LFC v Arsenal - Match build up thread

[Pablo]

Crazy to think we've still got a completely 2nd choice back 4 out there. If fully fit we'd normally be starting:

Johnson - Sakho - Agger - Enrique

[PTP]

thats what i was laughing at all my everton mates for - they were complaining about their injury woes - at the end of the day though they started the derby with only two first teamers missing - Distin and Coleman

not only are we missing our first choice back line, but it's worsened by the fact we are missing our only true defensive midfielder as well..

johnson------sakho------agger-------enrique

--------------------lucas-----------------------


looks so much better doesn't it

[Fierce]

Crazy to think we've still got a completely 2nd choice back 4 out there. If fully fit we'd normally be starting:

Johnson - Sakho - Agger - Enrique

It's a wonder we haven't been playing as well as we think we should be doing eh Pabs!



Are these accurate?

D Agger Calf/Shin Injury 12th Feb 14
M Sakho Hamstring Injury 8th Feb 14


#PrayingForSakho

[souliv]

Really hope Agger or Sakho are back


I think Allen will be needed to shore up the midfield after the **** up against West Brom this now a must win game

[Reece]

Crazy to think we've still got a completely 2nd choice back 4 out there. If fully fit we'd normally be starting:

Johnson - Sakho - Agger - Enrique

Not sure that's strictly true. Did Sakho and Agger ever start together (as a CB two)?

[Pablo]

Not sure that's strictly true. Did Sakho and Agger ever start together (as a CB two)?

Yep, that back four has never played together. Ever. But still you get my point

[Reece]

Yep, that back four has never played together. Ever. But still you get my point

I think most of us would definitely like to see that four start at some point.

[PTP]

Yep, that back four has never played together. Ever. But still you get my point

argubly the reason they have never played together is i don't think it's ever been an option - we've probably never had all four fit at the same time

[The Birdman]

I would bite your arm off right now for a draw.
Not sure what scares me most, Toure, Cissokho or the horrifying sobering fact that Skrtel has found himself as our best defender (by default, not ability that's for sure)

Allen has to start, for Coutinho I presume.

[Pablo]

How do we play against them? What tactics should we use?

We've tried to compete with their passing game and failed miserably.

Do we instead allow them to have the ball, sit deep and counter attack like we did against Everton? It could backfire dramatically.

I honestly don't think Rodgers has figured it out yet either.

[wiw]

That's hilarious

[PTP]

i think we have to play a midfield three of allen/gerrard/henderson.

that means an attacking trio of sterling, suarez and sturridge. Which means we are asking sterling and one of suarez/sturridge being prepared to drop back and play as a 'left mid' when we don't have the ball.

the important thing is to keep the ball as far away from our back four as possible

[Chris]

Can see this being a battering, we are awful and they are arguably the greatest side on earth. An honour just to share the pitch with them.

[Exiled_red]

this is where our lack of depth has really hurt us....

the likes of toure and cissokho - as squad players for 4 or 5 games spread out over a season coming in as cover is ok - but when you are relying on them as first teamers week in/week out for extending run of games it really is a problem.

playing the two alongside each other is just a nightmare.

i'm also not convinced we have any idea what to do with midfield and haven't done all year. and i've said all season it's what causes us the most problems -

It seems to me our tactic is to try and blow teams away with our attack

but when it doesn't work the midfield get completley over run, thus putting the defence, the makeshift and shakey defence under more and more pressure.



Gerrard, has looked better the last couple of games in this defensive role, but imo henderson has looked a little lost as his role seems to be to try and cover all the attacking players

this is what makes going for wingers in the jan window all the more baffling - we have suarez/sturridge/coutinho/sterling all good enough and if desperate for a couple of games as cover, we have alberto, ibe, aspas and moses to come in and cover the odd games here and there.

yet in midfield we currently have 4 what you would call centre mids on the books - and out of that four both lucas and allen have struggled with injuries

i understand all the arguments against what i am saying "we don't know what goes on behind the scenes" - "maybe there is no value for money in january" - "maybe we felt there is noone available in that position or we don't want to over pay"

i call bollocks on it - I can't believe that there isn't a professional footballer who plays centre midfield who is good enough to come in and help us available anywhere in europe.

there has to have been a few options somewhere.

The midfield hasn't been the best all season, but for me since the Gerrard to DM everything has got worse. Previously from front to back we had Henderson, Gerrard and Lucas as the midfield 3. For me the whole change has been to include an attack of Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling and Coutinho and as you say blow teams away with the attack. Hence the midfield has been modified with Coutinho playing the furthest forward midfield role, with Henderson and Gerrard dropping back a role and Lucas missing out. For me if we wanted to go down this route it should have been one of Henderson or Coutinho and keep everyone else in their favoured position. That setup wasn't perfect but it was better than what we had been doing. With Lucas out now though we have to find other options. I think we need to go more defensive in certain games - this being one of them, otherwise we will be overrun (again) in midfield.

[Exiled_red]

I think most of us would definitely like to see that four start at some point.

argubly the reason they have never played together is i don't think it's ever been an option - we've probably never had all four fit at the same time

Aren't Sakho and Agger both left sided CBs? So I suspect that when everyone is fit it is one or the other, probably with Skrtel on the other side.