Liverpool FC Forum

by **LegBarnes** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 4:15 am

anti-hero wrote:Imo, we just need a left back, really.

We have still have Hyypia.

And we've got Leto.

I'm surprised Rafa didnt go for Chiellini.

i am talkign about next season mate this year we ok but can u see sami being ina playing role next year personaly i cant he a legand but we all have to step down soon ro later.

by **anti-hero** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:05 am

LegBarnes wrote:
anti-hero wrote:Imo, we just need a left back, really.

We have still have Hyypia.

And we've got Leto.

I'm surprised Rafa didnt go for Chiellini.

i am talkign about next season mate this year we ok but can u see sami being ina playing role next year personaly i cant he a legand but we all have to step down soon ro later.

Oh.

Didnt know then.

As long as he's a quality youngster.

by **stmichael** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:53 am

Highlights from .tv.

http://rapidshare.com/files/48893299/Villa_v_LFC_-_Highlights.wmv

by **Sabre** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:34 pm

bigmick wrote:Well I've been one of the advocates of the Mascherano/Gerrard axis on here for some time, mainly because I think Alonso has allowed himself to slip into mega comfort mode. That said, I thought the Spaniard was our best player on Saturday and I was hugely encouraged by his performance. If he plays like that, then in my opinion he is both a better player and a better bet than Mascherano.

I particularly liked the way Xabi was prepared to break the chains which keep him within five yards of the centre-halves. It was nice to see Reo-coker and not Carew closing him down, and it was nice to see Gerrard able to come deep and pick it up as well as bombing forward.

I myself am not advocating both central midfielders bombing forward as it weakens the team defensively as many have pointed out. I would though be all for a little more, and I use the word advisedly, rotation of the central pairing whereby they are able to interchange positionally a little more. This is what I have alluded to in the past where Xabi plays for his partner a little more, as well as Bamaga pointed out Gerrard plays for him. If opposition defences had to assume there was at least the possibility that Xabi might commit forward from time to time (and that obviously Gerrard would fill in at the same moment) then it makes the pairing work for me. Similarly, if Makeleli has to keep passing Gerrard onto Ballack as the captain drops in to take it off the centre halves and pick up an encroaching Alonso instead, the pairing works for me. As it has been in the past, we have almost played a diamond with no width, Alonso sitting and Gerrard playing as an inside forward.

For me Saturday was a lot better from Xabi. If he continues to rediscover a slightly more ambitious side to his game, he would be a starter every game. Mind you, so would Sissoko and Gerrard would then be back on the right but that's another argument entirely

Funnily enough Bigmick I too think that Gerrard got deeper to get some balls, and I too think that Alonso risked more and even ran with the ball in the second half, which was something that did rarely yesteryear.

But I think that's not his decission but Rafa's. And I disagree he did a particularly good match, it was an average one for his standards. He did steal some important balls in the first half, he did aswell gave the proper pass to start an attack, but he had his share of mistakes and he did not fantasy passes. So average game.

Most of this mistakes he made when he did those things that made you happy. In that especific play of the second half it was Carra who aborted a counterattack of a ball that was stolen to Alonso when he was in the Villa pitch. Note that it was Carra, not another midfielder who aborted the counter attack. Could have costed a goal if the opposition was better.

We'll see if this more mobile midfield works better, and if it's done more often. It may have been a specific tactic to play Villa who put many men in the midfield.

Yesteryear Alonso's position was more fixed and only went up to take a range shot and with his back covered by Riise or someone. I like more this model.

by **Anon_Villan** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:56 pm

maguskwt wrote:
Anon_Villan wrote:Oh don't worry I'm blaming the ref. Get your own back? For what?

the thing is you said in other posts like "Gerrard dived"..."I've lost respect for your saintly captain" and "Gerrard bought that free kick"... and in between your seemingly fair discussion points you've put bitter sarcastic remarks against our team... and then you claim I'm not here to wound anyone up... pls do me a favour... stop being bitter and wasting your time on here... don't worry about what liverpool will do and go worry about when your first keeper sorenson will return so that you won't be stuck with a fatass arsenal reject keeper who couldn't save a free kick from 30 yards out....

aston villa is a historical club... so pls worry about your own club... and not worry about what we'll do...

Thing is, those are my opinions so I'm going to say them. And no I haven't come on here to wind people up, I'm not a kid. I came on here to discuss the game with all of you, and so far have managed to do that with a few people. I suppose I knew that a few things I wrote were inflammatory, but its a passionate game and I've read some pure rubbish written about us. I'm not going to apologise to all of you for being a Villa fan.

On an Aston Villa messageboard I would be worrying why we have 20 players in our first team squad, have had to pay a ridiculous amount to loan a keeper, albeit a quality one, for a season. But I'm not - I'm on a Liverpool fansite.

And lastly I've said this before but no-one answered:

Was anyone here involved in any of the incidents before or after the game. I have read some quite worrying things on both Villa and Liverpool sites which I think should be discussed. This assumes that some people on here were actually in Birmingham on Saturday, and I've heard how hard it is to get tickets to away games. I would start a new thread but I'm not allowed.

