Topic: Liverpool 1 - Man City 0 (7' Gini)

[elbow]

To be fair, he did nutmeg him and should have won a free kick.  But I agree, he was badly of today. Hope he gets a rest for Sunderland.

He was, but at the same time he laid on the ball for Lallana to cross for the goal. He won some good headers as well. The Kop deffo appreciates him judging by the songs.

How good was the crowd by the way? You have a side like City (seemingly) penning you back in a crucial period and they respond like that. Doubters into believers.

Great game management from the Reds. We seemed to benefit from the easing off in the last 10 against Stoke. Then I read we ran more collective kms as a team this season!

Up the Fucking Reds. Happy New Year, 2017 is gonna be special......

[Anthony]

As Winston Churchill once said -

Oh Yes

Close but no cigar...

[WaterfordRed]

What a great finish to an excellent year. Well done LFC. All the best for 2017.

[RedorRed]

That performance is what Brendan never learnt!!!
Coming out days before the Chelsea game saying we weren't going to change our game.....chasing a game we didn't need to.....having Stevie as last defender 4 yards in our own half just before half time.

Sometimes you have to dog a game out... and it's not pretty but no one will remember those games if it leads to a title!!!

Great win, the last 2 wins against Everton and Citah have shown we are beginning to grow and learn to adapt to win against anyone.

Loving it from JK....

[hide5seek]

That performance is what Brendan never learnt!!!
Coming out days before the Chelsea game saying we weren't going to change our game.....chasing a game we didn't need to.....having Stevie as last defender 4 yards in our own half just before half time.

Sometimes you have to dog a game out... and it's not pretty but no one will remember those games if it leads to a title!!!

Great win, the last 2 wins against Everton and Citah have shown we are beginning to grow and learn to adapt to win against anyone.

Loving it from JK....

I'd like us to go to Man Utd and play similar, defend and hit them on the counter. I'm sure we could go there shut the crowd up and get a win.

[elbow]

That performance is what Brendan never learnt!!!
Coming out days before the Chelsea game saying we weren't going to change our game.....chasing a game we didn't need to.....having Stevie as last defender 4 yards in our own half just before half time.

Sometimes you have to dog a game out... and it's not pretty but no one will remember those games if it leads to a title!!!

Great win, the last 2 wins against Everton and Citah have shown we are beginning to grow and learn to adapt to win against anyone.

Loving it from JK....

Not having that, that season is remembered as being chaotic and helter shelter, but we had three 1-0's in the first 3 games by being very dogged. Let's leave Rodgers out of this one eh?

[King Klopp.]

I'd like us to go to Man Utd and play similar, defend and hit them on the counter. I'm sure we could go there shut the crowd up and get a win.

I'd rather we just played our normal game that has seen us go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Everton and coming away with 10 points. Fuck playing like last night again. Let's be honest, we were dreadful. Milner and Klopp said as much themselves after the game. We couldn't pass, we sat deep, we didn't press, we had one shot on target and spent the game punting the ball long for Firmino to try fight 2 or 3 lads for. Henderson had a 64% pass accuracy. That's incredibly bad. We played poorly but dogged it out like title challengers need to do sometimes. But we definitely should't be using it as a template because if City were even semi competent last night we could have been in trouble.

Plus, we slaughtered United for coming and playing like that at Anfield. We're better than that. We don't fear any team, other teams fear us. We go to Old Trafford and we take them on.

[Solomon Grundy]

I'd like us to go to Man Utd and play similar, defend and hit them on the counter. I'm sure we could go there shut the crowd up and get a win.

 January is going to be massive. If we beat Man Utd and Chelsea it really is game on.

[hide5seek]

I'd rather we just played our normal game that has seen us go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Everton and coming away with 10 points. Fuck playing like last night again. Let's be honest, we were dreadful. Milner and Klopp said as much themselves after the game. We couldn't pass, we sat deep, we didn't press, we had one shot on target and spent the game punting the ball long for Firmino to try fight 2 or 3 lads for. Henderson had a 64% pass accuracy. That's incredibly bad. We played poorly but dogged it out like title challengers need to do sometimes. But we definitely should't be using it as a template because if City were even semi competent last night we could have been in trouble.

