THE CALM after the storm. Sort of…
What a win for Liverpool. The Reds vanquished Manchester City in their ground by four goals to one and here is The Anfield Wrap’s take on the performance.
How good was Adam Lallana’s dummy?
How much is Simon Mignolet like your mate who can do no right?
How strong was Skrtel’s performance?
Talk of the three Brazilians as well obviously along with all facets of the Reds’s win.
Bordeaux to come and a schoolyard game too.
John Gibbons, Craig Rimmer and Mike Girling join Neil Atkinson. What about those Reds.
HAVE YOU VOTED FOR US IN FSF AWARDS YET?
Can’t decide whether I prefer the madness and euphoria of the Pink or the more considered next day analysis (likely I assume with hangover ) :)
Good pod, I thought you would all still be out! Presume Gareth still is!
From what’s left, I would go for the following line-up…
James gk
Beglin lb
Carragher cb
Gillespie cb
Jones rb
Heighway lm
Redknapp cm
Whelan cm
Callaghan rm
Keegan st
Aldridge st
I think Aldridge might need to drop back and add a bit of bite to the midfield, occasionally, but I think that side would give most teams a decent game still.
I’d be pinning my hopes on James becoming the player we hoped he would for us, with those 4 in front of him!
I pissed myself when you said what you did about Klopp and Ibe.. I had to play it back.
Great pod lads
Criticism of Lallana after that performance is a bit weird
He may not have a direct assist in the goals but he’s involved. His running for the team with and without the ball was superb.
I thought he was good :-) GR
It was rather shortsighted of Gibbons not to see what Lallana contributed in that formation. Thank fuck, Klopp does.
lads, Lucas is suspended for Swansea, so he’ll be playing Thurs.
I’d go same back 5, Allen, Lucas, Hendo (if fit – otherwise Milner) in midfield then Ibe behind a Studge Benteke front 2.
Nice podcast. I think I might be the only one but I felt that more chaotic the game got the more we benefited from it. The only time both team were organized or some sense of order on the pitch it was initial minutes of 2nd half and then the game got chaotic and we were winning 2nd balls again.
When we press and harry the opposition, to the extent which we have already shown, you would expect us to be leaving space that good players could exploit by just acting a little more calmly.
This just doesn’t seem to be happening though. We either win the ball directly or the opposition ends up making a poor clearance that we easily win in deep midfield.
Clearances to the wings are often just going straight out for a Liverpool throw in. If they are hit accurately, it usually isn’t with enough speed and we are able to get a man out there and make a tackle.
It will be interesting to see how teams adapt to us, as they surely will – also how we re-react, when they do!
Will surely miss Lucas at the weekend. He’s been the captain on the pitch since Klopp came in. He’s such a great guy, to stick with us through all the ups and downs and play with the passion he does. He’s a true red. Can’t believe how close it was to him leaving. I remember listening to a pod, ahead of the Arsenal game, and there were predictions he was done and dusted at Anfield. Now look where we are ! Football’s a funny game.
Lucas seems at his best when we are playing sides that are going to attack us, rather than just counter-attack. The better sides, basically.
In other games, he might be more useful on the bench, coming on after we take the lead.
Situations like that still require a leap of faith to envisage, particularly at Anfield.
We need both Milner and Henderson fit and for both to raise their game a little more, if they are going to become a reliable central-midfield pairing in matches where we are expected to take the initiative.
I don’t think Lucas can play every Premier League game and we desperately need to keep him out of the treatment room. When he’s injured, we don’t pick up a lot of points.
Henderson is the player I really want to see fit and available. If you offered me him back for the remainder of the season, in exchange for Sturridge taking no further part, I’d grudgingly accept that.
I´ve not seen it mentioned in any of the reports nor heard it on the podcasts, but Firmino´s quick feet were at the very root of his goal. Perhaps it´s been overlooked given the beauty of Can´s backheel but have a look at it again. Think it´s Milner who plays a give and go with Firmino about 25 yards out on the flank but the quality of Firmino´s two touches, left onto his right to lay it back off to Milner to make the break, whilst almost hunched over from the citeh player at his back. I´m sure Klopp and Pep and anyone else interested in quick transitions will have been only fecking delighted. What a touch, what a goal, what a result and what a day.
I was genuinely amazed by Roberto. Work rate, movement, control. He was brilliant. Probably better than Coutinho if you look at it objectively. Was a part of everything good we did in the final third.
Shame he didn’t get his hat trick!
Re: Lallana.
The shape of the front three was vital to that performance. Lallana was vital to the shape. Benteke can’t run as a three. Benteke can’t run as a one.
Lallana was immense. Not being involved in a goal is irrelevant.
The most mature performance of his life. My Man of the Match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpzkgqWXtdE
You’ve got to love Mike, well I have anyway. He sees the game exactly as I do while at the same time having a bit of the Kenny Snr about him (ironically, I’m sure). Oceans.