Kewell Coming Off / Garcia Staying On

[Leo No.8]

What was all that about?

 

Unless someone can tell me Kewell was injured, that would have to go down as one of the strangest substitutions of all time.

 

Garcia started well, but as the game went on got worse and worse. He gave the ball away countless times in the second half, and created very little, wheras at least Kewell was stretching them by sticking to the touchline and having a run with it.

 

Don't know what was going through Rafa's head there...

[Bailo]

Thought maybe Harry just hit a wall, played a lot of games in a row recently.

 

Garcia f***ing hid the entire 2nd half, very disappointed.

[CaptainXabi]

Garcia scores goals out of the blue independent of how the rest of his game is on the night. That's why he gets to stay on even when he's playing poorly.

[Guest JV]

That confused me aswell, much like Morro normally staying on and crouch going off.

[Eskimo]

Harry didn't really get into the game in my opinion saying that the lack of decent service didn't help either...

[IgPig]

They were both poor so don't think it made much difference.

[Ripley]

Thought maybe Harry just hit a wall, played a lot of games in a row recently.

 

Garcia f***ing hid the entire 2nd half, very disappointed.

However well or badly he is playing, Garcia doesn't know how to hide.

[monkey puzzle]

Must say that in my opinion and I do have hindsight, I believe it was one of the times were Rafa got it horribly wrong last night.

 

Didi is the master of Euro games and with a defence short of Hyypia surely Hamann should of played to protect Djimi - everytime Benfica got the ball Gerrard and Alonso were on the edge of the opposition box and Djimi was horribly exposed.

 

Garcia/Kewell was a puzzler as well as playing Moro from the start. The Cisse right wing experiment is definitely not working and never will.

 

In saying that, they are all paid a lot of money to put in a performance each week and I think a few of them are currently letting Rafa down.

[Bailo]

However well or badly he is playing, Garcia doesn't know how to hide.

?

 

I barely remember him doing anything after the first 20 minutes. Sure he got in the way of Stevie a few times, other than that, what else did he do? He wasn't alone in that, mind.

[Barnesy_10]

Harry was as into the game as Stevie was

I remember him running into the box early 1st half with a clear run at goal and Morientes could have threaded the ball to him for a one on one and he decided to do a lame shot..... I couldn't believe it when I saw it.. Harry was fuming.. he looked good to me, and was by far one of our more arsed players... Garcia has had his chances as ar as I am concerned.... I wouldn't mind seeing him leave... goals against Juventus and Bayer, yeah, very much appreciated but for gods sake... nothing of note this season.... thats alot of games..

[Ripley]

Must say that in my opinion and I do have hindsight, I believe it was one of the times were Rafa got it horribly wrong last night.

 

Didi is the master of Euro games and with a defence short of Hyypia surely Hamann should of played to protect Djimi - everytime Benfica got the ball Gerrard and Alonso were on the edge of the opposition box and Djimi was horribly exposed.

Totally agree with that part. I'd advocated Hamann playing in any event but with 2 regulars out of the back, it seemed essential.

 

The most important aspect of the match last night was not to go at them hell for leather but not to concede under any circumstances and Didi is a bit more insurance there.

 

As long as we kept a clean sheet there was 90 minutes to score one goal.

[Leo No.8]

Must say that in my opinion and I do have hindsight, I believe it was one of the times were Rafa got it horribly wrong last night.

 

Didi is the master of Euro games and with a defence short of Hyypia surely Hamann should of played to protect Djimi - everytime Benfica got the ball Gerrard and Alonso were on the edge of the opposition box and Djimi was horribly exposed.

 

Garcia/Kewell was a puzzler as well as playing Moro from the start. The Cisse right wing experiment is definitely not working and never will.

 

In saying that, they are all paid a lot of money to put in a performance each week and I think a few of them are currently letting Rafa down.

 

I agree - thought Rafa got things horribly wrong last night.

 

I would have played Hamann from the start myself, as much as anything just because we look so much better when he plays at the moment. I'd have had Gerrard on the right personally and it isn't hindsight I said it before the game.

 

I didn't think we went for it early enough either. I would have gone to 3 at the back at the very latest on the hour, but I wanted it to happen at half time.

 

How Morientes stayed on as long as he did I'll never know either.

 

There you go - Rafa's a genius and already a legend at this club, but even the greatest have off-days and I thought last night was one of them...

[Raj]

I agree - thought Rafa got things horribly wrong last night.

 

I would have played Hamann from the start myself, as much as anything just because we look so much better when he plays at the moment. I'd have had Gerrard on the right personally and it isn't hindsight I said it before the game.

 

I didn't think we went for it early enough either. I would have gone to 3 at the back at the very latest on the hour, but I wanted it to happen at half time.

 

How Morientes stayed on as long as he did I'll never know either.

 

There you go - Rafa's a genius and already a legend at this club, but even the greatest have off-days and I thought last night was one of them...

 

hindsight is a wonderful thing, and although i dont disagree with any of your points, if we had taken either of Garcia's or Crouch's chances the game would have turned out differently. We would have been 1-0 up with over 60 mins to play. This was the key, not the non-selection of hamman or anyone else.

