Problems

[mark1975]

A couple of weeks back it was mentioned about us not playing CL qualifiers this season. At the time I'd said that it might be a bad thing, because most seasons we put in a shite performance or two and it serves as both a kick up the arse and some real match practice ahead of the Premiership season.

This is certainly looking the case because we've not looked very cohesive nor have we looked very solid as a unit either.

Another issue is setpieces. Why EVERY season does it take months to get it right?? We got away with it last year, we'll be lucky to a second time.

That aside, injury, Riera and the central midfield issues look a real problem for the season so far. Lucas and Masher are too similar in their ability to get the play going and being able to control the tempo and Aquilani is an injured, unknown quantity. Torres is looking petulant and one step away from pissing off the wrong ref, and without any real back up for when he does get a enforced break.

Johnson and Insua are almost singlehandedly playing fullback and wide midfield, while Dirk and Yossi continue to follow their instincts by cutting inside and conjesting the space in the centre, and thus denying the space to Torres that he thrives on.

It was said a while back that Rafa likes to play this way, with the width coming from the fullbacks. I hope he's realising it's a ploy that doesn't always work and that while we're short on confidence we should be playing players in their natural roles - well Riera at least anyway.

I've been dead against putting Gerrard back in midfield and taking him away from Torres, but neither seem to be on the same wavelength at the minute anyway, Lucas is short of confidence and Yossi is another excellent option in the hole, so it all seems a bit of a no-brainer, albeit a temporary one anyway.

All this said, and a horror start aside, I still think all the top sides will drop points this season, as Spurs, Everton, Villa and City (not to mention Burnley!) are all capable of beating anyone on their day.

35 games and a potential 105 pts on the table. I think the title will be won just short of 90 points this season. It can be done, but our manager has GOT to show he's carrying on with the same willingness to compromise his ideals for the good of the team, and that means doing what is staggeringly obvious to the rest of us right now to get our season kick started.

I really hope this Aquilani lad was worth the hassle.

 

[Paddy]

To be honest Mark, there was a lot of talk about Arsenal being replaced by City this year. I am worried. There are some excellent teams outside the big 4.

 

[keniget]

It can be done, but our manager has GOT to show he's carrying on with the same willingness to compromise his ideals for the good of the team, and that means doing what is staggeringly obvious to the rest of us right now to get our season kick started.

It concerns me that he won't though.

"Lucas was the best player in pre-season"
"Lucas was the best player against Spurs"

Etc.

It might be unfair to single him out when he's not been the worst player but unfortunately, he is the one that needs to drop back to the bench. As Del said last night, we simply can't be content with players who are rated by not fucking up and doing the bare minimum to an acceptable standard. We need players, especially now when the team is playing like shit, that can step up and impose themselves on the game. Lucas, for all the qualities he does have, simply can't do that.

 

[Mors]

Johnson and Insua are almost singlehandedly playing fullback and wide midfield, while Dirk and Yossi continue to follow their instincts by cutting inside and conjesting the space in the centre, and thus denying the space to Torres that he thrives on.

Agree with this. It's easy for our opponents at the moment as they know where everyone is going to be or going to go.
Villa were playing with a back 6 for the majority of the second half last night, but they could of got away with just the two CB's as we had Torres, Gerrard, Yossi, Kuyt, Lucas all trying to get on the D. Even Johnson (who was good again) was trying to over do getting into the box, he should whip some crosses in from out wide right also.

If we're gonna play with 5 midfielders, we need to make sure two of them are stuck on the white line.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=Paddy link=topic=35454.msg932210#msg932210 date=1251198418]
To be honest Mark, there was a lot of talk about Arsenal being replaced by City this year. I am worried. There are some excellent teams outside the big 4.
[/quote]

I think each of them are capable of slipping up more than most, though Spurs are on fire at the minute and City are an unknown. So I think over the course of the season class and organisation will (hopefully) tell.

I just hope we're not punished because we're short on numbers and real quality from the bench.

 

[spider-Neil]

[quote author=Mors link=topic=35454.msg932214#msg932214 date=1251198800]

Johnson and Insua are almost singlehandedly playing fullback and wide midfield, while Dirk and Yossi continue to follow their instincts by cutting inside and conjesting the space in the centre, and thus denying the space to Torres that he thrives on.

