Coutinho, Sterling, Lallana, Markovic, Henderson, Gerrard and Balotelli can only create 1 decent long range effort in 94 minutes - that's just insulting. For goodness sake we all know that Senderos is a donkey yet we conspire to make him look good. Why was the play so ponderous? Why are we trying to play killer through balls against a defence camped on the edge of their box? What's wrong with dribbbling the ball at them at speed - even if you don't get through you can get free-kicks and penalties!!! We were mindless, gutless and totally lacking today. There is really no excuse for such a poor performance.
Absolutely no idea how to break down defences without Suarez. Doesn't auger well for the home games in the CL, does it? Think we deserved a draw, but Villa deserved to hold on after last season when they should have been three or four up at half time. Set pieces? We're even worse than last season! Anyway, my ratings: Migs: 6 Not to blame for the goal, but seems to have gone back into last season's mode of not coming off his line for corners or set-pieces. Manquillo: 5 Caught flat-footed a few times. Ordinary in possession. Moreno: 5 So much better going forward than defending. Lovren:5 Was supposed to be our new rock. We're as bad at defending dead-balls as ever. Sakho: 5 Not even as good at defending as last season. never mind getting better. Gerrard: 5 Didn't get an inch. Offered nothing defensively. Hendo: 6 Got brighter and found room when Sterling came on, but anonymous bar the odd header when under pressure. Lallana: 5 Really can't see anything special at all. Been out injured - give him time, I suppose. Markovich: 4 Clucking bell - just so ordinary. Hope there's better to come, but looks like Jovanavic atm. Coutinho: 6 Did little till Sterling came on. The only creativity in the team. Balotelli: 5 Doesn't offer the same movement as Studge. Kicked to f** and bullied out of it. Subs: Sterling: 5 Came on like a house on fire. Mis-controlled a good chance and then went peripheral. Lambert: 4 Plan Z, tbh. Borini: Not fair to mark him. Did place the ball for someone else to take a corner at the end. Highlight of his cameo. Overall 4: Dreadfully uncreative and needed some brute strength and determination in the box - and we looked limp. Doesn't bode well for the CL at home or getting back in the top four. Wasn't too critical after the City loss, but this is depressing and sends a message to all the other teams where our weaknesses are. and they're the same weaknesses as last season, tbh, especially at set pieces.
because we didn't play our 4-3-3. We played funny enough a DM of two (Gerrard and Hendo) with Coutinho in CM in a 4-2-1-2-1. The w**k "diamond" version suggested by some. Massively dissapointed in BR on this one. Hendo is wasted as a second holding mf, Coutinho is not big enough to carry the middle, Lallana out wide is not at his best, Sterling shoud've been on where Markovic was. Balotelli should never be on his own upfront - Borini (no matter how poor he is) must partner him when Sturridge is not available.
Agree with this. Henderson had to be sacrificed because Lambert has worked out Gerrard in the last 2 seasons.
If BR anticipated Villa playing deep, we either had to go in with a high-line 4-3-3 or with our 4-d-2. Whilst I can understand his lack of confidence in a defensive high-line (although he must start practicing it in training!), I don't get why he didn't go at least with 4-d-2, with Hendo and Lucas either side of Gerrard. If he didn't use Lucas today with Allen and Can being out, then Lucas is as good as dead to him.
You were crap. Villa started quite well and got their goal, they then dug in but you lacked invention and drive and couldn't get past a centre back pairing of the useless Baker and donkey Senderos ffs. Lallana, Markovic and Balotelli did dick all between them and you'd better hope that they improve dramatically or he's spunked the Suarez cash.
Yup, pretty much. But it's 1 game, and 2 weeks ago we were the best team in the league after dicking Spurs at their ground. Win some you lose some. Early season form is a bit all over the place from all top teams apart from Chelsea and especially after International break.
Coutinho did improve as the game went on... but he's continuing down the same vein as last year. When we're dominating he puts in man of the match performances. When we're having things a little tricky- he tends to get no say. The periods of the game that we were in ascendency and Villa were sitting back he looked fine- but the moment they are in control he doesn't do well. For all the "flat track bully" comments that rivals threw at SAS last year- I think Coutinho is probably the only player on our team that deserves that moniker. When we're good he's great- when we're poor he's poor. Lallana has just come off injury so I'll try not to judge him too harshly... but it was a debut to forget for him. His touch was bad, his movement was bad... he was overall pretty bad. Markovic reminds me of Sterling 18 months ago... you can tell there is obvious talent there- but it's frustrating because he messes up when he needs to finish off a move. Hopefully just full-debut jitters. If they give post-match review cards Senderos deserves at least two yellows from that game for incidents that the ref didn't see. Full marks to Telly for not reacting and lashing out. Had he Mario lashed out- every club in England would follow the same tactic of kicking him when the ref isn't looking. First 15 minutes we were crap. After that I thought we did OK first half. Played 90 minutes like that and we'd have had a goal. Second half, we had possession, we controlled the tempo and rhythm but not the timbre. We did everything EXCEPT make chances- we allowed Villa to sit back and snuff out all our advances. An inch to the side, maybe that ball on the post would have bounced in... confidence seeped in and... but that's if, ands , buts... simply put- we lacked creativity.
One bad game...brave by our manc friends lol. Tobes merely stating what we thought but hoping it's permanent lol...
Lallana and balotelli really disappointing. Balotelli is looking like a luxury signing. Unless these new signings start to play we are in for a hard season.
We will probably scrape a hard fought 0-0 tomoro. It's just makes a change being able to be the one standing pointing and laughing for change.
I'd have been disappointed with that if it was my lot mate. It was one dimensional and devoid of imagination, maybe just a bad day at the office combined with a very good defensive display from Villa, but they might have just provided the template for getting a result at Anfield for the lesser lights there.
