Dortmund 1-1 Liverpool: In-game & Post-match "YNWA"!

I'm going to pick you up on Mignolet.  I have been knocking him as much as next person, but I actually thought he looked more assured last night and had a good game.  The header was too close and came too fast for him to get anything on it.  But he actually caught balls in which he would often flap at. I agree the Cryuff Turns were not needed and on another day could result in a goal.

Agree, his catching was good last night and the ball actual stuck to his hands. Nothing any keeper could have done about the goal, Hummels had a free run at it from the 18 yard box and connected 2-3 meters infront of him.

I thought we put in a damn good performance last night.  Realistically, Dortmund are a level above us at the moment and are probably one of the best 8-10 teams in Europe.  On the flip side, we are a team in transition that is only starting to come to terms with the tactical style of the new manager. 

Statistically, they had the edge in possession, shots, shots on target, and corners.  However, the quality of our chances was probably a bit better than theirs and we were desperately unlucky not to get at least 2 away goals from this game.  Origi could have (perhaps should have) had a hat trick, Lovren should have finished, and Weidenfeller made a phenomenal save to deny Coutinho. 

Missed chances aside, I thought Lovren, Sakho, and Origi were all fantastic, and no one was really poor in this game.  Some average performances from Hendo, Clyne, Can, etc but that is to be expected when you play opposition of such high quality. 

I hope Jürgen sends out the scrubs against Stoke and rests the likes of Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana, etc for next Thursday.  Dortmund has the derby match against Schalke on Sunday so they won't have the luxury of being able to rest key players for the 2nd leg.  If we can close this tie off and move into the semi's then I'll start believing we can win the whole thing!! 

I hope Jürgen sends out the scrubs against Stoke and rests the likes of Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana, etc for next Thursday.  Dortmund has the derby match against Schalke on Sunday so they won't have the luxury of being able to rest key players for the 2nd leg.  If we can close this tie off and move into the semi's then I'll start believing we can win the whole thing!!

Interesting point that Harry, certainly could give us a slight fitness edge.

I hope Jürgen sends out the scrubs against Stoke and rests the likes of Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana, etc for next Thursday.

I don't know if I'd go along with (possibly) sacrificing points or, indeed, league position Harry.

That said; there's no better (or more convenient) excuse for doing just that. If it transpires that an excuse is needed, of course. 

Klopps european pedigree is showing here. It was like Rafa vs Capello - very ordinary LFC team vs mighty Juve but we still did them.

I don't know if I'd go along with (possibly) sacrificing points or, indeed, league position Harry.

That said; there's no better (or more convenient) excuse for doing just that. If it transpires that an excuse is needed, of course. 

Not everyone will agree.  Many will stick to the motto that we want to win every game we play, and I can't fault people for taking that stance.  I just don't see any tangible goal that we can still achieve by virtue of our league position.  However, we can still win a trophy and clinch a CL birth if we win the EL.  Just my opinion, but to each his own

I don't know if I'd go along with (possibly) sacrificing points or, indeed, league position Harry.

That said; there's no better (or more convenient) excuse for doing just that. If it transpires that an excuse is needed, of course. 

Dortmund are competing for a title, or at least their second place finish still in the Bundesliga. We're competing for a very very slight chance of acquiring a position that would get us into CL footy - which can be accomplished more easily by winning this game and taking the Europa. I'd say we take that as leverage and rest at least our key players while we can and put ourselves at an advantage for the next leg.

At the least, there's nothing wrong with giving starts to some of the other fellas in the league match.

As for the game itself, I was very impressed with our side. Lovren, Sakho, Origi especially. Can, Milner, and Clyne put in some decent shifts as well I thought, and Allen coming in steadied the ship as well (surprising to me still). All in all, everyone had a decent game, there was nobody who let the team down whatsoever, hopefully next week we can continue the message.

Think it'd have been a different game if Firmino was in there for the full 90 as our attacking midfielders didn't offer much creativity in the front end. All in all solid performance in a very tough environment to play. Fans were especially amazing to watch, the YNWA performance sent shivers down my spine.

From their end, that guy Julian Weigl (#33) has some career ahead of him good lord. He's the type of player we should be seeking out to improve our squad. Just 20 years of age and he was capable of controlling the play completely from a deep-lying midfield role, tackled well, and his vision and passing were also absolutely spectacular, some of his passes cut through our back line like butter. Hummels, Aubameyang, Reus, Mkhitaryan all clear quality class as well. Crazy to think that I'm pretty sure we've been linked to all of them at points in time. Certainly won't be an easy task next week, but this one's got me feeling optimistic.

We've been charged by UEFA for letting off flairs after Origi scored. Dortmund have also been charged for blocking stairwells.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/10234859/liverpool-charged-by-uefa-after-incidents-at-borussia-dortmund

Many will stick to the motto that we want to win every game we play, and I can't fault people for taking that stance.  I just don't see any tangible goal that we can still achieve by virtue of our league position.

You PoV is very fair Harry. Let's be honest - our league position really does suck scabby ass and it's hardly likely to get much better but...

... whilst I fully understand the situation; I wouldn't want Jürgen to suffer the same ignominy that was piled on the King for his poor "points tally" and ppg. Yeah, the chances are the same people, who did that, will have learned from their mistakes and matured mentally but who knows.

