Topic: Round Table LFC 1-0 Man Utd. chortle.

[iresh]

@ didi shamone, Gerrard on welbeck. Best one I've seen since mascherano.

[WaterfordRed]

Having watched the game again, it was very clear that Minge and Van Pussy were well and truly storked.

Normality has returned.  Sabu is a genius.

[RedMichelFerri]

I just love watching Lucas and Gerrard in middle of the pitch this year. This partnership is giving us great balance (like Alonso-Mascherano pivot as someone mentioned earlier). Love how their style of play compliment each other. Lucas used ball very intelligently but most of his passes are hit with pace along ground to forward players in middle of the pitch. I remember Alonso use to do this regularly but he also had that ability to go long with precision to switch the play when required and this is where Gerrard comes in picture.   Also Lucas  compliment Gerrard with his reading of game and positioning. The guy sniffs the danger even before opposition make those required 2-3 passes. He is like a wild cat screening his marked area for prey. The unsuspecting prey are just unaware of his intention and in a flash he is on their heels with perfect timing nicking ball away or disrupting their play.

I was watching the recording of the match (watched it twice since Sunday)  and every time camera went to Moyes, his expression, body language was pretty much like Roy (banging his head or rubbing his face). That made me chuckle.

3 Games, 3 wins, Strengthened squad, Suarez to comeback. Things can't get any better. The front  3 of Moses, Studge, Suarez with Coutinho behind them, I think we will be imposing our game on opposition in future games. And when we score, we have mean defense to make sure we see out the game.

[LucasLeiva]

I tend to use this one.

http://www.matchhighlight.com/

Thank you good sir 

[GrkStav]

They're like cryptic crosswords. There's some clever wordplay, based on similar sounding phrases, often with meaning mixed into it. Hence Minge Unknighted are those c*nts who've lost their knight of the realm, aka Man United. Car Lot Hooray is the guy who pretended to be a car salesman in order to carry on an affair, aka Kolo Toure. Stiffie Ji is the harder English cousin of Park Ji, who enjoys nothing more than stuffing the Minge.

Oh, for the love of sweet baby Jesus . . . I had gotten not ONE of those, not even close.

Sometimes, it's just best to give up trying, I think. 

[Henry Kissinger]

Thank you good sir 

You are most welcome old fruit.

[didi shamone]

@ didi shamone, Gerrard on welbeck. Best one I've seen since mascherano.

Cheers mate I couldn't for the life of me remember. I was a bit too tipsy to see the highlights or should I say remember them.

[danwarb]

Cheers mate I couldn't for the life of me remember. I was a bit too tipsy to see the highlights or should I say remember them.

This is the one?

[GrkStav]

@ didi shamone, Gerrard on welbeck. Best one I've seen since mascherano.

Lucas on Yaya Toure is up there. And it came after Mascherano had departed for FCB.

[GrkStav]

This is the one?

Just out of curiosity, what do you all think of Johnson's positioning for that one?

[PhaseOfPlay]

Just out of curiosity, what do you all think of Johnson's positioning for that one?

It's sensible. It doubles up on Van Persie while Agger is recovering, and it recognises that Young is out wide enough to not be an immediate threat if Welbeck had switched the ball out wide.

[DanA]

Just out of curiosity, what do you all think of Johnson's positioning for that one?

I think Johnson's has played it well. His starting position was obviously marking Young and intelligently he's made the decision to come across and help out Skrtel with Van Persie.  That I think improves Skrtel's defensive options as it eliminates the option of Van Persie dummying a shot and coming around onto his non preferred right foot, if he does that Johnson will be on top of him. My feeling is that if Gerrard doesn't make the tackle and the pass is good. Then Van Persie still only has a relatively low percentage first time shot from out wide and chances are Skrtel gets a foot in as he can confidently lunge knowing Johnson has him covered.

It's Van Persie so that might be all he needs but IMO the defence has done all it could.

[Frizzo]

Just out of curiosity, what do you all think of Johnson's positioning for that one?

Seems perfect. Almost impossible to slip a ball between him and Skrtel, and he can easily get out wide to cover the worst winger in the Premier League if he needs to.

[bravoco]

Been chuckling about Sabu's post for a couple of days now. Top work. 

[PaulF]

Still far too early to plan out the season, but it does show the disruption having a new manager can have. 3 wins from 3 with 0 goals conceeded can't be bad. And even at this early stage, there is only one team outside of Mersyside that hasn't lost a game yet.

