Topic: Liverpool 4-1 Steaua Bucharest: post game revisionism

[Les Willis]

Spearing looked comfy in his role with Raul.....PLAY NGOG in Europe! 

Erm.. we are...  I think Ngog has played every UEFA game... (correct me of I'm wrong)..

[Didi_ram]

Spearing was very assured.He is a dynamic Dm and although he slipped,and lost position a couple of times,his performance overall was very assuring.Joe Cole looked to be in a different league.Give him space,and he is a dream.So is MEireles.I would be shocked if he didnt start every game.

[Twelfth Man]

Spearing I agree was quite impressive, kept for ball moving, solid defensively, one great clearance, accurate passing, really hardly put a foot wrong.

[Didi_ram]

Honestly,this is the kind of Dm we need.Someone who defends,runs around,moves the ball forward,gets involved in passing,helps out the defenders too.Very refreshing.

[PaulF]

No

Serious question as I didn't watch the game today but how many hoof balls did we see this match? Or did we play it out from the back more often mot?

Not many, but Steau didn't press us very hard at the back

[khalilur]

Maybe this is why Roy keeps saying that Spearing is in his plans despite many fans writing him off, saying that he's a waste of space. Maybe he does have what it takes to make it in our squad.

[Mickthered]

Carra was definitely at fault for their goal, wasn't he wearing his Greek suite ?

Is that a three seater couch and two chairs!"

[confusedmoi]

Well done Reds!!
- Xabi Alonso

http://twitter.com/XabiAlonso

[Didi_ram]

We are playing very well in europe,hopefully we can show this kind of form in the league.

[xabi rules]

Against terrible sides. Our first two goals were very fortunate. Until the pen (that shouldn't have been given) we looked a bit lost.

[martinlloyd85]

Against terrible sides. Our first two goals were very fortunate. Until the pen (that shouldn't have been given) we looked a bit lost.

Unbelievable.

[Finn Solomon]

We are playing very well in europe,hopefully we can show this kind of form in the league.

We're playing teams well below Premier League standard, of course we look good. Good win, but look at the opposition.

[rafabenihill]

We're playing teams well below Premier League standard, of course we look good. Good win, but look at the opposition.

juve drew 3-3 with inferior opposition, so we did well to get a big win last night..

[Crazynumber9]

A bit of perspective is needed, we were woeful in the first half because they were pressing hard and were really energetic. We on the other hand looked disinterested and were lucky to be going into the break even. They are at best a Championship standard club and we should have been able to get to grips with the game quicker.

I worry about our tactics when the opposition have the ball, there is no visible pressing above the halfway line. Its worrying when we have the Mancs coming up that we gift possession and territory so easily. We were literally on our box defending at times.

So yeah it was a good result but we need to improve a hell of a lot before we can be satisfied.

A plus point though were the performances of Mereiles, Spearing and Cole. Once they settled down a bit they looked pretty good and controlled the midfield nicely. I hope Lucas gets a huge lift of confidence from that stunning strike and comes up with something similiar on Sunday.

[Ron]

All positives yesterday,
Lucas getting a goal, maybe encouraging him to shoot more,
Ngog showing he is becoming a proper striker
and Joe getting his 1st in a Liverpool shirt.

[Old Triangle]

Pacheco when he came on was a different class. He was only involved in a few moves but his touch, balance and quick thinking really stand out for me. I think he could be a little magician for us.  I know you have to protect youngfellas but I really hope he starts to get more than 10 minutes or so at the end of each game.

[Caffeine]

Well done all involved, polished second-half performance that

Positives:

Cole and Lucas scoring
Meireles looks like EXACTLY the sort of player we need, pass and move, always looking for the ball
Ngog is getting better and better. Must say I cringed a bit when he stood up for the penno, but he took it superbly.
Spearing was better than I thought he'd be.
Pacheco and Kelly are both assured on the ball, the future is bright.

Negatives:

We let Steaua back into the game far too softly
Defence looked flat-footed, especially Soto. He's good in the air but so slow on the turn and he lacks Carra's ability to snuff out a throughball before it's made.
Babel continues to have very little end product, wherever he plays.


I really hope we don't revert to Poulsen and Lucas on Sunday, I imagine one of them will start, I would've loved to see Meireles but I doubt he's starting after 90 minutes here.

[Mad Men]

Against terrible sides. Our first two goals were very fortunate. Until the pen (that shouldn't have been given) we looked a bit lost.

What a super fan. So, UEFA/Europa cup only contain shite teams eh?

[Crackerjack Sam]

We are playing very well in europe,hopefully we can show this kind of form in the league.

best post I've seen since last night.

[redway101]

Poor first half, much better second half, there seems to be a pattern forming? We look so much better when we go after teams rather than sitting back and inviting them on to us. Not sure why we keep starting each game off like this?

