Post Match: Fiorentina 2 Liverpool 0

Just watched the goals, shocking defense. If that first goal had been us with that player in the offside position though i have a strong feeling we would have been called for it eh? No matter, either way with that kind of shocking play we would not have won. Must, must improve for Chelsea. That game has suddenly just got even more pivotal than it already was.

things had been going so good just thought there has to be a bad game soon 6 games in 17 days. just was disgusted with the first half thought there wasnt going to be a shot on goal. the second half the team woke up from there coma. but the opposition were very good at defending. sign that 18 year old striker  who scored two goalsthen we might have a hope

Totally agree about "Pressing the Center".  I'm a big Hockey fan and in Hockey their is a scheme called "The Trap", which I never would of thought it would be used in the EPL. But basically it's pushing all the play to the sides, keep it out from the center of the Ice then collapse back on Defense and goal and take away scoring chances.  I couldn't believe it was being used on a English Football pitch.  If used properly its a devastating tactic. So far the Liverpool losses have come from that style of play.  The only way to counter that style of play is constant movement of the ball and capitalize on the "Rare" scoring chances.

Thanks for that mate. It's interesting to see a different angle on things.

The bit I've highlighted of your post just hits the nail on the head for me. There wasn't a constant movement of the ball for us last night. Fiorentina had it, but we didn't. We lacked the consistency in passing the ball.

The bottom line is. It doesn't matter who played for us last night or whatever of an expert you think you may or may not be on football. Our football didn't fill you with hope in that game. And that's criminal for a Liverpool side.

Fair enough, the second half we looked better. But by then, we were desperate to get a goal to make things look better.

I'm still fuming. 

Very bad result for us. I think its the first time I've seen Rafa get the tactics wrong in a European game.
We didn't show them enough respect and it cost us.
Their players were really up for it on the night and we looked dazed for the first 20 mins.
Lucas had a F***ing nightmare in midfield and quite rightly bears a lot of responsibility for this result. After all he's supposed to be our holding player in midfield and he never really got to grips with the game.
Insua was also very poor through out the game.
I thought Carra and Skrtel looked very flat footed. The sooner Agger is fit the better.
Yet again we showed no imagination going forward.
I'm not going to get involved in the "missing Alonso sh*te" but we were very short of ideas in midfield.
It will be interesting to see how we respond againist Lyon.   

A short math problem for all Liverpoll fans.

Code: [Select]

We do well in CL -> We don't win the PL
We do bad in CL -> X

Find X.

A short math problem for all Liverpoll fans.

Code: [Select]

We do well in CL -> We don't win the PL
We do bad in CL -> X

Find X.

I don't think its that simple buddy but I like the way you think.

Very bad result for us. I think its the first time I've seen Rafa get the tactics wrong in a European game.
We didn't show them enough respect and it cost us.
Their players were really up for it on the night and we looked dazed for the first 20 mins.
Lucas had a F***ing nightmare in midfield and quite rightly bears a lot of responsibility for this result. After all he's supposed to be our holding player in midfield and he never really got to grips with the game.
Insua was also very poor through out the game.
I thought Carra and Skrtel looked very flat footed. The sooner Agger is fit the better.
Yet again we showed no imagination going forward.
I'm not going to get involved in the "missing Alonso sh*te" but we were very short of ideas in midfield.
It will be interesting to see how we respond againist Lyon.   

Wouldn't you say practically all of the team let us down though?

I can't really pin point any players that done us wrong individually. As a team, we were poor.

Wouldn't you say practically all of the team let us down though?

I can't really pin point any players that done us wrong individually. As a team, we were poor.

I disagree to a certain extent. I think Gerrard and Kuyt tried to get them selves into the game with Johnson making a better effort in the second half. Reina as always had a good game. There was F**k all he could have done for either goals.
As I said I think Rafa got it wrong tactically wrong on the night. The balance was wrong and our midfield simply couldn't cope.

There wasn't a constant movement of the ball for us last night. Fiorentina had it, but we didn't. We lacked the consistency in passing the ball.

The bottom line is. It doesn't matter who played for us last night or whatever of an expert you think you may or may not be on football. Our football didn't fill you with hope in that game. And that's criminal for a Liverpool side.

Fair enough, the second half we looked better. But by then, we were desperate to get a goal to make things look better.

 

Kenny that constant  movement of the ball you mention is the fluency or lack of I refer to in my post a bit back up the top. Even the simple task of pass and move was non evident and it cost us, hence I can not help but feel worried how we will respond against Chelsea, who are aside that can press from the middle so well.

Kop Kid as solid as Reina is in goals I felt he could have done a bit better for the second goal the keepers front post should always be covered. I am however not worried about Pepe he is consistently one of the better keepers in the league, our problems lie else where.
Yes we also did look better in the second half but Firoentina changed their tactics too, they no longer pressed and were happy to sit back and frustrate us.

All I got to say is they better get their sh*t on straight for Sunday.  This upcoming match w/ Chelsea is going to set the pace for the rest of the season!

I have a feeling as a result of this match we are going to come out guns blazing on Sunday.  I want to see our defence so pissed of with their sh*tty performance today that they will not let Drogba or Anelka get a clean shot on goal.  I want to see out midfielders pushing the ball upfield giving blood thirsty Torres tons of shots on goal.  I want to see Chelsea fans crying by the end of the match.  

We had a so called 'analyst' (Craig Foster) sprouting the same sh*t and the stupid c**t couldn't wipe the smile off his face at half-time.

F**k Craig Foster has to be the biggest tit and joke, ever to commentate and analyse a game. I dont understand what his issue is with LFC but the smugg c**t is always smiling when we are down. Watched the program all the way to the end and the pr**k said " I honestly think Liverpool will struggle to make the group stages"

Bloody tw*t!

