Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. A mid-table team has just beaten (comfortably) one of the worst teams in the history of the top flight of English football. Remember we've recently been on the wrong end of the same score line.
Post Match - Villa
- Thread starter redhorizon2
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Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. A mid-table team has just beaten (comfortably) one of the worst teams in the history of the top flight of English football. Remember we've recently been on the wrong end of the same score line.
Well best case scenario this season is winning the EL, so maybe just maybe if that front three stay fit we could win and get CL to attract the players we want in the summer.
The manager has already said that if a player doesn't want to come to us because we are not in the CL then he can fuck off.
Still doesn't take away from the fact that if we are in the CL we are a more attractive proposition.
The manager has already said that if a player doesn't want to come to us because we are not in the CL then he can fuck off.
And again the point stands regardless of what the manager says in an interview. He's hardly going to come out and say, 'oh ya we would be much better off in the CL and if we don't get in it's going to effect who we can go for in the transfer market'.
Its an argument with no currency or good players wouldn't choose China.
Money talks, only the very, very best (and richest) players wouldn't allow money to overpower image.
Money talks, only the very, very best (and richest) players wouldn't allow money to overpower image.
Quite the contrary for me - Sakho, on a calm day, still manages to spread some disturbance ranging from mild irritation to mad panic at the back. Just yesterday alone, he made fundamental mistakes again on at least 3 to 4 occasions, either going to ground unnecessarily, committing a needless foul, or going for a late aerial challenge in midfield that was already being contested by a team mate.
I've said before that Skrtel used to have these problems, but he cut them down after a couple of seasons. Sakho, on the other hand, doesn't seem like he's making any progress at all after three injury-disrupted seasons.
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Maybe I missed something, because I didn't really see any problems with Sakho's performance. Clearly in the partnership with Toure it's his responsibility to be the aggressor, one who ties up opponents in physical battles, while teammates clean up the pieces. And it worked quite well – together with Can they dominated Villa physically and barely allowed any shots on goal all game.
The only nervousness I sensed in our defense was on free-kicks (bringing the whole team back to defend and still managing to lose the first header – WTF?) and whenever Mignolet came out.
PS: Sakho's and Kolo's stats vs Villa:
Sakho: 95 passes (93% successful), 6 out of 9 aerial duels won, 4 interceptions, 1 block, 3 clearances, 1 foul, 1 failed tackle.
Toure: 67 passes (92% successful), 1 out of 2 aerial duels won (goes to demonstrate the "division of labor" between him and Sakho), 2 interceptions, 6 clearances, 1 failed tackle.
BTW I don't know who Idrissa Guey is, but he had one hell of a midfield performance. The reason any of our attacks broke down was mostly because of him.
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Just watch the first 10 mins. One of their strikers was bearing down at Toure with Sakho alongside him. No other strikers around. There were 5 white shirts to their 2. Furious backpeddling still.
The ball somehow boobled to Sakho really slowly. A good defender will stop the ball and pass to a white shirt. Sakho? Stab at the ball to anywhere and fall on his ass.
The ball fell to a midfielder who was just joining the attack on the flanks and their attack starts again. Now it is 4 against 5 white shirts.
He is just so panicky, and with no good reason. It is akin to Mignolet, they are both time bombs and don't inspire any confidence. That is not what a good defence is built on.
See how Kompany plays and then compare it to his counterparts like Mangala etc. Our Sakho falls in the Mangala category, only worse.
We've gone to teams in Villa's position in the past and somehow contrived to spark them back into life, so I'm not going to complain about us going there and doing what was expected of us. As I said yesterday, we really needed to get a big win to inject a bit of confidence into the team, given that even reaching 2-0 didn't seem to calm some players down in recent weeks/months.
Clyne does bother me, though. He's a good athlete and a solid defender, but he seems really thick. His decisions in attack make me despair. And you can't coach intelligence, so I'm not sure how he'll ever improve. The likes of Phil Neal and Stevie Nicol appeared less than clever, to say the least, off the field, but somehow their game intelligence was excellent. Clyne just doesn't think very much. Nice to see the tap-in, though.
