Benitez gets it wrong . . . again
I had a bad feeling when I saw the teamsheet against Chelsea this afternoon - no Crouch and Gerrard playing on the left. How could Benitez leave out his best striker and play one of the best central midfielders in the world on the left? These team selections are not the first time every Liverpool fan has raised an eyebrow. Against Everton we had Crouch and Fowler up front - two players with no pace at all - why didn't we see either bBllamy or Kuyt to partner Crouch? Against PSV in midweek Gerrard and Crouch were on the bench and Fowler didn't even make the squad. And what about the likes of Luis Garcia and Gonzalez - are they on holiday?
2 defeats in the first 4 Premiership games does not bode well. Liverpool can count themselves lucky that Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal have all lost at least one game and that they still have a game in hand. I have been very impressed with Benitez in his first two seasons at the helm but this season, so far, bears a remarkable resemblance to when Houllier got things all wrong when things were going so well. I sincerely hope we don't go down that route again.
posted by SKG at 9/17/2006 06:19:00 pm
EFT match of the season for 2008/2009: Barcelona construct a masterclass footballing performance to defeat the reigning Champions League holders and current English champions, Manchester United, by a scoreline of 2-0 in the 2009 Champions League final in Rome
EFT player of the season for 2008/2009: Chelsea central midfielder, Frank Lampard
EFT player of the month for May 2009: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for April 2009: Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal)
EFT player of the month for March 2009: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for February 2009: Phil Jagielka (Everton)
EFT player of the month for January 2009: Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd)
EFT player of the month for December 2008: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for November 2008: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for October 2008: Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for September 2008: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for August 2008: Amr Zaki (Wigan Athletic)
EFT match of Euro 2008: Turkey's amazing comeback from two goals down to beat Czech Republic 3-2 as captain Nihat Kahveci's two goals in the last three minutes sensationally put his country through to the quarter finals at the expense of their beaten opponents
EFT player of Euro 2008: Spain (anchor) central midfielder, Marcos Senna
EFT match of the season for 2007/2008: Liverpool win titanic Champions League quarter-final second leg 4-2 against Arsenal that also saw two of the best football moments of the season - Fernando Torres' top corner strike and Theo Walcott's thrilling run across the whole of Anfield.
EFT player of the season for 2007/2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
EFT player of the month for May 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
EFT player of the month for April 2008: Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
EFT player of the month for March 2008: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for February 2008: David James (Portsmouth)
EFT player of the month for January 2008: Ronaldo (Manchester United)
EFT player of the month for December 2007: Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn Rovers)
EFT player of the month for November 2007: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for October 2007: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
EFT player of the month for September 2007: Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
EFT player of the month for August 2007: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for May 2007: Carlos Tevez (West Ham Utd)
EFT player of the month for April 2007: Wayne Rooney (Manchester Utd)
EFT player of the month for March 2007: Carlos Tevez (West Ham Utd)
EFT player of the month for February 2007: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester Utd)
EFT player of the month for January 2007: Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
EFT player of the month for December 2006: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester Utd)
EFT player of the month for November 2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for October 2006: Jussi Jaaskelainen (Bolton Wanderers)
EFT player of the month for September 2006: Andrew Johnson (Everton)
EFT player of the month for August 2006: Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth)
EFT match of World Cup 2006: Italy win a thrilling 'end-to-end' World Cup semi-final 2-0 against Germany courtesy of two late extra time goals from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro del Piero 
EFT player of World Cup 2006: Italy captain and centre-back, Fabio Cannavaro
EFT match of the season for 2005-2006: Liverpool win the FA Cup final 3-1 on penalties against West Ham after a Steven Gerrard-led fighback saw the Anfield side recover from 2-0 and 3-2 down to level the match in normal time
EFT player of the month for May 2006: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for April 2006: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for March 2006: Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur)
EFT player of the month for February 2006: Aiyegbeni Yakubu (Middlesbrough)
EFT player of the month for January 2006: Jason Roberts (Wigan Athletic)
EFT player of the month for December 2005: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for November 2005: Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
EFT player of the month for October 2005: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for September 2005: Danny Murphy (Charlton Athletic)
EFT player of the month for August 2005: Wayne Rooney (Manchester Utd)
EFT match of the season for 2004-2005: Liverpool win Champions League final 3-2 on penalties against AC Milan after sensationally recovering from 3-0 down to level the match in normal time
42 Comments:
I don't think Rafa got the team selection wrong today. It's not like as if we played very badly. We had a decent game to be honest. We created enough chances to equalise & perhaps win the game. If we don't score we don't win.
