Liverpool FC Forum

by **SouthCoastShankly** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:30 am

If Rafa doesn't play Crouch on saturday i'm gunna be stressed. The stats prove Crouch is our best striker therefore play him.

I'd like to see -

Reina

Finnan Carragher Agger Aurelio

Pennant Gerrard Alonso Riise

Crouch Kuyt

Subs: Dudek?, Bellamy, Garcia, Hyypia, Gonzales

I think an injection of pace is needed as I foresee us defending extensively on sunday and therefore our old friend the counter-attach will have to be employed. Which for many of our recent wins against the old enemy has been the tactical method.

by **Rimetto_** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:45 am

i'd go with a 3-5-2 against them. With this formation we can make their wingers defend and that's where the problems come from.

Reina

Carragher Hypia Agger

Pennant Momo Alonso Riise

Gerrard

Bellamy Kuyt

by **Leonidas08** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:59 am

Rimetto_ wrote:i'd go with a 3-5-2 against them. With this formation we can make their wingers defend and that's where the problems come from.

Reina

Carragher Hypia Agger

Pennant Momo Alonso Riise

Gerrard

Bellamy Kuyt

I like this line-up, but maybe swap to 4 defenders if it doesn't work.

Going to be an awesome game.

Gerrard Kuyt score
2-1

by **Redman in wales** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:04 pm

Rimetto_ wrote:i'd go with a 3-5-2 against them. With this formation we can make their wingers defend and that's where the problems come from.

Reina

Carragher Hypia Agger

Pennant Momo Alonso Riise

Gerrard

Bellamy Kuyt

i would have to disagree completely. (sorry) it does the opposite. That would not make their wingers defend. Neville would defend against riise, and heinze against pennant... leaving ronaldo and giggs to get forward un challenged. Using that formation they would double up on us on the wings:

neville and ronaldo Vs Riise
heinze and giggs Vs Pennant
the centre backs would have to cover rooney and saha, and would leave us stretched at the back.

IF you have to play that formation, finnan would have to play RB otherwise our right hand side is very exposed
4-4-2 is the best way to go against utd

by **mattylfc** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:09 pm

Absolutely no way he will change to 3-5-2 for such a big game.

by **zarababe** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:23 pm

The Boss on the game.. from

RAFA RELISHING OLD TRAFFORD TEST
Paul Eaton 20 October 2006

Rafael Benitez talks to Liverpoolfc.tv about this weekend's Premiership showdown at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

Liverpoolfc.tv: Do you share the excitement of the supporters building up to this weekend’s game at Manchester United?

Rafael Benitez: I understand it. It’s similar to the rivalry with Everton but this time it’s about two of the top sides (

isn't that just the best quote ever) and it’s very important we win this game. We know the situation in the table but we also know there’s a long race ahead of us and a long way to go in the season. We need to keep going and try to do our best.

What lessons did you learn from your defeat at Old Trafford last season?

That you must be careful in the last minute if the opposition get a free kick! I think we played quite well that day, we were controlling the game and had a clear chance with Cisse. It was a game where one goal would change everything and that was the case at the end.

In a game like this the media look at key battles like Carragher v Rooney, Gerrard v Giggs, Bellamy v Ferdinand – do you ever view a game in that way?

No. I try to analyse the other team and my team. Sometimes if you know the other side has a weakness then you can concentrate on that area but when you talk about top sides it’s more difficult to find a weakness.

Is there a battle off the pitch – Benitez v Ferguson?

I have a lot of respect for Sir Alex, he is a great manager with a lot of experience and a nice person. We are trying to beat Manchester United, not Alex Ferguson.

Steven Gerrard’s return will be a big boost this weekend – what have you made of your captain’s form this season?

We know that he was amazing last season because to score 23 goals for a midfielder is unbelievable. This year we know that some of the players need to improve after the World Cup but I can tell you that Steven is working hard and showing great commitment in every training session. He scored a lot of goals in a small training game yesterday and I am sure he will be back to his very best soon.

Your senior players rose to the challenge you set them in midweek – is this weekend’s game a chance for Stevie to follow suit?

Stevie knows he is a key player for us. As I said, his commitment in every training session is fantastic and I am sure he will be in good form at the weekend. He knows he can score goals and we know we need his goals.

Does he accept his form hasn’t been what it was last season?

It’s not difficult to compare the two seasons because last year he scored 23 goals and by this stage of the season he might have had ten or twelve goals whereas now he hasn’t scored. He knows this is a different situation for him and he is desperate to improve.

