An excellent start as far as I'm concerned. Our youngsters have been given a lesson on the level required for the Premiership by one of the best teams in the world and they have shown a bit of back-bone rather than just rolling over. Bring it on!
I think this is a class above Stiepermann I’m afraid, I wasn’t keen on him last season admittedly he did well but he doesn’t have the movement or the quality for this level
Stagefright possibly ? Had we come up against the previous Champions League winners with Messi or Ronaldo on the pitch and we would have had our pants pulled down worse. Grant Hanley is in the mould of Russell Martin a captain that shuts the **** up and sits down on the bench. Klose or Zimmermann would not have done that. The German's have a steely nature we looked better with Moritz Leitner
Sadly, I think you may be right. I'd also say the same about Hanley - not because of the own goal, but if I compare him and Godfrey, the latter grew into the game and looked Prem class by the end IMO and Hanley looked like a Championship player. Pukki, Buendia and Aarons looked Prem class, too, at least to me, and I also think Leitner showed the kind of style you need in the Prem when he came on. I feel the sheer speed of the game took a lot of the players by surprise and they'll grow into the league. I hope!
It was like a Charity Shield Liverpool could win basically. Against the best Championships outfits. They still have the Super cup against Chelsea. Hope they lose .
Hopefully, when we get Zimmermann back and Amadou playing we will be a little less naive in defence. Another day we would have scored 3 or 4! It wasnt losing that was the issue, but the manner of how we were 4 down at HT that annoyed me. As Iv said, far better 2nd half. The players seemed to calm down and learn. 9 of them had never played Prem football so Anfield was always going to make them nervous! As above however, the young lads didnt just roll over, they showed grit and a grew into the game. Hopefully we can play like the 2nd half for 90mins vs some lesser sides. Might be too early to talk about must wins, but for me Newcastle is a must win. Winning breeds winning and we have some tough games coming up, early this season! I will be confident of survival if we can get win early on! The longer we go, the harder it will be to come by!
The trouble with stiepermann is when he plays well is when we’ve looked incredible, but if he has an off day we don’t quite click up front. I know I’ve banged on about that before, but I really think how he plays seems to make all the difference. If he’d been on form and clinical in that first half we’d have been right in it, could have scored a brace. Unfortunately he just lacks the consistency.
Strange feeling after that game. It exposed some issues but also gave me real confidence that we're going to be alright this season. Krul was awesome. That save from the freekick was world-class and there was an air of confidence about him. Jamal, Cantwell, Hernandez and Pukki all showed they're a natural fit for this league and McLean, Aaron's and Trybull put in good shifts. I too think the sooner Zimbo's back the better but overall really excited to see Norwich having a proper go at Anfield. Some of the attacking play was a joy to watch. Keep it up and we'll stay up.
In his defence, he has the physicality to 'rough up' defenders, which Cantwell lacks at the moment. Bit of a luxury to accommodate them both, though although TC was playing out wide. Encouraging signs, however, in a daunting opening fixture - as has been mentioned above. Krul, Cantwell, Pukki, Buendia Leitner and Lewis in particular played well overall. Plenty to build on and now a 'wrong' they'll badly want to put right when Steve Bruce arrives nest weekend
I did not bother with the pre-season friendlies but heard a lot about Todd Cantwell and how much he has progressed during the summer. As I recall, last season I said he looked technically decent but lightweight and a little nieve. Last night I witnessed what people were saying about him pre-season, he looked much better than he did last season. The defence still scares the **** out of me and we can expect some bad defeats but watching us go forward is great to watch
Isn't it a bit early to be writing off one of the crucial cogs in our attacking machine? And especially given the huge amount of defensive work Stiepermann had to put in last night? Our play doesn't hinge on Stiepermann's movement; it hinges on his ability to orchestrate the movement of others.
Crucial to get Zimmers and / or Klose fit and back ASAP. Hanley was unfortunate for the o.g. but found positionally wanting more than once last night. Plus, when Amadou is match fit and integrated, he should help take some of the defensive responsibilities off Stieppermann, Pukki, etc.
Disappointed to see negativity from a couple of our posters from a match that showed several positives. Barcelona lost 4-0 at Anfield so we are better than Barcelona
