Agree totally. You could see how much it meant to him and it was two great penalties from him when he could barely walk. I liked the way young Rossiter was organising the midfield at times too, 17 years old telling the seasoned pros where they should be - respect
[video=youtube;lgWVmzcpvBs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgWVmzcpvBs[/video] Lallana last night. Good shows, lots of nice touches, link ups and runs. But his set pieces were poor. Keeping him away from the corners and he'll do just fine.
Accepted,but where is Kolo's experience and nouse to be making a challenge like that,at a time like that. I really don't feel he's good enough anymore to be one of our four CB's,and that's not just based on last night.
last season,we had a last minute ish back pass from him and let baggies in and got the equalizer. he didnt show much experience then either, do tend to agree with you, think he has lost it and more of a liability these days. as long as he is played just in this comp though, not too bothered, need the others fresher for prem and cl.
Because a Red called Aidan used to drink in there when it was still an alehouse and not a Barnardo's.
I was getting frustrated with Lallana running down blind alleys last night. But having watched the video back, it was all he could do with the lack of movement ahead of him. Our new, big, static front men aren't doing our creative midfielders any favours at all, are they? Coutinho facing the same issues. Plus they are getting in the way of our other forwards who are trying to interchange with one another. Markovic very disappointing. ****ting out when presented with shooting opportunities, backing out of challenges, not jumping for headers because he can see the defender coming. Things will definitely improve when Sturridge returns. What's the word on his return date?
Steven Kelly of Espn: Agree. (GK) Simon Mignolet, 7 -- Pulled off several fine saves in the first half. Could not really be blamed for either goal, though positioning at set pieces remains a concern. Like his Middlesbrough counterpart was merely a spectator throughout some exemplary penalty taking. Took a good one himself, though. (DF) Javier Manquillo, 6 -- Steadiness is now his specialty, without ever hitting any real heights. Does not really contribute much going forward, which is so important for such an attacking side, so he may eventually lose his place to the more adventurous and skillful Glen Johnson despite the latter's inconsistencies. (DF) Jose Enrique, 7 -- Nice to see him back and fit. His chances will be few and far between but his strength on the ball came in useful during intense opposition pressing. He linked well with Adam Lallana on more than one occasion. A tendency to become complacent after a while re-emerged once again, but overall solid and dependable. A decent alternative to Alberto Moreno. (DF) Kolo Toure, 6 -- A typical Toure performance, enthusiastic and showing his experience when others began to lose their heads, particularly his central defensive partner. One or two wild moments in the first half but overall he was pretty solid. Loses a mark for a careless late lunge that unnecessarily prolonged the game (DF) Mamadou Sakho, 5 -- Rarely a game passes by now without him looking like an accident about to happen. Shocking pass that led to his handball on the edge of the area and Middlesbrough's first equaliser. With Martin Skrtel ready to return he could lose his place unless Dejan Lovren continues to flounder. It would hardly be a vote of confidence if he remained in the side. (MF) Lucas Leiva, 7 -- Perhaps finding his level if you wish to be cruel about it, but was solid and used the ball well. Picked the ball off the opposition on numerous occasions and played through the pain to take two well-struck penalties when the pressure was on. (MF) Lazar Markovic, 4 -- Even at this early stage he's beginning to make fans wonder what the fuss and the fee were all about. Not much sign of the pace that thrilled fans briefly during the U.S. tour. Replaced early on in extra time but was frankly lucky to survive that long. Needs a big performance soon but Rodgers may already be wondering if he has it in him. (MF) Adam Lallana, 6 -- Played the full two hours. Lots of trickery but at one stage seemed more likely to dazzle himself than his opponent. Some good turns and the occasional link-up with Enrique, with a neat flick in the build-up to the second goal. Perhaps more to come when he finds his feet and his real position, as he seems uncomfortable on the left. (MF) Raheem Sterling, 7 -- Easily the best player on the pitch, which makes the shocking pass toward his own area and straight to an opponent's feet -- the one that resulted in it becoming 2-2 -- all the more baffling. The TV barons will thank him since it resulted in an extraordinary end to the game, but nobody in red will. Could be down to inexperience, but more likely to be reluctance on his manager's part to teach his players some old-fashioned common sense. Lucky not to have to take a second penalty. (MF) Jordan Rossiter, 6 -- Neat and tidy, quick to close down opponents. A nice enough debut with a goal to mark the occasion. Easy comparison with Jay Spearing and may not become the final product with Liverpool, but will remember this night for a long time. Did not let anyone down. (FW) Rickie Lambert, 4 -- Poor and ponderous. The sort of performance that kinder souls might call "honest" but which became more painful the longer he stayed on the pitch. It clearly hurts him, but that's not much use to Rodgers right now as a lot of play slowed down or broke down altogether when it reached him. A night to forget. SUBSTITUTES: (FW) Mario Balotelli, 6 -- Replaced Lambert on 73 minutes and created the occasional problem without ever really scaring the Middlesbrough defence. Lost the ball too often. Took responsibility for opening the penalty shootout in the absence of Steven Gerrard and never looked like missing on either occasion. (MF) Jordan Williams, 6 -- Replaced Rossiter on 78 minutes, like for like and steady enough. Would have been forgiven for faltering on a pressure penalty but held his nerve well. (MF) Suso, 6 -- Replaced Markovic and did more in 20 minutes than the Serbian managed in 90, including scoring what should have been the winner. Showed some tricks and brought a good save with another rasping shot.
Thing with Lallana was that even if he was running into no where he was ALWAYS looking to try and do something and more importantly GO FORWARD. Was really impressed with him. Markovic though - ****ing hell I lost it at one point when Lallana did some great work and put one on a plate for him from 18 yards - he decides to look for a pass to no one instead of shooting