Agree with this. It's easy for our opponents at the moment as they know where everyone is going to be or going to go.
Villa were playing with a back 6 for the majority of the second half last night, but they could of got away with just the two CB's as we had Torres, Gerrard, Yossi, Kuyt, Lucas all trying to get on the D. Even Johnson (who was good again) was trying to over do getting into the box, he should whip some crosses in from out wide right also.

If we're gonna play with 5 midfielders, we need to make sure two of them are stuck on the white line.
[/quote]

4 midfielders

1 winger (who remains on the touch line)
1 attacking midfielder (who links the midfield with the attack)
1 out and out holding midfielder (who links the defense with the midfield)
1 wide midfielder (who comes inside looking for goals)

2 forwards/strikers
1 forward (to create chances and score goals)
2 striker (to hold the ball up, score goals)

 

[mark1975]

Essentially it needs to be:

-------------------/\---------------
----------------Masher-----------
--------Gerrard-------------------
--------------v---------------------
-Kuyt>-------Yossi------Riera>
------------------v-----------------
--------------Torres--------------

Apologies for the arrows, but you get the jist.

With Lucas as cover for Masher, Spearing as extra cover and then that's about it. El Zhar, N'Gog, Babel and Voronin can scrap around for the rest.

We need another attacker.

 

[spider-Neil]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=35454.msg932221#msg932221 date=1251199783]
Essentially it needs to be:

-------------------/\---------------
----------------Masher-----------
--------Gerrard-------------------
--------------v---------------------
-Kuyt>-------Yossi------Riera>
------------------v-----------------
--------------Torres--------------

Apologies for the arrows, but you get the jist.


[/quote]

yes but rafa sees gerrard where you have yossi and lucas where you have gerrard.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=35454.msg932186#msg932186 date=1251196584]
A couple of weeks back it was mentioned about us not playing CL qualifiers this season. At the time I'd said that it might be a bad thing, because most seasons we put in a shite performance or two and it serves as both a kick up the arse and some real match practice ahead of the Premiership season.

This is certainly looking the case because we've not looked very cohesive nor have we looked very solid as a unit either.

Another issue is setpieces. Why EVERY season does it take months to get it right?? We got away with it last year, we'll be lucky to a second time.

That aside, injury, Riera and the central midfield issues look a real problem for the season so far. Lucas and Masher are too similar in their ability to get the play going and being able to control the tempo and Aquilani is an injured, unknown quantity. Torres is looking petulant and one step away from pissing off the wrong ref, and without any real back up for when he does get a enforced break.

Johnson and Insua are almost singlehandedly playing fullback and wide midfield, while Dirk and Yossi continue to follow their instincts by cutting inside and conjesting the space in the centre, and thus denying the space to Torres that he thrives on.

It was said a while back that Rafa likes to play this way, with the width coming from the fullbacks. I hope he's realising it's a ploy that doesn't always work and that while we're short on confidence we should be playing players in their natural roles - well Riera at least anyway.

I've been dead against putting Gerrard back in midfield and taking him away from Torres, but neither seem to be on the same wavelength at the minute anyway, Lucas is short of confidence and Yossi is another excellent option in the hole, so it all seems a bit of a no-brainer, albeit a temporary one anyway.

All this said, and a horror start aside, I still think all the top sides will drop points this season, as Spurs, Everton, Villa and City (not to mention Burnley!) are all capable of beating anyone on their day.

35 games and a potential 105 pts on the table. I think the title will be won just short of 90 points this season. It can be done, but our manager has GOT to show he's carrying on with the same willingness to compromise his ideals for the good of the team, and that means doing what is staggeringly obvious to the rest of us right now to get our season kick started.

I really hope this Aquilani lad was worth the hassle.

[/quote]

Good post Mark, I agree with everything.
Aquilani really does have to be the genius that Oncey says he is or we are fucked.
Did our bench last night strike even more fear into matters like it did me?
There was only one player there that was actually capable of bringing something to the tabel last night and he did not get on.
We MUST get a capable striker in
regards

 

[NOTH]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=35454.msg932221#msg932221 date=1251199783]
Essentially it needs to be:

-------------------/\---------------
----------------Masher-----------
--------Gerrard-------------------
--------------v---------------------
-Kuyt>-------Yossi------Riera>
------------------v-----------------
--------------Torres--------------

Apologies for the arrows, but you get the jist.

With Lucas as cover for Masher, Spearing as extra cover and then that's about it. El Zhar, N'Gog, Babel and Voronin can scrap around for the rest.

