Liverpool FC Forum

by **tel** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:08 am

We won a champions league game with the same style of football that gets us draws at home against the likes of Stoke.

We are not set up either tactically or with players to go out and score goals early and win games. No surprise the only game we put 5 past a team was when Rafa was at home.

by **The_Rock** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:28 am

Unbelievable result against the most inform team in the spanish league....

All props to benitez tonite for getting it right..... :bowdown

F@ck the premier league....lets just win the champions league again.... :buttrock

by **red_guy** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:49 am

I guess by this time around , our priority is again the CL which is ok by me since we are drifting away in the quest for premiership trophy this season. Credits to the lads and Rafa for the great result against Madrid. Let's hope we're playing in Rome come May.

by **TheRedsFan** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:06 am

Great win today, Rafa got it right! I missed work today to be able to watch the game

by **kan** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:17 am

what really :censored:

me off today was that i wanted to watch the Liverpool-Madrid game at the school pub, but the place was only showing the Chelsea-Juve game.
although i had to watch the game in poor quality, I thought Yossi was fantastic. he did have dangerous drives from time to time and his header decided the winner. I really think he is underrated, or at least here, it seems so.

by **TheRedsFan** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:36 am

kan wrote:what really me off today was that i wanted to watch the Liverpool-Madrid game at the school pub, but the place was only showing the Chelsea-Juve game.
although i had to watch the game in poor quality, I thought Yossi was fantastic. he did have dangerous drives from time to time and his header decided the winner. I really think he is underrated, or at least here, it seems so.

Yea Yossi was great today but the key player today IMO was Fabio Aurelio

by **songxiaoz** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:04 am

we really have a great time.
of couse we'll have more than that.
waiting 4 march.

by **Owzat** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:32 am

Didn't someone criticise others for needlessly starting topics relating to themes of other threads, something to do with vanity or something along those lines.......................?

This won't kick start our league challenge, Rafa's never had a problem getting through two-legged ties and I've just finished a bit of analysis that is interesting.

Rafa's Record With Liverpool In Two-Legged Ties

Ties : P18 W16 L2
Games : P36 W23 D6 L7 (Won 63.89%)

This includes our League Cup semi of 2004/05. Now if those games played were a league campaign that would be 75 points, plus three last night is 78 which is more than three at Anfield in the return leg short of our best league points return ie 78 + 3 is not greater than 82. Fair enough the teams played are a bit stronger overall than the Premiership, but some are weaker with qualifiers etc included. So split into stages :-

Qualifying Ties : P7 W7 L0
Qualifying Games : P14 W10 D2 L2 (Won 71.43%)

Last 16 Ties : P4 W3 L1
Last 16 Games : P8 W5 D0 L3 (Won 62.50%)

QF Ties : P3 W3 L0
QF Games : P6 W4 D2 L0 (Won 66.67%)

SF Ties : P4 W3 L1
SF Games : P8 W4 D2 L2 (Won 50.00%)

The League Cup semi was against Watford so you can add them to the seven not so great sides in qualifying. So it wouldn't be far off a Premiership campaign in terms of strength, with no Man Utd played (yet), and QFs including PSV who ain't that great and likewise Leverkeusen.

We've potentially six more Champions League games and definitely twelve more Premiership games. If we progress in the Champions League then I can only see it adversely affecting our league form not kick-starting it. Don't get me wrong, great result last night, But I and a lot on here would readily swap that result last night with the one at home to Citeh - 1-0 in the league and 3 points, a 1-1 in the Bernie Inn and the home leg to come. I think it says it all that we can win in the Bernie Inn but can't beat a poor, mid-table side at ANFIELD when we needed to. That said, I believe Real Madrid have exited the CL at this stage four seasons in a row so like Inter last season (and this for the mancs), the build up and suggested difficulty failed to match reality.

by **bigmick** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:22 am

Owzat wrote:Didn't someone criticise others for needlessly starting topics relating to themes of other threads, something to do with vanity or something along those lines.......................?

They did Owz, it was me referring to my own vanity in starting a thread on my opinion on the manager, I was rightly pulled up on it.

I'm not sure I agree with you about our Champions League exploits being detrimental to out league chances. Last nights game for example was massive, had we gone there and got done 2-0 what with all the rumours flying around, I wouldn't have given us a dogs chance at Middlesboro.

As it is though, we must be on a high now, they've played in midweek in a huge game for them as well, and we must be in a better frame of mind to get a result.

