Thoughts on the Liverpool game?

[andybart]

I cannot make up my mind on this one..........form says it should be a Liverpool win but us being at home is a good shout for us to do well.Maybe i should be happy with a draw ,ok I will go with a 2-2 but us playing well and it being a springboard to a good run.

[Barton8]

Liverpool are in great form, but had sevaral players on international duty so that may affect their form. Optimistically 2-2 seems a fair result.

[Messy]

I think we will win - Matty Taylor from 50 yards :D

[andybart]

messy has the best idea.......WTG.

[andybart]

Well it was Draw but we did play very well.maybe this will be the springboard to better reults.

[MrEleganza]

I thought we played well against Liverpool, but here's what concerns me:

Last year hosting Liverpool: Win. This year: Draw.
Last year hosting Man U: Win. This year: Draw.
Last year at Arsenal: Draw. This year: Loss.
Last year at Chelsea: Loss. This year: Loss.

We spent tons of money in the transfer market and were supposed to be better. Our results against the top 4 are distinctly worse.

These are, IMO, the reasons for the regression:

1. The defenders we have brought in are crap so far. A liability.
2. Nugent hasn't contributed yet. I'm trying not to get impatient. It's a big jump from the Championship.
3. Primus is injured.
4. For reasons known only to God and 'Arry, Matt Taylor isn't getting all that many minutes. He also struggled in the last couple of games he did play, his shots and passes uncharacteristically off-target. I'm hoping it was all the transfer talk and now that the window is shut (for a few months at least) he will be back in his old form.

I'm still optimistic that we can improve open last year and finish in the top 6 or 7. For that to happen, we need to address the situations above.

1. Campbell and Primus have to play every minute their aging bodies allow them to. They make our defense good but paper-thin - and terrible without them.
2. Taylor playing 80-90 minutes most every game.
3. Concentrate on finding one more GOOD defender, not just another dreg from another EPL also-ran, in the January transfer window.
4. Benjani has to continue his torrid start, or if he doesn't, Nugent finds his land legs and pick up where he left off with PNE that got him selected to England.