What we learned today ...

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On Balotelli... was he a panic buy ? Rodgers categorically stated Mario wouldn't be a Liverpool player. Then we pull the plug on Remy, **** our pants at Falcao's wage demands , have spasms at Cavani's transfer fee and go and pull Mario out of a hat.


Edit: im in the I like him camp. Just wondering if he was a panic signing though.
 
Lucaaas said:
I don't think anyone's ever questioned his talent. Its his application and attitude that has always been questionable. And I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon slagging him off just yet. He's only played 2 games for **** sake, and he looked good in one of them.
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even the managers who didn't get along with him praise his talent to the hilt.

it's the other bits that are cause for concern.

I like him :)
really happy with the signing
 
Biggest complaint for me today was Rodgers. We were being out played and out fought from the get go today. Villa got the inevitable early goal and by then played the chelsea card and defended on the lead, he needs to learn to combat that approach.
 
The sooner Skrtel is back and Lovren switches to left side cb the better. Sakho came with high praise from PSG he was allegedly the marquee signing last summer. From what weve seen of him its the circus big top not marquee.
 
jaffakop said:
and defended on the lead, he needs to learn to combat that approach.
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how?

there isn't much you can do about it. just keep trying to score. Every week some side shuts up shop and wins against a better side. There is no magic formula to combat it. Sometimes you find a way through, sometimes not.
 
redconn said:
how?

there isn't much you can do about it. just keep trying to score. Every week some side shuts up shop and wins against a better side. There is no magic formula to combat it. Sometimes you find a way through, sometimes not.
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high defensive line
 
terrypaine said:
Saints fan in peace: what Balotelli needs is talent - something he never shows any signs of acquiring. Bad buy. Lallama will win you more points eventually,although he looked frightened today (had he seen the Saints result?). Good luck and I'd love you to put the wind up Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal.
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He has talent no doubt about it - individual technical ability, strength and pace. But talent is only as useful as the end product. He's not a prolific goalscorer or reasonably reliable at setting up others to score - both qualities Suarez excelled at. And IF that continues, Sturridge will suffer more than anyone. Gut feeling is Balotelli will probably turn up against the big teams but won't offer the consistency Liverpool need. BTW this isn't based on today's game or his limited time at Liverpool, it's based on his career so far. TBF you wouldn't begrudge any top team buying him, he's worth a punt and that's what Liverpool have taken here.
 
Livtor said:
it provides the foundation for pushing up and wide and pressing high.
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You pushed up and camped around their 18 yard box and still couldn`t break through, all a high defensive line would have done today is give Villa the chance to break at speed and get behind your defence for a second goal. Do you think you have the defenders to combat a fast counter attack?
 
Diego said:
You pushed up and camped around their 18 yard box and still couldn`t break through, all a high defensive line would have done today is give Villa the chance to break at speed and get behind your defence for a second goal. Do you think you have the defenders to combat a fast counter attack?
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Not really. We're not comfortable with a high line and practice it half-heartedly with little confidence. We were pushing up with little purpose and being narrow. You have to release fbs and wingers down the flanks and open the play up. Balo and Lallana were isolated and ineffective. I saw a stat that said none of our top 20 pass combinations involved Lallana of Balotelli.
 
Hash said:
On Balotelli... was he a panic buy ? Rodgers categorically stated Mario wouldn't be a Liverpool player. Then we pull the plug on Remy, **** our pants at Falcao's wage demands , have spasms at Cavani's transfer fee and go and pull Mario out of a hat.


Edit: im in the I like him camp. Just wondering if he was a panic signing though.
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The Milan Chairman/President also said we'd been tracking Mario all summer.
 
jaffakop said:
Biggest complaint for me today was Rodgers. We were being out played and out fought from the get go today. Villa got the inevitable early goal and by then played the chelsea card and defended on the lead, he needs to learn to combat that approach.
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redconn said:
how?

there isn't much you can do about it. just keep trying to score. Every week some side shuts up shop and wins against a better side. There is no magic formula to combat it. Sometimes you find a way through, sometimes not.
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Got to begrudgingly agree with Jaffa here. Why change from our tried and trusted diamond system to a 4231 which as failed to work for us under Brod in the past? Fair enough, we rested Sterling and we were missing Studge too (makes resting Raheem questionable for me) but don't change the system and introduce two débutantes plus Balo for only his second game. Six of that eleven that started today weren't at the club last season; Mankiller, Lovren, Moreno, Lalana, Markovic and Balotelli. We then introduce Lambert plus Borini who a year away too.

Too much change for one game IMO
 
Livtor said:
Not really. We're not comfortable with a high line and practice it half-heartedly with little confidence. We were pushing up with little purpose and being narrow. You have to release fbs and wingers down the flanks and open the play up. Balo and Lallana were isolated and ineffective. I saw a stat that said none of our top 20 pass combinations involved Lallana of Balotelli.
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Please don`t start with stats, they prove nothing. Stats will tell you that a team had 14 shots at goal, 11 on target. What they don`t tell you is that 10 of the 11 on target were from the half way line and bounced three times before the keeper picked them up.
The "little purpose" bit i agree with, just like United last season, you had no idea how to break through a strong defence.
 
Diego said:
Please don`t start with stats, they prove nothing. Stats will tell you that a team had 14 shots at goal, 11 on target. What they don`t tell you is that 10 of the 11 on target were from the half way line and bounced three times before the keeper picked them up.
The "little purpose" bit i agree with, just like United last season, you had no idea how to break through a strong defence.
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Stats are tools, and like tools they have to be used in the right context and for a narrow purpose. I mentioned the stat I mentioned just to illustrate that for all of our possession in the attacking third, Lallana and Balotelli (our most dangerous players on the pitch) were poorly serviced and left isolated, nothing more nothing less.
 
Livtor said:
Stats are tools, and like tools they have to be used in the right context and for a narrow purpose. I mentioned the stat I mentioned just to illustrate that for all of our possession in the attacking third, Lallana and Balotelli (our most dangerous players on the pitch) were poorly serviced and left isolated, nothing more nothing less.
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Stats are for tools who use them to analyse games and performancies! they may show that Lallana and balotelli got little of the ball, what they don`t show is why. Were they cut out of the game by a good defence, were the people making the passes piss poor, did they produce enough movement to create space, was your midfield lacking imagination/creativity. Stats only show a very limited portion of the truth.
 
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