Topic: Everton 0 - 0 Liverpool Full time meh

[PhaseOfPlay]

He looks completely lost, it's like he's been put in so many positions he's lost his bearings and without his energy he can't seem to get into the game.  . Like you say sad to see.

Anyone here who has played past the age of 30 will know what Gerrard's going through. It's a terrible thing; your brain knows exactly what it wants to do, and it's probably still seeing things faster than everyone else. But the legs - the legs just don't follow at the same rate of thought.

It's never technique that goes. You always have that. It really is the legs. Not the energy, either. It's the speed of the message going from your brain to your feet. That's what gets messed up, and that's why players either drop down the levels or retire.

[UNO]

Interesting stat if correct. No mega rich city back then either...

Yea! We spent more than City last Summer! We are the one of the mega rich side now!

[Weescotty]

He looks completely lost, it's like he's been put in so many positions he's lost his bearings and without his energy he can't seem to get into the game.  . Like you say sad to see.

Normally don't contribute to post match threads, but here goes.....

I was surprised Stevie stayed on the whole 90 mins.
He looked poor and thought he would be subbed at half time.
I can understand "his last derby" etc, but what ever happened to no player is more important than the club?

[lindylou100]

He looks completely lost, it's like he's been put in so many positions he's lost his bearings and without his energy he can't seem to get into the game.  . Like you say sad to see.

Indeed, I also wonder whether his head is elsewhere now his move to LA galaxy is definite. His set pieces were atrocious today.

[Number 7]

So after tuesday we should know which competition were gonna go all out for.... or are we gonna give 50% in each competition in win nothing at the end of the season?

Not really. The only game that matters in the PL for now is Spurs. The only game that matters in the EL is Beşiktaş. The only game that matters in the FA Cup is Palace. That's it!

Even defeat against Spurs (not that I think it will happen) won't spell the end of top 4 pursuit. I think come Tuesday evening we would have beaten Spurs, and the most people's thinking will have been altered again.

[rushyman]

Great defensively. Creation was abysmal

Sterlings composure in the box is at the moment is a little worrying, shouldve won us that

Lucas going off fucked our entire night

And the substitutions were completely beyond me but if we beat Spurs Tuesday night 4 pts from those fixtures is decent

[Suareznumber7]

I would rest him. We need to contend for the cups.

Playing him in the cups and resting him in the league is going to cost us points. Same with sterling. We need to prioritize a competition otherwise we're going to win fuck all and find ourselves out of Europe next year.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Great defensively. Creation was abysmal

Sterlings composure in the box is at the moment is a little worrying, shouldve won us that

Lucas going off fucked our entire night

And the substitutions were completely beyond me but if we beat Spurs Tuesday night 4 pts from those fixtures is decent

Why are people saying things like this? Allen for Lucas was like for like, positionally. Coutinho risked a VERY bad injury if it was indeed his ligament that was troubling him (we'll know more soon enough I'm sure) and we needed a goal, so the best striker we have is a no-brainer. The only questionable sub was Lambert for Sterling, and that's not so much for who we brought on as it is for who we brought off.

[GreatEx]

So after tuesday we should know which competition were gonna go all out for.... or are we gonna give 50% in each competition in win nothing at the end of the season?

Gotta go 100% for all...

Go too easy in the prem and we leave ourselves banking on an EL title.
Go too easy in the EL and we leave ourselves needing to overhaul at least 3 other clubs for Top 4.
Go too easy in the FA Cup and we sacrifice our best shot at silverware for a Top 4 challenge that is far from guaranteed.

Furthermore, if we stuff up one of the cup comps then we alleviate the problem of fixture congestion, rendering our conservatism moot and only serving to damage morale.

So really it's suck it up and go for glory on all fronts. No WC or Euros this summer so the players can  have a nice Jamaican jaunt in June.

[Number 7]

Normally don't contribute to post match threads, but here goes.....

I was surprised Stevie stayed on the whole 90 mins.
He looked poor and thought he would be subbed at half time.
I can understand "his last derby" etc, but what ever happened to no player is more important than the club?

That's why he's leaving isn't he? Rodgers has basically decided he's going to be a bit-part player going forward. Gerrard has said this himself and that weighed heavily on his decision to leave. This kind of thing won't happen from next season. I said before the game I would play him, because of his experience in derbies. He had a terrible game; I admit that. But the difference makers for us in attack (Sterling, Ibe, Coutinho, Sturridge) were either already on the pitch or substituted.