I do concede that I'm still a bit bitter though, but I'm not making any apologies for that.

by **66-1112520797** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 1:51 pm

On an Aston Villa messageboard I would be worrying why we have 20 players in our first team squad, have had to pay a ridiculous amount to loan a keeper, albeit a quality one, for a season. But I'm not - I'm on a Liverpool fansite.

I dont even know how much you paid for Carsons loan, but I wouldnt call him a quality keeper. Maybe if you come back at the end of the season you'll agree with me on that.

Was anyone here involved in any of the incidents before or after the game. I have read some quite worrying things on both Villa and Liverpool sites which I think should be discussed. This assumes that some people on here were actually in Birmingham on Saturday, and I've heard how hard it is to get tickets to away games. I would start a new thread but I'm not allowed.

Unfortunately I was unable to get to the game on Saturday, I'm one of those gloryhunting armchair fans.

I do concede that I'm still a bit bitter though, but I'm not making any apologies for that

You dont need to make apologises, I'm not apologising for Gerrard wininng the free-kick he did and scoring the winner to beat you.

by **Owzat** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 1:56 pm

Why bother continuing a debate when neither side is going to change their view? Accept facts, it WAS a free-kick because it was given, it WAS a goal because it stood, it WAS a penalty because the ref gave it etc etc.

I thought the free-kick award against Petrov was harsh but at least obstruction, other teams accept those 'soft' awards without complaint when it works for them and whinge something chronic when they go against them. It was a sublime finish by Gerrard, had he not scored no villa fans would have given a sh1t about the award of it. And history is relevant and justice served up, the McCann dive and Solano free-kick shows that villa fans have no right to complain about dodgy awards when they had near exactly the same thing work in their favour EXCEPT their award was never in a zillion years a free-kick. Sh1t happens, I wasn't happy when Reina was penalised incorrectly for handball against notlob last season and they scored from it. I'm sure we could all cite examples for and against - it happens, the end result is Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool and arguing the toss over crucial incidents won't make the FA reverse that fact.

Villa have some tough ties coming up, I'd be annoyed with thr money MON has wasted on nothing more than good players (Reo-Coker, Petrov and Young) Newcastle away, Tottenham away and the mancs and Chelski at home are just four games in the next eight that Villa may well find halting progress. So continue worrying about an at best 'debatable' free-kick award and don't worry about the games to follow.

by **Anon_Villan** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:13 pm

You already got that justice back last season, as I've said before on this thread twice but got ignored both times on.

I could go into great length about the prospects of our season, if you really want to hear how I think Villa will do against teams you don't care about.

Seems no-one was involved in anything on Saturday evening.

by **Anfield rapper** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:47 pm

red37 wrote:RAFA EXPLAINS VILLA SELECTION
Jimmy Rice 13 August 2007

Rafa Benitez has explained the reason he started just one of his new signings on the opening day of the season.
Fernando Torres was the only newboy in the starting XI at Villa Park, though both Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin came off the bench in the later stages.

Benitez explained: "The idea was to start the season with players who had experience of the Premier League.

"If you bring in a lot of new players and you start playing with them then you don't know if they will settle in.

"I wanted players with experience to approach this game with the character that was needed but I could bring on the new players if needed."

***********************************************

Say's it all really. Lets hope the stability can continue and lead up to a good head of steam. I don't think we will see the same Rafa as last year as often..he has better personnel at his disposal, sure. But i think he is focussed on the League title push this time round above all else. Nice to hear too.

Good to see he has learned from last years opening game when we were lucky to get a point against a very poor side. I was hoping he would hold back a few of the new players and maybe introduce them later on in the game and he did so. Fergie uses this technique and it seems to help the new players. The first game usually means that a team like Villa will be really up for it and it could knock the confidence of the new players if they are thrown in straight away. If they come on during the second half the legs of the other team have tired slightly and it makes it a bit easier for them. If they do well, great. If they don't do that well doesn't matter too much because they only played for 20 mins, but atleast they have experienced a premiership game.

I can understand why villa fans are annoyed i thought it was a penalty and not a free kick. But you have to admit you do see freekicks given for those sorts of things. Maybe the ref didn't see him getting the ball or he just felt it was obstruction (not that i think it was). But these things happen as we learned last season. We had a bit of luck in the first game getting a pen at sheff U but then we had very bad call at bolton.

by **The_Rock** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 3:42 pm

Anon_Villan wrote:You already got that justice back last season, as I've said before on this thread twice but got ignored both times on.

I could go into great length about the prospects of our season, if you really want to hear how I think Villa will do against teams you don't care about.

Seems no-one was involved in anything on Saturday evening.

Jesus....could you stop with your rant already......

Even martion o'neil said that these decisions will even out during the season.

Looking at how many lucky penalty decisions manure gets....the freekick is nothing compared to it.

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