The First Half

[Guest Anders Honoré]

I'm a bit surprised to see anyone moaning about our performance in the firts half going forwards. I thought it was a perfect gameplan that lacked only more incisive finishing.

 

ffs, at the half hour mark when txiki had announced they planned to have scored two goals the shot statistic was 10-0 in our favour, and we should have been at least 2-0 up.

 

It reminded me of how I think Houllier always wanted us to play in games like this. Solid at the back and direct football. Only Rafa makes it work so well.

 

I think it was a great first half. Must have been embarassing for barcelona to come there to attack and being run over on the break without having a sniff yourself.

 

Second half was a bit more erratic, but I thought we did well in spells going forward there as well.

Edited March 7, 2007 by Anders Honoré

[honourablegeorge]

Thought we did well first half, but we're still very very generous in possession - we have to start keeping the ball better in these games.

 

Dunno why, but I feel a strange sense of anti-climax. I hate losing, even when it's a win. It's a while since we had back to back home defeats, I'd say.

[Tosh]

January

 

To Arsenal

[Magic8Ball]

I'm a bit surprised to see anyone moaning about our performance in the firts half going forwards. I thought it was a perfect gameplan that lacked only more incisive finishing.

 

ffs, at the half hour mark when txiki had announced they planned to have scored two goals the shot statistic was 10-0 in our favour, and we should have been at least 2-0 up.

 

It reminded me of how I think Houllier always wanted us to play in games like this. Solid at the back and direct football. Only Rafa makes it work so well.

 

I think it was a great first half. Must have been embarassing for barcelona to come there to attack and being run over on the break without having a sniff yourself.

 

Second half was a bit more erratic, but I thought we did well in spells going forward there as well.

I'm going to moan

 

Winning things under Rafa is going to depend on our players taking their chances - they are not doing so

for all Rafa's organizing, tactics etc he's being let down by the team not converting their chances

[Guest Anders Honoré]

we won. ergo, they didn't let us down.

[RP]

"I feel a strange sense of anti-climax"???

 

The words of a man who doesn't understand European football?

[Magic8Ball]

we won. ergo, they didn't let us down.

on the night (Technically) we lost

 

Barcelona, Man Utd - we outplayed the 2 and lost both games .... because we didn't take our chances

[honourablegeorge]

January

 

To Arsenal

 

 

Were they both home games? Or am I thinking of the league away game?

[mercury]

We're tremendous in the 1st half. We over ran them, pure and simple. However in the second when they score, I was begining to feel really nervous but the lads were great. Everyone in Anfield was great: on the pitch, sideline, on the stand - the 12th man came across on the tv so loud and clear.

 

A great tie to remember. Yes, we need to address our fininshing but let's enjoy it now.

[jon_hall]

Were they both home games? Or am I thinking of the league away game?

 

FA & Carling cup at home.

 

Dudek in goal err

[Puskas]

I'm a bit surprised to see anyone moaning about our performance in the firts half going forwards. I thought it was a perfect gameplan that lacked only more incisive finishing.

It's amazing on here this morning. We've just knocked out the reigning European Champions, the team that took Chelsea apart last season, the team that most of the 'expert' pundits we're thinking would beat us by at least 4 goals on aggregate. No-one gave us a cat-in-hell's chance of getting through this tie when the draw was made. Yet we have people on here complaining that 'we lost on the night' or 'we didn't keep possession well enough'.

 

Some people don't know they're born. We're in the last 8 of the Champions League. Just enjoy it.

[Buttles]

It's amazing on here this morning. We've just knocked out the reigning European Champions, the team that took Chelsea apart last season, the team that most of the 'expert' pundits we're thinking would beat us by at least 4 goals on aggregate. No-one gave us a cat-in-hell's chance of getting through this tie when the draw was made. Yet we have people on here complaining that 'we lost on the night' or 'we didn't keep possession well enough'.