We need another attacker.
[/quote]

Agreed with all that, but even these changes in personnel won't mean much if the team continues to play at the sort of tempo we saw for the majority of the match last night. Far too fucking slow.

One of the features of rafa's teams in the first few seasons was the way they closed don the opposition, constantly snapping at them all over the pitch - where has that gone? Both Spurs and Villa were allowed to play, given all the space they need. They're good teams with good players, able to hurt us, and we practically invited them to do it.

It seems obvious that last night Johnson and Insua were instructed to hang back (at least until the shit hit the fan and we were two down) - neither crossed the half way line really in the first half...why? To look after Young and Milner? The way to do that is to force THEM to defend: worrying about the likes of James Milner betrays an over-cautious approach that I hoped Rafa had finally seen is folly.

FAR too often we wait until we're in trouble to start playing.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=35454.msg932230#msg932230 date=1251200812]
[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=35454.msg932221#msg932221 date=1251199783]
Essentially it needs to be:

-------------------/\---------------
----------------Masher-----------
--------Gerrard-------------------
--------------v---------------------
-Kuyt>-------Yossi------Riera>
------------------v-----------------
--------------Torres--------------

Apologies for the arrows, but you get the jist.


[/quote]

yes but rafa sees gerrard where you have yossi and lucas where you have gerrard.
[/quote]

and there lies the problem. Until Aquilani is fit and match fit at that, he has to break up the Lucas Masher pairing or we are doomed

regards

 

[Vlads Quiff]

[quote author=NOTH link=topic=35454.msg932247#msg932247 date=1251201734]
[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=35454.msg932221#msg932221 date=1251199783]
Essentially it needs to be:

-------------------/\---------------
----------------Masher-----------
--------Gerrard-------------------
--------------v---------------------
-Kuyt>-------Yossi------Riera>
------------------v-----------------
--------------Torres--------------

Apologies for the arrows, but you get the jist.

With Lucas as cover for Masher, Spearing as extra cover and then that's about it. El Zhar, N'Gog, Babel and Voronin can scrap around for the rest.

We need another attacker.
[/quote]

Agreed with all that, but even these changes in personnel won't mean much if the team continues to play at the sort of tempo we saw for the majority of the match last night. Far too fucking slow.

One of the features of rafa's teams in the first few seasons was the way they closed don the opposition, constantly snapping at them all over the pitch - where has that gone? Both Spurs and Villa were allowed to play, given all the space they need. They're good teams with good players, able to hurt us, and we practically invited them to do it.

It seems obvious that last night Johnson and Insua were instructed to hang back (at least until the shit hit the fan and we were two down) - neither crossed the half way line really in the first half...why? To look after Young and Milner? The way to do that is to force THEM to defend: worrying about the likes of James Milner betrays an over-cautious approach that I hoped Rafa had finally seen is folly.

FAR too often we wait until we're in trouble to start playing.
[/quote]
Its precisely that that has slowed the tempo. The defence pass to Masher or Lucas, who then pass it back. That happens two or three times until an opposition forward breaks it down. Then the ball gets passed sideways a few times, until an opposition midfield player becomes bored and breaks that down. Then the ball gets played forward to someone with three players around them and no touch.
Its the midfield pairing, trust me on this.

regards

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=NOTH link=topic=35454.msg932247#msg932247 date=1251201734]
[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=35454.msg932221#msg932221 date=1251199783]
Essentially it needs to be:

-------------------/\---------------
----------------Masher-----------
--------Gerrard-------------------
--------------v---------------------
-Kuyt>-------Yossi------Riera>
------------------v-----------------
--------------Torres--------------

Apologies for the arrows, but you get the jist.

With Lucas as cover for Masher, Spearing as extra cover and then that's about it. El Zhar, N'Gog, Babel and Voronin can scrap around for the rest.

We need another attacker.
[/quote]

Agreed with all that, but even these changes in personnel won't mean much if the team continues to play at the sort of tempo we saw for the majority of the match last night. Far too fucking slow.

One of the features of rafa's teams in the first few seasons was the way they closed don the opposition, constantly snapping at them all over the pitch - where has that gone? Both Spurs and Villa were allowed to play, given all the space they need. They're good teams with good players, able to hurt us, and we practically invited them to do it.

It seems obvious that last night Johnson and Insua were instructed to hang back (at least until the shit hit the fan and we were two down) - neither crossed the half way line really in the first half...why? To look after Young and Milner? The way to do that is to force THEM to defend: worrying about the likes of James Milner betrays an over-cautious approach that I hoped Rafa had finally seen is folly.

