LFC v villa post match. scapegoat thread

[danperkins]

Haha, maybe I shouldn't have highlighted the whole paragraph. I was just interested in your views on Lovren who when he played for Southampton was a 'very good player' and one we should sign. Now that he has signed and plays for LFC, after 3 games he's 'unconvincing, rash etc.', suddenly he was only 'ok' for Southampton and you've also obviously went back and watched old Lyon videos of him, because while at Southampton your comments indicated that you hadn't seen him play for Lyon, but now he's here you can criticise him for doing nothing at Lyon.


Edit: I maybe misconstrued your previous Lyon comments, you thought he was decent for Lyon, so one would assume had seen him play.

Jaysis Red those last few posts have been a wee bit tabloidesc

And you've misconstrued a few things in your research alright mate. I have said he is a decent CB, I don't where this writing him off & saying he's **** stuff is coming from? I seen Lovren a few times for Lyon and mentioned him as an option when we didn't have champs league footie... and nobody knew anything about him and couldn't have been arsed.

The "very good CB" you are referring to was correct, but also you failed to add what i said in the rest of the post which was:

Lovren is a very good CB could be a good option. He has proved his worth in the premier league this season & there will definitely be a few clubs looking at him. In saying that... we'll be shopping on a completely different tier come the summer. With the way we've been playing this season & Champs league football hopefully wrapped for next season... we can attract a whole new calibre of player.

As for the unconvincing and rash comments,.. em well he has been rash and unconvincing, i'm not exactly making stuff up here

It's hardly saying he's ****. I watched him a few for Lyon & as much as everyone else when he played for Southampton... which was now and again. We signed him and suddenly he the missing link, the organiser. Skrtel is rash, prone to defensive lapses, needs a leader beside him etc. These are the comments from a lot of people on here & ironically enough in these early days Lovren has looked absolutely identical to every one of those things mentioned.

You said earlier about me over rating other teams players.. which was a bit of ridiculous comment & also saying that when we sign players I change my tune and say their ****... also a ridiculous comment & untrue. That said, just because we sign a player... I don't go to the extremes of exaggerating how good he is just because he signed/or plays for LFC. This does happen on here & outside of the forums. Same as some people on here (not direct at you) saying Allen is class, Sterling is world class, Moreno is class, Manquillo is class, Origi is class, Sakho is class...ffs is everyone class?? Why are we not winning the league & champs league if everyone is class This is not a balanced perspective, more excited rantings of a kid that supports LFC... hyperbole comes in both positive and negative.

Other people have said exactly what i've been saying about Lovren and sure surprisingly enough my post is singled out & made out that i have wrote off the player & said he is ****. But someone saying a player has looked unconvincing and rash.. which to be fair he has, is hardly grounds for writing a player off! It's just merely pointing out the obvious at this stage.

So just to reiterate, i have said Lovren is a decent CB on more than one occasion for LFC, whilst playing for Southampton & whilst playing for Lyon. I have never said he was ****, nor have i written him off. Do i see him as the saviour organiser that others that have hardly seen him play are saying? No not exactly, but that's not to say he won't turn into a good option for us & he will improve no doubts. I think every LFC is allowed to express concerns about our defence... it's not out of the bounds to voice such a concern.

Also as regards the other CB option I've read people say that Sakho is 'class' etc, again i'm not saying he is not a decent CB, but class? He has shown glimpses of being a good defender aswell as showing glimpses of being not so good. Early days for Sahko & Lovren, i have concerns about both but i certainly have not written either of them off... but on the same token let's not exaggerate how good they have been either. Got to be a bit of balance

[RedReet]

Jaysis Red those last few posts have been a wee bit tabloidesc

Haha, I purposely didn't quote any old posts to make my point as I didn't want it to seem like cheap point scoring. Instead I tried to make a light hearted observation and go on to give some unrelated opinions of the match, but as I was watching MOTD at the time and not really concentrating, I concede I didn't really make much sense.

I probably should have just quoted as it would have been clearer what I was saying, but again I was just trying to avoid some cheap laughs.

Still can't reply properly now, so will maybe explain my thought process tomorrow.

[danperkins]

Haha, I purposely didn't quote any old posts to make my point as I didn't want it to seem like cheap point scoring. Instead I tried to make a light hearted observation and go on to give some unrelated opinions of the match, but as I was watching MOTD at the time and not really concentrating, I concede I didn't really make much sense.

I probably should have just quoted as it would have been clearer what I was saying, but again I was just trying to avoid some cheap laughs.

Still can't reply properly now, so will maybe explain my thought process tomorrow.

cool no worries mate. It was a bit long winded but i just wanted to clarify that i haven't written any of our lads off is all.

[brightred]

Aahh ....I can feel the love.

