Liverpool v Real Madrid

[wiw]

I thought the ground took on a negative mindset when we were 2-1 up in the first leg 2-2 absolutely killed it with lots of football still to play. Not sure why everyone was so defeatist.

Then that second half

Yeah it wasn't great at 2-1 either tbf

I did see plenty of attempts to get everyone going from players, but there's a difference between hoping and knowing you can bring it back. After this season why the **** would anyone have anything other than hope Players and fans included

[Doc_Piptorious]

Every single Madrid player found a moment to have a word with Courtois after his mistake before the half was out.

Exactly. They rallied every time something went wrong. When they were losing they stayed a team, when they were winning they did likewise.

The moment Real pushed back we became disjointed and the arse fell out of a number of players it seemed.

Bright spots for me were the front three at times looking like they were developing understandings, Bajcetic (again) and Alisson making big stops even after his big blunder.

This loss stings a bit less, as a supporter that is, than losing to the likes of Forest or Leeds. At least last night we went down to a genuine top class team who are a blend of world class talent and fantastic mental toughness.

Coming up well short against one of the best out there is just something that can happen and we at least bloodied their nose whereas against dross in the league we have rolled over and showed our belly.

[Irishnev]

Exactly. They rallied every time something went wrong. When they were losing they stayed a team, when they were winning they did likewise.

The moment Real pushed back we became disjointed and the arse fell out of a number of players it seemed.

Bright spots for me were the front three at times looking like they were developing understandings, Bajcetic (again) and Alisson making big stops even after his big blunder.

This loss stings a bit less, as a supporter that is, than losing to the likes of Forest or Leeds. At least last night we went down to a genuine top class team who are a blend of world class talent and fantastic mental toughness.

Coming up well short against one of the best out there is just something that can happen and we at least bloodied their nose whereas against dross in the league we have rolled over and showed our belly.

Hmmmm - not sure I agree with all of that. I fully agree with the aspect of Madrid and their toughness/experience etc but where was our nous - surely a 3/2 loss where away goals don’t matter wasn’t the end of the world. We showed tactical naivety by bring so gung ho and not staying compact

The most infuriating thing was we didn’t fight them - they tip tapped the ball around with the away fans singing Ole. Kick one of them ****ers into the stands and take a booking. We are soft - we used to grind teams down, over power them, overwhelm them but last night we rolled on our belly and gave up.

The games vs the supposed **** sides are flat so the players aren’t as invested perhaps. This was Liverpool vs Madrid in the CL at Anfield under lights - crowd pumped and we folded like s pack of cards

KICK THE ****ERS INTO THE STANDS

[Exiled_red]

Exactly. They rallied every time something went wrong. When they were losing they stayed a team, when they were winning they did likewise.

The moment Real pushed back we became disjointed and the arse fell out of a number of players it seemed.

Bright spots for me were the front three at times looking like they were developing understandings, Bajcetic (again) and Alisson making big stops even after his big blunder.

This loss stings a bit less, as a supporter that is, than losing to the likes of Forest or Leeds. At least last night we went down to a genuine top class team who are a blend of world class talent and fantastic mental toughness.

Coming up well short against one of the best out there is just something that can happen and we at least bloodied their nose whereas against dross in the league we have rolled over and showed our belly.

I'd just come in the thread to say something similar, also that there wasn't much of the lifting of the players encouragement and so on from Henderson and the rest of the leadership group which has been the case all season to be honest. When we were good you'd always see Henderson encouraging people and/or telling them what to do, that doesn't really seem to happen anymore.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Hmmmm - not sure I agree with all of that. I fully agree with the aspect of Madrid and their toughness/experience etc but where was our nous - surely a 3/2 loss where away goals don’t matter wasn’t the end of the world. We showed tactical naivety by bring so gung ho and not staying compact

The most infuriating thing was we didn’t fight them - they tip tapped the ball around with the away fans singing Ole. Kick one of them ****ers into the stands and take a booking. We are soft - we used to grind teams down, over power them, overwhelm them but last night we rolled on our belly and gave up.

The games vs the supposed **** sides are flat so the players aren’t as invested perhaps. This was Liverpool vs Madrid in the CL at Anfield under lights - crowd pumped and we folded like s pack of cards

KICK THE ****ERS INTO THE STANDS

Nah. Bare minimum in sport and in life when it comes to anything where you have to earn something is that you match whomever or whatever you are up against in terms of energy, work rate and sheer desire to succeed.


You do that and come up short because of bad luck or the other side just having an extyra layer of skill, then fair dues.

But if you fail because you simply were weaker mentally and not prepared to work harder, then that's on you.

Last night we had guys we have been calling mentality monsters looking like they wanted to pass the buck, looking defeated with 45 minutes to go, with 30 minutes to go and so on.

We had a back four who looked like they were resigned to losing and that they were waiting for the final whistle. We had two senior midfielders who were not looking like they wanted to go toe to toe, who did not look like they wanted to guide the young cub in the middle through the game.

Our "team of captains" looked like nothing of the sort.

I don't care how skilled someone is. How gifted they are. You don't marry that skill to some mental steel and you get mauled every time you get taken into the heat of a fight.


As said before, losing to this Real Madrid side is no disgrace. However HOW you lose matters.

Imo we had some guys who quit out there last night.

