Match Preview: Liverpool v. Bolton, 01.21.11

Pepe
Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique
Gerard, Spearing
Shelvey Maxi
Carroll, Bellamy

So am I supposed to be pulling for Arsenal or Manchester United on Sunday?

Arsenal of course! Lets be optomistic and hope we can still finish ahead of the scum.

Yes.

That is a pretty optimistic lineup. I think Kenny will go with his faves:

                    Reina
    Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique
Henderson Gerrard F***ing Adam Downing
              Bellamy Carroll

Assuming Spearing is hurt, I'd prefer:

                Reina
Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique
     Henderson Shelvey
   Bellamy Gerrard Maxi
               Kuyt

I had a dream last night that Conor Coady and Raheem Sterling were included in the squad.  

Something tells me Bellamy will be rested and Adam Bogdan will have an incredible performance.

Pray to God that'll happen.

stop sniffing the bleach..

Let's give Zat Knight a run for his moneh. keep the 2 at the top. 

------------Reina---------------
Jonno--Skrtel--Agger--Enrique
-------Gerrard--Spearing------
Hendo-------------------Maxi--
---------Bellamy--Carroll-----

Believe me, I want to play 1 up top. But Carroll cannot seem to get simply a half second faster on those offside plays. Hendo will play a brillant one touch through ball, and Carroll is still looking for a bottle opener. Bolton were shaky and confused at the back even with Gary Cahill, so with this being their first game without him, there's going to be space. We've got the personnel to exploit it, but whether or not Carroll can use it is up in the air; he's been hot and cold. Mostly cold. He did well against West Brom in this situation, I'm hoping with Bolton it will be even easier. Bellamy can latch on to these passes with ease, and with Maxi ready to pounce, um, *raawwr*.

Gerrard should be cookin' up some adderall stew tonight. Nobody was willing to do that ancient ritual of defending last week. If he sharpens those studs and can still contribute to the back four dismantling, I think we'll see much improvement from those who are asleep in midfield. Not mentioning any namesCharlie Adam. 

Dalglish had better make a sharp turn down a dark alley and let Downing off the bus to ask for directions. After the police charges thing(even if he's innocent), the lack of balls thing(even if Shelvey has seen them), the 20m asswipe thing(...). I'm not talking about his performances(But I am), I'm just sick of seeing his damn face every time we get a draw. So what if he wasn't actually the problem in those draws, he's just not very nice to look at with a combination of Rory Delap in the same frame. Rory Delap is not just a player for Stoke City by the way. He's every player on every team that frustrates Liverpool to a draw. Damn you Delap and your clones. 

But Charlie was in the media blabla Carroll is sooper professional Maxi is too old yada yada yada we eat crumpets and know nothing about your amigos and essaaay. It'll look like this and the game will end 1-1:

---------------Reina----------------
Jonno---Skrtel--Agger---Enrique-
----------Adam--Gerrard----------
Hendo--------Bellamy----Downing
--------------Carroll---------------

Downing will sky a sitter and do nothing the rest of the match, Charlie Adam will have his one tackle turn out to be a slip on the pitch, Carroll will trip over Charlie Adam who never got up after falling in the 60th minute, and Dalglish will sub off Bellamy for a chicken. It'll have a tag with the number 10 on it. You Never Walk Around The Farm Covered In Bird Fodder Alone. 

lol.  Careful, you might have given the ManUre fans an alternative to the song right there.

Now, I refuse to accept that Bolton will be a draw.  They have been totally useless this season, christ knows were the 5-0 against Stoke came from.  Someone was paid, that's all I can say.

Our threat is from Wash'NGog right? 

This has to be a good win.

Kinda unrelated, but Henry vs Utd is a very nice prospect.  Full respect for the guy, and at his age he looks like he's still got it.  Hopefully some magic has been written into the script tomorrow.

