Topic: Liverpool vs Sevilla 18/05/2016 Europa League Final, Basel

[ThePeetmix]

Same side as Villerreal. It's an 11 that has played games all together, they'll have been working hard in training for that 11. Allen is an important sub for us to have.

Bench for me should be: Mignolet, Lucas, Randall, Allen, Hendo, Ojo, Benteke/Origi.

[Sir Psycho Sexy]

Same side as Villerreal. It's an 11 that has played games all together, they'll have been working hard in training for that 11. Allen is an important sub for us to have.

Bench for me should be: Mignolet, Lucas, Randall, Allen, Hendo, Ojo, Benteke/Origi.

You'd play Bogdan? Brave man 

I think Hendo should be on the bench also. Only just coming back from injury and we have had some solid performers in the middle of the park. He wasn't in amazing form pre-injury, so i don't think he should walk straight back in but he could make an impact with his workrate off the bench

[Barneylfc∗]

Same side as Villerreal. It's an 11 that has played games all together, they'll have been working hard in training for that 11. Allen is an important sub for us to have.

Bench for me should be: Mignolet, Lucas, Randall, Allen, Hendo, Ojo, Benteke/Origi.

Who the hell are you putting in goal 

[DutchRed]

With Hendo fit do we go to a 3 man midfield with him Can and Milner? Or do we stick to the same side that saw off Villareal? Sevilla have an awful away record this season, anybody that watches them, why is that? Set up too open? Some confident folks on here but in a major European final you know it's going to be a nervy affair.

Starting Henderson would be absolute madness. Whether you're a fan of the guy or not, and I'm not at all, there's not much point of ripping the midfield three apart for somebody who's only played like half an hour in a game that was essentially a friendly unless we're talking an absolute world class player. Moreover it's undeniable we might need his energy later on. Places on the bench for him and Origi, if fit enough, make perfect sense to me.

[mc_red22]

With Hendo fit do we go to a 3 man midfield with him Can and Milner? Or do we stick to the same side that saw off Villareal? Sevilla have an awful away record this season, anybody that watches them, why is that? Set up too open? Some confident folks on here but in a major European final you know it's going to be a nervy affair.

No chance should Hendo be anywhere near the first 11. He's been piss poor in recent months and we've looked much better in Europe with a Can & Milner partnership.

[Gifted Right Foot]

Equally buzzing and shitting myself for this already.  Going to be a long week. 

[Haggis36]

Personally think we're more likely to go with a 3 man midfield anyway, regardless of whether it's Hendo who comes in or Lucas/Allen.

Setting up with just Milner/Can in midfield in a huge final would be leaving us very light in there, particularly given that the midfield area is supposedly Sevilla's biggest strength.

Plus I'd be very surprised if we fielded all of Lallana, Coutinho, Firmino and Sturridge from the start. In fact I wouldn't put it past Klopp to go with Firmino up top, as Sturridge hasn't started really any of our recent "big" games with the exception of those at home where we'd have expected to completely dominate possession. Given the usually open nature of finals, I would be surprised if all four of those players started, as I expect we might want to keep it tight early on and then bring on the big guns as and when needed. But then maybe Klopp will want to go all out and blitz them from the start. Who knows!

[Aceldama]

Going to be a long week.

Well the game is on Wednesday so not that long 

[JackWard33]

Personally think we're more likely to go with a 3 man midfield anyway, regardless of whether it's Hendo who comes in or Lucas/Allen.

Setting up with just Milner/Can in midfield in a huge final would be leaving us very light in there, particularly given that the midfield area is supposedly Sevilla's biggest strength.

Plus I'd be very surprised if we fielded all of Lallana, Coutinho, Firmino and Sturridge from the start. In fact I wouldn't put it past Klopp to go with Firmino up top, as Sturridge hasn't started really any of our recent "big" games with the exception of those at home where we'd have expected to completely dominate possession. Given the usually open nature of finals, I would be surprised if all four of those players started, as I expect we might want to keep it tight early on and then bring on the big guns as and when needed. But then maybe Klopp will want to go all out and blitz them from the start. Who knows!

Allen and Lucas played today so seems unlikely they'll be used
4-2-3-1 is Klopp's preferred formation so I suspect we'll see that
Hednerson might have given him a dilemma - he looked pretty sharp today

[Haggis36]

Allen and Lucas played today so seems unlikely they'll be used
4-2-3-1 is Klopp's preferred formation so I suspect we'll see that
Hednerson might have given him a dilemma - he looked pretty sharp today

I completely forgot Allen played today - mindblank. Yeah you're right that probably means it's Henderson or a two man midfield. I do think that would leave us too open particularly without a player willing to press from the front for 90mins, but I guess Klopp will find a way around it.

