Stoke not as good on the road as they are at home, 4 wins away in total. We need a win to keep us in for 4th or more.
Can't see us making any ground on our rivals this weekend, we need a win otherwise everyone else might slip away. Only games that have a chance is Chelsea v Sunderland and Swansea v Arsenal.
These are the games we have been having problems with at Anfield, I seriously think we should think about playing Bellamy instead of Andy & asking him to play the suarez role, stoke are a big team so beating them in the air, something were not traditionally good at, is going to be hard anyway. Get Bellamy to run at them , keep it on the floor and try and out think them, in that respect, I think Maxi should play aswell he's a very clever player who will link up well with Bellers ahead of him. Bellers is also a clever player, i think we miss the free kicks that suarez was winning around the area, Bellers can fill that void.
i really don't know how we'll go about getting a goal here. mind you if we do what we did v city i nthe first 15 mins we will get a chance. to my mind stoke will play a 4-4-2 so i think we must play 4-5-1 again and have our possession. downing needs, really needs to stay bloody wide and corss it. we must play enrique and johnson.... bellmay is a must but you'd start to get worried about his knees this month as the games pour on. carroll needs to work harder.
-------------------Reina----------------------- Johnson-----Skrtel-------Agger------Jose Enrique --------Henderson----------Gerrard------------- Maxi--------------Shelvey---------------Downing ------------------Bellamy----------------------- Bench Doni, Carroll, Adam, Kuyt, Kelly, Carragher, Sterling I can see this working nicely - Hendo and Gerrard working to cover the back line up, Shelvey distributing to wide or through balls, and making late runs into the box; Maxi and Downing swapping over, and Bellers working the back line on the deck. But I'm fearful of Crouch and the trouble he can cause with his height. He can hold up the ball and bring others into the game well; Pennant can sling him balls in (that isn't Jamaican patois, btw) and Delap can chuck 'em in...
Hopefully playing Stoke at home we shouldn't have to defend many set pieces. Just hope he gets a ****ing goal at Anfield for once. Earlier in the season I thought he put in a few good performances, was hoping that continued till he started banging them in. Now he seems to be going backwards! Watched the City game on BBC iPlayer last night and there was a moment when Guy Mowbray said "He will improve wont he?" to which Lawro replied "I don't think he will". Found it hard to disagree with him. Also saw how awful Adam really was too, glad others apart from me are starting to realise he should be kept out of the starting 11.
I don't know what to play..... we need to negate stoke out wide. thats job one, I think enrique should have pennent in his pocket most days. Crouch is easyish to mark as he likes to chest it down and stuff so i think we are ok there, etherington is markable so really the real question in my mind is 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. Gerrard looms large in the thinking, it seems to be a direct choice between gerrard and adam at the minute for kenny so..... I'm kind of thinking Reina Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique Maxi Henderson Gerrard downing Bellamy carroll my theory is carroll can occupy them up top and not run while bellamy does the work. Still not a fan of downing and he needs to do something at this level very quickly (oldham are league 2) Carroll needs to work hard at home to get a confidence boost and maxi is due a game. players i do not want to see are carrgher and kuyt, stoke would love that.
Liverpool are the better team and we are at home, but that means absolutely nothing....We should win 2-0, but just looking at this one it stinks of a draw or a slight loss. Stoke have one short on target and score. We have 30 and dont. (Bit cynical and negative I suppose.) I think we will win 2mrw. Maxi hatrick
Well, if we make our usual slow start away from home, and if we pooh our pants at the thought of Johnson on the overlap, the game will probably be over after 20 minutes. I just hope that we do try and get the ball into the Liverpool half, with men there to support Crouch. Realistically I think that Crouch will be an isolated and lonely figure, and the only way that Pennent will play is if Shotton is injured. I doubt that we will muster more than two shots, and given that one of those will probably be high, wide and not particularly handsome, we'd better hope that Liverpoll do an Everton, and have no shots on target!
we get shots on target... they may be back passes but they count. if bellamy plays i think we will get a chance. if he doesn't or gerrard doesn't we'll not have a good time.
I'm always really positive, regardless of the opposition. But, T.P. is so bloody negative we Stokies always get the feeling that. We've lost before a ball is kicked. We have the player's to give Liverpool a game but sadly, Pulis won't use most of them I'll take any odds that both Etherington AND Pennant will not both play from the start. So, given that Gerrard and Co are starting to improve, I just can not see how we'll create anything. If Liverpool play five in midfield we're basically shafted. Hence is why we'll just defend and hoof it to Crouch who as good as he can be holding the ball up. Will have zero support as it's certain Walters will drop back into midfield. UNLESS both wingers play, we'll put ourselves under pressure and just hang on and hope for a pt IMO. Hope I'm wrong but given Pulis's negative approach away from home.. Liverpool to win.
That is pretty true I guess but our home form isn't exactly blistering. We've won as many away as at home. In fact 3 out of last 4 wins in the Premier have been away from home. The Britannia isn't an intimidating place anymore. Having said that I think Pulis will turn up and play very negatively as we always do at Anfield so it'll be a comfortable win for Liverpool 2-0 or 3-0. I think if we gave it a go, we could come away with something, even with Gerrard back and in form.
I think we'll play this team assuming the likes of Woody and Wilson are passed fit. Sorensen Woodgate-Shawcross-Huth-Wilson Shotton-Palacios-Whelan-Etherington Walters Crouch I think that's what Pulis will have in mind. I'm sure Shotton will play, he's good away from home, much better at tracking back than Pennant. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a flexible 4-4-2 that could turn into a 5-3-2 when defending, which I personally like away from home. I think we did it against Everton.
Got a feeling we will win this one. Stevie back on top notch form guiding the team and scoring goals.
