I think the best thing to have come out last night was Rodgers saying the side were lazy. This is something I have been saying for a while but more focuses on two particular players - Gerrard and Johnson. Two of your most senior players clearly being lazy it is not a good way to 'lead by example'.
Gerrard wasn't on very long and was driving forward into the box everytime I saw him Johnson was having to do the work of two men down the right in the second half.
It's no coincidence that we conceded two goals once Gerrard comes into the midfield. Not saying it's his fault entirely (although he gave away possession which led to their 3rd goal) but taking Henderson off left our defence exposed. Wasn't Johnson's best game but he has defended very well. However, he is the sort of player who will defend well for 89 mins but will make one mistake and we will concede. This happens pretty much every time now.
What was every ones thoughts on Borini last night? I thought he was ok, had a few good bursts, but at times I felt he could have put more effort into getting on the ball in the box.
Borini is more like Kuyt at the moment, hard working and tracks down the ball. Needs to take his chances though. Allen was alright, if you look at most of his mistakes it was because a team mate dropped him in the ****.
Borini did OK made some good runs and worked hard. Problem in the first half we didnt really create that many chances had lots of possession but not many clear chances. I think we need to judge him once he gets some good service.
That's what I was thinking. As good as Henderson, Allen and Shelvey are, they just lack that penetration and creativity to split the defences. Sahin and Suso need to be in the starting XI.
I thought he did ok, they effort was there but things were just not happening for him. I think he will come good given time but to a Dirk Kuyt standard rather than a Fowler, Torres, Rush, etc.
I wasn't questioning the ability of either player, I was merely highlighting that both are lazy players. Gerrard had no excuse either since he'd only just been introduced!
I agree with you mate ... I've said this about Gerrard many times, he's not mobile enough. And I'm not talking about running in a straight line towards the goal. I'm talking about passing the ball, and then on the move into another position straight away. Tracking back, sticking with your man, constant pressure. The midfield lost it's shape once he came on.
Good game. We were unlucky to lose that. We dominated and had some very good passages of play. Admittedly some of our players looked worse in the second half, but that's not surprising as that's when we conceded the most goals. Surprised at the stick Johnson and Allen are getting. Thought Allen was pretty solid, not his best game but not as bad as some are making out. Johnson was having to cover Downing all night. When Johnson overlaps going forward, Downing is supposed to take over his defensive duties until Glen can get back. Problem is Downing constantly forgets how to track back. We are a work in progress and so we should expect good and bad passages of play; and that's what we saw. Udinese are not a bad team and, TBF, we were unlucky not to draw or win that match. On balance of play, I thought we were the better team.
Hmmm, not sure I agree, I think he just lost his composure and started to panic a bit, and it wasn't pretty. Man of the Match he truly was not. I think I would have given it to Henderson... It was a massive mistake taking him off, he was having the best game of his Liverpool career. He must be thinking "What the **** do I have to do?"
Agreed. You could see in his face when he was being taken off he was thinking "Are you ****ing joking?"
It's not as if we are going to hold it against him, he had a poor second half, it happens, doesn't mean we can't call him for it, and cuff him around the back of the head. When the Italians stepped it up, it was Allen and Shelvey that flapped,, so the service to Hendo dried up and while he should have come back a bit more and worked for it, I think it was damaging to take him off. Rodgers should have directly fixed the problem by replacing Allen and Shelvey, then normal service would have been resumed, and Hendo would have had a confidence swelling match. As it is, he played a blinder of a first 45, then got dragged off when other started losing their grip on the game. So...OK...Rodgers....OK...you screwed up...OK? Fortress Anfield, my arse...OK?? It was a good learning game for all involved, thank the maker it was the European mickey mouse cup eh?
Agree about Downing. I remember one of the commentators saying what a brilliant tackle when he made this specific one because he had to come back from all the way of the other end of the pitch to get this tackle in, well if he had been tracking back in the first place then he would have dealt with it a lot easier and no one would have taken notice because it would have been an easy tackle. Downing just makes this harder for himself and the team.
Sorry mate but the midfield lost its shape as soon as the whistle blew for the second half. Udinese did exactly what a few of us were discussing at half time and spent the second half harrassing Allen and it showed. Yes his game suffered a bit second half (as some have pointed out) but that was mainly because we kept offloading the ball to him in stupid positions. Was that the fault of Gerrard? No. Was it helped by taking Henderson off, definitely not.
What we needed was some composure. Gerrard didn't provide that - however, he did provide attacking impetus. Would have preferred to see Sahin come on. Plus I would have liked to have seen Assaidi play with players like Sahin and Suarez.
Henderson was having a good game but we needed a goal that he wasn't going to create or score, imo Sahin for Shelvey would have been the right move giving Gerrard the opportunity to get forward without losing the midfield. As far as Downing goes he did nothing wrong but is that all we expect from a £16m Engerland International?
