itt liverpool not winning things; sandbox i love football

Based on what I saw last week you'll make chances, but unless they fall to rvp that may not get you anywhere. However I wouldn't be surprised if City rip you several new ones at the other end.

rvp em a new one

Song's no centre half either*

*i don't believe in allowing a stricken opponent recovery space

Spurs were in better shape last sat mornin tbh

I dunno. I really like 4/5 of our backline. Arteta and Ramsey should keep a marauding fullback and Barrylol in check. Song is a match for Yaya but also might pin him further up the field. Merte is shit but in the same way EBJT is, so as long as Djourou doesn't keep cocking up or is put at RB, I think we could keep Aguero quiet-ish. Also I think Stoke are gonna be the biggest influence on the football of the next 10 years with this four centre halves thing, even if managers won't admit it - so Verm (a LB at Ajax) and Koscielny (a sometimes RB at Lorient) should be ok with two of Balotelli/Silva/Dzeko/Nasri/Milner. Of course this is all 'on paper' and yes we could easily get slaughtered.

Also the only time they've played a proper attacking first team this season is Bayern when the Tevez thing happened, right? I think they have been so accustomed to teams sitting back and looking for the counter that it will be a genuine challange for them to be in a game where they will have less possession, have to track back constantly, be tight to stop throughballs etc.

we're an attacking team but not a good one at the time /crouch

so, 4-1 City then?

MOTD clearly forgetting that Hodgson was sacked after 14 games of his second season at Blackburn, and that 97/98 wasn't his 'only' season there.

Hansen's Wigan analysis wasn't really very interesting, while Lawro pointing out that Wigan had 2 up front in the 2nd half, when they had 2 up front in the 1st half, wasn't very enlightening. Nice to hear that Norwich decided to 'ave a go with 2 up top an' all.

this whole "2 up front = 'avin a go" is painful lately

Aye, it's always been there, but seems to have been even more out there in the last few weeks. Times Podcast had someone talking about 4-4-2: positive, 4-5-1: negative with regard to LFC v Man City. Phil Thompson on Soccer Saturday advising clubs near the bottom to stick two up top at home and 'ave a go. Pointless moaning about it, obviously, but it makes me feel better.

ruiz chippy chip chip

― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Saturday, December 17, 2011 9:41 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Permalink

Otm. That was a beauty, mostly because he was so close to failing miserably. That slight touch of the shin...

What are your thoughts on the Ivanovic penalty? I can see it's true that (a) he had his arms in front of him; (b) he couldn't've put them anywhere else, sort of; and (c) Cech would've got it anyway (maybe). But I'm not sure how any of that is relevant, clear penalty imo.

Chelsea were even worse on the highlights.

"I'm not sure what Cech's doing there"

I bloody hate this Shearerism - everyone says it now, for every mistake. Cech was trying to pick it up, you prick, don't make like he was off on some crazed frolic.

I'm not sure what IK's talking about there.

Ngh. I suspect my hatred of that way of putting things comes from a work function where I was cornered with an eminent old academic who kept telling me he didn't understand what I was saying, my response to which was to keep repeating my points in ever-simpler language while wondering why on earth I was unable to make myself clear to this guy - not comprehending that this was his way of telling me I was wrong. Not a great mingler, me.

up early for the world club cup. let's do this ganso

Damn, I forgot about this - I've arranged to go out for a bit now. Hoping for some tight 0-0 catenaccio 'til I get back late doors.

ivanovic ball to hand, hand not even out. Never a pen.

agreed

Barca have given up on pretending that Alves is a RB. Playing a sort of 3-1-3-3 from what I can make out.

They've done that a bit against lesser opposition this season i think. Take that Santos

Fuck what a Goal! Messi you magnificent bastard. Xavi you magnificent bastard.

pointless watching barcelona, the results always obvious. no tension

Being a Barcelona fan is like b eing a Beatles fan at this stage. Yeh alright, you're the best, and what? It's like watching a super-computer beat the world champion at chess every match. Barcelona have broken football.

Xavi 2-0. ho-hum.

so good

don't get me wrong I'm not a hater it's a magnificent monotony

fabregas off the post (thought he was offside mind)
Barca not even playing at top speed, their passing quite slow for them. Probably shading possession 75/25 so far mind.

commentators musing on whether fabregas could play as a 'false 9' at the Euros now that Villa is injured. Poor old Torres completely forgotten.

neymar Vs. messi lol

has neymar had over 5 touches yet?

poor old soldado
xp

lol the russian commentator just referred to 'Elano Ralph Rubinstein Blumer' which is some wikipedia vandalism

'There is no Ralph,' Elano explained a few days ago. 'I don't know where that has come from, I never heard it before. My name is Elano Blumer, but because I learned they use your surname only in England I didn't want to become known as Blumer. So I said Elano. And I think my goal against Newcastle last week was the most beautiful I have ever scored, but I don't mind if I score a few ugly ones as well.'

Hernandez is back. Nice surprise

3-0 Cesc. 4 of them queuing up tbf.

http://www.youtube.com/?v=zKWaVDxpTYk&

Try again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKWaVDxpTYk

Ow poor Santos, they threw half their season to prepare for this one game. I hope they get a goal at least, they can't do worse than United.

Uncalled for

Cesc misses a good chance. Barca not clinical enough. It's like watching LFC (hollow laugh)

Ganso just did something good, which is the first time I've thought that in the half dozen times I've seen him play.

tis the time of year for cooking the goose

I've come to the conclusion that having iniesta/xavi/messi on the same team isn't fair. UEFA should step in.

i dont think ive ever watched the club world cup final before

even by messi standards his touch is insane today

First non Liverpool one that I've watched.

I wonder what Masch really thinks about being a CB now.

tbf on a heat map he is probably only playing 5-10 yards further back than he did at liverpool

that's true actually.
neymar fluffs his chance.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Neymar_visiting_Red_Bull_Arena_%28cropped%29.jpg/450px-Neymar_visiting_Red_Bull_Arena_%28cropped%29.jpg

It's a fair point, should Barca's formation properly begin with a zero?

lol that shanked shot by neymar turned out to be a dangerous pass

http://i.imgur.com/hkifW.jpg

I watched the Corinthians-Vasco one, most lolworthy primetime entertainment the BBC ever bounced themselves into showing live

every single game about a dozen times I think the opposition has xavi trapped, and every single time he wiggles out. Every fucking time!