Posted:
Tue Nov 14, 2006 5:58 amby The Manhattan Project
More aggression and attack is needed.
Against Chelsea it was an odd goal. A moment of brilliance that couldn't be prevented. Against Arsenal it was attitude, as soon as they scored the heads went down and they never looked like they believed they could get back into it. Had the goal been used to spur on the team and take the game to Arsenal, things may have been different and we wouldn't have wilted. Against Man Utd we played too defensively, we invited pressure and eventually they got through. Against Bolton and Everton we again failed to take our chances and seemed scared of the opposition allowing them to play their game instead of playing ours.
Play the players in their best positions and take the game to the opposition. It's the same away as it is at home. It's a different looking ground with different fans, but the attitude has to be the same.
Posted:
Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:18 pmby whylongball?
agree with few ppl here...You should play to your strength and let other teams worry about you. It also means you force the opponent play your game, not their game. simple!
Posted:
Tue Nov 14, 2006 4:34 pmby LiverpoolMadman
Let Rafa go and quicky hire Alan Curbishley.
Posted:
Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:35 amby joko
from skysports
RAFA'S WOES ON THE ROAD
Dear Martin, I am a big fan of yours from Kuwait. I really do enjoy listening to your commentary on matches, even if it’s a boring goalless match you add to it your own spices to make it interesting to watch. I also read your column regularly and want to thank you for the hard work you and your team put in to provide us with such valuable and interesting stats. I am big Liverpool fan, and it is miserable to watch their abysmal away form especially after losing to Arsenal. I have two questions for you, first, is this the worst away record they've had since the start of the Premiership or even ever? Secondly, when is the last time they have beaten all of the big three teams (Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal) away from home in the same season, if it has ever happened? Regards, Mohamed Zamzam
MARTIN SAYS: It never ceases to amaze me the weird and wonderful places we attract readers from, so it is always a pleasure to answer one from overseas Mohamed - especially won so pertinent. It has meant a lot of thumbing back through the record books, but I do have the answer to both your Liverpool queries. First of all I can tell you that is infact Liverpool's worst away start in the Premiership and indeed their worst away start for 52 years. Back then Don Welsh's side lost their first six games of the Division Two season in 1954-55, going down to Plymouth Argyle, Derby County, Bristol Rovers, Blackburn, Swansea and Stoke City, before drawing at Lincoln City on October 30. Of course, defeat at Middlesbrough this weekend would see Rafa Benitez's side equal that with six straight defeats away from Anfield, but in terms of not winning an away game that 1954-55 season will take some beating - they did not pick up a win for the opening 12 games of the season. As far as the Premiership is concerned, it took them seven games to record an away win in the 1992-93 season under Graeme Souness.
The second part of your question is another that had me and my website researchers and the ever-reliable Sky Sports stats team scratching our heads and scouring through the record books once again, Mohamed. But as always, we don't like to let you down and I can tell you that in fact Liverpool have NEVER beaten Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea away in the same league season. Of course, they have not played those teams every season, but the best they have managed is two have beaten two of the three you mention, in the Premiership and before that. In 2003-04, they won 1-0 at Old Trafford and 1-0 at Stamford Bridge under Gerard Houllier, but were unable to complete the holy trinity thanks to a 4-2 defeat at Highbury - which down the years has in fact been their happiest hunting ground of the the three.