FAR too often we wait until we're in trouble to start playing.
[/quote]

Welcome to the site mate. I thought both Spurs and Villa seemed intent on putting in a shift against us and doing what we normally do to everyone else, the closing down and pressuring to win possession.

Ultimately we began to stand off them and let them play because of it, like we didn't know what else to do.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=Vlads Quiff link=topic=35454.msg932244#msg932244 date=1251201641]
Did our bench last night strike even more fear into matters like it did me?
There was only one player there that was actually capable of bringing something to the tabel last night and he did not get on.
We MUST get a capable striker in
regards


[/quote]

Yeah, when Babel was a bit more of an enigma, at least he used to bring a bit of hope with him, but last night gave me a numb feeling looking at the bench.

I'd have been happier having big Sami come on ahead of most of them.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

It has not been very often over the years that I looked at our squad and seen as few options as we have at present. We have cast aside a load of deadwood, but left the squad excruciatingly thin.


regards

 

[Roger REDerer]

The problems are so glaringly obvious I'm surprised Rafa is still persevering with this team. He's probably crossing his fingers and hoping this team will gel but unfortunately we don't have the fucking time to experiment. He should've done so during pre-season and to be honest, he did to some extent but it didn't work.

2 games in and we've played 2 good teams in Spurs and Villa and we've been found out so easily. I shudder at the thought of us playing Arsenal or Chavshit at this moment. All the gaping holes are there for everyone to see. Doesn't need a rocket scientist to see them too.

The gaping holes (which many have mentioned in this thread already) :-

1) Break up the fcuking Lucas and Mascher pairing. Push Lucas into DM and Stevie back to CM and essentially takes over Alonso's position. So we have 3 CM again to provide the fulcrum of our passing.

Gerrard has to up his game and initiate passing or attacking movements in the final quarter. Lucas and Mascher to provide defensive cover and fill up the vulnerable spaces, when Stevie pushes up.

2) Yossi to fill in the void in the hole that has been vacated due to Stevie moving back into midfield. So it's Yossi and Torres as our attacking outlet.

3) Riera has got to fucking come back into the team. Without him, we just have NO BALANCE whatsoever on the left. When Insua attacks, nobody covers the left and that leaves our hapless CMs moving to the left to cover. This leaves our centre so vulnerable to a quick counter when that happens.

4) I'm not too worried about our defence. We have the right personnel and it's all down to getting used to playing with one another but whatever deficiencies in lacking understanding at the moment can still be masked or covered, simply by putting an extra DM in front of the back four. Hence in reference to Point 1, I stressed the importance of a midfield triumvirate.

So all in all, summary =

SG fills in for Alonso. Riera on left. Yossi in hole.

And I guarantee we'll be back in business. Otherwise, we're truly quite fcuked and we can kiss goodbye to all hopes of winning the title. Ye ye I know it's still very early in the season but only an idiot would continue doing something that isn't working, under the constant excuse that there's still a lot of time to fix the problems LATER. Procrastination will only bring impending doom.

We have got to sort the fcuking root of the problem and not plaster over them with temporary tape made out of fcuking shitty Brazilian stuff.

 

[Fox]

[quote author=Roger REDerer link=topic=35454.msg932277#msg932277 date=1251204376]
The problems are so glaringly obvious I'm surprised Rafa is still persevering with this team. He's probably crossing his fingers and hoping this team will gel but unfortunately we don't have the fucking time to experiment. He should've done so during pre-season and to be honest, he did to some extent but it didn't work.

2 games in and we've played 2 good teams in Spurs and Villa and we've been found out so easily. I shudder at the thought of us playing Arsenal or Chavshit at this moment. All the gaping holes are there for everyone to see. Doesn't need a rocket scientist to see them too.

The gaping holes (which many have mentioned in this thread already) :-

1) Break up the fcuking Lucas and Mascher pairing. Push Lucas into DM and Stevie back to CM and essentially takes over Alonso's position. So we have 3 CM again to provide the fulcrum of our passing.

Gerrard has to up his game and initiate passing or attacking movements in the final quarter. Lucas and Mascher to provide defensive cover and fill up the vulnerable spaces, when Stevie pushes up.

2) Yossi to fill in the void in the hole that has been vacated due to Stevie moving back into midfield. So it's Yossi and Torres as our attacking outlet.

