Liverpool FC Forum

by **Simari** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:01 pm

LFC2007 wrote:It sounds a negative post, but I honestly didn't expect us to perform as badly as we have, and it's worrying.

Fair enough.

Although it may be quite painful to bear, I think I will give into the possibility that we have a few more average/dire performances ahead of us - with the belief that we can still get the wins.

To that extent, I'm almost willing to write off September to watching painful football from the team - as long as we keep getting the wins

by **Lando_Griffin** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:37 pm

I bet a few moaning tw*ts on here were gutted Torres scored.

I can't be a*sed to read a load of tosh from so-called "fans", so I'll just say this:

Well in redmen. You were sh*t, but still won. Like it, centurions, like it. :nod

by **JC_81** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:41 pm

I don't agree with some of the media and also members of the forum slaughtering our performance yesterday. We can play better, but it wasn't a bad performance and we deserved the win imo.

First half we created very little, but second half we were completely dominant. Still didn't create that much, but enough to win the game nevertheless. Alonso's introduction changed the game, we were much more composed in midfield and retained possession better when he came on. Plessis had been nervous and didn't look as if he wanted the ball. Dossena looked a different player from the game against Liege, I thought he was impressive. Gerrard and Hyypia were also a few of our better performers. Keane didn't do much, but service to the front two was limited.

Credit to Sunderland, they set their stall out and were difficult to beat. Their fans were also really up for it and got behind their team. The same I'm sorry to say could not be said of our fans. Obviously it was necessary for me to keep my mouth shut as I was in with the Sunderland fans, but the only time I heard the away fans was with the Torres song after the goal went in.

by **rafa09** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 8:08 pm

Lando, i feel exactly the same. Some people are never happy

by **puroresu** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 8:10 pm

i thought dosenna was average.

by **kunilson** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:39 pm

thought it was a better performance than wednesday(not very hard....) but it was a tough first fixture and im glad we got out with 3 points, and a great confidence-boosting goal from Torres.

Need to perform alot better as a team, but for now will put it down to pre-season hangover

by **JoeTerp** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:46 pm

I think I will wait till mid September before putting much of any kind of wait into how we are performing on the pitch. In May, this game will solely be remembered for its 3 points. Something that United cannot say about their performance AT HOME, and I have a feeling Sunderland will trip up one of "the big four" at the Stadium of Light this season (thank goodness it wasn't us). Until the squad is finalized and has had a bit of time to gel, we just need to find ways to win, and I suggest we try ridding the backs of Gerrard and Torres during such a period.

by **Sabre** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:56 pm

john craig wrote:I don't agree with some of the media and also members of the forum slaughtering our performance yesterday. We can play better, but it wasn't a bad performance and we deserved the win imo.

The problem is that in many games we played last season we had similar sensations while watching the match, in many games we drew, we were dominant and failed to win the game despite of that.

That somehow makes you think that the team is similar to last season since we hadn't great signings in the summer. Hopefully Keane will make a difference in many games -- still too early to say something bad about him.

That anxiety is also generated because our rivals didn't fail much last season and that forced you to win, sometimes the good old away point wasn't enough. I hope they will fail more like Manchester has against Newcastle.

That said, and understanding the frustation because we all want the league, I must say that calling our players shít or insulting them is something I don't understand.

On a side note, I remembered Stu's post on defence because I honestly expected to see the Carraguer-Agger pairing against Sunderland, but it seems that for the direct aerial game Rafa also trusted big Hyypia

by **hello_red** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:45 pm

Sabre wrote:
john craig wrote:I don't agree with some of the media and also members of the forum slaughtering our performance yesterday. We can play better, but it wasn't a bad performance and we deserved the win imo.

The problem is that in many games we played last season we had similar sensations while watching the match, in many games we drew, we were dominant and failed to win the game despite of that.

That somehow makes you think that the team is similar to last season since we hadn't great signings in the summer. Hopefully Keane will make a difference in many games -- still too early to say something bad about him.

That anxiety is also generated because our rivals didn't fail much last season and that forced you to win, sometimes the good old away point wasn't enough. I hope they will fail more like Manchester has against Newcastle.

That said, and understanding the frustation because we all want the league, I must say that calling our players shít or insulting them is something I don't understand.

On a side note, I remembered Stu's post on defence because I honestly expected to see the Carraguer-Agger pairing against Sunderland, but it seems that for the direct aerial game Rafa also trusted big Hyypia

I would have to agree with you there Sabre.

Especially the last bit about calling our players, surely thats detrimental to a title challenge no matter where its said. For a team to be succesful it must have stability from the board room, through the players to the fans and at the minute we have none of that. Maybe that will change if we go on a run? Who knows, but it annoys me that we have so many top quality players in the side yet we still need a winger... They dont exist anymore do your :censored:

research! Last true winger to grace England was John Barnes and up until about 5 years ago Ryan Giggs.
England is not spain or Italy, industry and hard work win you games over here.

by **mistyred** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:50 pm

Hola from spain, i watched the match and what a goal by Torres and can i say on top of that the Women in Spain are very fine i dont know how any men cannot fancy women when faced with some of the beauties i have seen.

Espania Muy Bien :buttrock

by **LiverpoolFC_Kopite** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:35 am

hello_red wrote:They dont exist anymore do your research! Last true winger to grace England was John Barnes and up until about 5 years ago Ryan Giggs.
England is not spain or Italy, industry and hard work win you games over here.

Think a certain Ronaldo would have something to say about that, considering he single-handedly won the title for Manure last year, not thru industry and hard work either.

