We did not play well in this game. Our midfield was very poor compared to what it has been previously this year. Sahin was soft. Gerrard had his usual spots of brilliance couched by moments of stupidity (like chipping the ball into a Chelsea midfielder's chest). Suarez and Sterling were working real hard but couldn't combine together. Allen continued his poor form with a second bad performance in a row. However... Enrique and Johnson showed a lot of graft and effort on both flanks. Carra didn't look too bad. Wisdom didn't look overawed. So, even though we looked shit, we got the road point and almost stole the win.
one of the strangest performances i've ever seen from of player is this strange amalgam of brilliance and disaster from enrique today. he'd give the ball away, then sprint thirty yards and body chelsea's 'flair' players of the ball. then, dribble into a dead end only to lob perfect passes over the top to suarez. one-touch passing one second, and then getting it stuck under his feet the next. hopefully, this performance will be a confidence boost for him. - sahin and gerrard shouldn't play in the same lineup as it is currently constituted. it's frustrating because, generally speaking, gerrard plays better higher and sahin better deeper, but they are switched. and, as rodgers tells us, allen is better higher, too. so, why is sahin playing the top of the triangle when he's the better deeper player of the three? - wisdom is slow getting his hips turned and running with an attacker. so, he gets caught behind when someone tries to run with the ball past him. he's not slow, but he's been caught behind a few times a couple of games in a row. other than that, he's been solid but for a few giveaways, although you could say that about anyone's game today. - until we get a DM or lucas back to full form, i wouldn't mind running with this 5-3-2 formation. we looked a lot steadier at the back, even with a 135-million-pound strike force constantly on the counter against us. - suso really seemed to turn the game when he came on. i think he's earned a mid-field spot over sahin and even allen at this point. allen has followed a similar downward trajectory in form that shelvey has lately. - where was shelvey today, anyway? - sterling is really starting to get comfortable out there. it's great to watch suso and him grow game after game. - i thought i heard the chelsea fans singing the 'you know what you are' song, but i figured that they would get how beyond ridiculous it would be for them to sing it. i guess i under-overestimated them... again. - suarez. "he'll never be a 20-goal scorer in the premier league," said everyone. he's on pace for 27. also, why didn't anybody go celebrate with him after the goal? that was... weird.
I honestly didn't notice that nobody else went over. What a strange thing; normally that only happens when the game is already lost and there is no way back. What is going on? He looks genuinely surprised that nobody came over.
I rather have Enrique trying and making mistakes then Downing who always goes for the safe average options. If people want to make suggestions for substitutions Assaidi>>Downing. Sahin was a passenger on the pitch, if he really is Real Madrid worthy material then I believe he should be better then what he is at the moment. The PL will not wait for him. Allen- As mentioned two bad games in a row. I still am confused about what his role is in the team and when Lucas is back are we really going to play the two together. I did not watch much of Swansea so I would appreciate if one of you can tell me the role he played there. Without Suarez in the team we would have had only two points in the league. Protect him.
An honest question, how long will Suarez stay at this club? I just feel that he deserves better from the team collectively. He is not one to complain and works tirelessly for the team but I am sure somewhere in there he wants medals and trophies which we are not yet destined for transtion year"s" and all that.
I thought the game was screaming out for Assaidi for Enrique in the last 10 minutes. He hasn't quite got to grips with the physical nature of the PL. He has quality, but he needs to be tougher on the ball. Agree at this point with those saying we should look at Suso in the middle. Allen's preferred role is second player in a midfield 3, where Gerrard is currently playing. He's trying to do Lucas' job, but as time goes on, his short comings in that role are starting to be exposed. Ideally the middle would look like this: ------Lucas----- ------------------Allen/Sahin--- -----Gerrard/Shelvey/Suso
Lucas has tweeted telling people not read into it or try to make something out of nothing re: the celebration
Shelvey 'felt something' during shooting practice and was rested as a precaution. He has been pulled out of the England squad this week as a consequence.
If that is the case assuming we have Reina --Glen ---Skrtel ----Agger -----Enrique Lucas ------Allen/Sahin --Gerrard/Shelvey Sterling/(new player)------- Suarez/(new player)------Suso/Assaidi A variation of 4-3-3 with the front three interchanging and while Lucas is deep. Allen is being forced to play the Lucas role but has not yet shown the attacking instinct yesterday he had a golden opportunity to shoot but dragged it to the side and then passed it. At that point I was like shoot damn it shoot we will not blame you if you miss damn it. We need creativity in the middle. This might sound a stretch but is Allen a very poor mans Modric in the role they played at Swansea and Spurs?
I cannot stand John Terry. Having said that, I would never wish an opposing player be injured. That type of things seems classless to me which is vastly different than the Liverpool way IMO. Just my $.02
He scored 4 goals last year, which isn't great but shows he can finish. He's the type of player who is always going to be the outlet for the attackers and will keep the ball moving quickly. The wall in a give and go, so to speak.
Not really as Allen was the primary tackler in a midfield partnership that didn't rely on a Lucas/Parker to let the others play. Although Britton made slightly more passes and had a better completion percentage neither really played the Modric role as the system was all about possession and patience and feeding it to the wings and the AM. Allen is perfectly good at what Rodgers wants him for, to keep possession, he's not a Modric, who despite his limited assists, had double the amount of keep passes in the league. 3 of Allens 4 goals came when Swansea where already in the lead, his 2 in the Championship the season before that also came in games they were leading. He's not a game changer, but then he was never intended to be. The closest we have to a Modric is Gerrard, its just a shame that the last couple of seasons him and Lucas have rarely been fit at the same time.
It's difficult not to read into it. When does that ever happen in a big game like that, teammates ignoring the goal scorer and not celebrating? He looked genuinely surprised that nobody was there and it was weird because in that shot you can see nobody is on their way, not a person was even celebrating it. Weird.
He may have run into the strongest Chelsea supporter's end? I wasn't really paying attention. But, maybe, the players noticed that and decided not to go near the fans. Or, did anyone celebrate with Carragher?
Maybe they were concentrating on the game. Against Everton we were 2-0 up and conceded a minute or so after scoring. I bet they congratulated him after the game.
As they approach the attacking third, the top sides put at least two men (sometimes three) in the box, the midfield pushes up, the fullbacks support the wings, and they pass it around, someone makes a run, and a decisive pass or shot is taken. Our approach in this three CB, two WB formation only puts Suarez in the box, so when we possess in the attacking third, there aren't any options. I'd like to see the forward player in the 3-man MF to assume the position on the front line and occupy a CB to free space for Suarez and runs from wingers or MFers. Certainly BR is trying to do this. Appears to me the lads don't have the familiarity-breeding-confidence trust in each other to know what pass to play. We seem pole-stuck to the pitch at times, frustrating the man in possession. While we can't have drops in form of Allen, or occurrences of no-form (Sahin), I think a lot of this is a need for more gestation in the system. More time on the pitch, together, and in form, and things will improve.