THIS will be low on scores, high on chat. Because lots about tonight was interesting, and very little of it has to do with what score I’m going to give Dejan Lovren out of 10.
Liverpool fans were allocated 2,000 tickets tonight and a lot of them went spare. People couldn’t give them away outside the ground. I’m not sure what happened to the hundreds who were begging for one of the 3,000 Dortmund tickets in Germany. Maybe people get despondent and don’t travel. Maybe some games are more trendy than others. I’m not sure.
Those that did go made a racket. I’m not sure you could hear us though, we were so high up and far away and caged in. You might have to take my word for it. I hope you heard us. Although it’s probably for the best Maggie Thatcher’s family didn’t….
The away end at Villarreal is mad. It’s on the top tier behind the opposite end the only goal went in. It has a 10-foot perspex wall, presumably to stop people throwing things or hurling themselves over the wall when Roberto Firmino misplaces a 10-yard pass.
Above that is a net. Between the net and the perspex is a foot-long metal sheet that means that everyone aside from the first two rows can’t see a stretch of the pitch. Like someone has put some gaffer tape across the middle of your TV. It’s different for each row. So you shout each other asking what is going on. Fifty euros the tickets were. Say what you want about the Premier League but if that was England we wouldn’t stand for it.
The game goes along as you watched it. Some of the crowd are surprisingly restless. They call for a striker. Of course, when we bring one on, they score, but I’m too much of a wimp to point out the irony.
I wonder when 0-0 became a bad score away from home. Has football changed or football supporters? Maybe people were screaming at Houllier at Barca away during 2001 and I don’t remember it. We seemed very restless in the crowd considering the situation.
I bumped into handsome James Cutler after the game and he tells me he worries we’re not a 1-0 at home team like we were in 2001. Maybe it’s not football or us but these crazy Reds.
It doesn’t matter because we don’t get 0-0. Ironically, again, because a couple of midfielders are aggressive and press when they should sit and a full back is too high up. Those damn attacking, defensive Reds. Last kick though. The last kick is the deepest.
So now we go again to a home game I hope isn’t a famous night too many with a quality player too few. Pray 4 Phil. Unleash Daniel. Up the Reds.
4 – Four of the last five teams to lose 1-0 away in UEFA Cup/EL semi-final have progressed, the exception being Liverpool in 2010. Problem.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 28, 2016
Simon Mignolet: 7
Nathaniel Clyne: 7
Dejan Lovren: 7
Kolo Toure: 7
Alberto Moreno: 6
Lucas Leiva: 6
Joe Allen: 6
James Milner: 6
Philippe Coutinho: 5
Adam Lallana: 5
Roberto Firmino: 5
Subs:
Jordon Ibe: 5
Christian Benteke: n/a
Can’t argue with these scores, agree on the assessment.
If Lucas gets a rating of 6, then just about every Liverpool player deserves no lower than 8.
That was thump the ground with frustration stuff at the end. The Moreno miss and Lopez goal had me on the verge of hospitalisation.
We had them is my honest opinion. We really did have them. They were stunted, lookes out of ideas and rarely had us worried. Then that filthy, dirty goal that felt like something out of FIFA 16. Makes you sick. Klopp just laughed. I should have too really.
We went there, did a classic away from home European job on them for 92 minutes and then got served a shit sandwich right at the end.
Anfield is going to rock.
Ibe doesn’t deserve a 5. He was far less than average. As usual, I fear. He may be playing himself out of this squad.
Agreed, but how in the name of all that is holy is Ibe getting the nod ahead of Sturridge there? There are a million different ways he could have worked it with the front 6 to accommodate Sturridge and Firmino with Coutinho gone.
Finishing a game we lose – however it is lost – with out most creative player out (unfortunate notwithstanding the nonsensical replacement) and our best goal-scorer on the bench makes no sense whatsoever.
0-0 away from home to a team like Villareal is not unacceptable. But that’s on paper. What I find slightly disappointing though is to not bring on arguably the most talented goalscorer currently playing in the Premiership when what everyone has observed after 60 minutes or so is that you are comfortable and have a lot of ‘nearly’ possession. That’s not on paper, that’s what was actually happening. Someone with a bit of individual brilliance and who can provide a focal point for all that ‘nearly’ possession would be pushing the edge we had better than leaving either Lallana and Firmino on, in my opinion. Especially when you consider the value of an away goal.
Allen was MOTM with a massive game. Really not sure what you could see from that vantage, but the telly told a different tale. Lots of the good stuff – pressing, incisive passing, being everywhere at the same time, etc.
Yes, he is Music For Airports. But that’s a 5-star album. And what would Remain in Light be without Eno turning the little knobby things?
Sturridge for Coutinho would have made it a different match, and perhaps then the ratings wouldn’t have been such an afterthought.
Allen was a 7/8 and still probably MoM on the telly and a 8/9 if that early chance doesn’t come to him for him to fluff. A 10 if he buries it like he should have done.
