Liverpool FC Forum

Posted: **Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:12 pm**

Yeah Defo,

Still should score 2 or 3, I'd rather miss him for this type of game than against any of the bigger teams!

Posted: **Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:29 pm**

Beware, this could be Sheff Utd away all over again.

Posted: **Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:55 pm**

Thats a bad blow. I know Gerrard is an amazing player but their is something else that we miss when he is out injured and sometimes we look half the team we are with him. I just hope on saturday some of the senior players step up and impose themselves on the game or it could cost us. Players like Alonso and Riise. Also, hopefully Mascherano can put in another big performance in the middle and Kuyt up front.

Reina

Finnan Carra Agger Arbeloa

Pennant Mascherano Alonso Riise

Torres Kuyt

I'd be very happy with 1-0.

Posted: **Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:02 pm**

With Gerrard out, this is the perfect opportunity for Alonso to stamp more of his authority on the game in an attacking sense.

Posted: **Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:57 pm**

3-1 for liverpool i recon

Posted: **Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:24 pm**

This is a tough call in my opinion. Gerrards omission will be what Keane will feed off...he'll be telling his players theres no better time to play liverpool etc etc. They will be well up for it! I'd like to see sissoko play this game - show them the premiership is for men and not boys. Hopefully babel will play 90 as well.

Would be happy with 3 points no matter how it came...i predict a tight 1-2 result for the 'pool!

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2007 6:53 am**

ken_job wrote:This is a tough call in my opinion. Gerrards omission will be what Keane will feed off...he'll be telling his players theres no better time to play liverpool etc etc.

that can also backfire. the sunderland players (if dumb enough) might think liverpool are a one man team and thats where players they least expect (alonso) can hurt them.

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2007 6:55 am**

What colour will we play in?

We can't wear red or white shirts and isn't the black shirt reserved for Europe only?

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2007 6:59 am**

The Manhattan Project wrote:What colour will we play in?

We can't wear red or white shirts and isn't the black shirt reserved for Europe only?

i think we will wear black. its safer for us. otherwise if we wear red or white the ref might get confused.

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:25 am**

Without Gerrard we still obviously have the quality to comfortably beat a team of Sunderlands talent . However as we all know the best team doesn't always win . As much as I dislike their manager I still respect his motivational abilities ,Sunderland will be fired up for this game I expect them to scrap for every ball giving us no time or space, they'll be in our faces from the start, if our lads aren't up for the fight we could easily drop points in this game .

Rafa's team selection could, more than usual, prove to be the decisive factor in this one. It's the kind of match where despite our players superior footballing abilities we may have to dig deep and grind out a result.

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:40 am**

We need to win this game to keep our momentum on.

BTW, where is Rafa-Dodd and his Oppo thread?

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:41 am**

This week our national team was sh*t (friendly,Swiss-Hol 2-1)
Until second half when Kuyt came in and because of a wonderful cross by Babel, Kuyt scored the only goal for Holland. Hope they will start together. I am a little bit opportunistic,imo LFC can start this game with 3 up front.

0-4 :nod

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:51 am**

is gerrard out or is benitez just saying he is out to spring a surprise tomorrow.

even if he is out we should beat sunderland, providing we carry the momentum on form out last game and not start with all the defensive rubbish from last season. we need to be set up to win, not to draw

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:11 am**

Yeah I agree with those who say we need to approach the game bang on the front foot. None of this seeing how it goes for the first twenty minutes and feeling our way into it, we should be ripping into them from the off. We need to impose ourselves on them from the first whistle, with or without Gerrard. If it's still 0-0 after ten minutes you want the Sunderland players thinking "feck me we'll never hold out for another eighty against this lot".

Selection wise, it's a classic banana skin waiting to happen. It's the first time this season Rafa has had a good excuse for fecking about with the team and I really hope he resists the temptation. If Gerrard isn't going to play (and he probably shouldn't) then that's a big enough change for any team to cope with. I'd play Sissoko for his combative qualities in his place, and I'd find a start for Crouch for one of the two toher strikers. That's it. No Lee Peltiers, Benayouns making his debut, Gabriel Palletta's, Ryan Babbel at right back or other silliness. We desperately need to win this.

This is probably the most important game of the season so far. Win here, and we've made a pretty good start spoiled only by some Chaplinesque refereeing. We'll be well placed in comparison to Man Utd who have another tricky fixture at the weekend, and Chelsea who are our main rivals. Draw, and it's turned into only an average start, all the hard work of the first two games thrown away. Losing is beyond comprehension, it would be a mortal blow in my opinion if we lost here.

Please please please don't feck about with the team too much. My hunch is though that as I've said, the "all the names in a hat" selection policy is a thing of the past. After correctly predicting an unchanged line-up last time, I'm going for two changes, Gerrard for Sissoko and Crouch for Torres.

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:28 am**

bigmick wrote:.

Please please please don't feck about with the team too much. My hunch is though that as I've said, the "all the names in a hat" selection policy is a thing of the past. After correctly predicting an unchanged line-up last time, I'm going for two changes, Gerrard for Sissoko and Crouch for Torres.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Hyppia for Agger either Mick , and possibly Riise and Babel down the left with Arbeloa and Pennant on the right .

Oh f'uck, will some one take that hat away from Rafa .

Liverpool FC Forum

SUNDERLAND VS LIVERPOOL - 12:45 kick off