Topic: Round Table: Liverpool 2 Ludgorets 1

[Corkboy]

Why are European nights special for Liverpool?

Drama. Fucking drama.

This was a plodding performance for pretty much the entire game, while our visitors were bold, skilful and very well drilled. They deserved a point, they could have had all three. It was a crushingly frustrating game for us, where we patiently tried and then failed, continually, successively, the gasps turning to groans and then sighs. The last ball, or sometimes the second last one, if that isn't too quantum, falling short or misdirected and easily cleared. I normally sweat during a game, even sitting on the couch but I didn't sweat for this. It was too....dull.

And then the game caught fire. Moreno got the same ball in the same place and I thought, this will end in naught, just like before but Balotelli muscled his way in front and for once, once in this grating game, the bobble went our way. A superb second touch and a deft finish and boom, there you go, Mario. Now, this is where the Liverpool FC European DNA gently insisted and cajoled the sequence of events. Not for us the drab and professional 1-0, oh no. We like some fucking drama with our football, don't we, and what better route than to allow the visitors another go. No, after you. Please, I insist. Allow our keeper to clear out of the way for you. Please let us criss cross our centre halves and let you score from your own half in three touches.

So just when we had snatched victory from the jaws of a draw, and then spurned it just as suddenly, up pops our unheralded right back to make life difficult for their keeper, resulting quite improbably in our captain reliably slotting home from the spot and regulating serotonin levels all over Rawk. Haunted, as we say in these parts but make no mistake. We purloined those three points.

[archie]

No-one else has had a go so I will say something.

Play the game not the occasion.

So easy to say but much more difficult to do, particularly on this occasion.
Weren't we all guilty of playing the occasion? Pre match was all the fun of being back in the competition and rightly so. We'd drawn the 'minnows' (no mugs going by their season in Europe last year), 6 points in the bag home and away?

Brendan said we'd treat them like Real. Good, respectful sentiments but no player is going to do that, regardless of how well they are prepared imo.

We are back after 5 years and the majority of our team and squad have little or no experience of this competition. Some haven't played any European competitions. Another step up for a team that is evolving and adapting after some crazy highs last season.

Taking all that into account, perhaps we could go easier on analysing everyone and accept that we won the game, did the job and we move on?
But, we are Liverpool and we do want something better and at least we heard some honest post match comments.

During the game, Balotelli and Coutinho kept coming far too deep and this had a big impact on their effectiveness.  Balotelli doesn't play like Suarez and will never replace him. It's important to remember that as I was guilty of it during the game. Overall I felt he made a good contribution.

Regarding their goal, I know we are set up to play a certain way but couldn't we just have seen it out?
Kept possession and kept them chasing instead of trying to get another. Maybe a lesson learned?

The space with which the ball could be played through was alarming. Many mistakes in the lead up to the goal by different players.
Mignolet coming out for it has been debated.
Looking at it, I just can't understand what he was trying to do. Goalkeepers coming out normally look to close off the angles and make themselves as big as possible. Or at least that's what I thought!?
Is this a coaching point. Don't know just asking.

In the end, we got away with it and the hype of our first game out of the way.

I thought Ludogorets were very good, fair play to them.

[Azi]

For 65 minutes we seemed toothless again and similar to the weekend’s game the opponents looked at ease other than the one outstanding chance for Lallana in the first half we never really got going.  Everything seemed to be forced rather than natural, now that can be attributed towards having a raft of new players still bedding in or it could for me be that it’s the formation once we changed back to the diamond we were a totally different side, Borini and Lucas coming on changed it for us (go back 4 weeks and imagine writing that)

Once we reverted back to the diamond we seemed a more fluid unit and it got the best out of a few more players.  Balotelli in the first half laboured but got little joy he’d do all the hard work but when time came to shoot he was crowded out, but as soon as Borini came on it he was a different player, he didn't have to run back or try and pull the defenders out wide instead Borini done this he would pull left creating more space for Balotelli on the edge of the box where he loves to be and things started to come off for him. Borini all he done was  run channels and chase the ball. So for me if Balotelli is to play we have to play him alongside someone and yesterday Borini showed he could be that man until Sturridge comes back anyway.