Wayne Rooney has taken a lot of stick for his performances this season, but is he still a big danger this weekend?

You cannot say bad things about Rooney because he is a fantastic player and I would like to see him score a lot of goals – for England!

Is this game at the weekend more important for the likes of Gerrard, Carragher and Rooney?

I think it’s really important for all of the players but the local lads know about the history of the rivalry.

Do your defenders feel better for not having conceded a goal in Bordeaux?

If you can win you always have more confidence and if the defenders and goalkeeper can keep a clean sheet then that’s good for them. We’ll find out at the weekend how much it has helped.

Creating chances away from home hasn’t been a problem this season, so if you keep a clean sheet you could come back with all three points…

We have created a lot of chances, especially in the Premiership, and we will see if we can do the same at the weekend. We know United are a very difficult team to play against but we will do our best.

by **SouthCoastShankly** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:54 pm

Rimetto_ wrote:i'd go with a 3-5-2 against them. With this formation we can make their wingers defend and that's where the problems come from.

Reina

Carragher Hypia Agger

Pennant Momo Alonso Riise

Gerrard

Bellamy Kuyt

Its not even a 3-5-2!

More like a 3-4-1-2. A classic 3-5-2 is a wing back system with 3 midfielders (Shown below)

by **66-1112520797** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:24 pm

SouthCoastShankly wrote:
Rimetto_ wrote:i'd go with a 3-5-2 against them. With this formation we can make their wingers defend and that's where the problems come from.

Reina

Carragher Hypia Agger

Pennant Momo Alonso Riise

Gerrard

Bellamy Kuyt

Its not even a 3-5-2!

More like a 3-4-1-2. A classic 3-5-2 is a wing back system with 3 midfielders (Shown below)

And thankyou SouthcoastAndyGray

by **Rimetto_** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:40 pm

Redman in wales wrote:
Rimetto_ wrote:i'd go with a 3-5-2 against them. With this formation we can make their wingers defend and that's where the problems come from.

Reina

Carragher Hypia Agger

Pennant Momo Alonso Riise

Gerrard

Bellamy Kuyt

i would have to disagree completely. (sorry) it does the opposite. That would not make their wingers defend. Neville would defend against riise, and heinze against pennant... leaving ronaldo and giggs to get forward un challenged. Using that formation they would double up on us on the wings:

neville and ronaldo Vs Riise
heinze and giggs Vs Pennant
the centre backs would have to cover rooney and saha, and would leave us stretched at the back.

IF you have to play that formation, finnan would have to play RB otherwise our right hand side is very exposed
4-4-2 is the best way to go against utd

fair points but i think if you push gerrard forward breaking between the 2 front men that means kuyt and bellamy split and one of the full backs has to come in to cover. Plus with to wide men they can overlap and cause problems

With rooney the centre backs don't have to pick him up because he always drops off and momo can cover him leaving the 3 centre backs to cover saha and the wingers.

and lets not forget when they have the ball gerrard would drop in and make us essentially to banks of 4.

he used this formation against newcastle last year (totally out of the blue) and we looked fluid. Also this formation enables us to have wingers on both sides and gerrard central. And lets face it that's where we all want him.

by **Rimetto_** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:43 pm

SouthCoastShankly wrote:
Rimetto_ wrote:i'd go with a 3-5-2 against them. With this formation we can make their wingers defend and that's where the problems come from.

Reina

Carragher Hypia Agger

Pennant Momo Alonso Riise

Gerrard

Bellamy Kuyt

Its not even a 3-5-2!

More like a 3-4-1-2. A classic 3-5-2 is a wing back system with 3 midfielders (Shown below)

if we are being picky that looks more like a 3-3-2-2

by **red37** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:07 pm

a brief summary of recent encounters between LFC and man.utd. outside cup competition the record shows a poor state of affairs in the league. its about time it was rewritten.

REDS V UNITED: THE LAST FIVE
Jimmy Rice 20 October 2006

As the fans look forward to Sunday's showdown, liverpoolfc.tv remembers our last five meetings with Man Utd:

Liverpool 1-0 Man Utd
FA Cup fifth round – 2005/6

Alex Ferguson suggested Liverpool produced only five minutes of football after seeing his side crash out of the FA Cup. In reality, the Reds overpowered a limp United midfield and thoroughly deserved their win. Peter Crouch nodded home a Steve Finnan cross with aplomb to take his tally for the season to eight and leave our arch-rivals with just the League Cup to play for.