There's obviously a very good chance that the bird has flown as far as the league is concerned (yes I know, negative, not a real fan etc) but the thing I'd hate to see us do is fall behind so far that we aren't in position should the Mancs suddenly lose a couple. I know it's unlikely, or at least it appears so at the moment, but stranger things have happened and we simply must stay in reach.

I think we'll see off Madrid absolutely no problem at Home, and I also think that as long as we don't get too caught up with the rotation the upcoming games will lift the squad.

One of the good things about the back up players being not very good (negativity again I know, sorry about that everyone) is that it leaves us less scope to rotate. Really up top our options are limited, as they are pretty much everywhere else except for central mid (and even there it HAS to be Alonso and Mash) and central defence.

It does mean we've got to cross our fingers a bit with injuries, but I for one am cool with that. I've just got a feeling, for absolutely no apparent reason whatsoever, just a hunch, that the Mancs are about to have wee bliip. Even a defeat and a draw could just open the door for us an inch, but only if we beat Middlesboro and Sunderland.

by **Bermenstein** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:39 am

Kickstart our league challenge?

I'm afraid we missed the boat on that one IMO. We had a great chance in Nov/Dec to pull away, but I feel some of the players buckled under the pressure of being top of the league.

What would need to happen is for United to go on a truly miserable run, because the title is theirs to loose. And we would have to go on an immense run of epic proportions, including beating the Filth at Old Trafford. It is possible, but not too probable.

Yes the win in Madrid is a fantastic boost and I would really hope it does boost Morale and confidence and propel Liverpool forward for the remainder of the season.

Half-time Milan 3 Liverpool 0

Suppose anything is possible.

by **account deleted by request** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:40 am

I think the more likely outcome from yesterdays result is that we concentrate on Europe with any styling confined to the League, especially with Gerrard and Torres playing musical chairs with their injuries. As soon as one is fit the other gets injured

Maybe we will try to keep it going in the league till we play the mancs ...... win that and we are in with a slim chance, draw or lose it and we are playing for second.

by **7_Kewell** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:46 am

as far as i'm concered the league challenge is over. There is no way man utd are going to drop 8 points, which is what we need when you look at the goal difference.

In fact, i think we will drop more points from now until the end of the season and scrape 2nd.

by **bigmick** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:52 am

I actually don't agree. I think they WILL drop eight points if we beat them. They've got 12 games to play, a defeat against us, one other loss, one draw and nine wins would see it open up for us if we won every match. I'll tell you what, I bet if you offered fergie 28 points from their last 12 games he'd take it right now. The question for me is, can we win 12 on the bounce?

I reckon the Mancs though will finsih on 88 points. I think they'll win 8, draw 2 and lose 2 of their last 12 (obviously that is as long as we beat them). We are behind, but we don't quite need snookers just yet. Imagine how it would feel if they finished on 84 points and still won it? We must not let that happen, if they are going to win it, make em win it don't give it to em.

by **dawson99** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:54 am

bigmick wrote:I actually don't agree. I think they WILL drop eight points if we beat them. They've got 12 games to play, a defeat against us, one other loss, one draw and nine wins would see it open up for us if we won every match. I'll tell you what, I bet if you offered fergie 28 points from their last 12 games he'd take it right now. The question for me is, can we win 12 on the bounce?

I reckon the Mancs though will finsih on 88 points. I think they'll win 8, draw 2 and lose 2 of their last 12 (obviously that is as long as we beat them). We are behind, but we don't quite need snookers just yet. Imagine how it would feel if they finished on 84 points and still won it? We must not let that happen, if they are going to win it, make em win it don't give it to em.

Exactly, it's far from over.
As Carragher said last night, until it is mathematically impossible we will fight them to the end.

by **JoeTerp** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:04 pm

bigmick wrote:In fairness, some of the people who are fully paid up Rafalites have been saying for the last couple of weeks that they aren't about to change their view on the manager based on a couple of matches, and they're absolutely spot on. By the same token, those of us who are of a different persuasion are unlikely to change our opinion based on an albeit impressive win in Madrid.

That said, and I'm one of the biggest anti's going if not THE biggest (certainly the biggest something anyway), it just seemed the right time to give credit where credit was due to both the team AND THE MANAGER. I think it would be silly to pretend it ws anything other than a famous night for the club, regardless of where you sit on the various ongoing issues.

I thought the Champions League doesn't even start for English teams until the last 4?

I wonder if any teams in Spain have even won at both the Nou Camp AND the Bernabeau in the last 3 years.

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Fantastic win at madrid. - Could it kickstart our league challenge?

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