[rushyman]

Why are people saying things like this? Allen for Lucas was like for like, positionally. Coutinho risked a VERY bad injury if it was indeed his ligament that was troubling him (we'll know more soon enough I'm sure) and we needed a goal, so the best striker we have is a no-brainer. The only questionable sub was Lambert for Sterling, and that's not so much for who we brought on as it is for who we brought off.

I watched in pub mate still a bit tipsy. Missed the coutinho injury so fair play.

Lambert for Sterling utterly bizarre

No issue with Allen/Lucas

[PhaseOfPlay]

I watched in pub mate still a bit tipsy. Missed the coutinho injury so fair play.

Lambert for Sterling utterly bizarre

No issue with Allen/Lucas

It really was bizarre. Moreno would have made more sense if we needed a goal.

[rushyman]

It really was bizarre. Moreno would have made more sense if we needed a goal.

Ah well, he did what he thought was best. We could've nicked it at the end and no one would be talking about it . Onwards and upwards


That bloody overhead Gerrard effort btw. Why couldn't that just go in. Jesus why can't life be kind like that haha

[JackWard33]

It really was bizarre. Moreno would have made more sense if we needed a goal.

I think just Rickie Lambert getting on the pitch for us is enough to make a lot of people despair - he's been desperately poor.

[Durlmints]

Why are people saying things like this? Allen for Lucas was like for like, positionally. Coutinho risked a VERY bad injury if it was indeed his ligament that was troubling him (we'll know more soon enough I'm sure) and we needed a goal, so the best striker we have is a no-brainer. The only questionable sub was Lambert for Sterling, and that's not so much for who we brought on as it is for who we brought off.

I would say that that final sub didn't matter anyway though PoP.

Was pretty telling when we were passing it about in the middle of the park, then dropped back and Allen played it to Mignolet.

It was a pretty clear indication we were just not wanting to lose it late.

I don't blame the team or anyone for not wanting to risk it late on in games - heck, I advocate playing for a 0-0 in fixtures we often lose like at Stamford Bridge or the Etihad. With it being Stevie's last one I'm sure a few of the players didn't want to ruin it.

But that aside, it's in conflict with the substitution. Our deadball delivery has been shite for weeks so we weren't getting Lambert involved like that anyway. Meanwhile we barely pushed up to try and grab the win.

I would wager that if Everton had scored at some point in the first or second third of the game, we would have gone on to win.

As it was, it was a very cautious and tired display at times. As others have said in this thread, you could tell very early on that it was going to be a 0-0.

[QC]

When's Balotelli back?

[surfer. Fuck you generator.]

Fuck.

Important points well summarised.

[Number 7]

When's Balotelli back?

Seeing that he made a difference of next to nothing against Chelsea, probably not for awhile.

[QC]

Seeing that he made a difference of next to nothing against Chelsea, probably not for awhile.

I seem to remember him linking up well with Sturridge though. Maybe there is a position for him on the wing given that he likes to play from deep.

I really want Balotelli to turn out to be key in this final part of the season. We sure as hell need a player to step up now, much like Sterling did last year in the second half of the season.

[JackWard33]

Seeing that he made a difference of next to nothing against Chelsea, probably not for awhile.

He's a mile ahead of Lambert in every way - there's no footballing explanation for Lambert being our first choice sub striker ahead of him

[PhaseOfPlay]

I would say that that final sub didn't matter anyway though PoP.

Was pretty telling when we were passing it about in the middle of the park, then dropped back and Allen played it to Mignolet.

It was a pretty clear indication we were just not wanting to lose it late.

I don't blame the team or anyone for not wanting to risk it late on in games - heck, I advocate playing for a 0-0 in fixtures we often lose like at Stamford Bridge or the Etihad. With it being Stevie's last one I'm sure a few of the players didn't want to ruin it.

But that aside, it's in conflict with the substitution. Our deadball delivery has been shite for weeks so we weren't getting Lambert involved like that anyway. Meanwhile we barely pushed up to try and grab the win.

I would wager that if Everton had scored at some point in the first or second third of the game, we would have gone on to win.

As it was, it was a very cautious and tired display at times. As others have said in this thread, you could tell very early on that it was going to be a 0-0.

All good points well made.

[kcbworth]

Where was Lallana?

[Kopenhagen]

Where was Lallana?

Injured again.

[Bobinhood]

I think hes got a groin pull.

Gawd that was pretty dull. Nonetheless we continue to play reasonably well cutting edge blah zzzzz


Well im just looking at this as a doubleheader.

[PhaseOfPlay]

I think just Rickie Lambert getting on the pitch for us is enough to make a lot of people despair - he's been desperately poor.

He is our joint 3rd top scorer though.