[Buzzo]

This just suggests that a few of them dont know the system yet. Gakpo doesnt follow runner. Darwin gets stuck on the line, meaning we have 5 players and keeper on the line???. And then it looks like we have just never trained on how to defend a FK in this area, whilst RM have trained on how to attack one.

Fail for the coaching staff.

Fail for the players.

[ame]https://twitter.com/AnfieldRd96/status/1628299053007097857[/ame]

[little dave hedgehog]

there's an angle i saw of that goal that looked like it was darwin's zone to defend.

[Buzzo]

there's an angle i saw of that goal that looked like it was darwin's zone to defend.

You aren't allowed to criticise Darwin - Harv will go mental.



Not saying its Darwin as he seemed to be marking - but someone, surely, had to go to the ball?

[RichC]

We absolutely fell apart in that second half. Annoyingly with pretty much all of their goals is that they were errors on our part.

[Doc_Piptorious]

You aren't allowed to criticise Darwin - Harv will go mental.



Not saying its Darwin as he seemed to be marking - but someone, surely, had to go to the ball?

If a defensive line is being set up inside our six yard box, then it is on our back four to be organising that line and leading it imo.

If there are players out of place then our senior defenders need to be shouting and getting them in place.

Ball goes into the net and there is VVD on the other side of the goal putting his hands up complaining, there is TAA, who was standing with Militao and who did not move when Miltoa went, just standing out there moaning.

Salah did his job down the other end. Darwin did his job down the other end.

Shame our back four could not do their job and organise at their end.

The more one looks at the clip the worse it looks. Think when Militao attacks the ball there are two white shirts in the six yard box (three is you count the one just at the edge) and there are seven or eight red shirts.


From a Real pov it is as well worked a goal against a switched off back line as our final goal against Barca in the 4-0 was. They saw confusion and a lack of team work and took full advantage of it.

[Buzzo]

If a defensive line is being set up inside our six yard box, then it is on our back four to be organising that line and leading it imo.

If there are players out of place then our senior defenders need to be shouting and getting them in place.

Ball goes into the net and there is VVD on the other side of the goal putting his hands up complaining, there is TAA, who was standing with Militao and who did not move when Miltoa went, just standing out there moaning.

Salah did his job down the other end. Darwin did his job down the other end.

Shame our back four could not do their job and organise at their end.

The more one looks at the clip the worse it looks. Think when Militao attacks the ball there are two white shirts in the six yard box (three is you count the one just at the edge) and there are seven or eight red shirts.


From a Real pov it is as well worked a goal against a switched off back line as our final goal against Barca in the 4-0 was. They saw confusion and a lack of team work and took full advantage of it.

Yeah, am just goading Harv on Darwin

Salahs pass and his finish were sublime, and hopefully a hint at some sort of cohesion.

I'd love to see Diaz, Darwin, Salah get some time to gel.

Yep - the marking and organisation on that goal is horrific. What the **** do they do in training?

[Doc_Piptorious]

Yeah, am just goading Harv on Darwin Salahs pass and his finish were sublime, and hopefully a hunt at some sort of cohesion.

I'd love to see Diaz, Darwin, Salah get some time to gel.

Yep - the marking and organisation on that goal is horrific. What the **** do they do in training?

You know what just struck me?

We never seem to defend ugly or at least we did not last night.

By ugly I mean a really agricultural block followed by a hack away. We had four guys in the back line last night and I cannot remember one "ugly" bit of defending.


Whereas I can remember two such clearances made by Militao last night and a couple by their left back. The sort where the defender is just looking to block or clear at any cost to himself.

Not saying I want big lumps that just crease anything that moves, but the Real back line seem to be able to defend in a play from the back manner but can switch in a heartbeat to a bodies on the line style when they sense danger.

[Buzzo]

You know what just struck me?

We never seem to defend ugly or at least we did not last night.

By ugly I mean a really agricultural block followed by a hack away. We had four guys in the back line last night and I cannot remember one "ugly" bit of defending.


Whereas I can remember two such clearances made by Militao last night and a couple by their left back. The sort where the defender is just looking to block or clear at any cost to himself.

Not saying I want big lumps that just crease anything that moves, but the Real back line seem to be able to defend in a play from the back manner but can switch in a heartbeat to a bodies on the line style when they sense danger.

I think Virgil and Trent (and Joe) are most guilty of wanting to be aesthetically in defence at all times. I thought Robbo had a decent enough game until it went 4-2 then everyone looked shattered. Robbo had one miracle clearance off the line, and made some decent back post runs first half. He just misses Mane/Diaz attack wise.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I think Virgil and Trent (and Joe) are most guilty of wanting to be aesthetically in defence at all times. I thought Robbo had a decent enough game until it went 4-2 then everyone looked shattered. Robbo had one miracle clearance off the line, and made some decent back post runs first half. He just misses Mane/Diaz attack wise.

On the plus side, You and I are probably in with a shot of getting a game as the next CB pairing.

Two 6'3 lads who will just try to kick at things. I'm probably going to try and bring a folding metal chair on with me.

Rest of the team best get used to the idea of playing with a really really deep back line though.

[Paul12]

You know what just struck me? We never seem to defend ugly or at least we did not last night. ....

We also do less deliberate strategic fouling. For example, for the fifth goal both Fab and Baj could have taken a yellow card to kill the attack with a foul.

And for that third goal we just needed someone to block the run.

And for eg I wondered why the ball boys & girls were returning the ball so quickly when we needed to catch our breath and break momentum.

We need to bully and be a bit more cynical all round.