Liverpool vs Lyon pre match discussion

[Exiled_red]

Obviously a pretty tough game but i think we'll see an improvement in the performance. I'd expect to see a team like this:

Reina

Johnson
Carra
Agger
Insua

Mascherano
Lucas

Benayoun
Gerrard
Riera

Kuyt

Although i think playing Ngog up top could be an option with Kuyt right, Benni central and Gerrard dropping into CM instead of Lucas.

To be honest I don't think we can be *that* bad again (at least I hope not). I hope we don't play Kuyt up top on his own, he's just not suited to it IMO. I think Ngog would be a better option

[The Erectile Banana]

For some reason this game has just put me in mind of this

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuXdhow3uqQ&feature=related"]YouTube - Foux Du FaFa[/ame]

I tried to embed the video but realise I have no idea how to. Wait it worked!

[cream]

Obviously a pretty tough game but i think we'll see an improvement in the performance. I'd expect to see a team like this:

Reina

Johnson
Carra
Agger
Insua

Mascherano
Lucas

Benayoun
Gerrard
Riera

Kuyt

Although i think playing Ngog up top could be an option with Kuyt right, Benni central and Gerrard dropping into CM instead of Lucas.

That's the strongest possible team we could play and yet we don't have a proper striker. We can't play 4-2-3-1 without Torres and we have a pretty average team for a 4-4-2. Lose Torres and we lose the only formation we're any good at.

[saj]

My starting XI

Reina

Johnson
Carra
Agger
Insua

Mascherano
Lucas

Benayoun
Gerrard
Riera

Beachball

[TerryJ]

My starting XI

Reina

Johnson
Carra
Agger
Insua

Mascherano
Lucas

Benayoun
Gerrard
Riera

Beachball

Looks good mate but I'd play Ngog up top and swap the beachball for Lucas

[Marky]

The Crow to start.

[PTP]

Make of it what you will - got a text from a mate this morning with starting XI - he also text me early last saturday and had the team spot on, his source is close to a player apparently

-------------------reina---------------

Johnson------Agger--------Carra--------Insua

Kuyt---------Masch--------Lucas---------Yossi

------------------Gerrard---------------

-------------------Ngog-----------------


As a say make of it what u want. I'd usually ignore it but he got it spot last saturday morning about 9am, including spearing so it would have been one hell of a guess

[the rev leeroy brown]

i'd start with:

reina

johnson
skrtel
agger
aurelio

gerard
mash

kyut
yossi
riera

babel

cava, carra, insua, spearing, ngog, voronin, lucas benched

[cream]

Make of it what you will - got a text from a mate this morning with starting XI - he also text me early last saturday and had the team spot on, his source is close to a player apparently

-------------------reina---------------

Johnson------Agger--------Carra--------Insua

-------------Masch--------Lucas-------------

---Kuyt-----------Gerrard------------Yossi

-------------------Ngog-----------------


As a say make of it what u want. I'd usually ignore it but he got it spot last saturday morning about 9am, including spearing so it would have been one hell of a guess

That would make sense really, minimum disruption.

[The Erectile Banana]

Make of it what you will - got a text from a mate this morning with starting XI - he also text me early last saturday and had the team spot on, his source is close to a player apparently

-------------------reina---------------

Johnson------Agger--------Carra--------Insua

Kuyt---------Masch--------Lucas---------Yossi

------------------Gerrard---------------

-------------------Ngog-----------------


As a say make of it what u want. I'd usually ignore it but he got it spot last saturday morning about 9am, including spearing so it would have been one hell of a guess

I'd be happy with that. I think it's the best team we can put out in the circumstances.

[DannyMan2006]

Make of it what you will - got a text from a mate this morning with starting XI - he also text me early last saturday and had the team spot on, his source is close to a player apparently

-------------------reina---------------

Johnson------Agger--------Carra--------Insua

Kuyt---------Masch--------Lucas---------Yossi

------------------Gerrard---------------

-------------------Ngog-----------------


As a say make of it what u want. I'd usually ignore it but he got it spot last saturday morning about 9am, including spearing so it would have been one hell of a guess

Like it. As Cream pointed out the lack of a decent back up for Torres is our real problem, but with the options we have then either he or Babel is the best solution. And after a decent display against Leeds I think N'Gog deserves the chance.

Add Aquilani and Torres to that line up for Lucas and N'Gog and i think that is as good as they come when all are on form.

[PTP]

Like it. As Cream pointed out the lack of a decent back up for Torres is our real problem, but with the options we have then either he or Babel is the best solution. And after a decent display against Leeds I think N'Gog deserves the chance.

Add Aquilani and Torres to that line up for Lucas and N'Gog and i think that is as good as they come when all are on form.

- On paper we have a good, in fact potentially excellent first XI, we i'd say half a dozen or so decent back players - The issue is for me, we lack say 2 excellent back up players - in the sense that say arsenal the other day started with Arshavin on the bench! **** me imagine being able to do that

There is too much of a gap from the starting XI and the bench - an example of this is up front which is something i desperatly wanted sorting during the summer

Ok, we have torres - world beater, and Ngog i like the look of young raw potential - but we have nothing inbetween them! Voronin is shocking, Babel is woeful - you look at some of the other teams and there options and you shake ur head - Look away from the other 3 of the top 4 and maybe even city due to their financial clout! - Not saying we should sign or even could sign them but - there are players like Defoe, Crouch, Keane(who i think didn't get a fair crack of the whip) Carlton Cole, Darren Bent, even people like Kevin Davies, Kenwynn Jones, Abonglahor, Carew, ****ing heskey, etc - All of which I'd happily have over voronin to fill in that gap between Torres and Ngog

In an ideal world were we had some money and the will to be a big club, we'd have kept Arbeloa to challenge Johnson at Rb, Sami would have stayed to give us the excellent cover in the middle, Alonso would have stayed and we still would have signed Aquilani, and we would have brought in the cover for torres!!! thats what a big club would have done had they just finished 2nd and wanted to push on

[Exiled_red]

Make of it what you will - got a text from a mate this morning with starting XI - he also text me early last saturday and had the team spot on, his source is close to a player apparently

-------------------reina---------------

Johnson------Agger--------Carra--------Insua

Kuyt---------Masch--------Lucas---------Yossi

------------------Gerrard---------------

-------------------Ngog-----------------


As a say make of it what u want. I'd usually ignore it but he got it spot last saturday morning about 9am, including spearing so it would have been one hell of a guess

That would make sense really, minimum disruption.

I'd be happy with that. I think it's the best team we can put out in the circumstances.

I hope that's right

[Exiled_red]

Like it. As Cream pointed out the lack of a decent back up for Torres is our real problem, but with the options we have then either he or Babel is the best solution. And after a decent display against Leeds I think N'Gog deserves the chance.

Add Aquilani and Torres to that line up for Lucas and N'Gog and i think that is as good as they come when all are on form.

I'd take Ngog over Babel. I don't understand why people keep clinging to the hope that Babel will come good if given the chances or played in the right position, for me he's just not up to it.

[DannyMan2006]

I'd take Ngog over Babel. I don't understand why people keep clinging to the hope that Babel will come good if given the chances or played in the right position, for me he's just not up to it.

He is a very frustrating player who plays at his correct level in the big games. It is his motivation that needs addressing. I don't think it's intentional on his part though.