definitely deja vu, not going to get too excited but would be nice if he carried his form through to when it matters