Other Games 2014-15

[paul_e]

Barca at their pomp were easily the hardest working side in football, easier to do when you have a lot of the ball, but they’d press the life out of the opposition and then pass it with purpose from a high line...

Yep, the key point is that their success was built on incredible hard work and purpose. And then overlayed with very skilful players.

I've said it before, a big part of it was they applied 2 of the basics of rugby to football, namely 'contain and wait for a mistake' and 'hunt in packs'.  Watch them back, they didn't make a challenge until someone had a heavy touch or a poor pass then 2-3 jump on it and win the ball back.  It meant they always had players in position and a strong shape.

[PeterWithesShin]

Pass the sickbag.

Kop captain spelled out to the squad they can still finish in the top 4 and set up his fairytale FA Cup Final farewell despite losing him to a 3-match ban

With Liverpool’s dressing room still stunned into near silence, Steven Gerrard spoke softly and briefly to the team-mates slumped across the benches.

As he took responsibility for the devastating defeat by Manchester United, it wasn’t a speech to stand alongside his “We go again” demands during the remarkable unbeaten run at the end of last season.

Yet the message was similar.

Despite the blow delivered by United’s painful victory, he reminded everyone there was still much to play for, that every ambition Liverpool had going into the game remained.

It was leadership even when the captain admitted he had displayed a lack of it during the game.

As goalkeeper Simon Mignolet explained, it was an example of the fabric of the man, even in his lowest moment.

“He spoke to the team after the game inside the dressing room and what was said exactly shall stay in there, but it shows who and what he is off the pitch,” the keeper said.

The pain Gerrard felt at that moment must have been almost as excruciating as a year ago, when his slip against Chelsea inspired a thousand cruel songs, and added a crueller footnote to a remarkable career.

Yet his experience told him that Liverpool’s young players needed reminding of what is still at stake this season. The squad will separate on Tuesday as they fly to all parts of the globe to represent their respective nations.

But when they return, they face two games in four days – both to be played without their suspended captain – that will decide their season.

The United defeat was a setback. Defeats in those two games will be terminal.

They first visit Arsenal in a contest that has now become a virtual must-win for Liverpool to finish in the top four. Then they face a tricky visit to Blackburn in a straight shoot-out for an FA Cup semi-final berth against Aston Villa at Wembley.

No matter how low they felt after losing to their bitterest rivals on home turf in such a lacklustre manner, and no matter how much he was responsible for that, Gerrard realised that there can be no moping from his team-mates.

For all his disappointment at the nature of defeat by United, manager Brendan Rodgers knows a visit to Wembley and victory at the Emirates would instantly erase the painful memory, even for his skipper.

The aim this season is simple - to allow Gerrard his farewell in fitting style, and not tainted by the red card shame he suffered on Sunday. And also, to deliver a frighteningly youthful side into the Champions League, where they can continue their education after their leader’s departure.

Rodgers revealed he also delivered a speech to his devastated players: “That was my message, it was clear and simple – we have to get over the disappointment, refocus and come back ready for the next game.

“We have had disappointments this season, and we used them as a great springboard for us. Now we must use this in the same way.

“Of course there is disappointment, we didn’t play well enough and I’m disappointed in the result and performance. But not the character. I’ve got great pride in the players for showing the character that took us on a long unbeaten run.”

For all that many have now written Liverpool off in the race for the top four, Rodgers was at pains to stress even before the game kicked off that the result wouldn’t decide anything, no matter who won.

And afterwards, he believes that the Champions League is still perfectly possible – even if the job has got a little harder – because United must still face Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal.

“Look, I set a 10-game objective (23 points from 30). Built into that was that we were not going to win every single game,” the manager insisted.

“It’s still very much possible for us to go where we want to go, which is the top four. We just need to fight that bit harder and make up a five-point difference.

“After the last performance against United (3-0 defeat) we went on an incredible run where we didn’t lose a league game. We have to do that again, we have to find the same motivation after this defeat.”

The message from Gerrard was simple. The team can do exactly that.

And after another horrible footnote in his incredible story, you can bet the skipper will be motivated to lead them to it... and this time, in the right way.

[richard moore]

And they wonder why people dislike him and the bindippers so much. What a load of sentimental shit.

[Dave]

Presumably had it been Balotelli who had come on and been sent off inside 60 seconds then he would have been hounded out of the country by now.

Because it's Gerrard though "it shows who and what he is off the pitch".

[Pete3206]

Boo fucking hoo. I really hope we smash his FA final dreams at Wembley, if Blackburn can't manage it.

[OCD]

It would be very funny if Liverpool didn't even make it to the semi with Blackburn despatching them.

