Liverpool v. Arsenal [R] "The Best Things in Life are Three" [Big Cup 1/4, 2nd Leg]

Re: Liverpool v. Arsenal [R] - The Best Things in Life are Three

That's my teamsheet. If we need to chase the game bring on Crouch and take off Babel --- SG moves into the hole behind and Kuyt falls back with Xabi and Mash.

 

Re: Liverpool v. Arsenal [R] - The Best Things in Life are Three

I find it funny that for the entire start of the season no one has any idea who Rafa is going to throw out on the field. But now we pretty much know the exact players and the exact formation we'll see for each and every big game. The only thing that changes occasionally is the back 4.

Alonso was completely absent the last game. If he can impose himself more this game I'll feel extremely confident. We really need him to be a ball winner and distribute up to Gerrard on a constant basis.

I don't expect Kuyt to be able to score again so we'll probably be banking on Gerrard or Torres to put us a goal to the good.


I really really hope we win this game. It'll be the best payback possible after what happened last season. They can knock us out of two competitions and we'll knock them out of the league and CL.

 

Re: Liverpool v. Arsenal [R] - The Best Things in Life are Three

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our Scouser dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest Scouse.
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in Anfield, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Rafa, Merseyside, and Saint Shanks !'

 

Re: Liverpool v. Arsenal [R] - The Best Things in Life are Three

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking when I read it. Sorry Dakota.

 

I'd go with the same team & bench on the OP, except maybe the back four. This match is huge and I'd like to see Carragher where he is at his best. Although that would mean either Finnan or Arbs at RB.

2-0 to the good, a moment of magic from Babel... benefitting form their tired backline (bar Clichy, but being on the other side of the pitch and keeping tabs on Torres he already has too much to worry about) with either himself or Torres finishing... and a second half blinder from either Stevie, Xabi or Crouch subbed on.

 

well, we at least have the support of the "geezers" in this one...

http://www.football365.com/john_nicholson/0,17033,8746_3396579,00.html

 

Given the grief which Crouch gave Arsenal's centre-halves, I reckon he'll play a large part in the game tomorrow, maybe even starting. I thought he put in a shift of tremendous grit and skill. The spell on the sidelines has seemingly done him some good as he kept closing down any back-passes and working himself into wide areas; he has finally realised what defending from the front means.

One thing worries me at set-pieces; Reina's recrudescent lack of conviction in dealing with crosses (punished 4 times in the last 3 weeks) and the feet-firmly-rooted attempts of the player in whose zone the ball arrives.

 

Not what Rafa would go with, but this is the formation i'd like to see:

---------------Reina---------------
Carra----Sami--------Skrtel-----Fabio-
Gerrard----Lucas----Masch-----Babel-
----------Crouch---Torres-----------

 

Put Alonso for Lucas and it's ready to go!

 

Wouldn't mind seeing this

--------------------------Crouch----------------------------

Babel---------------------Torres----------------------Gerrard

------------------Masch------------Alonso------------------



Aurelio-------------Skrtel----------Sami----------------Carra

---------------------------Reina----------------------------

 

I think it's safe to say that Rafa has finally settled on a standard first XI. Let's just hope we've figured out how to defend against set pieces. If we have, there should be no trouble progressing.

 

Thats a very interesting line up, one I would love to see. Would give Torres someone to work with other than Gerrard. Only thing is I'd rather have Gerrard in the center.

 

I'd like to see that formation at some stage during the game...maybe not to start with....

 

Anyone else watching FOX Football Fone-In? Not that I depend on the show to be a great source of football wisdom, but good Lord, they're in rare form tonight.

Steven is missing tonight, so they have one of the other Super Sunday guys on with Nick, and they've just spent five minutes trashing Rafa for using zonal marking, claiming that "it isn't working" and that he needs to switch to man marking. Apparently having the third-best goals allowed mark in the Premiership means your defensive alignment is "not working."

This after Nick went on another rant about the rotation policy, and then claimed that Pompey was one of the more exciting EPL teams because they've "scored more goals than every other club except Man United, Arsenal, and Chelsea." And Liverpool, and three other clubs...