Man United v Liverpool - Sat 12th Sep 17:30

[Christian Slater]

I think Milner's ok there, but yeah, he was horrible yesterday and it looks baffling to have him together with similar style players. I don't know if he's even got a real plan himself, or if he has it just does not seem to materialise on the pitch. He seemed determined in pre-season to go with a 4-3-3, but for the first couple of games it was basically a 4-2-3-1 with Milner & Henderson deep and that just did not work.

I think he's desperately searching for a system that can get him clean sheets and results to give him time, and so is sticking with more 'safe' players, players he thinks he can trust to be solid. He's got guys in 'doing a job' you might say, rather than taking risks. Ibe's a kid so he's a risk, but weirdly he was willing to try him at the start of the season because fans were happy with him because of pre-season momentum. It's almost as if he's in self-preservation mode.

Milner earned his stripes as a wide player though, I won't write him off as a central player but it's not where his talent is best suited. He'd certainly have been more effective than Ings. I wonder if this CM role he's been given was a big part of him joining. Milner and Ibe on the flanks yesterday would have stopped Darmian and Shaw getting forward as often and certainly would've put more pressure on them at the back.

Rodgers is spiting himself to look clever and prove a meaningless point and that's why he'll never change. LVG is stubborn but he doesn't hold a candle to Brendan. You need to get behind him though.

 

[big mean bunny]

I suppose Serbians are cowards too, given how Ivanovic cowered like a little bitch when Naismith scored from 25 yards yesterday. Just don't say it to any of their faces.

I don't think he was ducking under the ball either, he was protecting his head from the flying boot that was in its vicinity.

How are you even comparing those two things? Ivanovic merely turns, poor defending more than anything. Herrera covers himself like you would expect a kid playing in an u11's game. I appreciate the size difference, but if you need to eat that boot in the face, then you eat it.

 

[SALTIRE]

There's no shame in losing at Old Trafford. There's plenty of shame losing like that. For a Liverpool side to put in a performance like that against Manchester United is disgraceful. Spineless.

It's sad to see how much Rodgers has betrayed his principles. At our best he had us a fearless side, full of attacking intent and endeavor, fluid and given freedom both creatively and positionally. We're now a team paralysed by fear, strictured and rigidly stale, setting up to try to stop our opponents conceding rather than to try to bully them into submission. We've changed from a team that tried to outplay and outscore, with clever, skillful forwards buzzing around interchanging into a sterile direct side playing percentage balls to a big man who's far, far better than just that.

It's the misuse of the talent at his disposal yesterday that was the thing that's saddened me more than anything (and it's been happening for months). We've got a striker who used to bully defences and scare defenders looking scared to take on Daley Fucking Blind. That striker is also left painfully isolated, with two talented forwards being stuck rigidly on the wing to track Darmian and Shaw all match. Firmino's scored 23 and assisted 21 over the past two seasons from attacking mid, Ings scored 11 goals in his debut Premier League season (including one at Old Trafford) yet they're both stuck out wide and told to stop United's full backs from putting in crosses. He's playing that 4-3-3 requiring wingers when we've only got one actual winger in the squad, and he's a 19 year old who's far from the finished article.

He's made two players in Lucas and Skrtel who he's (rightfully in Skrtel's case) tried to bomb out in the past key men in this system he's adopted. He's built the defence around Skrtel for a reason only he knows, after he was desperate to sell him before 13/14 as he shits himself under pressure and can't pass and only moves backwards. We've got two utter calamities at centre back while a superior player, and one who's consistently outperformed the two starters, in Sakho (and one who also can play too) sits on the bench watching getting nowhere near. It's not been made much of either (and it's only a small thing in comparison to the huge systemic issues) but we haven't had a single left footed player start the first 5 games, we're too easy to read - let the 18 year old right footed CB playing at LB have it going forward as everyone knows what's going to happen. He's got a keeper with distribution issues whacking it up long. The most annoying thing is that there's absolutely no need whatsoever for him to have gone so negative.

I like Brendan and I really want him to snap out of it and stop with the negative dross that he's serving up. We've a squad far better than it and he can be far better than that. But I just can't see it happening. Each time we've had a manager let fear of losing dictate them it's ended badly, and this last few months have had clear echoes of Ged's last season and Rafa's final fling. Unless he changes, it's just a matter of time until he's gone.

Good post and you are spot on. Every time the team looks to be going places like in the Arsenal game we can see just how good they could potentially be. Yet within two games Liverpool look back to square one and unless things turn around quickly and Rodgers starts to see where things are going wrong, then it's going to be a long struggle this season and he won't last it.

