[Player Ratings] @ Middlesbrough 8/13/5

[Twenty26Six]

[Ratings] @ Middlesbrough 8/13/5

First XI

Reina 6 - Wasn't tested enough and looked shaky coming out to contest balls in the air. POWERFUL punch definitely saved him twice.
Finnan 7 - Held the ball well, more than capable of supplying balls in. Really nice lob to Gerrard late in the 2nd half.
Carragher 7
Hyypia 7
Warnock 6 - Great to see him get a full 90 minutes in the season opener. I hope he sees a lot of time this year compared to Traore.
Alonso 6.5
Gerrard 7.5 - Too patient in first half maybe. Did not finish.
Sissoko 6 - Boundless Energy. Has to get his head up more.
Garcia 6
Zenden 6 - Would have liked to see him attack more.
Morientes 6 - Stranded on a deserted island.


Subs

Cisse 6 - Crosses have great pace and trajectory. Not sure he is aiming at anyone though. Didn't show enough in 1v1 situations.
Baros 6


Team Tactics 7
We played not to lose. Rafa probably thought they would attacked a bit more. Some would argue Middlesbrough didn't hold to their end of the bargain. So overall we didn't do ourselves any bad favors by picking up a road point v. a team tagged to make the top 6.


Overall Team Grade 6.5 Controlled more than expected but couldn't finish at all.


Not sure if anyone will bite on a thread like this. I know Suss may like something like this. Beat up my opinions if necessary.

I also think we might need a seperate Post-Game Discussion Thread this year. When you have seen the game it's pointless[although sometimes fun] to wade through the PBP to get at post match comments.

[mbrossetti]

No arguments from me, seems about right across the board.

[AndSomeAreAngels]

[Ratings]
I also think we might need a seperate Post-Game Discussion Thread this year. When you have seen the game it's pointless[although sometimes fun] to wade through the PBP to get at post match comments.
Whole-heartedly agree.

[usscouse]

Pretty good assessment.
You need to do this after every match...!

I thought Baros might have brought something on the field with him but his contribution was one shot from about 40yd he didn't lift his head so I don't think he realized he was so far away.

[royalstilton]

I also think we might need a seperate Post-Game Discussion Thread this year. When you have seen the game it's pointless[although sometimes fun] to wade through the PBP to get at post match comments.
---
i fully agree about Morientes. he seemed like he was wandering about the park like a man looking for a woman with a dog to chat up. some of that may have had to do with Zenden's lack of positioning or the fact that much of the play seemed to come up the middle, instead of the wing, but he seemed to be playing too far outside the box. and liverpool had only a couple of corners, which minimizes his effectiveness.

[Suss]

Team Tactics 7
We played not to lose. Rafa probably thought they would attacked a bit more. Some would argue Middlesbrough didn't hold to their end of the bargain. So overall we didn't do ourselves any bad favors by picking up a road point v. a team tagged to make the top 6.



We did play not to lose, but the tactics gave us a chance to win. I guess you can't ask for much more than that against good teams away from home. Last year we were dominated and lost 2-0 at the Riverside. Rafa made sure that didn't happen again, and with a little luck we would have had 3 points.

Spot on with the ratings. I don't have much to add.

[Twenty26Six]

You need to do this after every match...!

I'd love to [if I get to watch the games], let's hope we play well enough to be continually on FSC. When we had that unbeaten run to start the season three years ago, it seemed like we were on TV every week.

[zpjohnstone]

I thought Finnan's longer passes were smarter than his short ones- Does anyone remember that square ball he played to the boro player to his left? Said boro player was also in the middle of two other boro players and it basically started a counter-attack. I'm thinking he had to be confused, and just saw the red shirts and thought "Oh, that's Us."

He actually played a couple of other bad balls into the middle in the defending third that started boro attacks, IIRC.

And I don't have a problem with the tactics- Gerrard, on almost any other night, would've given Liverpool a victory. They were playing to win.

I was pleasantly suprised by the defense. I thought they played well. Midfield just seemed a little messy, which is sort of to be expected this early on.

I like Momo's energy, lateral quickness, and abililty to almost bounce off the ground- He would get stuck in and then be sprinting off elsewhere with remarkable transition speed. We were comparing him to my new kitty as we watched the game, which might sound like an insult, but it's not. She's a killing machine. But that could be Momo's temporary weakness- Almost over-eager to the tackle. We should put him on 'ludes against Arsenal, if he doesn't settle down a little.