ANOTHER frustrating Anfield night. Even if they are still getting to know the manager, and for many each other, the team should have had enough to beat the 12th best team in Russia playing for so long with 10 men. Could do with a win Sunday.
Simon Mignolet: 7
Can’t do anything with the goal and makes a decent save later in the half. Seems to be making an effort to release the ball quicker
Nathaniel Clyne: 7
Confidence, and delivery, much improved. Would have had an assist but for Benteke’s wastefulness. Needs to look at himself on their goal though.
Alberto Moreno: 6
Not quite as eye-catching as Clyne, but solid enough.
Martin Skrtel: 5
Suspiciously absent for both their first-half efforts, including the goal. Kindly let Sakho do all the defending second half.
Mamadou Sakho: 8
The Kop chants said it all. Nice salute.
Joe Allen: 5
Jurgen Klopp has said he wants “heavy-metal football”. Joe Allen was more Will Young. There’s nothing wrong with Will Young. It’s just not what you bought a ticket to see.
James Milner: 6
General play was fine, but can’t take a corner to save his life. Plays a great ball every now and again.
Emre Can: 8
Loving it at the moment. Obviously feels he has a point to prove. Alive for the goal.
Adam Lallana: 7
Played well, some lovely flicks and touches. Is a big part of why we arent scoring enough goals though. Which is a conundrum we all need to solve. Well mainly him and the manager.
Philippe Coutinho: 5
Wasn’t his night.
Divock Origi: 4
Might never be his night. Team-mates seemed to give up on him.
SUBS
Lucas Leiva: 7
Immediately made everything better. Although didn’t have anything to worry about the other way.
Christian Benteke: 5
Unlucky with the one that hit the post. Not with the one he blazed over.
Roberto Firmino: 5
Struggled to get into it. Looks at Christian Benteke like he’s got four heads.
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Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda-Photo
Hi, I’ve come up with a couple of songs for our players…..I know, I know, I have too much time on my hands ……which isn’t true actually as I am manically busy at the moment with work and stuff….but hey, that’s when I get all creative! Here’s the first one…..(I haven’t given up on him just yet….though I know what you mean….he just needs a good song :-)
(To the tune of Be Bop a Lula)
Divok Origi he’s our Belgian,
Divok Origi, he’s our new Redman,
Divok Origi plays up front for Liverpool-a-Liverpool-a-Liverpool!
waddayathink? :-)
1. He did nothing in this game to deserve a song.
B. Don’t quit your day job.
Cheers Mike!
You know, what, I think I’ve had it with singing going on at football matches.
I remember watching the tv and hearing individual voices in the crowd, just 20 minutes into Kenny’s first game back. Last night was a bit better, but you know it isn’t going to last for long. The crowd is basically 4 years older than it was when Kenny returned.
The songs all now sound forced and self-conscious – none more so than You’ll Never Walk Alone, which is becoming an excruciating dirge. I get the feeling that the whole ground seems relieved when it’s over.
If Anfield can’t be the loudest ground in the world, how about making it the quietest? Nothing, not a sound. Ever.
Imagine if the entire support had just stayed silent and motionless, when Suarez looped that 40-yarder in against Norwich. The live editor switches to camera 6 and The Kop, begging for some kind of reaction. It is met by thousands of thousand-yard stares – an army of Cissy Spaceks, in Terrence Malick’s 1973 cinematic classic The Badlands.
The unspoken version of We Shall Not Be Moved. That’s got to be scarier for the opposition, than a cheer that can never do such an incredible display of ability justice.
Don’t cheer any goal and make the stadium announcer read out a Charles Bukowski poem, as the players trudge back…
as I near 70
I get letters, cards, little gifts
from strange people.
congratulations, they tell
me,
congratulations
I know what they mean:
the way I have lived
I should have been dead in half
that time
I have piled myself with a mass of
grand abuse, been
careless toward myself
almost to the point of
madness,
I am still here
leaning toward this machine
in this smoke-filled room,
this large blue trashcan to my
left
full of empty
containers
the doctors have no answers
and the gods are
silent
congratulations, death,
on your patience.
