please log in to view this image ............................................... please log in to view this image Liverpool................................... vs ...................... Swansea City Sunday 17/02/13 15:00pm K.O. Anfield Referee TBC Welcome Welcome to my the match thread for Liverpool v Swansea. After almost a year off, it seems like a good time to give myself a kick up the arse and start waxing lyrical about the Swans again, and let's be honest, most people are currently running out of superlatives for Michael Laudrup's men. Sunday's match sees ex-Swans boss Brendan Rodgers looking to mastermind his Liverpool side's first win over the Swans in the Premier League. A credible 0-0 draw and a 1-0 home win last season, followed by another 0-0 draw at the Liberty this past winter mean Liverpool are still looking to secure maximum points against the Swans for the first time, and anything other than a victory this weekend will heap more pressure on Brendan Rodgers. A Swans win would leave us four points ahead of Liverpool with 27 matches played, and recent murmurings about Borini & Allen being "terrible business at 27 million" may become more insistent if Swansea's much less expensively assembled squad come away from Anfield with points. The Match Liverpool come into this game in anything but good form. No wins in their last five games, this run includes a 2-0 home reverse against West Brom and that 3-2 loss away at Oldham in the FA Cup fourth round, however it's worth noting that four of their last five games have been played away from home. By the time we kick off at 3pm, Liverpool will be almost a calendar month without a win, so no doubt the pressure is firmly on the home side as they look to gain their first victory since their bi-annual 5-0 win over Norwich. Swansea seemed, as put by some of the players, "back to their best" against QPR, and few could argue with that if they witnessed the thorough dismantling (for the second time this season) of a team who, pre-season, most neutral fans would have had down to easily finish above the Swans. Early season soundbites laden with modesty regarding our "40 point target" have now started to give way to more lofty aspirations, with Laudrup stating once we've hit that landmark he will re-assess and set a new target. Results over the last month have been mixed, but the Swans do seem to have a resurgent sense of confidence about them and are a good shout at some of the odds I've seen kicking around. Analysis Well this game isn't short of talking points, is it? The obvious thing to start with would be the history between Rodgers and the Swans, but that's been done to death by the media so I'm going to skip right past that - save for mentioning that it really is testament to the job Michael Laudrup has done that coming into the game the Swans are above Liverpool in the league table. Liverpool started the season seemingly content to rebuild. All the sounds coming out of Anfield were of consolidation this season, and the acquisition of Rodgers and his subsequent signings seemed to indicate that the Liverpool hierarchy were indeed happy to let Brendan build a team in his mould, which, it was unanimously agreed, couldn't be done without sacrificing what Liverpool would normally consider a "good" league position come the end of May. The season started slowly, and for a while I have to admit that I was worried for Rodgers future, but they do seem to have turned a corner and results have improved, even if they haven't put together a sequence of wins for the entire season. The problem came when results did start to improve, Rodgers seemed to raise the bar and started talking of a top four finish. Considering the start to the season they had, this was, in my opinion, foolhardy and unnecessary. He has the time he needs to build a team - so go about doing it, and don't heap unneeded pressure on yourself. With Liverpool close to, but not quite within touching distance of, European football, a win for the reds would give confidence heading into the climax of the season, however a Swans win could well lead to a red mist descending (no pun intended) and claims that, rebuilding or no rebuilding, the results gained by Rodgers simply aren't good enough given the money he's spent. Swansea, meanwhile, seem to have endured a "blip" where Michu's lack of goals neatly coincides with (or perhaps explains?) a run of poorer results than perhaps some fans expected. Before the QPR game, Swansea had actually failed to score in four of their past five fixtures, so seeing the languid Spaniard's name on the scoresheet on the weekend will no doubt be just as pleasing for Laudrup as the result itself. Huw Jenkins had stated the Swans wouldn't allow Danny Graham to leave until a replacement had been signed, however this didn't end up happening, so the Swans look likely to play out most of their games this season without a "recognised" striker on the field - although how someone who has scored 15 goals (and played the majority of the season as a striker) can still get tagged as someone who doesn't play there is beyond me. In fact, a friend quipped that the sale of Graham was possibly a subtle ploy by Laudrup to force Michu to play up top! While I don't necessarily think that's the case, I like the idea, especially since Michu dropping back into midfield behind Schecter/Graham 6 or 7 games ago seemed to directly coincide with the start of the Swans fruitless spell in