Real piss poor display, can't sugar-coat it I'm afraid. The only players who could leave Anfield last night with their heads held high were Vorm and Wanyama. Credit to Liverpool, they definitely came out for the win and if it weren't for Vorm, it would've been a humiliating defeat, he pulled off some top class saves and it's somewhat of a shame that he's not really going to be rewarded for his performance with any extra game time, his fellow players let him down. Sadly none of our young lads gave their credentials a boost, both Winks and Onomah gave the ball away too many times and neither impacted the game. CCV made a couple of good headers and tackles but in general the partnership with Wimmer was shaky, which I suppose is understandable seeing as it's only their second game together in the space of about two and a half months but there were still some basic errors in their play that should've been avoided, Kev especially was poor and that was his worst appearance in our colours. We were again harshly reminded that Tommy Carroll just isn't at the standard we need and for me he's at an age now where it just doesn't seem like time is on his side to vastly improve, he'll be 25 next year, which is an age in which a player really should be beginning to show some of their best football and yet you'd be easily mistaken to think Carroll was the same age as Winks, CCV & Onomah last night such was his ineffective and seemingly inexperienced style of play. Janssen again worked hard but he's beginning to look very much like Soldado for me, even excluding the whole penalty scenario, he's overworking himself all over the pitch to the point where he's not getting in goal scoring positions, we initially used to say Bobby was getting no service but you can't get service if you're out of position on the wings or 30-40 yards from goal. He needs to just work on being the focal point of the side while Harry is still recovering, I do believe the non-penalty goals will eventually come but he's probably got to ease on the work rate that sees him chasing back in our own half and just focus on the being in the right areas and let his midfielders/ defenders to the chasing down when in the middle of the pitch, if anything take a leaf out of his opposite number's book from last night, Sturridge barely got back to his own half way line but ended up being the match-winner with two goals and could have had another two. GKN's slip seemingly affected him for the whole game, which isn't a good look on his part, when he came on against CSKA a few weeks back, he was direct and just wanted to run at their defence, last night he kept turning his back on the opposition's goal and just played it back or sidewards all the time. The full backs also had a shocking game, especially Davies who was out of position god knows how many times, while Dier unfortunately didn't lead his side well at all, there was an article the other day that Wanyama's arrival and performances may have knocked his confidence a bit, here's hoping he regains it because he's a class act and my favourite player when on form. So yeah... Bit of a ****ter of a night to be honest, the team I wanted to play played but the performance I was hoping for from most was non-existent. Move on I guess, need to be at the races on Saturday against Leicester.
We certainly didn't play well last night but our starting XI cost about £50m whereas Liverpool's was more like £90m. A few years' back the disparity would have been bigger and we would have lost such a match heavily. Hopefully this sort of result is a hiccough on the road to success.
Not sure the cost has any real meaning in this sort of game more relevant imo is how many players are viewed as regular first team players even if off the bench and first team experience on the pitch. We probably had a slight edge on both points having said that i was honestly surprised how poor you were and a bit like our last game we really should have had at least 3 before your pen.
I don't think cost is so relevant but experience certainly is. Your trio of Sturridge, Origi and Wijnaldum driving things forward are vastly more experienced and indeed more talented than our attacking options. But you're quite right - your boys just looked like they wanted it more. I was particularly impressed by that Stewart lad; really composed and reads the game very well. If the second penalty had been given and we'd scored from it, that would've reflected very unfavourably on your level of performance. We didn't deserve anything from the game.
Klopp is pretty effusive about Stewart most times he gets games. I know your squad needs managing more than ours due to your CL commitments but that was a pretty disappointing performance from you. As quite a few posters from what i have seen of Janssen he is hardworking but doesn't seem much of a goal threat. He looks to me like someone who would benefit from having someone partnered with him- just as the partner would from his workrate - however i don't get the impression Poch will play with a front 2 so like Benteke for us he could end up being a square peg in a round hole
I get the feeling, like Soldado, that when Janssen is playing we need to put in more crosses. People will come in and say that crosses aren't the best statistical move but at this point in time the alternative seems to be a 0% success rate. I still don't get going _that_ weak in any competition tbh. We're Spurs, not ****ing Real Madrid, i want to win something! I'd happily take 4th and a Cup over 2nd.
