Liverpool FC Forum

The results the Chavs and Citeh got yesterday made things a little more interesting. We're gearing up quite nicely apart from the Hull game.

Concerned slightly that we ship in too many goals as we look a little frail at the back still. I'd definitely keep the commanding Sahko back there at the expense of Agger who has been poor imo. Rodgers needs to pick a pair at CB and let them settle, he should have picked Skertel and Sahko a few games back but even still these two need to start away to Spurs next week.

Take each game as it comes, starting with Tottenham, play these next four fixtures like they're our cup finals and we could amass a few points. I think we could have a real go at Spurs and with Suarez in fine form (as ever) we've got a chance.

7 or 8 points is pretty realistic and this might still see us drop a couple of places over that period but that's the toughest away fixtures out of the way. Anything more than 8 is a bonus but it is time we improved our results against the bigger teams under Rodgers - I'll hold me breath.

With the exception of City away (as they are brilliant at home) we have nothing to fear. Chelsea make our defence look genuinely world class at the moment and Spurs are hardly pulling down any trees.

Of course one major factor is how long Gerrard is out for.

stmichael » Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:15 am wrote:With the exception of City away (as they are brilliant at home) we have nothing to fear. Chelsea make our defence look genuinely world class at the moment and Spurs are hardly pulling down any trees.

Of course one major factor is how long Gerrard is out for.

i`m not quite as positive as you saint, as i said earlier in the thread if there is one area where we have under achieved under rodgers it`s when we come up against the other big sides in the division, and even more so away from home.
we had 12 league games last season against united, arsenal, spurs, chelsea and everton and the only game we won out of those 12 was the spurs game at anfield which was a barnburner that could have went any way.
rodgers seems to have found the formula to beat the lesser lights in the division at anfield which was the achilles heel of the likes of roy evans and rafa but i`m not convinced he has unearthed a masterplan (or has the players) to consistently go to really tough grounds and win. putting that masterplan together is going to take longer than a season and a half.
if we had enrique and sturridge back and firing on all cylinders i`d feel more confident but i just cant see our defence atm keeping the likes of city and chelsea out and i`m not convinced we can score 2 or 3 goals against the top sides away from home which is what we`ll have to do to win imo.
it`s going to be an interesting christmas period though, with big games coming thick and fast.

6 points would be great so if we can achieve that then who knows. Anything more than 6 points and we are in a really strong position anything less than 4 isnt great

I think through years of disappointment everyone on here is a little gun shy. People have to be honest and give credit where it is due, you can only play in the environment you find yourself in and 2013 as a whole has been a damn sight better than the past 3-4 before it. Credit to the boss, to the backroom and to the squad....they've done this. If anyone had predicted that we'd be in 2nd place and just a few points off the top at the beginning of December they would have been laughed off the forum. Considering we didn't have Suarez for the first chunk of the season and the injuries we've seen with a relatively thin squad, the current situation is nothing short of brilliant irrespective of what happens in the next few weeks. Each time we wobble, we come back strong and that is something that we can all be proud of.

The goal was never top 4 at the end of the season, the goal was top 4 at the beginning of the January transfer window. We stand a pretty good chance of achieving that and we're being talked about as contenders again.....about frikkin time. I firmly believe that the koffers are full and ready to spend for that push, same as back in the Rafa days when we made that amazing run at the end of the season. If the owners think it's worth a punt, they will. We'll never stand a better chance of making CL football than this year. If we don't, we'll lose Suarez in the process, Stevie will be another year older and we'll have a whole different challenge ahead of us. There's no guarantees, but I would expect them to go for it now whether we're in 2nd or 6th. To the point made above, the difference in the league is so tight the position will be less relevant than the points. In the summer we were overlooked by the high spending Spurs and other such lesser teams and we've proved them wrong. A smart move now is a high profile signing early on in the window to send a message that this is the only club on an upward trajectory.

To the comments about all the other teams under performing, this is true to an extent, but it IS the reality. The only club who has not suffered from losing a long term manager now is Arsenal and there they are at the top of the league. A lesson to be learnt there perhaps. But the Man City lesson is there for all to see, the Man U issue as well as the Spurs issue. They are all dealing with the problems that we suffered with the past 10 years of longer. We're starting to show signs of progress as they are all regressing quickly. Some of this is perhaps wishful thinking, but the evidence does point to this. The owners and the boss must know this and know that the time is ripe. If Arsenal win the league this season, Wenger will leave on a high and we'll have one of the longest serving managers in the league.

For me it's starting to work. We're on dodgy ground I'll agree, but we have a legitimate and actual shot for the first time in years. With the WC coming up this summer...who knows who is sitting on the bench at the moment wanting to make a mark and get into a squad.....we could have the pick of the bunch

We're not ready for a title push yet. 
When we can control a game for 90 minutes and find the right balance between defence and attack then we might be able to.

We leak far too many goals to challenge.  Everytime West Ham got forward I thought they'd at least create a chance.

What did I tell you guys?

We are going to win the next 3 matches and finish the year top...the title charge starts on 1 January 

We did the hard part, won against Spurs away. Cardiff should be nothing less than a victory as well. If we win that one too, than for me we're done for the year. Anything against City or Chelsea will be a bonus.

damjan193 » Sun Dec 15, 2013 6:11 pm wrote:We did the hard part, won against Spurs away. Cardiff should be nothing less than a victory as well. If we win that one too, than for me we're done for the year. Anything against City or Chelsea will be a bonus.

The only game I'm worried about is Man City away, they're destroying teams at their place. Chelsea are nothing to fret about, even Moureen has realised they're *****.

7_Kewell » Sun Dec 15, 2013 7:15 pm wrote:

damjan193 » Sun Dec 15, 2013 6:11 pm wrote:We did the hard part, won against Spurs away. Cardiff should be nothing less than a victory as well. If we win that one too, than for me we're done for the year. Anything against City or Chelsea will be a bonus.

The only game I'm worried about is Man City away, they're destroying teams at their place. Chelsea are nothing to fret about, even Moureen has realised they're *****.

Chelsea has never lost a home game with Mourinho in charge so I can't really see us winning there despite the fact that I think we're a better team than them. We might win a point though, which I would happily take now. City... no chance of anything IMO.

unbeaten runs are there to be broken my friend and i'm confident we'll smash the Chavs at their place

people here are talking abt how invincible city n chaelsea are.
but didnt city lost at cardiff and some small teams away?
didnt chelsea nearly lost at home to west brom if not a super bad, corrupted judgment call from the ref?
i think when two top teams meet, form goes out of the window.

If Chelsea get at least a point against Arsenal and we turn over Cardiff at home on saturday, we'll be top for Xmas.

SouthCoastShankly » Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:08 am wrote:If Chelsea get at least a point against Arsenal and we turn over Cardiff at home on saturday, we'll be top for Xmas.

I just hope we turn up for the Cardiff game now.  Everyone is talking about top of the league, City and Chelsea but we need to go out and put Cardiff to the sword first.

If we beat Cardiff... we'll have two more points than I was expecting from these four games.

If we can get one more point from City or Chelsea, then thats a very good return from the four games.

Hopefully we can up the performance a little bit over the next three games!