Indonesia XI 0-2 Liverpool: Friendly

Mignolet Johnson Enrique Agger Toure Lucas Gerrard Alberto Downing Coutiho Aspas..

Looks pretty good Stevie playing today..

Nice match thread

Decent 11 that though.

Glad you like it
 Some of us have kids to run around after you know 

Blimey, that's a very strong 11 for a pre season match.
Looks like BR was serious about starting the season in the best possible shape.

Expected Liverpool line up:

Mignolet; Johnson, Toure, Agger, Enrique; Lucas, Gerrard; Alberto, Coutinho, Downing; Aspas.

Subs from: Jones, Assaidi, Henderson, Spearing, Allen, Borini, Sterling, Kelly, Skrtel, Flanagan, Wisdom, Robinson, Ibe.

I'm guessing that with all the bickering going on someone forgot about this.

Discuss. in peace.

Silly bint.... 

Girl cries after meeting Steven Gerrard


Expected scoreline: 6-1 (mine) f-ing Mignolet letting one in, sign that Reina bloke!

Strong XI. Looks like Suarez and Sturridge are missing, but right now that looks our best eleven probably.

From the other thread: Strong XI. Looks like Suarez and Sturridge are missing, but right now that looks our best eleven probably.

From the other thread: Strong XI. Looks like Suarez and Sturridge are missing, but right now that looks our best eleven probably.

Missed that thread, probably due its shiteness and Andys kids.

From the other thread: Strong XI. Looks like Suarez and Sturridge are missing, but right now that looks our best eleven probably.

Suarez is on extended leave (for extended see: permanent ) Barn and Danny boy is still recuperating with his ankle.

Enjoy the match lads.

Hopefully it's a good one

Suarez is on extended leave (for extended see: permanent ) Barn and Danny boy is still recuperating with his ankle.

Aye, I know. Wording sounded like I thought BR had dropped them though.

Mignolet

Johnson  Toure  Agger  Enrique

Lucas  Gerrard

Alberto

Downing  Aspas  Coutinho

That's how I read it.

It's horrible seeing the lads in that kit.

Gone cloudy here. Excellent, gives me an excuse to come indoors and watch the match 

Good to see such a strong team, not just selfishly but also for the sake of the thousands of Indonesians who have filled the stadium.

Oops, they spelt Mignolet wrong on the graphic, haha (Mignolete).

It's horrible seeing the lads in that kit.

Which one?

White or purple.

Pretty much our best available XI. The kit is.......... interesting, let's say

That kit is F***ing horrible.

Coutinho 1-0, lucky break but good finish.

Fortunate bounce, but a good finish by Coutinhooooooooo

Whats the score..? Just got in!

Also, is it just me or is the forum a bit wacky?

Which one?

White or purple.

It's the purple 3rd kit. Just looks a mess, too much going on.

Friendlies are so boring

Cracking effort from Alberto, hitting the bar.

Interesting game.

Good effort from Louis Alberto

Whats the score..? Just got in!

Also, is it just me or is the forum a bit wacky?

You're not alone mate and 1-0, Coutinho.

Some good football on that Alberto effort. Top ball from Aspas to set that up

"Luis Suarez born to be red, broken by the press"  A banner in the crowd!

We haven't looked as sharp as last week, but I'm liking how Aspas and Alberto have linked up. Looks like there could be something in that going forward.

Good goal by Coutinho, bits of good play every now and then, just a typical friendly game.

We haven't looked as sharp as last week...

True but their shirts were wet through within minutes, I think they're struggling with the heat and humidity.

One thing learned from that first half, Downing still can't get a ball in the F***ing box.

True but their shirts were wet through within minutes, I think they're struggling with the heat and humidity.

Fair point. Humidity is something like 89 percent!

Twice in two games the ball has been driven hard at Aspas, and it's just bounced off him, has had two half chances and failed to convert. I remain unconvinced about him but it's very early days, and his energy is up there with Suarez. He's going to be a handful for defenders I think

Coutinho has been wasteful with 3 balls over the top down the middle, nicely tucked his goal away though

Enrique has played well, and so have Gerrard, Agger, Alberto, Lucas and Toure, and Mignolet

Johnson has be ok

Downing continues to frustrate, but has been lively

"Luis Suarez born to be red, broken by the press"  A banner in the crowd!

