Work rate

[Spionkop69]

That's what we lost and haven't replaced in the striker position.

I did warn people that Balotelli won't give us work rate or desire and I'm not happy to be right. Him and Sturridge don't have anywhere near the work rate combined that Suarez had. That's the difference.

Tonight was the worst of Ballotelli and a couple of others.

 

[Fabio]

Balotelli didn't have Suarez work rate, that is true. But considering he was getting over the shits and still isn't match fit, I was impressed with his overall play

Coutinho and Gerrard were worse than balo for me

 

[Spionkop69]

Balotelli didn't have Suarez work rate, that is true. But considering he was getting over the shits and still isn't match fit, I was impressed with his overall play

Coutinho and Gerrard were worse than balo for me

He doesn't put a shift in Mark! He just ambled about looking pissed off. Ok he ŵas getting rough house tactics but ?Suarez got that and and just got on with it.

I know Gerrard and Coutinho were not up to it, but it was the work rate up front I'm discussing here. Yeah I am doing a bit of I told you so but...today proved me right. Lazy, disinterested and sulky. Get your fucking head up and work son. And to be fair to him, Sturridge is similar when we don't have the ball.

 

[Fabio]

I'm still willing to let him get to full speed. He's not match fit and coming off of an illness

 

[Spionkop69]

I'm still willing to let him get to full speed. He's not match fit and coming off of an illness

I'm not writing him off. I'm just commenting on tonight. He had the shits and was shit.

If he's not fit play Sterling.

 

[Fabio]

I'm not writing him off. I'm just commenting on tonight. He had the shits and was shit.

If he's not fit play Sterling.

If he wasnt ready I'd rather have played Lambert.

 

[Spionkop69]

Exactly! We needed a presence up front and had none, all game.

 

[Oliver Twist]

That's what we lost and haven't replaced in the striker position.

I did warn people that Balotelli won't give us work rate or desire and I'm not happy to be right. Him and Sturridge don't have anywhere near the work rate combined that Suarez had. That's the difference.

Tonight was the worst of Ballotelli and a couple of others.

Proven right after two games?

But we sold one of the best strikers in the world. We were never going to replace him like for like so it's about making up for it in other places. And that will take time. Certainly more than 2 games.

 

[Spionkop69]

Proven right after two games?

But we sold one of the best strikers in the world. We were never going to replace him like for like so it's about making up for it in other places. And that will take time. Certainly more than 2 games.

I never said I was totally right. I said we'd never replaced the work rate and it showed today. Balotelli has never worked hard. Ever.

I'm not blaming Balotelli, just saying what I saw during today's game. You disagree. That's fine.

 

[Spionkop69]

Oh and I've said previously we couldn't replace him like for like. The major bit we will feel is the work rate. That was glaringly obvious today, don't you think'? Especially up front and not just from Balotelli.

 

[Oliver Twist]

I never said I was totally right. I said we'd never replaced the work rate and it showed today. Balotelli has never worked hard. Ever.

I'm not blaming Balotelli, just saying what I saw during today's game. You disagree. That's fine.

I'm not sure I said I disagree. I just think we are not going to replace Suarez or his workrate. But what we may do is find something else as a unit. And two games in is too early to say whether that's a possibility or not.

 

[Oliver Twist]

Oh and I've said previously we couldn't replace him like for like. The major bit we will feel is the work rate. That was glaringly obvious today, don't you think'? Especially up front and not just from Balotelli.

Yeah. And Rodgers is going to have to adapt his formations and tactics to compensate.

We have a lot of new players to bed in. And, frankly, the defence worries me more than the attack.

 

[Frogfish]

Oh and I've said previously we couldn't replace him like for like. The major bit we will feel is the work rate. That was glaringly obvious today, don't you think'? Especially up front and not just from Balotelli.

Part yes, part no. The problem yesterday, I feel, was three-fold, far too slow moving the ball from back to front, lack of space in midfield and creativity to create that space, lack of movement up front. The midfield contributed to the later though with Balotelli being forced to come wider (out to our LW) to try to get on the ball leaving a gaping hole where we lacked a forward up front, playing 2 up front would solve that issue, it was too easy yesterday for Villa to mark Balotelli out of the game.

 

[cloggypop]

Balotelli did not look fit to me.

 

[Fabio]

Don't know if anyone noticed (though I think spion touched on it), their cbs were giving balotelli a LOT of off the ball grief. Lots of shoulder barges, sly elbows to the spine. Lots of shit house tactics

 

[jexykrodic]

Don't know if anyone noticed (though I think spoon touched on it), their cbs were giving balotelli a LOT of off the ball grief. Lots of shoulder barges, sly elbows to the spine. Lots of shit house tactics

I should think that coming from the Italian League he'd be quite used to that.