Henry has lost all of his pace (not unexpectedly). For a manager (Wenger) who has always been about the kids I found this a strange signing even if it is only for 2 or 3 months.  That was a nice goal he scored against Leeds but I don't see the Man Utd defenders being too greatly troubled if he makes a cameo for the last 15 minutes.  

Choosing between ManU losing and a chance to climb above Arsenal in the table is tough. Best for us might be a draw in that game.

I'm hoping for United trouncing the Gooners 5-0. After getting outplayed and embarrassed by Fulham and Swansea, the Gooner goobers are very unhappy. A hammering by United could put them in freefall mode. And you know that tightass Frenchman is not going to buy any players in January. He's scheming to cut costs now on the prospect of losing $35 mil getting bounced out of CL next year. Arsenal is our competition for 4th. We need them to lose points, confidence and the support of their fans. They seem close to a meltdown now.

I do want Arsenal to drop points for our own sake.  But it's hard to actually root for a scum win.  I mean, it's the scum versus a completely respectable team.  Any time they lose is a good day.  I'd like nothing better than for the next two decades to be a constant two-horse race between Liverpool and Man City, their two most hated teams, while they look on helplessly as Fergie and Howard Webb retire, and the FA old guard steps down.

Kinda like that magic in the Swansea City script where Henry cursed and yelled at a fan and got away with it, while Suarez did the same thing but silently. OH YA but Henry never cheated to help his team progress in a world cup. 

Now, time for the Irish to chime in. 

I honestly thought, Henry is done after that rant, surely the Fucking Antelopes brigade wouldn't just sit on their hands with so much clear evidence at hand, after banning our man for a game for sticking up his finger...how can you have the guile to be so blatantly biased, I will never know, but I thinking Fucking Antelopes probably explains it all...

I've read that Fox actually has the whole thing on tape and has decided not to air on TV any of the footage. They put the tapes away so that it would not be aired.

Exactly.  You think it's easy to get away with something like that?  It takes pure skill when all those cameras are on you all the time.  Just like being able to say something ten times without anyone ever noticing.  

Magic.

As long as Shelvey starts, great. If not, guillotine the king!

Kenny, please let Maxi go down the wing for me. 

I actually have to be productive today - see y'all on the morrow. 

YNWA.

Well it's not like you could be here and be productive. We don't do that here. 

How is Liverpool vs 19th in the league not a must-win?

But of course, we've been down that road far too many times...

Still, if we can't beat Bolton, we don't deserve 4th.
(and I mean the Stoke City kind of can't-beat-Bolton, not the kind where we dominate them and hit the woodwork ten times and find that Jussi has become superman for the day and saved the rest)

Right, I guess "must-win" and "should win" are different for me. When I was talking "must-win" I was more referring to staying in the race for fourth, which is still arguable, but just not at that point yet. 

But should win, yeah, absolutely.

Ah, grammar and usage and such.  Overrated.  Especially on a football forum where we know points can be made perfectly well without the need for any of it.

I guess even if we lose, we'll still be in the race for fourth.  Even if we lost the next three league games after that you could say we'd still have a chance of catching up.  2-0 down against AC Milan, we shouldn't concede again, but even if we do we're still in it.  I guess if we look at it in that sense...

I'm going with a must win. We could move up to 5th with a win. We need the points against every team and certainly against the 19th place team if we are to have any realistic chance of finishing 4th. Like you said, if we can't beat Bolton, we don't deserve 4th. Arsenal are playing Man U and will be lucky to draw. Newcastle are playing Fulham at Craven Cottage and could lose or draw. We need the confidence of a win and the points.

It's not a must-win because we are 7th now, and if we lose we will be...7th. 

On Wednesday we will have an actual must-win, or must-draw if you like, as close to a final as we have had in years. The result could very well be the difference between getting one trophy this season or zero. That's huge.

But... this isn't the last game of the season, so our league position doesn't count for anything right now.  It's all about points, and if we don't win it's 2 or 3 points dropped.  It's not like those points won't matter come the end of the season because we know they will, very much so.  

