Don't worry, James Lawton, Martin Samuel, Oliver Holt et al will doubtless make a humungous fuss about it and call for an FA ban - NOT.
That was the one, hence the reference to breaking his fanny Amusing how many of you felt the need to jump in there without even reading what I wrote Haven't seen the Mirallas tackle, and it sounds like it was a straight red, straight up. It just seems to me that referring to it as a "precedent setting decision" is an absolute load of bollocks. As if refs are now going to go "Oh, he can get away with that career threatening tackle as the ref missed Mirallas' tackle against Suarez". Refs miss bad tackles and make poor decisions every 'king week - why is it suddenly some sort of precedent when they go against Liverpool?!?
I've only seen the MOTD footage but have to say that it was just a good game of footy and it just doesn't need pulling to pieces. Both teams went at it looking to win, mistakes were made by both teams and both teams showed great determination. Credit to both clubs. It's not a game to judge players on because sense and tactics go out the window in fixtures like this, people who think that this or that should be changed or that this player or that player were **** need to understand that in these types of games form and composure go out the window. Players, tactics, systems, formations and analysis are for other games. Were up there enjoy it.
It's not, don't get where you're coming from Swarbs? It was a straight red and a clear one that the ref should have dealt with. Nothing more or less.
I'm only referring to danilo's comment: I'm sure it was an awful decision and he should have seen red, but precedent setting?!? Sounds to me like the sort of bollocks that Mourinho would come up with. No idea how this decision is supposed to be "precedent setting". Unless he's trying to imply that dangerous tackles are suddenly alright cos a referee made a mistake in a Merseyside derby.
Hallelujah Brother Gonz It was horrible with 3 minutes to go though and I appreciate I probably wouldn't be quite so lucid if it had stayed 3-2....but Studge made it soooo much better A point was earned by both teams if only for going at it hell for leather from minute one to the very last kick. As fans we moan so often about watching ****ers who just don't give a **** and yet today both sets of fans can feel their teams really did bust a gut to try and win it. It was a privilege to watch and a game I'll remember for years to come. At the end of the day it's a classic derby, pull it apart all you like......but it still won't make any sense
I get what you're saying about tactics etc, but my only gripe was Lukaku was obviously the main danger and his two key attributes are his power and his ability in the air. Two counter that, we should have been playing Sakho or Toure to help deal with that. Skrtel is relatively strong and good in the air but no comparison to those two and Agger isn't the best at either of those as his strengths lay elsewhere.
I think what he meant was because such a bad tackle was effectively allowed (because of the lack of red card), it set a level that they believed they could get away with. Now, I don't entirely agree with that as I don't think players would intentionally go in harder to hurt each other as a result of the ref getting a decision wrong but I understand what he was attempting to say
Said that at the time as well. Who's decision was that as I don't remember him marking him during any of the other set pieces so why was he doing it for this one!
The thing is though IBWT that the blues will have the same criticisms of their own players/defending/miss chances etc. Sometimes games like that are just beyond analysing (as fans I mean), the tension and the atmosphere make players lose focus, good players like Suarez, Lukaku, Sturridge thrive on it and you get even more out of them, nerves are magnified ten fold etc etc. I've seen even the very best Liverpool and Everton teams completely lose the plot in derby games. You have to take a bit of the normal, common sense stuff out of the equation because these games when played like that never make any sense
Yeah, I pointed that out as well. And while I take on board all the comments re it being a wonderful, all time great derby (it was) I still think Johnson, a player who I have consistently lauded, was ****ing awful. I expected better from a player of his stature and experience, especially as Flanagan had a belter on the other flank (note to Brendan - we DON'T need Cissokho). And Allen was pants, utter garbage. That said, great game against a good Everton team that will trouble most other teams at Goodison.
I understand what your saying and agree with general play etc but I stand by my point, if a cross came into the box, I'd rather have Toure/Sakho challenging Lukaku than Agger/Skrtel.
But Toure or Sakho might have missed three/four/five other passes or crosses....or something's bounced off their kipper into the net....or they've clipped someone for a pen..............etc etc. Footy's not as simple as saying if x had played instead of y then we'd have cut that one cross out and gone onto win. Games like todays just aren't that easy to quantify. They're just nuts. They'd still be nuts if you changed three or four players from each team. Getting slightly deep now but in fairness I've been on the lash since half ten this morning
Footy is not that simple but Sakho would have better combated agianst Lukaku throughout the game for me and should have been playing from the start, especially as his confidence was probably sky high after the france game. Moses started off ok but when he came on today he just looked disinterested? I thought it was a good move to hit them on the break with pace and power ( think johnson or gerrard played one ball that had it been anything decent at all Moses was in but they completely overhit it). On not needing Cissokho, yes maybe, but we certainly need to have better at LB than a young RB.
But Bluff I've seen far better Liverpool players than Johnson, Skrtel, Sakho, Agger, Toure at Liverpool and I've seen those same players (multiple league and European winners some of them) crumble in derby games. You think Sakho would have been a better option but Everton had two of the best defensive centre backs (in the air) playing today and they still conceded from Sturridges header. See what I'm saying? Sometimes these things aren't quite that simple to explain. Today's just one of those days
I get your point but mine is that the manager has to analyze the opposition and think " what player gives me the best chance against _____" This is an area Rafa was awesome at and reading his book is showing me more and more about the preparation he put in. I get Derby games that **** happens. Wasn't it Reina a few years ago in a 3-0 loss who was flapping at shots , heading off the line, etc? He was one of the top keepers in the world at that time. I get it, my thing is that manager should have maybe done a bit more research on what player gives us the best chance against Lukaku.
Maybe the manager saw Sakho after a tough game against Ukraine and thought he wasn't recovered enough. Those thing's we'll probably never know. Maybe he thought the players he put out (Flannel aside obviously), Johnson, Agger, Skrtel etc have a ton of derby experience and have played at Woodison loads of times and got decent results. It's easy for us to judge from here eh.
I agree but it is a battle even as a manager I would have loved seeing. If not Sakho, Toure possibly although I think he too picked up a small knock on international duty. Ah well, what I am interested about is the comment by Rodgers that this game "Showed me everything I need to know about my team..." hopefully talking about that midfield.
