Liverpool FC Forum

[andy_g]

feck it, i'm going to start thinking about winning the prem right now because its the first time i've been able to since half the posters on here were but a sperm.

of course its early and of course it could all change but its been a long, long time since we have had a better chance. what we need now is more luck, as if we haven't had enough already. we need the luck to make sure that torres gets over his injury and stays fit, we need the luck that gerrard, alonso, mascherano, reina, carragher and riera remain injury free and we need the luck the other big teams remain slightly weakened or misfiring. if all these things come together then i don't see any reason why we can't win it. on the other hand though, if we get a few (more) injuries to key players and the others get their sh!t together it might be a little bit too much to ask this time around.

there are a couple of other factors as well. we have to see how well benitez can stick to a winning formula, especially as players inevitably get tired, suspended or suffer the odd knock. we also have to see if anyone is going to dip their hand in their pocket in the january sales.

[bigmick]

we also have to see if anyone is going to dip their hand in their pocket in the january sales.

Jeez Andy, a right can of worms that one. Some players have come into clubs in January and helped with that final push, guiding the club over the line. Others have done an "Asprilla" and helped the oppo. Usually it's an experienced player which works, a Henryk Larsson or someone similar.

Thierry Henri in January to take the heat of Torress anyone?

[bunglemark2]

Bring back Owen for half the cost. Even though he's nowhere near as potent as of old, he still knows where the goal is, even in a mediocre or "muck" team like Newcastle. I reckon he's itching to get outta there. Imagine having to share a teamsheet or even a pitch with a knacker like Joey Barton ?

[GYBS]

feck it, i'm going to start thinking about winning the prem right now because its the first time i've been able to since half the posters on here were but a sperm.

of course its early and of course it could all change but its been a long, long time since we have had a better chance. what we need now is more luck, as if we haven't had enough already. we need the luck to make sure that torres gets over his injury and stays fit, we need the luck that gerrard, alonso, mascherano, reina, carragher and riera remain injury free and we need the luck the other big teams remain slightly weakened or misfiring. if all these things come together then i don't see any reason why we can't win it. on the other hand though, if we get a few (more) injuries to key players and the others get their sh!t together it might be a little bit too much to ask this time around.

there are a couple of other factors as well. we have to see how well benitez can stick to a winning formula, especially as players inevitably get tired, suspended or suffer the odd knock. we also have to see if anyone is going to dip their hand in their pocket in the january sales.

think we can expect man city to buy big - not sure about the mancs or chelsea (maybe another striker for chelsea) . I got a feeling arsenal will spend a bit of money , and us ? think maybe one player - a right back - if anyone .

[andy_g]

we also have to see if anyone is going to dip their hand in their pocket in the january sales.

Jeez Andy, a right can of worms that one. Some players have come into clubs in January and helped with that final push, guiding the club over the line. Others have done an "Asprilla" and helped the oppo. Usually it's an experienced player which works, a Henryk Larsson or someone similar.

Thierry Henri in January to take the heat of Torress anyone?

that experienced player might be just the ticket and henry would be a great addition. he's not having such a fun time at barca so there is plenty of scope for speculation and other assorted welsh wizzardry.

[Igor Zidane]

There's only one thing that is stopping us from being contenders at the minute imo , and that's we are all sh!ting ourselves ,because we actually think we are . To many false dawns have pummelled the real belief out of us . We are to scared to really believe , incase it all goes wrong ,and we wake up to another what if . Well i say frig it , get on the rollercoater and enjoy the ride . Lets really believe we can do it , lets scare the out of the others and make them think for once that they've got a mountain to climb . Those of us who can remeber what it's like to be invincable want it again . Those who are to young to know what it's like , well feckin get on board and come with us auld @rses and i promise you footy heavan is waiting for you at the season's end . BELIEVE.

YNWA.

[Bam]

It is early, maybe a little to early to be getting carried away in October/November there is still a very long way to go yet and it will be a gruelling season, especially if we're asked to set the pace as league leaders. Many factors will play a role in us sustaining a lead and keeping us at arms length from teams such as United and Arsenal (who imo only a fool would rule out).

