At that post.
It's a great hit but....
Sorry, we deserve this. We've offered nothing at all since half time.
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At that post.
It's a great hit but....
Sorry, we deserve this. We've offered nothing at all since half time.
Was a great hit tbfQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Bit like us. Offered nothing feom open play.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
It's all just too negative, too cautious. Same as last season. We've learned nothing, I'm afraid. :-(Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
Stop talking sh1t, Peter. Both sides were cautious and despite no Saka or Havertz and with Saliba off early doors we controlled large parts of this game at Anfield.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
The conclusion to be drawn is that we are at least as good as Liverpool. We just need to stay fit for once and we?ll be there in May
We controlled parts of the first half. We've done absolutely nothing in the second half. Sat deeper and deeper, surrendered control against a side you say yourself were cautious.Quote:
Originally Posted by WES
This what we do, and it just doesn't work.
But you're drawing the conclusion that we are at least as good as the team we have just lost to......
Conclusion drawn from this match...Quote:
Originally Posted by WES
They're not better than us.
Pretty **** result then...... and performance because they looked a damn sight better than us in the second half.Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
Silly game. Finally arrive at the team that ought to have started (apart from Martinelli and the youngster) and THEN we lose :homer:Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Understandable because arriving at the hour-mark all square at nil-nil is not always something we manage down there so we were always going to be cautious at the start.
But still.
Whilst I ****ing loathe those odious scouse ****s...Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I think you're being hard on us.
Not many will make them look ordinary, at best, at home.
We surrendered control of the game. Liverpool didn't take it, we gave it to them.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
We stopped moving, started holding position and dropped deeper. We always do it.
They were there for the taking today but as usual we were too concerned with managing the game.
If we'd gone for them and lost i would understand. But we never do. It is so frustrating.
You cannot win titles playing like that. It is impossible.
If that had finished 0-0 I would be saying the same thing.
Had we gone for them, we wouldn't have lost. Although we sometimes do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
And there's the rub :-\
We'll never know :-(Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
They looked hugely vulnerable against Bournemouth and were lucky to nick a win. They were all over the shop at Newcastle and even against ten men conceded twice and had to nick a late win.Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
We've come here and had one shot on target and, at half time, after looking the better side, we've completely surrendered control.
Why? They were looking ordinary but we still backed off and invited pressure. We never got st them at all.
That is poor. And if you play like that, you'll win nothing.
"Managing the game" simply has to include scoring goals, especially in the first half. Otherwise what game are you managing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Managing the game has to mean controlling it, not destroying it.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
And if you control games, you can score goals.
Liverpool's back four had a much harder game against Bournemouth. We hardly laid a glove on them save for a few Madueke runs
You expected us to control the entire game at Anfield? You think we?re so much better than the defending champions that if we aren?t controlling the game it?s down to us and nothing to do with them being rather good?Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
You expect to much, Peter. Even game that was going to be a draw unless someone did something spectacular. They did, we didn?t, but they are no better than us. Going to be a fun season. :thumbup:
Not what I said at all. In fact it was you who said we are at least as good as the defending champions.Quote:
Originally Posted by WES
My point is we surrendered control in the second half. That goal was coming. We dropped deeper and deeper but we never reacted or tried to change the game. We were hoping to nick the draw.
Liverpool are not playing well. They were there to be beaten today instead we backed off abd played with fear in the second half.
Got what we deserved. Abd until we start turning up wanting to play in these games we are not going to win a thing.
And as I have said elsewhere had we tried and failed, I could live with it. We never tried. We never do.
Nothing has changed. Expect the same season again :-(
And, another ****ijg injury:-(Quote:
Originally Posted by WES
So you don?t think there?s a possibility that we dropped deeper and conceded more possession because they were playing better? They passed better, moved better, pressed better? It must have been because we surrendered?Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I appreciate your optimism, Peter :-)
Let's say you are right. How does that sit with your claim that this game shows we are at least as good as them?Quote:
Originally Posted by WES
Given that they passed better, moved better, pressed better.....?
Let's face it, we're both probably wrong. Unfortunately our coach is as well :-(
No; from a coach's point of view, losing 1-nil is far better than losing 5-4.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
George Graham was only negative when he knew he had a **** team. When we were good, and he knew it. We attacked games.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
We are not ****. Far from it. But we need to be more adventurous if we are going to move beyond finishing in the top four.
Two positives today. Madeueke looks better than Sterling :-)
And the young Spanish defender did well.
But we lost Saliba, and we lost the game.
Not a good day for us at all. On the back of that wretched performance against United, I'm convinced I don't want to bother witg the Newcastle game. I'm going to go out on the piss and ignore it.
All fair points. I like Noni, despite everything. And apparently we can never have too many centre halves after all. Or even maybe enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
But why the obsession with Dowman? Surely Leo in that situation, a proven "Joker", after all.
The only thing I will say is that any trust Arteta had in Martinelli has now gone. An utterly woeful performanceQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Dunno about that. He's a top four or five most regular starter/selection under Mikel, I'd say. Clearly he likes what he does.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
Re: Dowman. We weren't creating enough chances. At least Max may have won a pelanty dribbling into the box.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
We're still learning how to play with Vik and neither side were really able to get beyond the back 4. A fit Kai would have been a better option to start with up top. Vik had a nice touch or two in the box but Kai dropping deep pulling CHs out of position may have been much more useful in that game.
Re: CHs. Nowadays it's a squad game where we have about 8 subs {or however many it is on the bench.} But back in the day, we had TA, Bould, Linnighan and O'Leary/Keown.
