Chelsea v Liverpool - post match thread

[DannyMan2006]

If you sit back against a very good team you are asking for trouble. Its only a matter of time before they will find a key to the door. Riera was terrible, Johnson looked reluctant to move forward and lucas and masher couldnt get the ball to gerrard.

Gerrard couldnt link up with torres and therefore influence the game and tactically we got it wrong.

We didn't sit back. We did for spells, but so did Chelsea. Us more so of course because Chelsea are the home team, but for the first half hour we were the attacking team.

Watch any game between the top teams and each team will sit back at different points in the game, with the side behind or the home team doing the most pressing.

Today was a big game and such games are decided by a mistake, a bit of magic and a player taking his chances. Mascherano made a mistake, Skrtel made a mistake by not getting close, Drogba put in an excellent cross. Anelka took his chance.

[Norbs]

typical

It's all Lucas's fault

Yes it was Lucas not Mascherano that gave the ball away needlessly for them to score the first.

Again it was his falult for the second when he wasnt on the pitch

One word..........pathetic

Grow up!!

Lucas made a number of important blocks. Kill Lucas

[andrewces38]

Which so happen to be an important time of the season too get a foothold in the league and not fall behind.

Is there anytime In the season that was not important?

How ****ing negative and stupid are people on here?

Lucas is to blame? The manager signed an Injured player!!! for **** sake get a grip people .Chelsea have just as much right to win at their place as we do ,So it's no crime that we lost ,as last season proved it's not about losing against the big four that will hurt us , It's the drawing against the shyte that cost us.

Ok we lost and to be fair we didn't create enough chances to win it but Lucas was one of the better players , Gerrard was worse ,Torres was worse Carra was worse and yet Lucas is to blame?..............And here's me thinking that we have the most knowledgable fans in the country!!!

I think that on times some of us should just sit back take stock and think before making kneejerk comments , and the others .............should have gone to specsavers

[ronanm]

Lucas was the best player we had today imo. Did nothing wrong.

[DannyMan2006]

If we get through these matches and are still within 6 points off top, we have every chance.

Agreed.

[DannyMan2006]

Lucas made a number of important blocks. Kill Lucas

Lucas was the best player we had today imo. Did nothing wrong.

Lucas was like 18-19 other players on the pitch. Average. No great shame in that.

Or you could say all were good because they cancelled each other out.

[DannyMan2006]

Let's look at it this way.

Had Chelsea beat Wigan and Man Utd beat Sunderland, and we had drawn today.

We would be six points of Chelsea and six points of Man Utd.

Instead we are still six points of Chelsea and only four points of Man Utd.

Of course, other teams have gained ground - but I am talking about winning the title and if we come above Chelsea and Man Utd we win the league.

[ric.williams]

drogba was up to his usual antics today the pick of the bunch bein the one were he went down with no one near him a good few seconds after the challenge

i hate him but he is really effective and wins many a free kick

[DannyMan2006]

drogba was up to his usual antics today the pick of the bunch bein the one were he went down with no one near him a good few seconds after the challenge

i hate him but he is really effective and wins many a free kick

He was but he also created two goals. The firs a sublime cross and the other out muscling Carra, as he usually does - And TBF to Carra, can do against any CB in world football when he is on his game.

[Finnish_Red]

agree with this, the 2 best offensive full backs were always going to cancel each other out.....too scared of being caught out.

Plus they got Anelkas speed on the left too.

Hate it how our oppositions corners make me **** bricks and ours are most of the time totally useless. We were outfought in the air tonight and they finished their chances more clinically.

Of course the dogbreath got away with his diving/cheating, and just to rub it in assisted both goals

[FatTony]

We did well in the first half, though didn't really create anything.

I don't rate Skrtel but have to take my hat off to him today, I thought he did really well. We didn't really seem to be up for it though, even though we did alright, there was no real tension to the game and less passion than I would normally expect.

8 games and an almost 40% defeat rate is concerning, but what worries me more than anything is the amount of players from midfield forward who seem to be too scared to shoot. We seem to have a number of players who will only shoot if they have no alternative, Babel, Lucas and Kuyt have all squandered chances lately where they've chosen to pass the ball into trouble rather than take the obvious choice and try and score.

