Liverpool v. Chelski [R]

[liverbird]

Lineup

----------Reina
Finnan---JC--Sami----Riise
------Momo----Xabi
Pennant----SG--------Gonzalez
-----------Crouch


Dudek
Bellamy
Paletta
Kronkamp
Garcia

[docliver]

Sounds good to me. I know this is only the charity sheild but i would love to beat chelski again but this time by a nice wide margin. To start the season off by beating them and by putting another trophy in the case would be wicked . Bring them on .

[655321]

Lineup

----------Reina
Finnan---JC--Sami----Riise
------Momo----Xabi
Pennant----SG--------Gonzalez
-----------Crouch


Dudek
Bellamy
Paletta
Kronkamp
Garcia

Fowler said in a pre-match interview today that he should be fit for this match.

[liverbird]

Fowler said in a pre-match interview today that he should be fit for this match.

Love to have him back but I still like the side I picked. It will be tough if we only play a single striker for Robbie to get a game. I think we need to flood the midfield and challenge them with width.

[royalstilton]

after watching the Chelsea v. MLS Allstars match, the Londoners looked pretty ragged some of the time. i think both clubs are on a learning curve, integrating new players.

[655321]

Love to have him back but I still like the side I picked. It will be tough if we only play a single striker for Robbie to get a game. I think we need to flood the midfield and challenge them with width.

Oh definitely, I'm just thinking he should be on the bench.

[RCCook]

after watching the Chelsea v. MLS Allstars match, the Londoners looked pretty ragged some of the time. i think both clubs are on a learning curve, integrating new players.

Agreed. Chelsea looked really flat against the MLS All-Stars. Hopefully they'll still be that way on Sunday.

I've been anticipating this match since the Reds hoisted the FA Cup!

[ChanceTheDog]

The only change I would make to Liverbird's team is Bellemy up front instead of Crouch. With Gerrard in the middle I think Bellemy will have enough support to be the lone striker.

[Suss]

Agreed. Chelsea looked really flat against the MLS All-Stars. Hopefully they'll still be that way on Sunday.

I've been anticipating this match since the Reds hoisted the FA Cup!

And we lost 5-0 to FC Mainz. I wouldn't read too much into a preseason game.

The Community Shield is supposed to be a nice friendly to start the season, but when Liverpool and Chelsea are involved you know there will be nothing "friendly" about it.

I think we need to play 2 up front. None of our strikers do well as a lone striker. Crouch isn't quick enough, and Bellamy can't do much with all the crosses we get into the box. I would like to see Gerrard play on the left (or wherever the hell he wants) and Pennant on the right. Alonso and Sissoko are definite starters in the center.

[RCCook]

And we lost 5-0 to FC Mainz. I wouldn't read too much into a preseason game.

The Community Shield is supposed to be a nice friendly to start the season, but when Liverpool and Chelsea are involved you know there will be nothing "friendly" about it.

I think we need to play 2 up front. None of our strikers do well as a lone striker. Crouch isn't quick enough, and Bellamy can't do much with all the crosses we get into the box. I would like to see Gerrard play on the left (or wherever the hell he wants) and Pennant on the right. Alonso and Sissoko are definite starters in the center.

I wouldn't read much into it either. I just enjoyed watching Chelsea lose... :D

[liverbird]

And we lost 5-0 to FC Mainz. I wouldn't read too much into a preseason game.

The Community Shield is supposed to be a nice friendly to start the season, but when Liverpool and Chelsea are involved you know there will be nothing "friendly" about it.

I think we need to play 2 up front. None of our strikers do well as a lone striker. Crouch isn't quick enough, and Bellamy can't do much with all the crosses we get into the box. I would like to see Gerrard play on the left (or wherever the hell he wants) and Pennant on the right. Alonso and Sissoko are definite starters in the center.

We've done best against them with 5 in the midfield. Width will disturb their present team as they are trying to play with two strikers while accomodating Makalele/Essien in the middle with Ballack and Lampost. This leaves them with no outside balance. Cole is unavailable so they'll play Robben. Having Pennant and Gonzalez to run into the unoccupied wide positions will unsettle them. Or atl east that's what I think will happen with my teamsheet.

[Suss]

We've done best against them with 5 in the midfield. Width will disturb their present team as they are trying to play with two strikers while accomodating Makalele/Essien in the middle with Ballack and Lampost. This leaves them with no outside balance. Cole is unavailable so they'll play Robben. Having Pennant and Gonzalez to run into the unoccupied wide positions will unsettle them. Or atl east that's what I think will happen with my teamsheet.

I see what you're saying, but Garcia and Crouch started up front in the FA Cup semi-final when we beat them. Gerrard was on the right. We always struggle to score with one up front. We turned our season around last year when Rafa moved Gerrard to the right and started playing with 2 strikers.

But maybe the 4-5-1 will work better now that we have pacy wingers on both sides. I just wish we had a striker more capable of leading the line on his own.

