Nah, bollox to past form, head to heads and fixture lists - Merseyside final all day long. It's been FAR too long and would make the day twice as big
Hughes: "I thought we were by far the better team. We were behind in the tie and I'm proud of what the players produced." GTF, behind in the tie so you abandon your principles and hoof, unsuccessfully "Nobody gave us a chance - why they would do that I don't know. We've proved for a couple of years that we're a good team." WTF "I think Liverpool were delighted to go to penalties and then it's a lottery." No we'd have taken the win after 90 that the rules state thanks. "In terms of a performance, I thought we merited a win." Based on your 0 shots on target in normal time? Cool story bro.
Did find it funny Delap saying how Stoke were good value for the win... don't get me wrong we were pants.. but they had 1 shot on target which was offside... they hit the post from Van Ginkel handballing it.. we hit the post from fair play. Other than that, both had 1 more shot on target in Extra time, but 2nd half of ET they didn't get out there half. They were clearly playing for pens in last 15 mins and fair enough, not saying anything wrong with that but they didn't push for a winner. 1 goal would have meant we needed 2 so they had the advantage there.
We need to make changes for the West Ham game. Allen for Lucas, he cant play two cup games in a week. I think his time at LFC is drawing to a close. Ship Lucas off in the Summer to Italy. Let Allen prove he worthy of place in team. Smith for Moreno (maybe) - still so appositionally unaware. Not sure if Smiths any better. But we'll get bummed if we play Moreno against the hammers. If he can do it keep Flanno in. Maybe rest Milner, but who to bring in i'm not sure. Ibe just isn't consistent. Anyway great result tonight. team were very nervous after missing out last season in two cup semi's.
Once a Bitter... Remember Cahill after the 2012 semi? They scored an offside goal and Coleman somehow survived a second yellow after scything down Downing ten minutes from the end (though Carroll scored from the subsequent free kick). Cahill's first response when a microphone was thrust under his nose as he traipsed off: "We didn't get any decisions from this ref today"...
Get. The. ****. In Still issues with us but **** it we well deserved that and let's enjoy it for what it is lads ... hopefully the first of 3 finals this season
It's total bullshit. It was all us, we just couldn't score a goal as is often the case in these sorts of games with us for all the possession and moves we had in and around their area, plus all the stray long range efforts we had. Stoke were resilient and organised defensively I'll give them that but they offered hardly anything going forward and in attack.
Well done on getting to the final ( you fookers lol) sounded like a tense **** game didn't see it as I'm afternoon shift.. Hope we can make it a Merseyside final but fear we need a few buses to park to do so... I'm not confident at all unfortunately
Good luck against the Sheikh's underlings tomorrow then we can crush your dreams and give you a good twatting at Wembers
I guess I'll do my player ratings. Probably won't go down so well with some of you. Mignolet - 7. He didn't have too much to do in the first half. The goal, well, it was offside and he couldn't do much about a tap-in. He did annoy me with his wayward passing throughout, and he flapped at two crosses in the second (at least) which brings him down to a 7. Other than that, a job well done and good in the shootout. Flanagan - 7.5. Great, if we're taking his injury into account. If we aren't, he was good. He was tenacious in the tackle, really reminded me of... 2013/14 Flanagan. Solid in defense, not the best on the attack but he tried his best. Looked to get tired near the end and I feel that if he hadn't just returned from injury some of the final tackles could have meant a second yellow, though they would have been harsh. Moreno - 7. This one will be contentious for you lot. I think, bar the goal, Moreno had a good game. I like how he plays. He's exciting as a young prospect, because he clearly has the technical skills of a player far beyond his age. His mental skills are the ones that need developing though. He made a major mistake for the goal, where he left his side uncovered and lunged at the player with the ball instead of his man. He is then desperately out of position. You can see Sakho trying to sprint onto Moreno's man and failing to stop the cross, but the goal came partly, well, mostly from Moreno. However, when he has the ball, he is smart. He is a player that genuinely knows how to run forward, sidestep a player, avoid tackles, etc. He's incredibly pacey, he's good with the ball at his feet. His crossing needs work but as a ball-playing LB he has a lot of room to grow. He isn't anywhere close to the finished product, but he has a good mentality (always wants the ball) and in my personal opinion has a lot of potential. Does he make mistakes? Yes. But he's worth developing and I hope to see Klopp straighten