KLOPP takes it to the Kop.
Gardner walloping Lovren.
Liverpool’s set piece game being the hardest game in the world but the Reds eventually winning 2-2 against West Brom.
This week’s Anfield Wrap takes care of all the big issues from the Liverpudlian weekend along with the Europa League draw.
A great opening 25, only for the bubble to be burst by conceding another soft set-piece.
The goalkeeper, bloody hell, what can you say, just needs boxing now doesn’t it, but with a million games to go until January, what can we do?
Has the nervousness amongst set pieces now become a self fulfilling prophecy? Have we got Cornerphobia again?
Craig Gardner, a horror tackle or just unlucky? Seems to get worse with each viewing.
The game exploding into life in the last 30, combination of a horror tackle and Jürgen offering everyone outside for a straightener, has ever a draw against fodder ever felt so much like a win?
The frenzy of the last 5, the first goal in years thats been sucked in to the back of the net by the Kop, what has happened to Origi? Looks like a different player doesn’t he?
Klopp ignoring/forgetting to shake Pulis’ hand at full time, a nothing incident or as fake worthy as people are making it?
And the usual back to front, seemed to be all 6’s and 7’s in more ways that one.
All this, as usual, and more including the march towards the Kop at full time in this week’s big show.
And all in glorious technicolour.
Moreno to come off his defensive duties on set pieces to lead the counterattack? It’ll be Spurs-like goals every other week.
The Mignolet ‘punch out’. I was convinced at the time it was deliberate as we had a player down on the pitch at the time, and he’d been down for 30 seconds or so.
Watch their second goal again sure it was offside.
The lad on the line flicks his foot at it and hes the last man except mingylay.
Just watched that back its not offside but very canny play from West Brom. He pushes Mignolet towards the front post and the ball goes where he was standing maybe a foul but weak from the keeper. Lallanas defending the front post? Two of there lads go through the back of Lovren when hes about to clear which also could have been a foul. Clutching at straws i know.
Lovren was a small threat from crosses in their box. We should expect more of a goal threat from the centre backs over a season surely. So keep up the good work Reds.
I’d argue you could just play Can and Sakho at center half against the Pulis teams of the world at Anfield. A naïve risk maybe, but you’d be losing nothing aerially if yesterday is anything to judge by. With this keeper coming out to keep the ball in with the heaviest touch imaginable (so funny at the time), you may as well try and pick as many ball players outfield as possible to compensate. Actually, Lucas would come in to that team and be as if not more likely to head away than Skrtel or Lovren when defending corners.
That’s my mad and almost certainly wrong shout on what I’d like to see.
I seem to be falling vaguely into Paul’s camp on Can and some of the decisions he makes at times, I think (not on Gerrard though… WTF, Paul?!)
There’s still just bits of brain deadness from him. Everyone can see before it happens if he gives it to Milner who’s on the halfway line he’s going to get done. Was it any surprise one of our players got stretchered off when we play these hospital balls that aren’t really on like it’s a game of Fifa.
What really annoys me is when I see nothing at all from a players. Can has fucked up a few times since he’s arrived but we’re really starting to see something now. I’m really confident he’ll be an important player for Liverpool. He’s still finding his feet. A month ago the jury was still out for me whether he had anything. I definitely think he has.
My point was based around him being behind the ball.
If you’re coming on to the ball you can fire passes first time, shoot first time, stride past others with your first touch etc. If you’ve got your back to the game, you’d take some of these attributes away. Gerrard could influence the game doing both, doubt Can could.
Ah right, missed it was a direct comparison. Yeah you can’t see Can playing too high up the pitch like Gerrard who could be the best player on the pitch playing anywhere.
Although there was that moment where he just put his foot on it in their box and drew west brom players on to him to make space for a Henderson shot, which is pretty much the simplest yet smartest thing any Liverpool player did all game.
That’s the thing with Can, I find him to be a bit Shelveyish where his consistency is all over the shop. He’ll be a good long term Liverpool player unlike Shelvey, but he’s had a strange season.