[Mad Men]

Poor first half, much better second half, there seems to be a pattern forming? We look so much better when we go after teams rather than sitting back and inviting them on to us. Not sure why we keep starting each game off like this?

Because there is a "let's not conceded the first goal" mentality I think in some teams...most teams..a few teams...who knows!?!

[Didi_ram]

We're playing teams well below Premier League standard, of course we look good. Good win, but look at the opposition.

Yes,but the intent was there last night.We played the passing game,with less hoofs,with more crisp forward passes and movement.We havent done that against anyone in the league(not even west brom,who are inferior opposition).We might have conceded,but the attacking intent,flair,and shooting was all present.Letting in a goal or two isnt a problem as long as we play like this,rather than play two holding midfielders who pass sideways,are static,and we are happy with 0-0s.
Spearing and Meireles played a huge role in our dynamic display,and cole,when given the space,was outstanding.

[lachesis]

Great result and the performances are building some momentum.

Leaves a bit of a conundrum for Sunday. I think we are likely to see Lucas and Gerrard in midfield with Cole and Torres as the front two. Maxi needs to retain his place, which only leaves the left side looking weak. I don't think it matters whether we play Jova or Babel, both are in equal measure, enigmas. If Aurelio is fit I'd be tempted to go with him ahead of Konchesky.

Spearing did well, like I said he injects a bit of tempo and urgency in the middle, he has a lovely reverse pass as well. Made up for Lucas, stonking goal that, very Gerrard-esque. When we took the lead so early it sort of halted us because we didn't expect to be up so I think the team tried to defend the one goal as we were used to.

Their goal was brilliant play, little pass behind Soto - maybe he got sucked to the ball but don't think there was a lot you can take away from it. That Tanase does look a good player and looks like the type fo player we need on the left funnily enough.

Anyway, the real benchmark of Roy's first ten games will be how we set up against United and how we approach the game, not not necessarily the result.

[Meako1977]

We our officially the best team ever now, RH is the greatest manager and Lucas is well on for player of the season!!

Good performance considering the changes we made and overall plenty of positives. Cole looked very lively throughout and was the constant threat, Meireles looks like he could well be the diamond we have desired since Xabi went and Ngog got better throughout the game and looked more confident. Konchesky had a good game and showed with his his end to end running what he will offer going forward.

MOTM was definately Jay Spearing. Dominated the game in the centre, never hid and demanded the ball. Gave it away a few times but then ran his ass off to get it back. Hopefully this kind of performance will be a two-fingered salute to the 'fans' who write him off. Showed tonight that although he might not be first choice he can come in and provide an option.

Only negatives where Soto' mistake for the goal and Babel being his normal frustrating self. Did some very good things but then fucked the simple things up.

Overall successful night and IMO it will now give the manager a headache for a few places on Sunday. Would expect Kon and Cole to come in. Whether he takes the risk of playing Merieles is one big question but I also think Agger showed that he is a more obvious partner for Carra.

[xerxes1]

We're playing teams well below Premier League standard, of course we look good. Good win, but look at the opposition.

You can only beat who is in front of you and last year we failed to beat Reading over two games. Steau, with over 300 Euro games to their credit are no novices and actually played quite well last night.

Enjoy the good results, there will be plenty of opportunity for the doom mongers as the season unfolds.

[PhilV]

my two cents from last night:

First Half: started well, super early goal and was very optimistic BUT as soon as we conceeded we instantly looked like a different side, deflated, scared to push forward, our defensive line was VERY deep, IMO should have been further up the pitch.

Second Half: different Liverpool turned up, after the peno we took it up a few notches and played some good footie, VERY happy with Raul Meireles, great passing ability and he put loads of balls into space that were missed as Konchesky was not making the runs but I guess its his first full game and he is new so people are not on the same wavelength yet, he also did some smart little passes like the back heel on the right to Ngog that Ngog did not understand, but he really looks good in my eyes, very excited by this man.

Lucas did great when he came on, his first touch was clearing it away during a little dodgy spell near our box and then a cracking goal that put a smile on Gerrard's face, pleased for the lad, he doesn't deserve the stick he gets.

Kelly for me looked awful on the right, he looked very nervous last night, couldn't whip in a ball and Babel who i defend a lot kept finding more Bucharest men with his passes than Liverpool man BUT...

all in all pleased with the performance, good character shown after half time shown to step it up to the next lvl and play our style, well done you Reds, keep it up, lets trash those mancs next.

PS: Daniel Agger - the unsung hero from last night, did all the basic stuff right, great great player, love the guy

[No666]

Leaves a bit of a conundrum for Sunday. I think we are likely to see Lucas and Gerrard in midfield with Cole and Torres as the front two. Maxi needs to retain his place, which only leaves the left side looking weak. I don't think it matters whether we play Jova or Babel, both are in equal measure, enigmas. If Aurelio is fit I'd be tempted to go with him ahead of Konchesky.