 

Some people don't know they're born. We're in the last 8 of the Champions League. Just enjoy it.

Is the correct reply

[ozziecazzie]

i look at it this way...

you have luck sometimes. you do not other times.

we needed a little bit of luck against AC Milan, we haven't had the luck in the last few weeks...but guess what?

No.5 and still in it for No.6...and I'm loving it!

[RP]

Is the correct reply

 

 

Agreed.

[Tones]

It's amazing on here this morning. We've just knocked out the reigning European Champions, the team that took Chelsea apart last season, the team that most of the 'expert' pundits we're thinking would beat us by at least 4 goals on aggregate. No-one gave us a cat-in-hell's chance of getting through this tie when the draw was made. Yet we have people on here complaining that 'we lost on the night' or 'we didn't keep possession well enough'.

 

Some people don't know they're born. We're in the last 8 of the Champions League. Just enjoy it.

 

Well said. We should be still celebrating knocking out the current champions. And we were by far the better team over the two games. Why cant we just enjoy that and leave the moaning to the side.

[psl]

It's amazing on here this morning. We've just knocked out the reigning European Champions, the team that took Chelsea apart last season, the team that most of the 'expert' pundits we're thinking would beat us by at least 4 goals on aggregate. No-one gave us a cat-in-hell's chance of getting through this tie when the draw was made. Yet we have people on here complaining that 'we lost on the night' or 'we didn't keep possession well enough'.

 

Some people don't know they're born. We're in the last 8 of the Champions League. Just enjoy it.

 

Is absolutely right.

[Guest Kev]

Two 1-0 home defeats on the bounce.

 

DON'T SACK BENITEZ

[Guz]

Best 45 minutes of football I've seen under Rafa I think, bar the finishing. We choked them into submission almost. As good as Juve and Arsenal 1st halves in 2004/5

[Guest John Mal]

Thought we were sensational first half, especially considering who we were playing. It's not often I've said that since Rafa has been here.

 

It was always going to be difficult to keep up that level of intensity, and second half our passing became a little sloppy and tentative, which is fair enough.

Edited March 7, 2007 by John Mal

[Bootle Buck]

I honestly think that Barca team is vastly overated and at times we sat too deep. However, I think Rafa felt comfortable playing that way and quite frankly they didn't really trouble us apart from a few occassions. It was a wierd score to defend against because Barca needed two goals regardless of wether we scored or not. I think this gave Rafa the gameplan of attcking in waves. We would be all over them then drop back for a while then go at them again.

 

On a negative note, our final ball and finsishing let us down again. We could have easily buried that game in the first half.

[Cobs]

I honestly think that Barca team is vastly overated

 

 

hard to see anyone else with a better claim to be the top side in Europe.

[Phil236849]

we played as well as this team could play for this sort of tie. and that was bl00dy good

 

there is a valid point about how we will improve with the greater finances we have. to play any better, we need a bigger goal threat than what we can produce at present. talk about finishing is misleading as only crouch should have done better. the riise, sissoko and kuyt shots you can't criticise, but we lack a large goal threat from midfield, and/or a striker who can make us more threatening.

[Bootle Buck]

hard to see anyone else with a better claim to be the top side in Europe.

 

 

To me they have a group of talented attacking players, who tend to shine individually rather than for the team. However, they have a very average defence that is nowhere near the best in Europe. They are a very unbalanced team.

[Phil236849]

I honestly think that Barca team is vastly overated and at times we sat too deep.

 

 

that barca team is fantastic. they have been handicapped by injuries to eto'o and messi and ronaldinho being at less than top form. however, those three at 80% would tear a lot of teams apart.

[Cobs]

To me they have a group of talented attacking players, who tend to shine individually rather than for the team. However, they have a very average defence that is nowhere near the best in Europe. They are a very unbalanced team.

back to back La Liga's and reigning (until 24 hours ago) European Champions

 

 

i ask again - who has a better claim to be the top side in Europe ?