Topic: CL: Liverpool 2 vs. Midj 0 Jota 55' Mo 90+2’

[keano7]

Really poor from all the front four in the first half. Shaq and Jota did slightly better in the second half but still not overly great. The 4-2-3-1 works as much as playing Ox on the left wing - it doesn’t. We have an absolute glut of centre minds and we can’t get three fully fit ones on the pitch. Hope Naby, Thiago and Matip are back for Saturday!

[Andy @ Allerton!]

I was on the road and only got in for the last ten minutes. What's happened to Fabinho? Nothing serious, I hope.

Anyway, nice to see our conversion rate is 100%. Two shots on target; two goals. 

I take it we were in 1st gear all game?

They actually had a few decent chances. They could have embarrased us, but Allisson was immense.

Williams came on for Fabino (Dunno why I keep thinking his name is Jones )

Not great, but they were fucking dirty first half. We kept our composure. We weren't the best but we worked hard and came away with a good win.

[Wabaloolah]

Jake Humphreys just said that's the first time under Klopp that we have won back to back games in the Champions League?

I can think of at least two games that show he's talking out if his arse! Barcelona 2nd let followed by Spurs in the final oh and Man City, both legs

[Simplexity]

Minamino had the reaction of someone who knew he had messed up a big chance to play more. Not really sure he is that good with his back to goal but at the same time he looks a bit lost when the play is in front of him.

Still don’t see where he fits in.

Rightfully so, football is all about grabbing the opportunities you get, and in this instance he did not.

[killer-heels]

Home game against a pretty average side. Pretty ideal conditions and he just didn’t perform in the slightest.

I still think there’s a great little player in there but tonight looked tailor made for a breakthrough performance.

He looks like a 10 to me, someone who plays off a striker, which is not something we do at all.

[MD1990]

Minamino was really poor tonight

[Son of Spion]

Looked like a hamstring, but eagerly waiting to hear what Klopp has to say any minute.
We were disjointed and sloppy really. but 2 games, 2 wins, 0 conceded, that'll do for me and we move on to West Ham

Cheers. 

Yep, a win is a win. They only get you three points no matter how ugly or pretty they are.

Fingers crossed for Fabinho.

[kezzy]

3 wins in a week without getting out of first gear.  Take the result and move on and hope Matip and Thiago can get fit soon enough.   Williams did well when he came on and Arnold had his best game of the season for me.  Hope Fabinho’s injury isn’t too bad.   

[Reeves]

No

Poor recollection on my part then

[killer-heels]

European night, under the lights, no fans. What a load of shite.

[El Lobo]

Home game against a pretty average side. Pretty ideal conditions and he just didn’t perform in the slightest.

I still think there’s a great little player in there but tonight looked tailor made for a breakthrough performance.

Sorry...but how was it ideal? First time starting with those players, pretty poor all over the pitch, almost a non existent midfield. You’d think he’s just been chucked into the first XI with Salah and Mane next to him being fed by Thiago.

[rushyman]

They ARE as bad as we were all making out

Wed have lost that to a better team. I think we can all agree there

We beat them 2-0 and comfortably

That’s as close to having a night off while actually playing as you can get

[Bjornar]

Poor performance, but got the result, which was the main thing.

Apart from obviously the injury situation, the main worry IMO is that Firmino while still indispensable (or at least very hard to replace) keeps performing worse than we've been used to, and Minamino looks far away from being able to step up.

[DangerScouse]

Not pretty but that'll do!

[Ratboy3G]

He's not a starter. He's a good player to bring on to shore things up/see a game out. He is important to have around the dressing room though.

Grujic and Brewster would offer more than some of our squad players to be honest and we could do with Lovren at the moment, on the other hand Thiago and Jota are sound investments. Origi is genuinely terrible now.

I was thinking the same, a great player to bring on to see a game out but I don't think he can do 90 mins any more.
Sad to see how much Origi has regressed, I love the lad but think the time for him to have moved on was after the Champions league final.
Some positive performances though, I think Trent, Jomez and Rhys Williams were all excellent.

[ac]

Dreadful team performance littered with a couple of a couple of individual bright spots - Alisson, Trent and Willams.  Minamino's performance was particularly concerning. I'm not sure what he is particularly good at. He doesn't seem to have a great touch, he isn't particularly fast, or skilful and I've not seen him knit play together particularly well for us. Thiago and Henderson in midfield should hopefully improve us significantly on the weekend.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Minamino was really poor tonight

Yeah I think he was trying too hard.

I kept wincing when he had a good chance to build or touch and go and saw it bouncing away from him.

Lallana saying the same thing - he's had so few chances and is so wanting to get a shot that I feel for the lad. I honestly think he's one who will be great for us.

[Fromola]

Perfect. Five points clear of Europa.

