RAAAAAATINGS vs Southampton

[manwithnoname]

Let's have a heated debate! Although there isn't much to debate, really. It was a fine display. The first half was weirdly more even, despite us scoring two goals, but after the break they simply wilted. and it was a pleasantly comfortable, boring win.

I'd like more of those please, because comfortable, boring victories are how you win titles.

Standout performers were VVD, who was excellent, and the goalscoring duo, Salah and Firmino.

Karius (7) Made a couple of good saves and apart from one weak punch, performed well. That's what we need, unfussy, quick distribution and decisive saves when required.

TAA (7) Some eye-catching passing and wasn't caught out defensively. Solid and classy display, showed quality in both halves of the pitch.

VVD (8) Confident, classy, won everything in the air and made defending look easy. Organised and vocal too, which helps so much.

Matip (6) Nice pass for the second goal, but defending was hit and miss. Shanked one clearance and got an earful from Virgil after another hesitation under a high ball. We all know he isn't good enough, so I hope Klopp buys another CB to play with VVD in summer.

Roberston (6) A few careless moments and lost one cross as he mistimed a jump. Worked as hard as ever, and improved after the break; one cross deserved better.

Can (7) Disciplined and effective display, with lots of energy and determination. Used the ball conservatively, but sensibly.

Wijnaldum (7) A vastly improved performance, although given how shite he has been lately, that's not hard. Worked hard and popped up all over the pitch to make things happen. He will never be good enough to be a regular starter, as he cannot deliver the consistency required, but as useful squad option.

Oxlade-Chamberlain (4) Poor the Chamberpot. Chased shadows most of the game, and typically profilgate when he did get the ball. Huffed and puffed but no quality and seems to not really understand football very well.

Mane (6) Signs of improvement and had a couple of great, athletic attempts at goal. Touch and passing still not quite there, but showed more desire to take players on and attack space.

Salah (8) Another game, another goal. And an assist. So quick and deadly that he is almost unplayable. A joy to watch. 22 league goals and counting. Amazing stats.

Firmino (8) Man of the match. A clinical finish for the crucial early goal, and then an outrageous piece of skill to set up Salah. Brilliant to see his ever-improving finishing and now has 12 league goals, moving up to level with Lukaku and only one behind Vardy. Another three and he will be at the 15 mark, which is vital for a striker in a team that has title aspirations. It would be great to see Firmino overtake Sterling, and get closer to Aguero, Salah and Kane. Having a great season.

 

[Woland]

Taken on their own merits any arguments with your ratings would be futile - but Karius and Gini were not equally effective. Karius had a really good game. Gini was, well, Gini.

 

[Fabio]

I thought wijnaldum was shite and our midfield piss weak in the first half

 

[manwithnoname]

Taken on their own merits any arguments with your ratings would be futile - but Karius and Gini were not equally effective. Karius had a really good game. Gini was, well, Gini.

Hmm, maybe I was just surprised to see Wijanldum not being shit away from home, and he make some good contributions. Yeah, he shit himslef when he got anywhere near their area, but that's standard when he's not at Anfield.

Karius did well, but let's not start getting too giddy - he didn't make any save that any quality keeper would not have made. Two decent stops, no mistakes (apart from that punch) and quick distribution. I'd take that every week, deffo.

 

[mark1975]

I though Gini did quite well, he was certainly looking for the ball alot more and put himself about, which as said, is an improvement on his often "invisible" performances.

No one had a bad game really (apart from AOC, who is back to being awful), Karius did really well. Firmino and Salah were the difference, and VVD looks quality.

 

[manwithnoname]

I though Gini did quite well, he was certainly looking for the ball alot more and put himself about, which as said, is an improvement on his often "invisible" performances.

No one had a bad game really, Karius did really well. Firmino and Salah were the difference, and VVD looks quality.

Yeah, Firmino was probably the pick of the lot, but our CM options are never really going to be more than 7/10 performances, as they are so workmanlike.

And that's fine, but if you're going to be a 7/10 player, you have to give that every week, at least. Our CM options are too similar and inconsistent as it is.

 

[Woland]

Hmm, maybe I was just surprised to see Wijanldum not being shit away from home, and he make some good contributions.

Yeah, but giving him as high a score as everyone but the scorers and VVD is like when the special kid in school gets a gold star for not pooing his pants.

 

[ibromurph]

Gini was fine. Used the ball well, made good off the ball runs to open up space, was all action and all running. He's still an absolute shitehouse when it comes to playing the ball forward or taking any kind of risk with through balls.

