Man City v Liverpool [R]

[Lynne_mcfc]

Man City
v
Liverpool
@ COMS
Kick-off 16:00 (GMT)



Is there any TV coverage? I've not found any listings for this side of the pond! :eek:

The importance of a win can't be stressed enough, not only in terms of our league position, inclusion in the CL and not losing at home, but for the morale of the players. Not a time for SGE to be 'playing' with our line-up. A solid defence and a spirited and on target attacking side is a must. Liverpool have won 20 points away from home - the best EPL record this season.

We need that '12th man' signing loud and clear.

Come on City!

[Lynne_mcfc]

Fox Soccer channel is showing the match live at 11am - 1pm. I still won't be able to watch it, I don't have Fox Soccer!

[Lynne_mcfc]

I can watch the match! Score are showing the match live. :D

[Feri Ats]

Liverpool must be extra cautious and play with a more defensive midfied as Man City can effortlessly score at home. If I were Benitez, I would have fielded:

http://www.this11.com/ui/20071228153334684.jpg

[Alan D]

Liverpool dont need any introduction. We need to avoid an embarrassment like against Chelsea and its a game where we can show how far we have come. I personally dont think we will finish in the top 4 cos we've still got a long way to go and the quality in our squad is still lacking in areas compared to the 'Big Four' though we do have some great players. Elano and Hamann were rested against Blackburn so I fully expect them to return and for Gelson to make way. I worry that Mascherano might mark Elano out of the game, especially if Elano is playing a more deeper role as a second striker.

We should be reasonably confident - we have an almost perfect home record but Liverpool also have a very good away record but a win for us is more than possible. Dunne and Richards need to play as well as they did in the Derby, recently they've been too slack. If the pair have an off-day i dont believe we have much of a chance. If Liverpool play with one up-front then it could be an easier job for Micah and Dunne but a 5 man midfield could take us out of the game and our midfield will have a hard job. Hamann is an expert at what he does but he plays best in a 5 man midfield, or 4 man with Elano behind the striker so we may play that way and get Liverpool on the counter-attack. Ball would be my leftback choice - Garrido is inexperienced and has shown this season that he can be vulnerable against better players. Elano playing well and not getting marked out of the game is crucial to our hopes, as is Petrov. Petrov needs to run at players more, theres not many players with his pace and skill with the ball. We require a work-man like performance tomorrow.

My team would be:

GK: Hart

RB: Corluka
CB: Dunne
CB: Richards
LB: Ball

LM: Petrov
CM: Hamann
CM: Ireland
RM: Geovanni

SS: Elano

ST: Bianchi


But Sven will probably pick a completely different team. If our defenders can contain Torres and another striker if they play with two upfront, and if Hamann can look after Gerrard then we have a big chance of winning this. They have defensive injuries with Hyypia a definite out, Agger a doubt but if he is back he probably wont be match fit, Arbeloa has flu which could leave a very inexperienced Hobbs in central defence. First priority must be to defend well and not give away silly goals.

[Lynne_mcfc]

My team would be:

GK: Hart

RB: Corluka
CB: Dunne
CB: Richards
LB: Ball

LM: Petrov
CM: Hamann
CM: Ireland
RM: Geovanni

SS: Elano

ST: Bianchi


But Sven will probably pick a completely different team. If our defenders can contain Torres and another striker if they play with two upfront, and if Hamann can look after Gerrard then we have a big chance of winning this. They have defensive injuries with Hyypia a definite out, Agger a doubt but if he is back he probably wont be match fit, Arbeloa has flu which could leave a very inexperienced Hobbs in central defence. First priority must be to defend well and not give away silly goals.

Hi Alan

Good team choice and pleased to see that you have Geo in the line-up - yep, SGE will probably choose a different team. I can't understand why SGE isn't playing him.

Come on you Blues, preserve our home record and give Liverpool a run for their money.

[Aziz_10]

You'll be alright as long as Micah keeps Torres under control without losing his teeth in the process. So far Liverpool are trying to steal a goal from long range shots and I can see City dominating 2nd half without risking a counter from Liverpool.

