You've already pointed out what I was going to respond with; impossible goal difference target. We should have been more than happy with 3-0, especially considering Brod's 1-0 comment beforehand. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. this season as been great, the football as been superb to watch and Brod has earnt the right to make a mistake or two too. Just don't understand why we went all out attack like it was injury time in a cup game and we needed a goal.
Read a piece earlier that basically pointed out Gerrard as DM was out of position on all three goals leaving the CB's exposed (the piece ended with but Gerrard put in a terrific performance lol)...I personally remember him deep in their box at 3-2 and thinking WTF is he doing...not another scapegoat post more a "if your club captain, most decorated player, oldest player and national captain has lost his marbles gungho style as you look on in horror what chance does the manager have of returning discipline to the rest of your relatively inexperienced squad...And that was in both the important games.....
He was out of position but then so were the rest of the team! With hindsight you can almost see the train wreck coming. Their attacks get more an more insipid whilst space opens up for our attackers. Our attackers try and score 'perfect' goals or pass on the shooting responsibility or try and over-elaborate. They get a deflected goal and we fall between 2 stools. Half of the team panic (defence), the other half want to show what big cahoonas they have by scoring more goals. No coordination between the 2. Mixed messages from the touchline with the substitutes brought on. Total confusion leading directly to panic and the inevitable collapse. That's it in one big ugly nutshell. They should all be spanked soundly and sent to bed with no supper.
Lol, that's why I said not a scapegoat post, the whole team was at it but some should no better than others....from BR's statements after the match it wasnt his plan this time around (hé admitted openly he was to blame for Chelsea match). You could say he lost control of the team....but.... Just saying if your most experienced players (in many ways more experienced than your manager in terms of big end of comp matches!) Are playing "I am Spartacus" youve no Hope of restoring order....
Agreed. The only excuse that I can come up with is that when the wheels started to come off, we had an outbreak of mass panic. Even if Gerrard had taken on the Rowdy Yates role the herd would have mowed him down. But all of the BR, the coaches and the players really do have to address why it happened so as to ensure that it doesn't happen again.
i think we have a few players who need to learn when to take a yellow card for the team. fair play bollocks, we get cretins commenting daily on here any way, what dif does it ruddy make if we are top of the fair play league, stop a goal threat!!
It wasn't impossible though, was it? Ridiculously unlikely, yes, but put yourself in their frame of mind. For goal difference to matter we'd have had to make up at least 11 goals. The primary task is to win the game, so at 3-0 up, they think: job done (if only) so lets have a crack at the GD. It's aiming for the moon, but if we'd have got 6 or 7, then who knows? When Palace got their 1st, the warning bells should have chimed gently in their ears, but they carried on. When the 2nd went in, bloody great foghorns should have kicked in, but still they carried on. When Plan A fails we don't have a Plan B as such, we have Plans A2 and A3 and A4. Lots of different ways of trying to score more than the opposition, but no idea how to close out a game. It's something we really need to look at, but I really don't want us to change our philosophy too much. I've said in a previous post where I think we go wrong defensively, but a team that is set-up to attack will always be a bit vulnerable at the back. I think those who expect us to attack like City but defend like Chelsea are probably asking too much, tbh. We've had a great run, where so much has gone right for us, but the real test of BR's credentials is to see what lessons we can learn from the upsets. In particular, we have to learn to play against Chelsea's style, because we'll encounter a lot more of that in the CL. The Palace game was a combination of over-ambition and naivete, a bit more nous should prevent that happening too much. I hope.
Agreed. What worries me that it's not difficult to coach this. Brendan himself told us. And in Lucas, we'd actually have the perfect player to slot into a 4-2-3-1 role alongside SG. It should almost be automatic for all of the players to slot into a counter attack role if BR deploys this formation at anytime during the game.....as soon as it happens, the players should be aware of their responsibilities. So for me, the onus is on BR to use this when it matters. I'm not convinced he ever will though......he has shown no signs of ever wanting to play coy football.....and 95% of the time, i'm happy about that. The other 5% is what separates Champions from also-rans though. Now go lose City and prove me wrong!!!
Your team has been a joy to watch from afar this season and the dignified way your fans on here are coping with the impending second place when the title was your's to lose two matches ago, is why so many fans of other clubs hold Liverpool's fans in such high regard. Enjoy the CL and also hope Villa produce a miracle tonight.
Of course it was impossible. The eleven goals was assuming they'd win their remaining two by a single goal which wasn't going to happen. Tonight has proved that to be the case with them beating Villa 4-0. That results means we would have had to score fourteen assuming they beat West Ham by just one goal! You can call it very difficult if you like. IMO, it was an impossible target and we deserved to drop points for chasing such a ridiculous target.
Read the bit you highlighted- I said at least 11. As it turns out they scored 4 tonight but that wasn't a foregone conclusion and it's easy to be wise after the event. The reason we kept going when we should have shut up shop was because we were tilting at that particular windmill- no matter how hopeless it seemed, or how foolish it turned out to be.
I know you put at least but it was always going to be more than eleven IMO. I realise tonights game wasn't in their thoughts on Monday hence me saying "tonight has proved that to be the case". I guess it comes down to opinion. I don't believe we stood any sort of chance of catching the GD, we should have settled for the win and left Man City feeling under pressure.
Alright lads, let's not get our knickers in a twist! We've had a great season so let's look forward to a royal celebration of everything that made this season good on Sunday.
I agree. I'm just stating what I think was in the team's collective mind at the time. We've displayed this cavalier approach to the game all season. It's taken us further than most of us had dared hope, but it looks like we've finally come unstuck. If we can retain that flair next season but temper it with some defensive steel, then perhaps we can continue to improve.