Of course if we really do stumble again it won't be the end of the world, we still have everything to fight for.  But seriously, we're a club with actual CL ambitions this season and title ambitions in one or two years.  And we're up against the league's second worst team in general at their ground, where they have one of the worst home records of anyone.  A basic win would be the bare minimum to expect.     

I hear you, it's important to go for three points...anyway just in terms of language, a 'must-win' is when you absolutely need this game, not when there are 51 points available between now and the end of the season and you prefer to get the points today instead of later.

liverpool have always beaten bolton and if kenny doesnt win tomorrow,i think the clock could start ticking a little faster....

clock? which clock?

The one that moves more than a second every second.  But only if we don't win.  

If we do win, and Carroll scores a beautiful header from a Downing cross, the clock will actually start moving backwards.

Bellers    Carroll      Maxi
     Gerrard     Jonjo
            Hendo
Pepe and his Fantastic Four

There so much potential for fluid play, we might need to see if Warrior makes wet-suits. This set-up is not for Carroll. Perhaps its a good idea to just not pay attention to him. It seems that when he's at his best for us. Here, he just needs to hold up play, cause some havoc, and hit the ball really hard with his left foot.

This line-up is for Gerrard. Give him some pieces to move around as he see's fit...shift the shape to put SG in space to bring the groin dong funk. Bellers/Enrique and Maxi/Johnson can and will keep an eye on the wings, and Henderson has the engine/brain to marshal the back, if necessary. You could easily see Jonjo/Maxi rotating to great effect.

Never Going to Happen. But a boy can dream.

not too Xabi at all

              Reina
Johnson Skrtel  Agger  Enrique
               Spearing
   Bellers     Gerrard       Maxi
          Kuyt       Carroll

Lets give Carroll a partner up front and please for the love of Fowler no Downing in the team! With Maxi and Bellamy on the flanks we will actually have wide players who can create chances and score goals! Yes this team is quite attacking but we are playing Bolton! Only shame is that without Suarez we almost have no option but to continue playing Carroll!

that means downing will start, will not pass and go, will not collect any goals but will get oodles of dollars in his paypacket.

This hurts all the more because it's true!

No Downing?

Nah I thought we should start the game with 11 players this week!

Can someone please tell me what happened to the supporter that allegdly racially abused the Oldham player? All gone quiet on that front.

So, so nice to not hear anything about that stuff in the press for a few days. It is going to suck big time when we get the next avalanche of crap dumped on our heads.

Kinda suspect the next update will be before we play the scum.

Released on bail a week and a half ago, I'd guess there'll be more to come soon enough.

Just don't have good feeling bout this match...

Time for you to step up Andy. No seriously, step it up you big man!The goals need you!

Feel like kicking something off...

http://p.twimg.com/AjkGSSaCIAA... 

Come back, Rafa!

is that from Didi's new book? didn't think it was out yet?

I still think Rafa was a legend, despite what some people wrote about him in the gutter British press. He was and still is a great manager.

It would have been interesting to see the type of player Rafa would have bought with FSG's money and support.

I would take him back at LFC, anyone want to bite :)

What say you people, would you give Rafa another shot in the Liverpool hot seat?

Certainly would.  Always wanted to see what Rafa could do with actual support.  Loads of top class players today were first identified by Rafa before he was told he can't pursue them.  Ended up with his 5th, 6th, 7th choices.  And when he did get to spend the money on who he really wanted, they were either very good (Torres, Alonso, Masch), or he'd recoup the cost quickly (Keane).  

Two managers on, we have only a few true world-class players left. Three of them, Reina, Agger and Lucas, still form the spine of our team. Aquilani would possibly be a fourth if he still had the heart to play in England. And Gerrard would be the first to acknowledge the impact Rafa had on him, even though he never agreed with his stoicism. Now, that's the sign of a good manager who leaves a legacy.

