Topic: round table Liverpool 1-1 Norwich

[The Red artist.]

I know it's been done to death, but I think the numerous valid points about the defence are spot on. Yes we've had interchanging right backs due to injury but the unit isn't functioning as it should be. Whether this is because we are now less solid in midfield because of a system change to be more attacking I don't know but it definitely needs addressing.

Again, done to death, but now that Dagger's fit again would it be too much to ask to see some rotation in the team and a back four of Johnson, Agger, Skrtel and Enrique? Last season at the start of Kenny's reign there was a period when we used that CB combination due to injury and we were nigh on impregnable at the back.

More than ever it's a squad game - as Man City demonstrate - where these days even your best players get rotated, let alone those who are off form and/or bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career. There's absolutely no room for sentiment in football, the team is the only thing and I don't see how we  can work out our genuine best 11 if certain combinations aren't given a chance to work.

As far as Norwich goes - one of those days! Happens in football all the time and everyone knows a 1-0 lead is hardly anything. If you can't kill teams off you will more often than not get punished, and unfortunately we were, as we were against Sunderland, Man U and at the weekend. On the positive side, it's a phase that every team integrating new players into a new or altered system goes through. It bodes well for the future and I can absolutely GUARANTEE that come february/March time we will be playing bad ass football and getting results. Inclusive of Andy Carroll.

Y.N.W.A.

Good post mate, believe, i do.

[banksybanks]

I thought Carroll's header looked trickier on the replay than when I first saw it at the match (albeit at the other end of the Main Stand). Still should have buried it though.

The substitutions really baffled me though. I don't see the value of Henderson playing out wide anyway, but when we're chasing a winner, it makes even less sense to me. Especially at the expense of Bellamy who I thought looked quite dangerous on Saturday. To then take off Downing as well (who admitidley looked laboured at best) left us with no decent wide men (Kuyt; OK wide right, less so on the left) I would personally have replaced Adam with Henderson as I consider him a bit of a luxury player who tends to go missing when it's backs to the wall (which it was at times, especially as we were pushing up so much). He rarely tracks back, and made one or two silly challenges that looked like knackered player just sticking his leg out.

Carroll for Downing would have allowed us to play with 2 up front, with Kuyt dropping to wide right, and Bellamy staying on the left, which I think would have been much more effective. That said, I counted 9 decent goalscoring opportunities on the highlights, so on another day when we took a few chances, it wouldn't have mattered much anyway.

[Gnurglan]

Have just watched the game again, at 4xspeed. Was quite surprised with what I saw. The bounce was weird and everyone looked extremely quick. Seriously, we were clearly the better side in the 1st half. No surprise there. The ball was always in the right half and things looked good. We kept chasing them and we won the ball back with ease. 2nd half... not so much. Norwich hit many longballs and were able to get hold of the ball in our half from them. We appeared to go mostly for quick counter-attacks. It's hard to say what we should have done, but we didn't like those long balls. I also believe those balls and our counter-attacks were quite demanding for our strikers. Those counter-attacks were probably the reason we didn't go for Carroll earlier than we did.

[Carra-ton]

Well, first of all it is a dire result, no masking that. Secondly, it is just the luck we have had in the league for decades. We never have that luck, and it doesn't look like changing. There is no other reason for me for the fucking norwich game. It is just the way it is in the league for us and we simply can't help it. So I am just going to accept it and look forward to the europa league next season.

[Mutton Geoff]

Their keeper had a great game, the woodwork was their best defender, shots on goal comparisons will encapsulate why we should have won it, but one good cross and Pepe for once misjudging it did for us, but we still should have scored in the last minute with the Carroll header. Glen was woeful defending, Downing needs something to go right for him!

[GrkStav]

Their keeper had a great game, the woodwork was their best defender, shots on goal comparisons will encapsulate why we should have won it, but one good cross and Pepe for once misjudging it did for us, but we still should have scored in the last minute with the Carroll header. Glen was woeful defending, Downing needs something to go right for him!

You know, watching it on replay, and from that high and wide shot from where the cross is coming . . . Enrique didn't defend the cross well, Skrtel properly picked up the man closest to him, Carra sorta got drawn to the player that Skrtel had picked up, did a bit of ball-watching. Finally, GJ neither bodied up, nor really stayed with, nor alerted Carra to Holt's advance. Pepe did not anticipate that Holt, a big man, would move as fast as he did to basically intercept the cross before it got to Pepe/Carragher. Pepe DID take out Carra and Johnson (so he came for the cross decisively); his problem was that the ball never got to where he came out to punch.

All in all, it was a really bad defensive play, except for Skrtel who did pretty much what he was supposed to do.

When Adam lost the ball, Stevie was not in any position to 'cover' for him. Nor was Bellamy. Can't really say that had Lucas or Maxi been where Stevie and Bellamy played it would necessarily have been different.

On a final note, if Holt can motor all that distance and beat two men and the keeper for a header, I reckon Carroll can do that as well. I am looking forward to seeing our Andy doing so and scoring goals by attacking crosses like that soon.

[JohnnoWhite]

That's why it's a bit weird that Carroll isn't a regular. The further downside is that while he's NOT a regular pick, he gets no game time to develop understandings with team-mates - the absence of establishing those understandings then bounces back on him whenever he DOES get the nod from KD - and so it continues.....

Does KD rate him or not? Is he carrying some sort of knock? Does he fit the shape KD wants to adopt?  It's a definite puzzler for me.