Topic: Liverpool 1-0 Bournemouth FT

[AndyMuller]

I know it's only two games in, but I'm enjoying the fact we look a lot more gritty and have a bit of steel about us. Clyne smashing slide tackles down the right, Jimmy Milner bullying everyone up and down the pitch and Big Ben winning headers like nobody's business.

[ThePeetmix]

Are people forgetting that the Arsenal side we're coming up against got stuffed at home by West Ham and scrapped past Crystal Palace with an unconvincing performance. They're not exactly pulling up trees so far.

[Macca201188]

Are people forgetting that the Arsenal side we're coming up against got stuffed at home by West Ham and scrapped past Crystal Palace with an unconvincing performance. They're not exactly pulling up trees so far.

Correct, and the other big teams don't look great either, possibly with the exception of City. We have got issues to sort, but taking some massive positives from the first two games. Onwards and upwards, lets see what the next few games bring us!

[TSC]

But the fact of the matter is, we are still in transition and these questions remain up in the air.

Sadly correct, although transition seems to be the name of the game each season.  Roll on the season where we're not in transition.

[Nick110581]

Henderson had scan on foot yesterday.

Results today. He's imperative in a match like this.

[jepovic]

Are people forgetting that the Arsenal side we're coming up against got stuffed at home by West Ham and scrapped past Crystal Palace with an unconvincing performance. They're not exactly pulling up trees so far.

It's a good time to play at Emirates. That said, in recent years it has mostly been very difficult games for us. Even if we would lose, I wouldn't get too worried. It's kind of par for the course to lose at Emirates. If we beat them, we put them in a tough spot. The pressure is on them.

[ScottScott]

2 games in, 2 wins, 2 clean sheets. Only 3 shots on target faced meaning that we have the best defencive record in the league. The only thing you can possibly criticise is the fact that we've only scored 2 goals but even then that's moaning for the sake of moaning when we sit 3 points ahead of Arsenal and 5 ahead of Chelsea and Spurs

We went to Stoke and did the job. We got battered last season so we went there and changed that. We were tight, we had fight about us and in the end we won through a wonder goal. Overall we deserved to win

Bournemouth came to Anfield and did what every team that comes to Anfield does. They played out of their skin in what is probably the biggest league game in the history of the club. They had a goal correctly, yes correctly, ruled out early on and after the adrenaline wore off in the 1st 20 minutes we were massively on top. Yeah we scored and it should have been ruled out but then again Coutinho should have scored on his left and Henderson was very unlucky to hit the bar from the corner routine. Other than the disallowed goal did Bournemouth create anything in the 1st half? 2nd half comes around and they start brightly again but when they fail to create any clear chances they drop back and it allows us to take control again. We should have wrapped it up when Benteke saw his effort pushed onto the bar but we never and that meant that the last 10-15 minutes where cagey from us and we sat back happy with the 1-0 win and they got around our box a couple of times, once hitting the outside of the post

Overall, we defended very well again, Mignolet had nothing to worry him and dealt with crosses/corners well and we got the goal that won the game. Yeah we should be beating Bournemouth at home easily but then again Chelsea should be beating Swansea at home easily, Arsenal should be beating West Ham at home and Spurs the same with Stoke. It doesn't happen every time

So can we stop with all this shit about Arsenal twatting us on Monday and get behind the team and manager. 36 more 1-0 wins and we've won the league comfortably 

[Caston]

Are people forgetting that the Arsenal side we're coming up against got stuffed at home by West Ham and scrapped past Crystal Palace with an unconvincing performance. They're not exactly pulling up trees so far.

Exactly. Hate playing Arsenal at the Emirates though, a win would be massive.

[ShayGuevara]

Anyone considered making a round table thread yet?

[Ken-Obi]

Anyone considered making a round table thread yet?

Shit performance.
Great result.
Lovren vs Sakho.

[Timbo's Goals]

That is bollocks buddy. Football is about both boxes, there is a reason teams who are poor in both lament refereeing decisions.

We opened them up at least 5 times, how many times did they threaten Mignolet?