Firmino's work rate is incredible. Salah is getting so many goals, because Bobby covers for him half the time, especially when he makes a run through the middle and leaves the right hand side exposed. It's actually a great balance/double act as Bobby is using his attributes to help Salah help the team to win. It was the same story last year with Mane. I'd love Firmino to be a tad quicker (Stephens would have been sent off, if he were), but there's really no arguing with his stats this year. He's finally producing performances and goals.

AOC was a little better than you give him credit for, off the ball. 5/10. He worked hard to press and harry; won the ball back a few times. His quality on the ball though was poor.

I thought Can had his typical brainfart moments and his first touch is very inconsistent. Sometimes he has the touch a baby elephant and his concentration when passing is poor. It's either a bit behind the player, or on his wrong foot, or too hard, or too soft.. he really needs to work on his attention to detail when making short passes. Right now, it's too erratic. Apart from that, he was good in the DM role.

 

[Frogfish]

Karius - 7 - it was indeed a very good save with his chest (I forget from whom)
Robertson - 6 - don't blame him for the missed header in the box, he's a wee lad and it went over his head, backing up may have given away a penalty. crosses were utter shite which is disappointing from him.
VvD - 9 - MotM, imperious.
Matip 6
TAA - 7
Can - 6.5
Wijnaldum - 6.5
OxCham - 6 - He rarely seems to give away possession even when nothing else is coming off for him. There was one instance on this near touchline, he had 3 players all over him yet still managed to not only retain possession but create room for an offload into CM. A bit like Lauchberry's offload for May to score against Wales. Very impressive. Crossing was poor.
Mane - 6.5 - much better. I was willing him to score every time it looked likely. Even so still made an impression and a fine contribution.
Firmino - 8.5 - Brilliant. However still managed to give away possession 5/6 times with poor passes in situations where he was under no pressure.
Salah - 9 - awesome

Milner - 7
Lallana - 7 - such a pity he didn't score from that opportunity. I thought he was going to.

Referee - Shite, he literally gave us nothing and I was certain any 50/50 in our box would have resulted in a penalty.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

Mane seems to have become a totally different player since he came back from injury. It's like he was abducted by aliens and came back dazed and confused. Or maybe that was Ox Chamb.

What's the point of the Ox again ? He doesn't seem like he knows what he's supposed to be doing on the pitch most times.

Irregardless, it was a good result and an important one.

Sent from my Apple HomePod using Tapatalk

 

[doctor_mac]

Oxlade-Chamberlain (4) Poor the Chamberpot. Chased shadows most of the game, and typically profilgate when he did get the ball. Huffed and puffed but no quality and seems to not really understand football very well.

.

His quick thinking helped create the first goal. Yes, their defender made a balls of it, but it was good thinking and clever counter-attacking play by Chamberlain. And actually, he found Salah quite a lot throughout the game. This is not a fair reflection at all.

 

[Grjt2]

I'm worried I may have a bit of a blind spot with Alexander-Arnold.

Thought he was borderline terrible yesterday, including for the complete shit-out on the header in our box that gave away a chance, and the 5mins of comically awful passing in the 1st half where he was getting absolutely reamed by VVD. And I do get the whole age and experience thing, but has anyone got anything other than "he's young and talented, give him time"?

He doesn't seem to have anywhere near the physical presence to be a CM (which is where I understand people think he would end up) and maybe hes not getting the chance to display his attacking prowess, but he doesn't show any craft or particular technical ability in his creative passing or crossing. So what are we basing this "he's going to be great" thing on? He's 20 later this year (which is still very young), but shouldn't we have more to hang our hats on than general good vibes. I think getting Clyne fit should be a massive, massive bonus for us for the run-in.

 

[manwithnoname]

I'm worried I may have a bit of a blind spot with Alexander-Arnold.

Thought he was borderline terrible yesterday, including for the complete shit-out on the header in our box that gave away a chance, and the 5mins of comically awful passing in the 1st half where he was getting absolutely reamed by VVD. And I do get the whole age and experience thing, but has anyone got anything other than "he's young and talented, give him time"?

He doesn't seem to have anywhere near the physical presence to be a CM (which is where I understand people think he would end up) and maybe hes not getting the chance to display his attacking prowess, but he doesn't show any craft or particular technical ability in his creative passing or crossing. So what are we basing this "he's going to be great" thing on? He's 20 later this year (which is still very young), but shouldn't we have more to hang our hats on than general good vibes. I think getting Clyne fit should be a massive, massive bonus for us for the run-in.

I do agree the lack of height isn't ideal in a central midfielder, but there's plenty who play in wide or more attacking midfield roles who aren't/ weren't giants. Several of whom used to play for us.

 

[Woland]

I think you're being too harsh on him. Now I don't want to go down the Gerrard comparisons path but I'm going to anyway.