Plus, we slaughtered United for coming and playing like that at Anfield. We're better than that. We don't fear any team, other teams fear us. We go to Old Trafford and we take them on.

That's what Mourinho expects though and he'll have them defend and look to counter. Also think it was us who made city look incompetent last night.

[IanZG]

We didn't do all that bad at the back for a team that can't defend...

[Schmidt]

I'd rather we just played our normal game that has seen us go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Everton and coming away with 10 points. Fuck playing like last night again. Let's be honest, we were dreadful. Milner and Klopp said as much themselves after the game. We couldn't pass, we sat deep, we didn't press, we had one shot on target and spent the game punting the ball long for Firmino to try fight 2 or 3 lads for. Henderson had a 64% pass accuracy. That's incredibly bad. We played poorly but dogged it out like title challengers need to do sometimes. But we definitely should't be using it as a template because if City were even semi competent last night we could have been in trouble.

Plus, we slaughtered United for coming and playing like that at Anfield. We're better than that. We don't fear any team, other teams fear us. We go to Old Trafford and we take them on.

I might be missing something but it felt like City forced us to play that way last night, we didn't choose to. We tried to press but they have a lot of technical players and managed to play around us quite well, and once they managed to push us back they kept us penned in which is why we ended up so deep.

[El Lobo]

I'd rather we just played our normal game that has seen us go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Everton and coming away with 10 points. Fuck playing like last night again. Let's be honest, we were dreadful. Milner and Klopp said as much themselves after the game. We couldn't pass, we sat deep, we didn't press, we had one shot on target and spent the game punting the ball long for Firmino to try fight 2 or 3 lads for. Henderson had a 64% pass accuracy. That's incredibly bad. We played poorly but dogged it out like title challengers need to do sometimes. But we definitely should't be using it as a template because if City were even semi competent last night we could have been in trouble.

Plus, we slaughtered United for coming and playing like that at Anfield. We're better than that. We don't fear any team, other teams fear us. We go to Old Trafford and we take them on.

What a bizarre thing to say.

If we'd been even semi-competent attacking, we'd have had 3 or 4.

[Nick110581]

Probably Klopp best match for us tactically.

[dudek05]

That win reminded me of the ones Houliier's team were so adept at in our treble season. More than one way to win a game for Klopp

[pyroparty]

Probably Klopp best match for us tactically.

Nah. Not even our best tactical match v Man City. Weird how being more negative is always seen as more "tactical".

[Purple Red]

Nah. Not even our best tactical match v Man City. Weird how being more negative is always seems as more "tactical".

People watched too much Serie A in the 90s. 

[Red Beret]

I'd rather we just played our normal game that has seen us go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Everton and coming away with 10 points. Fuck playing like last night again. Let's be honest, we were dreadful. Milner and Klopp said as much themselves after the game. We couldn't pass, we sat deep, we didn't press, we had one shot on target and spent the game punting the ball long for Firmino to try fight 2 or 3 lads for. Henderson had a 64% pass accuracy. That's incredibly bad. We played poorly but dogged it out like title challengers need to do sometimes. But we definitely should't be using it as a template because if City were even semi competent last night we could have been in trouble.

Plus, we slaughtered United for coming and playing like that at Anfield. We're better than that. We don't fear any team, other teams fear us. We go to Old Trafford and we take them on.

I don't give a rat's hindquarters how we play against Chelsea or United as long as we get the points. 

The City game has shown Klopp's - and the team's - willingness and ability to adapt and do whatever is necessary to get those three points, regardless of the opposition.   

Sometimes we can show off and have a bit of flair; other times we will need to dig deep and be defensive; and yes, at other moments we will need some "dogs of war" bite.

I'm the last person to call Pep a fraud - his record speaks for itself - but one thing I think Klopp has over Pep is that he knows what it is to truly struggle, suffer and lose with his football clubs.  That's not only kept Klopp hungry, it's kept him learning.  You can see that Pep doesn't quite yet have an answer to City's problems, and he's on a steep learning curve.  He's certainly got the resources to get a handle on it, but right now he's in a period of uncertainty and vulnerability.  He'll be a better manager for it in the long run, 'cause he's not a quitter like Mourhino is.