[markedasred]

In all competitions the plastics have lost one and drawn one, against our in all competitions won four lost none. Last lost in the Prem 16th of March, fourteen days better than them, to the same team Southampton. Our consistency is a whole year affair rather than a new season first three game wonder.
Interestingly though, we have played a lot of different football with a hell of a lot of players and goal scorers in that period, which now includes a handful of very promising new players yet to see a game.
Brendan only has to carry on doing what he is doing, Moyes has to find something in himself he has not yet found to date.

[Filler.]

Just out of curiosity, what do you all think of Johnson's positioning for that one?

It's vital there that he covers Van Persie as there's a clear gap to pass the ball into him and he's a very dangerous player. I think Welbeck notices that Johnson is covering the gap, forcing Welbeck to try to pass the ball to Young out wide, and it hitting the ankle of Gerrard as he slides in to cover that pass(/tackle).

[danwarb]

Looks like he hooks it with the outside of his foot against Welbeck, thus the direction it comes away at.

[Filler.]

Looks like he hooks it with the outside of his foot against Welbeck, thus the direction it comes away at.

I think it's quite clear that Welbeck attempts to pass to Young, and it hits Gerrards leg, but it's all about opinions To me he's about to poke or push the ball in for Van Persie, sees Johnson coming across at speed, Welbeck then glances across, changes his mind, then his feet and tries to pass.

[LucasLeiva]

Just out of curiosity, what do you all think of Johnson's positioning for that one?

Think it's clear that Rodgers would have instructed people to double up on RVP, and defending him well would have been the priority. A pass out wide to Young would have stretched us but Johnson is quick enough to get out to him if it happened.

[GrkStav]

It's sensible. It doubles up on Van Persie while Agger is recovering, and it recognises that Young is out wide enough to not be an immediate threat if Welbeck had switched the ball out wide.

To me, in retrospect, the part in bold is the crucial part.

Not surprisingly, I don't think Johnson actually calculated that Young was wide enough and not close enough yet to be an immediate threat. Still, it turned out being good positioning. Had the ball been successfully played to Young (who, still, has some pace to him and would have, by the time he received the pass, probably been about another 5 yards closer to our goal) I don't think Johnson would have been able to 'recover' well enough to him to prevent a cross or pass by Young.

Still, all in all, I take your and others' analysis as having demonstrated that Johnson did well for that one.

[DanA]

To me, in retrospect, the part in bold is the crucial part.

Not surprisingly, I don't think Johnson actually calculated that Young was wide enough and not close enough yet to be an immediate threat. Still, it turned out being good positioning. Had the ball been successfully played to Young (who, still, has some pace to him and would have, by the time he received the pass, probably been about another 5 yards closer to our goal) I don't think Johnson would have been able to 'recover' well enough to him to prevent a cross or pass by Young.

Still, all in all, I take your and others' analysis as having demonstrated that Johnson did well for that one.

But who's the cross going to?

Young has only Van Persie to hit and perhaps a late arriving Welbeck. Baring a world class ball we should be able to deal with it considering numerical advantages.

For me Van Persie is the real threat. Not the incredibly average winger in an incredibly average position.

[007.lankyguy]

It's not even an argument to be honest, it's pretty obvious that Johnson has to double mark Van Persie in that scenario. You have to prioritise the middle. Even if it was Cristiano Ronaldo wide on the left, Johnson would still have to prioritise Van Persie.

[Ipcress]

To me, in retrospect, the part in bold is the crucial part.

Not surprisingly, I don't think Johnson actually calculated that Young was wide enough and not close enough yet to be an immediate threat. Still, it turned out being good positioning. Had the ball been successfully played to Young (who, still, has some pace to him and would have, by the time he received the pass, probably been about another 5 yards closer to our goal) I don't think Johnson would have been able to 'recover' well enough to him to prevent a cross or pass by Young.

Still, all in all, I take your and others' analysis as having demonstrated that Johnson did well for that one.

As Filler pointed out above, Gerrard didn't so much tackle Welbeck, but intercept the attempted pass out to Young, had Johnson gone out to Young earlier Welbeck may have carried on and drawn Skrtel away from RVP, leaving him (RVP) free and in on goal, or passed it forward directly to RVP who would have been more open.

Good work all round I think :-)

[GrkStav]

Everyone who posted after my last post made excellent points. Added evidence and logic towards demonstrating that Johnson did a good job, played it properly.

Color me 'convinced'.

[danwarb]

I think it's quite clear that Welbeck attempts to pass to Young, and it hits Gerrards leg, but it's all about opinions To me he's about to poke or push the ball in for Van Persie, sees Johnson coming across at speed, Welbeck then glances across, changes his mind, then his feet and tries to pass.

Indeed, but if he doesn't hook the outside of his foot it doesn't come back like that.