3) Riera has got to fucking come back into the team. Without him, we just have NO BALANCE whatsoever on the left. When Insua attacks, nobody covers the left and that leaves our hapless CMs moving to the left to cover. This leaves our centre so vulnerable to a quick counter when that happens.

4) I'm not too worried about our defence. We have the right personnel and it's all down to getting used to playing with one another but whatever deficiencies in lacking understanding at the moment can still be masked or covered, simply by putting an extra DM in front of the back four. Hence in reference to Point 1, I stressed the importance of a midfield triumvirate.

So all in all, summary =

SG fills in for Alonso. Riera on left. Yossi in hole.

And I guarantee we'll be back in business. Otherwise, we're truly quite fcuked and we can kiss goodbye to all hopes of winning the title. Ye ye I know it's still very early in the season but only an idiot would continue doing something that isn't working, under the constant excuse that there's still a lot of time to fix the problems LATER. Procrastination will only bring impending doom.

We have got to sort the fcuking root of the problem and not plaster over them with temporary tape made out of fcuking shitty Brazilian stuff.


[/quote]


so you would drop kuyt and keep lucas then dodger?

interesting

 

[Roger REDerer]

shut up smartarse...i totally forgot bout Kuyt.

fuck.

now we're truly fcuked.

 

[Roger REDerer]

ahh ok i got it.

Kuyt plays up front with Torres and SG moves to the fucking right, until Aquilani is fit to play.

So we revert back to a more balanced 4-4-2 for now.

But again....the key-man is still Riera. He is VERY IMPORTANT for balance on the left. It's like without him, there's a cosmic imbalance in our 'chi' and it flows out through the left side of our team. Wahtver the fuck that means.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

[quote author=Fox link=topic=35454.msg932285#msg932285 date=1251204916]
[quote author=Roger REDerer link=topic=35454.msg932277#msg932277 date=1251204376]
The problems are so glaringly obvious I'm surprised Rafa is still persevering with this team. He's probably crossing his fingers and hoping this team will gel but unfortunately we don't have the fucking time to experiment. He should've done so during pre-season and to be honest, he did to some extent but it didn't work.

2 games in and we've played 2 good teams in Spurs and Villa and we've been found out so easily. I shudder at the thought of us playing Arsenal or Chavshit at this moment. All the gaping holes are there for everyone to see. Doesn't need a rocket scientist to see them too.

The gaping holes (which many have mentioned in this thread already) :-

1) Break up the fcuking Lucas and Mascher pairing. Push Lucas into DM and Stevie back to CM and essentially takes over Alonso's position. So we have 3 CM again to provide the fulcrum of our passing.

Gerrard has to up his game and initiate passing or attacking movements in the final quarter. Lucas and Mascher to provide defensive cover and fill up the vulnerable spaces, when Stevie pushes up.

2) Yossi to fill in the void in the hole that has been vacated due to Stevie moving back into midfield. So it's Yossi and Torres as our attacking outlet.

3) Riera has got to fucking come back into the team. Without him, we just have NO BALANCE whatsoever on the left. When Insua attacks, nobody covers the left and that leaves our hapless CMs moving to the left to cover. This leaves our centre so vulnerable to a quick counter when that happens.

4) I'm not too worried about our defence. We have the right personnel and it's all down to getting used to playing with one another but whatever deficiencies in lacking understanding at the moment can still be masked or covered, simply by putting an extra DM in front of the back four. Hence in reference to Point 1, I stressed the importance of a midfield triumvirate.

So all in all, summary =

SG fills in for Alonso. Riera on left. Yossi in hole.

And I guarantee we'll be back in business. Otherwise, we're truly quite fcuked and we can kiss goodbye to all hopes of winning the title. Ye ye I know it's still very early in the season but only an idiot would continue doing something that isn't working, under the constant excuse that there's still a lot of time to fix the problems LATER. Procrastination will only bring impending doom.

We have got to sort the fcuking root of the problem and not plaster over them with temporary tape made out of fcuking shitty Brazilian stuff.


[/quote]


so you would drop kuyt and keep lucas then dodger?

interesting
[/quote]

Haha , I was trying to figure out how he managed to get another player in without losing anyone.

If you are going to move back to a 442 I think it has to be this

Torres Kuyt

Riera Gerrard Masher Yossi

Insua Skrtel Carra Johnson

Riena








regards

 

[Roger REDerer]

Yes I agree with you Vlads. That looks a more balanced team.

Lucas offers nothing to be honest and this impedes our offensive movements and initiatives.

