NO matter how many penalty shoot-outs I see us win, I’m still a wreck. Going into the game 1-0 up from the first leg, Liverpool didn’t seem to know how to approach the game. Seeing out a 0-0 never looked likely.
Second half was slightly better but Stoke never looked like being as generous as Norwich at the back. We still look short in attack. But we might have another Brazilian back in time for the final at the end of February. In the meantime… GET THE BUS BOOKED, MICK LAD!!
Simon Mignolet: 7
Two top saves and nearly got to another. Was clearly made up. Hopefully turns something around for him.
Jon Flanagan: 5
I guess it depends what you want from a full back. Was good in the tackle and didn’t look like being beaten. Was smart with his positioning too. But my word his passing. Let’s put it down to rustiness.
Kolo Toure: 6
Did alright but you sense he’s managing himself through games, which isn’t ideal. But should be rightly proud of what he’s put in for the club last few weeks. Back in the ice bath now, Kolo.
Mamadou Sakho: 7
He’s a mad one to rate. Let one bounce over his head in the box at one point. But some great blocks. Much better overall.
Alberto Moreno 6
Gave one soft free kick away first half but generally dependable. Can he please never ever take a free kick again though? Not sure he impressed Klopp….
Lucas Leiva: 8
Gave the Stoke fans loads after the penalty, which was brilliant. And then tried to put off their player with the old handshake routine. Then swerved celebrating with the team to fist pump the crowd. What a fella. That is why we like him, we like him, we like him…
Emre Can: 5
I don’t like doing the at the match versus watching on the TV thing because for many it’s a forced decision and some things you see better on the box anyway.
But you really need to be in the ground to appreciate how poor his decision making is.
At one point first half he got the ball in midfield with his back to the left. Moreno is screaming for the ball but he is facing the wrong way so he passes right. Not once but twice. On the TV it looks fine. The stats show two completed passes. But he could have set us away.
Jordan Henderson: 5
What on earth is going on? Are the rumours true and he’s going to be injured forever? Or does he just need longer to recover? In which case just start the lad on the bench who is playing great. Or pick another lad up front.
James Milner: 5
Position doing him no favours. We seem to have mistaken stamina for pace. Decent corners though. And great pen under pressure.
Adam Lallana: 6
He’s a funny player. A rare bright spark first half, then drifted out of it when we went on top. Probably a five overall but everyone is getting a point for a penalty.
Roberto Firmino: 6
Think he likes the fluid front three thing more than the treating him as a target man thing. Did well in the circumstances.
SUBS
Christian Benteke: 7
Thought he did great. Held the ball up well and ran the channels, played a beautiful pass, took a nice penalty.
Joe Allen: 6
Wee Joe didn’t really make his mark, but what a penalty to win it.
Jordan Ibe: 5
Not sure what to do with him. The Europa might be his friend. Needs to figure out how long the pitch is soon.
“Needs to figure out how long the pitch is soon.”
Major lolz.
Not that it means they are right, but they were haling Allen as the game changer on the telly. Thought we did look better with him on, but then I thought the overall shape of the team was better by the time he came on.
Bit tough on Cafu given it was his first start in nearly 2 years. He still looks our most dependable full-back defensively. And did amazingly well to do more than 100 mins.
Don’t know what Allen has to do to get a start. He’s brave with his passing, unlike Emre.
Grow 6 inches
Then he can defend at corners and head the ball away.
Emre needs a rest, he’s very young and has played too much. He could do with two weeks in front of the telly watching all the wrong decisions he makes. He has progressed under Klopp but he could do with some thinking time as could Moreno, they both look at bit frazzeled or thick as pig shit and need to get their heads together.
Benteke needs the No7 shirt because thats what he wants to do. He may be 6 foot and bits and good in the air but he is not doing any of the No9 stuff and it causes loads of confusion. If he had a No7 shirt it would be OK to link play and mince between the penalty spot and the edge of the area and occasionally the back post. Its the No9 shirt that is the problem, you expect him to curve the runs to stay onside, run across the front post and be a 6 yard poacher, but he aint doing any of that and its driving me bananas watching him doing all the No7 stuff in a No9 shirt. At least Ibe wears the 33 shirt and nobody knows what that number is supposed to do, including Ibe
Thought Sakho was pretty immense to be honest. Put himself all over. BBC man of the match.
Lallana back to his absolutely shit self, and Moreno is SHITE.
On TV it feels like Milner runs more than the whole team combined.
But, we’re going to Wembley!
TV is deceptive. At the ground it is apparent that he moves more than most. Sadly I’d stop short of calling it running.
The lad needs to find a position in the team. Currently Jack of all trades, master of none.
