beejay

Could we try zonal attacking at set pieces? We are so efin useless yet we have several dead ball specialists - Aurelio, Pennant, Alonso, Gerrard - and enough height to get there first.

We just don't get enough bodies forward. Not sure whether it's tactics or fitness but we don't commit many players in advanced positions unless we are chasing the game. I was hoping this would change with the introduction of pennant & gonzalez but not so far. Momo and Xabi (or Bolo) from centre midfield are rarely to be seen arriving late in the box to drill home - last time I remember that was in injury time away to villa last year (Alonso). Lack of goals ultimately cost us last year and although we have better strikers now and more options out wide, we are still struggling to create enough chances. For the moment, I'm hoping it's just a case of bedding new players in - we have looked like a team of strangers at times - and a consistent, free-flowing style will emerge. Starting at chelsea on sunday. This is not a rant or a moan BTW, just an observation.

Sami was rested and will be back for the physical battle against drogba. I would play Agger at left back v chavs. He is a far better defender than Warnock and more comfortable in possession plus his height alongside Hyypia will help combat their biggest danger - set pieces.

we are not getting any breaks at the moment. How stevie's shot stayed out was unbelievable. They were well happy to play for a draw late on.

I still can't see any pattern in the side. Maybe that's because rafa likes to have his possibilities and we are able to play several different systems but to my simple mind, some of our starting line-ups are unbalanced and I can't figure out what our game plan is. Last season was different - we knew how the team would be set up and 2 or 3 changes in selection didn't alter the formation. I was so sure that we would adapt this season by introducing pace and width but so far it just hasn't happened. That dosen't excuse the stupid individual errors or the fact we are being bullied again. As Huyton says, we have to earn the right to play our football and the players need to stand up... and fast.

What like the zero tolerance twot we had last year that sent Gerrard off..... We always seem to get them in these debys, somebody who either spoils the game by being too harsh on every call and books half a dozen players within 20 minutes of the game. Or we get these airy fairy types who let things go "because its a passionate derby". Why can they just referee with a bit of common sense.... a player gets assaulted- its a foul, maybe a booking and its certainly not play on. For one thing, I hate Poll refereeing us, or for that matter any big games in the premiership because he either misses too much or make ridiculous decisions.

We haven't got into any rhythm yet and making too many changes doesn't help. That said it's stupid individual errors that are costing us at the moment and many of our best and most consistent players are mainly responsible. Major b******ing required by rafa - the team needs to go into these games with the right mentality and at the moment we are so half-arsed it's untrue.

Rafa will still bag alves either now, in January or next year. Lucas neil for a cheap price given his contract status would be designed as a stop gap with a view to a re-sale at a higher price in the summer IMO.

As always, it's imperative we have a good start and it's a very tough fixture list. We were pretty awesome results wise over long periods last season (remember the threads about our results v previous season?) and it will be difficult to match that even though the squad was nowhere near as good as now. But we had a poor start (made worse by having so many games in hand cos of the champions league qualifying rounds) meaning that we always had to play catch-up. We are at that dangerous stage where we all know we are good enough to win a league title again but it has been so long since our last one that the supporters, the players and the club as a whole don't quite believe it ourselves. Luckily for us, Rafa hasn't got the monkey on his back because he has won la liga and the epic champions league & fa cup journeys have given him the time and nous in the dressing room to do things his way - and he is not a panic merchant when we hit a set back on the way.

Dont want this becoming an arsenal or any other club thread but whats counting arsenal out is that they're not a very big side any more, when veira was playing for them they had physical presence and speed, since he left, the lower end of the table teams just hustle and hack them in the knowledge that they'll back down because they dont have that physical edge. I dont see that happening when we have players like Gerrard, Sissoko, Sami, Carra, Alonso, Crouch, Kuyt... the list goes on. Same for Chelsea all over the park they are a big side and in Manures case slightly the same. As much as I am pleased that we are now a very good footballing and pressuring team, one thing that fills me with pride about the current set up is that they are not easily bullied or out worked during games, even when we are playing poorly and that is the mark of a championship winning side, the other mark is being clinical and thats something we need to and with the additions to the squad WILL improve on this season, hopefully enough so that the long wait for the title is over come the end of the season.

Dont know the first choice but it depends who we're playing..... for example Bolton, hustle and bustle side lke to play physical..... Kuyt and Crouch...... Against good footballing sides...... Bellamy or Fowler with Couch.... against lower table sides ...... Fowler and Kuyt. But you cant really say it depends on form, fitness and availability and now with Rafa formation!! Its difficult to guess or say which two will be our first choise because two might strike up a good partnership, however with our rotation system I think it might be difficult for this to happen, not a moan but it may be difficult to see continuity between our front pairing when they are switched and swapped every other game. I'd prefer to have options (or possibilities) than go with people who are untried in positions though.

We are still very predictable in our approach play and with an Alonso-Sissoko central midfield we play too deep. Time and again last night, we put decent crosses into the box (it's been a very, very long time since that happened so consistently) but we were either too slow in manoevring the position to cross or didn't have enough bodies in the box. We are too easy to defend against at the moment and are not creating enough chances to win games comfortably. But we are starting to look potent on the wings with pennant and gonzalez whipping in some great balls.

Individually, our midfield is very strong but I'm not convinced we have found a balance yet.

He's having a medical now - sky quoting his agent, Willie McKay.

Quite a list of departures this summer, either gone or strongly linked to go : Morientes Cisse Hamman Kirkland Barragan Cheyrou Traore Le Tallec Pongolle Dudek Diao (if anyone will take him) Includes 5 senior squad members from last year, all likely to be on much higher wages than their replacements. If we get Kuyt, it will be an excellent summer's work. Most of us would have been happy to see that list posted at the end of last season, with the possible exception of didi hamman.

LOL i thought it was bruno cheyrou hahaha

It may be fun to debate the point but in reality you can't seperate one department from the rest of the team. For example, would our back 4 be the best in the business without a class keeper like reina or support from Sissoko/Gerrard/Alonso etc? For me, we still don't retain possession of the ball in all areas of the pitch as well as all 3 of our main rivals. Rafa seems to be looking to improve this with incoming players such as Aurelio, Agger, Pennant, Bellamy who are all more comfortable in possession but we are not quite there yet. As fred milne says, Alonso is the one player with the composure to make us tick and if he's not there we become more direct which, against the best teams, makes us easier to defend against.

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The Count, beejay is wondering why you are not refering to yourself in the third person, beejay is slightly dissapointed

Reckon you're an old style real ale freak - 5 halfs of scruttocks old dirigible and you're in piggy heaven

I'm with you - several magners followed by coors - must be nearing double figures by now.

Exactly - I am far more interested in the quality of player we are bringing in and where rafa intends fitting them into the team. Transfer budget threads suck Formation threads rule OK

Reds to snap up Greek ace By Fotis Voinikas - Created on 26 Jul 2006 Liverpool trialist Lazaros Christodoulopoulos is set to sign a three-year contract, according to Greek sources. We revealed on Monday that Christodoulopoulos was on trial at Anfield, but he has obviously wasted little time in impressing. Greek reports now claim that Christodoupoulos has agreed a three-year contract with The Reds and he has already passed a medical. Christodoupoulos was spotted by Liverpool's new chief scout Eduardo Macia playing for PAOK Salonika and coach Rafa Benitez has obviously been sufficiently impressed by the 20-year-old. Christodoupoulos has a get-out clause of just over £130,000 so Liverpool have no doubt decided that the risk in taking on the young striker for such a nominal fee is not a big one.

Still think that Alves will join as well as Pennant - possibly now, probably january or maybe next season.