At the beginning of the season we saw quite a bit of Kane and Janssen up top together and even though Kane looked mentally and physically exhausted from Hodgson's Circus, it still seemed to bring the best out of Vincent. I've spent much of the past week lamenting our lack of creativity and cutting edge in the final third. Without Harry's industry up top, we struggle badly to break teams down - as every result apart from City has shown. Lamela and Eriksen have regressed badly this season and Alli still seems to be missing a bit of confidence after the summer Circus. NKoudou and Sissoko are still settling in, which leaves Son who has blown very hot and very cold - he'll go on a run of games in ridiculously good form but follow that up with a 'third wheel' performance. Without Kane, we are miles away from the kind of ingenuity you lot can muster with the two Brazilians and Mane. I would actually like to see Kane operating more as a number 10 behind Janssen, with Alli and Son completing the '3'. I think that front 4 would be formidable and Lamela can be thrown on if we needed extra defensive cover.
cheer up mate you're only 1 pt behind agree you do seem to lack a cutting edge at present but console yourselves with the thought no team looks like the finished article
I'm delighted with the way we've started the season, especially given the fact that we've only had a full strength side for one game so far - the win over Sunderland. The frustration is that if we hadnt had a plague of injuries this term, we'd be clear at the top of the league. You're right - no side is the finished article, but when your most experienced and settled players underperform it is annoying. I have to say, as ****e as Moreno is at defending, he is bloody good going forward!
Would probably still take it. Trophies are glory. Finishing 4th and just competing in the CL isn't very glorious.
He's at least as unbiased as all of the match pundits, to be fair. Redknapp, Sounness and Quinn? They really are taking the piss, now. At least try to show some impartiality, for ****'s sake.
It is if you have prudent and sensible long-term plan that requires vast quantities of money to be achieved. It seems as though we have this debate every time we exit one of the domestic competitions, but in the era where no one team seems to be able to monopolise trophy-winning for any length of time, it really is a case of short term glory versus long term success. I doubt even the fans of Birmingham, Wigan and Portsmouth remember the major trophies won by their club in recent years. They probably have more memories of disastrous sequences of piss poor long term decision making that allowed them to drift into footballing obscurity and, in the case of Pompey, near bankruptcy. Perspective signings also don't make decisions based on joining a 'silverware' club anymore either. Their primary concern is that their suitor be a regular guest to the CL banquet. Footballing prestige has changed, the sands have shifted over time. Partly fueled by the contempt shown to the tournaments by the likes of United and City, but also due to the reality that the game is first and foremost a business, the money is where the punters are, and the punters want to see played between jugggernauts of European football.
The biggest surprise of the night was Spurs being awarded a penalty at Klanfield, though there is no way the referee would have given us that if the Mousers were just one goal ahead, as proved by the way the referee bottled giving us a second penalty at 2-1 behind for one of the clearest fouls you will ever see. The first penalty was soft, granted, but Lamela did have his shins kicked twice and was fouled, even if there was not enough contact to bring him down. That penalty was more clear cut than half the many penalties that we see Pool being gifted throughout a season. I didn`t expect to win and am not too bothered about going out of the limited prestige League Cup, but I thought there was plenty of `Klanfield Refereeing` going on, with countless soft free kicks going the Dippers` way, and the wry smile on Poch`s face on more than one occasion suggested he was thinking the same.
Here's the comments from Poch that got Carragher so arsey I think it was strange that at the end of the game they started to complain. The full-back Arnold should be sent off in the first-half, I have seen the tackle again on Ben Davies. So after that, it was strange when their bench started to complain with our bench. It is the referee’s authority to say if it was a penalty or not. It was strange. They complained about a normal game, but maybe yes, they were lucky to finish with eleven on the pitch. Funny how the Liverpool bench started getting animated about every single referee's decision when we pulled it back to 2-1, isn't it?
