Stoke: Post Match.

[Fredo]

Assaidi has gone to the African Nations Cup that's why he's not featured.

[kemm1]

I know you're not a big fan of Henderson but his energy has made a difference when he's been on the pitch. Alternatively Diame is available and he could be a very muscular addition. But Lucas Allen he do are all capable of forming a very solid midfield 3.

Kennys biggest mistake last season was not bringing in a replacement for Lucas and persisting with Adam in central midfield.

Henderson is mediocre and is not the answer and I see no improvement when he's on the pitch, 18 million or whatever down the drain.

[Jaymo]

Why are our players scared of physical strikers?

It bemuses me.

[red g]

Assaidi has gone to the African Nations Cup that's why he's not featured.

Did he go 4 months early?

[dww]

Correct me if I'm wrong not seen a single mention of why we lost?

For me we couldn't handle Jones. He won virtually every aerial duel, which allowed Stoke an easy out ball and got them into our half all too easy.

Neither Agger or Skrtel could stop him. Perhaps Coates with his height would have stood more of a chance - or this imaginary tall defensive midfield warrior we are crying out for could have dropped deeper to make things uncomfortable.

Rodgers got his tactics totally wrong last night - again. Yes we all know the squad is lacking but he's getting the basics wrong more often than not.

I think in the past Lucas has been good at the dropping back/challenging in the air part of this job. Not sure whether he is back to his full ability yet or just being used differently now.

I'm not sure whether Rodgers is getting things wrong tactically or we are failing to do what we need to do. For example - the first goal was Skrtel left exposed and slipped when caught in two minds? I thought he just slipped - an individual error. The corner looked like **** marking - hard to tell if that was systematic or individual. Looked to me like we neither marked the zone at the corner of the 6 yard box or the player. Without knowing what was supposed to happen hard to know who to fault.

For me the biggest problem is that we have a lack of out balls and we don't make the pitch 'big' in the way that Xavi and Iniesta are so good at doing for Barcelona. The possession as defence philosophy is only workable if you have some control over where you have the ball as well as the fact you have it IMO, otherwise you end up in effect pressurizing yourself.

[yamiedo]

I reckon Stoke would have been more fired up than usual last night. Specifically because of Gerrard. His comments about Everton playing like Stoke probably pissed them off and I noticed Gerrard got the loudest boos on the ball.

[ChesterDave]

I wouldn't take booing Gerrard to mean anything. They cheered thow-ins louder than the final whistle.

[yamiedo]

TO be fair to the Stoke fans they were some force last night. I think our players folded under the pressure of the fans jeering and their constant pressing.

[BigChief]

There are lots of reasons we lost. But I'll focus on the following:
1) Rodgers is trying to blood newbies Suso and Shelvey this season when we can 'afford to lose' games. No way will under performers like those two feature in Brendan's 'firing season'.
2) We yet again had our chances to score and Suarez/Shelvey fooked them up again.
3) Stoke were awesome. They would have beaten any team from the prem in that form. Their finishing and passing was also exceptional. We weren't that bad, their best game of the season made us look that bad.
4) Rodgers got the tactics wrong, as Hoddle remarked we should have played the game much higher up the pitch to negate the long balls to Jones. They didn't have pace to break through, only height.