To go to OT and out-Mourhino Mourhino would be the sweetest way to win, because we know we wont have to play that kind of football all the time.  But for Mourhino, it's all he knows, and the red Salford shower know it too, and they know they're stuck with it.

There will be moments we have to dig deep and fight dirty, so let's not fall into the Arsenal trap of ALWAYS trying to play pretty football and walk the ball into the net, eh?

[Solomon Grundy]

To go to OT and out-Mourhino Mourhino would be the sweetest way to win, because we know we wont have to play that kind of football all the time.  But for Mourhino, it's all he knows, and the red Salford shower know it too, and they know they're stuck with it.

As much as I'd love us to play them off the park with a 3 or 4-0 win, I also would find it very satisfying if we did to them at OT what they did to us at Anfield. Only difference being, we nick a winner. Watch their fans response to that sort of performance then. You can be damn sure they wont be calling it a tactical masterclass that's for sure.

[12C]

Strange game in many ways. I think we were set up to play in a more energy saving way. I thought Milner's passing was wayward early on but he had the evil eye on that young kid on the wing and got better as the game went on. Firmino was frustrating at times because he tries stuff. I recall a poster a couple of years ago saying how Suarez was wasteful in possession but it was OK -"because he is not afraid to fail" and I think Klopp is happy with that approach, because when it does come off it is frightening. And, perhaps more importantly, the opposition spend their time worrying about him doing it, which creates space and time for others.
Wijnaldum was superb last night. I was unsure as to his value to us when we signed him, but he has gradually become crucial to the sides style. He does the dirty jobs and does them well, and last night he added the goal which was superb.
For me though, there was the one moment when everything Klopp has brought to us, was laid out for all to see. Yaya Toure, still a very good player mind, controls a pass just in his own half. So far we had let City play in their own half (apart from goal kicks) as they were giving possession away once they tried to move forward. Anyway, Toure gets the ball facing his own goal and without any signal 2 red shirts sprint forwards and mug him. He didn't even see them coming for him. They flattened him (legally) and stole the ball, and we were suddenly in on their back 4. Unfortunately  only a mistimed pass caused the move to break down. The way we swarmed all over Yaya was crucial as it caused city to try and move the ball quicker and then errors grew.
Losing Henderson allowed them to get a foothold in midfield but we countered that with Origi and they were back to square one.
I thought the ref was poor, but that is for another time.
Pep has always had a challenge ahead of him, that squad needed overhauling after their last title, but they have merely tinkered. I think they will see off Silva, Toure, Zabaletta, Clichy and a few others come the Summer and go for a full rebuild

[Alan_X]

I might be missing something but it felt like City forced us to play that way last night, we didn't choose to. We tried to press but they have a lot of technical players and managed to play around us quite well, and once they managed to push us back they kept us penned in which is why we ended up so deep.

I agree - they do have some excellent technical players and that means they're less likely to lose the ball under the press. I'm no tactical expert but it was clear we adapted our game to take account of that.

[Kop307]

Match of The Day was an asbolute disgrace last night.

They spent 10 minutes dicussing Chelsea beating fucking Stoke at home. Our game was on for 5 minutes. Abolutely no credit whatsoever for beating Man City. Apparently City were shit according to them 3 fucking clowns. What about this Liverpool team who "Can't defend" keeping it's 2nd clean sheet away from home in 3 games? Any talk of us keeping pace with a team on a 13 win streak? Any fucking credit whatsoever lads? They're quick to stick the knife in if we concede 1 fucking goal, but keep a clean sheet against the best attack in the league - naa fucking mentioning that.

You can tell it'd fucking break Shearer's heart if we won it. It properly pissed me off.

[redtel]

Good solid display against a top four rival who have very good technical players.

Klopp and his two aides have had just 15 months with this squad and have worked miracles in my view.

Bayern Munich were made to come second to his Dortmund in several league and Cup campaigns and you can see last night how we fought and eventually overcame an experienced City team. Expect more of these battles with the top teams in the PL.

We have a brilliant clever manager and assistants improving our players.

