Predictable result. No goals. Spuds gain on us.
Shit.
Predictable result. No goals. Spuds gain on us.
Shit.
Liverpool are a quality side with strength in depth. We played well first half but once they scored we struggled to create much. It's not all bad, actually think we have played the hardest remaining fixture and still sit in 4th with 4th place in our hands. Definitely would have taken this at start of season
Liverpool are a far superior team. Disappointing again to not really look like getting a result but how we react at Villa will be more telling.
This.Originally Posted by Marc Overmars
They are a few levels above us and it showed in the second half last night. It's frustrating that we can't seem to get anything out of the games against the likes of them and City but we are improving.
Big game up at Villa on Saturday, the pressure is on us now to put to bed these kind of games if we want to finish 4th, it won't be easy either.
Last edited by selassie; 17-03-2022 at 09:58 AM.
They're still clearly a cut above us right now, but the gulf is no longer monstrous - this game was very much won and lost in the margins and quality in key moments. There were a couple of promising moves that just broke down at the last moment yesterday because there wasn't a good option on for the final pass, and we had a couple of great chances that we just couldn't put away because the players they fell to haven't developed that composure and killer instinct that comes with experience yet.
That can change quickly though - just look at the difference in Smith Rowe's output from last year to this year. At some point, these players will have their 'Ah ha!' moment, where they'll do something different in front of goal that suddenly makes it all make sense. Get a striker in who can do everything Lacazette does and also keep up with play and we'll give them a serious fright next year.
It might not feel like it, but we are gradually improving in these games. The panicky, PTSD moments are gone and we no longer go from 1 to 5 down in the blink of an eye. We matched them for about 40 minutes at anfield earlier in the season - yesterday we lasted about 60 minutes before we cracked (and even then we still had a couple of decent chances). It’s gradual, but it’s going the right way.
The fact is they’re just a better, more rounded side than us right now. They already have the exact players they want in every position whereas our best XI is still short a striker and a left 6-8. They have strength in depth where our squad is thin - losing someone like Tomiyasu hurts us, whereas they can casually bring Jota on for Firminio, Diaz on for Salah, etc, and have more options from the bench. They have an average of 3-4 years more experience than us per player.
(Plus it feels like there’s a ‘bogey team’ element at play here - I don’t know whether it’s a fundamental mismatch in styles that disadvantages us, or a just psychological / belief thing that we need to get over, but it always feels like we’re battling an extra… ‘something’ against liverpool?)
We’ll get there, but don’t forget we’re not even 1 year into this rebuild yet - we’ll need at least another couple of good windows and 2-3 years more experience before we’re at their level.
Last edited by I am invisible; 17-03-2022 at 07:41 AM.
Who died and made you Letters? This is the sort of level headed post I'd have made back in the day.
I'm actually annoyed and disappointed about last night. I agree with everything you've said but I've been worn down by years of performances and results like this where we basically play well but get beaten anyway. But yeah, Liverpool are a level or two above us - above pretty much everyone really. Sure they'll have off days but in big games like this you can be pretty sure they'll do the job like we used to back in the day. I do believe we are heading in the right direction but the Villa game is key now. We could afford to lose last night but we don't have much room for error now. All the contenders for top 4 will drop points but we have to get going again at the weekend. If we do then I'll start to believe we have a very good chance of top 4. If we mess that one up then I fear another collapse.
yes am worried about the Villa game, let's hope we pick ourselves up for that.
i am concerned about the thinness of the squad and feel like Arteta coudl have just rotated a bit more here and there, even if just bringing subs on earlier
we were just not quite there in the first half in terms of making the most of some opportunities we had to really test them in front of goal, one or two overplayed or underplayed passes here and there at crucial moments, one from Odegaard to Saka springs to mind in particular when he underplayed it when Saka was in a really good position
got to say Ramsdale should have done better for both goals - also he got a bit obsessed with kicking the ball forward to Saka almost every time, which got a bit predictable
thought Cedric had another very good game overall, while I'll obvs be happy to have Tomi back i think he's doing a really great job
predictably I'll say Xhaka looked patchy and is sticking out more and more like a sore thumb as just being too slow for what we're trying to do - i noticed that Gabreil and others were basically avoiding passing to him in the first half, i think they realised Liverpool woudl be on him straight away to win the ball and also maybe provoke him into another red
other than that Martinelli was superb
I don't think we'll make top 4 but just hope we can somehow stay above Spuds - the fixture list doesn't help - Chelsea Weds evening and the early kick off for Man Ure the following Saturday... no wonder Arteta's annoyed
Last edited by Mac76; 17-03-2022 at 01:52 PM.
About the Villa game and the remaining schedule. If we are good enough we will get the points on board to finish 4th, it’s still in our hands regardless of last night’s outcome.
As others have said there is little margin for error now, this team is going to need to stand up and battle it out for 4th place.
I personally think our run in is tricky…but it is what it is and our record against the teams outside the top 4 is near flawless so the quality and performance level is there for us to do the job.
Our biggest issue is going to be managing the small squad, no way we can expect the same level of performance if we continue to pick the same 11 every game. At some point the likes of Saka, Laca, Martinelli & Odegaard are going to need to be rotated with the likes of ESR, Pepe & Eddie.
The only good thing about the early KO against United is that there is very little travel involved as both games are in London.
We also need to rotate a bit more.
During the War! We used to play 4 games in a week on 5 inches of mud with a ball that weighed a ton!
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