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Maribor vs Liverpool Match Thread - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

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James Milner's dominant performance in the heart of Liverpool's midfield gives Jurgen Klopp plenty to ponder
[article]A transfer story lost to the summer: the one about James Milner and the discussions Liverpool had with Newcastle United over a move. Milner was not up for sale but when one of your highest paid players has two seasons left on a contract and is not in the side every week at 31 years of age, possibilities are inevitably explored.

That Milner remained said more about financial inflexibilities at Newcastle because Liverpool were not going to let him go for nothing even though they signed him for nothing.
He has started just two games since, both in the Premier League – the last before tonight a month ago. In the two Champions League group stage matches, he had not made it off the bench.

His selection against Maribor, then, was a surprise, not only because it came at the expense of Liverpool’s captain, Jordan Henderson, but also because of the responsibilities attached. For the first time since Jürgen Klopp’s earliest weeks as manager, he was asked to play in the position he was promised as his own upon signing for Klopp’s predecessor, Brendan Rodgers.

The switch meant Emre Can took Henderson’s place at the base of Liverpool’s midfield. The critics and the pessimists will look at this result and the words ‘only’ and ‘Maribor’ will follow but Milner’s dominant - if not man of the match - performance surely gives Klopp something to consider, particularly after the structure of his team was critically assessed so publicly by José Mourinho following Saturday’s goalless draw between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield, with the Portuguese questioning why Klopp had not made changes to his midfield as the game grew old.

Liverpool led by four goals at half time here and it could have been more. Three of Maribor’s four Slovenian defenders were thirty-something and so, there needs to be context because Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho are likely to shape Brazil’s attack at the next World Cup, while Mohamed Salah’s pace makes you wonder whether the injured Sadio Mané is now the second fastest player at the club – a frightening thought for better opponents than Maribor.

The gulf in quality was enormous and it is also difficult to assess whether Milner being as high up the pitch as he was so often, was a consequence of the abilities and work rate of those in front of him leading to Slovenian defenders dropping deeper and deeper; or whether to some extent, it was actually the support offered from deep by Milner particularly that helped Liverpool overwhelm Maribor completely.

Certainly, Milner made the right decisions, his movement close to Salah affording the Egyptian with the necessary space to run into, causing the most damage. It was a display, indeed, that makes you think about Can, whose Liverpool future is in the balance because it does not appear he will sign a new contract any time soon and the present one ends next July.

Can is a first-choice pick for Klopp and someone, indeed, Klopp really would like to keep. Can, though, is someone who needs to have more than a middling sort of campaign as he has done in the last two. He is also someone who plays instead of Milner but someone who frustrates. While Milner’s Champions League story this season involves an assist in a 7-0 victory over Maribor, Can has made mistakes which has led to goals scored by Sevilla and Spartak Moscow – the type of mistakes you’d never associate Milner with. It means he is surely in Klopp's plans.[/article]
 
Klopp should be playing Milner *somewhere*, we've said this for ages. While the other three are good players, they all offer something similar and none of them at this stage, for varying reasons, should be guaranteed a start. The problem mainly is that none of the other three can spearhead a midfield three. Can drives from deep and can occasionally play the good ball forward, but you can say pretty much the same of Gini and Henderson, both have a sublime assist or two in their locker, but don't offer penetrative passes nearly regularly enough - all three too often opt for the safe route and to keep possession flowing, even if it becomes redundant and frustrating as it inevitably builds too slowly and allows defensive sides to regroup and get organised.

Milner pretty much played the "Gerrard" role the other night, he roamed, he pressed, he went wide and he delivered quality into the box. He provides someone to ping the ball back to from advanced positions and he gave a driving support into the opposition backline, something only really Coutinho does from central positions. Milner has a habit of taking up positions on the corners of the box and creating flowing one-two, or one touch passing situations in short spaces, that allows us to then get in behind a stubborn opponent. He could be integral to us unlocking some teams, and he can prove a nightmare in the bigger games. When these games become tight and dependent on individual moments of brilliance, his setpiece delivery along with Coutinho's, can be a real weapon for us. Not to mention his typical industry, skill and awareness.

He has to play.
 
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Note that AA made the ESPN CL team of the week. Well done lad.

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How is midfield his natural position? I remember when people thought the same with riise because he was good going forward. But he got less space to attack when he played in midfield. Keeping TAA at RB means we'll have true quality there for the next 10 years.

TAA lost his player a couple of times. In the few times they threatened it was down his side. Good player and is only young but I am not convinced he has the defensive onus of say Gomez. He is relying on his athletism rather than his defensive skills at the moment. Not sure how this will pan out in future but at the moment he is defensively not good enough to play at RB regularly. So it's abit premature to say he can thrive there for the next 10 years.
 
TAA lost his player a couple of times. In the few times they threatened it was down his side. Good player and is only young but I am not convinced he has the defensive onus of say Gomez. He is relying on his athletism rather than his defensive skills at the moment. Not sure how this will pan out in future but at the moment he is defensively not good enough to play at RB regularly. So it's abit premature to say he can thrive there for the next 10 years.

There's absolutely no chance he'll end up as a RB.
 
Poor blueshite being bottom of their group. HAHAHAHAHA

Koeman has to be a gonner.
 
