What will it take to win 19?

After a draw on Monday theres been a lot of talk as to whether we have it in us to win the title. Strange for a team sat joint top and only 2 defeats in 38 league games to be doubted as to whether they can keep a challenge going!!

However I do think the following will be required

1) Torres and Gerrard inury free from here until the end of the season. As our main scoring threats and main inspirations we need these 2 in every game left

2) Our biggest run of wins is 5. From the 1st Everton game to the pompey game. Realistically we probably need to get a longer winning streak. 7 8 maybe 9 wins on the bounce

3) A new star. As I pointed out above we are over reliant on Gerrard and Torres. We need a new hero. Maybe a Skrtel or Agger scoring a few goals from set pieces. Or perhaps a young talent unknown to the opposition like Pacheco or Nemeth to be given a chance. Who knows they may have an impact like Fowler and Owen did when they first came through

4) And perhaps the most vital. Lose the fear of not winning. We need to kill teams when we take a lead not sit back and hold what we have as we saw Monday night it doesnt always work. Rather then be happy at 1 nil look for the second and the third

5) A crowd at Anfield that can be patient when we arent playing well. Not sighing at every misplaced pass or missed goal chance.

   

We need to replicate the last months of last season, enough said.

We need to replicate the last months of last season, enough said.

We were on fire then, i just hope it doesnt burn out like it seems to be lately.

Chelsea and the scum - to an extent even Arsenal are all capable of 8 or so wins on the bounce so we have to be too

Alot of luck to compensate for our lack of winning mentality. We have the players to bring it home, its just that -as you say, Brian - the fear of not losing factor is all to present. It comes down to Rafa first and foremost, if he can instill some confidence into the players and tell them to attack then it could well be our year.

Really we need that ruthless side. Hopefully when Torres finds his form we will have a killer touch. And if Rafa allows the Keane - Torres partnership develop then hopefully Keane can discover some goal  scoring form as well. I think that is the most important thing, to have our strikers on goalscoring form, to have that killer touch we have desperately been missing.

I think you make an interesting point about finding a new star from our youth set up. I would like to think Insua's successful run in the team will give Rafa the confidence to bring up a few more of the youth players. I would love to see Nemeth grab a few Premier League goals and challenge for his spot in the team.

Also maybe it is time to lose the holding mid fielder when we are playing at Anfield against 'smaller' teams. I think we need to have that attacking mentality against these teams. Play a 4-4-2 with Gerrard and Alonso in CM. Most of these teams just sit back and defend anyway? We have a squad full of great attacking players so lets them have a few shots and get a few goals.

Your point about the crowd is very important also. Get behind the team, sing and cheer. If we're not playing well don't make it worse by leaving early, sighing or booing. Get the spirits up and raise the team!

Its frightening to think where we would be if the Chavs and Scum both havent dropped points when we have

But - im happy where we are, like Rafa has said a few times

"If you asked any Liverpool fan last year if they would be happy to be where we are now and 100% will say yes"

1- Anfield needs to be what it is during European nights.

2- Fernando Torres to bang the goals in after missing many games this season.

3- Kill teams off early to avoid going through shaky stuffs towards the end of a match/

4- Play like how we did against Newcastle.

5- Win as many games as we can till end of season.

More points than any other side should do the trick

I think we just need a little bit more consistency the draws against stoke and everton were unacceptable but it wasn't that long ago that we hammered newcastle 5-1.

A fully fit torres would certainly help aswell.

You do no that if we win every game for the rest of the season, that still may not be enough

You do no that if we win every game for the rest of the season, that still may not be enough

Wrong. If we win every game of the season we will win the league. Got United to play remember.

Defensively we have always been good, we lack goals especially of late we depend too much on Gerrard and Torres.  First thing first Torres needs to find his scoring touch fast.  Secondly as mentioned we can’t afford another injury to either of them.  We really need someone to chip in with goals from midfield.  Kuyt has been away from the score sheet for a while, maybe Riera can start to add a few goals too.