him out more with his yelling. I predict he will give us grief, but if we stick with him, he could be a huge asset to the team one day. Many won't agree, but I think he is young and he has potential. Sakho - 7.5. Possibly our best defender on the night. Nah, definitely our best defender. Dominant in the air. Well positioned, and despite his involvement in the goal, it wasn't really his fault as he was covering for Moreno's mistake desperately. See above. Other than that it was a good solid game from him and I want to see more of the same. It would help his game if he released the ball earlier. It avoids the bambi effect and gives him peace of mind. Kolo - 6.5. Will be honest, didn't really focus on how he played. Was busy watching Sakho and the rest. Didn't do much wrong, was fairly composed. Goal wasn't entirely his fault either. Can - 6. Not his best game. Again, he shows he knows how to dribble, how to beat his man, and how to run with the ball. But he's clearly tired, he's clearly losing passing accuracy by the week, and he's clearly needing a game or two as a sub. Needs to do better. Can he do better? Yes, he can. He shows flashes of dominance in his game every few games, and I do see a proper player in him. But he's not the finished article either. He should be encouraged not to shoot, at least until he learns to do it better. Henderson - 5.5. Worst game I've seen Henderson play in a long time. Obviously not 100% fit, tried too many hollywood balls. Needs to take more responsibility by running up to players in the middle of the pitch and constantly moving to get open for the pass. Drifts in and out of plays, shoots and passes inaccurately. But again, he's fairly young. I do think he's a player that can do a job and if he smartens up with his passing, he'll be a big player for us. Milner - 6.5 - Was everywhere, and nowhere at times. Did put a shift in, and did do well. But his final pass is poor and needs to be more precise. Running can't be all you're good at. Otherwise we'd just sign Tyson Gay or Usain Bolt. Lallana - 6.5 - Mediocre in possession. Lovely tricks and turns, not much end product. Likes to run out wide, then never find anyone to send the ball to. Needs to run into the box instead of around it. He'd get into so many more scoring opportunities if he'd just take on the ****ing CB and go into the box. Release the ball, you're not Pele. Lucas - 6.5 - Not the worst game he had. Okay in distribution, okay in defending. Wasn't standing out and was not as dominant, though it is Stoke and their physicality would make it tough for any defensive midfielder to excel. Needs to protect his teammates a little more, and they need to stop leaving him so exposed from the front. Firmino - 6. Had the right ideas, but never put enough care into executing them. It's like he overestimates the ball's ability to travel through an opponent's foot. Needs to speed up his decision making and avoid taking those long shots until he knows he can get them right. I know he scored a screamer recently, but he should pick his moments wisely. Needs to be a little less selfish, but also needs to avoid hitting the outstretched boot of a defender. Subs: Ibe 6 (ineffectual and wasteful. Looked to have brought pace and energy off the bench but that turned into selfishness quick.) Benteke - 7.5 (far better than usual, did run a lot and kept the ball well while our team struggled to move up the pitch. Allen - 7.5 + 2 thumbs up*. *I hope people don't suddenly take his two goals in a few years to mean we should give him a new contract. I love the Joe Allen Welsh Jesus Pirlo Spanish Iniesta jokes as much as anyone, but these goals should serve as come get me advertisements and nothing more. We need to upgrade in the summer. It's been 4 years nearly. He's not the first priority but he is the one that represents mediocrity the most for me and the sooner we get rid of him for someone that does what he does only better, the better. For today, he did well and thank you for the penalty, but I can't accept a player getting 4 seasons to be average and then 2 games proving his worth. If he plays like this every week for the rest of the year I'd reconsider. Otherwise I'd consider this his crowning moment and thanks for the memories. Not trying to single him out, he was good today. But as a general transfer strategy, some deadwood should go this summer.
All true. They fell apart after 70mins. Their two ould fellas were bolloxed. All they deserved was what they got. We need to look to ourselves and see we were woeful, especially on the ball. I cannot see us get much out of West ham with 125mins in the tank so..... well let's hope.
Moreno was absolute dogshit. The lad can't defend for ****. Which is a bit of an issue given that he's a defender.
Fair. I hate how none back their ability to take a ball on and turn or win a free and just pass it back if facing away from goal. Lucas was miserable in their half all game
Fair comment. Carragher ripped him a new one at half time. Didn't even wait to let him get a shower before gaping him wide open. Plus his hair is stupid.