I thought the one with a picture of Luis on the left with the words

TO ERR IS HUMAN

TO SELL HIM

IS STUPID

was kwalitee. ;d

By the corner flag, left as you view. Probably not much chance of seeing it second half then!

Even in a pre season game, Johnson comes across as an awful right back.

Oh dear

Looks like Aspas took his eye off the ball just as he was about to shoot. Good run, but obviously a poor finish.

Kelly looking rustier than an old nail there and these commentators should really know the difference between Ibe/Sterling and Wisdom before they take a guess at them.

Our defending from set pieces still looks awful, absolutely no change from last year there as yet. Coutinho and Sterling have stood out from an extremely average display, going to put it down to the heat.

Our defending from set pieces still looks awful, absolutely no change from last year there as yet. Coutinho and Sterling have stood out from an extremely average display, going to put it down to the heat.

"Extremely average" is the best way to describe it. Just hasn't been sharp in the least bit. But it's still preseason and the humidity is pretty ridiculous. Kind of a typical dull preseason friendly, really.

EDIT:

I do think we've looked a bit more energetic once Raheem and Ibe came on, in fairness.

I do think we've looked a bit more energetic once Raheem and Ibe came on, in fairness.

Definitely an improvement mate, but from a 5 out of 10 to a 6 in my book. Good to see Raheem get his goal there as I think he's deserved it.

Raheem makes it 2-0. Brilliant skill by Ibe, passes on to Assaidi. Assaidi unselfish, gives Sterling the easy tap in.

Definitely an improvement mate, but from a 5 out of 10 to a 6 in my book. Good to see Raheem get his goal there as I think he's deserved it.

Definitely. He's got the right attitude once he gets on the pitch.

While the display may have been average, the crowd have been immense, fair play to them, great to hear that.

Really does warm your spirits hearing that kind of crowd half way around the world.

Not exactly a sharp performance, but a good run out for fitness. Coutinho is Coutinho. Liking the look of Alberto, though he'll still need time to adjust I feel. Raheem is looking like he's back to his best, and we've got a nice competition going on between him and Ibe. I also think Allen had a good half -- kept it simple, but kept it moving.

Although it wasn't the best performance, once again I don't think you can really draw too too much from any of these games. They're preseason friendlies, and today it really looked like one haha

Also, fantastic support out there! The Indonesian fans were fantastic!

Enjoyed that, and have to agree that the Indonesian fans were amazing.

I won't read anything into it. Our 2nd pre season match played in blistering heat against feisty opponents looking to prove a point.

Good to hear that it was a win. Won't read anything into it though, praise or criticism alike (funny how criticism can get a look into these pointless friendlies but any praise is shouted down). Standard run of the mill pre season friendly. Take more enjoyment when we play Celtic which should be cracking! Great day for the fans though

We should have played much better IMO, it was quite boring to see us play at times and it was often the case last season, we were quite sterile. Alberto needs to find his position and Downing was sh*t as usual. We still need 2 attacking players(1 to replace Downing and another to add quality to our starting 11)

It was good to see the defense do it's job well and we were calm in possession. I was impressed by our young lads in the 2nd half.

What do you expect mate? not having a go like, but just coming back from a terrible injury.

Oh no mate, wasn't a criticism of him, expected him to be that rusty. He needs a lot of minutes before he's going to be back up to speed. (I'm a big fan of Kelly for your info)

Only pre season but when did pass and move turn into pass-touch-pass? Sort it out eh Brendan?

 Couple of observations.

 1. Fairly clearly at the moment Brendan sees his first choice centre half pairing as Daniel Agger and Kolo Toure. Toure actually does look pretty good, hopefully this combo works.

 2. Steven Gerrard and Joe Allen are fully recovered from their respective operations.

 3. Aspas is a busy striker who can play a bit, but he is a zillion miles away from being Luis Suarez.

 4. Luis Alberto can play a bit too, but he is going to need to significantly get busier if he's going to make an impression on matches in England.

 5. Mignolet is a good keeper, that was an excellent save in the first half.

 6. Raheem Stirling has developed noticeably since last season.

 7. Our supporters in Indonesia are excellent at singing Liverpool songs. They just need to work on context, singing them at appropriate moments etc. 

3. Aspas is a busy striker who can play a bit, but he is a zillion miles away from being Luis Suarez.

 4. Luis Alberto can play a bit too, but he is going to need to significantly get busier if he's going to make an impression on matches in England.

This on the observation of probably about 90minutes game time in total, one of them games was also in very hot conditions with a mental amount of humidity. Sounding like Federer to be honest pal.

Couple of observations.

 1. Fairly clearly at the moment Brendan sees his first choice centre half pairing as Daniel Agger and Kolo Toure. Toure actually does look pretty good, hopefully this combo works.

 2. Steven Gerrard and Joe Allen are fully recovered from their respective operations.

 3. Aspas is a busy striker who can play a bit, but he is a zillion miles away from being Luis Suarez.

 4. Luis Alberto can play a bit too, but he is going to need to significantly get busier if he's going to make an impression on matches in England.

 5. Mignolet is a good keeper, that was an excellent save in the first half.

 6. Raheem Stirling has developed noticeably since last season.

 7. Our supporters in Indonesia are excellent at singing Liverpool songs. They just need to work on context, singing them at appropriate moments etc. 

Agree with all of Mick's points.  Here are a few additional thoughts:

Ibe looks like he could be another gem off the production line from the academy.  If his development continues along similar lines as Sterling's then we'll have a pair of top quality wingers in a few years. 

Coutinho is pure class!!  The kid has so much natural flair and creativity in his game, and it is just fun to watch him play. 

As a team, we looked very sluggish and lacked any sort of real cutting edge or thrust.  Probably a combination of the weather, the nasty pitch, the time zone difference, the long flights, etc.  However, I thought we looked much better against Preston than we did today.

Very poor first 45 with Downing particularly abysmal. Picked up signifigantly in the second once Ibe and Sterling entered the fray. Still considering the conditions and the shocking state of the pitch it wasn't the worst run out. And the supporters were boss!

This on the observation of probably about 90minutes game time in total, one of them games was also in very hot conditions with a mental amount of humidity. Sounding like Federer to be honest pal.

 Of course it's not based on 90 minutes, it's based on this game, that's why I put it in this thread. These are my thoughts based on what I saw. Now I could wait until February next year and I've seen them both play 20 matches, that way I've not only got less chance of being hopelessly wrong but I can also see what everyone thinks and just agree with the majority. I generally don't go with that approach though, I post my thoughts as I think of em like. Sorry if it makes me sound "like Federer", but there it is.

 I find your comments odd to be honest. I've hardly slagged either player off, I've simply said that although Aspas is busy and can play a bit, he isn't Suarez. Not earth shattering stuff by any stretch, neither is my assertion that Luis Alberto is going to need to (as Olivia Newton John once said) get physical if he's going to make an impact. Don't see what's controversial about it in all honesty, pal.

That support was mental.  Can't remember seeing anything like that in recent memory, felt like a European night almost!

Can you imagine if all our games at Anfield were like that?

Probably the best wools in the world.

Pretty poor effort if I'm being honest, sometimes it was boring to watch. However the conditions and the pitch weren't condusive to our style of play and it was only the 2nd game back together so I'll give it a pass mark and hopefully with the perfect pitch the lads will be presented on the hallowed turf that is the MCG, we'll get our passing game up and running.

I must say in Melbourne at the moment, it's freezing so a bit worried about the lads going from the extreme heat of Indonesia to the cold of Melbourne ( nothing like Englands cold though) within the space of a day. Hopefully they don't catch a cold 


Getting back to the match, one thing that stood out for me is out set pieces. We are so F***ing sh*t at them, especially the corners. Nothing has changed from last season. BR needs to sort this sh*t out in the next few weeks. I'm so F***ing sick of everytime getting a corner, Stewart Downing F***ing takes it and he can't even beat the first man!!! Whilst you're at it BR. Can you get some more players in the Box?

First time really making a reply on the forum as I'm still "learning the game" so I can't articulate some of the specifics of the game like most of you but I was pretty bored most of the match to be honest. There were times where I "shuddered" at the feeling that we looked similar to how we've played the past 2-3 years. Again, like most of you guys saying, maybe it was the sh*tty pitch and/or the heat.

As usual, I loved watching Coutinho scoring, even though there was a bit of a lucky reflection...just goes to show his determination and resolve to score. One of BRs best purchases and I liked him from the start so I'm a bit of a Coutinho fan!