Solved if you play Lucas or Poulsen with Miereles in midfield, Maxi, Gerrard and Cole in the three behind Torres.

[adwhite40]

Went 2-1 up and then we starting showing some confidence with passing and movement we have lacked over the last four/five games!

Cole and Raul looked class acts and think they both need to be involved at OT!

[Neil D]

You can only beat who is in front of you and last year we failed to beat Reading over two games. Steau, with over 300 Euro games to their credit are no novices and actually played quite well last night.

Enjoy the good results, there will be plenty of opportunity for the doom mongers as the season unfolds.

Yawn.

We played well last night in the second half, I enjoyed it. Pleased with Cole and Raul and Spearing had a good game, despite the flak he gets on here.

[McSquared]

well done lads, good result. it's the first game i have enjoyed watching this season, so onwards on upwards. well done to spearing, who i had some doubts about, but i'm happy for him that he proved a lot of people wrong (including me)

[MazzaRed]

Right....have heard before, but for me now clearly evident last night....Lucas is an attacking midfielder...much better coming forward...didn't rate him at Birmingham last week...need to be played here more often..not a DM or holding player....give him another chance in this pozzy...and I'll eat my hat and take back all I've said about him in the past!

[chuckberry]

Agger and cole were great. Kelly didn't have the confidence of his team mates. They kept passing away from him. Konchesky was better imo but kelly is a big kid who should keep getting games every so often. Good to see pacheco get a few minutes. I must be the only one who wasn't that impressed with ngog. Not sure why even - might have to watch it again. Babel was good though. Agger motm. Easily.

[lachesis]

Solved if you play Lucas or Poulsen with Miereles in midfield, Maxi, Gerrard and Cole in the three behind Torres.

I think it's safe to say Cole is the 'hole' player, and Hodgson sees his future there. Also, I don't think Poulsen/Lucas would be too effective against the mancs, leaving the same problem of a broken link between midfield and attack. If we play that, we're putting all our eggs in the one basket fo the Gerrard and Torres partnership which is pretty stale at the moment.

[xerxes1]

Isnt it great to see the debate on here as to who was MOTM? A sure sign of a good performance.

[the3rdman]

I think last night showed the gulf of class between some of the players we had on the pitch. Cole, Miereles, Maxi all had really impressive games. Spearing played well. When Lucas came on Miereles was able to move forward more and he is an exciting player. The rest of the team looked less comfortable than the above. Babel is the most frustrating player ever, some of his touches were awful then some perfect. Unfortunately, more bad for from him than good.

Overall it turned out to be a good performance, but i really hope we start to perform in both halves of the game rather than leaving it all to the last 45 min

[red_dub]

lads missed the match due to work, anyone got a link to highlights?

[The Charlatan]

Ropey 1st half for sure, Cole's goal was a tad fortuitous but you have to be there to score them and it was a cracking finish! Other than that, we were well off the pace. Their goal was poor defending... Spearing slipping opened the park up and they were clearly in the ascendency until half time and if not for another excellent Pepe stop (and the lino's flag) it could have been worse!

Take the 2nd half though and it was a different game. Much more get up and go and the attitude of wanting to win. Impressed with Spearing & Maxi. Miereles looked a little off the pace in terms of some of his passing but there was more than enough to go on to see he'll be a player for us. Would have liked to have seen more of Pacheco. He looked sharp and very dangerous but his wee bit of skill down the right before passing back to Pepe was a good example of his vision. Nothing on so lets start again. Impressive...

What about Lucas goal? Was a worldy if ever I've seen one even if he was helped with a 1st touch like a goal kick...

[walshys_mullet]

You were one of them wernt you?.

I was one of what? A Rafa basher? Maybe i was although i stuck to the points i had based on his football and setup and i didnt dish them out after him being here for five minutes.

And thats the difference.

Too many are sniping on here far, far too soon, constantly over anything at all. And many are, even though i've disagreed with them over Rafa many times - well respected posters who always got their points across well in the past who have suddenly seemed to have lost all sensibility, and now rage around the forums worse than what was said under Rafa. Theres just no balance, just complete contempt. 

Theres nothing you or i can do, Hodgson is here, i dont think many where enthralled by his employ. But knocking the manager after a 4-1 win is in my opinion, a bridge too far.

[killer-heels]

I think it's safe to say Cole is the 'hole' player, and Hodgson sees his future there. Also, I don't think Poulsen/Lucas would be too effective against the mancs, leaving the same problem of a broken link between midfield and attack. If we play that, we're putting all our eggs in the one basket fo the Gerrard and Torres partnership which is pretty stale at the moment.

If thats the case then considering the amount of caution we have shown up to now and for a long while, Gerrard and Meireles would be a pretty bold midfield line up. Im all for it mind you.

[sat]

A sound performance from Spearing and Cole was just different class, hopefully he can pick a few decent passes for Nando on Sunday.
Well done Reds.