Liverpool FC Forum

jonnymac1979 wrote:Was going to start a thread on Sissoko.  He's getting an awful lot of stick at the minute and let's be honest, he is playing s*i*e considering how he played during his first season with us.  And fuck me, he was worth his weight in liquid 24 carat gold against Barcelona last season.  The boy can do a job, and a good one at that.  I don't care how bad he's playing at the minute. 

There's debate to be had here.

Sissoko for me has been and is a diamond of a find.  I personally think he's a top player and as usual Mick's spot on.  It's down to confidence with Sissoko.  He's lacking it at the minute I think, and it's clearly having an effect.  Some might disagree and you are entitled to disagree.  It just looks to me though that Sissoko is playing without confidence.

Scottbot wrote:Stayed away from here since the game coz I figured it would be the usual combo of angry fans venting, finger-pointing and in some cases, posters re-repeating stuff they have repeated a million times before as if it was the first time they'd said it. Mind you, it's the same after a win or two with all and sundry going over the top and proclaiming the 'title is coming home'.

My take on the game - Reading played well, we were a bit gung-ho at times, we created several good chances, their Keeper played a blinder, we missed some good chances and got caught by an excellent free-kick and then with too many men forward chasing the game, we caught for the 3rd. I won't be complaining about Rafa's formation. He played a strange lop-sided formation with just one winger two weeks ago at Newcastle and turned them over, he played an even stranger 3-6-1 (ish) formation at Newcastle two seasons back and again we won the game 3-1, he played 3-4-3 at Wigan last season and won the game 3-0. I don't recall him getting much credit for his tactics on here at the time for any of those games BUT if we'd lost them i've no doubt many of you would have pointed to the formation.

However, I was also dissapointed with his substitutions. In fact, once or twice a season Rafa completely baffles me with his subs and this was one of those games for me. Clearly he feels it was more worthwhile to save the legs of Torres and Gerrard for the two games ahead, i wouldn't have done it myself. I hated seeing Gerrard go off as much as anyone else BUT if we win the next two games everything will be rosy, Peewee (and a few others) will go quiet again untill the next loss and just about everyone else will be doing the can-can and toasting the manager.