Liverpool 2010/11 Season Thread

[Nu-Eclipse]

Hmmm I think the only thing of note to come out of yesterdays game is the fact that Kuyt takes a much better corner kick than Xabi Alonso.

What, other than the blindingly obvious fact that playing Kuyt (a striker) and Benayoun (an attacking central midfielder) in wide midfield positions in a 4-4-2 simply won't give us the width that we are still crying out for after nearly five years of Rafa in charge?

Rafr, sort it out and buy at least one fecking winger, please! Or another 3rd/4th place finish beckons...

[SharkSkin-Man]

Yeah, but everyone knows we play narrow. I never knew Kuyt took a pretty sweet corner, it was the first time we cleared the first man for about 3 years.

We've actually been playing an odd, 4-1-3-1 + Gerrard-all-over-the-place formation, which I guess might work with Mascherano, but poor old Xabi just can't cover the ground quick enough to cover the space Gerrard leaves.
Keane is another worry - he seems to be dropping deeper & deeper as games go on, he was picking the ball up in our half towards the end of the Boro game. Not going to get much in the way of goals if that continues.

Looks like Riera is a done deal for the wing anyway.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Looks like Riera is a done deal for the wing anyway.

Yep - he looks likely to sign by close of the window at the end of the week.

Not terribly overwhelmed, if I'm honest. Admittedly not seen much of Riera, but what I have seen of him (appearances for Man City & Espanyol in UEFA Cup Final) didn't impress me much.

Time will tell though, obviously.

[Jusatsushi]

Screams panic buy to me, much like Kromkamp and Nunez. Hope I'm proved wrong though.

[SharkSkin-Man]

To be fair, we've been linked with him for a couple of months now, so he's obviously been on the list (behind Barry) for while. I didn't even notice him at City, but Pearce's side could make anyone look ****. He's forced his way to the fringes of the Spanish squad, so he must've been doing something half-right at Espanyol.

It sounds like it was a choice between him and (the more expensive) Downing in the end...there really isn't much out there to pick from as far as left footed wide men go.

[Adrock]

Screams panic buy to me, much like Kromkamp and Nunez. Hope I'm proved wrong though.

Both of those signings came through exchanges. Owen was sold to Real and Liverpool got money + Nunez. Kromkamp was an exchange for Josemi. I dont see how either could be classed as panic buys.

Riera, as already stated by SharkSkin-Man, has been interesting Liverpool for a while. The problem is English clubs demand stupidly high figures for players who aren't even internationals, in the case of Downing.

I'm hoping Riera does well if he joins. But I'm not holding my breath, Liverpool seem to have a cursed left wing position.

[Ajay1986]

LOL anyone else seeing the arguments between the managers, the best thing since Wenger Vs Pardew.

[abigsmurf]

Well, they're through but Liverpool have lost the right to ever call any other team boring.

[hudson]

I wouldn't say "boring". I would say we were ****. Not sure if we were going around calling other teams "boring" either. Another day, another Abigsmurf smelly poo statement

Well, they're through but Liverpool have lost the right to ever call any other team boring.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Well, they're through but Liverpool have lost the right to ever call any other team boring.

Anybody know just what the hell abigsmurf is talking about? Answers on a postcard, please...!

As for yesterday's game, Liverpool were complete gash and I would've had no complaints if Standard Liege went through. That said, we scraped Champions' League qualification in 2004/5, and we all know how that turned out, eh?

That said, drastic improvement is needed all-round. No width, no creativity, no trickery, no guile and no variety in our play. Just how long can our luck hold out?

[abigsmurf]

Anybody know just what the hell abigsmurf is talking about? Answers on a postcard, please...!

over 210 minutes without scoring or really looking like they could score against a pretty rubbish team is what I'm talking about.

[hudson]

Mate, actually you're not my mate... Liege looked like a team that would cause anyone problems. The defenders were twice the size of Sami Hyypia. You are an arrogant boy. Yes, we played absolutely pants - last night, and the last two saturdays. To just waltz in here calling us boring is childish and pooey chin dripping of you. I'm gonna waltz in the Chelsea thread and release a big smell trump and dedicate it to you and your Master League team of great Pokemen.

Bah, you made me childish! Waaaaaah

over 210 minutes without scoring or really looking like they could score against a pretty rubbish team is what I'm talking about.

[Nu-Eclipse]

over 210 minutes without scoring or really looking like they could score against a pretty rubbish team is what I'm talking about.

OK, we'll just put aside the fact that Standard Liege won their domestic league last season, shall we? They do deserve some respect in that sense, but obviously being a Chelsea fan clearly prevents you from being able to offer up even that.

Nobody disputes that Liverpool weren't rubbish last night (see my post above), but the reality is that I was just trying to figure out your absolute nonsense of a post, because I'm not entirely sure when it was that Liverpool accused any other team of being boring.

BTW, If you want to go down that road also, your lot hardly pulled up any trees at the JJB Stadium last week, and were highly fortunate to escape with a win, but there you go.

[abigsmurf]

OK, we'll just put aside the fact that Standard Liege won their domestic league last season, shall we? They do deserve some respect in that sense, but obviously being a Chelsea fan clearly prevents you from being able to offer up even that.

Nobody disputes that Liverpool weren't rubbish last night (see my post above), but the reality is that I was just trying to figure out your absolute nonsense of a post, because I'm not entirely sure when it was that Liverpool accused any other team of being boring.

BTW, If you want to go down that road also, your lot hardly pulled up any trees at the JJB Stadium last week, and were highly fortunate to escape with a win, but there you go.

Belgian football isn't exactly held in high regard. The country hasn't won a european competition in 20 years and they've not exactly set the champions league alight in recent memory.

I never said Liverpool accused anyone of being boring (although they did moan about chelsea playing long balls in a game where the stats showed they had actually played more), just that this squad will never be able to accuse another team of being dull after this season's start.

We weren't great at the JJB but we weren't at home and we actually looked like we cared about winning during the match.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Belgian football isn't exactly held in high regard. The country hasn't won a european competition in 20 years and they've not exactly set the champions league alight in recent memory.

I never said Liverpool accused anyone of being boring (although they did moan about chelsea playing long balls in a game where the stats showed they had actually played more), just that this squad will never be able to accuse another team of being dull after this season's start.

We weren't great at the JJB but we weren't at home and we actually looked like we cared about winning during the match.

Firstly, whether or not Belgian footie is highly regarded isn't the point. Ther fact is that they're Belgian league champions and they got to the Champions' League, albeit the qualifying stages. That alone deserves respect. It isn't their fault that past Belgian sides have been poor - In fact, they're probably suffering for past Belgian performances in Europe due to the UEFA Co-efficients meaning that they have to play qualifiers for the Champions' League when they probably deserve an automatic entry into the group stage

Secondly, your "Liverpool can never again call anybody dull" point is still a lame one for the simple fact that playing dull football and playing poor football aren't necessarily always the same thing. Sure, Liverpool have started the season poorly in terms of performance, but they're undefeated in the four matches that they've played, winning three of them. Why is it that your beloved Chelsea (who did this for most of the Mourinho era and last season with Grant), Man Utd & Arsenal are lauded with the classic cliché of "champions-elect who can grind out results when playing badly" when they play this way, yet Liverpool get slated to high heaven for it?