Liverpool 2-1 Swansea City: In game and Post Match debate

It amazes me how other people see the game.

I thought Manquillo was awful and has been since he joined.

The sooner Flanno is back the better.

Would not say awful, but yes agree his crosses were poor, and yes we need flanno back.

So it seems playing with 2 strikers achieves goals then, eventually ;-).

I'd be starting Borini and Balotelli up front now until Sturridge is back. Borini is not as bad as some think, he may not be a clinical finisher but he has excellent movement and that's exactly what we need at the moment. I think he offers more than Lambert, although that's not saying much.

agreed.

So, another manager sets his team up to stop us by sitting deep and keeping lots of men behind the ball, just as Hull did on Saturday.

The difference between a draw (against Hull) and a win was the length of Balotellis studs, and a defense that switched off.

Speaking of the Swans defense switching off, that was great stuff by Balotelli to wind them up, even if he didn't mean it. He took a step forwards to make a grab at Shelvey. All the defenders and the goalie were watching him and Shelvey instead of concentrating on the ball.
It was only for a second, but that's all it takes.

Borini had a very good game. Good movement, got a few shots in and I was impressed that he took his man on and roughed him up a bit at times. Great cross for the first goal.
Lucas was good and had his passing boots on
Coutinho very good, but faded a bit second half
The defense did OK
Henderson was all bluster and a bit ineffective
Jones needs to work on his kicking
Lambert had a few nice touches but did little to worry them
Markovic showed a couple of glimpses of the fine player he is, but little else and was disappointing overall, but give him time and he will come good.

I enjoyed the match and was strangely confident even when we went behind.

Which is why Brendan needs to mix it up. Last season, ball to the feet worked majority of the time. Now, we need crosses from the wings too. It's not a big deal. I'm quite sure players like Rushie mixed it about a bit while scoring one or two...

Would not say awful, but yes agree his crosses were poor, and yes we need flanno back.

Manquillo is fine as a defender and just like Flanno the attack side of their game is not their strength.
I prefer my fullbacks to be able to defend first and on that counts Manquillo is doing fine, he is what 20 so plenty of time to work on his crossing.

Giving serious thought to how bothered I can be to find out who voted for Markovic....

Really pleased for the team. It's not a cup I particularly care about but BR did exactly what he should have done...use it as a good platform to give some of those who need game time some playing opportunities.

Glad SG, Llalana, Sterling, Moreno and Balo didn't start (Balo down to his form rather than risk of burn out) and whilst the result didn't exactly look convincing, it's fantastic for the team spirit and momentum. Really happy for the lads.

Considering who did not start it was a great win in the end.

Would not say awful, but yes agree his crosses were poor, and yes we need flanno back.

Can't wait to see Flanno available, but is he supposed to be a great crosser of the ball now or something?

His crossing is not as good as others, but Id put him ahead of all other RB, even Jose at LB.

Was one of the stand out players last season.

When did I say Flanno was a 'great crosser of the ball'?

He does contribute far more than Manquillo or Johnson though, both in my opinion are awful.

He does contribute far more than Manquillo or Johnson though, both in my opinion are awful.

Glenda J is awful and has been for 2 seasons. Big reason why we let in so many goals.

So it seems playing with 2 strikers achieves goals then, eventually ;-).

I'd be starting Borini and Balotelli up front now until Sturridge is back. Borini is not as bad as some think, he may not be a clinical finisher but he has excellent movement and that's exactly what we need at the moment. I think he offers more than Lambert, although that's not saying much.

Definately, it's been bugging me all season having Balotelli on his own up there.
Borini's movement could be very useful at this point in time, plus he'd be more likely to pick up any scraps Balo misses more than some other players from midfield.

Definately, it's been bugging me all season having Balotelli on his own up there.
Borini's movement could be very useful at this point in time, plus he'd be more likely to pick up any scraps Balo misses more than some other players from midfield.

Totally agree, Both Italian as well, IMO having a fellow country man up top with Balo will help him as well.

When did I say Flanno was a 'great crosser of the ball'?

He does contribute far more than Manquillo or Johnson though, both in my opinion are awful.

Your verdict on Manquillo, I personally don't understand, he was dominating the right flank against that tricky Spanish player they had on their left, then later on they added numbers down his side to try and overwhelm that area.
Him and Moreno have been the best new signings so far for me. put the most effort in and haven't give up even when the team have been playing without heart.

Totally agree, Both Italian as well, IMO having a fellow country man up top with Balo will help him as well.

That's a good point! For some reason I only thought that for the first time last night when I thought oh yeah, they're both Italian.

That's a good point! For some reason I only thought that for the first time last night when I thought oh yeah, they're both Italian.

Borini was very very happy at balo's goal. .

Your verdict on Manquillo, I personally don't understand, he was dominating the right flank against that tricky Spanish player they had on their left, then later on they added numbers down his side to try and overwhelm that area.
Him and Moreno have been the best new signings so far for me. put the most effort in and haven't give up even when the team have been playing without heart.

Moreno has been miles better, maybe thats due to Johnson coming back and Manquillo being rotated more.

Giving serious thought to how bothered I can be to find out who voted for Markovic....

That would be interesting

I voted for Lucas as it goes; put it a good shift and was solid throughout. We'll ignore his shooting exploits though.

I voted for Lucas as well, quietly broke up play and his shooting was not much worse than some who should do better

Personally was totally split between Borini and Couts, went for Couts in the end but it really was the closest for a loooong time.

As for the Markovic voter, he's obviously a registered member of LFCReds.

Or his Mam is.

So glad we came back and why were the commentators freaking out over their red card? That was a rough tackle, don't care if his studs weren't showing.

Sorry mate, but I completely disagree. Coutinho had a heavy touch that opened the door for Fernandez to make the challenge. It was effectively a 50/50 ball and Fernandez won it. He came in from the front, beat Coutinho to the ball, and didn't raise his boot or expose his studs. That was a clean and honest tackle in my book, and I feel for Swansea to have a player dismissed in such a manner. I know I'd lose my sh*t if the roles were reversed and we'd had a player sent off then went on to lose the game....

Sorry mate, but I completely disagree. Coutinho had a heavy touch that opened the door for Fernandez to make the challenge. It was effectively a 50/50 ball and Fernandez won it. He came in from the front, beat Coutinho to the ball, and didn't raise his boot or expose his studs. That was a clean and honest tackle in my book, and I feel for Swansea to have a player dismissed in such a manner. I know I'd lose my sh*t if the roles were reversed and we'd had a player sent off then went on to lose the game....

I think the fact that Coutinho jumped out of the way made it seem worse than it was.
I didn't see players reacting as they normally would to a tackle worthy of a straight red, and that tells a story as well.