 

[Spear]

Men vs Boys

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

I'm still waiting to hear that United have brought back Wilson from loan, and I get the feeling I'll be waiting for a year. Fellaini is not a striker, he physically can't do the job they want him to do. You can't play the ball into his feet because he has no close control, you can't use him as a pivot because he doesn't have the technical ability to play a ball through, you can't play balls over the top because he's too slow. The only thing you can do is lump balls into the box, and Van Gaal doesn't want to play like that because it wastes possession.

Rooney, Martial and Wilson were going to have a hard enough time as United's 3 strikers for the season, with Wilson gone it's an impossible task for United improve on last season. The only thing I think could help is if Van Gaal gave Memphis a shot at striker. As good as Rooney and Martial can be, they can't do it on their own, one injury and we're screwed, and that showed against Liverpool.

Well he hasn't even gone out on loan yet so you probably will be waiting. When he does, he won't be able to be recalled in the first month of his spell away.

 

[Orion]

Well he hasn't even gone out on loan yet so you probably will be waiting. When he does, he won't be able to be recalled in the first month of his spell away.

Yea, I saw that today. After all the talk, and even Van Gaal name dropping a deal with Derby, I assumed it had been done. It's a good job he hasn't gone, hopefully the Rooney injury pushes Van Gaal to reconsider loaning him out.

 

[Shank]

I'd love to see Gomez and Sakho at CB. Just give it a whirl Brendan.

I think part of the problem is, he's promised Milner a CM position. But really, he's needed out wide as we lack wide men in that formation. Need to get everyone fit and firing ASAP. Need's to start chopping and making players work for their positions.

Bogdan
Clyne Gomez Sakho Moreno
Lucas
Hendo Coutinho
Milner Benteke Sturridge​

 

[merseyboyred]

BOGDAN?

 

[Nilsson]

Yea, I saw that today. After all the talk, and even Van Gaal name dropping a deal with Derby, I assumed it had been done. It's a good job he hasn't gone, hopefully the Rooney injury pushes Van Gaal to reconsider loaning him out.

He was amongst the squad that traveled to Eindhoven so obviously the Rooney injury has postponed any potential loan move. I'd like to see him given a fair shot in the first team before we loan him out given the lack of numbers and quality upfront.

 

[johnnytodd]

Ok, so back to earth from drinking a bottle of wine and watching La Liga things aren't THAT bad.

Obviously we were never going to catch City but aside from them it's a case of three points in a ridiculously tight table. That said, if we were to somehow finish in the top four it would solely be because the league is worse than I can remember it ever being.

Surely most people stopped reading this post at this point?

 

[johnnytodd]

I'd love to see Gomez and Sakho at CB. Just give it a whirl Brendan.

I think part of the problem is, he's promised Milner a CM position. But really, he's needed out wide as we lack wide men in that formation. Need to get everyone fit and firing ASAP. Need's to start chopping and making players work for their positions.

Bogdan
Clyne Gomez Sakho Moreno
Lucas
Hendo Coutinho
Milner Benteke Sturridge​

that team would get beat most weeks..........hope it's coming soon.

 

[Orion]

I'd love to see Gomez and Sakho at CB. Just give it a whirl Brendan.

I think part of the problem is, he's promised Milner a CM position. But really, he's needed out wide as we lack wide men in that formation. Need to get everyone fit and firing ASAP. Need's to start chopping and making players work for their positions.

Bogdan
Clyne Gomez Sakho Moreno
Lucas
Hendo Coutinho
Milner Benteke Sturridge​

That might be the most mediocre Liverpool team I've ever seen. Personally, I'd say your best shout is to put Coutinho on the left again and have Firmino play behind Benteke. Put Ibe on the right wing, Henderson and Milner holding. As for the back four and the goalkeeper. Sherlock Holmes couldn't figure out the best combination. Other than Clyne and Skrtel, they're all far too inconsistent and Rodgers doesn't help things by changing the back four around as much as he does, or by continuing to persevere with Mignolet when he's clearly not a top level goalkeeper.

 

[merseyboyred]

That might be the most mediocre Liverpool team I've ever seen.

 

[danbylfc]

Everyone always jump to blame Sakho/Lovren and Skrtel seems to get away with it he's always been in the heart of this defence that is shit. Maybe time to try a partnership without him?

 

[merseyboyred]

Agree, we look more stable without Skrtel and he's lived a charmed life to still be here tbh. Sakho's our best defender, try him ('try') with Lovren. I'd even have Gomez with Sakho, child though Joe is, atm.