Greenlizard0 Weekend Football Thread ** spoilers ** [3rd May - 7th May 2014]

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To have come so close and then lost it hurts. Of course it does. No matter which team you support, for it to happen to your team would hurt.

However..incredible progress has been made with the team this year, I know quite a lot of people who didn't even think we would make it into the top 4, let alone actually mount a title challenge which went right to the end of the season. To go from 7th to 1st would have been virtually unprecedented, the media often spoke of it as being a miracle title challenge and it has been.

Carragher was right in what he said last night though, the defence needs a serious overhaul and we really do need to get shot of Sakho, he just goes into a blind panic when any attacker gets near him. Hopefully we can shore up the defence over the summer and come back with another title challenge near year. I'm down today of course, but its not bleak.
 
I said Sakho wasn't good enough some days ago, but I was shot down. It's not just his lack of pace and his lack of ability on the ball, but it's his positioning that is wrong. Every time a ball goes out wide he gravitates towards it, when it's cut in from the byline his weight is always on one foot instead of balanced, so he can't adjust if it comes inside him... he's all strength and not much else. Fine against Stoke, not so good against the cream of European football.

It's not just that, Sakho makes Skrtel look better (and he has done well the past couple of months) because he's not as good as Skrtel. Agger actually improves Skrtel's game.
 
Disgusted that both Ade and Paulinho moved out out the way from the free kick this weekend.. The wages they are paid, they should take one for the team.

As for 'pool... i din't think I've ever seen a team roll over and give so easy with so much on it.. They don't deserve to be champions..
 
Gilly said:
I said Sakho wasn't good enough some days ago, but I was shot down. It's not just his lack of pace and his lack of ability on the ball, but it's his positioning that is wrong. Every time a ball goes out wide he gravitates towards it, when it's cut in from the byline his weight is always on one foot instead of balanced, so he can't adjust if it comes inside him... he's all strength and not much else. Fine against Stoke, not so good against the cream of European football.

It's not just that, Sakho makes Skrtel look better (and he has done well the past couple of months) because he's not as good as Skrtel. Agger actually improves Skrtel's game.
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I had hoped it was just that he was taking some time to settle into the English game, but it really just looks much more like he lacks ability. Often his "tackling" seems to consist of just sticking 1 foot in and hoping. Repeatedly see him jabbing a leg out like a jousting lance each match. From what I've seen so far of him, I'd say we paid over the odds at £15m and cant see us managing to recoup that
 
Our CBs are odd, or rather inconsistent. They'll play a blinder one game and look like two Poulsens the next. Skrtel is the only one who has proved he is 100% worth having.

Our football also exposes mistakes from our defenders quite badly, add in two not great left backs and it's a disaster.

Also Gerrard and Lucas in the same team doesn't work, Lucas isn't half the player he was :(
 
Tombstone said:
We've certainly missed Henderson that's for sure.

(and that's not something I used to think I'd ever say)
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Have you missed him so much because he has become Gerrard's legs?

It roughly equates to Ramsey in Arsenal's team. He's dynamic, makes the runs, gets through the work.
 
Yep, what we paid for him was a bargain.

Allen is looking good too, he was vital as a sub coming on and closing off those games we began to concede in, another high energy midfielder definitely required. Lucas also wasted up front, Stevie should play his role if we ever have to play them both again
 
It's going to be a lot harder for Liverpool to compete for the title from next season, even ignoring the added Champion's League fixtures which will take their toll you'll be looking at a much stronger Chelsea/United, it really was a great opportunity missed.
 
Gilly said:
Have you missed him so much because he has become Gerrard's legs?

It roughly equates to Ramsey in Arsenal's team. He's dynamic, makes the runs, gets through the work.
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Of course, Stevie hasn't got the pace, he has improved his positioning loads but him and two CBs can't defend every attack, our balance is great with Hendo in the team, we'll still concede but we'll definitely score and more than likely quite a few
 
mmj_uk said:
It's going to be a lot harder for Liverpool to compete for the title from next season, even ignoring the added Champion's League fixtures which will take their toll you'll be looking at a much stronger Chelsea/United, it really was a great opportunity missed.
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You'll be looking at a lot stronger Liverpool too lol
 
Gilly said:
Have you missed him so much because he has become Gerrard's legs?

It roughly equates to Ramsey in Arsenal's team. He's dynamic, makes the runs, gets through the work.
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Pretty much, I equate Gerrard now to Molby, I remember in the twilight of Molbys career where he essentially became a stationary tennis ball machine, pinging balls out all over the place but not terribly mobile. He did it damned well though :)
 
He did indeed.

Like a more annoying Pirlo then? :p Though I think Pirlo's close control is better (than Gerrard's).
 
Gilly said:
Have you missed him so much because he has become Gerrard's legs?

It roughly equates to Ramsey in Arsenal's team. He's dynamic, makes the runs, gets through the work.
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It's not so much about him doing Gerrard's running but covering the fullbacks imo.

When we play with a diamond like we have been then it's the jobs of the wider 2 midfielders to get across and help out the fullbacks when the opposition attack. Henderson has the energy to do that and it's no coincidence that with Lucas coming in to replace him that Johnson's been left exposed both yesterday and vs Norwich.

It's easy to say in hindsight but trying to stick with either a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 diamond without Henderson has been a mistake. Maybe going back to the 3-4-3 we played earlier in the season or a 4-2-3-1 would have been better suited to the players we had available.
 
Gilly said:
He did indeed.

Like a more annoying Pirlo then? :p Though I think Pirlo's close control is better (than Gerrard's).
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Pirlo has amazing facial hair. Pirlo is a beautiful man :o.

I agree to an extent that Gerrard is adopting the 'Pirlo' role, and is more than capable, but in reality there are very few players up to Pirlo's standard, even despite his lack of mobility now he's older.
 
The only English players that have anything like the passing range to play that role recently have been Gerrard and Beckham. Beckham should have moved to a deep-lying passing role 5 years before he did.

Neither are Pirlo though, as you state.
 
mmj_uk said:
It's going to be a lot harder for Liverpool to compete for the title from next season, even ignoring the added Champion's League fixtures which will take their toll you'll be looking at a much stronger Chelsea/United, it really was a great opportunity missed.
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Really? People said we had no chance of top four this year, look how that panned out.
 
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