[Risso]

That's so...beautiful.  I'm going to have it embroidered onto a flag.

[Lizz]

I'm choked. That's one of the most inspiring things I've ever read.

[timeoutbigbar]

Tiki Taka shite?  Yeah, balls to that.  Get it to the winger to swing it in for the big man.  That's how you win trophies in Europe...

Tika-Taka is shite and we should know, we’ve watched near enough two thirds of a season with it.

Barca at their pomp were easily the hardest working side in football, easier to do when you have a lot of the ball, but they’d press the life out of the opposition and then pass it with purpose from a high line. Its helped of course with the best player to ever play the game and two players of absolute genius pulling the strings. Tika-taka is possession for its sake, which has relevance, but Bayern took a step back last season.

I think the bloke has a point; old Pep has taken over a side who won the treble lets not forget and on route to that European Cup win, absolutely bladdered Barcelona, so it’s important to be choosey with our snide remarks, as what went before him clearly wasn’t broken.

Some would argue that Guardiola has added another dimension, rather than weakened them.  They still have the players that played in Jupp Heynckes' team (with the exception of Kroos), work as hard, if not harder to retrieve the ball and keep possession better, whilst maintaining the physicality and clinical edge to their play.

Tiki Taka is not passing for the sake of it, its to move the opposition around the pitch to tempt them to try and win the ball or over  commit, then pick a way through.  Our version just wasn't very good.

Well they had the perfect mix of power and skill imo

Schweinsteiger and Martinez in CM

Robben Ribery and Muller supporting 3

Mandzukic up front (who could still have been replaced by Lewandowski, obviously)

Now they just fart about with it too much - would that team above have been destroyed by Madrid 5-0 on aggregate last season?

And before you ask, no I'm not Tim Sherwood

Yeah, Guardiola's all fart and no shit. Not like his teams have ever scored any goals or won any trophies.

He's ruining Bayern with them walking the league and maintaining their position as one of the elite sides in Europe. Unforgiveable.

Haha. They'd walk that league with Lambert in charge. Fact remains that the side who won the CL would dominate this tika-taka shite

Tiki Taka shite?  Yeah, balls to that.  Get it to the winger to swing it in for the big man.  That's how you win trophies in Europe...

But yeah because they still win 5-0 against Hannover or some other chancers means that my points are irrelevant and I'm actually Dave bloody Bassett.

I was under the impression they'd battered a decent, in form Roma side 7-1 in Rome earlier this season.  Not the only time they've put 7 past an opponent in the Champions League.

I suppose it's a case of preference of style, I enjoy watching a team with the ability to keep the ball under pressure and create chances.

[Mister E]

.
... Because it's Gerrard though "it shows who and what he is off the pitch".

I was at the game where he almost cut Boateng in half, and rightly got a red. Never liked him since despite his obvious abilities.
His fracas in some restaurant / bar didn't exactly endear him either.

[UK Redsox]

.
... Because it's Gerrard though "it shows who and what he is off the pitch".

I was at the game where he almost cut Boateng in half, and rightly got a red. Never liked him since despite his obvious abilities.
His fracas in some restaurant / bar didn't exactly endear him either.

Gerrard's actions on Sunday did show exactly "who and what he is"; a nasty violent man.

[silhillvilla]

"An example of the fabric of the man"
Good lord. This is off the LFC official website I'm guessing

[Rudy Can't Fail]

“He spoke to the team after the game inside the dressing room and what was said exactly shall stay in there, but it shows who and what he is off the pitch,” the keeper said.

I think it's safe to say he cried like a little girl.

[Villa in Denmark]

Who said this about "Tiki Taka"?

"You need to dig into your own DNA,” he told his players. “I hate tiki-taka. Tiki-taka means passing the ball for the sake of it, with no clear intention. And it's pointless.

"Barca didn't do tiki-taka. It's completely made up. Don't believe a word of it. In all team sports, the secret is to overload one side of the pitch so that the opponent must tilt its own defence to cope. You overload on one side and draw them in so that they leave the other side weak.

"And when we've done all that, we attack and score from the other side. That's why you have to pass the ball, but only if you're doing it with a clear intention.

"It's only to overload the opponent, to draw them in and then to hit them with the sucker punch. That's what our game needs to be. Nothing to do with tiki-taka."

Spoiler for Hiden:

Answer her

[Monty]

That would be Senor Pep. You suspect he's making it up a bit, because Barca literally kept the ball for the sake of it as a defensive tactic. Tiki-taka is just a short-hand for a style based on lots of short passes, defensive or attacking.