But right now, Kenny Dalglish is in the hot seat, and I'm happy with him being there.  If there's one person in the world that can keep Rafa from the Liverpool job, it's Kenny.

oh yeah, and lest not forget Rafa also bought Shelvey!

Of course Rafa's a legend. The problem with hiring him for any club is, which genius do you get...the tactical genius from the first couple seasons at Liverpool who made incredible signings, worked relentlessly, took on the biggest managers and clubs in the world, and was always calm even to the point he refused to smile...or the one of the last couple seasons who lost his nerve, failed to get along with the board, ruined his own team by unsettling his midfield general, lost mind games to Ferguson, schemed too much to his own detriment, and finally quit the club?

Damn.
I had this long and eloquent reply that basically said How dare you cast aspersions on the great man?! "failed to get along with the board?!"

Took me ages to write on my mobile in an area with no signal...

...gone. Like tears in the rain.

Fuckin disqus.

Lol. I actually like Rafa a lot, but like many great men he is not perfect, not by a long shot. The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long...

Rafa was a good manager, no doubt about that. But personally, I think, he was an asshole.

You mean chicken asshole?

Rafa is the egg, cause he was first, no?

One thing's for sure... he would've Bought Spanish instead of Buying British. SUpport our players, support The King, rah rah rah and all that. But I would have loved to see Rafa pick out the finest talent from La Liga rather than what we've actually done, pick out the mediocre from the Premier League.

Ok let's get one thing straight when you do the actual sums of players left and players sold minus the players we bought in, the total outlay by FSG is 31 million pounds or so, now for that amount we have gotten rid of a whole heap of crap and brought in 5 or6 somewhat successful players who are clearly better than the dunces we got rid of, and I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the whole buy British thing is because of the homegrown rules, you need to have a total of 8 either British or young players brought through the academy in your squad. So although it would be nice to go after all the great la liga stars, you wouldn't be able to use all of them in Europe regardless, something which Rafa himself alluded to when he was asked to explain why he went so hard for Barry when he had Alonso in the team.

Btw my sources are the link provided by Justin and the anfield wrap podcast episode 10 featuring the one and only rafa...so if any bits of the statement above are false please hound the sources from where that bit of information came and leave me to kamikaze my way through to the liverpoolkop.com

I concur! Rafa was and is still respected in Spain! Despite his short and ill fated stint at Inter, he is still a quality manager. And I am under no illusion that an array of La Liga quality would have made their way to play at Anfield under the fine ownership of FSG.

At the moment, the 'buy British strategy doesn't seem to be working'. Thats not to say it won't in time... But that is a cool £80 million pounds spent on the likes of Adam, Carrroll, Downing and Henderson. I feel I am not alone in saying that for that amount of money, the players Rafa would have bought in would have been of far more quality. But its all 'if's and buts'.

I will always be behind the team. So please don't throw Shankly quotes at me!

I'll buy that for a dollar tony....or, y'know 35 million GBP...whichever

How about 4-0 with Carroll nodding two in?

Carroll doesn't 'nod', he 'powers'.  
And not 'in', 'out'.

do you really think that is what's going to happen?? ;)

I'm bored, just start Teixeira now. 

Well yeah, but which one?

Thought i'd just share an article I'd read from TIA that would most certainly be helpful to put the goings of this season into perspective and context.

http://forums.thisisanfield.co...

Cheers

hmmm, yeah, well, dunno.......

Be grateful for what you've got doesn't quite do it for me. 

Yes, I understand it, and no I wouldn't rather be where we were, and I guess I've got to do my homework before I go out, and yes I need to tidy my room and I know I said I'd babysit and yes, I said I wouldn't say that in front of you again, and no I didn't say you look fat in that, and loads more just like that.

Surely, but surely when you spend upwards of a £100m you should be in pretty fine shape, not wondering how you're going to break down Stoke or Norwich.

I did pretty quickly think that this team's time was the run in, the last 10 games  just through the process of a team learning to play together especially when not having a system to fit into but having to create the system for themselves while not playing the most effective players.