It's all well and good to cry out that we got lucky on Bentekes goal, but that happened because he went past his marker like he wasn't there. It's all well and good crying about the disallowed goal, but that happens because our CB is fundamentally smarter than any of theirs; did you see a Bournemouth CB call offside on Bentekes?

I'll respond properly now.

Your strawman's argument taking all I said completely out of context is the only bollocks in this instance.

[Timbo's Goals]

You usually speak sense Timbo but that bolded parts, what the fuck....

One of his critical, and I can't stress this enough, functions is his capability, through his strength and touch, to receive that long punt from a defence that's been put under serious pressure by the opposition, while marked by 2 or 3 even, take the hits, and hold it up or win a foul. Again and again. As mentioned by Brendan, this is the first time he's had such a player in his time here, someone who fits into what he wants - Carroll had the physique but perhaps wasn't quite good enough as a footballer to both provide that dimension and contribute in possession play.

He IS the guy, who more than any other, can stop us from ever being pinned back consistently.

I think our thinking is at cross purposes on this. Sure Benteke is an outlet in the sense you say. And sure it's nice to have something like that in your locker. It's just that I don't particularly want to see us playing in this manner to the extent that it featured in the two games so far and certainly not at home in the first game of the season against any fucker let alone a newly promoted side that in 99% of the time I've been watching us we'd have had them pinned back defending their lines like Davy Crockett at the fucking Alamo. Yes there are times when a punt to a big man who can hold it up is an undeniable asset. It's just not something I like to see a Liverpool side doing as a principal element of our play whether or not we're being pressed by the opposition. By all means vary things to incorporate it as a variation but that isn't what we've seen in the opening two games by any stretch.

[DeLeiva]

It's just not something I like to see a Liverpool side doing except on the odd occasion

Would you not take every game in that manner if it meant we won 1-0?

[Fitzy.]

Are people forgetting that the Arsenal side we're coming up against got stuffed at home by West Ham and scrapped past Crystal Palace with an unconvincing performance. They're not exactly pulling up trees so far.

Erm, yes people have forgotten this. But many on here have far more faith in Arsenal turning around their form than Liverpool - a team who have barely let their keeper make a save of note so far this season.

[exiledinyorkshire]

Not sure if fishing?

I think our defence hasn't looked better in a back 4 under Rodgers possibly ever. We're going to be extremely difficult to beat this season, when we want to prevent the other team froms coring. So I think it's rather the opposite - we're not going to get hammered for quite some time, so long as we're set up to defend.

There's no doubt quite a bit of justifiable worry about the direction the team is heading tactically (Does 4-2-3-1 get the most out of our players? Can the team and Benteke adapt to each other? How committed are we to a midfield 2?), in team selection (What will become of Lucas and Sakho? Lovren is our first choice CB? Really?) and existentially (what is the team's identity in the post-Gerrard era?). But I think these are questions that naturally arise out of what continues to be a period of change for the club. We've been in transition for a long time now, and I think we're all good and tired of it. We all want to see a settled team that plays a consistent brand of attractive, effective football. And we want that team to be Liverpool.

But the fact of the matter is, we are still in transition and these questions remain up in the air. It's our lot as fans to deal with it. It's probably healthier to do so with an open mind and optimism that we'll build on our two opening two results, than to read into the lack of fluent performances so far as a sign that we're doooooooomed(!!!!).

well said sir.

[exiledinyorkshire]

Sadly correct, although transition seems to be the name of the game each season.  Roll on the season where we're not in transition.

13 14 was less of a transition.

the core of that team and the system had been worked out at the end of the previous season with the introduction of Sterling Couhtts and sturridge.

and we came second.

[exiledinyorkshire]

and from Scottscott as well.

Good effort.

[Timbo's Goals]

Would you not take every game in that manner if it meant we won 1-0?

I presume you mean if every performance - as distinct from result - was as disappointing for the most part as the one against Bournemouth yet still yielded a 1-0 result in our favour?