Win the double header against Atalanta and we'd be through with two games to spare. City are walking their group in first gear and will be through with games to spare, but that's their customary joke group and will give them some momentum ahead of our game. Atalanta is going to be tough. They will however be exciting games and not a bunch of cloggers at least.

[rushyman]

European night, under the lights, no fans. What a load of shite.

Got to admit it’s starting to get to me now

No chance of a return any time soon either

[disgraced cake]

Dross that. 4 points from Atalanta would be lovely though. Have to perform much, much better than that like.

[thaddeus]

I don't get the negativity.  Midtjylland were only the whipping boys in the heads of some of our fans.  They took a spanking against Atalanta - a scoreline that didn't really reflect the game - and so came to Anfield with a very cautious approach.

Trent was outstanding.  A few other decent performances.  None of the six forwards we used really got going but bagged two goals between them.

Once again though, more bloody injuries.

[So… Howard Philips]

And the half-time thread, that was hideous.

I religiously avoid the half time thread and make myself a nice cup of tea instead.

[DelTrotter]

Alisson is astonishing at one on ones, funny to watch players panic in front of him.

[Studgotelli]

What happened to Fab?

[Realgman]

was a very poor game, and at 88 minutes they should definitely have equalised.. penno right at the end for us, 2-0 seriously flattered liverpool, trent was outstanding, minamino was terrible, hes on borrowed time, and whats going on with Firmino... his magic is seriously waning... I tought Jota was decent... hopefully Fabs injury is really minor..
Awful game...we need to get going

[Son of Spion]

They actually had a few decent chances. They could have embarrased us, but Allisson was immense.

Williams came on for Fabino (Dunno why I keep thinking his name is Jones )

Not great, but they were fucking dirty first half. We kept our composure. We weren't the best but we worked hard and came away with a good win.

Ah yes, I caught the chance they had near the end when their man got around Gomez and hit the side-netting.

I'm happy with the points. I think some of us possibly underestimated them beforehand and thought this was a foregone conclusion. 

[Fitzy.]

Injuries are getting a bit much. The only solace is that we’re not the only club nursing players. Crazy season.

[rushyman]

I’ve seen Origi have some stinkers but bloody hell

He was falling over the ball under no pressure

[Kashinoda]

That may have been the most boring game I have ever watched.

Champions League without the fans fucking sucks

[S]

Sorry...but how was it ideal? First time starting with those players, pretty poor all over the pitch, almost a non existent midfield. You’d think he’s just been chucked into the first XI with Salah and Mane next to him being fed by Thiago.

They’re a very average side.

We made them look better than they are and they still couldn’t score.

Having better players would have helped Minamino out but he still had plenty of time and chances to make some sort of impression.

I remain a believer in him though, think he’ll come good.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Alisson is astonishing at one on ones, funny to watch players panic in front of him.

Yep. Looks like me and you about the only people that noticed.

[The Test]

Crouch now saying the pen was soft 

[richmiller1]

Klopp would have murdered Bobby had they equalised at the end. First he spoons a simple finish into the stand then he promptly goes up the other end and fails to track a runner.

[David in Edinburgh]

That was a hard watch but 3 points is 3 points.  Hopefully Stan was more a precaution than a bad one. What is it about the CH position? Williams looked assured when he came on but to be fair wasn't put under much pressure. Thought Robbo was strangely quiet tonight but given his brilliance over the last couple of years 90 minutes down from 8/9 to 6/7 is allowable I suppose. 

[Son of Spion]

European night, under the lights, no fans. What a load of shite.

I think it's been clear this year that what gives football its soul is the fans.

[DonkeyWan]

Some of you have no idea what living is!

A 2nd/3rd string muddled through against the whipping boys of the group. At home, with a clean sheet. It's the DREAM!

Now the full strength side can go out and play at the weekend with energy to spare.

In this season, with the cluttering up of the fixture list, these kind of performances with these kind of players will be crucial.

[S]

Alisson is astonishing at one on ones, funny to watch players panic in front of him.

Even those he doesn’t save, he makes the opposition miss. Such a great presence.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Ah yes, I caught the chance they had near the end when their man got around Gomez and hit the side-netting.

I'm happy with the points. I think some of us possibly underestimated them beforehand and thought this was a foregone conclusion. 

They were physical and they were better than I thought they would be

Delighted with the 3 points and the clean sheet.


Not really sure how any fan can be pissed off with 3 points and a clean sheet. But the ideas of younger fans thesedays is often beyond my understanding.

If Anfield was full and bouncing and I was in the pub now, I'd be fucking made up with that (Like I am now)

[Dazzer23]

Doesn't 10 points always see a team, through? So a win and a draw?

Usually, but not always. If there is a duff team in the group that doesn’t get any points (and Midgetland might end up being one of those) then even 12 might not be enough.

[El Lobo]

Klopp would have murdered Bobby had they equalised at the end. First he spoons a simple finish into the stand then he promptly goes up the other end and fails to track a runner.

Not quite Yarmolenko cameo level but not far off