First and foremost: Our Achilles heel, beating the "lesser" teams. Although Rafa has shown he's able to successfully plot the tactics in beating the likes of United and Chelsea home and away we've still come up short in fixtures such as the Stoke match for example. I think think the comparison in tactics between facing a team like Chesea and a team like Stoke is pretty much like Chalk and Cheese. Although on paper Chelsea are the better team, Rafa's very own methods and tactics favour playing Chelsea rather than Stoke imo. But what has been a little more encouraging this year from the Spaniard is his substitutions at vital moments of the game. Where he has pulled off two fullbacks and thrown on attacking players for example if all else is failing, which although it may not always pay off is an encouraging sign that Rafa is looking to kill off the opposition and is sending out the right message to his players that he's looking to take the three points.

Against Portmouth tonight will be an ideal fixture of how we're going to go about this, I dont think nothing will change drastcially in the way we go about breaking them down. But its about, whether we will be able to. We're a team I feel who dont always carve out goal scoring opportunity after opportunity, say like Arsenal. But when we do carve out one opportunity in a 45 min period, we do tend to be pretty clinical.

Secondly our squad: For us to be there or there abouts come May we'll also rely heavily upon our squad in terms of strength and depth. At the moment we've been asked the questions and have answered them well. But in comparison to what United and Chelsea have we do lack some quality in depth, but like I said we did beat United without Torres and Gerrard, and Chelsea without Torres. Skertel was starting to look the part imo then got injured and now Agger is back in the side. Thats good to see, but if somebody like Riera, Gerrard or even Arbeloa became injured over a certain period of time I'd dont know how we'd cope. Especially as we dont have any real adequate cover for LM or RB and to loose Gerrard for a long time would be a crucial blow.
Again for the Portsmouth match tonight, I think some rotating will take place and imo thats fair enough, the players have been able to get some momentum going and playing another Premiership game in such a short amount of time after the Chelsea match will inevitabley bring in the need for fresher players. This though is where I get worried, against the "lesser" teams which seem to be our 'achilles heel' added ontop of that the need to 'rotate'. Bringing in players like Benayoun and Pennant who often more than not seem to blow cold rather than hot. And the psycological boost it must give to the opposition before KO to see players like Gerrard and Torres rested would only serve as confidence booster to them added to the fact it looks as though we're undermining them would surely only stir up the fire in their belly. But as I said we'll see how we go tonight with that. Gulp

Thirdly; Nerve: Again its probably a little to early to be talking about this, although sitting at the summit of the table this early on still requires the players to keep their nerve. Its an unknown area for our lads, something that not many have experianced before, and believe me things like Psycology and bottle play a large factor in football. Again teams like United and Chelsea have the players and the experiance who have been there seen it and done it in recent years. Its new to our lads and its something they'll have to deal with pretty quickly if their thinking of winning the league or even just setting the pace so early on.


There the three main factors in my eyes that will need answering before I start to 'get carried away' with our teams title credentials. I'd like to revisit this thread after Christmas to catergorically state one way or the other as to how we're going to do. In saying that I have been very encouraged and optimstic from what I've seen and threads like this wouldnt pop up otherwise, but I need to keep my feet firmly on the ground for now.

SShhhhhhhhhhh dont tell anyone ........ I'm still quietly confident though.   

[JC_81]

I've actually got them as finishing behind the Mancs when all the coun tings done, but I knw the bookies have em as strong favourites.

Just out of interest, how long is Drogba out for because as I say it could have a huge influence on how mnay points they get, seven or eight points over a season perhaps I should think.

I agree, Drogba's worth at least that to Chelsea, and along with Cech is their most important player imo.  They have guys who can come in and cover for Terry and Lampard pretty well if you ask me, but take Drogba or Cech out of there and they're significantly weaker.  On Drogbas's injury, the official premier league site has his comeback pencilled in as 'October' which is a bit vague.  I'm sure when he got the injury I read he'll be fit sometime early November.  So he'll probably not miss that many more games.

On the January transfer window, that could be absolutely crucial this season imo, and whoever buys well could end up being Champions.  Man City will be the big spenders no doubt, but they'll be too far behind by then for it to affect us, but Arsenal need to be wary of them stealing 4th unless the Gunners start stringing a few wins together.

Full backs are our weakest positions imo, followed by right wing (despite Kuyt's admirable performances so far this campaign), but a striker could make the biggest impact coming in in January.  You can't win titles without goals, and we've already been in the situation where both Torres and Keane are struggling for fitness.

Henry is a decent shout.  Owen is a possibility (less keen for that one to happen, but his contract situation perhaps makes it more likely).  I can't see us having a lot to spend, so perhaps an older player, preferably with Premier league experience would be a good move.

