***Swansea Vs Liverpool Match Thread***

Still top of the table.

Still haven't lost.

Still not playing our strongest team.

Still getting new signings settled.

Still more to come across the pitch.

Shelvey needs to be on suicide watch.

 

Remind me who City lost too? And who they drew with? Who did arsenal lose to who we beat?

Way to harsh. We need to get better but nobody wins every game, expecially this year.

 

Could be a pretty simplistic view, but Swansea were at home, we were away. Mourinho said he was happy with a draw at OT, not because it meant he had 1 point, but because it meant United dropped 2 at home. I know it's not exactly the same as Swansea probably won't be our main challenges for position, but still sort of applies. Most teams will take a point away at Swansea and then hope to beat them at home. That would be 4 points from the 2 games and do that from every set of fixtures and you'll get 4th.

If you don't think you can win the game, you make sure you don't lose it

 

You too mate good game!

 

I disagree. Let the player go and keep your shape, the midfielders should pick up a player dropping deeper rather than a CB being dragged out of position. Dragging players out of position is how you create space and score goals.

 

By the way, won't be popular, but Wisdom isn't ready, he doesn't know positionally whether he's a CB or RB and that's while playing either position so ends up in no mans land more often than not. As RB he pulls in too often as CB he stand out too forward & too wide.

If it could Have happened a loan would have been better. RB is still a big issue IMO.

Midfield 2nd half has no calm to it. No one there to say, whoa boys, get it pass it around. Instead we had in the centre:

1:I'm good at tackling

2: I'm good at pinging it, used to be good at driving it

3: I'm good at chasing it (several players same result)

Wide, I can run and score......

Need some calm.



Is that what we bought Allen for?

 

Yeah, considering our back 4 was completely untested and new. I'm not surprised we looked weak at times.

 

Too early, the lad needs time. Lucas, Kuyt, Henderson all looked poor at first but became quality players for us.

Poor comparison, they are different players with very different structures. I don't like to see a player pull out and Aspas came with a 'naughty boy' reputation so it is disappointing to she him bottle a header but he needs time.

#positives

 

That's always a tricky one though because if the forward drops deep, he could drop into the space between CB and CM, therefor the midfield don't pick him up, CB don't pick him up and he has space to receive the ball and turn. It's those pockets of space that can cause problems.

I'm not disagreeing, but think it's one of hardest things for a CB knowing when to leave your man and let him drop deep, or follow him and not allow him to receive the ball.

In theory, if everyone is marking it man, doesn't matter if one leaves a gap, because if someone else runs into it, he should be marked.

 

Shelvey was due a stormer, former players always have a point to prove. I still think he's ****e and lucky to last 90 mins. Aspas and sterling both gave the ball away easily. Moses had a good game. I actually think sakho and skrtel both played well. Ok we conceded 2, but they played well as did mignolet. Can't wait to have Suarez back, I just hope he wants to play for the shirt and not go thru the motions

 

Look at the positives:

In the past we would have lost
One more game of suarez's ban gone
Henderson still improving
Good first half from Moses and well taken goal
Still top of the league
Still unbeaten
Sakho looked good for the most part
Skrtel made one of the great tackles
Sturridge 4 in 4


Negatives
Sakho looked dodgy at times
Wisdom looks to be suffering 2nd season syndrome
Another poor second half
Wasteful in possession

 

I think you have to trust your reactions, instincts and, above all else, your keeper. Keeping shape is much more important than man marking IMO. If the attacking drops inbetween and gets the ball, he either shoots from distance early (trust the keeper) or takes a touch or two before shooting / passing (reactions / instincts).

As I said above, the opposition want the defenders to track the man because it creates space for others to exploit, this is something that Studge and Luis do extremely well (False 9 anyone?).

PS...footballing opinions is why we love the game


Edit: in answer to man marking; someone always has space or someone always fails to track at some point. It is impossible to man mark 100% for ninety minutes.

 

Like i said, i'm very happy with a point away Swans. But it's just fashion of it. We were shocking in the 2nd half, Swansea was dominating for long spells. I don't remember City nor Arsenal at any stage being dominated as such in their games, run of play, leaked in goals, but it's not really my concern now is it.

Don't mistake me for a bitter sod now, just very concerned as to why we don't showup in the 2nd half and also how we allowed Swansea to utterly dominate play. Ours players were way too shaky and couldn't put together a couple of passes.

I really hope BR sorts this out, turns out to be a bit of a trend now

 

Graeme Swann ‏@Swannyg66 4m
Is there a subtitle option for Jamie Carragher on Sky?

 

Yeah fair one mate.

Lets see how we get on against Southampton!

 

This. No way he should've chased his man that far out of position, left Skrtel to cover both Shelvey and Michu. As it was our midfield was already deep so not tracking him wouldn't have created that much space, and even leaving his man completely unmarked would've been less threatening than the option he chose which was the two on one.

He also tried to dribble out from centre back a few times and got caught, and was beaten far too easily on numerous occasions not just for the goal.

 

True, and I guess it depends who the forward is. If it's Coutinho, I'd want my man to follow and get tight, knowing he has the ability to pick a pass and do something special on the edge. If it's Bony then I guess you say, he's only going to shoot or play it backwards as he's not that type of player so as you say you trust your keeper and keep your shape.

I do think that one Lucas of probably more so Gerrard in that clip should have tracked Shelvey's run. Space or no space, if someone had followed his run then Skrtel could have kept position and would have cut out the flick from Shelvey.

And same here, everyone looks at football in different ways and no right or wrong answer at time (apart from this case where I'm right and you're wrong )

 

Anyone else notice how Swansea's dominance coincided with Coutinho's withdrawal...?

 

Does anyone think Ashley Williams should have been sent off? It was a really bad tackle on courthino..should it have been red?

 

They certainly took over after that, and Sturridge was clearly exhausted after about an hour.