Game Week 4 in the CL League Phase and it's a clash of the Titans, Liverpool v Real Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday 4 November at 8 pm. Match available on Amazon Prime Video. Let's see if the best team in the world can take to the Anfield pitch and come away with all the points ..... or will Real have something to say about that. Predicted lineup: Mama, Bradley, Konaté, Virgil, Robbo, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Wirtz, Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo
Well we've knackered the first team now so this ones not going to be good. At least endo, Gomez.and chiesa are going to be really ready to go v Madrid eh? Same team should start again
I hope not. Villa were falling over themselves at the back and gifted us the opened. I hope we can improve on that display, improve a lot on it. We can press better. I found thst veneer where gakpo was central.and Szoboszlai over on the left interesting. Who called that? Why is there no press on the left side really? Once villa managed to get round the press we were all over the place still. We can improve on that. Real will be a lot more of a threat. We will have to improve again.
FFS, issue praise when it's deserved... We pressed them into making those mistakes. If you're going to criticise, focus on what happened when Villa broke by the press and we were wide open, every time.
I'm talking reality. Not criticising. You totally ignored the rest of what I wrote. We have to improve.does not.mean we didnt do anything right against villa. We have headed into real madrid who are 7 points clear at the top of last liga. I hope we have more to give as we will need to improve again to take them on. That's reality. You just read criticism cos.you wanted to read it. We have to improve on that display again, and again to be where we need to be.
I was joking about not reading it. Aka a long running joke on here... My initial point stands, we pressed really well and forced them into making mistakes but claimed it was "Villa falling over themselves"
And my point is you've assumed me saying we need to improve from there is somehow critising the effort that was put in v villa. You are dead wrong. Villa are not a patch on real madrid this season. Thats reality. We will.need to build on that showing and then improve again to pay city after it.
Games are all different. I never really get that "if we play like that we'll get hammered" sort of statement. We won't necessarily "play like that" against a team whose players and approach differ. In games where we totally dominate, there's a set of routines that we adopt to try and win, but in games where we're up against a creative side with ambitions of their own then we have to react to how they play as well and our approach can vary considerably.
But you could see some.nervy things that you know a team like madrid in form will punish so we have to build on what we did and take the confidence and improve. You'd have to expect Madrid to best thst press more easily so we will either have to commit more to it or accept we cant and sit off as you say.
It really depends on what team slot decides to pick imo. I think the side vs Villa is our best XI atm but there's no chance of that line up playing 3 games in a week.
Wouldn’t mind seeing Wirtz LW ahead off gakpo who has been off the boil for a few games. I know was brought in to be the 10 but was often on the left and given room to drift at Leverkusen so is used to it.
I dont think that will be done. The reason being slot seems to be tying gakpo down to a deep role that's quite narrow and asking him not to press high. I say seems as every time I see gakpo hes miles away from being part of a press and the rb is always available for a pass. However then we find gakpo pressing up top for our opener v villa with Szoboszlai adopting thst position deep and to tje left as a little rest perhaps. I cant see slot wanting wortz wandering off to right wing from a deep laying cover position and exposing bother our lb to the switch and with salah being high up our rb is always exposed. I almost see us as a 3 pressing 9, 10 and rw (Ekitike, salah, Szoboszlai) Then gakpo gravenberch and macallister are in a sort of a line thats allowing gravenberch drift righ to cover the rb who wont be getting any cover from salah. Gakpo seems held back to sort of walk aboit covering the rb buy standing in front, the cm and be able to get to the rw as well. Its a very passive position where he cant get tight to anyone. Ideally Robertson or kerkez would be pushing their rw back and if narrow really pushing onto the half way for tjst longer rball at a full back.