Personally I'm starting to look at Martins and think he's completely wasted at Newcastle.  A better team giving him better service would make him look a lot better than he looks in that team.  Newcastle probably need the money and he'd likely jump at the chance of a move.  I'm just saying he's someone I'd keep in mind.  Trouble is you never know what age he is    Christ knows there's no way he was 17 at Inter when he broke into the team - he was built like an ox.

[GYBS]

good post bam

[Bam]

feck it, i'm going to start thinking about winning the prem right now because its the first time i've been able to since half the posters on here were but a sperm.

[metalhead]

The question is, what if we do have this type of Blip in the middle of the season, what happens? are the players good enough to get out of it quickly and get back on track? I hope so.

I have a sense of optimisim that this season could be ours, but it depends on the determination of the club to win it. This January could be crucial in terms of strengthening our weak positions. If we can get a quality full back and a right winger, then I have no doubts that we can win the title come may.

lets end our curse and win it

[LFC2007]

I agree with the standard view, i.e. it's to early to think we're challenging, but we're very well positioned for a challenge, would urge a sensible degree of caution but have a subtle underlying belief we can sustain it etc..

As for the outlook:

Certainly we look a very different proposition this season. A poor start performance-wise has been largely overshadowed by a mix of solid performances, amongst several spirited comebacks. The Chelsea game though really was by far the clearest sign yet that we're ready for the challenge, and so I perfectly understand the increased levels of optimism in certain quarters. It was a comprehensive performance, set against the backdrop of some shakey defensive performances, after which a lot of people were very concerned. That kind of response shows a massive level of resilience and focus. Bam mentioned a key factor, and that was nerve, we showed exactly that against Chelsea. Our passing was assured, we kept our tactical discipline, we didn't succumb to an onslaught - which was very much expected - and we went out and played a bit, creating as good a level of chance as they did. The mentality of the side is as important as anything else, and how we did it is hugely significant I think. We actually looked like side that could challenge, we saw signs against the Manc's, signs against Everton and City, but Chelsea at the Bridge was THE performance; a performance we haven't seen in the entirety of Rafa's reign in the league.

I agree that the longer term test lies against the likes of Pompey at home, i.e. can we break them down? Can we do what we couldn't manage too often last season? After all, that's what mainly cost us in long run, but at the very least our results and performances against our close contenders have to be equal. When Owzat posted up stat's relating to the 'big four' which showed that the teams that have won the title have either had the best or second best record, I thought there was something significant in that. Yes, ultimately three points are three points, but the character and self-belief that can be taken from a win, or a solid performance against a main contender, can extend throughout a season.


My concerns relate maily to squad depth, and our reliance on key players. Long-term injuries, specifically to Carragher, Gerrard, Torres or Riera, could have a very significant impact on our ablity to challenge. Carragher, because he's as much of a captain as anyone in the side and his presence is vital. Gerrard, because he's the only midfielder we have that actually drives us forward and provides a strong goal threat. Torres, because he's our only consistent goal threat, and we're short of striking options. Riera, because he provides essential balance to our play, emphasised even more because of a lack of a suitable alternative. To a lesser extent we may lack cover at RB, whilst at LB Aurelio is our best option (IMO) and though not great will perhaps suffice if he stays fit, at RM we have cover albeit not great quality. Overall in relation to quality, I'd say we have just enough to challenge, so long as we suffer no long-term injuries to key players. Although a quality RM in January would be nice.

On the subject of Rafa: I wouldn't offer to renew his contract on the basis of 9 league games, I'd have a word with him and possibly prepare talks for later on, with a view to securing him long term. I wouldn't actually commit yet, though. Nearer February/March would be the time I'd pencil in. Obviously, this is what I'd do if I was the owner, but as I'm not and have a small likelihood of being so, it wouldn't be of any significance whatsoever. Although I hear Peewee's lining up an offer.

[kazza]

In the long term it is too early but in the short run the team are fun to watch so for that it is not too early to get excited. If we were stealing games and topping the league I would be more cautious but as it is the lads are playing like champions and are looking worth their value. It is a long way to go but the way the team are playing I am feeling confident as they seem to finally have a winning spirit, something I have not felt in many years. Whether Raffa's "seeing of the light" causes us more tired players and injuries at the tail end of the season we will see, but I certainly hope not.

[Leonmc0708]

Its the nature of footall fans in that they are fickle.

The same people claiming we will win the league this week will be the ones calling for Rafa's head when we lose our first game of the season (and we will as sure as eggs is eggs) or blaming rotation.

Cue the fickle people callign me all kinds . . . .

[GYBS]

You are ----------all kinds