Fair ratings, perhaps generous to Can. A lot of his passes went astray.
Hoping for Everton in the final. Recent record against them aside, I’d rather we faced a fellow imperfect side than City.
thanks, John, for this.
At 4:30am. in a hotel room, too excited till with the penalties and result. Still wide awake.
I swear I shall grant Mig immunity from my usual criticisms for a month from now because of his two penalty saves (and few good punches in 6 hard box).
Lucas (just like Carra in Istanbul) made it first to Joe Allen to celebrate. That said a lot about our Brazilian Scouser.
Spot on again with the ratings, Mr.Gibbons.
Very nervy display, bordering on dire in the first half, much improved in the 2nd.
Am definitely coming around to the include Joe Allen from the off brigade. Much more intelligent player than he’s given credit for.
Agreed on Benteke. Showed some sublime touches then you wonder why he’s yards outside the box when we’re on the attack!
Am no fan on Mignolet but rightly deserves all the plaudits for 2 penalty saves.
Negatives? Thought Henderson was shite – even if he was carrying an injury.No fucking way is that lad ‘Captain of LFC ‘ material.
Can is as thick as pigshit and I don’t know if that thickness can be coached out of him.
Loved to see that blocking Klopp gave Moreno. He pushes Can in the thick as pigshit sweepstakes.
Great to get to the final.
Would love to see a 2001 treble sweep!
PS Get the fucking chequebook out and up the offer on Teixera
Bit harsh on Flanagan. I’d knock a point of Sakho & 2 or 3 off Moreno. Jurgen’s reaction to Moreno is me for the last 6 months, he may be playing under instruction but he drives me insane – mad two footed Kung fu attempts at tackling & Usain Bolt going forward, & an 80 year old marathon runner ambling back.
Flanno was shocking. He couldn’t make simple passes to a red shirt from the first whistle. Being a clogger with a local accent does not get you extra points. If you can’t do the basics, you won’t last. I can see him and Moreno being moved on in the summer.
Just a hunch but I’m guessing being out for almost 2 years might have something to do with his radar not quite been on the money,
Did well defensively against a lad who has been in good form recently.
That Klopp video is hilarious. Hughes is just about to lambast his players and he’s like ‘WTF!?!?! I can’t compete with that’
And talk about decision making? Ibe also wears his IQ on his back.
Lucas giving those inbred gobshites a little gesture at the end was defy a match highlight. Great pen too as I was sure he’d miss!
Most of these players haven’t been in this kinda game before at the club , playing a semi final at Anfield and are now on their way to Weblemely. All that matter ps in tonight’s match, is that we got there.
Judge them more harshly in the next few league game if you want.
Thought Flanno showed brilliant attitide and heart, what a guy, welcome back mate, he’s one of us.
Loved Lucus bootting the ball at there fans, fucking brilliant !
Thought Benteke played really well.
Thought Outlaw Joesy Allen played really well.
About time Moreno got a bollocking, the birdbrain.
That panicked clearance Kolo does where he just loops it up anywhere in the air because he can no longer lift his legs off the ground properly is frightening. I and think most people like him because he’s funny and sound and all that but he might actually be physically more finished than Carragher was in 2013.
You know I understand how we all rate players on a single performance.It’s only natural and we are all quick to rush for judgement.
The thing is though that this squad is a random selection of players. Rodgers said that he wanted a right-back but his choice wasn’t on the list so he he had to take another one?
I’ve just started reading a biography of Geoff Twentyman.The best football scout Liverpool ever had.His job was to identify good players.And that was it! Identify good players and then Shankly,Paisley or Dalglish had a look to see if they would fit into LFC style and culture.They didn’t ask him to find a right-back or a striker.Just a good player!
Now Klopp has inherited a squad not of his own choosing.What does he do?Bin them all off or give them a chance?And how can he decide unless he sees them alongside different players against different teams with different tactics and different formations and different situations.And that’s not something you can judge in just 15 or 20 games.
In different circumstances some of them might turn out to be better than we first thought.But the point is that we really shouldn’t be writing anybody off just yet.
Flashback to Norwich on Saturday.One of my mates was having a go at Benteke.The other one said “Oh,but he’s an easy target!”
You wouldn’t need a Philadelphia Lawyer to get you off with that one would you?
