Liverpool FC Forum

[112-1077774096]

they all traveled and rafas comment was about traveling.

dress it up however you want but he made the wrong decision yesterday, but saying that when i saw the team i thought we would still have had enough to beat pompey. hindsight is a wonderful thing. but he did have the chance to rectify his mistake earlier but again he waited, its not knocking the boss for no reason mate, its with reason, i am not in the habit of criticising without justification.

also lets not forget torres never played in the second game (did he),  and prior to this week Gerrard hadn't played for 2 weeks, we can all make stats work for us mate so lets not go down that avenue.

congratulations on becoming mod by the way leon   

[bigmick]

I wouldn't dispute that by and large the players which were selected to play on Saturday had less miles on the clock from their midweek excursions than those that weren't (if you say it's so Leon, then I'm sure it is). The point though surely is how significant are those miles, and what are Rafa's priorities?

Now if Torres were to play in midweek (and despite a couple of posters alluding to him having a knock he looked fit enough to me I have to say), the issue for me is why couldn't he play Saturday and then go on the bench midweek? Gerrard I think was sensible to leave out as he was disgracefully played in both games by England despite being injured, but the Torres decision baffles me. If he isn't fit to play in Porto then we're all barking up the wrong tree but if he is, than I think we missed a trick. Similarly, given we weren't going to play our two most influencial attacking players, nor the other striker who has played every game bar one so far (not sure why on that one), then was it the best game to give Benayoun his league debut?

I just wonder what Ferguson or Mourinho would have been doing if like us, they were top of the pile with a game in hand and their main rivals were under a bit of pressure. My feeling is that they'd be cranking it up, piling on the pressure, strongest team wherever possible and try and build a lead. As it is, we've come back to the pack a bit this weekend. If the manager had no choice, then fair enough. If he did, I don't think with the benefit of hindsight he made the right ones.

[RedBlood]

da one thing dat dissapointed me yesterday was torres not starting

he has to start as he offers a threat that very few plyaers in the world can

i reckon if he had started we would have won

[Torres 2007]

Should have got the three points.

Pompey, hard to beat at home, and we  did not play a full strength side.

I have to blame Rafa for not starting with Torres ,Babel and Gerrard.

need your best team.

[GOAT]

I f.ucking hate people banging on about resting players because they're tired, aww poor them, they can barely stand...., do you see any of the other teams doing this on a regular basis? We should play our best players otherwise we end up with sh.it performances like yesterdays, rotation yes, but not leaving all our best players on the bench

[JamCar05]

2 points dropped. A very disappointing game in which we could have as easily lost as won (Thanks Pepe  ). There just wasn't any spark at all in our team, and it's clear we were missing Stevie and Torres from the beginning on. But even so the players on the field should have put in more of an effort. Pompey weren't exactly fantastic themselves, so this was definitively an opportunity missed to win at a difficult ground. None of our players stood out except Pepe and ocasionally Voronin. All the others were simply anonymous, and you can't win a game with nine anonymous players, now can you   All in all I guess we'll just have to be thankful we didn't lose, as we would have probably lost such a game last season. Still extremely disappointed about the result though.

[Leonmc0708]

I f.ucking hate people banging on about resting players because they're tired, aww poor them, they can barely stand...., do you see any of the other teams doing this on a regular basis? We should play our best players otherwise we end up with sh.it performances like yesterdays, rotation yes, but not leaving all our best players on the bench

Its not the poor them issue with regards to tiredness.

The players these days are finely tuned machines, and I mean that by the way.

A little fatigue and you do not get the same level of output from them. Its not they are tired in the sense of want to sleep, its the muscles that tire, and despite the fact that the mind is willing the body is not able.

In the big scheme of things, maintaining an un beaten run, and a better result that last season there is improvement, and that what we need from last season.

[dawson99]

torres didnt look too tired when he came on tho

[Leonmc0708]

torres didnt look too tired when he came on tho

He never played the first 65 minutes . . . .

[dawson99]

but why not start him and take him off if hes looking tired rather than bring him on too little too late?
just a thought. personally i think rafa had to rest torres and gerrard for the good of the season, but in hind sight why not try it the other way?

[Leonmc0708]

but why not start him and take him off if hes looking tired rather than bring him on too little too late?
just a thought. personally i think rafa had to rest torres and gerrard for the good of the season, but in hind sight why not try it the other way?

Hind sight is a wonderful thing.

The point is, the team that started SHOULD have been good enough.

If it had been, and we won without the need to play Gerrard and Torres, Rafa would be the best thing since sliced bread.

As it happens, we never lost but he is still an idiot.

Managers live or die by signings and the gambles they take in terms of players and formations.

Rafa got this one wrong, however its not the end of the world is it ?

[yckatbjywtbiastkamb]

I f.ucking hate people banging on about resting players because they're tired, aww poor them, they can barely stand...., do you see any of the other teams doing this on a regular basis? We should play our best players otherwise we end up with sh.it performances like yesterdays, rotation yes, but not leaving all our best players on the bench

Its not the poor them issue with regards to tiredness.

The players these days are finely tuned machines, and I mean that by the way.

A little fatigue and you do not get the same level of output from them. Its not they are tired in the sense of want to sleep, its the muscles that tire, and despite the fact that the mind is willing the body is not able.

In the big scheme of things, maintaining an un beaten run, and a better result that last season there is improvement, and that what we need from last season.

im not having that mate,
footballers have a hell of a lot free time to rest up during the week and especially compared to other elite sportspeople like boxers or even track and field athlete`s who often train 2/3 times a day.
you cant tell me young lads in their 20`s cant play 2 games a week at a high level.
i think over cautious coaches put it in players heads that they are tired.

[Avi Cohen]

I understand Rafa rotating the team to such an extent: 18 players were on their travels (don't know about you but I'm always knackered for a few days after flying - it takes a lot out of you and you're not at your sharpest) and with an early start on Saturday I think he made the right choice. However, I would have had Stevie and Torres on a little earlier - maybe 5mins after half time if it looked like we weren't making any headway.

I personally think the players were at fault yesterday. They simply under preformed: The defence looked dodge even when the simplest ball was aimlessly chipped in, Alonso and Sissoko didn't create enough chances for the front runners and Crouch was terrible, giving the ball away every time he got it.
This is the sort of game we should be winning, sure, but it was the sort of game we were losing this time last year. Utd went to Fratton and were equally snuffed out. A little perspective, lads.

[maypaxvobiscum]

sorry wrong post

[Sabre]

We could discuss for ages and could not agree. I agree that both Torres and Gerrard could have played yesterday from the start. If it was the best thing is worth a debate. Torres played on sunday, on wednesday, travelled, he didn't prepare the game whatsoever, so I think playing him 30 mins is not madness, especially when both Voronin and Crouch have shown this season they also know to score.

What I do notice though, and that's  a fact, is that when we don't win and the fécking commentator is Andy Gray, people is more angry here the next day. I hate him