Why is Vassel playing alone upfront? crosses are not working that good

[LiverpoolFanatic]

Well played to City. Your defense was immense. I don't think you'll be fighting off relegation anytime soon.

[ProfZodiac]

Yeah, I didn't see the game, but based on the descriptions, Dunne was massive.

[CCSC_STRIKER20]

This game was one of the better 0-0 games I had seen in awhile, until the players got tired in the second half then the pace died.

Your whole defensive line was massive, and usually did a good job containing Benayoun, Babel, Kewell, Torres, and Kuyt. Corluka and Didi (Istanbul Hero!) did a decent job of containing Gerrard, who was only able to contribute with some horrendously off-target shots and some decent long balls to the wingers.

Sven got the blue print right on how to stop Torres, though Rennie the referee helped you out a little bit.

If you guys can get a quality striker in the transfer window, you will really push us and other top teams for a Champions League spot.

I enjoy watching the new look City team play. Elano and Petrov are usually pretty good and the play of Richards and Dunne is fun to watch.

[Lynne_mcfc]

You'll be alright as long as Micah keeps Torres under control without losing his teeth in the process. So far Liverpool are trying to steal a goal from long range shots and I can see City dominating 2nd half without risking a counter from Liverpool.

Why is Vassel playing alone upfront? crosses are not working that good

Glad you got to watch the match. Only SGE knows why Vassell was the only striker. We need a striker(s) in the New Year, so I hope SGE has something up his sleeve!

Again, too many stray passes and no-one on the end of Hart's kick-outs. Our opponents seem to be in the right position to collect them, why not the Blues? If kick-outs aren't working, change it.

MOTM Dunne. Hamann and Petrov also put in excellent performances and a few great stops from Hart.

A hard earned point, but with a little bit of luck we could've won. Ah well. Now three away matches! :eek:

Best wishes for the New Year everyone.

Lynne

[thejuggernaut]

I can't wait till we get Petrov, Elano and soon Nery, all hitting full throtle. Perhaps Geo desirves a start because something is up with Blumer as of late. but regardless. I truely feel it's only a matter a time till we see City make it to a such a high attacking level, so where as we don't have to play for Draws against the Big Four.

[thejuggernaut]

Liverpool must be extra cautious and play with a more defensive midfied as Man City can effortlessly score at home. If I were Benitez, I would have fielded:

http://www.this11.com/ui/20071228153334684.jpg

Liverpool would be so f'n deadly if they can get Babel and Torres working together up front.

[Gandalf The Red]

You'll be alright as long as Micah keeps Torres under control without losing his teeth in the process. So far Liverpool are trying to steal a goal from long range shots and I can see City dominating 2nd half without risking a counter from Liverpool.

Why is Vassel playing alone upfront? crosses are not working that good


lol city dominate they camped in their own half

[CCSC_STRIKER20]

Liverpool would be so f'n deadly if they can get Babel and Torres working together up front.

Exactly what I was saying over on the Liverpool boards. If Babel can learn to be effective for a whole match and also play with both of his feet then him and Torres could be a devastating duo.

[Manchester City]

Thoughts after watching the match for a second time:

Hart: Well done, given the sort of trouble he was forced to deal with, though our back line saved him several times (refer to Benayoun run).

Ball: I doubt he starts against Newcastle, as he needs to be rested, but that is not the only reason he should not. He gave away innumerable chances to the Reds midfield via horrid passes and made Dunne show his caliber too many a time.

Dunne: Another top-class performance from our center-half. Without a doubt he is reason we are still undefeated at COMS (that goal-line clearance was beautiful in every since of the word). It seems he is back to peak form and looks to give us the defense we need going into this away stretch.

Richards: Handled Torres and Benayoun (for spells; Dunne helped out quite a bit with his goal-saving slide) fairly well, though Torres had two or three great chances that he really should have put away. His pace saves him time and time again and I wonder when it will not be enough.

Onuoha: He was where he needed to be more often than not, though Babel's appearance gave him trouble, but that may have been more fatigue than anything else.

