I expect a performance irrespective of the result. We've not played anywhere near right v newcasle, sion or west brom IMO. we need to see the right style and 11 form all 11 players. fingers crossed on sahko.
fair. so does coutinho btw. the newkie game is a good example where i feel after 30mins we stopped playing the game and all went individual and let newcastle back in it. at worst that should have been 0-0 game. we just looked like everyone was playing their own game and not as a team. Sion was poor and v west brom we were not patient and composed enough. we got lucky in the end. the players have to stick to the plan and have faith in it.. all of them.. no going off on solo runs head down lashing off shots all the time or trying to beat 2 like ibe before crossing blind. have a plan, work the plan, then you'll see the plan work.
Maybe lost 2 points rather than being lucky? If we are absolutely honest, this is a match that we all expected 3 points. And if we are to make significant progress this is the sort of match that we should win comfortably. It is all very well beating the likes of City and Chelsea away, great feats but it is all undermined if we then go on to lose points at home to WBA or away to newcastle (all due respect to them). Watford is a must win. They will mass defend and try to counterattack. But player for player we are a much better team.
I would say YES at 1-0 up we did throw 2 points away by the first goal conceeded and then did our best to throw the third one away in the second half. We should have won it 1-0. I'd have been happy.
Milner apparently out injured for the Watford game. Like to see us play the Firminho and no striker like against the Saints.
Have read all the (sensible) posts on here- didn't take long. Anyway, just to move things along.. Watford do not allow the opposition any time or space. They defend from the front and harry the life out of defenders. Watford have second highest number of clean sheets in the division-goals don't come easy to most teams whether at home or away. . Of their 5 defeats, Palarse nicked it, Arsenal had a purple 15 minutes, Leicester got lucky with a goalkeeping blunder, manure were pretty ineffectual and again got lucky, Man city outplayed them. Funny old game isn't it ? Of the 7 wins, Swansea were flying until... Stoke were outplayed for 95 minutes, West Ham the same, Newcastle woke up too late, Sunderland gave it everything but Watford should have had 4 first half, villa gave a really good account, but had typical luck of teams at bottom, Norwich were outplayed. Of the 4 draws, Everton were ok , draw just about right, Wba were most -ve team ever to visit Vicarage road, Soton didn't try an B'muff should have won. They do not 'mass defend' but defend as a team. Maybe that's the same thing. Watford hardly ever score from set pieces. 'Player for player a much better team ' sounds like dreaming of the past. Coutinho would get into most teams, but of the rest, cannot say I'm persuaded. Henderson on a good day, Lucas also. Skrtel, probably a better attacker than defender. Finally, difficult though it might be for such a 'massive' club to accept, after 16 games a team probably deserves to be where it is. If your manager thinks champions league is feasible, then so do Watford!
Sorry - on reflection it's not clever or even funny. I found the long list of posts on Benteke and his role went on a bit - but maybe it's because so much hope was invested in him. Perhaps he'll score a hattrick - teach me a lesson! Generally it's assumed (the meejah) if WFC play to their best and the opposition play to their best WFC will lose most games this season. What appears to have happened (ref swansea, west ham. Stoke, Sunderland in particular) is the respective managers have said it's the worst their team has performed, couldn't recognise the team etc etc without giving WFC much credit. In fact WFC's approach disturbs the rhythm of the opposition. For what it is worth, WFC haven't lost to a team below them in the league. I see Lawrenson is incapable of predicting a loss for LFC - loyal but not objective. Tomorrow will be a good test of WFC's credentials to be in top 8 and LFC's aspirations to be in top 4. I just hope Clattenburg is anonymous and not the centre of attention.
You should check the rest of our board. Dribbles has for years taken the piss out of lawrensons predictions with a thread called get there before Lawro. Finally the benteke stuff is nothing to do with you. It's one guy slagging him off since July
Bit #worried about this game tbh. Klopp is a great manager but so much of our side is unmitigated **** it is not confidence inducing
Meanwhile mad Mario your favourite has set the world alight and firmino your other favorite has been quite poor for large stretches but poor benteke gets it before he's kicked a ball.
We will have to raise our game a lot to win this one imo. Klopp has had a week with them to focus on this game but he hasn't the players fit enough yet... nowhere close to where he wants them. Basically it's like this... if the games not won in 30mins it's likely not going to be won as we trail off same as we did under Rodgers as Rodgers didn't get them fit enough.
Not the only one Jimmy although TBF the couple of us that also question what Benteke brings to the team ( not his individual quality) are not quite as harsh on Benteke as you are.
Jimmy's question of "what does he bring to the team except goals" is like asking "what does coutino bring to the team if nobody runs to where he passes the ball". It is a team game and, as such the players in it should play to the strengths of their team mates on any particular day.
Oh no another manc being sensible..... this is too much for lfc fans to take... Benteke out I will hear them cry. And then the Sunday mirror has a story of chelsea to buy the guy so lfc make a vast profit while lfc will wallow in midtable hugging their cash and playing origi while losing in all comps cos we don't have the squad and he kids not ready... If anyone ever watched lfc for past 30 years was rush, aldo, fowler, Owen. ...any of them really much good on the ball or was it their golden touch that made them goalscoring legends for lfc Ah well 20 goals a season but he's ****e is something I can live with!
LOL! thing is - Coutinho may not score or get an assist but will still impact the team ether by playing a pass to split a defence, or beat a man to create space or at the very basic level, work hard and press. You keep saying its a team game and that we need to play to Benteke's strengths? Why can't Benteke play to the strengths of others then? Our best performances have come when we are more mobile and dynamic up front. So instead of trying to achieve that, why should we play to Benteke's strengths of crossing the ball all the time? We don't have great crossers in this team anyway! So why should we expect the rest of the team to adapt to suit ONE player??
Match day is here!!! Must win this game, fun as it is reading through 7 pages of Benteke should play Benteke shouldn't play - I'm fairly sure Klopp will back him and play him: I think we should do the same if he does, no?