Southampton Post Match

[Vermilion]

To put it in gentleman's terms if you've been out for a night and you're looking for a young lady and you pull one, some weeks they're good looking and some weeks they're not the best. Our performance today would have been not the best looking bird but at least we got her in the taxi. She wasn't the best looking lady we ended up taking home but she was very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much, let's have a coffee

No sex ? Seems a lot of work to share a coffee.

[PTP]

Pleased with the win

echo the majority of whats been posted

lucas/gerrard together seem to struggle, there isn't enough legs between them for it work - whist i still think lucas has a part to play and should be kept, it's only as experienced cover and he should drop down the pecking order certainly behind Joe Allen who i said last week should have started.....Hopefully Can can also step up and give us that energy we need


Johnson's heads gone. I was hoping that the signing of Manquillo and Moreno might give him a kick up his arse and get him motivated to fight for his place.....but it looks like he's checked out mentally.....No one has come in for him due to his wages, and he doesn't look fussed about forcing a move - i reckon he'll end up just sitting on the bench getting the odd game as cover when we need and he'll happily pick up his wages.


Hopefully Manquillo and Moreno settle in quickly and improve our full back options. Plus Lallana/Markovic to come back will also improve us.

If we can get an extra striker in then i still think we will do well.


first game is also tough....especially when playing someone like southampton who felt like they had something to prove.

We got the win....lets learn and move on

[CAD]

I think part of the problem is the undroppable stevie g....I just don't think he is a top class holding midfielder.....we need a mascherano type player in their protecting the back 4. I think Gerrard should be slightly further forward and play less games. Against 75% of the teams we will fine but against top teams with super movement we will be ****ed....

Spot on. The biggest problem right now is the undroppable SG. He is and never has been a top class DM or HM - whatever. Lucas is even worse. SG's problems with positioning when we are off the ball is so obvious. It's not the back 4 that presents the problem. They are playing with minimum cover with SG/Lucas.

Look at the goal Southampton got. Lucas doesnt follow and SG is just standing there covering nobody. It's a disaster defensive midfield and we were damn lucky to win this.

Wish we could get Khedira or get Alonso back. We are going nowhere without a competent leader in the engine room.

GREAT win!

[DannyMan2006]

Spot on. The biggest problem right now is the undroppable SG. He is and never has been a top class DM or HM - whatever. Lucas is even worse. SG's problems with positioning when we are off the ball is so obvious. It's not the back 4 that presents the problem. They are playing with minimum cover with SG/Lucas.

Look at the goal Southampton got. Lucas doesnt follow and SG is just standing there covering nobody. It's a disaster defensive midfield and we were damn lucky to win this.

Wish we could get Khedira or get Alonso back. We are going nowhere without a competent leader in the engine room.

GREAT win!

Gerrard is poor at many things, but he's also brilliant at others. His set piece delivery and starting attacks from the back is second to none. It's all about balance. We've lost the goals of Suarez, take away Gerrard and we lose even more goals. You said it yourself, you were sarcastic, but he actually is updroppable. He just can't play with someone as cumbersome as Lucas.

[Rich]

Spot on. The biggest problem right now is the undroppable SG. He is and never has been a top class DM or HM - whatever. Lucas is even worse. SG's problems with positioning when we are off the ball is so obvious. It's not the back 4 that presents the problem. They are playing with minimum cover with SG/Lucas.

Look at the goal Southampton got. Lucas doesnt follow and SG is just standing there covering nobody. It's a disaster defensive midfield and we were damn lucky to win this.

Wish we could get Khedira or get Alonso back. We are going nowhere without a competent leader in the engine room.

GREAT win!

Gerrard is poor at many things, but he's also brilliant at others. His set piece delivery and starting attacks from the back is second to none. It's all about balance. We've lost the goals of Suarez, take away Gerrard and we lose even more goals. You said it yourself, you were sarcastic, but he actually is updroppable. He just can't play with someone as cumbersome as Lucas.

Play Gerrard in a three with Henderson and Can/Allen and we should see the better aspects of his game and not the flaws. I don't think anyone wants to see Lucas and Gerrard play together again!

Only a fool writes off Gerrard after one game of the season.

[Red_Polo]

Tbf I think CAD wrote him off a long time ago

[dom9]

Opening day, 2009 if I remember correctly.

[Mattshark]

Last season we saw the Lucas and Allen can work together, but definitely not a fan of Lucas with Gerrard.

[wiw]

Thought our problems were largely down to lack of fitness personally. We started well but then ended up being second to a lot of balls, sloppy passing and struggling to close them down. That said our midfield was turd (Gerrard and Lucas) and we were playing with a slightly odd shape. Henderson pushed right, Coutinho high up in the middle with Sterling and Sturridge floating about in the channels. It didn't really work.

[CAD]

Play Gerrard in a three with Henderson and Can/Allen and we should see the better aspects of his game and not the flaws. I don't think anyone wants to see Lucas and Gerrard play together again!

Only a fool writes off Gerrard after one game of the season.

Tbf I think CAD wrote him off a long time ago

Opening day, 2009 if I remember correctly.

Gerrard is poor at many things, but he's also brilliant at others. His set piece delivery and starting attacks from the back is second to none. It's all about balance. We've lost the goals of Suarez, take away Gerrard and we lose even more goals. You said it yourself, you were sarcastic, but he actually is updroppable. He just can't play with someone as cumbersome as Lucas.