[baitman]

six pages and still no list of candidates for the dog **** treatment

[ChesterDave]

six pages and still no list of candidates for the dog **** treatment

Suarez, Torres, Owen, Johnson, Lawro (for his ****ty 2-0 prediction).

Any of those will do.

[Chazza]

Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool have it up front but defence still a problem
• Simon Mignolet urged to take more responsibility
• Rodgers linked with the former Barça keeper Víctor Valdés

Brendan Rodgers conceded the defensive brittleness that undermined Liverpool’s title challenge last season “is still a problem” following Aston Villa’s merited 1-0 victory at Anfield.

The Liverpool manager cited a lack of quality up front for his side’s second defeat of the Premier League season but was also highly critical of the defending that enabled Gabriel Agbonlahor to score the ninth-minute winner. Liverpool have kept only one clean sheet in their last 10 matches, last season included, and Rodgers was unhappy at the roles of Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren in the Villa goal. As well as the two centre-halves, Rodgers admitted the goalkeeper Simon Mignolet needs to take greater responsibility.

“It is still a problem,” said a despairing Rodgers. “We have to do better down the side of the pitch. We have to defend better, that’s where it starts. Just defend, don’t try and be clever, don’t try to play, just defend and don’t let them have the set-piece. Then, when the ball comes in the box, we lose the first duel. We were a bit unlucky with the ball bouncing off [Javier] Manquillo but we didn’t start well. They could have scored more from set-pieces. [Philippe] Senderos had a free header.”

Rodgers wants Mignolet to show more authority behind his central defenders but described Saturday’s display as a collective fault. The manager, who has been linked with a move for the former Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés, said: “We do expect the keeper to take more responsibility, but look at the last game against Spurs. We defended really well in that game and they are a much bigger side. We need to be on the front foot more. We need everyone to defend in the box and that’s something we have to be comfortable with.

“I think you can see from the goal that we need that consistency. They lost their marker too easily in the box. When you let the opponent get the first contact that’s what can happen. It was unfortunate, and Lovren is a wonderful defender, strong and aggressive, but we have to do better in that situation. The worst-case scenario should be that when we have days when we’re not creative with the ball, then we get a point and move on. That’s the disappointing thing because we didn’t and it is important for us.”

Raheem Sterling was kept on the bench for 61 minutes against Villa as Rodgers sought to protect the 19-year-old for Tuesday’s Champions League return against Ludogorets Razgrad. Rodgers handed Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic their first starts, with Mario Balotelli making his Anfield debut, and there was a lack of fluency to their attacking play until Sterling’s introduction.

Rodgers said: “In attacking positions we have the quality but just couldn’t find anything against Villa. It’s something that has got to happen. I trust the players implicitly to do that. These players have a very strong mentality and are bitterly disappointed because they gave everything but when you start slowly like we did, and give away a poor goal, then you’re up against it.”

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/sep/14/brendan-rodgers-liverpool-defence-problem?CMP=twt_gu

[Fredo]

Mignolet won't be here next season.

[brightred]

Really?

[danperkins]

Mignolet has never been a commanding keeper since i've seen him in the premier league... can't really see that changing now. He just seems a very docile and non authoritative guy.

[Yozza]

Mignolet won't be here next season.

Hopefully not - far too lightweight

Good shot stopper but then so what? Every keeper should be as a basic starting point

[G]

Brendan mentioned the giving away of the corner so I'll say it again before its pointed out to me . Very harsh on Sakho yet Lovren is a "wonderful" defender. He hasn't been so far and it's been mentioned before Brendan doesn't fancy Sakho. I still think he did all he could bar swinging a leg at it in the first instance when it could've gone anywhere anyway.

[Alex]

Tried to be too smart and rotated too much. With players who have lacked games/prem experience.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and in 6 months when the new players have bedded in I think that result would have been different.

Rodgers has shown before he can learn from mistakes, so he will learn from this too. Onwards and upwards.

ITS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TOMMOROW

[G]

It's a tricky one cos they need experience of the league but as soon as villa saw that team they probably thought we were taking them lightly and gave them extra motivation.

[Norbs]

Brendan mentioned the giving away of the corner so I'll say it again before its pointed out to me . Very harsh on Sakho yet Lovren is a "wonderful" defender. He hasn't been so far and it's been mentioned before Brendan doesn't fancy Sakho. I still think he did all he could bar swinging a leg at it in the first instance when it could've gone anywhere anyway.

In the resulting corner, watch Sakho. He positions himself behind Henderson, without marking a target, and makes a last ditch lunge towards the ball, too little too late. Later in the game when they mount a counter attack, he's stranded in the box again not knowing where to go. On the occasion that he gets one to one he's pretty decent but it seems to me that he's lacking positional sense and doesn't get involved enough.