I think one of the problems Klopp had was how we win the points against City and then travel to play away with short recovery to try and win again. Tomorrow we will find out if he solved that problem.

As for City, they have bought some way overpriced players, including one from us. 

[spider-neil]

I think there is a big decision who partners Matip when he returns to fitness. Klavan (IMHO) has been our stand out defender since coming into the side.

[TepidT2O]

I agree - they do have some excellent technical players and that means they're less likely to lose the ball under the press. I'm no tactical expert but it was clear we adapted our game to take account of that.

Klopp said we wanted to keep it compact to stop giving them space.  We also dropped deeper than intended under pressure.

[Gerry Attrick]

I think there is a big decision who partners Matip when he returns to fitness. Klavan (IMHO) has been our stand out defender since coming into the side.

Don't know if there should be a discussion to be honest. Klavan and Lovren have been very good as a partnership but Klavan should retain his place on merit. He's simply been better than Lovren over the last 4 matches.

[Kop307]

I think there is a big decision who partners Matip when he returns to fitness. Klavan (IMHO) has been our stand out defender since coming into the side.

Lovren & Klavan stay in for me.

Matip can wait. Those two lads are doing a fine job, keeping clean sheets. No need to change it. They've earned their shirts, they should keep them.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

I'd rather we just played our normal game that has seen us go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Everton and coming away with 10 points. Fuck playing like last night again. Let's be honest, we were dreadful. Milner and Klopp said as much themselves after the game. We couldn't pass, we sat deep, we didn't press, we had one shot on target and spent the game punting the ball long for Firmino to try fight 2 or 3 lads for. Henderson had a 64% pass accuracy. That's incredibly bad. We played poorly but dogged it out like title challengers need to do sometimes. But we definitely should't be using it as a template because if City were even semi competent last night we could have been in trouble.

Plus, we slaughtered United for coming and playing like that at Anfield. We're better than that. We don't fear any team, other teams fear us. We go to Old Trafford and we take them on.

Definitely one of your worst posts, and there has been a lot of competition for that title.

[Purple Red]

Don't know if there should be a discussion to be honest. Klavan and Lovren have been very good as a partnership but Klavan should retain his place on merit. He's simply been better than Lovren over the last 4 matches.

Lovren has been the constant in the centre of the defence all season whenever it was doing well with Matip and then Klavan. Perhaps it is time to recognise that this partly because of Lovren not in spite of him? Lovren has been just as excellent in our recent run as Klavan.

[Kop307]

I'd rather we just played our normal game that has seen us go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Everton and coming away with 10 points. Fuck playing like last night again. Let's be honest, we were dreadful. Milner and Klopp said as much themselves after the game. We couldn't pass, we sat deep, we didn't press, we had one shot on target and spent the game punting the ball long for Firmino to try fight 2 or 3 lads for. Henderson had a 64% pass accuracy. That's incredibly bad. We played poorly but dogged it out like title challengers need to do sometimes. But we definitely should't be using it as a template because if City were even semi competent last night we could have been in trouble.

Plus, we slaughtered United for coming and playing like that at Anfield. We're better than that. We don't fear any team, other teams fear us. We go to Old Trafford and we take them on.

I sort of know what you're saying but remeber this.

Firmino miscrontrolls a good ball - he's 1 vs 1 if he brings it down.

Firmino delays a pass to Lallana in the first half, he's 1 vs 1 if he doesn't fuck the pass up.

On 4-5 occasions in the 2nd half we have a 3 vs 3 and play a horredous pass. Or delay the ball.

Had we been better on the counter that game could have easily been 3-0.

City did absolutely fuck all because we defended so well. They didnt have a sniff.

I'd be quite happy for us to do that again, because you know what. We'd win 3-0 not 1-0.

[jepovic]

Tactically and defensively it was just about perfect. They're too good with the ball and too fast up top for a high press. It would have been suicidal. We got the early lead and tried to catch them on the counter.

The problem was the quality of our counters, which was mostly quite poor. We were also a bit wasteful in possession, perhaps because we tried to attack quickly. In the end though, we were much closer to getting a second than they were in getting an equalizer.