Many people have inboxed me and asked for a few points from me about SG so here we go

This I think is fact:
His 2009 season was the best since 2006 and nothing since 09 has even come close for SG. Torres brought out the best in him. I was at old Toilet when we trashed Scum 4-1 and Gerrard/Torres were world class in that game.

This I think is Fact:
We will miss the goals from SG? 10 penalties and only 3 goals coming from actual free play??! About 11 assists from corners and freekicks and perhaps 2 from actual free play? If you live in a world where you still have Gerrard as a vital attacking driving force for LFC you are either in denial or stupid. Someone else would get those assists from corners and freekicks. Someone else would score on penalties. Fact!

This I think is a fact:
The obvious calamities at defensive midfield last season was never exposed or addressed to the full extent because we were winning the games and playing with such offensive force that it painted over the cracks. Without Suarez this will change faster than a fat bitch who sat down too fast.

Skertel being nice about it:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/martin-skrtel-defends-liverpools-back-4076173

This is what I think is the actual discussion and my modest opinion about it:

The poor defensive record and the 51 goals were an indirect product of a poor defensive midfield equally balanced with a back 4 without a leader. Now we have Lovren - focus will move to DM now - it has to - it's so obvious.

It's is an undeniable fact that SG is more than just a player. He is a Legend and we must approach the problem in that manner. We cant pull a Cech or a Carragher and just bench him. He has to be phased out just right. This is Brendan Rodgers biggest challenge this season by far in order to keep the positive progressive mindset in the squad. The upset in the dressing room if SG showed up with a frown would be far worse than him failing to deliver at maximum on the pitch. He has to play when he is fit - he has to be happy. So who can actually cover the holes at center defensive midfield with him?! Can we change the system to accommodate him even more than we already have? Lucas/SG is stillborn. So is Allen/SG. Can/SG is unproven - as far as I can tell Can isnt mobile enough to cover either. That said SG positional issues when we are off the ball (exposed to great extent against Saints) will always leave holes that the back 4 cant cope with. DM was never SG's best position and it never will be. I think that the problem is that not one of the players we have to play with SG would be mobile enough to actually cover the gaps SG leaves behind. Lucas looks unfit and lazy. Allen has too little physical presence to do the job. Can is a joker. I don't know enough about him. He looks better on the ball and has a demanding physical presence but at the same time he looks a little slow and might not cover enough ground to get the job done.

This all leads me to thinking that we need a Defensive midfielder who is world class to deal with the problem in the correct manner. We more or less need this player as badly as we need a replacement for Suarez. Problem of course is that the budget isnt there to cover both positions so we just have to hope that we get Reus, Falcao or something proven upfront to cover the hole in the ground that Suarez left - 31 goals from open play and 12 assists is more than a big ask. If we play Gerard at DM our poor defensive record will continue. And we will play him - we have to.

I think this season will be that last for SG and therefor I think this season will be transitional. Only a full on replacement for Suarez would do and I doubt it's out there.

We will see the above exposed Monday against City, sadly. Question is if people will persist talking about a back 4 problem or if we will move to the actual problem at this stage - DM and Gerrard.

And another observation:
I think the tendency with SG falling down between the centerbacks when we start the build up play will hurt us sooner rather than later. It's too easy to close down for the opposition. We are missing a vital player at in the engine room when he drops that deep. I have to say that I think it's pretty much the biggest tactical fault made by BR so far during his tenure. Would be interesting to hear some thoughts on this

Peace!

[Pablo]

Without Suarez this will change faster than a fat bitch who sat down too fast.

Aside from being sexist and crude, this analogy makes absolutely no sense to me

[wiw]

They are Eminem lyrics

[Pablo]

That'll be why they don't make any sense then

[dom9]

This I think is Fact:
We will miss the goals from SG? 10 penalties and only 3 goals coming from actual free play??! About 11 assists from corners and freekicks and perhaps 2 from actual free play? If you live in a world where you still have Gerrard as a vital attacking driving force for LFC you are either in denial or stupid. Someone else would get those assists from corners and freekicks. Someone else would score on penalties. Fact!

Peace!

Haha, you do know the difference between a fact and an opinion, right?

In your example, you've quoted a stat from last season - a season where we scored over 100 goals in the league which kinda blows your point / opinion out of the water. The rest of the team seemed to do pretty well scoring the other 90% of the goals that Gerrard didn't.

I stopped reading your post after that bit.

Peace!

[CAD]

Haha, you do know the difference between a fact and an opinion, right?

In your example, you've quoted a stat from last season - a season where we scored over 100 goals in the league which kinda blows your point / opinion out of the water. The rest of the team seemed to do pretty well scoring the other 90% of the goals that Gerrard didn't.

I stopped reading your post after that bit.

Peace!

It says " I think is fact"

You can stop reading if you want to. I'm hoping that Lecter or DWW or posters like that will supply some input

I'm trying to have a debate rather than another session of ridicule.

I have no idea what you are saying or what your actual point about the Gerrard goals is. You dont think someone else could have scored on the penalties? what is your point? You dont think that the about 50 freekicks and 100 corners taken by Gerrard would translate into goals if someone else kicked them?