front of goal. Thankfully, that now seems over, and I'd say it doesn't matter whether you think you're a striker - if you can score 15 PL goals in 25 games playing for the Swans, you're a top quality striker. As for the game itself - I'm hoping Laudrup goes with a tactic I'm a massive fan of - playing all three "wingers" in a rotating second line of attack. Pablo Hernandez, Wayne Routledge, and an ever-improving Nathan Dyer are all nimble, quick, and have an eye for both a pass and a shot, and on their day will give any defence problems - especially when led by Michu. It worked successfully against QPR, however whether Laudrup will feel confident enough to name a winger in a central role over a traditional central midfielder is difficult to call - there is an argument that this tactic will only ever be effective when the Swans know they will dominate possession - which may not be the case against an increasingly Rodgers-ised Liverpool. Whoever does line up, they'll likely have a sturdy backline opposing them, and will have to be at their tricky best to get past the physicality and "gamesmanship" of Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger, coupled with the pace out wide of Johnson & Enrique. It'll be important for the Swansea widemen to track back, given their counterparts' love of getting forward, especially considering Rodgers likes his fullbacks to bomb on too. In midfield, it's likely we'll see Philippe Coutinho at some point, and moving swiftly on (in case I accidentally end up talking about Stewart Downing) Steven Gerrard can still claim, I believe, to be the only outfield player in midfield or attack to play every minute of every game - and given his advancing years and injury records that effort deserves applause. In the centre for the Swans De Guzman and Ki continue to impress, and with De Guzman gaining his first full Dutch cap in the recent international break it just goes to show the level the Swansea midfield is performing at. Leon Britton missing is a blow, but by no means as big a blow as it was at the beginning of the season, such is the understanding the Swans other two first choice central midfielders have forged. Luis Suarez has, for me, worked his expensively sponsored football boots off this year in an effort to shed his reputation for doing just about everything that people hate. As a footballer, the man is incredible and it's a joy to see him playing with a renewed vigour, and, more important, honesty, as if he hadn't done this he'd have run the risk of ruining his reputation before the world had really seen what he can do. Charged with stopping him will be Ash Williams and one of Garry Monk/Kyle Bartley. I'd lump for Bartley purely for his speed over 10 yards - Suarez's close control and dribbling are second to none, and couple that with Raheem Stirling tricking his way into the box, and Stewart Downing running in a straight line really, really fast, I'd say a younger pair of legs are the order of the day - but it's unlikely we'll know who'll get the nod until just before kickoff. While Liverpool have a squad filled with household names, you get the feeling that, like any other high profile game the Swans play, they go into games focused firmly on playing the game their way. The Swansea Way. Iechyd Da. Scott Prediction Given previous results, I'd say (predictably) that if we can stop Luis Suarez scoring (or ideally getting the ball!) we can get a result here. I fancy a Swans win, but I'm going to call this one 1-1.
Prior Form (Last 5 Games) Europa League Zenit St Petersburg 2-0 Liverpool Premier League Liverpool 0-2 West Brom Premier League Man City 2-2 Liverpool Premier League Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool FA Cup 4th Round Oldham 3-2 Liverpool Premier League Swansea 4-1 QPR Premier League West Ham 1-0 Swansea Premier League Sunderland 0-0 Swansea League Cup S/F Swansea 0-0 Chelsea (agg 2-0) Premier League Swansea 3-1 Stoke Team News Liverpool will be without Martin Kelly, and are sweating on the fitness of Daniel Sturridge, who has been impressive since arriving from Chelsea. Sturridge should be fit after missing the Zenit game through being cup tied, however if he fails to recover in time it may fall on the shoulders of ex-Swan Fabio Borini to partner Luis Suarez if Rodgers decides to play two strikers. Other than that, it seems they have a clean bill of health, and new signing Philippe Coutinho could well make his full debut. Swansea are still without Neil Taylor, however the main cause for concern is who will replace the injured Chico Flores, who had started to forge a defensive partnership of real fortitude with Ashley Williams. Kyle Bartley & Garry Monk will be looking to fill the void left by the hirsute Spaniard, and whoever does feature will have the opportunity to showcase their ability ahead of the Carling Cup Final against Bradford next weekend. Leon Britton is still nursing an ankle injury picked up at his old club West Ham, so it remains to be seen if he'll make the starting XI, or if he'll have to make do with a place on the bench.. Trivia - "Courtesy" of Opta Completely guessed lineups Liverpool Reina Johnson Agger Carragher (C) J. Enrique Stirling Gerrard Coutinho Downing Suarez Sturridge Michu Hernandez Routledge Dyer De Guzman Ki S-Y Davies Williams(C) Bartley Rangel Vorm Swansea City (I apologise for the crudity of the team lineups. I'll develop a flashier method by the cup final, I promise...)
