If BR wanted us to sit deeper he needed to bring Allen and Skrtel on! Why the hell would you sit back if you weren't going to shore up the defense with fresh legs? The only thing I hate more than bunkering is bunkering half-assed!
Very disappointed that the team went to shit so soon after going up two goals. They were on the back foot for much of the half. Why the ******** didn't Rodgers adjust and change the game plan w/ the additional two subs on the bench? Blah.
I thought he did change the game plan with his one sub and IMO although not great they were certainly better. To AnyLucks point the way Allen played yesterday I don't think he would have helped and Carra and Agger were doing ok or more to the point I don't think Skerts would have added to much to the game. We did need midfield help and that's what the change gave us
With this loss. I mean tie. We now have basically no hope of making the CL this season. So frustrating since a win would've put us 5 back instead of 7. If somehow we can win at City, which I don't see happening then the CL comes back into play.
Gotta play them one at a time. We are an improved first team and now we can have a run of games to test what we can do. As FR says, this is a project and we have to see what it brings
He waited too long to make his one substitution. The team was in dire need of more fresh legs the last twenty minutes.
I fully agree we are a quality side talent wise for the most part. It's just frustrating since CL seemed unlikely at the beginning of the season and we had a decent chance like this. But who knows after the City game we have a decently "easy" stretch of games and then Tottenham.
I feel like a BR apologist but I think it would have been difficult to change earlier. We had just scored our second goal and with in 5 min it was even again. If BR had subbed players right after the goal that gave us a 2 goal lead and Arsenal had scored everyone would have been jumping down his throat for changing a winning formula.
You really (Honestly) expected us to be in the top 4 and the CL after this season. I think most of us would like to be in the top 6 and the Euopa's next season. The one after is when we collect the 6th star. This was a game none of the pundits gave us a chance to win, especially at the Emerates. Only the most optimistic fan like me thought we'd get three points. My biggest disappointment is we only scored one goal in the first half. Chances were there for the begging. Hendo hit the roof of the net and Sturridge much as I'm enjoying his play, is not an instinctive goal scorer. Two or three excellent chances, especially the pass up from Suarez. Had that been Sturridge pass and Suarez in front of goal, we know it would have been in. We stayed too deep in the second, maybe helped back by the Arse but we still had chances in that half. Disappointed but I'll take the point.
I really didn't see much chance of us making the CL, but with the way the season is going, three points from this game would've gone a LONG, LONG ways in seeing that through. Coming into this one I would've been relatively content with a point, but expected three points a revitalized showing from Sunday. The way we tied this game is just what frustrates me as it's happened time and time again (ManC game is the one that really comes to mind).
Playing defensive seemed to wear us out. No coincidence the wheels came off after the hour. We sat back and let them pressure us, and when Sturridge came off we conceded 2 pts. What happened to defending via possession? Few opps to square the ball in the box missed, would've dusted the game.
Really, Rodgers? I like the gaffer but leaving two subs on the bench when we are offering the worst passing and possession this team has shown all season in that putrid final 30 minutes? Jonjo and Serling wouldve relieved tired legs, and inserted a great passer and a counterattacking outlet who could threaten their clumsy defenders. I dont understand all the space we were giving them. Was Sven managing this team?
Henderson and carragher co-MOTM. Funny how so many go right to shitting on downing and Henderson when the golden boys agger, Lucas and Gerrard played the worst for us. Agger cost us both goals today, and two against villa for example, but skrtel is weakest defender? Hey, I love all these guys, but sometimes we see what we expect to see, instead of reality. I liked the plan from Rodgers. We tried to play them straight up in the first match and got worked. Instead, he changed his tactics to something more pragmatic than "the system is the system." Yeah, we cringe at giving up so much possession, but it was a very Benitez approach to a big match, compact defending and then try to hit them on the counter. We counter attack better and walk away with at least 5. Sure, it stings, but I think we all would have taken a point before the match.
Gerrard wasn't the attacking mid that we're used to seeing, he worked his arse off there today staying back for the most part backing up everybody, it seemed. Get the chance to watch again and you'll see. How much work he, DAggger and Carra did in breaking up their attack and making them look really poor in the first half. Same with Suarez, he's our striker but he was not giving their speed merchants any room to work, all the way down to our penalty area were they ran into the back line.. He and Johninho were the springboard for Sturridge, Hendo and Downing to get loose. Too much finger pointing from some of you guys. One concern I have is, a lot of those legs are going to be tired tonight after the mileage from defence to attack and back. Hope they bounce back for Sunday.