I’ve been saying for years Skrtel isn’t good enough. I don’t like to be so harsh but if we wanna win the league we have to be a bit tight on players. Skrtel has 1 good game in 3. It’s deceptive. We need 2 in 3 players like Sakho. I think what’s saved Skrtel has been good fortune. Firstly, he’s managed to stay reasonably injury free. Secondly, his fellow centre halves haven’t, Sakho and Agger especially combined with Lovren disappointing. Thirdly, and probably the biggest factor is firstly Hyppia left, then Carragher, then Agger and again Coates disappointed. Through all that he’s been our stability. You can’t replace both centre half’s in 1 season. Last season it looked like he might not be a starter during the pre-season but circumstances helped him. The most deceptive thing of all is his headering. My view is we’ve been brainwashed. Picture Skrtel heading a ball and most people will get 1 of 2 images. A powering header that flies into the top corner for a goal or possibly a strong header from the opposition keepers kick. He can’t and doesn’t head balls crossed into the box and certainly not when challenged. I wanna call him a poof but I’m not sure where we stand on expressions like that now. Having chiselled cheekbones doesn’t make you hard. I’ve got them. We need someone stronger. I don’t like to say it but Mignolet’s become a joke. But, there are some players who are going under the radar because of him.
It was mentioned on the show about Can’s shooting. Fair enough but there’s a far bigger concern with shooting from outside the box than Can. We could have won yesterday if Henderson’s shooting was better. It winds me up more than anything. I’ve spent years defending him to mates to the extent they take the piss out of me for it. Every time I feel the battles won he squanders big chance after big chance. I don’t get it. If you’re on the edge of the box in space with the whole goal in front of you and the balls squared to you you’ve got 2 choices. Get over the ball and hit it first time low and hard into the far corner or get over the ball and hit it first time low and hard into the near corner if you feel the path to the far is obstructed. It’s that simple. All footballers can hit a ball low and hard putting their laces through it. What you don’t do is lean back and curl it into the keepers arms off the outside of your big toe. Is that not obvious? He’s been doing since the day he came and only scored about 2 like that. He should have had 10 goals from those situations to his name. It’s frustrating because he’s nearly got it all.
Agree with Paul, Benteke needs a partner. Also, agree with Stephen. After this start he’s got a long way to go to win me over though it’s definitely possible. He’s got goals in him for sure. I’m just not convinced he’s right for us now. Another question is has Firmino had a few off games or has he had one on game?
Aside from that everything else is great, haha.
I dont think Skirtel is that hard either, partly cos of those silly little handbag dogs, he has, Agger was a warrior, he put his body on the line for LFC, remember those battles with Drogba… and Torres, as alluded to Skirtel has never been commanding, Lovren can be, but it leads to him then trying to hard and we know where that goes. With Mama back, things will improve and there will be a bit more serenity back there.
Loved that last 8 intensity, watching game again just for that energy, felt the power from the stream, for those who were there, surely the buzz will lead to more n more supporting and those too cool, will be the opposite, as they are missing out on the positive vibes, while ‘practicing looking hard'( E 40, check him out).
Benteke needs forgetting. A front three is so much more affective. That’s how we play. We have the players who can annihilate teams as a three. I don’t understand why we’ve not played a front three since City.
As soon as you put Benteke on the pitch, the entire dynamic, focus and objective changes. He clouds decisions because Ibe/Lallana/Coutinho/Firmino aren’t from the 80’s and don’t know how to play with a centre forward who doesn’t run channels or look to get in behind defender. Benteke blunts our sharpness on attack and I don’t think we have the players who know or want to suit Benteke. Why should they? Why should the ethos of entire squad change for a player because we paid too much for him? It seems like a relentless and futile task to keep forcing him in the team when it’s inevitable that he has no future in it. That’s sad to say. We can delude ourselves otherwise or we can just move on and create a 4-1-3-3 style of football that washes over the Prem.
I like Benteke. I’d rather see him bang 28 goals in a season than not. But he won’t in this team. It’s a shame to force everyone else into a shape to accommodate him when we know how dangerous they are in 4-1-3-3.
‘Reds eventually winning 2-2 against West Brom’ hahahaha. That’s all.
Sound. It’s clearly a joke.
The point was made that Skrtel had to cover for Johnson thus affecting his game when alongside a weak defensive full-back.
This point is never made about Lovren. All of Lovren’s major errors have occured pretty much on the touch-line. Moreno is defensively very poor. He lacks concetration, watches the ball at attackers feet without the brain power to know how to react. When he does react, it’s Newcastles second (got away with that again). What the fuck was that?!?! The sideways standing. The stationary, hands behind his back thing. He gets away with something useless in every game. Runs a lot though. So it’s alright. Lovren plays two positions at the back. It’s not just because Moreno goes forward so often, it’s his lack of ability to read the game or know what he’s doing in almost any situation. HELP COUTINHO OUT TOO!!!
Moreno is a 3/10 defender for 80 minutes of most games. He does something that’s shows heart twice a game which bumps him to a 4/10. He’s a likeable dope which bumps him to 6/10. It’s a position that still needs addressing.