Besiktas Post Match

[McDermotX]

The team coach is stuck in a massive traffic jam, flight home delayed. Gets better and better.

[Fosterbloke]

It's a learning experience for Rodgers that's all. Wenger has been doing it for two decades and still looks like a clown in Europe. Slur Alex also took many seasons before they started to get it.

Yeah it's disappointing but we will learn and get better.

[DannyMan2006]

It's a learning experience for Rodgers that's all. Wenger has been doing it for two decades and still looks like a clown in Europe. Slur Alex also took many seasons before they started to get it.

Yeah it's disappointing but we will learn and get better.

Hang about.

He rolled the dice by leaving players at home. I recall that more or less to a man every man jack on this forum suggested to do the same before the flight party was assembled.

Rodgers was a mess pre Xmas and his failure to get out the CL group stage was a big failure on his part. Tonight was a failure, but a minor one at that. Time to concentrate on the league and I'm sure that whatever the City result, we will be fine.

[Fosterbloke]

Hang about.

He rolled the dice by leaving players at home. I recall that more or less to a man every man jack on this forum suggested to do the same before the flight party was assembled.

Rodgers was a mess pre Xmas and his failure to get out the CL group stage was a big failure on his part. Tonight was a failure, but a minor one at that. Time to concentrate on the league and I'm sure that whatever the City result, we will be fine.

And he'll learn from that decision.

[topscorer]

Lovren Defoe wasn't at fault for that. Fair play to the guy for stepping up. Felt sorry for him in the end. However he shouldn't have been allowed to take the 5th. Where was Sterling when volunteers were asked for? If he wants a £100k a week then he needs to step up.

Where was Toure who has taken them before. Totally the managers fault tonight as he waited until they scored to make a change when it was clear the goal was coming long before hand. We lost the midfield and he should have changed it earlier.

Rodgers allowed Lovren that high pressure pen and he shouldn't have been anywhere near it as his confidence is low and it's just been shattered tonight.

This season in Europe has been a total embarrassment.

100% correct. Rodgers should have taken a decision on who takes the penalties and the order.

It's incomprehensible why he allowed Lovren to take one.

If it's because only 5 volunteered then then the other players should be ashamed of themselves. If Rodgers chose Lovren to take the 5th then I think it was a terrible decision.

Anyway the whole concept of volunteering to take penalties is bizarre. Players don't volunteer to get picked to play games.

They have a job and earn a lot of money. Management should be telling them who is taking the penalties and the order.

[Redspin]

This is a terrible result.

How on earth are we going to raise our profile if we get knocked out and perform like that in Europe?

That was probably our best shot of getting back into the Champions League. It was hard enough trying to sign a striker last year when we were in. Its going to be really hard to convince top players to join when we play like that.

What nonsense. It'll be much easier to get into the top four than actually win the Europa League.

I don't see any reason why anyone doubt that we'll easily finish in the top four. For me it's pretty much a certainty. Even City in second aren't all that good. We've been relentlessly making up ground on them and I see no reason why thst should stop, save a complete collapse in our form

[Redspin]

Like I said, and was shot down, we were never going to beat City and we should have focused on this match. Not playing Lallana was ridiculous and Rodgers has paid for his brain fart.

I would have been happy for Balotelli to play against City but hey ho. Let's hope we can learn and move on.

Cobblers. City are there for the taking. I can't remember the last time they beat us at Anfield. How many years ago was it?

[Redspin]

There wasn't a bookable foul in the whole game though. Repeated fouling maybe, but there's point calling for cards to be given so softly really.

If the prick of a referee was consistent it wouldn't be too bad, but every time one of theirs went down he fell for it while he seemed to wave play on every single time if ours went down in similar circumstances

[Darkon]

That was a downer last night on so many levels. "Wasted" a lot of energy on a Thursday night game just ahead of a very important PL game, and then losing on penalties as well

First half was good, we played well and should have taken our chances better. Creidit to Besiktas for taking it to us the rest of the game. Besides our defence it's really hard to pinpoint much positive from the game. Sturridge had a shocker, Balotelli didn't really click in the linkup play and Sterling were quite ineffective. Midfield was quite a disappointment. Can never really managed to take control in there, and we are looking really thin in there with Lucas, Gerrard and Henderson out. Allen was as meh as ever. Never really does anything bad but doesn't really raise the level in any area as well, and he is really a squad filler IMO.

Hopefully we can bounce back on Sunday, and hopefully we have Henderson back. We really need a more controlling player in there! I reckon we can take a point from that game and with a decent chance of 3.

[Tribute]

Truth is, this result will be all but forgotten if we beat City at home on Sunday. #LetsHaveIt

[baitman]

With all this learning as he goes there is every chance that rodgers will one day know enough to go on to be a better manager at his next club.

[Muddled]

How many managers have gone into their first Champions League campaign and looked anything other than ordinary? It's a different game and Rodgers will take a lot from this experience, no doubt.

You could tell from the commentary that Rodgers was battling with what substitution to make as he had all the subs warming up, Lallana stripped and then when we conceded, Manquillo came on.

He'd made the call to leave players at home - important players - with Manchester City in mind. He will have had the same thoughts during the start of the second-half. It's not as if Rodgers is not prepared to shake things up if he sees fit (half time substitutions, etc) he just couldn't reach a decision.

[Helios Creed]

getting a CL place next year is essential to our ongoing development - not buying a top quality striker last summer has already put that in doubt - unless you actually win the Europa League it has no financial benefit and a run in it, with Thurs night games, would ruin our chances of fourth.

I think Brendan has clearly prioritized the PL over the CL and EL as much as he could without creating a media/fan uproar with his team choices last night and against Real and has bravely concentrated on what matters in the long run. If only he'd left the changes last night until we had let two in, then we could have avoided extra time - with our injuries, that could cost us on Sun. That's not what I was saying at the time - I was screaming "Make a Fkin Change" for 10 mins leading up to the goal.

[Vermilion]

Could have and should have won.

That's what hurts most for me.

Hate losing games we should be winning, against teams we should be better than.

[wiw]

For both teams to be so ****e it surely has something to do with the pitch? The ball was bobbling all over the place, we couldn't get any kind of rhythm going because no one was ever quite certain they had the ball under control or not The fact that we had our most joy from long balls over the top surely says something.

If tonight proves anything for me it's that to play in this system it is absolutely critical that the two side centre backs are excellent on the ball. Toure and Lovren are decent enough defenders but compare them to Sakho/Can on the ball and they look like pub players.

Have to say i'm amazed Borini didn't come on, and it was ridiculous Sturridge stayed on so long.

We will at least have fresh players in Sakho, Henderson, Markovic and Coutinho for Sunday.