I have helped you all that
I can
now one more poem
and a walk out on the balcony,
such a fine night there
I am dressed in shorts and stockings,
gently scratch my old
belly,
look out there
look off there
where dark meets dark
it’s been one hell of a crazy
ballgame
the scorer of Liverpool’s first goal…
…Luis Saurez
Great poem….I think you could be onto something…
And here’s the other one (and I think my masterpiece:-) for a player who I think needs the Anfield love seeing as he’s our No1 an all and unbelievably doesn’t have a song yet…..
(to the tune of 500 Miles a’la Proclaimers….so a guaranteed Kop foot stomper to boot)
And he will score you 50 goals
And he will score you 50 more
Just to be the man who scores a hundred goals for Liverpool, he’s our……
DANIEL STURRIDGE (Daniel Sturridge), DANIEL STURRIDGE (Daniel Sturridge)
Da da da dum dirri dum dirri dum dirri dum da da
DANIEL STURRIDGE (Daniel Sturridge), DANIEL STURRIDGE (Daniel Sturridge)
Da da da dum dirri dum dirri dum dirri dum da da!
well……Waddayathink? :-D
Actually not bad, I’d replace the da da’s with come on Daniel do the arms for us
Good amendment Aldo….I like it :-)
I think everyone linking arms and singing this with the leg-kicks would be a lot of fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Diu2N8TGKA
Ha…..a song for Can….you’re onto something there!
Thinking bad thoughts about my son. May hit him. Can was dreadful. A 4. Clyde gets a 2 for the goal. My school team never defended like that. Was Origi on the pitch? A big fat 0. Unhappy.
Can was indeed dreadful. None more so than for the second chance. Not for the first time he just lets his man wander off him and into space. Wasteful shots from distance and little dinks that were never on. Definitely has talent but I would be going spare at him all the time if I were playing with him with the decisions he makes.
There is LOTS wrong with Will Young.
“Looks at Benteke like he’s got 4 heads” Hahahahah
Generous 6 for Milner, and 8 for Can. Other than that, spot on.
I’m of the opinion that we’ll stutter and misfire and scratch points/results until and including the Man City game (3-4 weeks).
Then with key players back from injury, Klopp’s style taking root, some young players taking their chance, and better cohesion, we’ll start to build a run of good results. Confidence will grow and the fixture list will become slightly kinder (not in quantity obviously, but you know what I mean given our way schedule in particular).
Negotiate a busy December, and we’ll start to see a great run of results into the new year and beyond. Good enough to finish the season in top four? Obviously, that’s what we all hope for.
Many of the players that seem uncertain now will look like lions then.
Patience is a virtue of a true believer. Patience is a must now.
Countinho gets a hell of a lot of latitude due to some wonder goals but he simultaneously is one of the most frustrating players . He likes to play as Mr unpredictable . Which way will he turn next? Unfortunately at times it slows down attacking positions. He is starting to get the ” grabber ” tag for me . 90% of the time there are better options in front of him than shooting … And he isn’t a great finisher. Criticism may seem harsh but he isn’t beyond it ..
Flip side is joe Allen . You ask a lad to come in and do a job and he did it .
the ratings are what they are – not the main point of reading this column after every game. It’s the gold like the Will Young comment, that’s what keeps me coming back.
Er….. The Kops not the only stand.
The lack of stick Coutinho gets is amazing. He was utter turd last night, verging on disgrace. Right after we scored he played a simple 10 yard pass to Moreno straight out of play. His shooting hasnt improved one iota since he got here. If Lallana played like he did a lot more would be said.
Milner was also appalling. I thought it would be a while before we regretted sticking him on 165k per week, given the contract is 4 years long for someone already pushing 30. If he’s this bad now imagine him at 33 years of age. Armband needs taken off him. Offering nothing as a footballer and even less as a leader. And this is coming from someone who thought he’d be a good signing even if overpaid.
Origi is young. But NGog was young. A thousand other players are young. You just know they arent good enough. Watched him for Lille last year after we signed him. Was horrified with what I saw. He’s performing at the same level for us. Has no future here. Don’t care he’s only played 4 games or whatever, we’ll see if I’m wrong.
Skrtel needs binning. Constantly makes the unit weaker. Constantly dropping 5 yards deeper than he should. Constantly relying on his mates bailing him out. Him getting sold and buying a new RCB must be a top priority in January or the summer as Kolo is 68 years old, Gomez is injured (and we don’t know if he’s good enough) and Ilori doesn’t appear up to it.
