Stoke City 0-1 Liverpool: In game and Post Match debate

The sooner Skrtel is out of the starting line up the better. He is going to be a liability if he continues there.

Coutinho!!  What can I add that hasn't been said?  Amazin!!

How important was Milner today?  Sure, he was unspectacular, but unlike last season we looked as if we had a midfield when they were coming at us.  Solid is exactly what we need and solid is what he is.
Special mention for Gomez, 90 minutes of concentration and graft and he found time and space for the assist - what a prospect.  Got connec a couple of times by the canny old sod Walters, but he never lost his rag or his positioning.  The way the team made a point of going t him at the end said it all.

Come ON YOU MIGHTY REDS!!!  Let's get back where we belong this year! Great start.

Benteke was terrible.  Coutinho rusty but even when he's not fully fit he's still our best player.

Lallana, I don't know what his purpose at our club is.

Henderson and Milner both anonymous.  Can should start in place of one of them next week, probably Henderson.

Gomez looked shaky a few times but generally did ok.  Lovren much less sh*te than last season.

Benteke was terrible.  Coutinho rusty but even when he's not fully fit he's still our best player.

Lallana, I don't know what his purpose at our club is.

Henderson and Milner both anonymous.  Can should start in place of one of them next week, probably Henderson.

Gomez looked shaky a few times but generally did ok.  Lovren much less sh*te than last season.

Wondered how long it'd take

HUGE win this, given the previous result there, and also given the horrific run of away fixtures we have coming up. Three points at home to Bournmouth in the next game and it will just ease a bit of the pressure on Brendan and the side during the early part of the season. I've got to watch the first half on catchup in a bit as spent 2 hours at a & e with my daughter this afternoon but managed to see the 2nd half. Very anaemic performance from an attacking sense, lack of movement and tempo and our lads didn't really look fit, same applied to their attacking players. Coutinho was the only bright spark in the whole match. I thought young Gomez came through it well today. We looked. Ugh brighter when Can came on and we played with a proper midfield three, it freed up Milner and Henderson to get further up the pitch and impact the game. Defensively I thought we looked ok today, I've got no complaints.

Benteke was terrible.  Coutinho rusty but even when he's not fully fit he's still our best player.

Lallana, I don't know what his purpose at our club is.

Henderson and Milner both anonymous.  Can should start in place of one of them next week, probably Henderson.

Gomez looked shaky a few times but generally did ok.  Lovren much less sh*te than last season.

Thank you for that.

Let's be bloody positive.  They're all our lads, let's back them this season.

Here's how i saw the game. The first half was poor but expected in my eyes, cagey and quite deep, we didn't want to get caught out and because of this we were very restricted going forward and barely got out our half and when we did we didn't want to push too high up the pitch. Our formation limited us to possesion play with no real precision or threat, nevertheless we didn't concede either.

Our second half started with a bit more tempo however there was still no clear threat, only when Emre was pushed on we saw a different dynamic to our midfield and boy was it good to see, the long runs of Henderson complimented by the composure of Emre and the vision of Milner. They're interchangeable in their play too as we saw Henderson play the long balls out to Ibe while Milner playing a couple precise balls in behind their midfield too. That midfield three has to start in our next game.

Special shout out to Clyne and Lovren. Clyne didn't put a foot wrong made a couple positive runs and held the width well, while being defensively aware also, made a great clearance to stop Diouf getting in a header. Lovren was immense in the air and played the ball well, made a couple good challenges and in all honesty made Skrtel look like the worse of the two, not sure he deserves to be dropped next week.

Benteke did what he does, commanded the ball in the air and showed great hold up play, linked up well with Coutinho a couple of times too, im not too worried about his performance today as he looked to get in behind the opposition defense a couple times, which is what we have lacked in our number 9's recently. Firminho's cammeo for me was positive, he just looks like a flair player, one who will just use a couple flashy tricks to get your attention and before you know it his past you.

Oh and Coutinho well he is just magic ain't he.

We never play a fantastic game against Stoke, the only outlier over the last few years is when we beat them 5-3 at the Britannia two seasons back.

I expected a hard game and that's we got. I'd have loved us to win by more, but a win is a win at the end of the day.

Not overly worried about Benteke's performance, Hughes set Stoke up well so that in our formation Benteke ended up isolated. I reckon bring in Firmino for Ibe and Can for Lallana and have Hendo play a more advanced role. (same thoughts as most of the forum)

Bournemouth next, and they'll attack attack attack no doubt, so I'd like to see us start with our most attacking line up if possible.

Benteke was terrible.  Coutinho rusty but even when he's not fully fit he's still our best player.

Lallana, I don't know what his purpose at our club is.

Henderson and Milner both anonymous.  Can should start in place of one of them next week, probably Henderson.

