Liverpool v Sunderland Match Thread

[Judge Jules]

Wizardry: good summary, esp.where Sterling is concerned. He HAS to play down the middle or on the right - on the left he doesn't come up with the end product. Brendan's insistence on playing him on the left and Lallana (when selected) on the right is starting to remind me of Uncle Roy's habitual and damaging tinkering with players' positions, which ruined the contributions of too many decent players while he was manager.

 

[Gary25]

I've said it every game he's played in - Lambert is seriously detrimental to our play. His movement is non-existent.

Yeah, whereas Balotelli was ripping it up before his injury.

 

[Frogfish]

Rodgers.
I thought the players gave everything.
Fuck off.

Don't be so hard on him. That's what all managers say when they know their team were shite.

 

[Hansern]

@LFCTransferNRS: "I can't ask for anything more from the players." Rodgers.

Seriously Brendan??

 

[Leo]

Don't be so hard on him. That's what all managers say when they know their team were shite.

Aye.
Always stood up for him but these interviews are fucking grating.

 

[Tinto]

Wizardry: good summary, esp.where Sterling is concerned. He HAS to play down the middle or on the right - on the left he doesn't come up with the end product. Brendan's insistence on playing him on the left and Lallana (when selected) on the right is starting to remind me of Uncle Roy's habitual and damaging tinkering with players' positions, which ruined the contributions of too many decent players while he was manager.

What is Lallana's best position?

He has talent but simply doesn't get involved enough for me. The game always is seem to pass him by.

 

[Red Astaire]

Yay! A point, back four kept a clean sheet and @Leo and @Modo have a rather entertaining bust up a few pages back that ends in someone wishing death on the other. It's not all bad.

I actually never saw the game so maybe it is all bad....

 

[Tinto]

Two moments of real quality in the match today for us today, Stevie's pass to Coutinho and Raheem's run to beat 4 men.

If the outcome of those moments fell to Sturridge, or I hate to say it Suarez, we would have got the 3 points today.

 

[Modo]

What is Lallana's best position?

He has talent but simply doesn't get involved enough for me. The game always is seem to pass him by.

Behind the striker in a free role, with counterattacking tactics.

 

[Judge Jules]

His best position IMO is attacking from the left of midfield, NOT from over on the right. As for his supposedly not getting involved enough, I'm afraid I simply don't agree. He gets involved every bit as much as any, and more than quite a few. If anything he overdoes it with some of his challenges.

 

[Tinto]

His best position IMO is attacking from the left of midfield, NOT from over on the right. As for his supposedly not getting involved enough, I'm afraid I simply don't agree. He gets involved every bit as much as any, and more than quite a few. If anything he overdoes it with some of his challenges.

Do you mean on the left from a deeper position?

Not today he didn't and was rightly subbed.

Still, I would like to see a front three of Sterling, Coutinho and Lallana all inter-changing positions until Sturridge get backs. Not the pace of last season but probably more movement than what we're getting now.

 

[jexykrodic]

Credit to Sunderland, hard to break down, held Chelsea recently.

Two wins, 2 draws since the Palace debacle.

Keep digging until we get some firepower back in January and/or Sturridge's return.

 

[Frogfish]

What is Lallana's best position?

He has talent but simply doesn't get involved enough for me. The game always is seem to pass him by.

Today was simply ridiculous, Lallana always looked like he could do something on the right but it seemed our attacking play went : 50%-40%-10%. Far too much emphasis on Sterling.

 

[Woland]

Why did he drop Gerrard? He was boss on Tuesday.

 

[Mystic]

Why did he drop Gerrard? He was boss on Tuesday.

So he can be boss on Tuesday.

 

[Frogfish]

Ming - 6 - nothing to do but make one good save when it was required of him.
Moreno - 6.5 - one error at the back but otherwise he had a decent game.
Toure - 6.5 - again not much to do but he did what was necessary and brought the ball out of defence well.
Skrtel - 5 - really pissing me off now with stupid headers, constant fouling and poor passing, all gifting the opposition possession.
Johnson - 6 - quiet game but didn't do much, anything, wrong.
Lucas - 6-5 - hot 'n' cold. Pretty damn good defensively but a string of poor headers and passes (esp. in the 1st half) gifting possession to Sunderland.
Henderson - 4 - forgot he was even on the pitch most of the time. Crap FKs and even worse shooting.
Lallana - 6.5 - tracked an harried well. Always good on the ball and looked a threat. Should not have been hooked.
Coutinho - 5 - I've said it often recently. He never seems to learn, time after time he tries to thread a pass through a non-existent gap. Gave away possession far too often as well. No matter how good he looks on the ball - those errors matter more.
Lambert - 5 - his flicks and headers didn't find his team-mates often enough. Should have got on the end of a great chance at the end.
Sterling - 5 - One great run does not atone for the rest of the disappointing dross that went before. His 'tackling' is terrible and gives away a FK more often than not, he needs to be far more patient and just hold them up. His diving, and the ease with which he goes to ground, is driving me to distraction - I'm sure if he stood up more then he'd get far greater rewards, Aguero is the perfect role model. It's no good beating 1 or 2 or even 3 players and then losing possession because you try to beat just one more. His crossing and shooting was shite too. Can't fault his effort though.

Gerrard - 7 - instant class from the moment he came on.
Markovic - 6.5 - only a few minutes play but he looked far more assured when he went central.

Rodgers - I can't rate him this week. I really don't know any more who is to blame. The players for not listening to instructions (if they have been given the 'correct' instructions) or the manager (for not giving the right instructions).

