Breath in and Breath Out

[Guest Ant]

For the past few years now Liverpool have been a sleeping giant, Houllier showed glimpses of our past glories and then blew it away, Benitez however has shown more than Houllier, winning a european cup.

 

Watching today showed we needed something more to make that final push for the prem title, Houllier tried it but thats where he failed, now Benitez surely is in a position to be given a set amount of money to buy proven quality to make that final push.

 

Todays game showed how we can be good for the most part and then completely throw it away the next, up until Crespo's second we were arguably in with a chance, more so at 0-0 perhaps but you get my drift, Benitez now has a team 80% Premiership Champion quality, I do now firmly believe we need a player or two of proven quality, Joaquin perhaps, and a proven finisher, some may argue that should of come in the summer so do I but I think the sqaud rafa assembled deserves a go, which they have done.

 

I believe that in order to win the league we need Joaquin and Owen a proven winger and a proven finisher to make that extra push.

 

This isn't knee jerk its just pointing outsomething with some sort of evidence to support it.

 

But thats not to say this season is over

 

We are still in the FA Cup, We are still in the CL, we are still competing for 2nd and if you asked me at the beginning of the season would I have taken this Now, I would of and Im sure a few others would of as well.

 

Viva la Rafalution

[David Hodgson]

For the past few years now Liverpool have been a sleeping giant, Houllier showed glimpses of our past glories and then blew it away, Benitez however has shown more than Houllier, winning a european cup.

 

Watching today showed we needed something more to make that final push for the prem title, Houllier tried it but thats where he failed, now Benitez surely is in a position to be given a set amount of money to buy proven quality to make that final push.

 

Todays game showed how we can be good for the most part and then completely throw it away the next, up until Crespo's second we were arguably in with a chance, more so at 0-0 perhaps but you get my drift, Benitez now has a team 80% Premiership Champion quality, I do now firmly believe we need a player or two of proven quality, Joaquin perhaps, and a proven finisher, some may argue that should of come in the summer so do I but I think the sqaud rafa assembled deserves a go, which they have done.

 

I believe that in order to win the league we need Joaquin and Owen a proven winger and a proven finisher to make that extra push.

 

This isn't knee jerk its just pointing outsomething with some sort of evidence to support it.

 

But thats not to say this season is over

 

We are still in the FA Cup, We are still in the CL, we are still competing for 2nd and if you asked me at the beginning of the season would I have taken this Now, I would of and Im sure a few others would of as well.

 

Viva la Rafalution

 

 

Perfectly put.

[Athelstan]

Fair point- well made. Still fed up mind

[Clay Davis]

For the past few years now Liverpool have been a sleeping giant, Houllier showed glimpses of our past glories and then blew it away, Benitez however has shown more than Houllier, winning a european cup.

 

Watching today showed we needed something more to make that final push for the prem title, Houllier tried it but thats where he failed, now Benitez surely is in a position to be given a set amount of money to buy proven quality to make that final push.

 

Todays game showed how we can be good for the most part and then completely throw it away the next, up until Crespo's second we were arguably in with a chance, more so at 0-0 perhaps but you get my drift, Benitez now has a team 80% Premiership Champion quality, I do now firmly believe we need a player or two of proven quality, Joaquin perhaps, and a proven finisher, some may argue that should of come in the summer so do I but I think the sqaud rafa assembled deserves a go, which they have done.

 

I believe that in order to win the league we need Joaquin and Owen a proven winger and a proven finisher to make that extra push.

 

This isn't knee jerk its just pointing outsomething with some sort of evidence to support it.

 

But thats not to say this season is over

 

We are still in the FA Cup, We are still in the CL, we are still competing for 2nd and if you asked me at the beginning of the season would I have taken this Now, I would of and Im sure a few others would of as well.

 

Viva la Rafalution

 

agree completely but not about Joaquin. Owen, yes, but Joaquin is far too consistent in a position where we need consistent quality. Unfortunately I can't put a better name forward apart from SWP but theres absolutely no way we're going to sign him i'm not arsed.

[RedHarvest]

Well put. We've improved but are not yet good enough and wont be til Rafa gets two genuine wingers, two goalscoring forwards and a world class left back.

[So Cal Red]

i totally agree w/ you there... a class right-winger (Joaquin or SWP) & a striker...

 

somewhat uncertain of what type of striker as i think we may need an effective 2nd striker, an Aimar-type, who will run @ defenders w/ pace & trickery...

 

but we need a solid finisher as well, although we do have Robbie now (hopefully he brings back his old magic)... we simply aren't taking our chances...

 

also, Kewell should be playing on the left-wing as he's been really effective there this season, while Riise needs to play @ left-back (they were actually forming an amicable partnership down the left-hand side)... Warnock just seems to be getting caught in possession too often... still has some positioning issues to sort out, imo.

Edited February 5, 2006 by The Red Flash

[Whitey]

Well put. I think the fact we have one of the best players in the world who spends many games almost anonymous on the RW because we don't have strength there is a crying shame.