I'm very sure we will return to our winning ways very soon.
9/17/2006 7:13 pm
I ditto those comments above. I didn't get to see the game so I have todepend on the highlights later on, however from what I have been told Liverpool played well enough for a draw, if not the win. I actually expected a 2-0 home win or a 1-2 away win, so it is not a terrible result as long as we played well. However, now is the time to begin picking up points, now and Xmas at least because come December I want us in the top five and sitting well in Europe.
I'll post a review tomorrow for further analysis. Hearing that Arsenal battled well enough for a win was something else. Their first win coming away at one major rival.
RedsMan.
9/17/2006 7:21 pm
I disagree with that. We totally controled the game and limited Chelsea to a longrange freekick and that nice goal Drogba scored. In my opinion we deserved more. I really didnt see wether or not we should have gotten a penalty or not but I wasnt disapointed with the game, team or the way we played, just the result. We´re on the right track now all we need is abit of luck and we´ll be set.
9/17/2006 9:08 pm
Oh dear, yet another I know better than the manager blog......
Disagree with what is being said here. Stamford bridge has never been a happy place for us reds even in the glory years and to start to write off our season now is ludicrous - absolute madness. Correct me if I'm wrong but have we only played 4 games.
We played well enough to get at least a point. Fair enough Gerrard was guilty of a couple of misses but at least the chances were created. An encouraging performance in my opinion.
And I can't understand this constant questioning of the managers team selection. I never question it - so that makes your claim that 'every' fan raises an eyebrow - a false statement.
I get really fed up when so called fans think they know better than the manager - if we'd have got the penalty today, you probably wouldn't have written this poor blog.
You must also realise some new players have come in and will need a little time to gel - something that seems to have been forgotten. So come on, lets get behind the team and not put too much pressure on a really good manager.
9/17/2006 10:04 pm
Whoever wrote this is obviously a bit short in the brains dept. Call yourself a fan? Then stop pretending you can do a better job. The time to judge a manager is at the end of a season.
Anyone remember the slow start last season when the same hippies were moaning and it was all doom and gloom.
Wake up and join the real fans
9/17/2006 10:48 pm
The time to judge is at the end of the season?
This is the THIRD season in a row that Benitez has failed to avoid defeat in FIVE Premiership games with Chelsea.
Five games, five defeats. That's a disgrace in anyone's book. Even four defeats and a draw would be shameful, but FIVE defeats????
I think it's time we stopped knocking Chelsea and looked at how deplorable we are. FIVE defeats out of five games. I'm ashamed to say I thought we would be better this season, but we are so far behind Chelsea it is horrifying. Talk of "we deserved this" or "we deserved that" is a nonsense. We lost AGAIN. Who cares about cups? I want to win the PL and we're as far away from doing that as no-hopers like Spurs.
9/17/2006 11:37 pm
Gerrard on the left! - enough said.
9/17/2006 11:44 pm
We are going backwards under Benitez.
Sooner he clears off the better. The Premier League is what matters most and Beni will never get close.
We've missed out on Martin O'Neil but we could do worse than go for George Graham.
But Beni has to go.
9/17/2006 11:46 pm
I've had ebough of watching league games. It's pointless. We've no possible chance of winning the title. I'm going to save some cash and just go to cup games. I'll watch the league stuff on TV.
9/17/2006 11:52 pm
Sensational goal by Drogba. Can't complain about us losing to a stunning goal like that.
Just read that Stevie is unhappy with Benitez. I bet one of them is gone by the new year.
9/17/2006 11:56 pm
Dont bother replying to any of these posts guys. Most of them seem to have been written by chelsea fans or others. Rafa Rules!
9/18/2006 12:05 am
Liverpool fans are always like this.come on guys cant u see that rafa has got his tactics wrong.with ard 15 min left he replace bellamy with crouch.y cant he replace a defender if he was chasing the game?this was a chelsea team who played with ten man but still rafa did not dare risk it.please rafa,this are all important match that we are losing and important points 2.there is not point collecting the most point after the new year like we did last year.it hurts to see another season which promises so much being such a dissapointment so far.
