Liverpool v Sunderland post match thread

[danperkins]

Raul cannot make thing happen for us and Aquilani, given the pre-season, could've been a difference maker.

I was very surprised by some of Kenny's decisions (Flanagan for Kelly, Aquilani not even on the bench, Raul for Suarez etc.) today and I hope happy days are ahead of us

puzzling

[Exiled_red]

Agree on Carra and would like to see him being phased out immediately. His still has a very good positional sense but his agility and ability to cover is getting very limited.

Enrique, on the other hand, to me looked good but reserved. Didn't want to go forward much and preferred to pass as soon as he would touch the ball rather than dribble with it as he has quite a few opportunities to make some good runs inside and out.

I think he'll be a great player for us but needs little bit of time to get comfortable with the players around him.

Absolutely gutted by this result.

We just threw away 2 points that we will have tough time getting back.

I thought Enrique did ok, what did worry me though was the number of times he went long (usually to Carroll). This is a problem with having a big man up front, too often we have the urge to launch balls up to him, and the majority of the time we lose possession, and that was part of the problem in the second half today. In fairness to Enrique he wasn't the only one doing this (particularly late in the game, perhaps a sign of fatigue?), but this is part of our game I wish we'd cut down on.

[Tee]

Good call about Aquilani. He was fit, in form and should have been involved today. Unless a deal has already been agreed to sell him.

[red g]

I thought Enrique did ok, what did worry me though was the number of times he went long (usually to Carroll). This is a problem with having a big man up front, too often we have the urge to launch balls up to him, and the majority of the time we lose possession, and that was part of the problem in the second half today. In fairness to Enrique he wasn't the only one doing this (particularly late in the game, perhaps a sign of fatigue?), but this is part of our game I wish we'd cut down on.

I said before we ahve been doing that for years regardless who is up front, look at fitness before anyhting else imo.

Our pre-season was a piss take.

[davegrady1]

I'd have liked to have seen Aquilani on the bench and have come on in place of Meireles, when Suarez went off and with no Gerrard, Aquilani is the only other player who could offer something creative in the hole.

would have like to have seen him come on, though with little movement around him not sure if he would have been effective and seen the type of performance we have seen from him in pre-season.

[saj]

It sounds to me more like Sunderland made tactical changes at half-time that we failed to deal with. Perhaps Flanagan's youth was part of the problem there, although I can't see how Kelly's slightly greater experience would definitely have made all the difference.

Arn's idea though that Bruce won the tactical battle is wrong IMO. We won the first half, they won the second; Dalglish won the first half tactical battle, Bruce won the second. After all, it was a draw.

Kelly has spent a large period of pre season injured and the last game he played, he was ****e. But he probably would have performed better than Flanagan

[Pablo]

Lee Cattermole is a horrible, horrible cunt

[Mostar]

I thought Enrique did ok, what did worry me though was the number of times he went long (usually to Carroll). This is a problem with having a big man up front, too often we have the urge to launch balls up to him, and the majority of the time we lose possession, and that was part of the problem in the second half today. In fairness to Enrique he wasn't the only one doing this (particularly late in the game, perhaps a sign of fatigue?), but this is part of our game I wish we'd cut down on.

I agree.

It seems almost everything we tried today was to make things happen for Carroll, somehow get the ball to him so he can score and it is very predictable approach and imo helps the defense even more to close him down with ease cause they know what we will try to do.

Few times Downing and Adam went on a run on their own and stroke the ball we almost scored.

We need to involve other players more and Hendo needs to be less passive and more active in going forward.

We had no right side attack until Kuyt came in but by then we were already 1 goal down trying to catch up, which is always difficult.

[Neil Young]

I agree.

It seems almost everything we tried today was to make things happen for Carroll, somehow get the ball to him so he can score and it is very predictable approach and imo helps the defense even more to close him down with ease cause they know what we will try to do.

Few times Downing and Adam went on a run on their own and stroke the ball we almost scored.

We need to involve other players more and Hendo needs to be less passive and more active in going forward.

We had no right side attack until Kuyt came in but by then we were already 1 goal down trying to catch up, which is always difficult.

No we weren't.

[Exiled_red]

I have a feeling that carroll is going to have to score a hat trick every week or he will be given grief.

I thought he played very well, and dont give this bull**** about just lumping it upto the big man, its not his fault and Carra has been doing it for 15 years regardless who is up front.

I think the long balls in general were more a fitness issue than anything else.

We were excellent in that first half and they should have been down to 10men.

All the new players showed enough today to show they are going to be great aquisitions for the future imo.

aprt from Carra and flanagan today everyone showed they can play pass and move just need to get that fitness up.

The long balls up to him aren't his fault, and it does make him look as though he is playing worse than he is if he isn't able to do something with alot of the (difficult) balls that are played/hoofed up to him. He had a good game in terms of attacking balls into the box, but I'd liked to have seen a bit more of him working oustide the box, particularly when Suarez went off.

[Maxiedge]

The ref was a bit funny. Any slight bit of contact on their players and he'd blow up but we weren't given the same luxury.

[Mostar]

No we weren't.

I meant they tied

[cream]

Disappointing, but I think a lot of people are over-reacting. First game of the season, there are another 37 to go and judging by the first half, things are looking positive. Suarez should have put that penalty away and there was nothing wrong with Carroll goal, actually, it was a cracking goal. Gerrard and Johnson to come back yet as well, both were missed today.

[The Birdman]

Typical forum fans
Flanagan didn't play very well but he's 18 ffs. Posters are piling into him on here after 1 game.
1 ****ing game.
He proved last season he knows how to pass and play, give the kid a break.

I'm as dissappointed as anyone but we should have played 85 mins against 10 men, missed the pen, had a goal disallowed, hit the woodwork and we have to accept that if we don't get the 2nd goal teams will have chances of their own

[Exiled_red]

I said before we ahve been doing that for years regardless who is up front, look at fitness before anyhting else imo.

Our pre-season was a piss take.

I know we have always done it to a certain extent, but I do feel that having Carroll, and previously with Crouch the players seem more prone to doing it, even when there are other, often better options available. This isn't the strikers fault, and it often makes them look bad.

I agree it is partly a fitness issue, but I think that we also need to ensure it doesn't become a mentality issue and part of the way we play. Also I think that launching it up to the front man really isn't an effective way to take a breather as more often than not it doesn't stick and you find the opposition coming back at you straight away. Also it produces a stop-start game with no momentum, which more often than not will suit the opposition sides rather than us.