For everyone saying that we should have signed Keane, I reckon we are far better of with Klavan, going on tonight's performance.
He was shockingly bad
 
Keame was good for Burnley. All Koeman's impressive summer signings are under-performing. You would wonder why it has all gone pear-shaped at Goodison.
 
Keame was good for Burnley. All Koeman's impressive summer signings are under-performing. You would wonder why it has all gone pear-shaped at Goodison.

They lost their best striker and spent 5 million out of 150?million on a new striker who plays like KH Riedle. What did they expect?
 
How is midfield his natural position? I remember when people thought the same with riise because he was good going forward. But he got less space to attack when he played in midfield. Keeping TAA at RB means we'll have true quality there for the next 10 years.

Did people think the same about Riise? I know he tried to persuade the national team to put him CM but he was a natural left back and nothing more.
 
Did people think the same about Riise? I know he tried to persuade the national team to put him CM but he was a natural left back and nothing more.

He would have been a cracking left wing-back but I don't agree that he was a natural LB. He got caught upfield far too often, opposition teams used to target the space he left behind him and Sami Hyypiä continually had to cover for him. We looked far more solid when Carra played LB. In a team playing with a back four I'd have preferred JAR bombing forward and taking those howitzer potshots from LM.
 
Check out the skirmish because of Ashley Williams from minute 7:40 or so ...

http://ourmatch.net/videos/19-10-2017-everton-vs-lyon/

How he stayed on the pitch is beyond me ... and one fucking cunt of an Everton fan while HOLDING HIS CHILD tries to punch a few Lyon players ... I mean what the fuck is wrong with you ?
I took Bex little brother to an Everton match many years ago, & a fella was there with his young lad, maybe 6 or 7, & they were both shooting "you useless black bastard" & using the N word repeatedly at their own black players throughout the game (anichebe & lescott were the only ones if memory serves correctly).

Dan was 11 & it was the first time he'd been to a match, he wanted to go to Everton cos it was his late nan's team. That incident aside it was just very very aggressive & not pleasant at all in the stands. He asked to go to Anfield & I took him a few weeks later, wasn't the best game but everyone around him was dead friendly to him & despite some angry shouts at players (no racism, Piedro's mum must have been out of earshot) the atmosphere was way more inclusive & friendly. Needless to say he's a red now, albeit not an particularly committed one.
 
He would have been a cracking left wing-back but I don't agree that he was a natural LB. He got caught upfield far too often, opposition teams used to target the space he left behind him and Sami Hyypiä continually had to cover for him. We looked far more solid when Carra played LB. In a team playing with a back four I'd have preferred JAR bombing forward and taking those howitzer potshots from LM.
His problem was twofold. His crossing wasn't great so that combined with the fact he very, very occasionally scored great goals from distance meant he often favoured the long shot which gave up possession almost every time.

Secondly his pace with the ball was so effective we would encourage him to bomb on, but his pace off the ball, run timing & positioning wasn't good enough to allow him to be effective in the full back position as well as further up the pitch.
 
Riise was exaggeratedly one-footed. His right foot was only there to stop him from falling over. This tended to reduce his effectiveness on the wing, as he would often run round and round in circles, trying to get the ball on his left foot.
 
His problem was twofold. His crossing wasn't great so that combined with the fact he very, very occasionally scored great goals from distance meant he often favoured the long shot which gave up possession almost every time.

Secondly his pace with the ball was so effective we would encourage him to bomb on, but his pace off the ball, run timing & positioning wasn't good enough to allow him to be effective in the full back position as well as further up the pitch.

Still should give him credit for being on the top 20 list of Liverpools Premier League goalscorers.
 
Oh, for sure. He was a good footballer, did great work in Istanbul and elsewhere and remains a true Red. Some of us just don't think he was best used at fullback.
 
I imagine being an Everton fan is like having woy as manager for ever and ever and ever
 
Oh he scored alright, but he took a hekkuva lot of shots to do it.

A bit like Roberto Carlos. As soon as he got into the opposition half he fired away.

Nowadays Riise is spending his time calling all newspapers reminding them that he is still alive and they should Write something about him.
 
Never got the Riise hate. Don't think he was nearly as bad defensively as people made out. It's just during his time wingers went from being big fucking lumps to little whipper snappers and the job got a lot harder than it used to be. There's hardly any great full backs in the game now, when there used to be zillions. It's because most top class wingers don't spend all night in the pub any more.
 
Riise was one of those totemic players, whose personality added more to the team than what he actually did. He did score some fantastic goals, but his defending was pretty average.
 
Never got the Riise hate. Don't think he was nearly as bad defensively as people made out. It's just during his time wingers went from being big fucking lumps to little whipper snappers and the job got a lot harder than it used to be. There's hardly any great full backs in the game now, when there used to be zillions. It's because most top class wingers don't spend all night in the pub any more.

I liked him too, but always preferred him at LB

Mind you, I was one of the very few who had any love, or held out any hope for Moreno, so maybe it's a weakness of mine. I also liked Glen Johnson

But before anyone says I only like flashy fullbacks who fit the stereotype of 'better going forward than defensively' I should point out that I'm a fan of Clyne and I also really liked Finnan. And Carragher when he played LB in the Treble season

Maybe I just like fullbacks
 
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