I am not a fan with our current squad of players going for the kill as our defensive approach has done us alright.  Arsenal, have had a killer approach in tight games and it hasn’t done them any favours, even Utd have adopted our style and have been very conservative at the end of games with a goal margin.   I can’t think of too many games apart from Spurs and Everton where we have conceded late and dropped points. 

I don’t think we are in a position to start giving to much time to youngster with hardly any first team experience, after all, we are still top of the table be it conceding a game in hand.  There is no need to take extreme measures not yet anyway.

Wrong. If we win every game of the season we will win the league. Got United to play remember.

XO you sure you done your match right. Whats there GD like?

torres to remain injury free and keane to step up his game. think ngog should be given a chance i think he has so much potential. also consistency we never know what liverpool team is going to show up thats been the problem

We obviously need to reproduce the performances against Bolton and Newcastle if we can but also when we can't break a team down we need to find that piece of quality to nick the three points like we did at the beginning of the season (Sunderland (a), Middlesborough (h))

1. Torres and Gerrard stay fit.

2. A couple of others step up and play to their potential (Keane/Babel/Mascherano).

3. Possibly a right winger in Jan window?

4. Arbeloa back in the squad so Carra can get back in the middle.

5. (The big one)  Develop a cutting edge - when we are dominating teams, kill the feckers off!  It's all about mentality - we are better than the vast majority of teams in the PL, that's why we're where we are.  Stop trying to avoid losing and go out to win.

6. A little bit more of the grit we showed at the start of the season where we hung in and got late winners or came back from a losing position.

7. The players need to lift the crowd - but the crowd have got to start lifting the players too.  Too many games go flat and the crowd follow - a bit of noise and the whole atmosphere can change.  Sometimes the crowd need to be the famous 12th man.

8.  A "Fergie chokes on his chewing gum" headline would help too. 

We need to be scoring goals alot earlier, image 3 - 0 at half time!  as most of you have said gerrard + Torres = unstoppable once torres starts scoring...

We need to be scoring goals alot earlier, image 3 - 0 at half time!  as most of you have said gerrard + Torres = unstoppable once torres starts scoring...

I agree. I cant understand why the rafatollah hasnt gone in for a big centre forward.Would suit our style of play to perfection. You wouldnt believe how excited Id be to see Heskey back in the red shirt

Alot of luck to compensate for our lack of winning mentality. We have the players to bring it home, its just that -as you say, Brian - the fear of not losing factor is all to present. It comes down to Rafa first and foremost, if he can instill some confidence into the players and tell them to attack then it could well be our year.

     I totally agree with you here although its hard to imagine rafa instilling some confidence in to the team when he continues to withdraw it from Keane week in week out , even when he scores goals his next 2 games are on the bench  , he is also always the first player to be subbed every game as well . How are the team gonna have confidence when the manager cant show it towards his own players , especially one he paid a fortune for ?

i have shown a lot of loyalty towards rafa in the past.... but i think maybe he has simply just lost the plot over the last few months....
to win the title now we need rafa to stand back and look at what he is doing during matches, the main problem is a mental block the players get when they get ahead in a game.................... . 

we really need to play each game like we are already one goal behind, if rafa doesnt conquer this problem then our 19th is doomed for this year, it astounds me how good we play when we are behind, i think we need some sort of hypnotist or phychologist to speak to the players before each match.......

if this doesnt happen, then i think it may be time for rafa to move on, and we should go for the best British manager out there Martin Oneil.

and we should go for the best British manager out there Martin Oneil.

He would be my choice as a replacement but i just have a feeling Rafa is ahead of us all on this one. He has a plan up his slieve which he obviously thinks can bring us sucess.

Just let the man do what he thinks best, he might supprise us all at times but if he brings number 19 we be calling him a genius at the end of the season.

I dont like talking about winning the league all the time it gets my hopes up then knocks me down big time like every year when we cave in before xmas. We have to stay in touch.