I'd have love to have seen Stevie marauding through the centre today...

 

To be fair though...I thought we bossed the game until their first goal and Chelsea have so much talent, and strength in depth that's a result.

 

We'll still win the CL

[4411]

The main differences between the two sides are set pieces and finishing. We couldn?t capitalize on the 5 or 6 corner kicks we had in the first half, Chelsea only needed 1 to capitalize. Crespo was awesome today, he finished ALL his chances and what a brilliant chip for the 3rd (although it was ruled offside). Crouch, Morientes, and Cissé just aren?t good enough for us.

[Guest KD2OO4]

For the past few years now Liverpool have been a sleeping giant, Houllier showed glimpses of our past glories and then blew it away, Benitez however has shown more than Houllier, winning a european cup.

 

Watching today showed we needed something more to make that final push for the prem title, Houllier tried it but thats where he failed, now Benitez surely is in a position to be given a set amount of money to buy proven quality to make that final push.

 

Todays game showed how we can be good for the most part and then completely throw it away the next, up until Crespo's second we were arguably in with a chance, more so at 0-0 perhaps but you get my drift, Benitez now has a team 80% Premiership Champion quality, I do now firmly believe we need a player or two of proven quality, Joaquin perhaps, and a proven finisher, some may argue that should of come in the summer so do I but I think the sqaud rafa assembled deserves a go, which they have done.

 

I believe that in order to win the league we need Joaquin and Owen a proven winger and a proven finisher to make that extra push.

 

This isn't knee jerk its just pointing outsomething with some sort of evidence to support it.

 

But thats not to say this season is over

 

We are still in the FA Cup, We are still in the CL, we are still competing for 2nd and if you asked me at the beginning of the season would I have taken this Now, I would of and Im sure a few others would of as well.

 

Viva la Rafalution

 

Owen is not the answer........

[Guest FrankH]

agree completely but not about Joaquin. Owen, yes, but Joaquin is far too consistent in a position where we need consistent quality. Unfortunately I can't put a better name forward apart from SWP but theres absolutely no way we're going to sign him i'm not arsed.

 

And Owen is always injured.

[Bailo]

For the past few years now Liverpool have been a sleeping giant, Houllier showed glimpses of our past glories and then blew it away, Benitez however has shown more than Houllier, winning a european cup.

 

Watching today showed we needed something more to make that final push for the prem title, Houllier tried it but thats where he failed, now Benitez surely is in a position to be given a set amount of money to buy proven quality to make that final push.

 

Todays game showed how we can be good for the most part and then completely throw it away the next, up until Crespo's second we were arguably in with a chance, more so at 0-0 perhaps but you get my drift, Benitez now has a team 80% Premiership Champion quality, I do now firmly believe we need a player or two of proven quality, Joaquin perhaps, and a proven finisher, some may argue that should of come in the summer so do I but I think the sqaud rafa assembled deserves a go, which they have done.

 

I believe that in order to win the league we need Joaquin and Owen a proven winger and a proven finisher to make that extra push.

 

This isn't knee jerk its just pointing outsomething with some sort of evidence to support it.

 

But thats not to say this season is over

 

We are still in the FA Cup, We are still in the CL, we are still competing for 2nd and if you asked me at the beginning of the season would I have taken this Now, I would of and Im sure a few others would of as well.

 

Viva la Rafalution

Good post.

 

Thing is, I'm not sure we're going to be able to afford that final push. I can't see us having enough money to ever buy similar quality to them.

[Spion kop]

I still want to fight someone.

[Clay Davis]

another difference between us and them is William Gallas. He's IMO the best defender in the league at fullback or centre back. Has a blinder every time i watch him. f***ing amazing player. Try getting past him, i dare ya. Add to that he isnt a c*** like the rest of them.

[Guest Ant]

Owen is not the answer........

 

You Name me one proven Premiership Striker who is within our price range.

 

Owen is not the answer he is simply a crucial piece in a huge f***in jigsaw

 

Good post.

 

Thing is, I'm not sure we're going to be able to afford that final push. I can't see us having enough money to ever buy similar quality to them.

 

I will give you a clue as to what we need but it will blow this threads meaning out of entire proportion.

 

It begins with I and ends with T

[RedMersey]

We don't need money to beat Chelsea. We just need to stay awake for 90 minutes. If Riise and Warnock hadn't beenout of position the entire game, we wouldn't have lost.

Edited February 5, 2006 by RedMersey

[alias75]

Agree we have to remember that Rafa is only a year and a half into this, we are still very much a work in progress. Defensively we are a lot more solid, you can look at the odd goal from set pieces but that happens to every team as some point. Sometimes individuals make mistakes and they lead to goals but on the whole our goals against record speaks volumes.

 

The obvious areas we need to improve on are going forward we have some quality central midfielders and Kewell hopefully can be the left sided player we need, the lack of a right winger is glaringly obvious, the fact that 3 windows have gone and noone has been brought in is frustrating but it also tells me Rafa is waiting for the right player. We need Stevie freed up for some games.