It's a hard one to answer at this stage of the season. Realistically, though, I guess I would find such paucity of excitement, entertainment and good play pretty hard to stomach but I guess at the end of the season 114 juicy points would be more than adequate compensation for the shortfall in quality.

 

[wordroam]

I really can't understand some of the negativity ive seen over the last couple of weeks, particularly since last nights game. I know it's not everyone, it might not even be the majority, but it's a lot of people who must've been itching all summer for the season to start so they could have more of a moan.

It really is so difficult to take any big conclusions from the first two games of any season. The positive people are harking to 2013 with our three one nils in relatively unspectacular circumstances. The negative people point to the fact that if we lose to arsenal we're in the same place as last season. That surely just goes to show how difficult it is to predict, given how wildly different those two campaigns unravelled. Who thought after sneaking those wins in 2013 we would go on to nearly win the league? Who thought after smashing Spurs away last season that we would capitulate from then on?

What I'm getting at is that while we are at such an early stage, where we've got no idea how the team will gel, all we need is to get the points on the board. Who knows what will come this season, but as long as we are winning football matches, we're moving in the right direction.

I sometimes think people get too attached to individual players. I rate Lucas, I rate Sakho, I rate Can, I'm excited to see firmino, there's players in that team last night who the jury is still out on. But fuck it, all that matters is we won. Liverpool winning football matches is all that should matter, fuck if I or anyone else is sad that their favourite player hasn't been starting.

Well, I'm getting to the stage of thinking its best to wait for 20 pages. The whingers will have spent most of their energy and sensible people will feel irked enough to respond, at which point reading tends to feel a bit more informed.

To be honest we're probably 5 points higher than I feared. Players are better than I thought - I'm watching Benteke, tactically with fascination and Gomez, where the hell did he come from ? However to be blunt we're not ready for the tough games yet. Or if you want to be optimistic, improvement happens in jumps (as we're not looking at training everyday) so you never know.

We overperformed on the pitch 2013. We underperformed in the transfer market 2014 - not so much the 'squad' but on the 'first 11'. We won't really know if 2014 is 'fixed' or how far we'll improve for a number of games yet.

Was speaking to an old friend of mine the other night - he reminded me that they didn't even bother publishing the table for the first five or so games in ye olden times. Then again perhaps without twitter, footy manager, 24/7 news and internet they were forced to be able to get a fecking life.

[surfer. Fuck you generator.]

Sadly correct, although transition seems to be the name of the game each season.  Roll on the season where we're not in transition.

Yeah, think we can give up that word now. We're just being a football team, the nature of that - perform better some seasons than the position the finances predict you'll be in, finish worse sometimes, but mostly in and around where you should be. Been doing that. There's no place to transition to.

[Beninger]

Haha, sometimes I wonder if some fans actually look forward to our matches and enjoy watching us play. 

[Fitzy.]

Well, that was uninspiring stuff. Theres no real question of the test now being arsenal, it's more a simple -  sort your shit out pronto or we're getting hammered for the next few months.

What ever you conclude from the first two matches I'm struggling to see how you think this team will get hammered for the next few months. It is conservative and a little bland but certainly not open to being overrun.

Do people expect flowing football following a poor season and the introduction of (at least) 4 new players into the first team?

'Entitlement Hour' never ends for some of you.

[rowan_d]

Its simple, scrape our way through these first 7 away fixtures with scrappy home wins bolstering the points, then let the attacking football flow.


In all seriousness, I wonder if we've been doing much more work on defense than attack over the summer, with those away games in mind. If we can start conceding 1 goal in those types of games instead of 3, that'd be a great platform to start winning points in them. All the while, our new signings and Ibe will be adapting.

[Gerrard#1]

Correct, and the other big teams don't look great either, possibly with the exception of City. We have got issues to sort, but taking some massive positives from the first two games. Onwards and upwards, lets see what the next few games bring us!

possibly? They're light years ahead of every other team ATM.

[killer-heels]

possibly? They're light years ahead of every other team ATM.

They are not light years away from every other side. It wasn't long ago they were getting their arse handed to them by Man Utd.