 

[Tinto]

I'm really surprised at the Lallana score versus Sterling and Coutinhno!

Two got involved in the match and tried to make something happen. The other simply wasn't in the match.

 

[Portly]

I don't see how you can mark Sterling down as he was still our main attacking threat.

 

[StevieM]

We're so fucking static in attack most of the time these days it's frightening - our forward line has the mobility of a weeping angel - they only seem to move when you're not looking at them.

Lambert is horrifically slow - he tries, but he's slow enough to be manageable by anything approaching a centre back.

Coutinho fucks me off - I want to like him do much - but he's wasteful in the pass and can't shoot for shit.

Lallana tries - but it isn't clicking for him.

Horrendouson is awful in the attacking third.


That was painful to watch at times.

 

[Modo]

I'm really surprised at the Lallana score versus Sterling and Coutinhno!

Two got involved in the match and tried to make something happen. The other simply wasn't in the match.

You're fighting a losing battle.

 

[StevieM]

I'm really surprised at the Lallana score versus Sterling and Coutinhno!

Two got involved in the match and tried to make something happen. The other simply wasn't in the match.

I know - Coutinho was terrible.

 

[refugee]

Skrtel - 5 - really pissing me off now with stupid headers, constant fouling and poor passing, all gifting the opposition possession.

91% Passing accuracy and 1 foul

 

[Frogfish]

I'm really surprised at the Lallana score versus Sterling and Coutinhno!

Two got involved in the match and tried to make something happen. The other simply wasn't in the match.

Well read what I said in each player's assessment - and in the earlier post on this page about how we tend to channel everything down the left or left of centre. Effort counts for SFA if you can't do something with it.

 

[Frogfish]

I don't see how you can mark Sterling down as he was still our main attacking threat.

I explained exactly why in the assessment !

Sterling - 5 - One great run does not atone for the rest of the disappointing dross that went before. His 'tackling' is terrible and gives away a FK more often than not, he needs to be far more patient and just hold them up. His diving, and the ease with which he goes to ground, is driving me to distraction - I'm sure if he stood up more then he'd get far greater rewards, Aguero is the perfect role model. It's no good beating 1 or 2 or even 3 players and then losing possession because you try to beat just one more. His crossing and shooting was shite too. Can't fault his effort though.

 

[ILD]

Giving Sterling a 5 is ridiculous. He was only attacking outlet at times.

 

[Frogfish]

91% Passing accuracy and 1 foul

CBs almost always have over 90% passing stat ! Look instead at the passes that went astray. I didn't say that he was penalised for the fouls and gave away FKs - he was still committing them but got lucky except for trying to sit on Wickham's face.

 

[Frogfish]

Giving Sterling a 5 is ridiculous. He was only attacking outlet at times.

As I said above - numerous times - it matters little if you don't have any end product. He conspicuously failed to do anything of note today (bar the one run from deep).

 

[Hansern]

Yep, Sterling was good. Its insane that we've spent over 100 mill and a 19 year old kid is the player with the most minutes on the pitch this season.
We look to him in nearly every situation.

That transfer commitee should be sacked on the spot, but thats another thread.
Watching that team and thos tactics after finishing 2nd an getting CL back - its simply not good enough.
Its shocking tbh.

 

[Portly]

Sterling doesn't dive. He frequently is brought down by big gorilla-style defenders. Referees don't usually take any notice. Maybe they think he dives too.

 

[mom]

Ming - 6 - nothing to do but make one good save when it was required of him.
Moreno - 6.5 - one error at the back but otherwise he had a decent game.
Toure - 6.5 - again not much to do but he did what was necessary and brought the ball out of defence well.
Skrtel - 5 - really pissing me off now with stupid headers, constant fouling and poor passing, all gifting the opposition possession.
Johnson - 6 - quiet game but didn't do much, anything, wrong.
Lucas - 6-5 - hot 'n' cold. Pretty damn good defensively but a string of poor headers and passes (esp. in the 1st half) gifting possession to Sunderland.
Henderson - 4 - forgot he was even on the pitch most of the time. Crap FKs and even worse shooting.
Lallana - 6.5 - tracked an harried well. Always good on the ball and looked a threat. Should not have been hooked.
Coutinho - 5 - I've said it often recently. He never seems to learn, time after time he tries to thread a pass through a non-existent gap. Gave away possession far too often as well. No matter how good he looks on the ball - those errors matter more.
Lambert - 5 - his flicks and headers didn't find his team-mates often enough. Should have got on the end of a great chance at the end.
Sterling - 5 - One great run does not atone for the rest of the disappointing dross that went before. His 'tackling' is terrible and gives away a FK more often than not, he needs to be far more patient and just hold them up. His diving, and the ease with which he goes to ground, is driving me to distraction - I'm sure if he stood up more then he'd get far greater rewards, Aguero is the perfect role model. It's no good beating 1 or 2 or even 3 players and then losing possession because you try to beat just one more. His crossing and shooting was shite too. Can't fault his effort though.

Gerrard - 7 - instant class from the moment he came on.
Markovic - 6.5 - only a few minutes play but he looked far more assured when he went central.

Rodgers - I can't rate him this week. I really don't know any more who is to blame. The players for not listening to instructions (if they have been given the 'correct' instructions) or the manager (for not giving the right instructions).

Rogers. Every time. He's has a shit load to spend, he picks the teams, the tactics, the subs and should motivate and manage the players. He's to blame. He needs to turn it around and fast.
On the upside, it's a clean sheet.
And we're a point closer to catching Chelsea...