« on: October 16, 2022, 03:24:07 pm »
Officials
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistants: Gary Beswick & Adam Nunn
Fourth official: Andy Madley
VAR: Darren England Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett
So we go into a game against our toughest opponent of the season and we are in disarray in the league. We've been playing ok in patches but we are as soft as butter in midfield and defence. Salah has been hiding in the pocket of the left full back every game. We've picked up injuries to two of our best players.....TAA and Diaz.
EDIT: I wrote the above prior to the Rangers game......what an excellent display especially in the 2nd half. Suddenly we look like our old selves. Mo showed how brilliant a finisher he is and Bobby was vintage Bobby.
I have used a photo of a boxing bell as this match feels like it's the last round of a fight where we have been 2nd best but we have one last round to get a knockout. We will need to fight for every ball and take our chances. We need to go toe to toe with City and dominate them. Give our all and leave nothing on the pitch. Once that bell rings we come out fighting for our lives. Get all 3 points and suddenly things will look much, much better. A lift in confidence will do the team the world of good.
I actually thought we played well against Arsenal but were on the wrong side of two (possibly three) poor officiating decisions. Their first goal was offside but, due to a quirk in VAR, Saka was standing in a "black hole" and VAR couldn't see him when White passed. At the time I thought it was offside and was amazed that they didn't draw the VAR lines to show that he was.......little did I know but the VAR cameras were not on Saka at the time.
The Rangers display gives us all added hope as some of the play was outstanding. Rangers are not a good team but when you go 1-0 down away from home then you have to dig deep. I thought Gomez and Konate were excellent and it was nice to see Roberston coming on.
Firmino had one of his best games for a long time and will definitely start. His ball control and composure is 2nd to none when he's on fire. For me he was Man of the Match. There's an argument to drop Nunez and put Firmino in his place but I think Bobby is best when creating for those around him........and he is a very good finisher as well. Salah's short stint on the bench seems to have woken him up and his hat-trick was world-class; almost unstoppable. If we can get Mo in similar positions then he knows where to put the ball.
Prior to the Ranger's game, I'd suggest that most of us weren't confident of getting a result against City but the 2nd half display last night changed all of that. We will obviously have a tough time and will need to be at our best but we have the players who can destroy any team.
There will be important battles all over the pitch and it is important that we win most of them and pick up the second ball. We have not pressed the way we normally do, our tackling has been weak and we have been slow to the loose ball. We won't get away with sloppiness against City and I still feel that we need to be a bit sharper and faster.
Up front I expect Jota, Nunez and Salah to play. All three of them are capable of dominating the defenders. Salah needs to keep Cancelo pinned back and Jota needs to do the same on the other wing. Nunez is well capable of having a great game and he will need to fight for every ball and pressurise their defence. Firmino will play as he gives us something that none of the other players give. He can score and is cool under pressure.
I'm not sure who will play in midfield. I think we will start with Thiago and either Fabinho or Henderson but all will probably feature sometime in the game. Elliott had a great game against Rangers and may come on or maybe it will be Milner depending on how the game goes.
Our backs have been ok at times this year but sometimes we are prone to play like the Keystone Kops. Gomez at right back feels right for me and he had a good game yesterday. Obviously the centre backs are going to need to watch Haaland and not let him get any chances otherwise he'll score. Cut out the supply to him and we will have a good chance of winning. Konate is well capable of dealing with Haaland but we will need to focus and concentrate all match. Gomez and Konate are two players who can defend well and both are quick.
I still worry that we don't get behind the ball fast enough when we lose it. It will be important that everyone defends, even the front 4.
The biggest battle for me will be against KdB. Maybe Fabinho is better at defending than Henderson and if he plays then he will need to keep KdB quiet.
Win our battles and we have a great chance. Let City run past us and it will be a tough game. I think City are slight favourites but the match could go either way and I wouldn't be surprised if we win comfortably.
If we win then I see no reason why our form won't improve dramatically and we will have a great chance of top 4 and maybe even fighting for top 2; it's going to be difficult due to the start that we have had but we are well capable of going on a long winning run.
Predicted teams:
I think Walker is out injured for them and I think Sergio Gomez's red card rules him out so City are possibly light at right back.
Cancelo may move across to the other side but we'll see.
Liverpool: Alisson, Gomez, Konate, VVD, Robertson, Thiago, Fabinho, Firmino, Salah, Nunez, Jota
City: Ederson; Ake??, Dias, LaPorte, Cancelo; Rodri, De Bruyne, Silva; Foden, Haaland, Grealish.
Over to you guys........correct me if I have included any players who are injured etc. It's going to be a great game to watch and let's hope it's vintage Liverpool. How do you feel about Anthony Taylor refereeing this important match? Taylor loves to hand out red cards and so Thiago and Nunez better be careful. It might be important that the crowd let's Taylor know when he needs to hand out cards to the City player. Oh and what about England on VAR. The last thing we need are some poor decisions to go against us.
Who will be on their back looking at the stars at the end of the match?
« Last Edit: October 16, 2022, 06:02:57 pm by TepidT2O »
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