Ireland: The Reds had kryptonite in their shoes, as Stevie had little to no power in the match. Like his attacking teammates, he was visibly sluggish
and inattentive. He may or may not be in the squad that sees the first whistle at St. James, but if he is, we can only hope Superman returns.

Elano: More out, than in-and-out, our Brazilian maestro saw very little of the ball (much of which can be credited to Mascherano). I was concerned about his form after the Blackburn match; I am now frightened. He looks weak, indecisive, and constantly annoyed as of late. He had three good chances on goal and wasted all of them. The biggest offense was his indecision to shoot through an open span from just inside the box, leading to a Carragher clearing tackle. I honestly do not know what else to say.

Hamann: Didi was brilliant and rarely if ever failed to show his skill, whether in passing, ball control, attack-ending tackles, or long service. Along with Dunne, he is the backbone of our squad and drastically improves our chances when on the pitch.

Corluka: While he looks comfortable in midfield, he did not show the sort of vision and pace of his last few appearances in a more attacking role. He held the ball much too long when in Liverpool's third and gifted many of his passes to their defenders. I can only hope most of his poor display can be attributed to fatigue.

Petrov: Not quite as mercurial as his past few performances, but still worthy of praise. He was swift (up until the last 15 minutes), decisive (unfortunately he was alone in his assertiveness), and creative (refer to previous parenthetical comment). He is proving he was worth every single Euro.

Vassell: A poor performance that, for the most part, was not of his own doing. SGE decided a return to a lone striker formation was needed; I will explain why I think he did this a little later. Suffice to say, it created an attack that ranked somewhere between the Faroe Islands Militia and Gordon Brown's wit.

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I am beginning to worry about SGE's commitment to staying a top the table. He has drifted into a "first half attack, no advantage, play for draw" mindset in the last few games (and not just with the Big Four). My instinct tells me that given his comments about the rigors of the winter fixtures, he is biding his time until the transfer window and decided to play conservatively until our attacking options can be bolstered (hence the lone striker). I cannot imagine we will still be in a position to challenge for Europe even if we draw the next three matches, so let's hope I am wrong.

[SoccerCityFC]

Petrov: Not quite as mercurial as his past few performances, but still worthy of praise. He was swift (up until the last 15 minutes), decisive (unfortunately he was alone in his assertiveness), and creative (refer to previous parenthetical comment). He is proving he was worth every single Euro.


His play from the left this season has been just tremendous. Will he be as explosive in three years? Time will only tell.

[thecitizen]

Boring game. Really.

If I didn't love City as much as I do, I would have fell asleep (no joke).

Vassell kind of bothered me in this game (and I am a big supporter of Darius). He seemed a bit sluggish with the ball and only showed speed on fast counter attacking sprints. We probably could have won this game too if he had played it down to Petrov (the play where he took it all the way and Carragher somehow got his feet on it and kept it in bounds).

(Btw, did any one see Benayoun dancing his little happy head off when Liverpool almost scored-where Dunne saved our asses. He thought they were going to score and was getting ahead of himself. I watched the clip over and over and couldn't stop laughing)

One thing I do have to say is that this game showed our true defensive power (I think we have the best d in the Premiership, and that isn't just me being biased).

[CCSC_STRIKER20]

Boring game. Really.

If I didn't love City as much as I do, I would have fell asleep (no joke).

One thing I do have to say is that this game showed our true defensive power (I think we have the best d in the Premiership, and that isn't just me being biased).

The game had boring spells, but there were times when the action was end to end.

Also, I don't mean to stir up a great argument or anything, but calling yourself the best D in the Prem is a bold statement. When in fact your defense is worse than any of the "big Four" at least statistically wise.

I do enjoy watching your defense work, Richards is a very fun player to watch because he gets forward well and he is an athletic specimen, and an in-form Dunne has as big of an impact on your team as Carragher does on our team. Onouha is fast and could end up being very good. Ball is solid when he has a good game, and once your foreign buys adjust to the Prem they could turn out to be solid pieces of business.

That being said, numbers don't lie, and clearly your team is not the best defense in the premiership.

I am looking forward to the return match later on this year at Anfield.

[BenfromUSA]

anyone have a picture of Richards getting in Torres' face?