1) When Gerrard started playing for us he was a streak of piss with barely any physical presence, he was just ace.
2) He had to have extended time off after his debut over the next year or two because his back was playing up during growth spurts.
3) Five foot nine is hardly midget territory. I mean it's Luis Garcia territory, not Messi or Coutinho. None of whom it seemed to cause a problem in positions I can see him ending up in.
4) He might grow a bit. My lad did between 19 and 21. But he's a fucking giant who scares me.
5) His control, first touch, composure and final ball are the best I've seen from a kid at Liverpool since Gerrard.
6) Chill, he's going to be a very very good footballer.

 

[Jerry Laser]

I'd have to now say that midfield is perhaps our weakest area overall in the team...

Bringing in Keita will help but we still need another body alongside him.

 

[manwithnoname]

I think you're being too harsh on him. Now I don't want to go down the Gerrard comparisons path but I'm going to anyway.

1) When Gerrard started playing for us he was a streak of piss with barely any physical presence, he was just ace.
2) He had to have extended time off after his debut over the next year or two because his back was playing up during growth spurts.
3) Five foot nine is hardly midget territory. I mean it's Luis Garcia territory, not Messi or Coutinho. None of whom it seemed to cause a problem in positions I can see him ending up in.
4) He might grow a bit. My lad did between 19 and 21. But he's a fucking giant who scares me.
5) His control, first touch, composure and final ball are the best I've seen from a kid at Liverpool since Gerrard.
6) Chill, he's going to be a very very good footballer.

Yeah, he was a skinny fuck and nothing like the physical monster he became, but he was still 6 foot tall

TAA is about 5'9 at best. That's actually short.

 

[Fabio]

Yeah, he was a skinny fuck and nothing like the physical monster he became, but he was still 6 foot tall

TAA is about 5'9 at best. That's actually short.

He can just practice his jumping then

 

[Red Astaire]

Let's have a heated debate! Although there isn't much to debate, really. It was a fine display. The first half was weirdly more even, despite us scoring two goals, but after the break they simply wilted. and it was a pleasantly comfortable, boring win.

I'd like more of those please, because comfortable, boring victories are how you win titles.

Standout performers were VVD, who was excellent, and the goalscoring duo, Salah and Firmino.

Karius (7) Made a couple of good saves and apart from one weak punch, performed well. That's what we need, unfussy, quick distribution and decisive saves when required.

TAA (7) Some eye-catching passing and wasn't caught out defensively. Solid and classy display, showed quality in both halves of the pitch.

VVD (8) Confident, classy, won everything in the air and made defending look easy. Organised and vocal too, which helps so much.

Matip (6) Nice pass for the second goal, but defending was hit and miss. Shanked one clearance and got an earful from Virgil after another hesitation under a high ball. We all know he isn't good enough, so I hope Klopp buys another CB to play with VVD in summer.

Roberston (6) A few careless moments and lost one cross as he mistimed a jump. Worked as hard as ever, and improved after the break; one cross deserved better.

Can (7) Disciplined and effective display, with lots of energy and determination. Used the ball conservatively, but sensibly.

Wijnaldum (7) A vastly improved performance, although given how shite he has been lately, that's not hard. Worked hard and popped up all over the pitch to make things happen. He will never be good enough to be a regular starter, as he cannot deliver the consistency required, but as useful squad option.

Oxlade-Chamberlain (4) Poor the Chamberpot. Chased shadows most of the game, and typically profilgate when he did get the ball. Huffed and puffed but no quality and seems to not really understand football very well.

Mane (6) Signs of improvement and had a couple of great, athletic attempts at goal. Touch and passing still not quite there, but showed more desire to take players on and attack space.

Salah (8) Another game, another goal. And an assist. So quick and deadly that he is almost unplayable. A joy to watch. 22 league goals and counting. Amazing stats.

Firmino (8) Man of the match. A clinical finish for the crucial early goal, and then an outrageous piece of skill to set up Salah. Brilliant to see his ever-improving finishing and now has 12 league goals, moving up to level with Lukaku and only one behind Vardy. Another three and he will be at the 15 mark, which is vital for a striker in a team that has title aspirations. It would be great to see Firmino overtake Sterling, and get closer to Aguero, Salah and Kane. Having a great season.

Good summary that. (Apart from the shit 'Chamberpot' thing you insist on using)

 

[KopRed]

Slightly worrying was that none of our front 3 were able to win any headers off long kicks from Karius. In the first half when we were under the cosh and were not able to play ourselves out, all the long punts from the back came back almost immediately.

 

[Woland]

I couldn't believe how Matip was the only one just hitting it upfield blindly from the defence with ten mins to go. When he got here he'd have picked the easy pass and retained possession. Yesterday it was straight back to them under no pressure. They didn't do anything with it but it did leave me wondering what's happened to him.