[aggerdid]

@ didi shamone, Gerrard on welbeck. Best one I've seen since mascherano.

are we alluding to the mascherano tackle on kaka in 07? My god. Best tackle i've ever seen

[BreakfastPercy]

About 30mins in I managed to find somewhere in rural France to watch the game. Last time I remember missing the start of a game I tuned in and we were 2-0 up against Arsenal, so remind me of that brand of voodoo when we play Chelsea for the title in the last few weeks.

Seems to me at Everton two of the key creative players for Moyes were the fullbacks, particularly Baines, and that was blended with some percentage football lumped in to Fellaini. With neither Baines or Fellaini (yet) Utd looked very flat and very much like a shite Everton (like Everton then!)

Football can sneer at book learning and theory (Rodgers got a load of crap for his 'dossier'), but look at our attacking patterns and that calm unflappability we have but has been missing so long, and it's not because of any great 'experience' Rodgers has. He seemed like the seasoned pro on Sunday, Moyes the out-of-depth youngster. I now never worry that having created nothing with 20mins to go we'll panic and go long- we're often methodical whereas Utd we're the opposite on Sunday. Utd need to be a team that crushes formations, spirits and points, but us and Chelsea kept them at arm's length with little difficulty. The fact Mourinho came for a point whereas we set out to win was the key difference. But that's it- unless Moyes finds inspiration there will be more teams who get the points they set out to this season.

I thought Rodgers' general indifference towards 'big' players stood up pretty well. Fair enough if Sterling gets shoved off the ball by Valencia, but if he has a teammate backing him up and is flying into the same challenge 20secs later it doesn't really matter. I know Aspas hasn't stood out yet, but he has so far refused to be bullied into thin air like say Nuri Sahin was last season. Lucas is charging into tackles and him and Henderson both did very well. I've said Henderson might be something of a Park Ji-Sung type, though I'm not sure we've ever accused him of eating the family pet. Park Ji-Sung was often picked for the big games and relied on by Ferguson, perhaps it's no surprise then that Henderson had possibly one of his best games for us. I was well impressed.

Skrtel and Agger played good-cop bad-cop on Van Persie so well they might as have both had a hand up his arse working him by the pound signs. There's attitude through the side. It's weird, but a nice time to be a Liverpool fan.

Hope Shanks enjoyed us beating the Mancs between making Jesus do laps of the quad.

[iresh]

are we alluding to the mascherano tackle on kaka in 07? My god. Best tackle i've ever seen

Yup that the one! kaka used to quick as stink back then.

[steveeastend]

I think the overall performance was impressive.

Overall I think it was one of the weakest ManU side Iīve ever seen and I am not THAT young so this would mean quite something. There was a situation during the first couple of minutes when Lucas received the ball, looked around and wondered about the space he was given and overall I think it was only because of our lack in believe in our own abilities which saved them from getting absolutely hammered in this one.

A lot had been said about Skrtel, MotM for keeping van Persie quiet and you wonder how this was possible? The man who isnīt good enough to pass the ball and play a high line, isnīt strong enough for not getting bullied and became the weakest link our defending line according to some people during the summer which is just amazing if you look at it. I really do wonder how these people think football works here, do they think itīs possible to be not good enough for the bench in one minute and coming back after no preseason and being able to take van Persie out of the game in the other just like that? Does somebody really think this is possible? Just as the other way around for Toure who didnīt play CB for City for the majority of his time there and suddenly should be arising to be our savour in terms of pure football abilities on the pitch? Or is it just for the organisation he had to bring in, instead of Carra, but how on earth did we make it against United in the second half then without all this lack of  "organsition skills"? To me, this is bullshite and football simply doesnīt work like that.

In contrast, believing in our own abilities under pressure is something which is very important for a team in order to win narrow games and again you wonder how this has changed for good during a couple of months with more or less the same players around compared to the end of last season? Maybe shouting and leadership arenīt that important as some pointed out?

But again, I think football doesnīt work that way and to me we simply progressed because of a great pre season during which the players gained a lot of trust in our overall way of play and were able to create a togetherness which wasnīt able to implement last season.

The hard work of Rodgers and his team together with the players is starting to pay off, our defense looke more solid to me and with the new boys coming in there isnīt a reason for not getting exciting for the season.

[GrkStav]

All I have to add (or repeat, maybe) at this late stage is that the difference between the 1st half and 2nd half was not, actually, as large as it appeared on live viewing.

And while they were not 'gimme' chances, MUFC created quite a few 1/2 or 3/4 chances which they squandered.

I think the final scoreline flattered us, but I'll take that every day of the week, all season-long! 

