Liverpool 2014/15 | WARNING: Contains strong amounts of Scouse nonsense

[Trizy]

I think what will make this year more enjoyable than ever is their chance of winning the league last year which was a sure sign they'd give it a go this season and false belief they'd go on a run in the UCL. It will be magnificent to read their forums when they finish below 4th.. again!

You do need UCL to sign world class players unless you have silly money which in this case they'll have neither next year and they completely blew their chance of signing good players in the summer, although my guess is they probably were in for Fabergas, Sanchez, Di Maria & Falcao and got snubbed because if they weren't in for 3/4 of them targets serious questions need to be asked about the club.

First three of those named players are probably the best players in the league in their respected positions, could have done wonders for a team like Liverpool but..... SNUBBED! as they would say over in RAWK.

 

[Globule]

Strong defending.

Brenton Rodgers:

It’s not difficult to coach to just get 10 players right on your 18-yard box

 

[KM]

Is it me or Henderson has reverted to his pre-last season form(i.e absolute average) this year?

Seems kinda weird that him and Ramsey have both taken steps back after being very good last season.

 

[Feed Me]

Is it me or Henderson has reverted to his pre-last season form(i.e absolute average) this year?

Seems kinda weird that him and Ramsey have both taken steps back after being very good last season.

Reversion to type.

 

[Rafateria]

Is it me or Henderson has reverted to his pre-last season form(i.e absolute average) this year?

Seems kinda weird that him and Ramsey have both taken steps back after being very good last season.

Hot and cold. He's had some excellent games but I think that's now about 3 shite ones on the bounce.

 

[Barney]

You clearly don't know very much about Australia!

As opposed to the people on here who make comments about Liverpool without ever having stepped foot in the city?

 

[bishblaize]

Same story for Liverpool yesterday. Pedestrian in the middle, toothless in attack and always look liable to concede at the back.

Indeed it was only Chelsea going all arsenal and trying to pass their way into the net on the counter that meant the scoreline was at all reasonable.

Those Liverpool signings looking ever more iffy. Can had a decent start but faded quick as Chelsea took over. Moreno had his moments but made a lot of mistakes and in that first half attack after attack started on his side. It might be one of those things where he gets punished for every mistake at the moment, but it's the last thing that CB pairing needs. Balotelli, lambert, lovren were all unimpressive. Rodgers' actions this week seem to suggest he thinks lallana and Markovic are b-teamers. Pretty damning when you look at the form of the a-teamers.

As a United fan it's easy to hope they're falling into a moyesian abyss. However despite a run of 2 wins in 8 in the league I suspect they'll be a bit more optimistic now. While they were poor for the bulk of the match they at least upped the tempo for the first 15 mins and the last 15 mins. they had a solid game in Madrid (allowing for the circumstances) and they have Sturridge back soon. Plus they have 4 very winnable league games coming up before playing us at old Trafford, during which time we have arsenal and Southampton away. I'd play Liverpool this week if i could choose to, and I suspect they'll be in a better place by the time we meet.

 

[Browniee]

As opposed to the people on here who make comments about Liverpool without ever having stepped foot in the city?

Great night out in liverpool.

 

[Thisistheone]

Into the bottom half of the table. Incredible turnaround in such a short period of time.

 

[TheShedEnd]

Into the bottom half of the table. Incredible turnaround in such a short period of time.

Remember, it's never their fault.

 

[Thisistheone]

Remember, it's never their fault.

That reminds me, what's the deal with pool fans saying they were never getting a penalty or any big decision yesterday cos of Chelsea?

 

[Ole's_toe_poke]

Must be really frustrating for a 'Pool fan.

They had the league in their hands with 3 games to go, a situation they haven't been in in about 20 years and they fecked it up. The title challenge being very unexpected would've softened the blow only slightly.

Even so they must've started the summer full of optimism that with some minor tweaks they could once again challenge. Instead they lose their best player and sign a bunch of average squaddies to replace him and are nowhere close to being in a title race.

All the progress of last season washed away in the matter of a few months and they find themselves back in the same position, i.e. scrapping to get in the top 4.

I think Liverpool have missed a huge opportunity this summer and made a right mess of the good work done last year.

 

[Thisistheone]

It must be some kind of self harm addiction. Every time they go close to winning the league they sign absolute shite. 2002 - Diouf, Diao and Cheyrou. 2009 selling Alonso and replacing him with Aquilani. 2014....

