One match too many

I can't help feeling that the loss of our unbeaten run at Bolton yesterday was the accumulation of having played in Japan and then played 4 games in 8 days. The match against Bolton was just 1 too many for us. The fact that Bolton postponed their game in midweek means they had an unfair advantage in that they had a rest where we didn't.

This was a very high tempo match and the fact that we gave away 2 goals from direct mistakes resulting in a mix up betwen keeper and defender is a result of this tiredness. The fact that we came back from behind twice is a testament to the character of the side. Bolton had only conceeded 1 goal at home this season.

The first goal Reina dropped an easy catch, no real harm as Hyppia would have cleared it but for Reina trying to grab it off of his boot. The result the ball squirted up to the head of Jaidi who headed it into the net. The second was no better. Reina and I think Carra going for the same ball along with Diouf the ball again squirted up in the air and went in off Diouf's elbow. a really untidy goal and a direct result of tiredness.

As for Allardyce trying to say that Stevie G deliberatley stood on their player, this is nothing more than a manager trying to get a player banned to gain an advantage in the league. Even his own player involved refused to back his manager and accuse Gerrard. Allardyce ought to be ashamed of himself and should be charged by the FA for bringing the game into disrepute. His own players were far too physical in this contest and he resorts to accusing Gerrard to cover this up. Cheap shot.

I think that a part of our problems is that we have eleven good players but not enough good substitutes! If we compare ourselves to chelsea we can see that they can build two teams with the same level without problem!
So they can play as many games as they want! That's not the same for us...

Comparing our squad to Chelsea is futile unless we have their money.

[Comparing our squad to Chelsea is futile unless we have their money.]

Alors ca, je suis entièrement d'accord avec toi ! Mais je trouve quand-même que Liverpool a pris de plus en plus une belle forme sans que beaucoup d'argent ne soit dépensé. Une équipe jeune, des joueurs avec une excellente mentalité (je suis sûre que Gerrard ne l'a pas fait exprés hier) et puis un grand entraîneur avec un management intelligent.

[think that a part of our problems is that we have eleven good players but not enough good substitutes!]
Pour moi, en attaque c'est OK, il manque un arrière gauche de classe, un arrière central (j'aimerais bien Kompany par ex) et un ailier droit technique et vif.


Si Chelsea n'avait pas tant d'argent, liverpool pourrait dominer le foot europeen pour les 5 années prochaînes (avec le Barça et peut-être Arsenal s'ils règlent leurs problèmes, ils sont jeunes et ont un bon entraineur et ils sont sympas à regarder). Si liverpool avait l'argent (malhonnête?) de Chelsea ou Lyon...[/quote]

laurence wrote:

[Comparing our squad to Chelsea is futile unless we have their money.]

Alors ca, je suis entièrement d'accord avec toi ! Mais je trouve quand-même que Liverpool a pris de plus en plus une belle forme sans que beaucoup d'argent ne soit dépensé. Une équipe jeune, des joueurs avec une excellente mentalité (je suis sûre que Gerrard ne l'a pas fait exprés hier) et puis un grand entraîneur avec un management intelligent.

[think that a part of our problems is that we have eleven good players but not enough good substitutes!]
Pour moi, en attaque c'est OK, il manque un arrière gauche de classe, un arrière central (j'aimerais bien Kompany par ex) et un ailier droit technique et vif.


Si Chelsea n'avait pas tant d'argent, liverpool pourrait dominer le foot europeen pour les 5 années prochaînes (avec le Barça et peut-être Arsenal s'ils règlent leurs problèmes, ils sont jeunes et ont un bon entraineur et ils sont sympas à regarder). Si liverpool avait l'argent (malhonnête?) de Chelsea ou Lyon...

[/quote]
Celui de Lyon n'est pas malhonnete...Enfin je ne crois pas...
J'en profite pour te dire

I thought there was no shame at all in coming back twice against an over physical Bolton side who had a rest midweek. In fact I thought the team showed real character. Last season we were getting muscled out of matches Bolton tried and didn't succeed.

as shankley gates said, 2 goals against a side who had only let in one is good for us, last year we lost 1 nil so in those terms 2 - 2 is a good result but we all know that we need to beat teams like bolton week in week out to be pushing chelsea all the way this year and especialy next year when we should be stronger, fitter and wiser.

all goalkeepers make mistakes, lets hope thats it for pepe this year.

ant

[all goalkeepers make mistakes, lets hope thats it for pepe this year]
and don't forget please he is only 22-year-old ! So young for a goalkeeper with that level and skill ![/quote]

I very much agree with the overall spirit of what is being said, in fact I feel we would have won comfortably had we played in less games over the festive period. As for Reina in particular, I feel he is a signifcantly less error-prone goalkeeper than Dudek, which I honestly feel is one main factor in the difference between the scoresheets that we are seeing. Critical saves which Pepe is making are the same kind of attempts that I would cringe to see Dudek let in. Heroics from Istanbul aside, I am very happy to have our 22 year old prodigy between the Liverpool posts, and I think he will improve in time as well. Whilst Bolton seemed to be reliant in the main on physical play, I felt we really offset that nicely with an intelligent and cultured gameplay,(if a tired one)

Reina has been nothing short of perfect between the posts for us this season and it was very unfortunate for him to make 2 mistakes in one match. We can only hope that it does not effect his confidence.

The difference he has made to the whole defence has been immense. he comes for key balls and immediately takes the pressure of his defence by his courage in doing so.

Carry on Pepe you have earned the right to make a mistake in my opinion.

I am pleased to see that Allardyce's efforts to deflect attention away from just how over physical his team are have been seen for exactly that and neither Momo or Stevie are to be punished.