Gomez looked shaky a few times but generally did ok.  Lovren much less sh*te than last season.

Sound a bit disappointed we won. 

Let's be bloody positive.  They're all our lads, let's back them this season.

Well said mate, watch yourself though as sometimes positivity will kill you around here.

Benteke was terrible.  Coutinho rusty but even when he's not fully fit he's still our best player.

Lallana, I don't know what his purpose at our club is.

Henderson and Milner both anonymous.  Can should start in place of one of them next week, probably Henderson.

Gomez looked shaky a few times but generally did ok.  Lovren much less sh*te than last season.

The saying 'focus on the positive' means nothing to you then fed?

Benteke was terrible.  Coutinho rusty but even when he's not fully fit he's still our best player.

Lallana, I don't know what his purpose at our club is.

Henderson and Milner both anonymous.  Can should start in place of one of them next week, probably Henderson.

Gomez looked shaky a few times but generally did ok.  Lovren much less sh*te than last season.

Can't disagree with most of your comments fella but it is your failure to recognise or acknowledge that the result IS sometime more important than the performance (this was one of those occasions) that means you are perceived as a bit a dick in here at times.

It was a very important win, given last years humiliation, given the pressure on the manager, given the run of away fixtures we have coming up, given the need to start the season with a strong points showing. The majority of posters have acknowledged that.

Well said mate, watch yourself though as sometimes positivity will kill you around here.

he has probably got the best name  on the Forum and he is right off course.

Mignolet,  not much to do tbh, did ok pretty solid, clean sheet, 7/10
Clyne,     Played well much better than GJ, will improve to,    6/10
Gomez,  couple of dodgy mins, but for a young lad, debut,    7/10
Skrtel,  solid as usual, reliable, not phased at all, my motm,   8/10
Lovren, much better from him, solid, 1 dodgy moment,          7/10
Hendo, not impressed at all, but not worried, he'll be fine,      5/10
Milner, expected more tbh, better 2nd half, bit rusty I guess,  6/10
Lallana, went missing today, very poor, he'll come good tho,   4/10
Cou, until the goal he was average, but no worries, he's special, 7/10
Ibe, did ok, but has to do more, get ur head up lad,                  6/10
Benteke, isolated 1st half, but can see him being pivotal, better
2nd half, he'll be fine after 4/5 games                                      7/10

Can, must start for me, changed the game today, love him,       7/10

Firmino, great potential, he has something about him I like, 10
Mins he had didn't look out of place, a star waiting to shine         6/10

Brendan, pleased for him, made the right move with Can, although 15
Mins late, hope he sticks to 4-3-3 from now on,                                  7/10


Great away win that, rusty as F**k, slovenly, but to get 3pts from them bog licking scummy kunts, 1st game of the season, can't ask for much more if I'm honest,

Well done lads, well done Brendan, now let's slaughter Bournemouth.



YNWA

I did not watch the game, but I did follow the comments on here.

Considering our form at the tail of last season was dreadful, the fact that our results at Stoke over the last 8 seasons have been very disappointing, plus that 6-1 humiliation, which was out last EPL game, this could have gone very pear shaped.

Some of the comments were very knee-jerk in nature, considering this was the first proper game with a fair amount of new players.

We restricted Stoke to just 1 shot on target, which is a huge improvement, but alas, given a chance, haters will always find a way to be happy.

Someone said it earlier it is not the personnel it is the system. I agree even though we didn't score straight away but as soon as Emre was on our midfield controlled the game more so than ever, the three played as a unit. I am personally excited to see us play providing them three start that way from the off next time, i feel Lallana more than deserves to be dropped to allow it to happen.

I'm painting my lounge this week, think I'm gonna paint it red...

Can't disagree with most of your comments fella but it is your failure to recognise or acknowledge that the result IS sometime more important than the performance (this was one of those occasions) that means you are perceived as a bit a dick in here at times.

It was a very important win, given last years humiliation, given the pressure on the manager, given the run of away fixtures we have coming up, given the need to start the season with a strong points showing. The majority of posters have acknowledged that.

Very well said.

The saying 'focus on the positive' means nothing to you then fed?

who knows what he thinks

I'm painting my lounge this week, think I'm gonna paint it red...

Theres no better colour.

Benteke was terrible.  Coutinho rusty but even when he's not fully fit he's still our best player.

Lallana, I don't know what his purpose at our club is.

Henderson and Milner both anonymous.  Can should start in place of one of them next week, probably Henderson.

Gomez looked shaky a few times but generally did ok.  Lovren much less sh*te than last season.

By the way, we won.

I think some have it right here.....Can/Firmino in for Lallana/Ibe....push Hendo more forward.

I really like what I saw from Firminio...the 10 minutes was more than what Lallana gave us the entire match.