9/18/2006 4:49 am
There seems to be a lot of idiots writing on this blog....how can Liverpool be going backwards under Benitez when every season they have finished with more points in the Prem than the one previous? Also during his time winning the Champions League (something Chelski and Mourinho spend all their time dreaming of).
Did anyone notice who was the right back? May have something to do with why Gerrard was on the left....Boularouz (or whatever his name is) is a terrible defender and Gerrard totally outclassed him.....
And, please, can George Graham's mother stop posting...
9/18/2006 5:48 am
i think we needed gerrard in that match to control the midfield with our great trio (sissoko, alonso, gerrard) but we needed 2 wide men.
Pennant did great on the right although he's playing against the best LB in the world. if we had gonzalez on the Left and stuck with gerrard behind kuyt in a 4-5-1 formation we'd do great.
Rafa should've tried that and if that didn't work, he can bring up bellamy from the bench anytime.
that game had 4-5-1 written all over it. i think we should focus on the next matches.. we lost 8 points from a total of 116 points available in the league. we still can win it. 108 points left. and whoever reaches the 90pt target first shall win the EPL. so we got 18 more points to spare.
9/18/2006 6:34 am
wtf do u mean Pennant did great?
he barely had the best position to cross the ball on his own...
the only time i see we had a good crossing position is when Finnan was running front so we had 2 men against ashley cole.
we really need GARCIA for that situation, as he can switch places with Gerrard from left to right flank anyime.
and Garcia can cut through the defence easily than Pennant.
WTF did Benitez thinking?
Warnock instead of Aurelio?
Pennant istead of Garcia/Gonzales(Gerrard to right)?
Crouch benched when we're playing crosses?
Gerard on the left all the time?
Leaving 4 defenders against 10men when we clearly had to win this game?
9/18/2006 10:05 am
I have to agree with most of the comments, we actually let Chelsea do nothing except pass the ball around close to the midway line. We definetly did not deserve to lose the game, but one moment of brilance from Drogba and we loose. What is more worying is the fact that even with a change of strikers we still can't score if our life depended on it! With Morientes and Cisse we had an excuse that they do not know or where not suited to English football, but Bellamy! and Kyut seems very suited to English football. Of course they need time to gel but its already getting worrying as not even our midfielders seem able to score.
I have to say that only two guys have impressed me this year - Momo but we are already used to him and Agger who seems to get better after every game he plays
9/18/2006 10:28 am
Iam as disappointed as any other Liverpool fan today but it will be stupid to think that we are ready to win the premiership this year. It was clear from yesterday match that we are in a transitional period and it will take Rafa sometime to find his best 11 and for the team to gel together. IT MIGHT GET WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER. With regard to SG, I think he is exhausted like Alonso they need a break. We will get better as the season progress but realistically we will be competing for 3rd or 4th. Rafa is a good manager but this is an important season for him because as a manager he will be judge by league. Let us not forget GH who won 5 cups but that didn't save his head.
9/18/2006 10:41 am
you're all a bunch of muppets, blaming rafa for his selections. please, give me a break. just because we struggle to beat chelsea to a great goal doesn't mean we're cr@p. if pennant could cross the ball better, and not concede posession so much... and if only he could last 90mins insteadk of only 45... and if gerrard didn't have to feel as though he has to take it all on his own shoulders all the time, he may have passed the ball for bellers to score. and you blame RAFA? grow up. he delivered our 5th euorpean trophy when we least expected it. with a squad who couldn't do it. give him a break, he may surprise you with the PL soon, with a better squad than before, and maybe a bit of decent funding wouldn't go amiss? in rafa we trust!
9/18/2006 11:16 am
I have to agree with this article and the resemblance of Houllier´s final 18 months at LFC is appearing again through nervous Rafa. What really pisses me off is that we do have options on both the wings now but still Gerrard is supposed to play there even though his best abilities shine through him playing in the centre spot. Gonzalez and Garcia are just not seen nowadays and it amazes me that they aren´t given any chances for whatever reason there is.
What buggers me the most is how Rafa just simply isn´t allowing the team to express themselves in a proper attacking football manner. It is a well known fact that if you score more goals than the opponent then you win games. Rafa is just too tactical for my opinion and should really just go for it as we have good enough team to scroe goals. Chelsea get one chance and win the game with a fantastically taken goal by Drogba. Forget about defence for a while, Rafa, and concentrate on giving the team a chance to play attacking football for once.