[Dule]

I disagree that Kewell was playing poor. I dont understand why we didnt use him tonight at all ffs.

 

The ball kept going to Garcia, and he just kept on f***en losing it. So NO i dont think Harry should be criticised for tonights performance.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Thought maybe Harry just hit a wall, played a lot of games in a row recently.

 

Garcia f***ing hid the entire 2nd half, very disappointed.

what the f*** has happened to him?

[evilwoody4]

hindsight is a wonderful thing, and although i dont disagree with any of your points, if we had taken either of Garcia's or Crouch's chances the game would have turned out differently. We would have been 1-0 up with over 60 mins to play. This was the key, not the non-selection of hamman or anyone else.

 

That's very true. We could easily have played Didi from the start, still lost the game and everybody would have been saying, "Surely he should have played Alonso in a game like this that we needed to win!"

[madaboutlfc]

i thought kewell played ok.. Garcia was aweful.. he gives the ball away too much.. maybe kewell got a knock..

[Barnesy_10]

fantastic rendition of the 'Harry, Harry Kewell' song at the start....

[Ombudsam]

Didi is the master of Euro games and with a defence short of Hyypia surely Hamann should of played to protect Djimi - everytime Benfica got the ball Gerrard and Alonso were on the edge of the opposition box and Djimi was horribly exposed.

 

 

Totally agree with that part. I'd advocated Hamann playing in any event but with 2 regulars out of the back, it seemed essential.

 

 

I would have played Hamann from the start myself, as much as anything just because we look so much better when he plays at the moment. I'd have had Gerrard on the right personally and it isn't hindsight I said it before the game.

 

I don't get it. We built up such a momentum in that first half that should have had us three up if any of them had any goalscoring ability. We couldn't have done that without gerrard in the center. It wasn't the tactics it was the players not scoring.

 

I know a few have attempted to make light of the fact we don't score a lot and our strikers are woeful at it but it really is important they do so otherwise last night happens. Stick players who can score out there and we 3-0 up in the first 30. Rafa didn't balls up those who were meant to finish cost him

[Ombudsam]

The only thing rafa didn't get right last night was not bringing off Mori earlier. That was the only thing. Everyrhing else was spot on

[Chili Palmer]

The only thing rafa didn't get right last night was not bringing off Mori earlier. That was the only thing. Everyrhing else was spot on

 

If Tactics were right, selection was right, 2 out of 3 subs were right, why did we lose?

 

It is not always the managers fault and players need to deliver but imo he did not get everything spot on last night.

[Ombudsam]

If Tactics were right, selection was right, 2 out of 3 subs were right, why did we lose?

 

It is not always the managers fault and players need to deliver but imo he did not get everything spot on last night.

 

we lost because we bought the wrong striker/s. he couldn't have set a team out to do anymore

[Ripley]

To repeat. Equal priority had to be given to keeping a clean sheet. We then had 90 minutes to score just one.

 

Didi would be an essential element in that strategy especially given the two absentees in defence

[Earl Hafler]

I agree totally with this. Be honest, most of us would have had Stevie in the centre last night with Momo injured. Putting Hamman in there to "protect" Djimi? Come on! we had to score twice! Didi is a great player but driving forward is not one of his strengths. The chances created, especially the Crouch one were BECAUSE Steve was driving forward.

 

Crouch and Morientes especially need to raise their game. NOW. Robbie is barely having a chance created for him at the moment, and Cisse I feel sorry for. He MUST really be given a chance up front - he can't be worse that Moro, who is dreadfully off the pace.

 

We need a BIG result on Sunday and in the Derby.

 

I thought we played well early on. Had quite a few chances to score but couldn't put any of them away. With both Garcia and Kewell pushing and Gerrard breaking forward it left Xabi a bit vulnerable but he coped well enough.

The fact that we didn't score a goal from all those chances put more pressure on us and Gerrard lost some of his discipline. Before they scored, they had a shot on target because Gerrard went walkabout - He decided to go and stand next to Xabi on the right side of the pitch, they came inside and shot.

Starting with Didi would have allowed Gerrard more freedom and also helped Traore - Didi played most of the game against City where we had a new centre back partnership and that worked well enough.

The lead up to the goal was comical and had Didi been playing i think he would have been on top of Simao when he shot. My advice to Traore is not to go anywhere near a sex shop as they way he bought the dummy from Simao was scandalous.

 

After the first 30 mins or so we lost our shape and they grew in confidence from our lack of finishing. It's been the same story in a efw games this season

 

The only thing rafa didn't get right last night was not bringing off Mori earlier. That was the only thing. Everyrhing else was spot on

 

What about playing Cisse wide right, was that spot on ?

Cisse and Didi started on Saturday and played well enough but were benched for the next game.

 

Rafa has stook by certain players when maybe he should have given others a chance and i think that's where he's at fault.

 

Brilliant manager but even the greatest make mistakes.

[Ombudsam]

What about playing Cisse wide right, was that spot on ?

Cisse and Didi started on Saturday and played well enough but were benched for the next game.

 

Rafa has stook by certain players when maybe he should have given others a chance and i think that's where he's at fault.

 

Brilliant manager but even the greatest make mistakes.

 

haha you are wrong