 

[hundred_trillion]

As opposed to the people on here who make comments about Liverpool without ever having stepped foot in the city?

I didn't say a thing about Liverpool, pal. Where I'm from, people dream of a Melbourne life. That's all.

 

[marukomu]

Great night out in liverpool.

I got dragged to a place called Garlands for a New Year once. This bloke strated talking to me about footy when I was at the bar and I noticed he was wearing a skirt. I never went back to Liverpool after that.
Could have been Barney?

 

[ShadesOfTomato]

Is it me or Henderson has reverted to his pre-last season form(i.e absolute average) this year?

Seems kinda weird that him and Ramsey have both taken steps back after being very good last season.

He possesses excellent athleticism and work ethic, but beyond that he's just simply not that good a footballer. And when the team's struggling as it currently is, it shows.

 

[SteveJ]

I got dragged to a place called Garlands for a New Year once. This bloke strated talking to me about footy when I was at the bar and I noticed he was wearing a skirt. I never went back to Liverpool after that.

He's not fit to wear the skirt.

 

[marukomu]

He's not fit to wear the skirt.

Yeah. It was bang out of order... and foul.

He said "You're not gay, are you?"
Afterwards I didn't know whether to be happy that I was attractive enough that he wanted top bum me or not.

 

[Barney]

He possesses excellent athleticism and work ethic, but beyond that he's just simply not that good a footballer. And when the team's struggling as it currently is, it shows.

That's not true in the slightest. In fact this is one of the most ridiculous things I've read in this thread. He can't play when the team is struggling? I'm sorry, did I imagine his brilliant performances against Southampton, Everton and West Brom (he was very good against Spurs too)? His passing range is very good when he's given the freedom (by Gerrard, mainly) to utilise it. He's a very good footballer and a great athlete.

 

[gasmanc]

That's not true in the slightest. In fact this is one of the most ridiculous things I've read in this thread. He can't play when the team is struggling? I'm sorry, did I imagine his brilliant performances against Southampton, Everton and West Brom (he was very good against Spurs too)? His passing range is very good when he's given the freedom (by Gerrard, mainly) to utilise it. He's a very good footballer and a great athlete.

Its up there with that looney claiming Liverpool with still have a shot at the title despite attempting to sign good players but when they wouldn't come just buying a load of shite instead.
Remember him no wonder he got banned

 

[The Purley King]

They have basically "done a Spurs" when they sold Bale.
It might work out in the end I guess, but bringing in 4-5 players in one window who are all supposed to be starters in the best XI is always difficult.
Also - where is the pressing game from last season? Surely that can continue even with different personnel? Actually, could ask Pochettino the same question. Perhaps its not as easy as all that!

 

[finneh]

Unfortunately no manager is ever going to do well long term if they are terrible at identifying and purchasing good player's. You can be the best motivator and tactician in the world, but if you spend over £200m and only 10% of this is spent wisely (Sturridge & Coutinho) you'll start dropping down the League. He really needs a director of Football to help him out.

His purchasing has made Dalglish, a man who spent £35m on Andy Carroll, look like a genius.

 

[Rafateria]

Same story for Liverpool yesterday. Pedestrian in the middle, toothless in attack and always look liable to concede at the back.
Indeed it was only Chelsea going all arsenal and trying to pass their way into the net on the counter that meant the scoreline was at all reasonable.

Amazing how a person's bias can so strongly influence how they read a match. I'm talking about us both. To me Chelsea didn't look like they were going to score until Ming's carry over the line and then the deflection off Moreno falling perfectly for Costa. They didn't have another clear-cut chance and were shooting from further out, and passing it around the box, simply because they couldn't find a way through. I'm not saying that was all due to our defence as just as much it was Chelsea's own failings.
Even during that time though we were still creating the odd effort and after watching the BPL highlights match again last night the better chances mostly fell to us, good saves, a deflection and a penalty claim all denying us scoring again (in a match that was really bereft of top goal-scoring chances). It felt at times as if we were getting back to very positive creative play, and for me Can and Coutinho were at the heart of that because Hendo was having another poor match but at least containing Fabregas - as BR said he was assigned to. Can, & especially Coutinho, made 2-3 excellent runs apiece and Sterling always looked like he could make something happen. So in reality, although Chelsea were the better team, that match could and probably should have finished even (on the penalty decision alone never mind chances).

