Liverpool FC Forum

[puroresu]

I don't think Rafa has belief that we can beat good teams by playing football. He is of the keep it tight and when you get the ball kick it long to a big man up front.

Mourinho doesn't use rotation much, Either does Ferguson - think about it - who are our front 2? sometimes Kuyt/Crouch , sometimes Kuyt/Bellamy sometimes Crouch/Bellamy. I don't think Rafa knows what our best team is?

Wenger plays Henry (practically)every game when he is fit, not one of our strikers is a definite starter in a league game.

That style of football will never win the championship these days.  Goals is the answer.  Look at this season. Mau Utd's goal difference was like an extra point against chelsea.  Nobody wants to leak goals but at the same time u can score plenty as Utd have proved.

[Leonmc0708]

its fair to say that away from home we have been pathetic but in all honesty if we were prepared better at the beginningof the season then we might have put more effort into the league. Our challenge was over by end of september, hence the reason to focus on the cl. The fa cup was another thing, we were beaten by a good arsenal team. We had a lot of changes this season. More than the other "big three". Yet, the press have been unfair to us. Arsenal have been their babes, whereas chelsea and man u ar ethe press' favourites. Yet we finished above an apparent great future arsenal team. Knocked a team that =cost half a billion to assemble out of the biggest competition in club football. Beat the reigning european champions in their own back yard.

Where does the doom and gloom come from. If we win in athens we are champions of europe ffs!

Look back on that in years to come and people will remember our 6th european win rather than man poo's league title.

Read your PM's lad.

[ivor_the_injun]

Here's a list of all the games we've dropped points in this season...

H v Charlton
A v Fulham
A v Portsmouth
A v Sheff Utd
A v Man City
A v Villa
H v Man Utd
A v Newcastle
H v Everton
A v Blackburn
H v Portsmouth
A v Boro
A v Arsenal
A v Man Utd
H v Blackburn
A v Bolton
A v Chelsea
A v Everton

Bear in mind that we finished 21 points behind Man U, and 15 behind Chelsea.

We put full strength sides out against those two and Arsenal, as well as against the likes of Bolton, Everton and Newcastle.

Seeing as though Man U did the double over us, and we lost away to Arsenal, Chelsea, Bolton, Everton and Newcastle, it seems to me that we'd have actually got more points in the league had we played weakened sides in the away fixtures against these sides, and concentrated on getting 3 points away at the likes of Sheff Utd, Fulham, Portsmouth, Man City and Villa.

Bear in mind we dropped 7 points in the last 3 games alone, so by concentrating on the "smaller" games earlier in the season instead of drafting in the Palettas, the Gonzalezes and the Zendens, we'd probably have done better just assuming we wouldn't come away from the top 6 sides with anything and rested the big guns that way. 

Just a thought. 

[grayghost]

The pressure is on for Rafa now. Everything is in place the money the new board new stadium is about to be built. He has had a easy ride pressure wise because of the budget and squad he has had to work with. It is clear we are not able to challenge for the title with the squad we have. Rafa needs to work hard and change many things before the new season begins.

1st he needs to get the spine of the team happy get the top players on contracts before they leave on there summer holidays. We don't want to see a star of ares uncertan about his futere

2nd off he needs to get rid of the players who are not in his plans.
Belamy
Crouch
Fowler (should have got a new contract)
Zenden
Dudek
Gonzales
They would be my candadates to leave come the transfer window

3rd Replace them players with top quality players who are proven.
Tevez
Etoo
Simeo
Bale
Milto The CB one
Yes i no easyer said than done but players all arond the world should no that Liverpool is the most in form team in Europe and if they want Glory then this is the place to be. COME ON YOU REDS.

[Owzat]

To look at the season from a competition by competition viewpoint compared with last season

Premiership

2005/6 - 3rd on 82 points
2006/7 - 3rd on 68 points (3rd by GD)

So we've dropped 14 more points than last season with some pretty shoddy away days. Wins away include only the lower sides in Wigan, West Ham, Watford and Charlton plus Reading and Tottenham. We won FOUR more games away from home last season, that explains the majority of the extra points

Champions League

2005/6 - Last sixteen exit to Benfica
2006/7 - Final to come

Clearly a much better season and it hasn't come at the expense of a title challenge with the knockouts following the end of our challenge

FA Cup

2005/6 Winners
2006/7 3rd Round defeat at home to Arsenal

So our exit was a bit embarrasing, the draw was not kind as it has been to some of our rivals. Arsenal then drew Bolton and Blackburn needing replays before finally floundering so we may as well have demised early than add another lot of games to our fixture list. We might have got a second FA Cup final but I suspect it would have done for our Champions League ambitions

League Cup

2005/6 3rd round exit to Crystal Palace
2006/7 QF exit at home to Arsenal

We played a weakened side on both occaisions, losing to Arsenal is no great embarrassment even if conceding six is poor (shows where our weakness was)

We also won the European Super Cup in 2005/6 and lost the Club World Championship final to bad decisions, I mean Sao Paolo. So the league apart would people swap the FA Cup for a Champions League final appearance?

Liverpool conceded the same number of goals in the Premiership as Man Utd. Man Utd scored TWENTY SIX more goals and picked up TWENTY ONE more points. Makes it pretty clear what the problem was

[zarababe]

its fair to say that away from home we have been pathetic but in all honesty if we were prepared better at the beginningof the season then we might have put more effort into the league. Our challenge was over by end of september, hence the reason to focus on the cl. The fa cup was another thing, we were beaten by a good arsenal team. We had a lot of changes this season. More than the other "big three". Yet, the press have been unfair to us. Arsenal have been their babes, whereas chelsea and man u ar ethe press' favourites. Yet we finished above an apparent great future arsenal team. Knocked a team that =cost half a billion to assemble out of the biggest competition in club football. Beat the reigning european champions in their own back yard.