Klopp hasn’t seen the get Sturridge on/away goal wood for the tactical trees tonight. Playing for 0-0 away under Houllier or even Benitez was sound because we had proper defenders and it was a different era of football. Now everyone in Europe other than Atletico Madrid and Leicester fucking City have the conceding of daft goals in them. Us especially. If we gift an early away goal to that failure Soldado in particular in the first 10 minutes I’m spewing it. We’ll go on and win 3-1 oh so dramatically like but that’s beside the point.
Liverpool doing things the hard way… This isn’t AC Milan in the mid 2000s or even Dortmund the other week. Villareal are crap. Mid table if they were in the premier league (again: look who’s winning it ffs). Probably better than Everton or Stoke give or take… Just be better than them. Why do we have make everything so difficult all of the time? Everyone remembers the big legendary, romantic drama of 2005 while forgetting that sometimes it was just okay to put Leverkusen to the sword without giving everyone a panic attack.
Almost everything Villarreal did going forward came through Moreno’s side, I thought he struggled, and was completely brainless for the goal
As Mel Reddy pointed out, in that stadium Villarreal have beaten both Madrid teams, Sevilla, Napoli, and Leverkusen, and held Barca. They’ve conceded 1 goal there in the entire Europa.
I know everyone says they’re crap, but I think that’s why Klopp was good with 0-0. Make it so any anfield win gets us through. And I think there was no Sturridge because (rightfully, based off what he’s seen) this team has shown 0 nous in finishing off a game. Holding Sturridge back almost forces their had to keep it tight. Unfortunately, Albie is Albie, the midfield’s heads’ fall off, and we probably need a 3-1.
Agree with your comment 100%!!! Klopp is world class and he knows European game as well as Rafa or Houllier do. He was keeping it very tight from the front and in midfield to deny space to them and if we had put in one or two goals from our clear cut chances, all of us would not be talking about Sturridge now.
Klopp knows the qualities of Sturridge and he would be unleashed in the return leg possibly in a different formation.
Difficult to fathom Jurgen’s substitutions but came within an ace of a good result. Suggest everyone remembers how many key players were missing and will be for 2nd leg, think we are in for a nervy night next week.
Ibe was as usual totally ineffective, too much praise in his early days without proper analysis. Suspect he has no future with us.
Onwards and upwards.
Yeah, I was thinking the same. Can and Origi would have made us 20% better in overall play and in fear factor. (Ok at least 10%).
Moreno does what other Suarez does and rolls the ball across the face, the tie is over. Moreno does what left backs do when you are playing for a 0-0 in the last minute and defends, we take a 0-0 back. Both John and Neil seem to think this is okay. Be interesting to know why and I am looking forward to Sean’s take on the game.
I said on Saturday that I can’t cope with Mig anymore but the save makes him worth an 8 for me.
Klopp is a 3 for not using Sturridge.
Labelling them (still) as ‘a team likes Villareal’ is the problem, and has been a problem in the past. They, like us, have earned the right to be here. We’ve lost a whole spine since Dortmund.
0-0 would have been great,even though we were looking for the win(despite not having a striker).Firmino in spite of hitting the post was as bad as he’s played this season.To get caught on the break in injury time is criminal.We’ll need at least 3 next week as those deadheads won’t keep a clean sheet.
Alberto Moreno…just fucking defend, will yer?
Lucas and Joe Allen 6 – Hahahaha
What’s your point? Higher or lower? I’d have given Lucas an 8. Thought he did exactly what was required of him. Joe was meant to give more going forward and didn’t, but then that’s mostly because there were no runners ahead of him. And to be fair to him the one time Lallana made a run I think it was Joe who found him with an incredible ball. Thought Lov, kolo and Mig were all very solid all night.
klopp looked a bit too happy and confident in the 0-0, and that was probably reflected in the players too.
Thought Lucas was very good last night. Played the part of the water carrier well. I haven’t looked at the stats, but he did quite a few interceptions and clearances before the ball reached the final third. Took away a lot of pressure of the defence.
The midfielders pressing would’ve been fine but for Moreno. Play in your position for one last minute & we’re fine, or when Suarez is next to you on the halfway line, follow him into your part of the pitch instead of jogging back in a straight line.
Klopp’s doing a great job of making us all love Sturridge eh?
It reminded me very much of the game vs Benfica, 2006 CL Last 16 – being undone by a late goal in an unambitious performance- so lest not forget that not all Benitez’s tactical, tight forays in Europe ended successfully.
Most did though, to be fair…..
We only need to beat them 1-0 in 90 mins to bring it to extra time. Last night showed if we keep it tight they struggle to create much. With Sturridge up front we can score 1 or 2 goals handy. But can we stop them getting one?
It’s a Uefa cup final at stake. I hope Anfield is even louder than Dortmund. We need to win this trophy. We really do.
Joe Allen at least an eight was superb on the night, imagine he could finish