[kcbworth]

This result made the result in the home derby even worse. It was decided by an against the run of play worldie, in a game we deserved to win (during a part of the season where we rarely deserved to win), but this was kind of the opposite. Was just crying out for us to produce a couple of moments of quality, but we barely turned up.

Very disappointing, but hopefully just a blip during a very hectic run of games (and we tended to recover from these blips ok last season)

[QC]

He is our joint 3rd top scorer though.

Perhaps the darkest statistic i've heard all season.

[kcbworth]

Injured again.

Losing Coutinho is managable... if we have Lallana (and he performs close to his best).

Losing Coutinho, Lucas, and Lallana together is very dangerous for us

Shame Sakho had a poorer game than he has been... shows how important that confidence on the ball our back 3 have had of late is.

Also yet another tick in the how fucking important is Lucas box

[Kennys from heaven]

Considerably better than them but I'm not surprised at all at the outcome.

Derbies are never fluent affairs and given their "tactics" (I'll be magnanimous) a point is a result. How many times have we played sides like that and come away without anything?

I'm going to say that I think Stevie was a) overwhelmed by this being his last one and b) I think he's not more than aware that the time is right to step away. His performance was not at all what we've come to expect for quite a while and I think Brendan got caught up in the whole fairytale part and it clouded his judgement somewhat. Smacked of hope that he'd do something keeping him on.

Look at pretty much every side that plays against us now. Teams are putting all the players behind the ball when we counter, in fact, most sides lately have not attacked with much more than 4 players at any time - we've got them paranoid about being hit swiftly on the counter and we just seem to be forcing play too much in the final third as a result we still seem to have periods where we get good quick ball but hesitate in moving forwards with any speed or purpose. We just don't look fluent in places and as a result, attacks are petering out. Also, again, when we play this languid passing from the back, sides are quick to shut us down. Felt Sakho was very isolated in places and also given a lot of hospital balls. Mignolet however, still seems to be improving and Emre Can is an absolute beast. New improved contract needs to be put in front of him at the end of the season, but mark my words, the vultures will be circling on this one.

Could understand Lambert being brought on - gave a bit more directness, although I would say that it should have been done earlier. The Lucas injury caused the game plan to change - think Brendans coming in for some undeserved flak for this, as if he'd stayed on I reckon we'd have seen Lazar on later instead of Allen. Should be taken into account this blowing the game plan out of the water.

Hey-ho anyway. Not a loss and still on course. Lets twat Spurs Tuesday and take the wind out their sails. bastards.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Perhaps the darkest statistic i've heard all season.

You speak the truth, to be fair. Our top scorers have 9 goals in total (all competitions)

[andy07]

Spent the game surrounded by Bitters who were shitting themselves every time we had the ball, loads of abuse at their own players throughout.    We were not at our best but it was only in the last ten minutes when Everton were on a par.    Thankfully Mignolet had one thing to do in 90 minutes and came up trumps.

[mrantarctica]

you can't expect a great game when the other team have no intention of looking to play positively. it was obvious they were looking to play for a draw and try and sneak something in the last few minutes of the game.

no time to really dwell on it. have to turn around, recuperate and go at spurs in a few days. we need to win that one if we are to stay in touch with the top 4.

most concerning of all is lucas' and coutinho's condition. hopefully they are just minor knocks and they'll be ready for the spurs game. we're going to have to be pretty careful with some of our players i think. some of the fringe players are going to have to feature and prove their worth a bit more i think. we can't keep relying on the same 12-13 players to play every game in numerous competitions and not get tired or pick up knocks.

[Ken-Obi]

Everton got what they wanted then - for all of us to have a go at Gerrard.

[alfonso]

When's Balotelli back?

Who cares?

[fitzy23]

It's rare I would criticise Rodgers tactically, but today I really think he fucked it big time with his subs. At a time when we were comfortable in the game, Lucas got injured and we had to make a sub. The right choice for me would of been to drop Gerrard into that position, bring on Markovic and put him as wing back, and move Jordan Ibe into the front 3 where he belongs. Instead he brought on Joe Allen, which was a really negative move. Especially considering how gash Allen was at Bolton in mid-week. The game was there for us to take, but Rodgers made a cautious sub and it cost us the win I feel. We were controlling the game at that time, and just needed more in attack, but he made a very negative move which cost us 2 points.

Later in the game he left Gerrard on for nothing other than sentimental value. Stevie is my idol, but the legs have gone, and our attack was crying out for more pace in the latter stages of the game.

Coutinho behing subbed was something I understood, because Phil has played a football recently and you see he was tired today. Sterling got a week off in Jamaice but Phil never had a break. He has been playing a silly amount if you look at the stats. And he took that heavy tackle too.