Fab did not look good in the middle of the pitch. We would have been much better off with Stevie maintaining the balance next to Lucas, which would have allowed the front four to cause Fiorentina headaches.

I'm not saying that Fab didn't try or didn't make some nice passes, I'm saying that he's not a CM. We lacked stability in the middle and it affected everything. The first half was utter sh*te.

...and yes, Craig Foster is a c**t.

F**k Craig Foster has to be the biggest tit and joke, ever to commentate and analyse a game. I dont understand what his issue is with LFC but the smugg c**t is always smiling when we are down. Watched the program all the way to the end and the pr**k said " I honestly think Liverpool will struggle to make the group stages"

Bloody tw*t!

He honestly thinks we'll get relegated as well im sure. Doesn't know a F***ing thing about football, it really is amazing. I hated SBS back at home for the sole reason of how F***ing annoying, ignorant, and unknowledgeable he is. F**k off for good fozzie
Plus he looks like a F***ing Thunderbird's marionette :

craig foster  is so buyist right. One time they were naming top eurpeon temas and he didnt even say the mighty reds.Buy the way cragi had 16 apperences for pompey so he cant talk about other players

I cannot believe Gerrard was played up front when in the middle we have seen what happens this season without Stevie back there, unbelievable. I just cannot understand why things were not changed out on the pitch when we seen we were being killed through the middle, one more thing, we had the chances to come back but again we didn't take them.

We should have kept the line-up against Hull. We went into that match over-confident. Carragher is getting too many games and it may become exhausting for him; may burn out soon. The greek has been very good. Give him some more games, not only when we play Stokes or Bolton.

The midfield should have Gerrard in; at least until Aquilani gets better (2 weeks?). Let Gerrard continue to have a free role as an attacking midfielder, not a second striker.

Wasn't the perfect ending to September that we had hoped for, was it?

Gutted the lads played so poorly in the first half. What I can't understand is that we're 2 down after 30 odd minutes, why doesn't Rafa change it up? F**k waiting till the standard 70 minute mark then giving the subs 20 minutes to salvage a draw or nick a win.

Even if Rafa wanted to keep the same starting 11, why not put Fabio into LW, Gerrard into CM and Benni playing in the hole behind Torres. It's not rocket science. I can totally understand people saying Rafa needs to give the players a bollocking but I hope Stevie, being the Captain and Jamie being Mr Liverpool have a word to Rafa as well, saying his tactics were totally wrong for this game. Rafa should be held accountable as well for this. He always gets the praise as a Master tactician, especially on the European stage, but when he gets it this wrong he needs to know about it as well.

The 2nd half we came out with much more urgency, unfortunately no end product to speak of due to a combination of things, firstly us playing sh*t for the majority of the match, secondly, those dirty, diving cheats playing 11 men behind the ball and finally that cock sucker referee who never gave us sh*t.

I honestly believe that this team were there for the taking and when they come to Anfield they're gonna get one hell of a payback. No way are we out of this Group yet but we have to start pulling our socks up quick smart.

Well said Aussie.

Our lads and performance aside I think the referees was shocking I knew from that early foul he called on Torres when he leaped up and headered the ball down to Benayoun, that it was going to be a frustrating night in terms of refereeing. I also am not willing to sit back and praise Fiorentina for a well played match, yes they did deserve the win more then us but too often they reminded me off why I hate Italian football. Leg breaking tackles in defence and a sh*t load of diving in attack.

F**k I just want this day to be over with and finally put this match out of  my head.

Too sad to comment on the match but have no fear we will prevail.

F**k I just want this day to be over with and finally put this match out of  my head.

I know what you mean mate. At work though and can't get it out of my head.

Just have to start thinking and stressing about the Chavs game now and hope that Wolfsburg do a number on the Mancs tomorrow morning just to bring a smile back to our faces.

One thing we (and hopefully Rafa) have learned from this - never pair Lucas and Aurélio in midfield, it just doesn't work.

Tactics, defending, midfield, everything was pathetic until the second half, and even then we still weren't good enough.

I have no time for knee-jerkers, and we can and will advance despite that performance, but we need to step it up and fast.

How can we beat Hull 6-1 so easily, yet come in to this game with a negative mentality and negative tactics is beyond me though.

Like I've said mate could easily of been like for like with Aurelio and Riera. Left winger out, left winger in. And it brings up the very old argument of mass rotation, though it may not be rotating several players out of the side, it is rotating four players. Gerrard, Kuyt, Benayoun and Aurelio all played different roles to where they played when we beat Hull - four changes. If it'd just been a like for like swap, it'd of been one change. I'm not saying we'd of won if Aurelio had been on the left and Gerrard in the middle, but it wouldn't have caused as much disruption in turn giving us a more settled side.

^^^Easily the best analysis I have read in a long time.

The phenomenon of 'mass rotation' by the inclusion of just one new player is nothing new to Rafa but it's usually executed, via a substitution, late on in a game and usually when we're chasing it. One can only assume that Rafa has every faith in the players' ability to adopt to different roles. Sometimes it works other times, like last night, it is a right, royal, f**k up that back-fires.

We defend as a team; from front to back. That's our system. That's our style. So whilst it's true that our defence looked like they'd never met before and were piss-poor; they were not getting the same 'support' from midfield. It's widely accepted that our fortunes changed, from early season mis-fires, when Stevie dropped back into centre mid-field and Nando was being fed by Yossi and or Dirk.

I thought that this was lesson learned but maybe, just maybe, last night's debacle will help serve to underpin that lesson. We'll see on Sunday.

Awful first half ( defence again ) only slightly better second half. Very poor performance on the whole.