Liverpool 2:2 Young Boys: In game & post match grumbles.

We just have to finish with equal or more points than Young Boys now as we have a better head to head record. So a win sends us through. A draw sends us through if they draw or lose. A lose sends us through if they lose.

But with Anzhi already qualified, going to Bern, I'd bet on a YB win there, so we'll probably have to win. And away to Udinese is a tough game. Only positive is that they are out regardless of what happens- a win against us would see them finish 3rd as they have a better head to head against us but they can't finish above YB or Anzhi, so 3rd is the best they can do.

Regardless, we need to field a strong side against Udinese and make sure we win.

If ever there was a time to 'rest with the ball' winning 2-1 in the 88th minute is it.

And keep our slender superior goal difference.

It's done on games against, so if we have as many points as Young Boys, we'll go through because we beat them at their place.

Funny watching that and people blaming Pepe, the nearest person to the man hitting the ball is our left winger... we were playing with 3 central midfielders right, they weren't all sent off?! Might make some change their opinion of that 2nd goal that H2H, cheers for posting it.

Henderson should have covered the first and we had no midfield for the second.

Defensive mid is a must in jan.

Seeing that again it would have been an excellent save if he pulled it off. Didn't see the deflection live.

Is BR taking this competition seriously with a team selection comprising of Downing, Carragher, Sahin, Henderson and Assaidi? We have almost 1/2 a team that did not have enough competitive games to take on Young Boys, not to mention some has under achieved so far. Looks more like an experimental team to me. BR has simply under estimated the opposition that managed to score 3 goals against us and betaeb Udinese home and away and it's simply embarassing being beaten at home. Talking of protecing the players from fatigue and injury, looks like we're ging to do  the opposite here.

it's simply embarassing being beated at home.

Good job we drew then.

It wasn't team selection that cost us tonight really. If anything the first team players (Gerrard, Suarez and Sterling) came on with a poor attitude and put the fringe players under pressure.

Suarez played for himself when he came on and over played, Sterling was naive at best or ridiculously dim at worst and Gerrard was the worst of the lot for being a lazy c**t.

We were arrogant in that last 10 minutes and deserved everything we got. Hope a lesson has been learnt tonight.

Well the deflection is clear

Good job we drew then.

It wasn't team selection that cost us tonight really. If anything the first team players (Gerrard, Suarez and Sterling) came on with a poor attitude and put the fringe players under pressure.

Suarez played for himself when he came on and over played, Sterling was naive at best or ridiculously dim at worst and Gerrard was the worst of the lot for being a lazy c**t.

We were arrogant in that last 10 minutes and deserved everything we got. Hope a lesson has been learnt tonight.

Think that's mostly fair, thought Luis linked quite well when he came on and would spare him the criticism, the rest I 100% agree with.

Words escape me at the moment.

Words escape me at the moment.

Though you managed to keep hold of six of them. 

Terrible result, but no surprise when you don't take the competition seriously.

At least, we have the head-to-head record against Bern if it comes down to it. But it shouldn't. Play our best team, win the group, then play who you like for the remaining games.

Now we have to go to Udinese just to qualify, because too many weakened teams were fielded in the past 5 games, meaning the job wasn't done by now. This is European knockout football, serious stuff where carelessness and mistakes are punished, not a pre-season piss-up. If we don't win out there, it'll probably be some time before we have European football to look forward to again. 

Terrible result, but no surprise when you don't take the competition seriously.

More a case of Brendan trying to juggle a small squad in 4 competions this season.

If he kept playing all the experienced players in this and our league form suffered he would be crucified.

More a case of Brendan trying to juggle a small squad in 4 competions this season.

If he kept playing all the experienced players in this and our league form suffered he would be crucified.

That's right Si , damned if he does damned if he doesn't.

Poll up ready to vote.

We're already out of one competition. If we go out of two by Christmas, he will be crucified.

I've said it before, but full time professional footballers with the best of everything available, should be capable of playing two games a week these days. That's the demands of their job now. If they can't, they really shouldn't be here.

We're already out of one competition. If we go out of two by Christmas, he will be crucified.

I've said it before, but full time professional footballers with the best of everything available, should be capable of playing two games a week these days. That's the demands of their job now. If they can't, they really shouldn't be here.

They can, always found this a common misconception. The problem with 2 games in a week with reduced rest is that the risk to injury is multiplied quite considerably. According to research your chance of sustaining an injury on normal rest is approximately 10% give 3 or 4 days rest only then you increase that by 4 times. Also along with that you simply have the obvious truth that you're playing 11 men, against another 11 men with more recovery time given all other things being equal the chances of the 11 men with less rest beating the 11 with more rest is a significant disadvantage and I don't have the percentages but to suggest that just because they're full time professionals should level the uneven playing field is simply deluding yourself of the facts.

I do agree that if we end up out of 2 competitions before Christmas that Brendan will have opened himself up to criticism and while I accept the league is the priority and that rotation is a part of the modern game, underestimating Young Boys tonight could easily bite him back with more than just the potential of going out of the competition.

Brendan can't stand alone accepting that criticism and FSG have to shoulder some of the blame too, let's hope they go a long way to correcting their mistakes in January, both Brendan and FSG that is.

Cole for me by a country mile, if only he could give us that kind of performance more often .

Looks as though the subs werent up to scratched offered very little, and we payed the price in lack of focus and concentration. Gerrad has really let the reds down this season. Cant see cole being consistant at all wonder if any one can work it out how much a shot liverpool have paid him ?
It wil be better if we are eliminated from europa cup and make the league our main focus.
This will i hope lead to more consistancy, the players who have been playing week in and week out are tired. And this result shows that.   

They can, always found this a common misconception. The problem with 2 games in a week with reduced rest is that the risk to injury is multiplied quite considerably. According to research.....

Injuries are part and parcel of the game. Whether you play once a week or more, they can happen at any time, but you can't wrap the players in cotton wool. Playing games is their job, it's as straight forward as that.

Having your best team available every week gives the team consistency, and better performance. Playing a load of reserves in x competition, is no benefit to them or us. They'll just be kicked out the next game, whether they score a hattrick or concede a hatful. Players have to be brought into the team when they're able for the step up every week.

It's the coach's responsibility to ensure he has adequate cover for injuries, not to put the team's chances of progress at risk by prioritising competitions, and invariably ending up empty-handed anyway.

I voted for Cole, although before the match I never thought that would be even a remote possibility. Did he have a tight hamstring, or did he have the ice pack on it as a precaution following recent injuries ? Just wondered as we seemed to lose some composure going forward after he went off. I think Henderson, who wasn't doing bad, was a mistake going to full back, especially with Enrique on the bench. With Suarez on, we didn't really need Stirling on, one or the other would have been fine. we needed to bolster the middle. I text my lad and said "it aint over yet, there's a few of these who can hit a ball like a guided missile from 30yds.." Low and behold, three or four minutes later, a shot he wouldnt have got away, if we had a regular back 4, and a more compact mid field. Just total Naivety by B.R. I'm afraid, or a lack of respect for Young Boys. Now we have to beat a side, who beat us at Anfield quite comfortably. Another lesson to be learnt, we do seem to make life difficult for ourselves really. It seems if the officials don't cock it up for us, we'er determined to cock it up ourselves. Dissapointed, but not heartbroken, just feel a bit let down.