The thing I still hate was 1991 when TA was banged up and we were away at the Chavs, unbeaten. We got an injury to one of our CHs, and with only two subs - a MFer and a striker - we had to play David Hillier at CH.
In today's game, we'd have had at least one more CH on the pitch. We wouldn't have lost and would have been Invincibles.
As an aside, Noni looked good. The fans who gave him grief when he signed should go and support the Sperz. And Eze's gonna be amazing for us.
Though we need to find a left footed corner taker. That cost us. We got quite a few corners on the right - Noni did well to win us several. But we had no inswingers and didn't threaten at all from that side. Can Noni not take them? Or Cala - who also had a good game. I thought those two were our best players in the first half.
But why did Daveeed give their FK taker so much of the goal to aim for? It was central FFS. Stay in the middle of the goal. From that distance you should be able to get your hand to the post once the ball's over the wall.
I don't like this jumping while the FK's being taken. It's what cost Hull when Santo scored. I don't really want to criticise Daveed. I think he's one of the best 'keepers we've ever had. Some of his saves have been peak Spunky. And I know that perfectly struck FKs can beat anyone, as Dec showed against Real. {Or Titi vs Buffon.} But why not stay in the middle of the goal and move once the ball's over the wall?
As I said in the title, I saw that gap straight away. He was offering it. He starts to move across before it is even hit but he is too late. Bad move. Don't offer the gap from that distance. That said, it is an exceptional hit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Madueke was our sole offensive outlet. Aside from him we created literally nothing all game. He looked good. As did the young centre back, although our approach to the game gave the centre backs a huge amount of protection. Calafiori looked really good and we made sure Salah didnt get space to run at him. He'll get injured during the international break but it was nice to see him put in a good performance just to remind us what we will be missing.......
Eze is going to make a difference as well. Martinelli was just hopeless.
If I an Nwaneri, I am keeping an eye on my phone today. Not just overlooked for the role he is apparently covering, but a ****ing 15 year old kid gets on ahead of him. If the idea was that Dowman might win a penalty, we are perhaps overlooking where and who we were playing......
As others have said, his defensive work is a big plus. But his confidence is on the floor and he has been **** for so long that it is becoming difficult to remember the good player he used to be.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
Something needs to change with him. He was useless yesterday, up against a guy who should never be playing at right back. On the other flank, Madueke was giving his full back hell with no support.
Vik was mostly anonymous. But both sides stopped their opponents getting beyond the back 4. He was no worse than Salah or Etitike.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
That game would have been perfect for Kai. He could drop deep and try to play in a winger or MnM coming in late.
Or Eze in the no.10 role instead of MnM, with Vik dragging the defenders out of shape.
Anything but Nwaneri....... you see? Even we are starting to forget he exists.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
We took one throw level with their box and spent 30 seconds slowly working it back to Raya before knocking it out to concede a throw.....
We are never going to beat these sides to a title until we start believing we are capable of beating these sides. And every other side.
Unfair, that's our 1st defeat to a "Big 6" in 23. Granted 2 of those big 6 finished 15th & 17th last season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
It is a manipulated stat. When did we last win at Anfield? Or City? We've lost 3 of our last 4 visits to Newcastle, failing to score in all three. When did we last win at Chelsea?Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
We keep saying we are better than these sides but we we never go away and beat them. We barely even try. We come away from these games saying a draw is not a bad result when, in a lot of cases, it actually kind of is.
We need to raise our expectations as well as our game. Otherwise we will be sitting here in 3 years' time patting ourselves on the back for another 0-0 draw away to a top six side with 5 of our best players injured......
A point away against your main rivals is a "good" point. Dropping points to Villa, Bournemouth, Fulham, etc is what is costing us titles not the results against our rivals.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Chelsea - we beat them in 2021, 22 & 23 away.
Statistically, you are wrong :-) Having fewer points than our rivals is what is costing us titles. None of us can isolate which points cost us. They all did.Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
We have drawn away to Chelsea in the last two seasons, neither of which were good performances or good results. Last time we won there was November 22.
If you want to win the league, you have to look to win every game. Title winners might consider a draw a 'good point' maybe once or twice a season. And even then it will be games where they have had to weather something.
Liverpool were there to be beaten yesterday and after having the odd poke at them in the first half we gave up in the second and settled for a draw.
How many times last season did we see us do the same with a 1-0 lead against an assortment of **** teams that title challengers should be dominating and wiping the floor with.
So, last two seasons- Liverpool, City, Newcastle, Chelsea. Not one away win from any of those 8 games. And you can now add a 9th game to that.
I'm not saying we should win all of these games. I am saying that the way we approach them means we are more or less incapable of winning any of them. Which means we have absolutely no room to slip up against anyone else....... I'm not big on 'statement wins' but at some stage we have to go to one of these games and play like we mean it. Outplay them, beat them, and come home.
When we look capable of doing that, we'll start to look like title winners. As long as we keep pushing out the negative crap we served up in the second half yesterday we will never win anything.
I'm the other way; if you can score goals, you control games. One, two or three-nil up and you are deemed to be in control of the game, regardless of any other factors. Or to put it another way, try controlling a match from 3-0 down :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
4-0 down against Reading and won 7-5. Feo was great that game if I recall.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
I'm not sure 'control' was a key feature of that game for either side :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
You may have a point. Though Chamak's lob for the 7th was well controlled.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter