Zenit 2-0 Liverpool: In Game and Post Match Debate

It's sad to see many posters who called for the manager to be given time at the beginning of the season now saying that he is not right for the club or that we are going the wrong direction.  The fact is that we have had 4 managers in 4 years, and a pretty sizeable turnover in playing personnel as well.  If you never wanted BR in the first place, fair enough.  However, right now he is the man in charge and he needs time, money, and the support of the fans to turn his vision into a reality.  We have not progressed since last season, but was anyone really under the illusion that we would challenge for honors this term?  I know we all hoped we would, but would anyone have gone and bet money on it at the end of August

We are in transition.  We need stability.  The owners picking a young manager with a positive footballing philosophy represents a long term view to building success.  Our transfer policy of buying young players with talent and potential in order to build a winning team also represents a long term view to success.  Nobody at the club has tried to create the illusion that we would have instant success.  So why are we kicking and screaming that we aren't winning anything this season  

Harry, you know what mate, I want to scream WE NEED TO START WINNING!!!!!!!

Forget about the type of football we're playing, forget about how many games "we should have won", forget about how many chances we create or how big our possession stats are, sport is about winning and at this moment in time we don't look like we know how to do this!!

Sort out how to win and the fans might start to be happy again!!

No you read right the first time mate.

I'm sick and tired of the apparent attitude from many within the club and also supporters who think we have to just sit back and accept the bullshit that they come out with.

I'm not calling ofr the manager to be sacked but I'll strees again, as I've done it countless times this season, we are not as poor a team as we appear to be looking at where we are now and I'm fed up being told we have to wait 2-3 years before we can compete which is bullshit.

He done his job then as that is what we should expect from a manager not someone who is willing to accept the mediocrity we have been faced with all season long give or take a few games.

Like I said Si, I think Kenny overachieved in the cup competitions last year with a mediocre team...I think the long league season showed the weaknesses but Kenny's influence helped them get up and over in the cup competitions.

Short of Suarez and Gerrard this squad is a pretty mediocre group of players is it not?

Short of Suarez and Gerrard this squad is a pretty mediocre group of players is it not?

It's not but I don't want to get into that because some will accept it while others will agree with me that it isn't.

It's not but I don't want to get into that because some will accept it while others will agree with me that it isn't.

Your opinion Si and your entitled to it...I myself see a sea of mediocrity on that squad (including BR transfers) don't think (short of Suarez) that many if any of this group would make it in the starting XI of top global clubs...most would be subs sitting on the bench.

It's not but I don't want to get into that because some will accept it while others will agree with me that it isn't.

It's certainly not a season over by end Feb squad (if we fail to overturn).

Didn't see game was at work - don't think I'll bother watching may just wax my privates to achieve the same painful frustration.

Too many off nights - crap week.

It's certainly not a season over by end Feb squad (if we fail to overturn) squad.

Exactly mate.

We have a few, mostly consistent, difference makers in our squad (Stevie, Suarez, Sturridge, Lucas, Glen) but I think the rest of our team blows hot or cold depending on the effort they put in (and maybe where they are deployed).

So sometimes it looks like we are world beaters, and then other times we look like we should be in a relegation battle. I have no idea how to rectify that problem other than replacing the "hot and cold" players with players that are more like Stevie, Suarez, etc......

And that's going to take money which may or may not be made available by FSG.

There's no way I'd put any money on our form the rest of the season...we are just too bi-polar this season.

I'll be brutally honest, I thought it was a shocking performance.

I thought Brendan got his team selection completely wrong and we paid for it from the first minute. Joe Allen and Henderson should never share the same team sheet, I've said it before about those two that they simply do not have the necessary minerals to operate together.

Gerrard cannot cover for 2 people and Joe Allen put in an absolute stinker of a performance throughout the match, the only thing he managed was one cross for almost the entire 90 minutes. The number of times he landed our defence in trouble was alarming to be complimentary. Henderson didn't have a clue what position he was playing and was equally none productive in all of them.

Add to that Luis having a mare in front of goal and we've left ourselves with an absolute mountain to climb in the return leg. The reason I think it's such a massive task is there is no way I can see us keeping a clean sheet, which means we'll have to score 4. While I think their defence is bloody awful, scoring 4 past them is I feel going to be a step too far.

Like Si though I'm an eternal optimist, so I'm going to hope by some miracle we manage to pull it off, but we just faced them on the back of them having 2 months without football, surely they'd of all not been match fit. Bitterly disappointed in the lads, a lot of them just looked like they couldn't handle the bloody weather and some of the day dreaming Henderson did at the start of the second half would of had him screamed at by a P.E. teacher let alone a premiership manager.

If Brendan did come out and say "near perfect away performance" that's a joke of a statement, it was a stinker. Lucas had to play, the amount of space our midfield gave them and lack of ability to make a telling challenge was clear for all to see and Brendan made another poor choice there. Same with Raheem, didn't offer enough going forward or backwards, Borini should of been played, at least he'd of occupied someone.

Poor, very poor lads.

No you read right the first time mate.

I'm sick and tired of the apparent attitude from many within the club and also supporters who think we have to just sit back and accept the bullshit that they come out with.

I'm not calling for the manager to be sacked but I'll stress again, as I've done it countless times this season, we are not as poor a team as we appear to be looking at where we are now and I'm fed up being told we have to wait 2-3 years before we can compete which is bullshit.

He done his job then as that is what we should expect from a manager not someone who is willing to accept the mediocrity we have been faced with all season long give or take a few games.

Very well said!

I'll be brutally honest, I thought it was a shocking performance.

I thought Brendan got his team selection completely wrong and we paid for it from the first minute. Joe Allen and Henderson should never share the same team sheet, I've said it before about those two that they simply do not have the necessary minerals to operate together.

Gerrard cannot cover for 2 people and Joe Allen put in an absolute stinker of a performance throughout the match, the only thing he managed was one cross for almost the entire 90 minutes. The number of times he landed our defence in trouble was alarming to be complimentary. Henderson didn't have a clue what position he was playing and was equally none productive in all of them.

Add to that Luis having a mare in front of goal and we've left ourselves with an absolute mountain to climb in the return leg. The reason I think it's such a massive task is there is no way I can see us keeping a clean sheet, which means we'll have to score 4. While I think their defence is bloody awful, scoring 4 past them is I feel going to be a step too far.

Like Si though I'm an eternal optimist, so I'm going to hope by some miracle we manage to pull it off, but we just faced them on the back of them having 2 months without football, surely they'd of all not been match fit. Bitterly disappointed in the lads, a lot of them just looked like they couldn't handle the bloody weather and some of the day dreaming Henderson did at the start of the second half would of had him screamed at by a P.E. teacher let alone a premiership manager.

If Brendan did come out and say "near perfect away performance" that's a joke of a statement, it was a stinker. Lucas had to play, the amount of space our midfield gave them and lack of ability to make a telling challenge was clear for all to see and Brendan made another poor choice there. Same with Raheem, didn't offer enough going forward or backwards, Borini should of been played, at least he'd of occupied someone.

Poor, very poor lads.

Sums it up for me Luke but I thought we had similar thoughts after our posts pre and during the game.

I agree with Luke that Allen and Hendo shouldn't play together.

An aside from the game

Lets hope the travelling reds are ok out there. C**t of a place and Ive heard they have been attacking the reds during the day

Safe home reds

I didn't see any of the game but I did follow along on here and Twitter and stuff. The general impression I'm getting is:

1) We had some good chances to take the lead - especially Suarez - but we didn't.
2) We were very open in midfield, and our passing was poor for most of the game.
3) Once they got the first goal, our weak mentality showed through and we completely crumbled.

I'm going to catch the replay some time tonight or tomorrow, but did I miss anything? Cheers for the updates, btw.

Rodgers doesnt learn from his mistakes, defending too deep again. if the penny aint gonna drop then it's time for him to P*SS off. '
whilst he is at it take the  rejects Borini and Allen away with him

Harry, you know what mate, I want to scream WE NEED TO START WINNING!!!!!!!

Forget about the type of football we're playing, forget about how many games "we should have won", forget about how many chances we create or how big our possession stats are, sport is about winning and at this moment in time we don't look like we know how to do this!!

Sort out how to win and the fans might start to be happy again!!

I hear you.  I want to scream after our inept performances as well, but emotions need to be kept in check.  We are not as good now as we want to be, but we are building for the future. 

Look at Spurs a few seasons back.  They had a young Aaron Lennon breaking into the team, they had just bought another young talent in Gareth Bale, and they had brought in a talented midfielder in Luka Modric.  They started off next to rock bottom in the league, and barely managed to finish 8th that season ahead of West Ham on goal difference.  A few years on and they are one of the more stable teams in the league. 

We need to have patience.  We have some talented young players at the club.  We are not the finished article yet.  If the fans, the players, and the owners all buy into the manager and his philosophy, then given time we should hopefully find ourselves at the top end of the table again!!

Can anyone clue me into how good a side Zenit are? I know they were Russian Premier League champs last season and in the Champions League this year, but how are they as a team?

Liverpool had 46% possession against Zenit,
First time they have been under 50% in the Europa League this season.

( Source: Opta)

Tika Taka    Tick Tock   


BR Post Match

"There's no doubt the supporters will give us a chance [at Anfield], and the next goal is very important.
If we get it, it opens up the tie but we have to make sure that we are secure as a group and if we are then we can create chances."

If he uses that word one more f**king time ...... its getting to be OCD with him.  Its doing my head in.

Can anyone clue me into how good a side Zenit are? I know they were Russian Premier League champs last season and in the Champions League this year, but how are they as a team?

Got some cracking players mate, they move the ball quickly and can pull you apart if you let them. Won the UEFA cup a few years back aswell I believe. Although I can't pretend I watch them on any kind of a consistent basis, just an impression I get of them.

Can anyone clue me into how good a side Zenit are? I know they were Russian Premier League champs last season and in the Champions League this year, but how are they as a team?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Zenit_Saint_Petersburg

Its all there.

Clue :   2012, Zenit won their second straight Russian Championship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Zenit_Saint_Petersburg

Its all there.

I was asking about their playing style and all. I am more than capable of using Wikipedia and in fact use it more than I should

Got some cracking players mate, they move the ball quickly and can pull you apart if you let them. Won the UEFA cup a few years back aswell I believe. Although I can't pretend I watch them on any kind of a consistent basis, just an impression I get of them.

Cheers. I know they've got some good players there, was more curious to see if they were as good as the accolades would indicate. They were a CL team this season after all.

Weren't the worst we've played all season and we could of very easily won the game had Suarez finished three of the sitters he blew. Unfortunately we were caught out by a F***ing belting goal by Hulk and the second was mistakes made by Enrique for letting the ball in without any attempt of a block, Skrtel not cutting it out and Johnson sleeping at the far post allowing the Zenit lad to tap home.

I don't think we were great tonight but we weren't that bad apart from the opening ten-fifteen minutes when they looked like carving us open at every chance. We got a foothold into the game and began to look like a good team and opened them up numerous times only for our finishing to once again cost us dearly.

Saying all that, we still had some very poor performers out there. The midfield especially was poor but I almost expect that when I see Joe Allen start. But I'm not gonna single out the Welshman tonight, the whole midfield was F***ing shocking.

Tonight, I will have a go at the decisions Brendan Rodgers made as well. I don't rate Shelvey, Suso or Borini to any great heights but we needed to go and grab an away goal so we bring on the ultra-attack minded Lucas. Sorry Brendan lad, you got that one wrong. And although Sterling had a quiet game, he was responsible for putting the best ball into the box all game - that one where Suarez tried to be too flash and backheel it in. I've said it before, when Sterling gets it right he causes the opposition trouble. I'd of kept him on and brought Allen or Henderson off especially if it was Lucas coming on.

Still though, it's not over by any stretch. This is Liverpool at Anfield on a European night. That's the formula to a special successful night.