Either way... the excuses and swings/changes in opinion will definitely make for interesting viewing. 

We've been charged by UEFA for letting off flairs after Origi scored. Dortmund have also been charged for blocking stairwells.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/10234859/liverpool-charged-by-uefa-after-incidents-at-borussia-dortmund

One day we will get charged for not getting charged.

One day we will get charged for not getting charged.

Winning without winning!

We've been charged by UEFA for letting off flairs after Origi scored. Dortmund have also been charged for blocking stairwells.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/10234859/liverpool-charged-by-uefa-after-incidents-at-borussia-dortmund

No Pyro, No Party!!

No Pyro, No Party!!

 

Id rest a few players against Stoke and keep some firepower on the bench if needed.

You PoV is very fair Harry. Let's be honest - our league position really does suck scabby ass and it's hardly likely to get much better but...

... whilst I fully understand the situation; I wouldn't want Jürgen to suffer the same ignominy that was piled on the King for his poor "points tally" and ppg. Yeah, the chances are the same people, who did that, will have learned from their mistakes and matured mentally but who knows.

Either way... the excuses and swings/changes in opinion will definitely make for interesting viewing. 

Yes it's definitely happened before that with the league season as good as over we've taken our foot off the gas in relatively meaningless fixtures. As you say mate history has taught us that fans can be very unforgiving towards managers who "concentrate on the cups" and take their eyes off the ball in the league though. If I were Jürgen (and I'm sure this is what he WILL do) I'd be trying my best to improve our league position from 9th before the end of the season. Plus Stoke are one of the teams above us I think, so if we beat them it will increase our chances of getting above them come the seasons end.

Not having this 'a top keeper saves those' comments aimed at Migs for their goal.

A top keeper lets that in with people saying how well they did to even get a hand on it.

As for the game itself I thought we were very good really, and probably should be coming home ahead in the tie with more away goals to show for the display.

Origi really showed Sturridge how to be a loan striker with his tireless running, good upper body strength and was really adept at holding the ball up too.

Sadly for us he is still very raw in the finishing department, and probably always will be.

I'm at the stage where i've given up on ('the much improved') Adam Lallana. He is just too lightweight and powderpuff in every entire facet of his game.

The rest I liked what I saw from and we are still in a reasonable position in this game.

It's going to come down to who takes the chances in the return leg and for that reason I'd be giving Sturridge the first 60/65 minutes to see if he can finish a chance that Origi could well miss.

We can win this game outright next week.

You PoV is very fair Harry. Let's be honest - our league position really does suck scabby ass and it's hardly likely to get much better but...

... whilst I fully understand the situation; I wouldn't want Jürgen to suffer the same ignominy that was piled on the King for his poor "points tally" and ppg. Yeah, the chances are the same people, who did that, will have learned from their mistakes and matured mentally but who knows.

Either way... the excuses and swings/changes in opinion will definitely make for interesting viewing. 

That's a fair point. I can't comment on what other posters would do if we finish in a worse position than we are at the moment, but I personally don't give a sh*t about our league position right now.  We aren't going to finish top 4, and we aren't going to get relegated.  We will finish somewhere in the zone of "mid-table mediocrity"

European glory is all we have left to play for....

No Pyro, No Party!!

how old are we , five ? Seriously don't see the fascination seemingly grown men have with flares etc, the only flares should be the ones we wear.

Can't understand the logic people have about resting players, we can improve our league position plus form isn't something you can turn on or off on a whim. Play the strongest team possible, guarantee if we change the team around a lot and results are affected some of those who supposedly don't care will start moaning. We don't play again to Thursday so go all out on Sunday.

how old are we , five ? Seriously don't see the fascination seemingly grown men have with flares etc, the only flares should be the ones we wear.

The only place they still wear flares is Dudley ....

That's a fair point. I can't comment on what other posters would do if we finish in a worse position than we are at the moment, but I personally don't give a sh*t about our league position right now.  We aren't going to finish top 4, and we aren't going to get relegated.  We will finish somewhere in the zone of "mid-table mediocrity"

European glory is all we have left to play for....

It's okay saying that mate but every match has it's own story and during those games we all get up for them. Do we really want to be turned over by Stoke at weekend or lose to the bitters in the upcoming derby?

Every game means something and I hope we hammer stoke on Sunday.

Although I wouldn't be risking players who are carrying niggles, or rushing the likes of Firmino back for the weekend, I'd hate for us to down tools in the league for the sake of (what remains in my opinion) a long shot at the Europa.

Decent result, especially with an away goal to my mind. Good strike by Origi .

It's okay saying that mate but every match has it's own story and during those games we all get up for them. Do we really want to be turned over by Stoke at weekend or lose to the bitters in the upcoming derby?

Every game means something and I hope we hammer stoke on Sunday.

Although I wouldn't be risking players who are carrying niggles, or rushing the likes of Firmino back for the weekend, I'd hate for us to down tools in the league for the sake of (what remains in my opinion) a long shot at the Europa.

Fair do's.  I don't think it's a long shot.  The winner of our tie with Dortmund will enter the semi-finals as the favorites.  The other teams are likely to be Sevilla, Shakhtar, and Villarreal -- I like our chances against any of them.  In any case, we need to finish the job next Thursday.  I personally hope we approach the game against Stoke with the understanding that the 2nd leg is our top priority.