Where does the doom and gloom come from. If we win in athens we are champions of europe ffs!

Look back on that in years to come and people will remember our 6th european win rather than man poo's league title.

Read your PM's lad.

LOl

[puroresu]

To look at the season from a competition by competition viewpoint compared with last season

Premiership

2005/6 - 3rd on 82 points
2006/7 - 3rd on 68 points (3rd by GD)

So we've dropped 14 more points than last season with some pretty shoddy away days. Wins away include only the lower sides in Wigan, West Ham, Watford and Charlton plus Reading and Tottenham. We won FOUR more games away from home last season, that explains the majority of the extra points

Champions League

2005/6 - Last sixteen exit to Benfica
2006/7 - Final to come

Clearly a much better season and it hasn't come at the expense of a title challenge with the knockouts following the end of our challenge

FA Cup

2005/6 Winners
2006/7 3rd Round defeat at home to Arsenal

So our exit was a bit embarrasing, the draw was not kind as it has been to some of our rivals. Arsenal then drew Bolton and Blackburn needing replays before finally floundering so we may as well have demised early than add another lot of games to our fixture list. We might have got a second FA Cup final but I suspect it would have done for our Champions League ambitions

League Cup

2005/6 3rd round exit to Crystal Palace
2006/7 QF exit at home to Arsenal

We played a weakened side on both occaisions, losing to Arsenal is no great embarrassment even if conceding six is poor (shows where our weakness was)

We also won the European Super Cup in 2005/6 and lost the Club World Championship final to bad decisions, I mean Sao Paolo. So the league apart would people swap the FA Cup for a Champions League final appearance?

Liverpool conceded the same number of goals in the Premiership as Man Utd. Man Utd scored TWENTY SIX more goals and picked up TWENTY ONE more points. Makes it pretty clear what the problem was

Exactly.  Some people seem to think playing more attacking will mean leaking more goals.  Thats BS though as Utd's record proves it.  Playing more attacking expansive game doesnt effect the defenders, it will allow the gifted talented players to express themselves more and do what comes naturally. The gifted players need the freedom to be able to create.

[dawson99]

I reckon Rafa just wants this champs league trophy, then it'll be 2 in 3 years and ext seasn he will solely concentrate on the league.

plus, we finished 3rd so i won my match bet. I expect to see a shedload mroe in the league next term.

[metalhead]

I reckon Rafa just wants this champs league trophy, then it'll be 2 in 3 years and ext seasn he will solely concentrate on the league.

plus, we finished 3rd so i won my match bet. I expect to see a shedload mroe in the league next term.

Not good enough though. We should be competing in both competition not only one.

If we fail to compete next year then serious questions need to be asked.

[Leonmc0708]

I dont see the point of threads that say "take away the trophy we have won thsi season and do you think its been a success ?"

Ask the same of every league winner. OF course it wont be.

Pointless thread of people for whom the glass is ALWAYS half empty.

[Sabre]

I don't have a problem with criticism, but correct me if I'm wrong, you could say about a season the following

Extraordinary

Very Good

Good

Decent

Poor

Dissapointing

Hugely Dissapointing

Disaster.


So being third in the league, even if we forget about being in the CL final, would be Hugely dissapointing? I don't think so. Out transfer funds and wages were not the first or second best after all.

Metalhead, that serious questions had to be raised IMHO a few years back when this club hadn't the position in Europe that traditionally had. It's nice that coming back make us think we should win the local title again, because indeed, LFC was aswell succesful in the league in the past. But changes in a team do not occur in a couple of seasons, Rafa had a project here, and he's developing it, and that project is good enough to turn out Real Madrid, who have won their share of European and local leagues aswell and is his home team. I'm sure he's confident in what he does.

[jaytoothetee]

I dont see the point of threads that say "take away the trophy we have won thsi season and do you think its been a success ?"

Ask the same of every league winner. OF course it wont be.

Pointless thread of people for whom the glass is ALWAYS half empty.

yeah, that's like saying if we hadn't won -

18 leagues
5 european cups
7 fa cups
7 league cups
15 charity shields
3 uefa cups
and 3 super cups,

we wouldn't be the best team in the world 

[joko]

take the EPL competitions away since rafa came
now we are the best in team in the world

[parchpea]

I do not think Benitez ever beleived we had enough to win the league and therefore set his stall out to win in Europe again.

When you think he rested players early doors at Sheff Utd and Everton it showed where his priorities where. A team going all out for the title would have racked up points straight away and showed their intent.

Next season must be different and Benitez needs to assemble a team capable of giving the Championship a real go. All out for that prize now as our premiership record is looking a bit embarassing now.

Until we are kings domestically again we will continue to struggle for recognition here whereas our reputation in Europe is second to none.

[bigmick]

As always some interesting points of view. My main worry with the "lets concentrate on Europe" angle is that I think our team is much better than that. Some think it's laughable, but i genuinely believe we would have gone very close to winning the title had we actually gone for it. As it was, we didn't. We surrendered any chance with our own folly. I guess that's the crux, if you think that third is the limit of our ambitions with this squad I suppose it makes no odds whether we finish 21 points behind or 8. My feeling is however that we are much much closer than that, if we give ourselves a chance. Had Henri played all season, so are Arsenal too. We'll never know of course but my bet is six points or so would have been the gap between the total top four.