[fredfrop]

So many highlights in that.   Gerrard's interception/tackle of Welbeck, Mignolet dummying Welbeck, Agger and Skrtel owning the penalty box,  Aspas niggling Carrick into ineffectiveness, Sterling harrying Valencia, Henderson seemingly able to bilocate. But all these blend into one overall impression of a bloody good team.   It wasn't a whole half we were under pressure, but two 10 minute spells in the last 45.  United were tactically inferior,  creatively inept and ultimately toothless.  If other sides choose to see this rather than Demento's reputation then this shower will be on the wrong end of plenty more losses,  home and away.

[JTK]

People around me in the Centenary were getting a annoyed with our sitting back in the 2nd half, but I knew what we were doing and I was pretty calm. They never really looked like scoring and our pressing from the very beginning led to the early goal which earned us the 3 points.

[redmark]

I think the United game gave the lie to the 'one game at a time' mantra. We seem to have used periods in the second half against Stoke and Villa - physical sides with some pace on the counter (in Stoke's case, after substitutions) - to prepare for a similar scenario against United. We executed successfully, if not at all times entirely convincingly.

Our upcoming fixtures see a number of games against teams who will allow us, through style or lack of ability, to play a bit more football. I'd expect us to shift towards a more possession based, assertive and creative game over the coming weeks. The international break provided the management with an opportunity to aim for the best possible start from those first three games with a particular approach, then ease into a more pro-active attacking game. That will probably also see one or two adjustments in personnel in the coming games.

[Schmidt]

I think the United game gave the lie to the 'one game at a time' mantra. We seem to have used periods in the second half against Stoke and Villa - physical sides with some pace on the counter (in Stoke's case, after substitutions) - to prepare for a similar scenario against United. We executed successfully, if not at all times entirely convincingly.

Our upcoming fixtures see a number of games against teams who will allow us, through style or lack of ability, to play a bit more football. I'd expect us to shift towards a more possession based, assertive and creative game over the coming weeks. The international break provided the management with an opportunity to aim for the best possible start from those first three games with a particular approach, then ease into a more pro-active attacking game. That will probably also see one or two adjustments in personnel in the coming games.

I'm not so sure it was in preparation, it was a valuable tactic against the long-ball of Stoke we suffered against last season, and the fast countering of Villa.

That said, I don't believe the "one game at a time" line anyway.

[Armand9]

People around me in the Centenary were getting a annoyed with our sitting back in the 2nd half, but I knew what we were doing and I was pretty calm. They never really looked like scoring and our pressing from the very beginning led to the early goal which earned us the 3 points.

I was of similar mind in that (unusual for a utd game) I didn't feel they were ever going to score.

I've seen the game three times now and the subsequent viewings didn't change my impression of the live game (often does btw), in that throughout the game we didn't keep the ball as well as we'd like but stiffled utd into mainly meaningless play. First half we pressed very well and 'controlled' the game without the ball, with utd being very slow to bring the ball out of defence.

Second half utd were better (we didn't press so high and hard generally) and they did have a dominant first 20 mins but were toothless as we starved the forwards of any real chances, with only the late RVP attempt being the sole time they opened us up. One good Nani shot, a couple of good blocks, a loose ball across the sixyard box from a corner was all utd could muster apart from the RVP chance over the whole game.

It's not often we play utd and I feel comfortable being just 1 up but their failure to get behind us and lack of genuine threat throughout made it surprisingly angst-free on the day. If we didn't have the early goal we'd been more progressive in the 2nd half I'm sure but seeing as we had the lead I've no problem with us starving them of chances.

We won, all that matters in the end.

[DutchRed]

Can't say I was as comfortable as some on here(I was telling the ref to blow the ******* whistle for every 30 seconds in the last 15 minutes). Yet once you break it down, watch the highlights of the match you see how toothless they were.

[LiverBirdKop]

The mancs were indeed toothless, but so was our pressure marking; probably by design.

We will get better at being more consistent, ie playing the possession game all game long or pressuring for longer stretches of games with better sync.

To grind out results while we defend deeper, we're gonna need to learn how to break. We are bad at that, and I mean B D. Bad.

[Mr_Shane]

Would not worry about that for the time being. Coutinhio and Aspas are more suited to breaking down teams. A player like Moses on the other hand is tailor made for playing on the counter.

[LiverBirdKop]

Would not worry about that for the time being. Coutinhio and Aspas are more suited to breaking down teams. A player like Moses on the other hand is tailor made for playing on the counter.

With players like Sturridge, Suarez, Moses and even Cissokho we'll have plenty of pace and  chances to counter but we definitely need to incorporate the countering part into our arsenal to grind out results. I think Coutinho and Gerrard can be great outlets for that all important first "outlet" pass.