Liverpool 2:2 Arsenal, In game & post match phew.

What happens when Studge comes back?

Wonder if it'll all revert back to the diamond

Think we will go back to it with Balotelli and Sturridge up top at some point, we did opt for it as soon as Balotelli arrived so it would make sense. Issue is that it makes getting the likes of Lallana, Coutinho, Markovic and Sterling in the side quite tough and they are the in form players right now.

Carra MNF

Need more shithouses.

Carra MNF

Need more shithouses.

Carra said around 3.30 into that. "Lambert can't give you that and Balotelli wont give you that". Really does make me wonder why we signed them two when they clearly don't suit our play and surely games like this Rodgers would always have set us out to press them like we did last season.

Neville is bang on about us and Arsenal though.

Carra MNF

Need more shithouses.

Not a bad point. But that's what I thought we were doing with the likes of Sakho and Can.

Carra said around 3.30 into that. "Lambert can't give you that and Balotelli wont give you that". Really does make me wonder why we signed them two when they clearly don't suit our play and surely games like this Rodgers would always have set us out to press them like we did last season.

Neville is bang on about us and Arsenal though.

And Carragher is absolutely right about that.

"Lambert can't give you that and Balotelli wont give you that".

Exactly. We signed the complete opposite in terms of what we wanted.

Suarez leaving. Sign two players more like Carroll, which we knew was not the type of striker we needed.

€20 Million wasted.
Take that and the €20 Million for Lovren and we could have bought a player that suited our style and was ready to make an immediate impact.

Thought we were good but also thought Arsenal made us look better again. They were poor on the day, a lot of missed passes, Wellbeck non-existent and with 2 up top got outnumbered in the middle. They barely functioned in the first half, and even so when we woke them up a bit after Cou scored, they just went down the other end and nodded one in.
In saying that, we're definitely improving relative to what we have been earlier in the season - but we've a ways to go. Don't mind BR generally over egging the praise a bit after games to help player confidence, but saying we were better than in the brilliant 5-1 wholloping last season is far-fetched imo. Just need to reign that in a wee bit, or it gets empty.
Overall though, positive signs, BR and the lads look like they are getting some of their mojo back. Still a bit fragile, feels like wouldn't take much to derail things, so need to keep the tempo up and get decent results against Burnley and Swansea...

Carra said around 3.30 into that. "Lambert can't give you that and Balotelli wont give you that". Really does make me wonder why we signed them two when they clearly don't suit our play and surely games like this Rodgers would always have set us out to press them like we did last season.

Neville is bang on about us and Arsenal though.

Exactly. We signed the complete opposite in terms of what we wanted.

Suarez leaving. Sign two players more like Carroll, which we knew was not the type of striker we needed.

€20 Million wasted.
Take that and the €20 Million for Lovren and we could have bought a player that suited our style and was ready to make an immediate impact.

I think we've been very harsh on Lambert. He was always coming in to be the third choice striker and to be the guy to fill in in emergency situations, cup ties, and at the end of games if we needed someone to win headers and hold up play in a way Sturridge can't. Let's not forget that Lambert, despite his size and lack of pace, DID play in Pochettino's high press system. He cost £4 million. And we signed him on June 2 -- before the World Cup even started and well before any kind of Suarez negotiations heavily took off.

The issue wasn't buying Lambert for peanuts. It was buying Balotelli after failing to bring in a pacey striker. Any purpose in signing Rickie went completely out the window when we brought in Mario.

Which gives all the more weight to the argument that all transfers are not necessarily to the liking of Rodgers. Maybe in Lambert he saw a player who was decent enough to start the cup games and maybe fill in once in a while but I really can't get my mind around Balo being a Rodgers signing when he categorically denied even considering signing him and then we do a u turn days later. It looked like a panic buy and I don't think Rodgers is completely to be blamed for it but by keeping quiet and letting all this happen, he hasn't done himself any favours as evident by the current results. Now is a time as good as any for him to get his point across to the owners.

Neville is right somehow, 27 attempts at goal against Arsenal that we should have scored more. We're heading in the right direction and if BR could work on the shooting accuracy and movement of Sterling, Cou, Markovic & Lallana inside the box we'll score more goals. First BR will need to get the players nearer to the opposition players and don't give them space and we'll be very very difficult to play against. In the game against Arsenal we're somewhat giving Arsenal that extra 2 yards to manoeuvre,

Neville is right somehow, 27 attempts at goal against Arsenal that we should have scored more. We're heading in the right direction and if BR could work on the shooting accuracy and movement of Sterling, Cou, Markovic & Lallana inside the box we'll score more goals. First BR will need to get the players nearer to the opposition players and don't give them space and we'll be very very difficult to play against. In the game against Arsenal we're somewhat giving Arsenal that extra 2 yards to manoeuvre,

I'm not convinced clinical finishing is something you can coach. You either are one or you're not. Those are guys who will chip in with goals, not our main source of them.

Which gives all the more weight to the argument that all transfers are not necessarily to the liking of Rodgers. Maybe in Lambert he saw a player who was decent enough to start the cup games and maybe fill in once in a while but I really can't get my mind around Balo being a Rodgers signing when he categorically denied even considering signing him and then we do a u turn days later. It looked like a panic buy and I don't think Rodgers is completely to be blamed for it but by keeping quiet and letting all this happen, he hasn't done himself any favours as evident by the current results. Now is a time as good as any for him to get his point across to the owners.

I'd rather have him get his point across to the players. That is, if he has a point. Which I'm not too sure about any more.

My ratings:

Jones: He definitely commands his area better than Mignolet. Unfortunately he doesn't actually save anything. A better passer of the football than some of our centre backs though. 5/10.

Markovic: Obviously not a wing back, but I like the fact he's being played there. It's allowing him to feel his way into the Premiership, and to get some confidence going. Obviously a talented footballer. 6/10.

Sakho: Did pretty well aside from a couple of trademark Bambi moves in possession and a baffling decision not to get close to Giroud for the second goal. 5/10.

Skrtel: At fault for the first goal in that he over anticipated and got sucked in a step too much under the ball. A bit unlucky from there that his attempt at a recovery saw the ball deflected in. Great equaliser though, very brave with an injury. 7/10.

Toure: Did little wrong other than like Skrtel and Sakho, being unaware of Giroud for the second. 6/10.

Gerrard: Some good moments mixed in with the ordinary. Did pretty well but outshone by his midfield partner. 7/10.

Lucas: I thought he was magnificent. Not his job to score, I wish he wouldn't even go there but such was our dominance he was able to do so with impunity and he almost won us the game. If we're serious about playing the 3-4-3 long term, we should give him a. New contract. MOM by miles. 9/10.

Henderson: a few trademark brainless moments, but in general not too bad. 6/10.

Coutinho: would have been MOM but for his wastefulness in front of goal.what. Footballer though. 8/10.

Sterling: did enough when back out wide to show THAT is his position really. 7/10.

Lallana: continues to impress. 8/10.

Agree with everything except tone it down a bit with Lucas,Coutinho & Lallana reprimended with a point less for fading out too much,and Henderson can´t for us be a 6-7/10 player.He keeps us back with his trademark side/back passes.Should be replaced with Lambert or Borini.