SO the last pre-season friendly is 1-2 to Liverpool. A game with Benteke blamming them in and Sakho and Firmino impressing. Neil Atkinson is joined by Paul Senior, Rob Gutmann and Phil Blundell. They’ve been to Oxford pre-match…
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Firmino is just under 6ft, not at all small and jinky.
I realize the lads hadn’t seen the telly when this was made, but Moreno is about 2 yards too far away from the Swindon scorer when he shoots. You have to be closer than that in your effort to close down an opponent in your own box.
I also realize a few of you were bevvied up – no problems with that (just a bit jealous). But the Lovren/Sakho stuff was again, way over the top. The idea that there was any material difference between the performance of either in the Helsinki/Swindon games is just bonkers. Swap the players around and you’d get the same commentary from at least some, because it’s been decreed that Lovren is shite (even though his second half off last season showed signs of improvement) and Sakho is imperious (even though in Neil’s words he “should have done better” for Brisbane’s goal in the recent friendly).
I get that it’s a game of opinions, but where Lovren is concerned it seems more about established narrative than anything that is happening on the pitch. Give the guy a fucking break and at least do him the courtesy of waiting for him to screw up before crucifying him.
@ David Brown “Give the guy a fucking break and at least do him the courtesy of waiting for him to screw up before crucifying him.”
We did give him a chance. It was called last season. To think that a footballer can be removed from the context of previous performances is idiotic.
The fact that Rodgers seems to be favouring Lovren over Sakho deeply concerns me. That, coupled with the fact we don’t have a no1 left back anywhere near nailed down makes me fear for attacks down our left side.
I predict Stoke (and others) will target that side.
How Rodgers can’t see that Sakho is a much more accomplished centreback than Lovren is simply bizarre.
I admit that I didn’t see the whole game but I didn’t think Lucas was bad at all. Almost set up a couple of goals winning balls high up the field. Mis-timed a couple of challenges sure but overall thought he did alright.
I’d still start him at Stoke.
It’s the nature of The Pink, in that the participants haven’t had the chance to actually rewatch the match carefully, but seriously . . .
Anyone who claims Lucas looked ‘rusty’ or expresses concern as to whether we would start him vs Stoke is having a laugh, imo.
I don’t get how you could have watched that game and said I play Can over Lucas. Lucas might have looked rusty (I reckon he has probably given himself a pretty tough preseason), but he still looks like a proper midfielder whereas Can always seemed to be turning around to chase after someone. Can looks okay when he is taking part of a siege on a lower league team box but his positioning in the middle of the park needs to be a lot better for someone who turns as slowly as he does.