Liverpool FC Forum

[Leonmc0708]

What do people think was the biggest contribution to our biggest away win in the Champions League ?

Rafa's Tactics & Formations

Playing funny formations with two holding in midfield, players out of position and of course infuriating substitutions. Is taking off your best player and giving up after 76 mins against a mid-table french side a good tactic? Is leaving little in midfield to control it a good tactic?

Rotation Of Players

The now infamous policy of changing the team virtually every game, resting players even those who are so young and of course not every player is subject to rotation so how exactly does the policy work? (if it does)

Players/Squad That Isn't Good Enough

I'm sure we could all vent our spleen and name a whole load who aren't flavour of the month or we hate regardless. Rafa has spent plenty on players in his three seasons in charge, isn't it about time we had 18-22 players who are all good enough? Maybe we simply accept that we have over £100m worth of players, excluding Gerrard and Carra, that aren't good enough. How many millions will make us good enough?

The Yank Owners

Putting pressure on Rafa? Have they given him enough backing or maybe too much? Are they the disruptive influence or maybe they think like some of us that Rafa has had plenty of money and still isn't producing the goods because of his various tactics and policies. He'd already invested plenty in the squad before they arrived, Torres alone cost more than the entire Reading XI.

The Fixture List

If we'd performed better against Marseille and qualified already then maybe we wouldn't be needing to win this game.

But in truth the fixtures have been ok so far, none of the defeats are down to anything but our own fault or failings

Misfortune

Refs decisions, injuries and so on. We're without Pennant, Alonso and Agger so I'm sure that forms an excuse. The ref has given some dodgy decisions against us, but haven't we also had a few in our favour this season? Kung Fu Kuyt, Lescott's penalty appeals, the odd dubious award of free-kicks and penalties to us and against us is all part of a season.

I voted Rotation.

[thegreedo]

you'll never stop the fickle ones Leon!

[metalhead]

Rafa's tactics was spot on, on this one.

[Sabre]

Luck. It was just luck.

[bigmick]

you'll never stop the fickle ones Leon!

and said without even a trace of irony, classic.

I blame our fantastic performance on the fact that we played a formation which the players seemed familiar with and which seemed to kind of make sense. We even had a left midfielder and a right midfielder   

It does just show you that we had a pretty major "blip" earlier in the season. We've beaten a team which beat us 2-1, 8-0. We've beaten a team which beat us 1-0 at Anfiled 4-0 away. Now either we've improved a bit, they've suddenly got sh!te, or it's all just coincidence. What would we blame that I wonder.

When all said and done though it was a brilliant performance, and whoever is to "blame" deserves huge credit. Predictably, my only beef is that had we selected a similar team and formation against Reading, we might just be celebtrating a pretty major week. As it is, we are celebrating getting out of the group in the Champions league, and the fact that Middlesboro beat Arsenal.

Having said all that though, rotation works and in Rafa we trust. a truly brilliant performance from the team. Feck me even Riise had a good game     

[zarababe]

lurve Leone 

[bigmick]

On a serious note and not putting it in the game thread which is conjested like a derby midfield, how fecking good was Torres tonight? Feck me what a player he is turning out to be. Kewell was excellent too, as was Gerrard and as I said earlier, even riise did well. in fact, apart from the first ten seconds when one of our front two (think it was Kuyt but might be wrong) almost got Gerrads leg broke by selling him short from the kick-off lay off we didn't put a foot wrong.

For them, Bolo was Bolo (he's not nearly so annoying when you're playing against him) and Cisse was hilarious. That one from the free kick cracked me up where he signals with a wave of his hand that he's going to come in, drop out and come round the back (kind of like a clockwise circle) and the bloke pings it in and Cisse watches it go straight over his head without moving from the spot he was stood on    . Feck me, how we paid 14 million quid for him I'll never ever know. No doubt his various coaches have tried their damndest with him, he just must be a bit of a thicko when it comes down to it   

[Sabre]

Torres has been more brilliant perhaps other nights, but he's been very very good. I laughed the bit in which he sweared in english and you could read a clear " off" from his lips. Good to see he's adapting well in England.   

It's obvious that we feel more comfortable against teams that try to come to your goal. With spaces we're lethal. Marseille had probably a conservative plan for the game and we put upside down their plans from the very beginning. Have to agree with Bigmick about Cisse, the word is hilarious.

I don't think Zenden was that cráp, but hey, that's just me!

[zarababe]

I laughed the bit in which he sweared in english and you could read a clear " off" from his lips. Good to see he's adapting well in England.   

lol I read it too.. whta a player he is .. Legend already ay 

[username]

Torres has been more brilliant perhaps other nights, but he's been very very good. I laughed the bit in which he sweared in english and you could read a clear " off" from his lips. Good to see he's adapting well in England.   

I saw that and thought... did he just say off? couldnt of, he barely speaks any english...

Well, i guess the words you hear the most you learn the fastest 

[shanks]

even andy townsend said he was world class i am not arguing with that statement

[Kharhaz]

I voted other. Confidence plays a massive part I think. A lot of the new lads are really adapting to each other and looking the part.

[bigmick]

Torres has been more brilliant perhaps other nights, but he's been very very good.

Well I must admit I never saw the game against reading in the Carling Cup where many said he was out of this World sabes, but feck me if he was better than he was tonight he must have been good.

Tonight he had absolutely everything for me. Pace, power, invention, a brilliant goal and they simply couldn't handle him. I actually thought Kuyt did quite well tonight as well, but so preoccupied were they with Torres that you could probably have partnered him Sabes. In actual fact, with your Brucielookalike appearance you might have confused the feck out of them even further.

[Dundalk]

8 people have voted 

[112-1077774096]

brilliant performance, if only we didn't have to sacrifice 3 points against the might of reading to achieve it