[Hij]

Shaking like a shitting dog here planning what I need for my bag Wednesday morning with some music on and reading this thread. Just looking at the picture of that magnificent trophy. Fuck me.

My shift Tuesday night is going to be slow as fuck.

[Red_Rich]

I'm looking forward to Wednesday when I can hopefully, finally put Athens behind me.  Apart from the non-event game in Heysel, I've never seen us lose a European final and 2007 really was a sickener, a shock to the system.  It still bugs me to this day.  Here's to laying that ghost on Wednesday with another glorious European triumph.

[Another Red]

I hope we don't start Henderson because if he doesn't perform (after playing all of 20 minutes following his injury) the lynch mobs on here will want blood. No question he deserves a spot on the bench though provided he's fit.

[Number 7]

That's correct. They're (obviously) an excellent cup team but they are hardly unbeatable. Sevilla has lost 14 league matches, for example.

My opinion means nothing of course, but I feel really, really good about this. Klopp will have them ready. And I think we have some young guys who are blossoming into "big match" players -- Firmino, Can, Coutinho, Sturridge. The Klopp revolution will shift into overdrive this week, and the biggest clubs in Europe are going to begin to seriously fear us again.

I actually feel good about it too. Before the League Cup final I was really excited but wasn't entirely sure if we could beat City in a big game with a cup at stake. I mean they're a team with some outstanding players and it would have been a great coup beating them in a final. I felt the players felt a lot of pressure that day because of the same reason. I know we only lost to them in a penalty shootout but we didn't really play that well that day. Although, we completely overran them in the league match a few days later but the pressure wasn't on then. I think the players probably learnt a lot from that final, and being in one already this season should help them here.

One thing I do know is that our players will play at an extremely high intensity. It will be much higher than the Chelsea game with the same 11 last week, and higher than that final against City. I think Seville, a team that has struggled all season away from home, might not be able to cope with the intensity and pressing that we will apply on them. Now, who knows what will happen on the day and although they have a couple of better technically skilled individuals I don't see them as too dissimilar to Villarreal. In fact, Villarreal are better than them as the league table would suggest. Again, totally different in a one off scenario, but I honestly believe that if we play like we did in the 2nd leg against Villarreal there is no way Seville are beating us.

[Alonso_The_Assassin]

Nerves are starting to build for this. I can't fathom that we are merely 90 minutes away from CL football next season. It could be the shot in the arm that projects us into the next stratosphere under Klopp. Remember those possibilities Rafa once spoke about?

Watching the match at the Brisbane Casino with the irrepressible and very dapper looking chap that is Jooneyisdagloomy

Got the Thursday and Friday off work and hope to spend it with copious amounts of booze in celebration!
 
Come on your Redmen. Bring this home!

[Lolo]

Nerves are starting to build for this. I can't fathom that we are merely 90 minutes away from CL football next season. It could be the shot in the arm that projects us into the next stratosphere under Klopp. Remember those possibilities Rafa once spoke about?

Watching the match at the Brisbane Casino with the irrepressible and very dapper looking chap that is Jooneyisdagloomy

Got the Thursday and Friday off work and hope to spend it with copious amounts of booze in celebration!
 
Come on your Redmen. Bring this home!

......or just to add to the nerves, maybe 120 minutes, or even 120 minutes plus penalties........

OK, I'll shut up!

[soxfan]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/AvSvQDAjXW4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/AvSvQDAjXW4</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/y5f2Brjcn5g" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/y5f2Brjcn5g</a>

[Redcap]

Nerves are starting to build for this. I can't fathom that we are merely 90 minutes away from CL football next season. It could be the shot in the arm that projects us into the next stratosphere under Klopp. Remember those possibilities Rafa once spoke about?

Watching the match at the Brisbane Casino with the irrepressible and very dapper looking chap that is Jooneyisdagloomy

Got the Thursday and Friday off work and hope to spend it with copious amounts of booze in celebration!
 
Come on your Redmen. Bring this home!

Didn't know you guys are in Australia too! Canberran here.

I'm not even that bothered about CL football next year, to be honest. It's great to have of course, but it's a bonus. The trophy is the real prize, which I think commentators tend to oddly overlook.

I was also thinking of getting Thursday off, but I have an important-ish meeting to attend. Also, I think if we didn't win, having something to occupy my mind by going to work would be handy.

[Lolo]

It would be interesting to have an idea how many are planning to travel to Basel.......