9/18/2006 11:52 am
I know little of what to make entirely of these comments, though they clearly purport to be from Liverpool fans. I felt we were very close to winning if not levelling the game and with 10 men Chelsea we should have upped the ante. But should have and could have are too late, the thing is to learn from this match as we seemed to have done from the Everton match. The one grumble I have is Gerrard on the left and Carragher's positioning on Drogba before the goal.
Otherwise, while the result was negative for us, the positive was we made chances and I think we have the players and capability to be a much better team. One comment I agree with is that we have new faces and they need to gel into the side, something which we are not far from but obviously need to improve on fast. The rotation appears to occur with RB wanting to ensure who is his best eleven and with the reputation of Bellamy and Kuyt and the performance of Crouch on international duty, it is not an easy choice.
I watched the Man Utd v Arsenal game live and saw how Arsenal played their game, regardless of how impressive Utd had been prior to. There is a point that Utd were low on energy due to the European game with Celtic, perhaps they had underestimated how much Celtic would come at them. But certainly Utd were below standard, particularly Rooney, Scholes, Ronaldo and Evra. Arsenal had more the energy and capitalised, they got about Utd with little fear.
Liverpool were the same but without the instinct in front of goal of punishing the ball. It think it stems from a desperation to score. Five goals conceded and none scored in our three previous games, it is not an alarm but it needs improving on. We are creating but not scoring, that is the crux of our situation. No goals, no chance of winning and we should ensure we score within the first fifteen or twenty minutes maximum and then follow on from there.
As for the comment about Gerrard not liking Benitez, that's rubbish rumour-mongering unless one provides a link or some proof. Criticism was labelled at Benitez for leaving Gerrard on the bench, without any analysis on why he would do so. Liverpool are labelled a one-man team with Owen, then with Gerrard and when Gerrard doesn't start, the manager is criticised. So with Gerrard playing RB is criticised, when he leaves out Gerrard, which inadvertently or otherwise goes to prove we are still a good side without Gerrard, he is criticised.
But the man is a thinker. His methods maybe unorthodox, he has his way of planning and managing, and we will see how we get on by Xmas. As for those who criticised SKG as if he was better than the manager, my days. SKG is expressing his opinion, just as equally as you are all expressing yours here.
'Oh dear, yet another I know better than the manager blog......' No it is not, my learned friend. It is a blogsite that expresses its opinion on football entirely. Some of you speak as if one day we will all be granted our time to manage our own clubs and we here at EFT are speaking as if our time is coming soon. Who is to say that they know what it takes to improve a team? Win the title, win all four major trophies? It is all theory with no chance of putting it to practice, but it is also opinion. It is the commentors who state we know better than the manager, who feel they know better than us! The irony.
It is two defeats, one win, one draw, and results around us that has plummeted our position deeper into the bottom half. Arsenal were 17th before yesterday, two draws, one defeat and the prospect was Utd would win given the forms, and there you are. Perhaps Arsenal caught Utd at a good time but nonetheless the Gunners have jumped from one place away from the relegation zone to the last place in the top half, with one win. Wenger remained positive throughout.
Liverpool have Newcastle on Wednesday and Spurs on Saturday, both at home and I hope the support, the 12th man is there to kickstart both games. These two games are fundamental, and SKG and I remain positive, regardless, that Liverpool will get business going as Liverpool should do.
RedsMan.
9/18/2006 11:57 am
Well a long time ago when Man Utd beat Liverpool in the league match 1-0 trough a Ferdinand goal...i brought up this issue. My prediction back thn was you could see the young talent in the man utd squad and if they do sign 2 quality central midfielders and Redsman and co said they would get stronger by signing a right winger...i always wondered how on earth are they gonna play with a wingers if they have players like Alonso-Gerrard-Sissoko in the middle? Playing with wingers would probably mean they have to sacrifice either 1 of this players and i dont think that would make them stronger.
Many squads like chelsea and Barca rotate their players often because of the long season but you always see them stick with their core players like Lampard and Terry for Chelsky and Ronaldinho for Barca. Barca tried resting Ronaldinho on a couple of occasions but seem to struggle in matches and infact lost a couple of matches because of that.