I would only play Lucas as a 2nd CM in a triumvirate or a DM. But never in a CM pairing or an AM.

 

[Halmeister]

Good post and I agree with it all, I was saying pretty much everything you have there last night. I am worried about us and the top 4 also and really wouldn't be surprised if we were the ones to be displaced. Aquilani must be class or we're fucked. Or we have to at least get someone in before the end of the window but I really can't see it. (On a sidenote, what ever happened to the money we intended to spend on Tevez? Surely that means there's £25M somewhere!?)

However there's one other problem with us at the moment and it is me going to the match...

I hardly go to any games, and when I do we play dreadfully against average shite we really should be sweeping aside. Of the few games I've been to we've won 1 in normal time, and never scored more than one goal in a game.

Liverpool 1-3 Aston Villa
Liverpool 1-1 Middlesbrough
Liverpool 1-0 Watford
Liverpool 1-1 Birmingham
Liverpool 0-0 Spartak Moscow
Liverpool 0-1 Brondby

Anybody at the other end of the spectrum with a lucky streak so we can maybe go together?

 

[Jürgen4PM]

I know it's fashionable to blame the usual suspects, but i just wish some of our world class players would start to show why they got those reputations.

I don't see Torres, Mascher or SG leading by example on the pitch at the moment personally.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=35454.msg932302#msg932302 date=1251205995]
I know it's fashionable to blame the usual suspects, but i just wish some of our world class players would start to show why they got those reputations.

I don't see Torres, Mascher or SG leading by example on the pitch at the moment personally.
[/quote]

When I started the thread that was one of the points I wanted to touch on and I completely overlooked it.

Fair point, they need to be a calming, inspirational influence at present. Losing their cool with the ref wasn't exactly the sort of passion I wanted to see, ditto Reina too.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=35454.msg932302#msg932302 date=1251205995]
I know it's fashionable to blame the usual suspects, but i just wish some of our world class players would start to show why they got those reputations.

I don't see Torres, Mascher or SG leading by example on the pitch at the moment personally.
[/quote]

Completely agree Rafa, but I think if the formation was right too it would be less of an issue.
I think Torres and Mashers form may be as a result of the selection, and Gerrards poor form

regards

 

[Halmeister]

Gerrard was absolutely atrocious last night. In the lead up to the penalty he really should have gone through someone (Milner I think) and when the groan came from the crowd when he didn't he lost it and tried to make up for it by losing his cool and running around like a madman and scything down Reo-Coker moments later. It was if he regressed back to when he was 20 or something.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=Halmeister link=topic=35454.msg932322#msg932322 date=1251206593]
Gerrard was absolutely atrocious last night. In the lead up to the penalty he really should have gone through someone (Milner I think) and when the groan came from the crowd when he didn't he lost it and tried to make up for it by losing his cool and running around like a madman and scything down Reo-Coker moments later. It was if he regressed back to when he was 20 or something.
[/quote]

I thought that a few times last night, he was a bit over enthused and not really 'thinking' alot of the time.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

I think Gerrard for all his cool image and experience lets the opposition crowd get to him

regards

 

[Roger REDerer]

Come on fellas....

let's focus on finding a solution rather than discussing and analyzing the problems.

Rafa could be reading this website and he needs all the help he needs...

PS : I think I've gone bonkers, man. Too much weed...hehe

 

[Jürgen4PM]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=35454.msg932306#msg932306 date=1251206157]
[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=35454.msg932302#msg932302 date=1251205995]
I know it's fashionable to blame the usual suspects, but i just wish some of our world class players would start to show why they got those reputations.

I don't see Torres, Mascher or SG leading by example on the pitch at the moment personally.
[/quote]

When I started the thread that was one of the points I wanted to touch on and I completely overlooked it.

Fair point, they need to be a calming, inspirational influence at present. Losing their cool with the ref wasn't exactly the sort of passion I wanted to see, ditto Reina too.
[/quote]

Exactly mark.

It's now that we need them most and at present they're failing in their duties as established senior players imo.

Heads are dropping and far too much moaning for my liking as well.


Posters may have a valid point about the Lucas/Mascher pairing not being ideal in CM, but thats not the reason we've been turned over in 2 out of 3 games. If our key players had stood up and been counted, then we'd not have lost both of those games.

Torres needs to start acting like he did against Terry & Co, and SG really needs show why he's our captain. I'd like to see Mascher rallying the troops with his actions on the field too.