[Weescotty]

Didn't know you guys are in Australia too! Canberran here.

I'm not even that bothered about CL football next year, to be honest. It's great to have of course, but it's a bonus. The trophy is the real prize, which I think commentators tend to oddly overlook.

I was also thinking of getting Thursday off, but I have an important-ish meeting to attend. Also, I think if we didn't win, having something to occupy my mind by going to work would be handy.

Already taken Thursday off, got a feeling my 13 year old may be ill Wednesday night also .

[ThePeetmix]

Who the hell are you putting in goal 

Kolo to be our keeper-sweeper? :p

[kavah]

Thanks Al - that really is a fantastic post.

on a side note, how good were Mönchengladbach in the 70s? 5 European finals and 4 times champions - clearly on a par , at least for the middle years, with the great Bayern Munich side.

[Mike Basset]

I'm desparate for the win, obviously, but regardless of the result i have no doubt that we are in the most capable hands going forward. There's not a manager in the world i'd take ahead of Klopp right now. Hopefully Wednesday can be the first of many successes with him in charge.

[Trendisnotdestiny]

My worries, pre-game are the usual suspects ---> 

1.  Alberto Moreno
2.  Set plays

On the other side of the coin, we have

1.  Jurgen's Gegen Ze
2.  Brazilian Magic
3.  Plan B if the first two do not work

C'mon you Reds!  I know --- days early.... but want this one bad

[telekon]

Will be in Venice of all places for this. Booked the trip before the semi-final, stupid enough not to have looked on a possible final date, so originally I'd be on a night train in northern Italy without any roaming data for the final. It was possible to book another night and another train thankfully. Can't seem to find the thread which lists places around the world to watch games so: can someone recommend a place in Venice?

[pjshaun]

We'll win this in normal time. No extra time or penalties will be required. It will be 0-1 till 90th minutes but then 2 goals in injury time to make it 2-1. You guys ok with that or should I change something?

[rakey_lfc]

                               Mignolet

Clyne            Lovren              Toure         Moreno

                  Milner           Can

Lallana                Coutinho             Firmino
 
                          Sturridge

Subs:
Bogdan
Srktel
Lucas
Allen
Henderson
Ings / Origi
Benteke


I think that's currently our strongest 11 on form and injuries. It's the team that beat Villareal and pretty much all rested at the weekend, there should be no excuses to play the high tempo Klopp wants. We know Lallana, Coutinho and Firmino will be fluid in their movement and may not stay to their positions.

The bench allows us to have different options, we've seen Allen come in during European ties. I've put Ings on the bench but I don't think he was named in the Euro squad but he deserves this for his determination to get back, if not Origi. Either way Ings/Origi or Benteke offers us different approach to attack if needed, while the rest provides cover in case of injuries in the game.

[Redcap]

Pretty sure Ings isn't in the Europa squad. Ibe for Ings and you've got a team there. Also, pretty sure Coutinho will start on the left rather than behind Sturridge, as has been the case all season.

[SwedenRed]

                               Mignolet

Clyne            Lovren              Toure         Moreno

                  Milner           Can

Lallana                Coutinho             Firmino
 
                          Sturridge

Subs:
Bogdan
Srktel
Lucas
Allen
Henderson
Ings / Origi
Benteke


I think that's currently our strongest 11 on form and injuries. It's the team that beat Villareal and pretty much all rested at the weekend, there should be no excuses to play the high tempo Klopp wants. We know Lallana, Coutinho and Firmino will be fluid in their movement and may not stay to their positions.

The bench allows us to have different options, we've seen Allen come in during European ties. I've put Ings on the bench but I don't think he was named in the Euro squad but he deserves this for his determination to get back, if not Origi. Either way Ings/Origi or Benteke offers us different approach to attack if needed, while the rest provides cover in case of injuries in the game.

Spot on there.
I think if Origi was fit... He would push Sturridge for a place.

[Spanish Al]

Will be in Venice of all places for this. Booked the trip before the semi-final, stupid enough not to have looked on a possible final date, so originally I'd be on a night train in northern Italy without any roaming data for the final. It was possible to book another night and another train thankfully. Can't seem to find the thread which lists places around the world to watch games so: can someone recommend a place in Venice?

There will be a few bars showing it I would imagine mate. I managed to watch a few of our games during the run in of 13/14 in a little golf club in a village across the water from Venice. I went out on the lash in the centre of Venice a couple of times as well and I do seem to recall seeing sports, football and sky sports etc being advertised in a few places. Just ask around while you're there mate if no-one on here knows.