Those Liverpool signings looking ever more iffy. Can had a decent start but faded quick as Chelsea took over. Moreno had his moments but made a lot of mistakes and in that first half attack after attack started on his side. It might be one of those things where he gets punished for every mistake at the moment, but it's the last thing that CB pairing needs. Balotelli, lambert, lovren were all unimpressive. Rodgers' actions this week seem to suggest he thinks lallana and Markovic are b-teamers. Pretty damning when you look at the form of the a-reamers.

What is our A-team ? Depending on form, formation and opposition I'm not sure that more than 6-7 positions are set in stone.

As a United fan it's easy to hope they're falling into a moyesian abyss. However despite a run of 2 wins in 8 in the league I suspect they'll be a bit more optimistic now. While they were poor for the bulk of the match they at least upped the tempo for the first 15 mins and the last 15 mins. they had a solid game in Madrid (allowing for the circumstances) and they have Sturridge back soon. Plus they have 4 very winnable league games coming up before playing us at old Trafford, during which time we have arsenal and Southampton away. I'd play Liverpool this week if i could choose to, and I suspect they'll be in a better place by the time we meet.

I've looked over the next 8-10 games for all the sides expected (at the beginning of the season) to be battling for a Top 4 slot and for me, in order of difficulty, it goes (most difficult sequence first) : Arsenal, United, Everton, Liverpool, Spurs. I'd be surprised, despite current form, if Liverpool were not in the Top 4 by the end of that sequence of games. Thereafter January signings and confidence could impact the Top 4 positions just as much as current form (talking of which I do think there are some very positive signs from both the RM and CFC matches).

 

[bishblaize]

Amazing how a person's bias can so strongly influence how they read a match. I'm talking about us both. To me Chelsea didn't look like they were going to score until Ming's carry over the line and then the deflection off Moreno falling perfectly for Costa. They didn't have another clear-cut chance and were shooting from further out, and passing it around the box, simply because they couldn't find a way through. I'm not saying that was all due to our defence as just as much it was Chelsea's own failings.

Well, I hardly know what to make of such an assessment. I guess we each see the game differently, but you'd have to scout around long and hard to find a non-Liverpool fan who didn't see Chelsea as being significantly superior in every department. Indeed even the Liverpool Echo seem to be pretty clear on what they saw (link, link) stating that Liverpool ended the first half "in total disarray", which is what I saw as Chelsea piled forward down your left side repeatedly.

What is our A-team ? Depending on form, formation and opposition I'm not sure that more than 6-7 positions are set in stone.

The events of this week make it pretty clear who's in your first team and who isn't, surely? That whole madrid thing? Unless you're claiming they were dropped for the Madrid game.

 

[Dumbstar]

Rafa, Hazard should have well and truly buried us mate. I admit we had some decent chances and 1 stonewall penalty that was clearly visible to the ref but Chelsea should have finished us. The swing will hit the roundabout for Chelsea later in the season, when Mourinho will be in 'uproar'.

We have been looking slightly better since playing Real and Chelsea. We were atrocious against Hull and Newcastle. Remember when QPR, Sunderland and Newcastle were going through a similar patch? Now look at them, specially Newcastle. Its good we've got some tough fixtures out of the way that we weren't going to win even on form anyway.

 

[Ole's_toe_poke]

I'm sorry, did I imagine his brilliant performances against Southampton, Everton and West Brom

TBF you do have a bit of a wild imagination.

 

[Barney]

TBF you do have a bit of a wild imagination.

Why don't you dispute my point rather than trying to act the funnyman.

 

[Rafateria]

Rafa, Hazard should have well and truly buried us mate. I admit we had some decent chances and 1 stonewall penalty that was clearly visible to the ref but Chelsea should have finished us.

Well, I hardly know what to make of such an assessment. I guess we each see the game differently, but you'd have to scout around long and hard to find a non-Liverpool fan who didn't see Chelsea as being significantly superior in every department. Indeed even the Liverpool Echo seem to be pretty clear on what they saw (link, link) stating that Liverpool ended the first half "in total disarray", which is what I saw as Chelsea piled forward down your left side repeatedly.

The events of this week make it pretty clear who's in your first team and who isn't, surely? That whole madrid thing? Unless you're claiming they were dropped for the Madrid game.