Thought the passing was pretty poor and I don't know about you guys but for me, Johnson the past season (at least the latter half), and today, has been pretty bad! I used to like Johnson but I get nervous now when he's got the ball. That ridiculous "pass" (if you can call it that) to Toure (?) just proves to me my suspicion that he doesn't seem to give a toss anymore. I hope I'm wrong but I'm basing this off his past/recent performances.

Did enjoy seeing Sterling on the pitch but his goal was a gimme from a generous pass from Assaidi so I wasn't overly ecstatic because he SHOULD HAVE scored that...still, I'll take it and 2-0 means 2 friendlies with a clean sheet!

My worries(?):

1) I imagined Suarez on the fence about the rest of his time at LFC and watching THIS match and thinking, "forget it, I'm going to transfer" (based on "rumours" he wants to play for a definitive CL team)

2) I'm on a serious budget (unfortunately) and probably won't get Sky sports this year, let alone Sky and BT together to watch 9 matches through December but if I saw PURE DOMINATION in these pre-season games then I'd probably go hungry a couple days per week to pay for Sky/BT...just don't see any real amazing footie just yet and depending on how the seasons starts, will probably just watch MOD unless/until I see dominant football.

Don't get me wrong, I still feel we're improving the squad with the recent signings and if we can get a couple more good/great transfers before end of August then I'd be even more hopeful.....just saying this match today didn't impress me a whole lot but, glad we won...even though I expected it.

Just watching the replay. Didnt Downing seem very central in the first half? And we didnt seem to have much shape with the front four either.

First time really making a reply on the forum as I'm still "learning the game" so I can't articulate some of the specifics of the game like most of you but I was pretty bored most of the match to be honest. There were times where I "shuddered" at the feeling that we looked similar to how we've played the past 2-3 years. Again, like most of you guys saying, maybe it was the sh*tty pitch and/or the heat.

As usual, I loved watching Coutinho scoring, even though there was a bit of a lucky reflection...just goes to show his determination and resolve to score. One of BRs best purchases and I liked him from the start so I'm a bit of a Coutinho fan!

Thought the passing was pretty poor and I don't know about you guys but for me, Johnson the past season (at least the latter half), and today, has been pretty bad! I used to like Johnson but I get nervous now when he's got the ball. That ridiculous "pass" (if you can call it that) to Toure (?) just proves to me my suspicion that he doesn't seem to give a toss anymore. I hope I'm wrong but I'm basing this off his past/recent performances.

Did enjoy seeing Sterling on the pitch but his goal was a gimme from a generous pass from Assaidi so I wasn't overly ecstatic because he SHOULD HAVE scored that...still, I'll take it and 2-0 means 2 friendlies with a clean sheet!

My worries(?):

1) I imagined Suarez on the fence about the rest of his time at LFC and watching THIS match and thinking, "forget it, I'm going to transfer" (based on "rumours" he wants to play for a definitive CL team)

2) I'm on a serious budget (unfortunately) and probably won't get Sky sports this year, let alone Sky and BT together to watch 9 matches through December but if I saw PURE DOMINATION in these pre-season games then I'd probably go hungry a couple days per week to pay for Sky/BT...just don't see any real amazing footie just yet and depending on how the seasons starts, will probably just watch MOD unless/until I see dominant football.

Don't get me wrong, I still feel we're improving the squad with the recent signings and if we can get a couple more good/great transfers before end of August then I'd be even more hopeful.....just saying this match today didn't impress me a whole lot but, glad we won...even though I expected it.

Good post fella, post more.

Decent run out for the lads, form not that important at this stage but Johnson was almost as bad as that pitch!

Great credit to the fans out there, the way they sang YNWA put modern Anfield to shame.

Watched the game yesterday and again it was standard pre-season fair to be honest. Players finding some fitness and a chance to see a bit more of the new players. We're struggling to be really penetrate in these games so far but it's no surprise seeing as we're missing our 2 best frontmen. Brightest aspects so far for me is to see the reinvogoration of Sterling. He looks very lively and also looks to me to have been in the gym over the past few months and it will make a real difference to his game if he can get that little bit stronger. The other big plus has been the form of Coutinho who (if Luis leaves) could become the new main man this season. I still think we need to spend some money on a blue chip young CB prospect but I have to admit that Toure has slotted in and looked very comfortable right from the off.