They are around just Rafa doesn't want to look for one. :no

by **Fo Dne** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:50 am

Number 9 wrote:
Number 9 wrote:
Fo Dne wrote:I want Torres babies!

That would figure since you've been talking to a guy from Belfast for ages on MSN and thought he was a girl from somewhere else!!

Whats wrong?Cat got your tongue Stuarty?

How old are you you retarted :censored:

?

by **LegBarnes** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:37 am

Owzat wrote:
Number 9 wrote:
Owzat wrote:
Owzat wrote:I'd settle for 1-0 even though I can't stand the tension of them.

I stand by that, 1-0 is not convincing but then neither's the way we've been playing. I was surprised Rafa started Plessis and not Alonso, a little surprised he recalled Hyypia as well.

That one chance where Keane and Torres went for the same ball worries me, lack of communication and familiarity playing with each other. Are the Kuyt bashers giving him any credit today? Overall it was a better performance, if the performances continue to improve and early on results go our way, then we could launch a title challenge. But we've played two pretty ordinary teams, struggled to dominate and scored just one goal while being less than convincing in keeping clean sheets

So you with your stats worry about how strikers understand eachother after ONE competitive game??
they went for the same ball??
Id be more worried if no one went near it...ffs wise up!
Bad game and terribly drawn out but 3 points in the bag and we really cant go anywhere but upwards!

Got nothing to do with stats, change the record

Of course it worries me when strikers don't have that understanding, to such a degree one blocks the other's shot. It's not a regular occurence in football, yes at least someone went for it, but some kind of shout or understanding would have seen that in the net. Just think about how hard it is to go for a ball and be the wrong side of it when your strike partner hits it, no attempt to jump out the way, nothing. I truly hope that was a one off and they do become a coherent attack force, jumping down my throat isn't going to change anything

Happy with the result? Of course. Happy with the performance? Nope. We need to improve on that, while we're missing Mascherano and Babel the team should be playing better than that (overall) I wish I shared your optimism, maybe after 18 years of false dawns it's hard to convince yourself that it will only get better.

Have you ever played football hahahahahaha !

This happens to the best of strikers in partnerships get a grip.

Seen york get in coles way more then once and they was one of best in prem ever !

On every level of football mistakes are made like that or football would be boring.

I almost cryed when it happened but at no point did i think man those 2 can't play together its very funny your response.

Calm down they will come good they need time like all partnerships do.

You will look back on this comment you made and feel foolish in a few months or maybe even sooner.

by **66-1112520797** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:58 am

I've Just watched the game, and I tell you what. We werent as bad as some have made out around here. I was expecting something of similar performance against Liege the way some were going on.

Firstly, and again the first half performance wasnt as bad as some had said, granted we offered nothing going forward which is frustrating to say the least. Two reasons IMO why we created next to nothing, and the first being our wide players, we dont have natural width on either flank. And while Benayoun faired better than Kuyt its still not quite enough, as Benayoun always looks to come inside which is only natural him being a right footed player. But we become to narrow and through the center it becomes very conjested as we not accustomed to stretching teams.

The second reason also for our lack of goal action in the first half, was simply because Plessis was on and Alonso wasnt. I'm not taking anything away from the young Frenchman as he could be a decent prospect, but Alonsos vision and passing simply made the team look alot more comfortable as he dictated that midfield in the second half. Xabi gave Keane and Torres the sort of serivice they seriously lacked in the first half. You can have a striker force of 40 odd million combined, but without the service they'll look like Erik Meijer and Sean Dundee. I feel good for him (Alonso) as I've given him stick but in pre-season and again at Sunderland he is for me begining to show his class, which was never in doubt BTW.

It was also good to see Hyypia playing, he may not have the legs anymore but he has the head. For thinking and for that aerial dominace we lack at the back. I feel reasured when hes playing and after the first 20 scrappy minutes he settled down, and marshalled that defence well. Sunderland after that never really bothered our goal, and TBH they were all huff, puff and effort. But the abilty wasnt there from them IMO.

Alan Wiley also bottled a big decision in the first half, that was a stone wall penalty for me, he let play go on after Gerrard had been taken down. He didnt bother to blow for it until Benayoun got bundled down in the penalty box. I thought he blew for a pen, only to pull it back for Gerrards foul, bad decision ?

So all in all the performance was a bit scrappy especially in the first half, but like I said before its never going to be a stroll in the park first game of the season away at Sunderland. There a passionate lot up there and that no doubt lifted there players on the opening day of the season.

I'm happy with the result and content with the perfomance, Middlesborough at home next week should see us improve our football a fair bit. Although we'll continue to stuggle in the wide areas until something is done about that. For me Alonso was MOM against Sunderland, maybe Rafa has made the wrong decision in trying to flog him ( and maybe I'll eat humble pie, which will please some). IMO Rafa has to give Alonso a big arm around the shoulder and talk him into staying which I dont think is Rafas strongest point managerially.

Torres goal was brilliant to, well done the Spanairds and LFC .

by **stmichael** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:58 am

All in all I really enjoyed the day. The atmosphere was great and in the end I think we just about deserved it for our second half display. Ok the performance wasn't great but on the first day it's all about the result. Arsenal were average but won, United were held, Tottenham flattered to deceive again, so getting up and running with a win breeds confidence.

First half was poor. I thought Sunderland were the better side without really testing Reina as much as they should have. However with the introduction of Alonso at half time I thought we looked a lot better and in the second half there was only one side who was going to win the game. Torres was quiet but then if you take your eye off him for one second you see what he can do. Keane still hasn't settled yet but that will come with time. The front two is going to be a work in progress this season.

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