Man Utd 1-0 Liverpool
Premiership - 2005/6

A Rio Ferdinand header seconds before the curtain fell in the Theatre of Dreams ended a 12-game unbeaten run in the league. It also severely dented hopes of pipping our Mancunian friends to second place. What made defeat harder to bear was the fact victory had been within our grasp. Who knows how the table would have looked come May had Djibril Cisse not missed a glorious second half opportunity from just yards out.

Liverpool 0-0 Man Utd
Premiership - 2005/6

A high noon showdown ended in stalemate in a game where goalmouth action was rare and Peter Crouch was denied the kind of service which would help him break his Liverpool duck. Skipper Steven Gerrard forced Edwin Van der Sar into a fine save at the Kop end but no-one could complain at the final score. The result marked four clean sheets on the trot for Pepe Reina and halted a run of three straight United victories at Anfield since that John Arne Riise free-kick in 2001.

Liverpool 0-1 Man Utd
Premiership – 2004/5

Fernando Morientes had scored in each of his five professional debuts prior to this match, a stat which ushered a wave of optimism around Anfield as the Spaniard donned a red shirt for the first time. The Reds created 12 chances but in truth never really worried Roy Carroll. At the other end Jerzy Dudek was disappointed at conceding a soft goal to Wayne Rooney - United’s sole shot on target. Wes Brown was sent off for picking up two yellow cards as the visitors contrived to out-muscle their opponents. But there were no excuses from Rafa, who refused to be drawn afterwards on two legitimate penalty shouts – first when Phil Neville handled a John Arne Riise cross and again when Gabriel Heinze chopped the newboy.

Man Utd 2-1 Liverpool
Premiership – 2004/5

Goals in each half from Mikael Silvestre sent Liverpool crashing to a deserved defeat in Rafa's first game against Man Utd. The hosts were in rampant mood, with Ronaldo hitting the post and driving a volley wide, van Nistelrooy blasting a shot at Dudek's legs and then heading over when he should have done better, and Heinze testing the Liverpool goalkeeper with a looping header. And it never rains but it pours. The sight of Steven Gerrard being stretchered off the sodden Old Trafford turf will have made the journey back across East Lancs even more miserable for the travelling supporters.

***********************************************
as expected most of their 'big-guns' are not surprisingly fit and ready. for us, our own inspirational skipper is also back and hopefully has his eye focused on helping the team grind out at least a point. 3 would be fantastic...lets hope the rest of them raise the bar to a previously unreached level for this season. theyre going to have to there.

by **stmichael** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:12 pm

who's ref, anybody know? please tell me it's not riley or poll?

by **dilbertsbanana** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:15 pm

its poll

but in 7 matches he hasnt given a red card, ok hes given 31 yellows, and he is an awful ref.

Dont bank on getting any 50/50s... or 60/40s, 70/30s... we might get a 90/10 if we're lucky

by **Redman in wales** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:31 pm

Rimetto_ wrote:
Redman in wales wrote:
Rimetto_ wrote:i'd go with a 3-5-2 against them. With this formation we can make their wingers defend and that's where the problems come from.

Reina

Carragher Hypia Agger

Pennant Momo Alonso Riise

Gerrard

Bellamy Kuyt

i would have to disagree completely. (sorry) it does the opposite. That would not make their wingers defend. Neville would defend against riise, and heinze against pennant... leaving ronaldo and giggs to get forward un challenged. Using that formation they would double up on us on the wings:

neville and ronaldo Vs Riise
heinze and giggs Vs Pennant
the centre backs would have to cover rooney and saha, and would leave us stretched at the back.

IF you have to play that formation, finnan would have to play RB otherwise our right hand side is very exposed
4-4-2 is the best way to go against utd

fair points but i think if you push gerrard forward breaking between the 2 front men that means kuyt and bellamy split and one of the full backs has to come in to cover. Plus with to wide men they can overlap and cause problems

With rooney the centre backs don't have to pick him up because he always drops off and momo can cover him leaving the 3 centre backs to cover saha and the wingers.

and lets not forget when they have the ball gerrard would drop in and make us essentially to banks of 4.

he used this formation against newcastle last year (totally out of the blue) and we looked fluid. Also this formation enables us to have wingers on both sides and gerrard central. And lets face it that's where we all want him.

but newcastle arn't exactly the same quality as utd... as much as i hate 'em - they are top of the league for a reason.

all that will happen then in your view is is carrick will follow gerrard, and we're back to my origianl point of them controling us down the wings.

by **red37** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:35 pm

dilbertsbanana wrote:its poll

but in 7 matches he hasnt given a red card

that means he's due one....'the seven game itch'

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