Puskas

Do you ever get deja vu? Didn't you just ask me that? Isn't this the 'just back from the match' thread? It might as well be...

I agree with matty. A lot of positives in there. Starting against the league leaders with three strikers was a pretty positive move, and using two of them wide to force Arsenal's full backs to stay back was excellent tactics. And we finally got our first glimpse of Rafa's favored 4231 formation as well - and I thought it looked good. The major benefit was freeing up Gerrard from defensive duties in the middle of the park. I think with a fully fit squad to choose from we would have won that. It was pretty obvious that Alonso was struggling a bit for form at the beginning - not surprising given the amount of time he's had off. Torres wasn't fit. And with Arbeloa or Aurelio at left back and Agger at centre back our distribution from the back would have been a lot better. I can understand the argument for Benayoun and/or Babel starting in the attacking 3 - I think they would both have come on if not for the injuries to Torres and Alonso. I think the reason why they didn't start was evident from the Besiktas game - where both started and we looked vulnerable in defence down the flanks - not something we could afford from the start against Arsenal. Voronin and Kuyt were there to offer work rate and solidity plus a goal threat. So apart from the injuries plenty to feel positive about. If Alonso is out I'm hoping that we'll see more of Lucas in the middle of the park - he seems the best one-for-one replacement we have.

Sounds like Xabi might have done his metatarsal again

Crouch is out already, warming up

"Yet another irony meter for Mr. Puskas please! The triple-reinforced quadruple-safety-baffled 'indestructible' Mark IV Nexus this time!"

Does what what? I'm aware that English is not your first language, but your comment doesn't appear to be addressing anything I said - or at least not in any grammatically understandable form. I didn't say your opinions were formed by stats, I said they were based on them. We can add 'apparently incapable of reading comprehension' to your apparently never-ending litany of deficiencies. And my opinion that you are a statistically clueless, classless w***** who is apparently incapable of reading comprehension is based on copious evidence vomited by you all over these message boards on multiple threads over the past few months - and strangely enough it's an opinion that I have reached all by myself. The fact that others on here might share that opinion could possibly be statistically significant.

This coming from someone who bases all his classless, nonsense opinions upon the misapplication of irrelevant statistics. I need a new irony meter - mine just exploded.

It's only because the statistically clueless, classless w***** posts s**** on just about every thread. If he f***ed off somewhere else (pretty please?!) then the overall standard of the threads in here would rise dramatically.

I've written an article about the over-analysis of football. Here it is: The Over-Analysis of Football in Modern Sport Writing by Puskas Football is over-analysed these days. Saying any more would be over-analysis. The End.

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This forum is always resoundingly s*** when we lose. Or draw. Or win and our captain is subbed off before the end of the game. In fact the general standard in the Liverpool FC forum is plunging pretty relentlessly downhill so far this season - in my opinion of course.

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He only does that when it suits him - like against Chelsea in the semi last season (forget which leg) where he was fantastic, throwing himself into tackles and defending like a madman. The question is - why doesn't he play like that all the time? Or even close to that level of performance? I much prefer a '7 out of 10 in every game' defender like Finnan to Mr. '5.5 most of the time and 9 when he feels like it twice a season' Riise. He's an OK full back (these days) and an OK left midfielder. He excels at neither (I think he'd make a good wing back in a 352). I say get rid and get in a specialist left winger - we have enough options at left fullback as it is.

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I'd like to see this team: ---------- Reina Finnan Carragher Hyppia Arbeloa --- Lucas Mascherano - Gerrard Benayoun Babel ---------- Torres

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We always miss Xabi when he's not playing. He's the glue that holds our passing game together. It's even worse when Agger also isn't playing. Our best passing display since Alonso got injured was against Reading, when Lucas was on the pitch. I'd give him another run in the next game alongside Mascherano, and stick the bang-out-of-form Gerrard either on the wing or on the bench.

When he's in good form: Hot Cofie When he's in bad form: Cold Cofie If he's in and out of form: Cofie blows hot and cold When he snaps his shin bone a la Djibril: Cofie Break When he's coming back from injury: Time for Cofie If he's got the flu: Coughing Cofie

I thought it was good to see Pennant actually getting in a couple of goal scoring positions for a change - it's appears to be something he's working on.

Wasn't there some game we played where Kaka hardly got a kick until Mascherano was substituted? Both have marked the best player in Europe out of the part of a match they were involved in. It was pretty clear (to me at least) from the first moment that Mascherano took to a pitch in a Liverpool shirt that we had some player on our hands. The work rate, anticipation, positioning, ball winning ability, mobility and stamina are all top notch. His positioning and anticipation are amazing for a 22 year old, and will get even better with more experience. His passing is generally good, although he does still need to work a bit on being more careful in possession. I think he has a tendency to lose concentration against the lesser teams - I've seen him play games against top opposition where he hasn't given the ball away once in 90 minutes - so he's shown he CAN concentrate for the full 90 minutes. He just needs to do it more consistently. Some of the stray passing I also put down to the demands of switching back and forth between the very different systems and pace of play employed by Argentina and Liverpool, which is something else that will improve once he gets used to it. He could also contribute a bit more further up the pitch, I think that will come as well. He'll score a couple this season I reckon. He's a lot more mobile than Didi ever was, which will lead to him surpassing Didi as a defensive midfielder eventually - in my opinion of course.

Injuries permitting, I'd have Kewell ahead of Babel: .......................Reina ......Finnan..Carra..Agger..Aurelio ................Masch....Alonso ........Stevie.....................Kewell ...................Benayoun ......................Torres