Unless you are Barcelona you don't beat Arsenal playing the possession game. They are just too good at it, 6 of their players feature in the top 25 average amount of passes per game list. They are still the pass masters in the league, however it hasn't helped them in the table. At Anfield this season and last we beat them on possession(absolutely battered them last year) and still ended up the losing side. We can beat them on possession but with an out of form Allen and both Lucas and Gerrard having a rare average game meant that today was not that day. Rodgers got his tactics spot on and it was only defensive errors that screwed us up not tactical, it might not have been pretty but was correct. Suarez was outstanding. Fella looked knackered but I think he's enjoying playing deeper and being even more involved in the game. Glad to see Carra back. Draws at Stamford Bridge and the Emirates shows he still got it, although I'd start Skrtel on Sunday as 2 games so quick together after having spent so much time on the sidelines is asking for trouble. Plus being dropped is likely to have given Martin the incentive he needs to dominate the City forwards.
I didn't say they played badly, just that they were our worst. I thought everyone played well, actually and every last man worked exceptionally hard. I especially enjoyed when Walcott tried to knock it around Johnson at midfield and burn passed him, but Gerrard flew over and cut him off. My point was that when people are disappointed in our performance, they pick out the usual suspects instead of looking deeper. My second point was that I that this was a successful away point.
I would have taken a tie before the game, and in the 80th minute I was praying for it. It's disappointing to let a lead slip, but it happens---especially away. This was the midpoint of three tough games. No doubt we saw the knock on effects of playing a difficult FA cup game. I hope the players can recover in time for City.
I agree wholeheartedly. Why no Sterling? His pace would've given Arse problems. And I would've started Enrique as a 50% Enrique > 100% Wisdom. So BR got the starting lineup mostly right but his in-games tactics leave a lot to be desired. Arse are a quick and dynamic team so why not insert new blood to combat the tired legs? I don't get the Sturridge sub either. The offense collectively died after Hendo scored and Sturridge was taken out. Also, why did most of the attack stop at the top of Arse's box? Stevie & Downers would be in dangerous positions if only they had followed thru in the box. If I were to see a diagram of our attack in the 2nd half, I think Saurez and maybe Enrique got into the box. Tells you everything. Hendo disappeared into nothingness after he scored. Shelvey anybody? Almost seemed like we didn't want to push for a 3rd. That's a problem that BR needs to address. Wolcott, seems to always raise his game against us. If he played like that every match, Barca would be banging down his door. I seem to recall ArseHavin doing the same thing. Yeah, I'll take a draw but we should've won. 7th place is cemented now. Also, what the fuck is the blue shite doing right to garner 5th? Moyes, though I hate 'em, is a genius. Another finish above us and I'm ready to stick my head in the noose. And that should be the goal, not pushing for 4th but finishing above Everton. Onwards to Citeh but after this performance, I don't fancy us getting any points.
Ok, we will not get CL and I hope will not be mad if we do not get it. We simply need to be building up to it and personally we are far away from it. Yes the draw against Arsenal might have dented our chances but that was a minor dent to the massive dents that were dealt with Aston Villa, Stoke and our first game at West Brom. The season is 38 games we have had far too many dents and I do not feel ashamed to draw against a top team in Arsenal. I will give a longer post later on but I feel Rodgers/team got it wrong in terms of tactics, as there was a very poor passing movement(I cannot recall a moment in the game where we had controlled possession for more than a minute) and an average counter attacking play (more of hopeless punts then defined long balls). Also Sturridge disappointed me with his lack of pressing at the top, people are impressed by his positive contribution with the goals he has scored since signing for us but I expect more from him if he gets played at his preferred position.
Feeling guilty huh? I wasn't pointing my finger at you, just a general observation. It seems a general concensus that we're all happy to have "gained a point" but then people still think we lost 2. I think we had the chances to have gained 3 and blew them but then so did the arse. Rogers set up in the first half looked like we wanted to force them off the wings and into a tight knot in the middle, that way we could crowd them out and Carra wouldn't have to try to use his great speed. Then we could hit back quickly with our forwards. That's why we had Gerrard and Suarez playing so deep. In the first half it worked except that we couldn't capitalise on some excellent chances. Second half the arse stopped making mistakes and pressed pretty hard. But right up to the end we still had the chances for a 3rd goal.
Blowing the lead was a drag but still a point at highmarates or buryem or whatever that place used to be called is ok. Suarez ran his ass off and was very tired at the end, he did a great job but im not too sure about the formation call that had him ending up at left back on occasion, ok we wanted to pack the mid and get a point and it sort of worked but....fck that unless sturridge can match his goal pace, you take a lethal striker and make him a back- checking winger who also needs to link up play? Long sentence but what im saying is, if he aint so tired he wins it at the end. On the other hand, if he doesnt run all day we lose it earlier. so hmmm. loved hendersons effort goal. sweet.
After our second goal they scored 2 goals and had 70% of the play. When Sturridge came off our possession and chances for goals increased. Unfortunately, as another poster mentioned I think Suarez was too gassed from his defensive effort to be as effective as he could have been. Too bad Henderson couldn't put that chip into the back of the net