Harsh on flanno. He made a block right at the end (stopped the cross) when it looked like it went out for a corner but we end up clearing it. This is what flanno does what other full backs don’t for example Ziege Moreno Enrique(why tackle with your right when you r left footed aka Bernard Mendy hull 2013) dossena Johnson cissokho degen ERM….. Paul konchesy (how or why?) What I am trying to say is flanno is a full back of the highest quality not a ball playing defender…..he is an aggressive, positive, self confident, learned, improving winner……flanno I say will be r captain by the start of next season why….because he is made for it. COYMR Wembley on the march an all that.
this is laughable nonsense. A fullback of the highest quality? He’s crap! Captain?? He won’t even be at the club next season
Flanagan was good in the tackle?? He was lucky not to get sent off! He was terrible in the tackle. He can’t time anything.
Thought Benteke played well and did what we want him to do.
Lucas doing everything you want, show passion for the shirt. Also put a shift in, immense player for us.
Spot on with Flanno and Cans ratings but for me Joe Allen is MOTM for the time he’s on the pitch. As soon as he’s involved everything goes thru him plus the extra point for the winning peno puts him on abar 8 or 9. No Allen No Party. Up The Reds. See ya down there.
The problem for Sakho is that he’s expected to be our playmaker in Coutinho’s absence. Not by the manager, of course, but by our midfielders and goalkeeper who keep passing the ball back to him or rolling it out towards him. Time for the midfielders to step up: yes I’m looking at *you* Emre Can. Will he live up to his potential or is he the new Jamie Redknapp (slow, *looks* a good player but flatters to deceive). Discuss.
“But you really need to be in the ground to appreciate how poor his decision making is.”
You don’t John, you really don’t. I watch half the matches on a laptop in Finland. I can see how poor his decision making is. Can’t spot a forward pass. Needs to get his head up. Plays his team mates into trouble all the time with his lazy backwards passing. Reminding me more and more of Jamie Redknapp: good technique masks ineffectiveness.
If that doesn’t scare Albie into playing better nothing will. Klopp is a large scary man when he gets going and I love him for it.
Well in Gubbins lad :-)
In age and experience terms, Can is a baby. He is better than Lucas was when Lucas was in his early stages at LFC, but you can see he has the same grit and determination. Lucas? We love him, love him, love him – but you didn’t then, did you? If you’d been in charge in Lucas’ first couple of seasons you would probably have shipped him out.
Can is better than Lucas at the same stage and will better than him when he has the same miles under his belt … and I really do love Lucas. All the time, mind, not just when he has a good game.
He has all the potentilal in the world Jase and is technically very sound. It’s whether he fulfils that potential. The issues are all around his reading of the game: that can be coached.
He rightfully bollocked Moreno – he’d grabbed Walters round the throat, launched in at him twice and left one on Johnson all in the space of 30 seconds. He’d lost his head!!!
Sir Daniel of Sturridge will make a marvelous recovery and declare himself available for selection for the final
Emre Can is a very poor player. Benteke doesnt want to shoot. Joe Allen’s passing was excellent, forward(not sideways), Flanagan was commited and did what was needed to ensure he wasnt beaten. Yes his passing was poor but that will come.
Overall need to sell Can Asap. How can he be a German and miss a pen? He can’t even get that right.
Ha, I know. We sign a German who misses penalties, a Dutchman with no technique, a defensive Brazilian and a Spanish long ball merchant and an Italian who can’t defend. *
* This post isn’t meant to be taken too seriously btw. Alonso was a great player, but y’know, it is funny.
Finally well done Gibbons even if you still don’t appreci8 what hes really does for the team maybe when he retires youll appreci8 him as much as me
Flanno’s deserved a higher rating. He is an excellent fullback, with great positional sense and who knows how to defend, unlike Moreno (who is brainless).
He was excellent in 2013-14, especially in the big games and will make a massive difference to our defence.
A future captain? Definetely. Don’t underestimate the fact that he is a local lad that the fans can equate to.
I think Jurgen is playing favourites by picking Can ahead of Allen at the moment. Emre has been average for most of the season and his decision-making has been consistently poor. I don’t think he deserved more than a 4 for this game. He may have potential, but at this stage he is nowhere near good enough to be starting every week in our midfield. He should be getting about the same amount of game time as Ibe.
I am amazed at Emre Can’s ability to make people think he has been brilliant even though you look at the individual performances and they are routinely mediocre at best, and often costly. Does have great hair, to be fair.
Allen did for this game what Lallana did against Norwich (minus the goals). Cool as a cucumber under pressure. Took his penno as well as he did that ball that dropped to him against Arsenal.
That moment when Can failed to pass to Moreno was crystal clear on the television – Can’s built like a brick wall but too often recently his touch and vision have been of similar density. I’ll attribute this to tiredness and give him the benefit long term.
Benteke was never a 7. One decent run and pass immediately negated by standing motionless in the area and expecting pinpoint crosses. Never better than Milner.