Liverpool 3-2 Aston Villa: In game and Post Match Thread

Oh and one other thing...

I thought Lucas was f**king brilliant yesterday... a proper captains performance.

It still baffles me how Milner walked through the main gates less than six months ago and wears that armband ahead of Lucas Leiva who has been here nine years.

Yet Lucas came out and gave the post match BBC interview(a good one at that btw).. that should've been Milner before the cameras putting things right on behalf the team with all the sh*t that's going down..

rant over..

Milner did put things right. He scored our goal within 2 minutes.. and gave the team a huge lift! Where else was the goal coming from?

Across the pitch, he played really well and led the lads on. A captain's performance right to the end where he ran down the clock with the ball.

I don't think he can, I've stated a few times Benteke is a good footballer, but probably not suited to the type of football we try to play

I agree with you.

Liverpool spent £32M to sign him.

Liverpool could have handed that money to a Suárez.

I agree with you.

Liverpool spent £32M to sign him.

Liverpool could have handed that money to a Suárez.

Liverpool would have been better served telling Suarez to name his price and not signing a single F***ing player.

They did, and he's taken the opportunity to immediately go on the offensive against people who had criticised him.
Much like on the pitch, Brendan's preferred MO seems to be attack, rather than to take a moment and sit back.

A lot of folk seem to forget we started with 4231 last season and struggled. At least till Rodgers realised he was going to be sacked and went all in with 3421. I see a pattern emerging. It went well till Swansea sussed us out and Rodgers not learning played the same hand against the mancs and we got beat. The rest of that season was dreadful.

He'd have been a smarter cookie had he saved those comments after a good run of games.

A lot of folk seem to forget we started with 4231 last season and struggled. At least till Rodgers realised he was going to be sacked and went all in with 3421. I see a pattern emerging. It went well till Swansea sussed us out and Rodgers not learning played the same hand against the mancs and we got beat. The rest of that season was dreadful.

He'd have been a smarter cookie had he saved those comments after a good run of games.

I think we're all well aware of what system Brendan has tried.
The biggest mistake he made last season (two actually)
1) Telling the world how we'd fixed things with 3-4-3.
2) Binning it off when we subsequently lost to the Mancs.

The difference that firing a Sturridge (or any striker really) makes cannot be overstated.  I don't think that we played much differently to last week, but the finishing for the goals was top class.

As much as the back three can work it does leave is over exposed when teams attack down the wings - particularly when your central players struggle to defend crosses.  Can was stationary for the first, and should have been more alert, and is not really a centre back.

Moreno has looked quite good since returning - his left foot just gives more balance to the side.

Ings works very hard and played well for me - he has almost done more so far this season than our strikers did all of last season.

Coutinho's performance was different this week.  In the first half in particular he played quite deep, but that seemed to open up some space as someone always came out with him.

All in all a good three points, with room for improvement - but you only have to look at City to see how things can easily turn around in either direction.

Who the fk voted for Allen MOTM??? He was on for 30 seconds

Who the fk voted for Allen MOTM??? He was on for 30 seconds

Maybe they missed Sturridge.
(I certainly have. Wahey!)

Much needed 3 points, although we almost blew it (I was expecting a late equalizer, the way our season has been going). Studge the difference, we've been needing that quality. Actually, we have just needed goals in general. He and Danny Ings making a great pair, and it will be interesting to see what happens when Benteke becomes healthy again. Lucas, was immense. Would have been MOTM if Studge wasn't the difference in the game with 2 goals. My biggest complaint is Emre Can. Dreadful, and our defense did well bar his performance. Solely at fault for their first goal. I keep hearing he is out of position, but isn't he a RB for his country? He doesn't get ahead of Lucas/Hendo/Milner for me in CM, so I'm not sure where that leaves him. I believe we should slide Clyne in that RB position. He's probably the best natural defender in the squad, so let him defend. We are getting nothing of an end product from him anyways, let Ibe/Lallana battle for that RWB spot. It's a good start, need to go again now.

Yeah. Think that second was a great goal though. He could have launched himself better but I think the best he could have done there was give away a pen.

Yea I don't think any defender in the league could have defended that one. Perfect cross, too high for Sakho, bullet of a header from a man-freak.

The first goal was f***ing shambles though. Why he's allowed to get that ball in from that angle and why Sakho and Mignolet both froze and watch it sail past them is beyond me. No matter how much magic Couts and Studge might produce up front, if our defence keeps undermining the whole team, we're done for. There are certianly too many individual errors, but we lack defensive discipline in general, and that's down to the manager.