You cant tinker to much with ur squad....it would take a longer time for the new players to form team chemistry and build understanding ...esp since he keep changing their roles...Gerrard on the left...Gerrard on the right...next thing you know he would be replacing Reyna as the keeper. I can understand the fact that if he uses Gerrard on the left if he is short of players to play thr...but when you have enough depth...why would you do that? You would loose that quality and driving force that he would bring if he plays in his original position.
I believe the best formation Liverpool could do is by playing a 4-5-1.
-----------Reyna----------------
Finnan..Carragher...Agger....Riise
.............Sissoko..............
Pennant...Gerrard...Alonso...Garcia
...........Bellamy...........
I selected Garcia in the team because of his mobility and his ability to drop into good positions and at times support Bellamy upfront. Bellamy has pace and can use that to his advantage by running on to some trough balls and making the most out of rebounds.
Now back to the match. Liverpool had probably the best clear cut chance in the first half which hit the post and the match was preety neutral besides that. I thought Sissoko should have been sent off in the first half (the late tackle should have got him his 2nd yellow card of the night) and was lucky to stay on the pitch. The sending off of Ballack changed the complexion of the match and the game started going Liverpools way.
I never knew how difficult it would be to have a foreign coach in the club. If Liverpool had a bad season this year and the board of directors decided to remove benitez as coach....do you guys actually think players like Alonso, Garcia, Sissoko and a couple of other intresting signings Benitez made would stick around or would they move to other clubs like Real Madrid? I wouldnt even be suprised if he trys to sign them for a new club (if he gets a new job in a different club). You guys should take all that into consideration before slamming Benitez and wanting him out.....
9/18/2006 12:06 pm
Redsman....i thought Ronaldo was Uniteds best player on the night. I knew he made a costly mistake which resulted in the goal but besides that i thought he was great......moving from left to right...had a couple of decent attempts. Rooney and Scholes are not match fit and i actually thought Evra impressed..He put in a couple of dgood tackles and was hard working.
9/18/2006 12:10 pm
There is a lot of rubbish written here - and over-reaction to ONE game.
Someone mentioned the stats against Chelski.....as someone previously pointed out - we have always lost or drawn at Stamford Bridge, with an occasional win.
Second, we are still a side in transition and the comparisons with Houllier are sad and pointless. The new players need a little time to gel.
Third, moaning about Gerrard playing wide.....oh what short memories - did he not play most of last season playing wide and drifting in? Thought you'd forgotten!
Fourth, we didn't play that bad - we did however, fail to put our chances away - it happens, thats football. We have played 4 league games and as far as I can remember we haven't been knocked out of any competitions yet.
Fifth, don't waste your time getting upset with team selections, leave it to the boss. I notice no one complaining last season - except for the people here writing the same sorts of things after 4 games.
FFS a season is 38 games long - reality check!!!!!
9/18/2006 12:17 pm
Anon (12.10PM) - I felt Ronaldo tried and tried but at one point I said to someone, before the first freekick, that he will go for goal and hit it over and he did exactly that. Ronaldo's game can verge on himself mostly or himself equally with others. Yesterday it was himself mostly. The best about Ronaldo was he creates movement superbly but what he does with it is something else. But the telling sign on Utd was they did not seem to be in the game and when you see Rooney make more slip-ups than usual, it was unusual.
I felt Scholes was far too defensive when he had the ball in the centre, where he mostly looked to play it back and at one point the home crowd were annoyed collectively because Utd missed on a good opportunity to attack. I felt Evra made some poor passes and was easily taken on by Adebayor, who was a thorn and when the goal came, Utd's defence looked jaded. John O'Shea was defensive meaning Scholes getting forward more but didn't, and while the home fans may have booed the subs, I thought the subs were spot on, Rooney and Scholes off, Carrick coming on to spark the impetus missing from the centre. My best Utd player was either Neville or Ferdinand, with the keeper making quite a debut.
Anon (12.17PM), I find I agree with all your comments with a small exception to Gerrard. If Gerrard is happy on the right or left, that's fine, with Alonso then coming forward and Sissoko the more defence minded central midfielder. Whether Gerrard is, we should have a player who will equally get forward down the other flank. The jury maybe out on Pennant but for me he should have more chances on the right, then Gerrard on the left to supplement. If Gerrard is on the right, then Aurelio on the left, but not Gonzalez as yet.