Popped over to the 'pool board earlier on they are drooling imagining Laudrup as their new manager lol!
Well done (yet again quality ) , you've been missed and thats not meant to be disrespectful to other posters who made the effort with their match threads
What an outstanding match thread! One, if not the best, match thread i've seen on here. I think most of us Liverpool fans go into this game slightly nervous. 2 defeats so far this week isn't good (Didn't see the Zenit game so I won't pass comment on the performance) but the West Brom game was incredibly frustrating. Especially after the performances at the Emirates & the Etihad when we felt that we were finally starting to gain some sort of consistency in our performances. That's been our problem for the past few seasons and means it becomes even more difficult to predict. We have a good game and play very well (We seem to play well against Norwich every time we meet them!) and then we have a bad game. (See Aston Villa at home... ) Take West Brom out of the equation (Trying to forget that game!) and our recent home record has been good. Wins over Norwich, Sunderland, Q.P.R & Fulham have seen us score 15 goals and concede 0. That was ruined by the West Brom game but it's improving! One factor is the side you put out with the League Cup final next weekend but I think it'll be a strong side. The likes of Michu, Hernandez & de Guzman are a concern for our defence which has an annoying habit of shooting itself in the foot. All in all, a tight game. Score draw seems likely but I will try to be positive as a Liverpool fan and go for a 2-1 Liverpool win. Hernandez for you and Suarez & Sturridge for us. Here's to a good game! EDIT: Sturridge will be involved. Has recovered from that thigh injury and is fit and available. Coutinho will probably start on the bench as Henderson continues in the midfield. I also suspect that the ex-Swansea players Fabio Borini & Joe Allen will both be on the bench.
great thread scott and i echo that whoever done the threads instead of you done a good job, but you are the master when it comes to match day threads and i hope you continue...this will be a close game with plenty of chances for both sides but i think we have the better defense and will cope well, I see goals because of the way both teams play and im hoping we can continue our good record against liverpool, 2-1 swans...
Posted this on the Liverpool board It'll be interesting team selections for both sides , Does Rogers pick his strongest or rest players for the return game on Thursday , a game that you need to win and to be honest one that is not beyond you with the goal threat that you can call upon. Does Mr Laudrup pick his strongest bearing in mind the Cup final but we have a longer recovery time between games ( and to date I don't believe he's ever he's ever gone into a game thinking we can't win it )so a difficult one to call I'd be happy with a point & I would imagine Liverpool would as well considering the previous weeks results .So its 1-2 to the Swans
Going by Thursdays game, your best tactic would be to let him have the ball Great thread although I will point out that Gerrard is our captain, not Carragher. Nor will we start without Lucas: Reina Johnson - Agger - Carragher - J. Enrique Henderson - Gerrard (C) - Lucas - Downing Suarez Sturridge
I can't imagine Rodgers fielding a weakened side against us after the league cup game. I think he thought he had enough to beat us in that game and had a shock at our new found counter attacking ability. I think it will be 2 strong sides playing out a tight game. Just 4-0 for the Swans Just kidding, 2-1 Swans
Well he won't be standing up straight for long will he, the poor lamb , a gust of wind and he's over ! Yes I said ' poor lamb ' sex is never far away is it?
You said it, not me You don't need to worry about him winning a penalty either, we never score them! It's the free kicks on the edge of the box that could cause damage
Cracking pre match thread as always Scott. I think its gonna be tight with just 1 goal seperating it 2-1 the swans.
Great post Scott. Liverpool need the win more than us and with some of our players almost certainly having an eye on next Sunday's encounter it could be a tough afternoon at Anfield. I think ML will need to get his tactics and motivational talk just right. if he does and Suarez continues with his profligacy then we'll be celebrating. i'm going to be positive and say 2:1 to the mighty jacks, in ML we trust!