 

[manwithnoname]

I couldn't believe how Matip was the only one just hitting it upfield blindly from the defence with ten mins to go. When he got here he'd have picked the easy pass and retained possession. Yesterday it was straight back to them under no pressure. They didn't do anything with it but it did leave me wondering what's happened to him.

He did make the pass that led to the second goal. That was snappy and accurate (and forward).

But Matip is flawed.

He can look impressive and calm in some games, but it tends to be the ones where we aren't under any real pressure, and it's fucking easy to look calm and unflappable then.

The difference in quality between him and VVD is...well, it's clear in the the price tag in this case.

 

[Frogfish]

Slightly worrying was that none of our front 3 were able to win any headers off long kicks from Karius. In the first half when we were under the cosh and were not able to play ourselves out, all the long punts from the back came back almost immediately.

Honestly I don't think we expect them to win headers .... look at the size of our front three against your average CB ! However the danger is in the knockdown, just compete so they are not able to direct their headers and the knockdown could go anywhere. That's where the danger comes from, the ball falling for one of our attackers.

 

[mark1975]

There's something a bit infectious about VVD's body language on the pitch. It's good to see a player who is so authoritative when it matters, but who also doesn't take himself too seriously. He had a good laugh when the Southampton fans first booed him and when he went on that rampaging run late on before running out of steam. His interviews are great too. I really hope he stays fit and becomes a real mainstay for a few years. We've lacked someone like that since big Sami.

 

[mark1975]

Honestly I don't think we expect them to win headers .... look at the size of our front three against your average CB ! However the danger is in the knockdown, just compete so they are not able to direct their headers and the knockdown could go anywhere. That's where the danger comes from, the ball falling for one of our attackers.

Quite. Firmino does win them anyway, he won quite a few flick-ons during the game.

 

[Red Astaire]

There's something a bit infectious about VVD's body language on the pitch. It's good to see a player who is so authoritative when it matters, but who also doesn't take himself too seriously. He had a good laugh when the Southampton fans first booed him and when he went on that rampaging run late on before running out of steam. His interviews are great too. I really hope he stays fit and becomes a real mainstay for a few years. We've lacked someone like that since big Sami.

Yeah - I get the same vibe. He was actually really fucking good (On many levels) I remember back in the day I watched a pre season game against Stoke at the Vicarage (shit game - I think we actually lost 1-0) Still Sami came on with 20 mins to go and immediately transformed the whole team. I was in the Stoke end that day and even those inbred twats were in awe. It's a small thing and he obviously has a long way to go but I'm loving your Sami comparison. If he can be half as good then it's 75mill well spent!

 

[mark1975]

The thing he does have over Sami is some pace, while still having an impeccable reading of the game. You see some quicker defenders who've spent their career relying on their pace to get out of trouble, while some slower ones have that extra yard in their head, because they read the game so well. He seems to have both pace and brains going for him.

 

[Woland]

Bit previous all this praise for me. We have a habit of destroying defensive talent. Lets give it a few months.

 

[Ryan]

I'm worried I may have a bit of a blind spot with Alexander-Arnold.

Thought he was borderline terrible yesterday, including for the complete shit-out on the header in our box that gave away a chance, and the 5mins of comically awful passing in the 1st half where he was getting absolutely reamed by VVD. And I do get the whole age and experience thing, but has anyone got anything other than "he's young and talented, give him time"?

He doesn't seem to have anywhere near the physical presence to be a CM (which is where I understand people think he would end up) and maybe hes not getting the chance to display his attacking prowess, but he doesn't show any craft or particular technical ability in his creative passing or crossing. So what are we basing this "he's going to be great" thing on? He's 20 later this year (which is still very young), but shouldn't we have more to hang our hats on than general good vibes. I think getting Clyne fit should be a massive, massive bonus for us for the run-in.

Nah, I'm not having that mate - that kid's a real talent.

 

[Red Astaire]

The thing he does have over Sami is some pace, while still having an impeccable reading of the game. You see some quicker defenders who've spent their career relying on their pace to get out of trouble, while some slower ones have that extra yard in their head, because they read the game so well. He seems to have both pace and brains going for him.

I was thinking that - A very assured and calming presence. Couple that with a brain and an ability to pass it out. Captain Virgil I think very soon.

 

[juniormember]

There's something a bit infectious about VVD's body language on the pitch. It's good to see a player who is so authoritative when it matters, but who also doesn't take himself too seriously. He had a good laugh when the Southampton fans first booed him and when he went on that rampaging run late on before running out of steam. His interviews are great too. I really hope he stays fit and becomes a real mainstay for a few years. We've lacked someone like that since big Sami.

I have a feeling he may get the armband next season. If not next then defo the one after.