Can took one of his regular steps forward - here's hoping he doesn't now go on to take one of his regular two steps back. And he showed more pace than usual in that game.
Coutinho's clearly some way off being match fit but what a couple of passes he played. And Studge is rusty but his sheer class was wonderful to see again.
Hopefully we can string some good results together now.
Clyne does bother me, though. He's a good athlete and a solid defender, but he seems really thick. His decisions in attack make me despair. And you can't coach intelligence, so I'm not sure how he'll ever improve. The likes of Phil Neal and Stevie Nicol appeared less than clever, to say the least, off the field, but somehow their game intelligence was excellent. Clyne just doesn't think very much. Nice to see the tap-in, though.
Can took one of his regular steps forward - here's hoping he doesn't now go on to take one of his regular two steps back. And he showed more pace than usual in that game.
Coutinho's clearly some way off being match fit but what a couple of passes he played. And Studge is rusty but his sheer class was wonderful to see again.
Hopefully we can string some good results together now.
Skrtel may have done that but his positioning is hopeless. It has always been that and its not getting any better.
That always gets us in loads of trouble.
I agree with Rurik. Didnt see any defensive fuck ups yesterday. Just a good allround solid performance.
That subtle short diagonal run in the centre to drag a defender for Can's goal was sweet and something we've been missing in the team. Suarez and Torres used to do these moves. That run could either open up more space for Can's shot, allow Can to slip a through pass to him, or put Sturridge in a position to pounce on the ball in the event the keeper saved it.
We've missed him so much these two seasons. Such shit luck.
Great result, but it's difficult to know what to make of it and where the team currently is at. How would that team with yesterdays performance got on against a top 6 team? I think we've played better recently but got nothing out of some games. Villa are so bad, and terrible yesterday, their players just do not give a shit.
3pts off 5th, the league cup final, and the ropey league to come, so it's looking pretty good at the moment.
3pts off 5th, the league cup final, and the ropey league to come, so it's looking pretty good at the moment.
Yeah he's sort of just standing there and it kinda just bounces off his head rather than it is a powerful, purposeful, athletic, directed header.
Sakho did well all in all yesterday, but he still doesn't look that composed.
You notice the mistake's he makes when you look at the details. I only saw the first half, but it saw quite a lot of minor mistakes mostly regarding his clearances and his aerial ability. Passing wise, yes he plays it safe.
Still not good enough, but hey what do I know...
I think Skrtel is still our most underrated player and is by a long way our best CB. I think if many of his detractors saw him playing for Slovakia, who have a very solid defence, they would see that he's their main man and he looks very composed. His sometimes lack of composure for Liverpool i.e. last ditch tackles, odd positioning, desperate lunges etc are just proof of how poor his fellow defenders have been. Our dodgy full backs over several seasons and several dodgy CB's that Skrtel has been paired with have ensured that Skrtel has had to throw himself around the defensive line "putting out fires" lit by other defenders frailties.
Exactamundo. Skrtel is covering for his inept defensive partners.
It's pretty amazing we're only 3 points behind the mancs considering what a shit season we've been having. There must be a chance we can finish above them now.
Hmmm this always tends to happen.. a player spends a couple of months out and suddenly they are considered as some kind of Messiah.
Skrtel has his moments but he probably isn't even in the top 60 centre backs in the world. He always gets involved in physical battles with giant lumps of shit...dunno if its an ego thing.. or he just likes holding onto big bulky men but he always... without fail reduces himself to their level.
Skrtel has his moments but he probably isn't even in the top 60 centre backs in the world. He always gets involved in physical battles with giant lumps of shit...dunno if its an ego thing.. or he just likes holding onto big bulky men but he always... without fail reduces himself to their level.
Including Agger of course, right?
Skrtel is not playing any differently now than when he and Agger were the partnership.
Last time Agger played he scored and we nearly won the league, so no.
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