The main thing for me is the players could be from the fire brigade, the manager a window cleaner, but as long as chances are being created in quality and quantity, that is one thing. The only thing missing is the execution, the sharpness to focus on target, and well. It is early to call anything at the moment, what I know is I want to see wins now after coming close to a win on Sunday against Chelsea at the Bridge, something no team has done since Mourinho took charge.
I am also for RB to play a regular side, which could make the difference with a player knowing they have a chance the following match to account for any failures in the previous one. On a rotation, you have no idea if you will play even if you put in a stern training session.
RedsMan.
9/18/2006 1:29 pm
redsman
But the telling sign on Utd was they did not seem to be in the game and when you see Rooney make more slip-ups than usual, it was unusual.
United did not seem to be in the game? I think you watched a different game. I do agree that Arsenal were the better team on the night but to go as far as saying United were not in the game was clearly out of order.
United had just enough chances to steal a point or win the match with Ronaldo's effors saved by the face of Lehman, Rooney coming close with a shot which was just wide of the post, Luis Saha's header from a fletcher cross, Solksjaer last min effort which was brilliantly saved by Lehman and a last ditch effort by Wes Brown (this are stuff i can recall at the moment).
Well infact here are the stats according to soccernet.com
possesion 50-50
shots on goal united 19 -14 Arsenal
Corner kicks United 10- 5 Arsenal
Saves Man Utd 4-12 Arsenal
source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/match?id=199130&cc=4716
Arsenal won because they had to change their formation to replace the missing Henry and Van Persie and i believe that its probably their best formation and they used it well last year in the champions league. Uniteds biggest mistake was probably starting O'Shea ahead of Carrick. I thought he should have been brave enough to start with Scholes and Carrick. Well another problem was the fact that he should have started Solskjaer ahead of Fletcher simply because Solskjaer will give them the ability to switch flanks often during the match like they did in other matches when the likes of Giggs and Park were around.
9/18/2006 2:24 pm
I find it funny that these people who moan about the rotation sytem didn't seem to be saying that last season when they went on two runs of 10 and nine games unbeaten.
When we went on that run of 10 clean sheets, rafa rotated his team all the time, did any one moan then or at the the end of season with the last nine games unbeaten using a rotation sytem.
Answer again no, they just seem to wait for a defeat so they can moan.
At the moment where just not taking are chances.
This what you get when everyone think there opinions are facts.
9/18/2006 4:08 pm
I must have been! Other than Saha's header and Solskjaer's close effort that was just denied by Lehmann, Man Utd had lacked the cutting edge they have displayed since the season began. Despite the stats, they didn't seem up for the game enough as they had been previously, those chances would have been better taken otherwise. That is what I meant.
Those stats say possession was 50-50%, where Sky Sports show more or less the same, the corners are right but the shots on goal are different. SS show the shots on target were five for Utd, six for Arsenal.
http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=416582&CPID=8&clid=3&lid=2&title=Gunners+claim+United+scalp
And for me, there is a gray area when the definition of 'called into action, and 'shots on target' raise up. On the whole, Utd were not sharp as they have been and it showed. But for them it's one defeat they learn from and that's them. For us, we need to sharpen up and get a grip and get scoring to pull us out of this rut and into contention where we belong. For me I would play on Wednesday:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Sissoko
Gonzalez
Bellamy
Crouch
RedsMan.
9/18/2006 4:59 pm
I feel Benitez is making progress all the time, we have a manager who is still learning the English game and has bought well. I think they just need time to gel and adapt to the english game. Gerrard on the left against Chelski was a mystery and Fowler and Crouch up front against Everton was baffling, but I feel he will learn from his mistakes his record speaks for its self. And come the end of the season the situation will be much better. I feel the best eleven is
Reina
Finnan Carragher Agger Riise
Gerrard Sissoko Alonso
Bellamy Kuyt Gonzalez
A simliar style suits Gerrard and Alonso and gives them freedom to venture forward.
But I am not the gaffer thats just my opinion. But dont loose heart in Benitez yet, I bet most where singing a different tune at the start of the season. and we have only played four games.
