Liverpool FC Forum

[Bad Bob]

Torres plays every game now for me.

Aside from Man U and Arsenal, we should be able to haul him off early enough for him to get a bit of rest between games. Absolutely pointless to put him to one side when he's in this kind of form though.

Same goes for Gerrard, Masch and Carra.  Resting Masch for the derby would be madness, IMO--that game is never about playing football and we'll need our pint-sized destroyer on the pitch.

[stmichael]

can't see it.

even if we win every game from now until the end of the season, we'll still only amass 1 point more than 2005/6 when we finished 3rd.

it wouldn't surprise me at all if chelsea won it to be honest. they've still got to play arsenal and the mancs at home where they haven't lost for 4 years.

[holylamb2006]

it wouldn't surprise me at all if chelsea won it to be honest. they've still got to play arsenal and the mancs at home where they haven't lost for 4 years

What if they draw.. its a strong possibility.

[Yari7]

We must play a full strength team against Everton. I can't beleive that any Liverpool fan would think of resting players in one of our most important games of the season.

[Toffeehater]

We must play a full strength team against Everton. I can't beleive that any Liverpool fan would think of resting players in one of our most important games of the season.

We need to think of arsenal , that is if we get a win against manure , i would rest players for the everton game , masch , babel in particular . I would play Gerrard , Torres and Carra but haul em off as soon as we get a safe lead say 2-0

[Toffeehater]

can't see it.

even if we win every game from now until the end of the season, we'll still only amass 1 point more than 2005/6 when we finished 3rd.

it wouldn't surprise me at all if chelsea won it to be honest. they've still got to play arsenal and the mancs at home where they haven't lost for 4 years.

Chelsea can't win it TBH , grant hasn't gotten a clue and besides its the champs league they want more adn they will be concentrating on that more

[Yari7]

We must play a full strength team against Everton. I can't beleive that any Liverpool fan would think of resting players in one of our most important games of the season.

We need to think of arsenal , that is if we get a win against manure , i would rest players for the everton game , masch , babel in particular . I would play Gerrard , Torres and Carra but haul em off as soon as we get a safe lead say 2-0

Say if we beat United and Everton win their next game, and then say if we do not play the best team possible and we lose to Everton, We would be level on points again for the race for Fourth place. That would let tham right back into the race for fourth spot.

Everton will be a very tough game and we can't think of resting players now.

If anything, it would be smarter to rest players in the league game vs Arsenal in between the 2 Champions League matches as if we defeat Everton, we could have a 6 point gap over them (Assuming they win the game before us)

Something has to give with 4 huge games in 11 days but I trust Rafa to make full use of his squad as he is the master of this.

As for Chelsea, I see Chelsea maybe winning it. They are 3 points of the top with a game in hand and still have Man Utd and Arsenal at the Bridge. And they have the best squad of players.

[Bermenstein]

An Istanbul type comeback over 8 games.

If we beat those Mancs next saturday, we'll have them all cacking it.

[Rafa D]

I'd be quite happy just guaranteeing 4th place at the moment, and if we were offered it now I would take it without even thinking about it. I know we are in a rich vein of form, but with Man Utd (a), Everton (h) and Arsenal (a) as our next 3 games - 0 points from 9 is a real possibility.

Everton's loss at Fulham today was vital for us, it means we can afford to lose at United and Arsenal as long as we beat Everton at Anfield. As long as we get 3 points from the derby, anything else is a bonus for me.

The title is beyond us, to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.

[HacksawJimDuggin]

Resting players for any game now is wrong IMO. We have 8 league games and hopefully 5 CL games to go. Rafa has done enough rotating up til now (and he admits it's to keep players fit for the end of the season) that will ensure that EVERY player is fit and ready to battle and play in every game we have left.

We slated the rotation system when Rafa tinkered every week and now we (on this site) are trying to justify why we should go back to it...NO WAY! Play our strongest team in every game from hereon in.

[god_bless_john_houlding]

league? yes a possibility.

what's more important though, getting fourth or progressing in europe? for me league has and always will come first so I wouldn't be resting any players for the Everton game. United will as always be a difficult challenge and should they beat us and Everton win next weekend we're on level points going into the derby. We can hardly afford to rest players, considering we still have to visit Arsenal in the league. Lose those three games (United, Everton and Arsenal) while Everton pick up maximum points from their next three we're six points behind them with only five games left. Our fight for fourth must take priority as it's much a safer way of making sure we're in the european cup next season. I don't believe there will be to many changes from now till the end of the season in all fairness though, Benitez has found something that works with a settled 8 or 9 players giving him a maximum of three players to rotate. But we shouldn't be thinking of resting players against United, Everton or anybody else in the league.

The league is still a possibility. We're eight points behind with 24 to play for. That's why it's still a possibility in my eyes.

[chrisrafman]

look at it this way, if we can pull off wins at emirates and old trafford the gap is 5 points. they both draw in their game its then 3. chelsea take points from arsenal and man u (provided they dont leap to the top themselves) man u can easily drop points at boro and blackburn, as long as we are winning that puts us in with a chance you know.

[maypaxvobiscum]

0 points from 9 is a real possibility.

[KennyisGod....still]

I have the feelin that if things go our way for the next coupla games then the league game at the emirates will be a rotated squad. Its possible to be 9 points clear of everton by the time we meet arsenal in the league, level games too i think, so i see Rafa usin a bit of nous and playin his strong hand in the CL and hidin his cards for the PL. I dont really believe we should, i say play those that are winnin, if it aint broke dont fix it kinda thing, but i see rafa doin it jus the same.

And if it all comes up roses.......fantastic!! If 4th is a tied on guarantee then why risk losin the one thing we can realistically win? On the other hand, if by then we have more than an outside chance of the league, well go for it i say!

[Scottbot]

It's funny to think that there could even be a thread about this, you would have been called a madman for even commenting on it a month ago. Of course it's getting carried away but the fact is if we beat the mancs at Trafford and Chelsea beat Arsenal we will FIVE points, repeat that FIVE points behind the other three sides. It's far from impossible but then we would also have to go to the Emirates and do a job on them as well (in between putting the fookers out of Europe). Considering Benitez has not even managed ONE point from his previous away trips to Trafford and the Emirates/Highbury it doesn't seem very likely BUT a win this weekend at Trafford would be MASSIVE. It could transform what has (so far) been a very disappointing season and give the lads the confidence and motivation to push on and make something happen.