Logic

Besides Riise is there anyone in Liverpool you think is world class(good)? Oh, and his positioning was spot on. He was anticipating a touch on the ball......

Agreed: http://youtube.com/watch?v=KVnPaYa8rlE

Babel and Kuyt aren't really playing in midfield though. More like wide forwards IMO. Dutch system.

Possible 3-4-3? Skrtel - Hyypia - Carra Gerrard - Masch - Alonso - Aurelio Kuyt - Torres - Babel Or just the same as the last few games but with Carra as rightback?

True.

A team that wins against Inter should beat M'boro. => Play the same team as against Inter (injuries permitting).

4-2-3-1 it seems to me. High pressure, high tempo game.

Reina, Finnan, Aurelio, Carragher, Hyypia, Mascherano, Lucas, Gerrard, Babel, Torres, Kuyt. Subs: Itandje, Riise, Benayoun, Arbeloa, Pennant, Alonso, Crouch. from the offal

Still better than Barnsley IMHO...... We'll put up a good fight. We always do that in Europe.

Good post Ant.

We're doomed......

For all of you defending Rafa: 02 Jan, 2008 Wigan Athletic 1-1 06 Jan, 2008 Luton Town 1-1 12 Jan, 2008 Middlesbrough 1-1 15 Jan, 2008 Luton Town 5-0 21 Jan, 2008 Aston Villa 2-2 26 Jan, 2008 Havant & Waterlooville 5-2 30 Jan, 2008 West Ham 0-1 02 Feb, 2008 Sunderland 3-0 10 Feb, 2008 Chelsea 0-0 16 Feb, 2008 Barnsley 1-2 Is this an acceptable return for this year? We've only won against one premiership side this year and that's the one recently promoted...... Not only have we not won that many matches, we've also played sh¡t for most of the games.

Based on what? You really think he's the only available manager that can make us challenge for 4th place and win a few cups every now and then?

Fixed™ (oh, I know he had a shot at goal....)

Shouldn't that (Cups and league position) be the absolute minimum we require our manager to achieve? If not, what is? Our football this year (and the last few years as well) has been nothing short of dreadful. We get one game every now and then that shows some sort of gameplan and good passing but other than that we simply play some of the worst football in the league. Our plan since Rafa got here has been to bore (sp?) the other team into submission. We put more effort into closing down the opposition than moving into space when we have the ball. We play some odd slow version of direct football. We play in the same tempo as Spanish/Italian teams do but with long balls. Meaning the forward who gets the ball is always isolated. How often do we see a hoof from the back up to Crouch (near the penalty area) who then brings the ball down (near the centre circle) who then passes it back to the other centre back? How often do we see Riise clear the ball into the danger area because he can't use his right foot? How often do we only start to attack the other teams when there's 10 minutes left of the game and we are yet again trying to win?

For those who want Benitez to stay: On what do you base it? Do you base it on the dreadful football we play? Or on all those draws? Or do you base it on a miracle in 2005?

You remember the days when we won? You must be old.........

3-4-3? Pennant, Crouch and Torres up front?

We easily have the players to be a top 4 side. We shouldn't be in the group fighting for a UEFA cup place. Or do you believe we have a squad similar in strength to the teams we are now fighting with? How many players would you take from ManCity, AV, Everton, Blackburn or Portsmouth? How many players from us would they take? We simply shouldn't be in the place we now are in the league. Not with the players we have.

Rotation in itself isn't a problem. It's how we rotate. Sometimes it seems like Rafa has decided before the season starts who will play what games. And from there it doesn't matter if a player is playing well (Crouch at times) or bad (Kuyt lately). There's no incentive to actually raise your game that extra 1-5% because you know that no matter how you play you will get your 25-30 games a season if you are a squad player. That combined with having no set way of playing causes our team to play like strangers. People have been saying that Rafa is a great tactical manager and I'd sort of agree with that. He has a plan B, C, D, E and so forth. But to me it seems like he hasn't got any real plan A if you know what I mean. So IMO plan B-Z combined with a rotation system not based on performance but rather a predetermined match load will cause us problems.

Lippi would be one possibility.

Can't say I disagree with that anymore.......

Rafa isn't exactly making a great case against that, is he?

It's just same old same old right now. We are playing terribly... Torres isolated..... we can't pass..... Something needs to change and that soon.

"1614: GOAL Sheffield United 1-0 Man City In all my days, never have I have been proven so right about balloons. Lee Martin escapes down the left and crosses into the box where Man City defender Michael Ball gets all mixed up with the white and blue balloons on the pitch and steps over the ball to allow Luton Shelton to tap in at the far post. Ball really was "one step out of time" there. That's a Eurovision gag." From BBC