We have a real danger of dropping out of the top 4. Many have pointed towards the likes of Spurs, Villa and Citeh as those most likely to dispatch us, and we've lost against 2 of them already. Spurs sit above, whilst Villa sit 3 points below us with 2 games in hand. Villa fortunately have 2 difficult games coming up whilst Spurs have 2 bankers. We on the other hand have a run of games that could be make or destory our season, away against a Sunderland side who will be up for it following this weekends result, Lyon, Man Utd and Arsenal. By Wednesday the 4th November the season could be all but over.

[Leyton388]

Is there anytime In the season that was not important?

How ****ing negative and stupid are people on here?

Lucas is to blame? The manager signed an Injured player!!! for **** sake get a grip people .Chelsea have just as much right to win at their place as we do ,So it's no crime that we lost ,as last season proved it's not about losing against the big four that will hurt us , It's the drawing against the shyte that cost us.

Ok we lost and to be fair we didn't create enough chances to win it but Lucas was one of the better players , Gerrard was worse ,Torres was worse Carra was worse and yet Lucas is to blame?..............And here's me thinking that we have the most knowledgable fans in the country!!!

I think that on times some of us should just sit back take stock and think before making kneejerk comments , and the others .............should have gone to specsavers

After the performances we have put in against any decent team this season there is reason to be negative as our defence has been nowhere near good enough. Lucas was not to blame for the defeat today as that can be laid at the door of Mash for losing the ball. I just find it hard to believe that Lucas is or will ever be good enough to play in the liverpool midfield.

Ignoring our shortcomings and painting a rosy picture of it is stupid!

[red g]

After the performances we have put in against any decent team this season there is reason to be negative as our defence has been nowhere near good enough. Lucas was not to blame for the defeat today as that can be laid at the door of Mash for losing the ball. I just find it hard to believe that Lucas is or will ever be good enough to play in the liverpool midfield.

Ignoring our shortcomings and painting a rosy picture of it is stupid!

I agree, but lucas is and will always be good enough as a squad player imo. We are without our main midfield dynamo (hopefully) and our best ball playing centre back.

The worry for me is we are still massively over reliant on gerrard and Torres and dont see that changing soon.

[vonk]

I've been very critical of Lucas but I thought he played well today. He is good in games like this where he does not need to be creative. He won some good balls today. Dirk Kuyt on the other hand is **** in games like this. His hard work gets him a reprieve against weaker teams but I thought he was truly our worst player today. His first touch let him down a lot and he lost the ball so many times. Riera was like Kuyt, too ineffective in the final third. Those two and Gerrard offered way too little support to Torres. Only when Benayoun came on did we even look like scoring. Mascherano played well, I thought, despite being at fault for the goal.

Overall we were containing them, but it's a risky plan and it proved that way. We have no plan B when the tight defensive one that Rafa prefers fails. It was going well until Mascherano's mistake. Once that happened it was perfect for Chelsea, they could sit and wait to hit us on the break. I can't understand the criticism of Insua, I thought he was our best full back. Johnson's final ball was poor when he got into decent positions. Gerrard had little impact again and he needs to get out of this strop he seems to be in.

Overall, gutted about the result, but I think this game shows why we won't be champions this year. Last year was our best chance because Arsenal and Chelsea stumbled badly and the scum were poorer than normal but had enough in the end. We play a typically defensive game and although Rafa is trying to change it this year, the over-reliance on the goals of Torres and Gerrard is a huge problem. Players like Kuyt, Riera, Babel, and Benayoun for the most part get found out against the better teams. Sure, Gerrard was poor today and Benny was good when he came on but I'm talking in general terms. Riera and Kuyt today never threatened to get beyond their markers or even score. They just look for Gerrard or Torres all the time. The amount of floated crosses looking for Torres was criminal, especially against Terry who is dominant in the air.

Unless Aquliani settles immediately and turns out to be the playmaker we dream of, or unless the two pricks give Rafa the money to buy another striker and a couple of wingers then I think we will have to settle for top 4. Even that, right now, is no certainty.

[ric.williams]

thought riera offered little today, id have prefered yossi