BEEN nervous about this game for about five days. Bloody Monday night fixtures. Dragging out the torment. But this is what happens when football games matter again. Long may it continue. Must warn you though. A pub quiz has come on in the pub I’m in so I might get distracted here…
SIMON MIGNOLET: 7
A clean sheet machine. A Belgian Arc de Triomphe (which incidentally is the answer to question 5). Not quite sure what he’s up to for the Ramsey ‘goal’ but anyway. Stood up when it mattered. And kicked one of their lads rarr in the head at the end.
NATHANIEL CLYNE: 7.5
Love him you know. Attacked less than Gomez, but probably because they know he’s mustard. A couple of dodgy positioning moments but Skrtel will shout that out of him.
MARTIN SKRTEL: 7.5
Feel like I start every Skrtel rating with ‘had his moments, but’. Some big buts, and I cannot lie, tonight. Just decided they weren’t going to score at the end. Like Carragher used to. Brilliant interception at the end despite it nearly killing us all.
DEJAN LOVREN: 7
Frequently accused of trying to do too much, so you can’t complain when you don’t really notice him. Although he is helped by having the best player in the world at left back.
JOE GOMEZ: 8
Was targetted early on but came through it brilliantly. Grew more and more confident on the ball. Bit mad how we found the best player in the world knocking about in Charlton.
JAMES MILNER: 7.5
Again a key part of getting on top when Arsenal’s work-rate was phenomenal. Reds much tougher with him about, and always picks the right option on the ball.
EMRE CAN: 7
Constantly plays like he’s surprised there is an opposition. Needs to learn that there are 11 other lads on the pitch who want his ball too. But then he does something great. Oh I don’t know. Could have given him anything.
LUCAS LEIVA: 8
If it is his last game in a red shirt, a fine way to go out. Started a bit shaky but that’s understandable given his lack of games. Or maybe he just couldn’t be arsed being shit in his last appearance. Started winning headers and tackles everywhere. Was goosed by the end like.
ROBERTO FIRMINO: 6.5
Will need time to get used to how bananas the Premier League is. Bet he’s never played in a 0-0 like that. Needs to do a Coutinho and embrace the madness.
PHILIPPE COUTINHO: 8
Makes you want to have kids and buy them kits with his name on the back. And cut their hair like his. And call them Philippe Coutinho Gibbons. All of them.
CHRISTIAN BENTEKE: 7
Held it up great. Good movement too. Will think he should have won the game for the Reds though, regardless of the quality of the save. Was hardly playing against David O’Leary (answer to question 10) mind.
SUBS:
Jordon Ibe 5
Worrying he couldn’t get in the game at all considering he might find himself being used more off the bench moving forward. Really poor at anticipating where the ball will go.
Jordan Rossiter 6
Tough one to get thrown in on but did fine. The ‘New Steven Gerrard’ tag is a tough one, but getting a throw in just by asking for one is a good start.
Alberto Moreno 6
NISSAN! Sorry. Quiz answer. Would have driven the seven hours to Bumper if he’d scored at the end.
READ: Arsenal 0 Liverpool 0 – Match Review
[rpfc_recent_posts_from_category meta=”true”]
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
Love your work gibbo, had me in stitches with this:
PHILIPPE COUTINHO: 8
Makes you want to have kids and buy them kits with his name on the back. And cut their hair like his. And call them Philippe Coutinho Gibbons. All of them.
Funny cause it’s true.
massif point on our 15-16 tour of retribution.
Love me some Lucas Leiva. Long may it continue.
Sorry, how many arial duals did he win?
14,382
The Gomez bit,
Very funny & True.
“Constantly plays like he’s surprised there is an opposition.”
I am so stealing that.
Altogether now:
Joey Gomez…he makes Carlos look shit!
Playing with Milner makes the rest of our players act harder than they actually are. Viewed in profile, his head looks even more horizontal than Rooney’s. I bet both Rooney and Milner used to burn spiders with a magnifying glass at school.
Milner would have worked out the right distance to hold the magnifying glass, away from the spider, in order to make its death more prolonged and agonising though.
Then he would have walked off and beaten up somebody three years older than him, just to show that he took equal pleasure from causing misery to those capable of fighting back.
Captain.
God, it’s great to be really enjoying the Reds again. Roll on Saturday.
Mignolet: 8
Clyne: 7
Skrtel: 8
Lovren: 7
Gomez: 9
Lucas: 6
Can: 6
Milner: 7
Firmino: 7
Benteke: 8
Coutinho: 8
Ibe: 4
Rossiter: 5
Moreno: 5
Mignolet – 7.5
Clyne – 7.5
Skrtel – 8
Lovren – 7
Gomez – 8
Lucas – 7
Milner – 7.5
Emre – 7
Coutinho – 8
Benteke – 7.5
Firmino – 7
Ibe – 5
Rossiter – 6
Moreno – 6
Honestly can’t bring myself to give anyone that started that game less then a 7. They were all fucking brilliant!
Can certainly defends like he’s surprised there’s an opposition at times. Maybe he’s worried that if gets goal-side of an attacking player with the ball too often BR will put him back at CB.
“All of them.” LOL.
I love Clyne, too. As well as Moreno coming on for one big mad run a game where no one including himself knows what he’s gonna do. Hope that’s a running theme throughout the season because it’s all kinds of fun. Think Spurs away is fairly soonish; that’s when it’ll end up in the back of the net and we all have a party.
Mig – 7.5
Clyne – 8
Skerts – 8.5
Lovren – 7
Joe – 6.5
Lucas – 7
Emre – 7
Milner – 8
Firmino -7
Phil – 8
Benteke – 7
I love the spine – Migs, Skerts, Milner, benteke. I love the flair, Phil is an absolute dream to watch. Once he is more lethal in front of goal, which i fully expect top happen this season, he will be a worldy, on a par with hazard at his best. I though everyone put in a great shift and that Firmino adapted well having looked out of his depth a little for the first 20 mins (understandably) as well as when coming on v Bournemouth.
I would like to explain my mark for Joe Gomez. I love him, don’t get me wrong. He is unbelievably quick , he seems to a great competitor and doesn’t seem phased in the slightest. I also totally appreciate that he is playing out of position and on his wrong foot. That said, i lost count the number of times he lost possession in our own half and for that reason a lone i cant given him a mark of 7 or above. He wasn’t the only one but it happened time and again and we were lucky, from that perspective, not to concede. He seems to get in a bit of a muddle quite often when in possession and i am concerned that we are pushing it a little playing him in these big games out of position and without sufficient support – Firmino on the left in front of him – for all he tried was probably the least effective of our front 6 from a chasing back perspective. This is not a big criticism, merely an explanation of my mark as it seems completely at odds with everyone else.
One option i thought of that would allow us to keep him on the pitch…. Might BR consider swapping Clyne and Joe, leaning on Clyne’s greater experience?
Overall i am super happy. We have done some great business and the return of the Studge leaves me salivating.
GREAT EFFORT from all of them, BR included.