9/18/2006 6:28 pm
redsman...even if you include the skysports stat you mentioned....arsenal only had 1 shot more thn united? So how on earth could you say stuff like United were not in the game? Anyway most opposition fans agreed that Ronaldo was United best player so i guess you clearly watched a different game. Im not saying united played better or anything....Arsenal were the better team.....but to go as far as saying United were not in the game clearly showed that you watched a different game especially since the stats on shots and possesion prooved my point. Saha's header and solskjaer close effort....hmmm what about ronaldo's effot which knocked lehman out for a while....or rooneys effot when he was trough on goal but rushed to shot accross goal....this is stuff im saying based on my memory of the game....im sure i can find a few more if i watch the game again. United were not as sharp as they were before and it was a lil below par by their standards but they were not outclassed or anything....
9/18/2006 7:58 pm
I agree with SKG's assessment that Benitez got it wrong playing Gerrard on the left.
You can ask fans of other teams like I am and they would say they would love to see Gerrard play on the left-side against their team because it is a position he is very unaccustomed to and also he is going to see less of the ball.
That said, the Pool did create the chances to level Drogba's magnificent goal, and to me should have had a penalty when Lampard pushed over Gerrard in the box (who btw made his run from the centre of the pitch).
9/18/2006 8:49 pm
firstly i would like to thank everyone for posting a comment on my article.
i do not think i know it all - far from it. it's just that this was the biggest away game for liverpool this season and our best player, possibly the best midfielder in the world, was playing out of position and also our best striker was left on the bench.
i am not disgruntled that we lost the game - but i am very disappointed at the tactics and team selection. benitez got it wrong here and he got it wrong against everton.
something is clearly not right. squad rotation? pull the other one!
9/18/2006 9:00 pm
Anon (7.58PM), I hope you are not trying to paint a picture of a Liverpool fan opinionating against Man Utd because that is not the case. I explained further at 4.59PM that
"Man Utd had lacked the cutting edge they have displayed since the season began. Despite the stats, they didn't seem up for the game enough as they had been previously, those chances would have been better taken otherwise."
You stating "United were not as sharp as they were before and it was a lil below par by their standards but they were not outclassed or anything...." is parallel to that. I didn't say they were outclassed, 'not in the game' meant they had not taken the game to Arsenal as they had done previously to Fulham, Charlton, Watford, and as a result Arsenal were allowed to play their game.
Besides, however one sees a match, it is not a concern, certainly for Utd. For four wins and one defeat, albeit at home to a major rival, is something I wouldn't mind Liverpool having right now.
RedsMan.
9/18/2006 9:35 pm
What are you suggesting SKG......that there are problems at the club???? Don't speculate tell us facts.
As for Gerrard playing on the left - opinion is varied but the consensus is it was to get at the inexperienced Chelski right back. Maybe it didn't work but I think it was a credible idea. If we had equalised (and we could have) everyone would be congratulating Rafa. And he was moved into the centre later on in the game.
I feel your opinions would be better off on 6-0-6 as you tend to get fans who think they know better on their.
All these fans bleating now were the same numpties moaning after 4 games last season.
Please don't also forget we are still a side in transition so the comparisons with Houllier are pointless - after all his first two seasons were pretty much rebuilding with nothing in the cabinet.
Good night.
9/18/2006 9:56 pm
mick, i appreciate what you are saying but these are the facts:
2 defeats in the first 4 games
3 goals scored; 6 goals conceded
9 points behind the league leaders
15th in the table
as i said before i'm not trying to suggest that i'm a 'mr know-it-all' but after all the talk about starting well in the league, even you must be a little aggrieved at our current plight. and i do not agree that we are a side in transition as this is Benitez's 3rd season in charge.
9/18/2006 10:18 pm
I am a patient fan and I don't believe in quick fixes. I can only assume that you SKG are a younger fan (20's) and are a little more impatient than many.
From your comments it is clear that you wish to give Rafa no more time and you feel the rebuilding is complete. I, however feel that the new signings must be given time to gel into the side. This is a different concept to tranisition, but I do feel we are still a work in progress to an extent.
I agree things don't look good now, but who takes any notice of the league table in September?
Against Chelski we looked solid. Were much improved from the derby and created many chances. Poor finishing was to blame. So is the finishing down to tactics?
I think you also assume the leader will not drop any points. One thing this weekend has shown is that the top four will take points off each other.
I fail to see why you are so hung up on stats and the table in September? Please explain...
And read a sensible article with an outlook:
http://www.kopblog.com/#405
9/18/2006 11:50 pm
Can someone explain to me the over reaction to a one nil (brilliant goal) defeat, away from home to the current champions.