This for me will solve the problem of Coutinho who has looked really poor in the first few games although I don’t blame him last season Sturridge Sterling and Suarez were running left right and center creating spaces for others, this season we don’t have that movement so when he has the ball and he looks up our strikers are stood still so rather than play through balls he’s having to play balls direct to the feet of Balotelli whose covered by 3 defenders which means Couthino has to force the issue which is usually when he loses the ball.
 
However the change in formation although it helped the play become more fluid in the attacking third it did leave a big gap in the middle of the park, Gerrard and Lucas don’t have the legs to play together and it could have been that without Allen or Can we are limited to what we can do or who we can bring on to freshen things up but a midfield of Gerrard and Lucas doesn't give me the greatest confidence.

For the Equalizer it was maybe a bit of naivety from our players one nil up heading into injury time let sterling go on a run himself and make sure our back 6 is solid instead when sterling loses the ball Moreno is already past Sterling so he’s out of the game The first through ball takes out Lucas and Gerrard (both were ball watching rather than keeping an eye on Younes ) and the second through ball the legs of Sahko plays in Abalo and this is where the clusterfuck happens first why Lovren decided to slide in to try and win the ball rather than force him wide god knows and then what made Mignolet decide to try and become a sweeper keeper summed his form up lately, no-ones denying his shot shaving abilities but it’s his decision making that’s becoming more worrying in the first half he rushed out and really should have dived to get the ball when Sahko was shepherding it back but he never shouted it was his until he got inches away from Sahko and by luck there was no collision he really needs to shout it’s his ball same way for the goal if there was a shout  it could have been avoided instead it seems to be do something then shout.

Positives of the game for me were our fullback’s best players on the pitch for me. Manquillo was exceptional and really should have got his first goal in front of the kop with that lovely run just a pity he caught the ball so cleanly had he scuffed it, it probably would have went in. also not forgetting  he was the one to chase down the Ludogrets keeper in the 93rd minute

On the other side of the pitch you had Moreno who was everywhere, his crosses were great and defensively other than a bit of naivety at the end when he was bombing forward when he should have been sat back he was outstanding and there was one bit of play as a defender where I genuinely just stood up and applauded if this was tackle was a goal it would be a goal of the season contender for me



Overall the main thing for me was to get the win and we done that first time back in the champions league we could have froze but we got the result, Ludogrets were no mugs so getting the three points on the board was vital.

Our attention now turns back to the premier league and if anything I hope tonight’s performance convinces Rodgers and his staff that until Sturridge is injured our best formation is to play the diamond with someone upfront with Balotelli rather than have him play upfront alone.

[Hinesy]

bump!

[CLOCKSPEED]

Will be in the minority here but overall I saw a lot of positives. Lets be honest we were lucky in first 5-6 games last year and did not play well so with the number of new players this year etc etc will take longer. A lot of players have been discussed but the one I want to mention is Lallana. Let me state that I wanted us to blow 25 million on defensive midfielder this year but unfit and underprepared for this match I actually could see what he may do for the team. Yes his movement was in slower motion due to fitness  but maybe one of the ways to take pressure of the defence is to have a midfielder who is not wanting to run directly or make forward surges rather gather the ball be comfortable in keeping possession and making the "best" choice available. Too many of our passes are forced yes they are on but it gives the receiver few viable options. I see something different with Lallana that if we get up and running could provide Sturridge and Balotelli with many chances . Look Suarez was a genius but if we can replace last years Sturridge-Suarez with Lallana-Ballotelli-Sturridge I think we will do fine. And

I thought Ludogorets were very good, fair play to them.