I'm a little worried that although we won and scored 3 goals I still wasn't bothered or even a little bit excited.

I mean I'm glad we won but it's like the football life has been sucked out of me. I just sat through the whole match pretty motionless.

But hey its nice to finally win and score more than one in a game.

Might be a little late on this... but F**k knows how one can be motionless in that five minute period of mayhem. My missus woke up to snapchats of me doing the Sturridge, and I was only half drunk.

Overall pessimism aside, was not a boring match. Besides standard defensive calamity + Guzan, we coulda won 5-0 very easy. Doesn't cover for issues, but I don't get the idea of being motionless for a match. Anyways. Onwards and all.

Who the fk voted for Allen MOTM??? He was on for 30 seconds

enough time for 2 wa**s !

While a 3-2 win over a poor Villa side isn't enough to change opinions on the manager, the result should help relieve some pressure for a few days. A few more wins on the trot would be immense for BR and the confidence of the players, but let's take it 1 game at a time.....

There were plenty positives to take from this game, primarily the return of Studge to the score sheet. His form and fitness will play a crucial role in our ability to reach our goals this season, so it's encouraging to see him scoring goals even when he's clearly still a bit rusty.  I went for Studge as MOTM, but I thought both Moreno and Lucas played exceptionally too. I know it has only been 2 games, and the level of opposition has been poor, but Moreno has looked the best LB/LWB/LM in the league on these performances!! Clyne and Milner were both solid and dependable. Special mention for Ings who looks like he would claw his way through a brick wall to help us win!!

The only player I thought was particularly poor was Skrtel.  I am struggling to see the benefits of including him in a back 3, and I think we would be better off playing a back 4 with Can-Sakho as our CB pair and Lucas dropping in between them as our CDM. Other than that, no complaints.  Let's build on this and get some momentum going!!  Onwards and upwards   

The only player I thought was particularly poor was Skrtel.  I am struggling to see the benefits of including him in a back 3, and I think we would be better off playing a back 4 with Can-Sakho as our CB pair and Lucas dropping in between them as our CDM. Other than that, no complaints.  Let's build on this and get some momentum going!!  Onwards and upwards   

I don't want Can anywhere in our back three or four. He's a poor defender, who caused the first goal and gifted a goal for Gestede in the first half which the striker missed. I actually like Skrtel in the back 3....I think he does a lot better in it than a back 4.

I don't want Can anywhere in our back three or four. He's a poor defender, who caused the first goal and gifted a goal for Gestede in the first half which the striker missed. I actually like Skrtel in the back 3....I think he does a lot better in it than a back 4.

Id rather see Kolo or young Gomez getting a shot in the back 3.

Move Can into MF.

Might be a little late on this... but f**k knows how one can be motionless in that five minute period of mayhem. My missus woke up to snapchats of me doing the Sturridge, and I was only half drunk.

Overall pessimism aside, was not a boring match. Besides standard defensive calamity + Guzan, we coulda won 5-0 very easy. Doesn't cover for issues, but I don't get the idea of being motionless for a match. Anyways. Onwards and all.

Haha sorry mate meant to say emotionless not motionless

Id rather see Kolo or young Gomez getting a shot in the back 3.

Move Can into MF.

I agree with this completely. Gomez has shown he is a solid defender and Can is playing a prominent role in the clown show currently going on at our back 3.

Villa sure taught us good on how to use a target man effectively. Our crosses are nowhere near how they found their target man time and again. Those crosses even led to scoring.

Have seen a good bit more of Benteke since since pulling on the red shirt, and while he's strong and can score good goals from not much, he looks slower than I thought he was, doesn't contribute enough during game overall (he looks slow in closing down) and us having to tailor our game for him means we play percentages rather than possession.
Was good to see the interplay at times in the Villa game, reckon playing Studge up there instead is more natural for us. We looked much better imo, more the sum of our parts than if Benteke was there.
Big money spent on him by BR. So think when he's fit he'll bring him back. Where to (if Studge fit)? Dunno. Hope he's not the sword BR falls on, and he can somehow fit into our possession style of play. F**k that long ball sh*t. How likely is it he'll be a success? Hope for the best, but I wouldn't bet my house on it.

Plenty of teams cause chaos to our defense by pumping in crosses to big men - I'd be happy to see us use that tactic from time to time.