 

[gkmacca]

Don't know if anyone noticed (though I think spoon touched on it), their cbs were giving balotelli a LOT of off the ball grief. Lots of shoulder barges, sly elbows to the spine. Lots of shit house tactics

Oh it was outrageous. I wasn't surprised Mason either missed it all or ignored it, but how his assistant also missed the most blatant ones was incredible. At least one of their defenders should have been red carded. At least Mario didn't react to it, which was a positive that of course was overlooked by those desperate to sustain the stereotype.

 

[mom]

Exactly. If he'd have reacted it would have been a big concern, as they were obviously told to wind him up in the hope of getting him sent off. And it's going to be a fairly common ploy for a while until folk realise that it's not going to work.

 

[gkmacca]

Suarez, up until his last season, and even then on the odd occasion, would have gone absolutely nuts over that treatment.

 

[Oncy]

John youve been spoiled with Suarez. No one else is like him, maybe Rooney on his day.
Look at Torres and Sturridge. Thats a fairer reflection of what to expect.
No one else is like Suarez

 

[Rafiagra]

Gerrard as captain should be bollocking them all in front of him for not working hard enough.

It's all very well Rodgers trying to do it from the side but Gerrard has to pull rank with his teammates.

 

[Mystic]

I hate it when teams act like Villa did yesterday, shit house tactics, I remember Spurs midfield did it the last time they beat us, absolutely cunty way to play, but we've got to get used to it.

 

[Fabio]

Gerrard as captain should be bollocking them all in front of him for not working hard enough.

It's all very well Rodgers trying to do it from the side but Gerrard has to pull rank with his teammates.

If Gerrard did that I think everyone up front would have thought "you're one to fucking talk"

 

[gkmacca]

Time-wasting: I'm not excusing the performance one bit, but, when this is clearly going to be the tactic of choice this season, it really should be made more difficult to fulfil by the refs. If - as Villa did yesterday - you start to waste time after a mere 30 minutes, then penalise them for time wasting. It's not difficult. Time wasting doesn't only become a bookable offence after 70 odd minutes, but you'd have thought Lee Mason was under that delusion yesterday. If a keeper is booked in the first half for blatant time wasting - and the fact is that it IS in the first half ought to make it more, rather than less, justifiable - then it would benefit the attack-minded side. Which is how football should be run. Visiting teams are perfectly entitled to park the bus after getting an early goal - they can do what they like - but refs need to penalise them when they waste time. It hardly ever happens. Time wasting isn't a tactic. It's not within the rules of the game.

 

[leftpeg]

Mason kept signalling to his watch as if to say he knew what they were doing and he would be adding time...and then he didn't (hardly anyway). One minute at the end if the first half, four at 90.

 

[Silver Sean]

I said at the time we signed him and still believe he's the opposite of what I like to see in a Liverpool striker. I don't believe for a second he'll become what we all hope he will, and he'll be gone in two years. He looks like another footballer who doesn't really care about football. Not fully fit, new team, new surroundings etc do not excuse looking like a petulant child, not putting a shift in and letting a third rate CB have you on toast all game.
I really hope I'm wrong, wrong, wrong.

 

[Silver Sean]

Suarez, up until his last season, and even then on the odd occasion, would have gone absolutely nuts over that treatment.

The difference is Suarez would have nutmegged Senderos, then nutmegged him again, then put him in the stands, then buried one into the net. Because he wants to win at any cost. Ballotelli looks like a man who has stumbled upon a highly paid job and just coasts doing the bare minimum.

 

[Whirly]

I really think he was done a disservice by the lack of movement/creativity early on, especially from Coutinho/Lallana. He seemed to be linking up fairly well with Markovic though.

But yeah, he definitely did look sluggish.

 

[Whirly]

The difference is Suarez would have nutmegged Senderos, then nutmegged him again, then put him in the stands, then buried one into the net. Because he wants to win at any cost. Ballotelli looks like a man who has stumbled upon a highly paid job and just coasts doing the bare minimum.

I think it's easy to forget how many times Suarez's nutmegs failed, and led to the opposition countering though.

Balotelli usually took the safe option, as did a lot of players yesterday. Coutinho was really the only ones with the balls to shoot.

 

[gkmacca]

The difference is Suarez would have nutmegged Senderos, then nutmegged him again, then put him in the stands, then buried one into the net.

Except in the games when he didn't. Give Balotelli a chance.