It was odd how cautious ManC were throughout the game. They never got desperate.

Toure was awful.

[hide5seek]

I don't give a rat's hindquarters how we play against Chelsea or United as long as we get the points. 

The City game has shown Klopp's - and the team's - willingness and ability to adapt and do whatever is necessary to get those three points, regardless of the opposition.   

Sometimes we can show off and have a bit of flair; other times we will need to dig deep and be defensive; and yes, at other moments we will need some "dogs of war" bite.

I'm the last person to call Pep a fraud - his record speaks for itself - but one thing I think Klopp has over Pep is that he knows what it is to truly struggle, suffer and lose with his football clubs.  That's not only kept Klopp hungry, it's kept him learning.  You can see that Pep doesn't quite yet have an answer to City's problems, and he's on a steep learning curve.  He's certainly got the resources to get a handle on it, but right now he's in a period of uncertainty and vulnerability.  He'll be a better manager for it in the long run, 'cause he's not a quitter like Mourhino is.

To go to OT and out-Mourhino Mourhino would be the sweetest way to win, because we know we wont have to play that kind of football all the time.  But for Mourhino, it's all he knows, and the red Salford shower know it too, and they know they're stuck with it.

There will be moments we have to dig deep and fight dirty, so let's not fall into the Arsenal trap of ALWAYS trying to play pretty football and walk the ball into the net, eh?

Absolute quality post.

[King Klopp.]

Tactically and defensively it was just about perfect. They're too good with the ball and too fast up top for a high press. It would have been suicidal.

That's just not true.

We pressed the shit out of them twice last season and hammered them twice. Spurs and even Celtic did it this season and it paid off.

[Gerry Attrick]

Lovren has been the constant in the centre of the defence all season whenever it was doing well with Matip and then Klavan. Perhaps it is time to recognise that this partly because of Lovren not in spite of him? Lovren has been just as excellent in our recent run as Klavan.

Lovren and Klavan have been very good as a partnership and I'd have no qualms with Matip waiting for a chance to play his way back into the team. Lovren has been very good, Klavan has been exceptional.

[hide5seek]

Lovren and Klavan have been very good as a partnership and I'd have no qualms with Matip waiting for a chance to play his way back into the team. Lovren has been very good, Klavan has been exceptional.

It's a tough one. Normally I'm a keep playing the playrs who've been doing the job and not letting us down type of guy. But Matip is so bloody good and a I just want to see how he and Klaven do together.

[King Klopp.]

Lovren has been the constant in the centre of the defence all season whenever it was doing well

And when it's went tits up.

[Purple Red]

And when it's went tits up.

Was he the only centre half playing when we were conceding goals?

[Chris~]

It'll be lovren and matip. They're the clear first choice.

[beardsleyismessimk1]

So do we deduce that there's about 50 %  non liverpool fans on rawk? Hope it stays like this . HNY

[TepidT2O]

It'll be lovren and matip. They're the clear first choice.

We have the FA cup to come and the league cup semi finals....

It will be all of them

[xbugawugax]

Match of The Day was an asbolute disgrace last night.

They spent 10 minutes dicussing Chelsea beating fucking Stoke at home. Our game was on for 5 minutes. Abolutely no credit whatsoever for beating Man City. Apparently City were shit according to them 3 fucking clowns. What about this Liverpool team who "Can't defend" keeping it's 2nd clean sheet away from home in 3 games? Any talk of us keeping pace with a team on a 13 win streak? Any fucking credit whatsoever lads? They're quick to stick the knife in if we concede 1 fucking goal, but keep a clean sheet against the best attack in the league - naa fucking mentioning that.

You can tell it'd fucking break Shearer's heart if we won it. It properly pissed me off.

stop watching them mate.  a bunch of shit talkers at best. Ever heard of empty vessels make the most noise? Thats what they are.
Lead by a failed manager and most not even qualified to manage an u16 girls youth team. Why bother hear them talk.

They need to stir some controversial views to get employed in the job and that's what they do best.

On another note, let them wank themselves over the chelsea/man u win like its the greatest football victory ever. More attention to them and less pressure for us.

We just need to keep doing what we do.