 

Up front we still dont have a partnership that looks like its going to work, the lack of pace means teams can sit deep knowing we arent going to hurt them by getting in behind, we desperately need a quality centre forward that is a good all round player.

 

Still plenty of work still to do, at the moment we're in a bit of a bad run, but we have to remember these players have played over 40 games already, that was bound to happen at some point in this long season.

 

But definite improvements this year which is all we can ask, we still arent as good as Chelsea and the main difference is the attacking threats they possess that can get something out of nothing, we dont have enough of these players.

[Guest westang]

The main differences between the two sides are set pieces and finishing. We couldn?t capitalize on the 5 or 6 corner kicks we had in the first half, Chelsea only needed 1 to capitalize. Crespo was awesome today, he finished ALL his chances and what a brilliant chip for the 3rd (although it was ruled offside). Crouch, Morientes, and Cissé just aren?t good enough for us.

 

agreed in general but i think we are playing with two different attacking systems which are hard to compare.

 

chelsea relies heavily on individual brilliance upfront -- crespo, cole, robben... these players can create something very dangerous out of nothing. only a few players (one or two, three at most) are involved in their attacking play. they create chances and finish everything off on their own.

 

our system is built on patience and team movements. consider our winning run: we passed the ball around calmly and torn defence with nice movements down the flanks and through the middle. even back then we didn't finish well, that's true. in recent games, we've been creating enough chances to put us in a comfortable position -- this is something the team have been consistently offering but the finishing of our strikers is painstakingly poor at the moment.

 

as for set pieces, the zonal defence system is suffering from a lack of concentration at cruical moments. and i have no idea how rafa is going to sort that out except that i put my trust in him to do the job.

Edited February 5, 2006 by westang

[Guz]

I'm not that dissapointed. I predicted it'd take Rafa atleast 2 seasons to get the squad the way he wants it and we're still on course for that IMO.

[Leroy]

Agree, but what I dont get is why play Crouch as a lone srtiker, when 80% of his play is flick-ons even though he`s the furthest forward. Would rather of seen Mori or Cisse up front if playing one striker.

[Bailo]

I will give you a clue as to what we need but it will blow this threads meaning out of entire proportion.

 

It begins with I and ends with T

I know, but we've been waiting for that for 2 years now. Can't see anyone investing TBH.

[anny road]

I know, but we've been waiting for that for 2 years now. Can't see anyone investing TBH.

 

 

dont be so melodramatic

[Bailo]

dont be so melodramatic

 

Don't think I'm being melodramatic, I'm not wailing about it or calling for Parry to be sacked. I know if we want investment it has to be the right people, I just don't think football is an attractive option and certainly not for the benevolent "supporter" we want, rather than a Glazer type.

 

I think this mythical, Kraft-esque investor would have come out of the woodwork by now if he/she wanted to.

[dorgie]

Positives :

 

- The 2 recent defeats have been on pitches that are more suitable to beach volleyball [ ironically against the 2 clubs widely acclaimed to be the richest in the world ]

- We have to play only teams that are below us in the league from now on

- We are in a far better position then we were last season

- Robbie is getting fit

- We were destined to suffer a couple of downers before the 'up' of knocking ManU out of the cup

- Come Wednesday evening, all will be well again.

Edited February 5, 2006 by dorgie

[DonRafa]

For the past few years now Liverpool have been a sleeping giant, Houllier showed glimpses of our past glories and then blew it away, Benitez however has shown more than Houllier, winning a european cup.

 

Watching today showed we needed something more to make that final push for the prem title, Houllier tried it but thats where he failed, now Benitez surely is in a position to be given a set amount of money to buy proven quality to make that final push.

 

Todays game showed how we can be good for the most part and then completely throw it away the next, up until Crespo's second we were arguably in with a chance, more so at 0-0 perhaps but you get my drift, Benitez now has a team 80% Premiership Champion quality, I do now firmly believe we need a player or two of proven quality, Joaquin perhaps, and a proven finisher, some may argue that should of come in the summer so do I but I think the sqaud rafa assembled deserves a go, which they have done.

 

I believe that in order to win the league we need Joaquin and Owen a proven winger and a proven finisher to make that extra push.

 

This isn't knee jerk its just pointing outsomething with some sort of evidence to support it.

 

But thats not to say this season is over

 

We are still in the FA Cup, We are still in the CL, we are still competing for 2nd and if you asked me at the beginning of the season would I have taken this Now, I would of and Im sure a few others would of as well.

 

Viva la Rafalution

 

That's good Ant, though I'd sooner have SWP or Pennant than Wackeem - he's too inconsistant, too expensive and I'm not sure he'd 'cut it' over here. .....

Definately like to see Owen back though- he does the one thing NONE of are current forwards seem capable of - putting the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis.

 

We need, above all, a PROVEN Premier League goalscorer. Fowler will do well, I think, but he's a stopgap at best.