Sakho was Sakho. A man among boys at the back. He’s just the man. Imagine not rating him. Imagine thinking Lovren was better. Imagine defending that selection with bullshit like injury records just so as you can convince yourself the manager isn’t a clown.
Lallana was good again and Im a big critic. Still doesn’t see passes he should and makes poor footballing decisions but is linking play together much better recently. Deserves a place in the team over Coutinho at present.
Emre was good. He’s going to develop a lot over the next year or so. Could be a colossus for us in the coming years.
Lucas was good too.
The rest were average, including Allen who didn’t have much impact but didn’t do a lot wrong.
Too many weak links in the side. This was the one game in the early reign of Jurgen I thought we’d win easily. Regardless of it being only his 2nd game in charge we should have far too much to beat such a limited team. They had nothing and still got a draw at Anfield. A disappointing night. Crowd were average too for a new managers first game at home.
Agree with much of this, although that’s probably because my glass is only ever half-empty. The crowd was better than I expected. I don’t expect this to last long though, unless the stewards start putting half a bottle of scotch under every seat before the game.
We were on a hiding to nothing, when the oppo lost a man after looking totally comfortable and intermittently dangerous with 11 players. There wouldn’t have been a great deal of praise, even if we had won.
I liked how Klopp took to the field. He just walked to his place and looked straight out at the pitch in front of him. No waves or smiles. Just a man who knows he has a big job in front of him.
Commentator ‘If you didnt know better you would think this was Brendan Rodgers team’ (Ellie etc are you still defending him?)
LFC fan (Walter?) ; ‘nothing’s changed’
YES!!! this is the total averageness (word?) Brendan has left us with. Pigs/Sows etc
Agree most
Origi, like others I really do think there is a player in there. Needs aggression big time,
Gibbons senior – you must be know (Smithy, Didi, Jamie etc) pace isnt everything
Generally, I’ve moved on, though I have this thing with people talking rubbish. My thing with Rodgers is that I thought he was a good manager hampered by too many cooks in the kitchen and too many injuries.
Seems like the injuries problems haven’t magically vanished and we still have a squad full of “potential” players chosen for their resale value, rather than trusting the manager to fashion a coherent collective.
So, it doesn’t surprise me that the same people with fantasies that Klopp would magically make everything ok are now fantasizing that he will sell off all of these players and buy a team of elite level players (who will, of course, give up their massive salaries just to be near all that gegen-charisma).
And it doesn’t surprise me that these same people will praise Klopp for everything that goes right, and blame Rodgers for everything that goes wrong.
And, naturally, these same folks will believe that I find Rodgers faultless and Klopp a charlatan, because that fits their narrow, black and white, manichean worldview.
Yawn.
Wow, Walter in cohesive rationale mode…
How about : Rodgers squandered 300 million – primarily on shite.
What coaching ability?? A good coach is supposed to be able to spot a player and fit him into the team seamlessly .
Rodgers couldn’t spot a fly on his arse. Brief stints at Reading, Watford and Swansea amply demonstrated the above.
Klopp knows what he has inherited from his predecessor. A rudderless side lacking any confidence and direction and a 10th place mediocrity. Add zero belief in the manager and FSG had to get shut before the slide got worse.
Get behind Klopp – let Brendan swan off to Villa/Newcastle/Sunderland [or replace Moyes at Sociedad :).
Amid the frustration, two positives I noticed. One, there was lots of very crisp *vertical* passing (especially by Sakho). Second, because of the movement from the midfielders, there were people in the box for those passes to be aimed at. So, while we couldn’t hit the proverbial barn door, I enjoyed watching us play.
Do we have anyone who can take a corner in our team??
Henderson?
I’m amazed at the Emre Can rating and comment. Every game, at least twice, he gets robbed in possession; Rubin’s goal was a result of his slow reactions. He’s slow, needs three touches, and will not survive more than two years in the Premier. 21 or not ….. Sorry, I am positive about the future, but without Can on the team regularly.
I agree on the analysis of Can, but I’m an optimist. I think he’ll come good.
In fact, I’m such an optimist that I am secretly hoping that Klopp can transform Allen into a midfield terror. Can’t imagine giving him the hook will help the confidence any, but maybe it’ll be a smack in the face in a positive sense.
Origi defies optimism for me, though. But you never know…