I haven't disputed Chelsea's dominance for the middle 50-60mins of the match. What I felt at the time was that Chelsea didn't seem that dangerous or were making it seem very likely they would score. Lots of passing and huffing and puffing without really threatening the goal. Hazard had 3 efforts as far as I can remember - but none of them even tested Ming, they were pretty easy saves for a keeper of his shot-stopping prowess (despite his other deficiencies), and none of them from inside the box if I remember correctly. Both of Chelsea's goals had more than an element of luck about them (as did ours, obviously) despite the great work done by Azpilecueta (sp.) on the left.

BB. I think you missed the bit where I said "Depending on form, formation and opposition"...... Certainly Sturridge, Lallana, Flanno would have strong claims against those incumbents in the team that started vs.Chelsea. Markovic is a long term project, LFC said as much when we bought him. Possibly we'd have hoped for a little more to date but give the 20 y.o. kid in a new country, club and with literally no-one who speaks his native language, a chance. I certainly doubt Lovren will befriend him !

 

[Orc]

Rafa, Hazard should have well and truly buried us mate. I admit we had some decent chances and 1 stonewall penalty that was clearly visible to the ref but Chelsea should have finished us. The swing will hit the roundabout for Chelsea later in the season, when Mourinho will be in 'uproar'.

We have been looking slightly better since playing Real and Chelsea. We were atrocious against Hull and Newcastle. Remember when QPR, Sunderland and Newcastle were going through a similar patch? Now look at them, specially Newcastle. Its good we've got some tough fixtures out of the way that we weren't going to win even on form anyway.

People keep trying to comfort themselves by saying that Chelsea will eventually collapse or go on a bad run. Why is that? They aren't Arsenal. They have huge depth and a brilliant manager. Unlike every other "contender" this season they aren't totally reliant on a single player or two.

If they have a poor run it'll only be for 1 or two games. Even then I can't see them losing consecutive league matches. Only thing that I can see completely destroying their season would be for 3-4 of their best players all getting injured at once. Like if Matić, Fabregas, and Costa were to all fall for an extended period.

 

[finneh]

People keep trying to comfort themselves by saying that Chelsea will eventually collapse or go on a bad run. Why is that? They aren't Arsenal. They have huge depth and a brilliant manager. Unlike every other "contender" this season they aren't totally reliant on a single player or two.

If they have a poor run it'll only be for 1 or two games. Even then I can't see them losing consecutive league matches. Only thing that I can see completely destroying their season would be for 3-4 of their best players all getting injured at once. Like if Matić, Fabregas, and Costa were to all fall for an extended period.

Disagree with this. If Costa gets injured they'll struggle just like the did last season. Look at the game against us, apart from Drogba from a set piece they looked toothless. Hazard, Fabregas, Oscar & Willian/Schurrle all are good player's, but they aren't going to step up and score 20+ goals in the League. Likewise Remy/Drogba aren't going to chip in with more than a handful in my opinion.

You look at their results this season (which are very impressive), but in half the games only a single goal got them the result (City, United, Crystal Palace, QPR and Liverpool, as well as Schalke, Maribor, Shrewsbury, Sporting, Bolton). They certainly aren't blowing everyone away and the loss of a single important player (Cahill, Terry, Hazard, Fabregas or particularly Costa) could turn a few of those wins/draws into draws/losses.

 

[Empire]

Disagree with this. If Costa gets injured they'll struggle just like the did last season. Look at the game against us, apart from Drogba from a set piece they looked toothless. Hazard, Fabregas, Oscar & Willian/Schurrle all are good player's, but they aren't going to step up and score 20+ goals in the League. Likewise Remy/Drogba aren't going to chip in with more than a handful in my opinion.

You look at their results this season (which are very impressive), but in half the games only a single goal got them the result (City, United, Crystal Palace, QPR and Liverpool, as well as Schalke, Maribor, Shrewsbury, Sporting, Bolton). They certainly aren't blowing everyone away and the loss of a single important player (Cahill, Terry, Hazard, Fabregas or particularly Costa) could turn a few of those wins/draws into draws/losses.

They are on course for 100 points, even if they suffer a drastic decline in performance they might get only 85 points but i'd think that will be enough to win the league with how things are going this season.

Say United hit championship winning form starting against Arsenal, that is to say they average 2.37 points per game for the next 27 games (90 points across 38 games), they would end up with 80 points, the same scenario for Arsenal would leave them with 81 points and City with 85 points.

I can't see that happening but who knows, Chelsea could get complacent and stop playing, losing that flow and experiencing an epic collapse.

For Chelsea to get 85 points they would need to average 2.07 points across the remaining 27 games (79 points across 38 games).