Sterling is still very raw as a footballer, and needs a lot of coaching to improve to become a world class player. His finishing and decision making at times are just awful. Just like the game at Chelsea in the CC, his final decision making is just terrible. Making the wrong passes, shooting at the wrong times, etc. He needs to improve a lot.

Jordan Ibe was excellent, especially due to the fact he had to play wing-back all game. What I like about Ibe is that he has strength on the ball, something Sterling lacks. He seems to be a more intelligent player with the ball too. He's a great prospect.

We were the better team, just like we were in the Anfield game, but were again too poor in the final third of the pitch. We need to beat Spurs on Wednesday now. Our season is not over yet, but failing to beat Spurs is going to make it very difficult to make the top 4.

[mrantarctica]

Allen for Lucas was a like for like substitution, and on the whole he did alright. He's not a physically imposing player and got forced off the ball 3-4 times but he was quite tidy, screened the defence well and was generally available for a pass. The only criticism was that he played a little too much like Lucas and didn't look to incorporate some more industry and attacking intent into his game.

The problem was Gerrard. There was no support for Sterling or Coutinho up front, no pressing and he didn't drop deep enough to collect the ball and use his distribution at all. From set pieces, apart from 1 free kick he didn't really get involved. On the whole, it was a very disappointing derby performance from our captain who probably should've been hooked after 60 mins. To be fair, every game I've watched that Gerrard has started - we've looked the same. Devoid of ideas and movement in attack and none of his rangy passing or long range shooting coming in to impact on the game at all. He's very much a shadow of the player he used to be and probably not the way the great man should bow out. I actually hope we don't start him so much from now on.

[Ken-Obi]

Who cares?

He's a paid employee of the club - you're happy with him puttering around?

[fitzy23]

Allen for Lucas was a like for like substitution, and on the whole he did alright. He's not a physically imposing player and got forced off the ball 3-4 times but he was quite tidy, screened the defence well and was generally available for a pass. The only criticism was that he played a little too much like Lucas and didn't look to incorporate some more industry and attacking intent into his game.

The problem was Gerrard. There was no support for Sterling or Coutinho up front, no pressing and he didn't drop deep enough to collect the ball and use his distribution at all. From set pieces, apart from 1 free kick he didn't really get involved. On the whole, it was a very disappointing derby performance from our captain who probably should've been hooked after 60 mins. To be fair, every game I've watched that Gerrard has started - we've looked the same. Devoid of ideas and movement in attack and none of his rangy passing or long range shooting coming in to impact on the game at all. He's very much a shadow of the player he used to be and probably not the way the great man should bow out. I actually hope we don't start him so much from now on.

Yeah, Allen actually played fine. Better than Gerrand Henderson even. He did move the ball around well and was our best central midfield player. A lot better peformance than Bolton anyway, though he persists in giving away so many silly fouls away. I just think the injury to Lucas presented an opportunity to really the take the game to Everton, but Rodgers was afraid to do so. It was too safe a move, that likely cost us the win.

Moving Gerrand into Lucas' position, where he's very capable of playmaking from deep, putting Markovic to wing back, and letting Ibe loose in the front 3 I think would of been enough to get us the goal we needed to win the game.

I agree about Gerrard. It was pure sentiment he stayed on the pitch. His legs were gone after 60 minutes. Anyone else would of been subbed. He simply has not got the legs to press defenses anymore, which is integral to our game under Rodgers. But this problem won't be there next year at least.

Just a terrible shame that bycycle kick didn't go in. How perfect a winner that would of been. All in all I think we played quite well, showed why we are 12 points ahead of Everton, but not for the first time this season lack a cutting edge. Starting to think though that winning the Europe League will be our best bet to enter the Champions League next year, sadly.

[GrkStav]

I am sorry but no, moving Gerrard to Lucas's position would not have been a good idea, tactically.

Allen for Lucas was the correct substitution, otherwise there's no point in having him on the bench if he doesn't come in for an injured CM.

Taking Coutinho off to bring in Sturridge is the one that made very little sense. Still, Everton did not really threaten us, and we weren't actually poor at all going forward, just a bit unlucky: they got some crucial blocks in to prevent some decent efforts that would otherwise have been on target frpm reaching the target.

One point out of the Goodison derby is not a bad result, anyway, us needing 3 points notwithstanding.

[PhaseOfPlay]

The 1 point from this is only really going to be a good point if we get six from Spurs and Southampton. Otherwise, it will be 2 points lost.

6 points from the next two would put us on course for a 70-71 point finish if we play to par with the rest of the games. Beating one of City or Chelsea along the way, though, will make things even better.