Kenny did these big wholesale team changes before at Blackburn and it worked well for him, and it took time for the team to come together.  But Carroll is no Shearer.
And giving the newbies lots of game time should bear fruit but boy is it testing watching that development in real time.  

Still can't help but think a few of those bodies should be coming on as subs with the stalwarts leading the line from the kick off.  That way they can come on and after observing what's happening and follow instructions on what to do.

Our ability to score just seems to have melted away.  We're playing a lot of minutes between goals which makes it very tough going.

For this to potentially (can't believe I have to say that) be only the second three points in the last month and a half is very depressing.  I was looking forward to a good December and January in the league against the minors and then hitting the high hurdles of February.

We're only afloat because of the indifferent seasons that Arsenal and Chelski are having, otherwise lets face it, we would be close to Hodgson land as far as the table goes.

You know Abramovich is going to spend, not sure where Arsenal are going to be honest but if Chelski get their act together before us then they'll sail off into the sunset and catching them or Spurs will be nigh on impossible without some pretty smoking signings. 

That's what I'm worried about.  It's not so much what happens this season, it's what COULD happen after this season that is the scary thing if others race off ahead. 

That 4th place is looking pretty critical right now but I'm not seeing the [home] form/goal scoring to get us over the line.

Your post is much more sensible than the one from TIA. It's amazing how unambitious some people are. We invested heavily and need to do better, it's that simple. 

It's pretty clear that we've overspent on the brit-centric recruiting policy and if not for those inflated fees, I highly doubt that we would feel so tensed up or urgent about our place in the table at the moment. 

Obviously, 4th spot is going to be extremely important as to how much further this club can go in terms of attracting the kind of talent and players we want to see and the revenue that can be generated. 

But, assuming that Carroll, Downing and Hendo were gotten for half the price they were, I'd think that we're still looking like that team who's just outside the top 5 trying to nudge our way through. 

The article wasn't so much trying to dismiss that we shouldn't expect to be in top 4, especially not after spending that kind of money. Perhaps, the targeted crowd would be more suitable for those who've been reacting extremely wildly to the most recent results, just for a little bit of perspective.

Then again, I do wholeheartedly agree with you that the importance of 4th place this season is rather critical. Yet, I think that if we actually get into the top 4, we would be pushing above our weight at this time and place and we would've done well to do that. Otherwise, the way the team looks at the moment, lacking that cutting edge, we honestly deserve to be where we're at right now. 

So, here's to hoping that Kenny and Clarke can motivate those boys to over-perform just enough to nick that 4th spot this season, for me at least.

cheers

Holy shit. You've put together a very nice piece of exactly my thoughts on our team and their performance and their supposed achievement. I've never been able to express those as perfectly as you did. Hats off to you, pal.

gives me no pleasure I can assure you.

The article did about the same for me jonny. Yea we have a great defense but we spent the $100 mil to get goals. And.....we're getting almost exactly a goal a game (-OG's) and unable to look dangerous against Stoke at Anfield. Doesn't exactly have me singing in the rain now, does it?

Not sure about those indifferent seasons that our rivals are having.  Arsenal, Newcastle and ourselves are on course for about 65 points.  That's decent European form, but instead we're 5th through 7th.  4th-placed Chelsea is going for closer to 72, which in many seasons would be enough for a genuine title challenge.  Man City are on course for 92, we're talking even better than Arsenal's 'Invincibles'. On that form they should be running away with the title, but even then amazingly they still have to contend with two other teams Utd and Spurs hot on their heels.

What's happened is that we've improved, but so has everyone else at the top.  Despite the doom and gloom that surrounds us, and that surrounded Arsenal at the start, and Chelsea with Torres misfiring, frankly no one's having an indifferent season in terms of points - and that's the problem.

a great read! logic that would put spock in his place, but with the ever-present hope that reins supreme in my heart.  I cried a little.