Liverpool FC Forum

[el_stinger]

I cry, I cheer, I laugh, I love, I celebrate, I grieve

err.. w@nk?

errr knob!

[bigmick]

Mick, I'd be just as big a supporter if I was able to go and watch than I am now.

Just because I'm from another country and can't go to a match does not put me down the pecking order in terms of support.

Sting' I obviously didn't explain myself very well because that was sort of my point really.  Having said that, just like it's wrong to tell you that your opinion is irrelevant because you live on the other side of the world, it is also daft to tell a guy who goes to practically every match that he should support the team.

Now on the question of distribution and of building attacks from the back this is a classic footballing can of worms where the symptom and root cause are not necessarily the same thing. My feeling is that if you play with Bellamy and Fowler as a pairing, Gerrard on the right and Zenden/Sissoko through the centre you are always going to have a problem with that first pass.

Neither Zenden nor Sissoko are comfortable coming back and picking the ball up from the centre halves or full backs so that option is almost always a no-no. Neither of them also are great passers of the football so with clever positioning and working together, the opposition left-midfielder and left-back can almost take Gerrard out of the game unless he leaves his right-mid position. Neither Bellamy nor Fowler (on the evidence of the game on Saturday) seem that comfortable dropping into the hole to recieve it and even if they do, neither are especially good at protecting the ball/making a bad ball into a good one so the delivery into them has to be absolutely on the button. Both Bellamy and Fowler are fairly small so the ball knocked in the air to them is almost always wasted, and clever teams stick in a "screener" to sit infront of the back four and make feeding it into feet a precarious business.

So what are the options. Well, Bellamy has a lot of pace so if he can manoevre himself onto a defenders shoulder and we can pick out a flighted through ball, then you have a way out. That said as we have no headers, I would defend reasonably deep against this team and make this pass almost an impossibility. The left winger and/or Gerrard can come off the wings and try and recieve it in the "hole". This is probably the best option (and led to the goal on Saturday) but you end up being very narrow and the whole thing gets conjested.

So what ends up happening? Riise or Hyppia try the aformentioned ball to Bellamy and the thing is invariably overhit, causing one and all to scream FFS at the telly in the case of me and Sting', or at the players in the case of Murph' and Leon.

The answer? well, I think the answer is that if you are going to play Zenden and Sissoko in the centre of midfield then you must play a target man up top to give us something to hit and to allow Gerrard to slide into the game off his flank. Alternatively, if Alonso doesn't play then play Gerrard centrally and play the two little fellas up top if you must. It's just my opinion but I think it's all about balance.

[LFC #1]

Rafa out. Bigmick for manager.

[Bad Bob]

Rafa out. Bigmick for manager.

Aren't they one and the same? 

[murphy0151]

Riise yesterday, what do you think off his performance?

[account deleted by request]

Riise yesterday, what do you think off his performance?

He played as well as most yesterday which is not saying much really. He could have done better for their second goal and his passing was overall poor. He looked unsure of his role at times,whether to go forward or stay back.

I didnt get on your back when he scored and played quite well last week, and im not going to slate Riise for an average performance yesterday. He was one of the few players who's head didnt drop and he gave 100%.

A generous 6/10

[bigmick]

I thought he did Ok, they didn't really trouble us up front to be honest so it's hard to really comment too much. The one defensive player who I thought had a worryingly poor game was fiinan who didn't seem to enjoy the physical aspect of the match at all it seemed to me.
Going forward riise's shooting was erratic but I suppose we can't realistically expect him to bury one from 35 yards every game.

[account deleted by request]

I thought he did Ok, they didn't really trouble us up front to be honest so it's hard to really comment too much. The one defensive player who I thought had a worryingly poor game was fiinan who didn't seem to enjoy the physical aspect of the match at all it seemed to me.
Going forward riise's shooting was erratic but I suppose we can't realistically expect him to bury one from 35 yards every game.

I agree with you about Finnan BigMick, probably as bad a game as I have seen from Finnan since Rafa came.

[murphy0151]

I must be watching a different game than you lot as I think he was fu.cking awful again.  And I say the 5 to 10 people sitting next to us yesterday thought so aswell.

Yes the hole team were poor yesterday but Riise is constantly poor.  Cant pass cant defend cant cross the only thing hes good at his hitting a ball hard.  If i was rating him out off ten id give him a 4.

[CousinIT]

John Arne Riise, good or bad?

IMO bad. Not quick, not a great passer, not particually great at crossing, a good shot now and then and pretty bad at defending. In his favour though our other left-backs aren't much better. Aurellio is a joke full stop. Warnock is great at defending but doesn't go past the half way line, but he would be my 1st choice left back all the time.

[Espionage]

John Arne Riise, good or bad?

IMO bad. Not quick, not a great passer, not particually great at crossing, a good shot now and then and pretty bad at defending. In his favour though our other left-backs aren't much better. Aurellio is a joke full stop. Warnock is great at defending but doesn't go past the half way line, but he would be my 1st choice left back all the time.

CousinIT, Good or bad?

I think yes, what about you

[murphy0151]

How shiiite was he last night.   Come on people please wake up and smell the cornies, he is shockingly not good enough to wear the red shirt.

[CardinalRed]

How shiiite was he last night.   Come on people please wake up and smell the cornies, he is shockingly not good enough to wear the red shirt.

Murphy.... You're having a laugh surely?  Actually your post has made me quite angry, the bloke has been a consistent performer over the last 5 years, he gave blood for the team last night and didn't do a "Robben" when he got hit.  He did get in the 100 PWSTK after all, you don't get your own song from the Kop by being sh*t........!


                                       

[murphy0151]

inggggggggg shocking again.

[67-1161385641]

inggggggggg shocking again.

I know you don't rate Riise, mate, but to signal him out is rather harsh considering the only player to come out of that game with some form was Xabi Alonso. Riise is hit and miss with me, much like Garcia is. Riise IMO is not a left mid or a left back and being played in either position limits his ability, if we played a system with wing backs, he'd be a much better player.