Braga post-match

[Rudo]

Sunderland will fancy their chances on Sunday and so they should.

[TheElephantMan]

We are a completely different team with Suarez in it.

That is all I really have to say in this thread

We are limited creatively without Suarez and Gerrard, Meireles has come good recently. I have massive reservations about our other offensive players. Cole is a bit rubbish, Kuyt lacks pace (I really appreciate what he offers though) and Maxi doesn't do enough for me. Carroll might become a great player, but we must stop hoofing the ball up to him.

[Mostar]

Sunderland will fancy their chances on Sunday and so they should.

I think we will fancy our chances as we should.

Suarez and Carroll could be an extremely deadly partnership and if they start rolling on Sunday, Sunderland imo has a lot to be fearful of.

[Fosterbloke]

To be fair, we've got Stevie injured and Luis cup tied. Stevie and Luis are important players. Had they played, we would have got through.

I think blaming the loss of two players is a little shortsighted.

The real problem is that Liverpool aren't coached into the playing style that we want to see. To their credit, Manure and Barcelona play to the same style whether their star players are available or not. The difference in class or skill might be telling but you can bet it will be the same style and it means replacements can slot in more comfortably.

It will take a good few years and some new players before we get to this level.

[Lecter]

Sunderland will fancy their chances on Sunday and so they should.

So did United after watching us against West Ham

[Lecter]

Carroll might become a great player, but we must stop hoofing the ball up to him.

Problem last night was that he wasnt just an offensive option he was our ONLY offensive option.

Put Suarez alongside him and you have far more options

[Exiled_red]

I think there is something seriously wrong with the attitude of our alot of our players, because they look like they don't give a ****, they need a rocket up their arse. That last night was dire, by the middle of the first half I said the only way we would score would be from a set piece, because we didn't look like creating anything. If last night's performance was anything to go by it looks like the Carroll signing has inspired us to just start playing hoof balls up field and we have completely forgotten how to play football.

A defensive partnership without Agger just tends to resort to hoofs, Wilson is nowhere near ready for first team football with us (loan next season). We really lack players in midfield with the ability or drive to create anything.

[The Birdman]

It occured to me this morning that Joe Cole played his best football with an attack minded left back behind him providing width so he could drift inside without clogging up the play.
Insua anyone??

He would have improved every single aspect of our team this season

[el matador]

i thought joe cole looked pretty sharp and was unlucky with a couple of bits of play. im not sure why danny wilson didnt push on down the left because the team looked unbalanced in attack.

without gerrard and suarez were not good enough. ive given meireles a lot of stick recently and in the first half he hid from the ball and was abject. i think someone ****ted him on the head and he woke up, and thereafter showed some desire and urgency. i think his improvement was the reason for our improvement in the second half.

the fullbacks have got to be better going forward and those long diagonal balls from carra to carroll should be used sparingly not all the time.

its a huge disappointment as effectively our season has finished in march.

[SimonNo7]

i thought joe cole looked pretty sharp and was unlucky with a couple of bits of play. im not sure why danny wilson didnt push on down the left because the team looked unbalanced in attack.

without gerrard and suarez were not good enough. ive given meireles a lot of stick recently and in the first half he hid from the ball and was abject. i think someone ****ted him on the head and he woke up, and thereafter showed some desire and urgency. i think his improvement was the reason for our improvement in the second half.

the fullbacks have got to be better going forward and those long diagonal balls from carra to carroll should be used sparingly not all the time.

its a huge disappointment as effectively our season has finished in march.

So did I. He was probably the only player with a bit of flair and actually attempted to use this flair to take people on rather than the usual, slow, obvious little passes to a team mate who generally has an opposition player around him as he hasn't moved into space, or moved full stop.

[cream]

It occured to me this morning that Joe Cole played his best football with an attack minded left back behind him providing width so he could drift inside without clogging up the play.
Insua anyone??

He would have improved every single aspect of our team this season

Why so mediocre?

[Tee]

Very disappointing display. Our team/style of play does require some serious surgery. We may need to take some pain in the short term but our plan should be long term now.

Can I suggest that Carra is equipped with an exploding necklace (like the one Arnie had on at the beginning of Running Man) which detonates when he hoofs it.

Jesus wept for Scottish football if Danny Wilson is one of their brightest prospects.

Joe Cole had a few moments and looks like he could be getting some kind of form back. Still not what we require long term though.

Skrtel. Please someone just get rid of this ****ing clown this summer.

Pepe - so long, Adios, Adieu, Aurevoir....

