Match Day Thread Pre-season

What the **** are you on about 2?

 

It is interesting, before the United game where we'd beaten Olympiakos and kept a clean sheet, beat AC Milan and kept a clean sheet and got a decent draw against City and should have won it iwith Sterling's last minute goal, lots of people were happy. Yes, we know we needed to strengthen a couple of places, but things were going well.

Suddenly, 1 loss to United with a half fit team 2 days after playing another game, going 1-0 up then should have getting a 2nd pen to make it 2-0 not being given. we're going to struggle for top 10 by the sounds of some people on here and we have no one that can score goals.

 

...on a consistent basis when Sturridge isn't playing. I would expect Sterling, Lallana and hopefully Markovic to get the odd one, but otherwise - Gerrard's good for penalties, but Coutinho, Henderson, Allen, Can, Lucas, Ibe aren't exactly renowned for their goalscoring and Lambert looks out of form at the moment.

 

We armchair fans are a hardy breed, Tobes. More dedication than strolling up to a half-empty Woodison ten minutes before kick-off on our half-priced season ticket we got with a T-mobile contract!

 

Sterling should chip in with 10 league goals.

Lallana go 10 last year

Markovic I'm expecting 5-8 in the league.

We'll just have to play for pens so Gerrard can stick them away

 

Or a freebie ticket given by one of the players

 

Anyway, my marks:

Ming: 7 Blameless and solid.

Johnson 5: Made the goal, non-existent in the defence.

Kelly: 6 Constantly attacked down his flank in the first half. Not the player he was two years ago.

Sahko: 7 Again won most balls in his area, and distribution was efficient if conservative.

Skrtel: 7 Didn't do much wrong in the first half, not as good in the second.

Gerrard: 6 doesn't protect the back four much, does he? Set the disappointing Lambert up foe a decent chance that he passed back to the goalie though.

Allen: 6 Hmmm. Still not started off as good as he finished last season. Plenty of effort though.

Sterling: 8 Constant danger and is stepping up to the plate. Too much to expect him to cover for Suarez's absence though.

Lambert; 5. Let's hope we don't have to resort to plan B too often, eh? United's back three were there for the taking in the first half. He couldn't take a bath atm.

Coutinho: 8 Looked more the £35m #10 than Mata to me, and I rate mata. Tired again in the second half.

Henderson 7; ran the game at times, but this time he faded after United's equaliser rather than got stronger.

Subs: Ibe 7 No end product, but looks like sterling this time last year.

Toure 6: Did nothing wrong.

Can 6: Not as promising as the last two games.

Team 7 : Decent start, better team in the first half and had we ever got (deservedly) two up we'd have comfortably won. Folded after the equaliser. Sad, but let's hope the have more spine in real games, cause there were shades of the Hull away game there.

Nothing two full backs, a striker and Shaqiri won't put right!

 

Can anyone tell me when abouts was the Lambert miss? They have the whole game on youtube and wanted to just skip to that point to view it

Nevermind, think I found it just after half time.

Wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

 

Well we all commented around 2.10am so ten minutes into second half approx?

Suprised myself with that by the way......

 

Yeah, it wasn't exactly missed across the six yard box...probably just that he'd have banged it in last year but as I said at time....just the yips from trying too hard. Scuffs one in and that'll be that.

 

2nd home defeat

 

I was away and missed it all, but my lad was pissed at Rodgers for not putting a strong team out, but bottom line, this is pre-season, and he is still giving all the chaff a chance to prove themselves, rather than field a solid team that should have beaten the mancs. Hard pill to swallow getting done over by a woeful scum team, but all will be forgotten if we start the season with a win.

 

Bit hard to play a strong side when Flanno, Enrique, Lovren, Lallana, Markovic and Studge are all unavailable.

 

Setting a lot of store in new players who have never played for you before there Gerrez!

 

Not hard for Lovren to get in ahead of Skrtel/Sakho base don last year.

Same for Lallana and Allen.

Markovic will be better than having 10 men as he'll be Suarez's replacement

 

All three cost over £20m to buy, pretty sure they will be considered first teamers. Plus I named six players, that's over a third of a team if only one of those you highlighted plays!

 

In case people missed it this tournament had a ridiculous finish, both teams played Saturday and were asked to turn around Monday and play

Sterling and Henderson put in 60-70 mins Saturday for example

In short IMO it's a terrible way to prepare for a season

I feel the tour was too long, too many trips in it and do not feel we are at all prepared for the season

 

If we're talking the Lambert 'miss', I wasn't implying that it was a tap-in, but it deserved a lot better than a pea-roller back to the keeper.

 

Final game of pre-season tomorrow against Dortmund. Kick off at 12:45. Not sure if it's on TV?

Should be a good game, but Dortmund don't kick off their season for another couple of weeks and with us kicking off next week and already nursing a few injuries, can't see a very strong team being risked.

Should be good seeing Lambert up against another good team this time at home though. Hopefully he can net at the Kop and get a bit of confidence.

 

Game is live on bt sport