[reds8daysaweek]

What do you guys think about playing 3 in the back, i.e. 3-5-2? I think a good way to play Momo, Alonso, and Gerrard at the same time is 5 in the middle, but I don't think any of our strikers are well suited for the lone striker role. But the tradeoff is with 3-5-2 we would probably have to sit Hyppia and have only Carra in the middle...don't know if it's worth it...perhaps 4-4-2 with Gerrard on the right is the way to go.

[Wingtips1]

What do you guys think about playing 3 in the back, i.e. 3-5-2? I think a good way to play Momo, Alonso, and Gerrard at the same time is 5 in the middle, but I don't think any of our strikers are well suited for the lone striker role. But the tradeoff is with 3-5-2 we would probably have to sit Hyppia and have only Carra in the middle...don't know if it's worth it...perhaps 4-4-2 with Gerrard on the right is the way to go.

ugh, we'd be playing both carra and hyppia. we definitely wouldn't be playing finnan/carra/riise at the back. it would be three center backs, as we did last year.
i like the 3-5-2, as both carra and agger are almost perfectly suited to play alongside hyppia in that lineup. however, without Agger fit to play on the left, I don't know if Rafa is ready to hand Paletta his full debut vs Chelsea.

[reds8daysaweek]

ugh, we'd be playing both carra and hyppia. we definitely wouldn't be playing finnan/carra/riise at the back. it would be three center backs, as we did last year.
i like the 3-5-2, as both carra and agger are almost perfectly suited to play alongside hyppia in that lineup. however, without Agger fit to play on the left, I don't know if Rafa is ready to hand Paletta his full debut vs Chelsea.

Heh, thanks for clearing that up, I am a relatively new addition to the Liverpool fan base :) . Agreed, I doubt that Paletta is ready to be in a starting XI. Maybe later on down the road when Agger is fit or Paletta is ready...I would like to see some of that formation. I'm sure it will be harder for Paletta to just step on the field and play well like Gonzo did (granted Gonzo "played" for a mere few minutes).

[mbrossetti]

I see what you're saying, but Garcia and Crouch started up front in the FA Cup semi-final when we beat them. Gerrard was on the right. We always struggle to score with one up front. We turned our season around last year when Rafa moved Gerrard to the right and started playing with 2 strikers.

But maybe the 4-5-1 will work better now that we have pacy wingers on both sides. I just wish we had a striker more capable of leading the line on his own.

But Garcia seemed to drop back alot to add another to the midfield and then turn up when we had possession. But I still think 4-5-1 isn't going to work out well b/c of what you concluded your post with. The only way i can see a 4-5-1 working is with either Garcia or Gerrard as the player who will push up to turn the 4-5-1 into a 4-4-2 when we attack. Sort of what it seemed Garcia did during the semi final win

[quentinc]

The only change I would make to Liverbird's team is Bellemy up front instead of Crouch. With Gerrard in the middle I think Bellemy will have enough support to be the lone striker.
That would be the same lineup we had against Maccabi (save Gonzalez for Zenden), which, needless to say, was not particularly effective. If we go 4-5-1, the only logical choice is Crouch.

[Suss]

That would be the same lineup we had against Maccabi (save Gonzalez for Zenden), which, needless to say, was not particularly effective. If we go 4-5-1, the only logical choice is Crouch.

If Bellamy is going to be a lone striker, we will have to change our style of play to suite his strenths. Getting the ball out to wings and playing in crosses isn't going to do any good if nobody in the box is capable of getting a head to it.

Crouch and Bellamy are both a little bit one dimensional. They would make a good pairing, but at as a lone striker I don't think either of them fit the bill. Rafa is still searching the transfer market for a well rounded player that perhaps will fit that role.

[Bobinhood]

Its a Hobson's choice, becouse i agree with suss that whenever we play a lone striker we seem to struggle to score, but on the other hand the 5 in midfield gets most of our best players on the pitch.

rafa took a lesser team than todays to the European cup with that 5 man mid formation, by making us impossible to score on. I think he will tend to stick with it most times, becouse we dont need too many goals to win if we concede roughly none.


The problem with this team is clearly, we have too many good players :D cant play em all. So, current form, the other teams style and percieved-by-rafa weaknesses, rest, home, away, competition, stage of, and injuries will all probably come into play. lookat haifa, we threw garcia gonzalez and crouch at them as Subs. nice.

Safest bet is rafa will use all 3 subs in almost every game this year.

Anyway, we can all agree on this ...Moreono is sweating buckets over us allready. If we knock them outta another cup the axe is gonna fall :)

Another thing that comes to mind is, if Well-I-Am Gallic refuses to play and AshCole isnt signed, well sure they still have terry and Sick-Hearto Carve-All-You, But isnt the defence a little thin after that? and Schevchenko better not get hurt. i think they have added quality but lost some depth this year. so far. Wallets still fat though. just an idle thought.

[USvsIRELAND]

So will we continue our cup competition domination over chelsea?