 

[TheShedEnd]

IMO I think we're gonna break our points record, going unbeaten will take some doing though. We have the hard fixtures out the way, but it's keeping the concentration levels plus it depends how far we get in other competitions.

 

[Rafateria]

IMO I think we're gonna break our points record, going unbeaten will take some doing though. We have the hard fixtures out the way, but it's keeping the concentration levels plus it depends how far we get in other competitions.

Across the 5 major leagues in Europe, over the past 10 years, there have been 20 teams that hit the 11 game mark unbeaten .... and only one (Juventus) that finished the season that way. Going back further you then have Arsenal.

 

[finneh]

They are on course for 100 points, even if they suffer a drastic decline in performance they might get only 85 points but i'd think that will be enough to win the league with how things are going this season.

Say United hit championship winning form starting against Arsenal, that is to say they average 2.37 points per game for the next 27 games (90 points across 38 games), they would end up with 80 points, the same scenario for Arsenal would leave them with 81 points and City with 85 points.

I can't see that happening but who knows, Chelsea could get complacent and stop playing, losing that flow and experiencing an epic collapse.

For Chelsea to get 85 points they would need to average 2.07 points across the remaining 27 games (79 points across 38 games).

I'm not saying they won't win the League, they almost certainly will. But saying that their bad run will consist of 1 or 2 poor games is a push. They lose Costa and they probably lose 10 points straight away. I can see a 6-7 game streak where they only get 10 points, particularly if they are still in all competitions come Feb.

 

[Barney]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...tonio-Di-Natale-nearly-went-Anfield-2008.html

Shame.

 

[Empire]

I'm not saying they won't win the League, they almost certainly will. But saying that their bad run will consist of 1 or 2 poor games is a push. They lose Costa and they probably lose 10 points straight away. I can see a 6-7 game streak where they only get 10 points, particularly if they are still in all competitions come Feb.

Oh yeah I agree with that, even with Costa complacency will probably creep in where they could lose 7 or so points quite quickly.

 

[Ole's_toe_poke]

Why don't you dispute my point rather than trying to act the funnyman.

Honestly can't say I've really noticed Henderson this season which probably means he's doing not great but not bad either.

You have bigger fish to fry in other areas of the pitch.

 

[Tarrou]

They have basically "done a Spurs" when they sold Bale.
It might work out in the end I guess, but bringing in 4-5 players in one window who are all supposed to be starters in the best XI is always difficult.
Also - where is the pressing game from last season? Surely that can continue even with different personnel? Actually, could ask Pochettino the same question. Perhaps its not as easy as all that!

Not sure they have "done a Spurs" to be honest mate. Spurs earned 3 points less and dropped 1 place in the post-Bale season. I'm sure most Liverpool fans would snap-call if you offered them that right now.

In terms of level of decline (as opposed to the amount of absolute dross signed) it's more akin to Moyes fecking up United

 

[Rafateria]

Mark Schwarzer on BT Sport just now, admitting that he did indeed start deliberately wasting time at Anfield last season after a mere 30 seconds. 'It was our game plan'.

I wonder how many others. Refs really do need to crack down on this. Regardless of the team you support it is detrimental to the game and to the paying supporter. A yellow or two early on would soon erase thoughts of time-wasting.

 

[Dumbstar]

People keep trying to comfort themselves by saying that Chelsea will eventually collapse or go on a bad run. Why is that? They aren't Arsenal. They have huge depth and a brilliant manager. Unlike every other "contender" this season they aren't totally reliant on a single player or two.

If they have a poor run it'll only be for 1 or two games. Even then I can't see them losing consecutive league matches. Only thing that I can see completely destroying their season would be for 3-4 of their best players all getting injured at once. Like if Matić, Fabregas, and Costa were to all fall for an extended period.

Not saying Chelsea won't win the league, but if you take out Costa and Fabregas Chelsea basically have the same squad, the same team and the same manager as last season. Drogba is Eto'o Mk II and and an always injured Remy is basically as useful as an always injured Torres.

So to Costa and Fabregas then...why will they get injured? Well, just take a look at their injury records. Costa bust a gut and a ballsack to help Atletico last season and then Spain in the albeit short world cup. He's high on adrenaline right now but winter is coming. Mourinho may win the league like I said, but they won't be breaking any records doing so. More than likely they'll have zero competition on their way to the easiest league campaign ever recorded.