Liverpool FC Forum

[azriahmad]

Should have started with Crouch and a more mobile partner, Cisse, although erratic, could have troubled their defenders more. I am very disappointed and the too cautious approach in going forward, with our less mobile strikers failing to take any advantage of benfica's defensive slips due to a slow strike force.

Their goal was very well worked and their man-of-the match scored that goal and also repelled quite easily all of our lightweight attack. Kewell had an off-game after playign ever so well for us this past 2 months or so and Sissoko coming off had a more positive effect on Benfica.

Benfica will defend with their lives and it won't be a stroll in the park unless we score very early in the return leg.

[azriahmad]

Theiry Henry scored a sublime goal for a lightweight Arsenal, running past several Real Madrid defenders and beating Casillias from an angle...sigh, if only we had someone like Owen who could have scored a couple for us last night.

I am disappointed with the result because we should have scored with our early domination of the game.

[Espionage]

Theiry Henry scored a sublime goal for a lightweight Arsenal, running past several Real Madrid defenders and beating Casillias from an angle...sigh, if only we had someone like Owen who could have scored a couple for us last night.

I am disappointed with the result because we should have scored with our early domination of the game.

Henry's goal was amazing but for me the highlight of the game was when Reyes went down pretending to be injured. He realised that play wasnt stopping and it was because he fell and was writhing in pain but out of bounds, so the cheeky little decided to roll back onto the pitch. A few Real Madrid players tried to pick him up and throw him back off the pitch! 

[Ciggy]

A lot of tired legs out there last night, we played so well against Man U it took a lot of of the players.
They where rubbish we didnt deserve to lose very scrappy poor game, but how many more games are we going to control this season and get beat?

[darwisigila]

Now we are trailing 0-1, i'm confident that we can score goal and win the game at anfield. the most important is, we must score early inside 20 minutes and then the second, third will follow.....
it's pity coz we cannot score an away goal to make ourself more comfortable at home.

We must remember in the cl , there's no easy game especially after the group stages.

[andy_g]

from what i saw benfica weren't all that rubbish. they play the pressing game very very well and if they can get the ball out to a couple of their quality players they can cause trouble. their defence is not bad and looked happy to deal with our high ball tactics all night. they denied us space and time most of the game, in fact at times it looked like their were more of them than us on the pitch.

for the return leg i think we have to concentrate on playing a high tempo game and try and balls in behind their defence, and many of them on the ground. i don't think their defence will be quite so comfortable with that kind of approach. the problem is who to play there. i'd be tempted to put robbie up front with garcia sitting off with the midfield of kewell, didi, xabi and stevie. if we can keep them on the back foot than finnan could make a few overlaps (which he's been doing excellently in recent games) and allow stevie to roam now and again. if they are on the back foot and worrying about us getting at their defence i don't feel that they'll get any where near ours.

[barnesrush]

is it just me or did last night seem like just the sort of game where we could have made good use of flo po? there was a time recently when he seemed to have moved above cisse in the pecking order but obviously the loan deal seems to show otherwise. I still think in the long run a loan deal is best but i bet rafa would have loved to have thrown him on last night. hes got all the talent cisse posseses, minus the rasping shot, but is much better at holding play up than his french mate, which could have made a significant difference in the last 20 mins to run the clock down. hope rafa laughs off blackburns reported 2mil interest cos the lads got a bigger future than that.

still confident of progressing tho, but could do without another olympiacos fiasco cos even my 23 year old heart cant suffer that again, never mind old rafa the gaffers

[JBG]

I think we are half way to being a hell of a team.

Our defence is excellent and the team's work rate is superb. We can boss most teams in terms of possession.

Our main problem is not necessarily with the strikers but the fact that for all the skill and ability of Gerrard and Alonso in midfield, we are not really creating that many clear cut chances.

We are three players away from being a great team.

These are:

1. A quality right sided player who can whip in crosses.
2. A mobile striker with ability (as opposed to 2 highly talented but immobile strikers and one highly mobile but poor forward).
3. A ball carrying creative midfielder a la Aimar, Basturk, Scholes etc.

Get a good enough forward who can drop deep and create chances for the others and we probably don't need a 1 or 3.

[JBG]

To elaborate, if we got a good enough forward, Benitez could probably play his preferred line up of

                             Reina

Finnan           Carragher       Hyppia          Riise

                           Alonso

Gerrard                Sissoko               Kewell

                         WORLD CLASS FORWARD
                           
                                  Fowler/Morientes

[Sean]

Last season we played with only one out and out striker (normally Baros).  The reason for this was because we did not not have as good a team as this year and so we were happy to concede space and possession but knowing we had more men behind the ball and often forced our opponents to simply play long balls which Hyppia and Carra were only laughing at.  In fact when we did try to be adventurous in the first half of the final we got run over by Milan.

However, this year we have a better team.  This is what prompted Benitez to start with an attacking formation using two strikers and Garcia and Kewell.  However, perhaps we should revert to the tactics that helped us to win last years competition.  Leave the goal keeper and back four unchanged from last night.  But employ a very strong midfield consisting of Gerrard, Hamann, Alonzo, Sissoko (if hes fit) and Kewell or Garcia. Play Crouch up front on his own but with such a strong midfield Gerrard would get plenthy opportunities to attack.

[JBG]

Last season we played with only one out and out striker (normally Baros).  The reason for this was because we did not not have as good a team as this year and so we were happy to concede space and possession but knowing we had more men behind the ball and often forced our opponents to simply play long balls which Hyppia and Carra were only laughing at.  In fact when we did try to be adventurous in the first half of the final we got run over by Milan.

However, this year we have a better team.  This is what prompted Benitez to start with an attacking formation using two strikers and Garcia and Kewell.  However, perhaps we should revert to the tactics that helped us to win last years competition.  Leave the goal keeper and back four unchanged from last night.  But employ a very strong midfield consisting of Gerrard, Hamann, Alonzo, Sissoko (if hes fit) and Kewell or Garcia. Play Crouch up front on his own but with such a strong midfield Gerrard would get plenthy opportunities to attack.

For winning the Champions League this year the best suggestion yet.

Its a bit negative and we wouldn't win over the romantics, but in terms of modern football, that is a physically powerful, tactically excellent side that even the best sides in Europe would struggle to break down.

Gerrard, Sissoko, Hamman and Alonso in midfield? We would squeeze the life out of most.

[Sean]

Glad you agree JBG.  Ou goal keeper and back four are outstanding.  I reckon that Hamann and Sissoko could do all the dirt work in midfield.  Alonzo could be his creative self.  Kewell or Garcia can offer width and the unexpected while most importantly Gerrard would have a licence to roam or get forward to feed off Crouch.

[Leonmc0708]

I think that Alonso has proven that he can hold, Momo has proved that he can attack, and Didi and Gerrard can do both roles, so I would play the five man, but three from Didi, Xabi, Momo and Stevie with Kewell and Garcia both playing the wings.

If need be, Garcia can play the hole with Kewell on either wing.

Stevie then has licence to roam forward or the wings, with two others to cover him, equally Momo can do the same with two others covering.

Four (out and out) central midfielders will get too congested.

Its a headache with all four central players and Kewell in such good form, but thats the kind of headache all managers want.

[drummerphil]

Chelsea just had Del Horno sent off ........hopefully it will be a good first leg after all.....

[azriahmad]

Chelsea are a man short but John Terry has been performing heroically, saving Chelsea time and again.

Although I don't like Chelsea, I take my hat off to Jonh Terry, he is a magnificent player and captain and should be an England first choice in place of that showboat Ferdinand. And he would make a far better and inspiring captain than Becks.