And as for comparing Rafa to Houllier - go and take a f'king sh*te. They have completely different footballing philosophies. Gerard liked to counter attack - even at home, which didn't really work when teams sussed this out. Rafa likes to have his teams press the opposition (especially at home)- just think of Valencia a few years back when they came to anfield when he was in charge - they were awesome.
And why do people make personal attacks on Rafa, saying he is nervous???? I mean WTF is that all about. Utter rubbish, some so called fans need to realise how long the season is. Absolute disgraceful comments have graced the net about Rafa - call yourself real fans........
9/19/2006 11:44 am
cant believe some of the Sh*te on here. we played well - we limited them we where beaten by a quality goal - credit to both sides, good game.
Liverpool tend to start slow and build up - a real fan would know that.
A real fan would never skit Rafa like people have on here - your not fans - your fat tards sat on a sofa glory hounds.
In rafa we trust - be patient.
9/19/2006 11:50 am
Im not a Liverpool fan but im actually glad to see that some fans are not happy with the results and current form rather thn back the manager all the way. Well lets face it...he set his own standards by winning the champions league...and lets face it....in terms of history...Liverpool are only 2nd to the likes of Real Madrid and AC Milan in europe so i dont see why the fans shouldnt be happy with the current form.
I really dont understand the fans that say oh you guys were ok with it last year and you guys didnt complain last year...well the only reason most fans didnt complain last year was because of the ammount of matches liverpool had to play and the fact that it wasnt easy to defend the title and put up a better performance in the league playing that many matches.......
Well i dont understand how they can be happy or consider last season a good one and try to compare both seasons....lets face it...most man utd fans thought it was a dissater that the team finished 2nd and didnt do well in europe but liverpool fans are happy? I dont get it....you guys should be challanging the likes of Real Madrid, Ac Milan, etc among others and not be happy with finishing 2nd or 3rd....plz dont bring up the money issue because in terms of squad depth and quality....you guys probably have a better squad thn Man Utd and Arsenal on paper.....United are a good team but if they suffer some injury problems...i dont think they have enough depth in them to cover for that.....its different with Liverpool....i think they have at least 2 quality players in every position and i can understand the frustration of some of the fans. I do agree that Liverpool signed a lot of new faces this summer and would probably take time to gel (like it would for the new players in chelsky)...which is why i feel he should have stickked with probably the same unit of players (making 2-3 changes)...keeping the core players in the team and reduce the rotation till he knows which his best squad is on paper...and believe the players that come in later on know their role and make a difference rather thn tinkering with the formation for almost every game.
9/19/2006 2:14 pm
Oh and T...i thought Gerard took a dive actually. I watched the replay over and over again and it showed Lampard barely touched him and Gerrard tried to make the most of it. Lets not forget that Chelsky should have had a penalty themself when Robben was brought down in the box. There was more contact in that challange thn the Gerrard 1.....
9/19/2006 2:52 pm
To the previous poster.....If Gerrard dived, Robben is 10/10. Case closed.
Forget opinions, why is everyone so obsessed with the league table after 4/5 games? It's sheer madness. Shall we not bother with the other games? There will be plenty of twists and turns yet. There always is.
And as for all the whinging reds fans - don't be so weak and fickle. Get behind your team. Real fans don't give in that easy.
9/19/2006 5:25 pm
"go and take a [******* ****]."
To add slightly to Bj's comment, one can disagree but you don't need to be vulgar about it. State your case, your points, why you do. That's all, it is for many opinions. That stated above is what I disagree with mostly on this article.
The only way for Liverpool to get going is to win, and the next opportunity is tomorrow evening against Newcastle. We need to win this, it is most certainly not season over that we did not on Sunday. There is time to kick-start a winning run, so we have to wait and see. Certainly I echo those who say LFC fans should be patient and positive, because we certainly have the talent and experience to be up there with the best in the league.
RedsMan.
9/19/2006 11:24 pm
Hi Guys,
Getting in late with the debate, which is extremely interesting & intense.
Teams get better, stronger & learn from each other. One needs to be innovative in order to surprise opponents.
Perhaps Rafa is doing just that, trying to be innovating , but taking high risks.
His a smart man & will get back in line with new ideas
Cheers
9/20/2006 11:37 am
Post a Comment
<< Home