Oh, and be prepared to spend a fair few bob on beer if you're drinking.

[Spanish Al]

Thanks Al - that really is a fantastic post.

on a side note, how good were Mönchengladbach in the 70s? 5 European finals and 4 times champions - clearly on a par , at least for the middle years, with the great Bayern Munich side.

Cheers mate, I really enjoyed writing it. Took me a few hours after I'd watched lots of videos, read articles and searched for pictures and all the details for everything! Aye, that Gladbach side was a great one. I don't remember them but my old man does. We went on a stadium tour of Borrussia Park a couple years ago, lots of great pictures of the 70's about and a couple of LFC related ones IIRC. I say stadium tour, we actually literally walked through some doors and wandered around the stadium for about half an hour. There is a bar which is permanently open in the stadium, was great.

Back on topic, not feeling nervous yet. Don't think it has sunk in just how big this is and that we are actually there. Living in Auckland at the moment so took the day off work Thursday and will watch a build up of games to the Final on Wednesday night. In fact some nerves just started kicking in as I typed this post. 7am Thursday kick off time for me, no beer to calm me down and settle any nerves!

[capt k]

7am Thursday kick off time for me, no beer to calm me down and settle any nerves!

Thats why they have bottle shops/offys
5 am KO here and ill be drinking copius amounts before ,during and after

[Spanish Al]

Thats why they have bottle shops/offys
5 am KO here and ill be drinking copius amounts before ,during and after

It's not really the time of day that is the problem. I'm moving on to Asia after 11 months in Auckland at the end of July so I'm going to the doc's to get a few vaccinations. Didn't want to have to take another day off to do those (not made of money). Hopefully I'll be alright to drink after them as I will want to have a few in the afternoon, result pending perhaps.

[Barneylfc∗]

Will be in Venice of all places for this. Booked the trip before the semi-final, stupid enough not to have looked on a possible final date, so originally I'd be on a night train in northern Italy without any roaming data for the final. It was possible to book another night and another train thankfully. Can't seem to find the thread which lists places around the world to watch games so: can someone recommend a place in Venice?

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=120287.msg14652692#top 

[unusg]

Wednesday afternoon meeting cancelled so the day is clear for pre-match preparations although i'll be my usual nervous, non-communicative self in the hour before the game.

COME ON YOU REDMEN

[Alf Garnett!]

                               Mignolet

Clyne            Lovren              Toure         Moreno

                  Milner           Can

Lallana                Coutinho             Firmino
 
                          Sturridge

Subs:
Bogdan
Srktel
Lucas
Allen
Henderson
Ings / Origi
Benteke


I think that's currently our strongest 11 on form and injuries. It's the team that beat Villareal and pretty much all rested at the weekend, there should be no excuses to play the high tempo Klopp wants. We know Lallana, Coutinho and Firmino will be fluid in their movement and may not stay to their positions.

The bench allows us to have different options, we've seen Allen come in during European ties. I've put Ings on the bench but I don't think he was named in the Euro squad but he deserves this for his determination to get back, if not Origi. Either way Ings/Origi or Benteke offers us different approach to attack if needed, while the rest provides cover in case of injuries in the game.

Yep it's our strongest 11 available,I would however have Firmino central & Coutinho wide.

[redk84]

is it weird that I feel completely confident about us winning this?

I know anybody can win in a final, they are current champions even if they have had a poor season (especially away from home) and we should never be complacent going into a match like this....

yeh

still. confident 

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

What a boost it would be to see a bench with Origi and Henderson on it. I doubt either would be fit to start, and I think he will go with the team he started with v Villareal and Chelsea.

It's a really weird feeling this. In previous finals, domestic or European, you have a decent knowledge of the opposition but Sevilla are a bit of an unknown to me personally. I don't watch a lot of Spanish football, all I really know about them is that they are a counter-attacking team, got two or three good individual talents and have won this trophy twice on the bounce. Not a lot to go on, so it's hard to know what the feeling is. I checked last night and the bookies (UK) made us slight favourites to lift the Cup.

What a treat it would be, at the end of a largely positive season, to have a trophy at the end of it.

[Shepnois]

Right we're in the home straight now, ever since we beat Dortmund I've been convinced we'd win the cup but some nerves are starting to kick in now. I'm still confident we'll do the job but some little doubts creeping in. I know if we play how we can we'll have too much for them, lets hope there's no final nerves and the lads play their game and bring it  home. Cant wait for it, 90mins from a major trophy and CL football next season and all the riches & doors that opens for us. Bring it on.

[Pistolero]

Barfüsserplatz will be bouncing in just a couple of days time....