Dirk Kuyt. Time to cash in whilst we can.

Maxi - such a shame that we did not sign him a few years ago. A proper footballer in a dishevelled team.

[Mark3]

i thought joe cole looked pretty sharp and was unlucky with a couple of bits of play. im not sure why danny wilson didnt push on down the left because the team looked unbalanced in attack.

without gerrard and suarez were not good enough. ive given meireles a lot of stick recently and in the first half he hid from the ball and was abject. i think someone ****ted him on the head and he woke up, and thereafter showed some desire and urgency. i think his improvement was the reason for our improvement in the second half.

the fullbacks have got to be better going forward and those long diagonal balls from carra to carroll should be used sparingly not all the time.

its a huge disappointment as effectively our season has finished in march.

Our season was almost over when we went out of the FA Cup. This competition was winnable, but only if our creative players (Agger, Gerrard) were going to be available throughout. This lesson was shown at home in the group stages.

The rot set in under Hodgson this season with his negativity and out-dated tactics that countered everything that had gone before and is being taught in the Academy. Kenny has been trying to get this team to catch up ever since.

Given Braga's setup last night, with their captain (name excapes me) sitting in front of the back 4, Cole should have been pressing him throughout to disrupt this central back 3, not unlike Gerrard on Essien at Stamford Bridge in seasons past. He didn't and Meireles and Lucas were outnumbered in midfield as he drifted across the front of their defence.

The pace of passes forward suffered as a result because Braga pressed very effectively and closed off the channels. The only width came from Johnson and this was limited, with him often being pressed by two defenders before he could cross or get to the byline. Hence the predominance of long diagonal balls to Carroll, an easier option to defend against.

The future?

A latter-day John Barnes is needed to be the outball and provide the width from getting behind defences. This would allow Gerrard/Meireles to play narrowly on the opposite flank providing diagonals into Carroll as part of the attacking options. Not sure Adam would do this and I'm struggling to think of alternatives.

Suarez can be a latter-day Beardsley behind Carroll (or equivalent of Keegan behind Toshack for those of longer memory like me), which is an exiting prospect given his performances since arriving.

If possible, bring Alonso back. Shelvey isn't ready, and Spearing, although bright after he came on last night, isn't at the level we need.

That said, we need to believe that we can get 5th. Without this we're in a 3 year recovery programme.

Time to re-engage lurker cloaking device and do some work...

[badpiggy]

Our season was almost over when we went out of the FA Cup. This competition was winnable, but only if our creative players (Agger, Gerrard) were going to be available throughout. This lesson was shown at home in the group stages.

The rot set in under Hodgson this season with his negativity and out-dated tactics that countered everything that had gone before and is being taught in the Academy. Kenny has been trying to get this team to catch up ever since.

Given Braga's setup last night, with their captain (name excapes me) sitting in front of the back 4, Cole should have been pressing him throughout to disrupt this central back 3, not unlike Gerrard on Essien at Stamford Bridge in seasons past. He didn't and Meireles and Lucas were outnumbered in midfield as he drifted across the front of their defence.

The pace of passes forward suffered as a result because Braga pressed very effectively and closed off the channels. The only width came from Johnson and this was limited, with him often being pressed by two defenders before he could cross or get to the byline. Hence the predominance of long diagonal balls to Carroll, an easier option to defend against.

The future?

A latter-day John Barnes is needed to be the outball and provide the width from getting behind defences. This would allow Gerrard/Meireles to play narrowly on the opposite flank providing diagonals into Carroll as part of the attacking options. Not sure Adam would do this and I'm struggling to think of alternatives.

Suarez can be a latter-day Beardsley behind Carroll (or equivalent of Keegan behind Toshack for those of longer memory like me), which is an exiting prospect given his performances since arriving.

If possible, bring Alonso back. Shelvey isn't ready, and Spearing, although bright after he came on last night, isn't at the level we need.

That said, we need to believe that we can get 5th. Without this we're in a 3 year recovery programme.

Time to re-engage lurker cloaking device and do some work...

Hang on a sec:

Reactionary post? No
Calling players cunts? No.
Blaming Carra and SG for sacking Rafa, the Japanese tsunami, the extinction of dinosaurs and starting the great fire of London? No.

Best go back to lurking alright man - your style of analysis isn't welcome here.

[Arn]

KK can blame our lack of creativity as much as he want but he didn't do a thing to change it.

Spearing instead of Pacheco when he took off Maxi won't make us more creative. It will make us better defensively but not better in attack.