Liverpool vs Aston Villa Post-match Thread

[Dr Butler]

'The Mighty Reds YNWA' fan on RAWK wrote

Terrible decision to only allow Villa fans in the ground

Snigger

a genuine lol from me...

UTV
The Doc

[UK Redsox]

Liverpool controlled the gme, had most of the possession, at home, and we nicked it one-nil. Classic smash and grab.

OK I was at the match I didn't have the feeing that it was smash and grab. I thought defensively we controlled the game. They had almost zero chances.  To me classic smash and grab is desperate defending, half a dozen saves by the keeper, a few cleared off the line etc etc.

Liverpool had the bulk of possession but I expect a liot of it was just Lovren and Sakho passing the ball to one another or receiving a back-pass from one of their midfielders being closed down by Villa.

Jamie Redknap did an excellent analysis of this post-game

[Monty]

I agree with Olaftab. Usually having so little possession will have the knock-on effect of being controlled in a game, but actually we're turning into one of those rare teams who actually control games without the ball. This is really hard to do, especially on a budget, as you have to take a huge percentage of your chances when you do get them, and also you get very tired chasing the ball so much. We are now good at this, which is quite something. Very 90s-Serie A.

[Rioch is King]

Might have been mentioned elsewhere but - six Englishmen and a Scot in our starting line up yesterday.

[pauliewalnuts]

Liverpool had the bulk of possession but I expect a liot of it was just Lovren and Sakho passing the ball to one another or receiving a back-pass from one of their midfielders being closed down by Villa.

Agree.

They spent a huge amount of time just knocking it sideways to each other around the halfway line. They were never going to hurt us like that, even if it does make the possession stats look nicer for them.

Normally, last few years, when we have had a good result like this, it has meant long spells of hanging on for dear life - throwing ourselves in front of everything, battling to fend the opposition off.

Yesterday, I don't think we looked like that at all. It looked like we were getting it spot on tactically and making it hard for them to do anything. I thought we looked entirely comfortable throughout, pretty much, which is reflected by them having just the one shot on target.

Also noticeable this season is we've started working our balls off to win the ball back when we get the chance, something we did a lot of in Lambert's first season, but hardly at all last season.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

When you think that Baker and Sendeross would of probably been our second choice pairing after Vlaar and Okore. That really was a brilliant performance. Also a very good performance from Richardson .........

[Percy McCarthy]

Was that even 5 minutes of highlights?

I can't think of a single thing that happened in the match that they should have shown but didn't.

Half of the match was Liverpool's centre-backs passing it back and forth - and that doesn't make great television.

Just Baker's sliding block near the end, I think that merited showing.

listened to the small faces baker song on you tube never heard it before- very good, but greatest ever?

They have a lot more going for them than Song of a Baker.

I know. Hard to look past All or Nothing?

Sorry for going off topic everyone. Perfect looks, perfect clothes, great chemistry, great attitude, the greatest white singer of all time, also a great front-man, great songwriters, great singles, great b-sides, great albums.

And the clincher - an Ikette:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3rLF-QAS67I

[Ger Regan]

Someone's a bit bitter. From F365.

And On Liverpool's 'Performance'
So it's 2:30am here in china and I've just watched what I hope will be the worst game to involve liverpool all season and I feel the need to get a few things off my chest.

Firstly, Aston villa are the new stoke city. They fought, fouled and wasted as much time as they possibly could from the second they got their goal and it was awful to witness. I'm just glad I didn't pay for the pleasure.

Secondly, how could Rogers have not seen this coming? The last two times Villa have visited Anfield Lambert's "tactics" have been precisely the same. So what does he do? He starts lots of new players, most of whom are speedy, diminutive players lacking that real cutting edge too.

Finally, Gerrard says we are title contenders? I'm sorry, but on this evidence I simply do not see it.

Many predicted the obvious in that teams would now go to Anfield and defend, hoping to snatch a result. If this is how Rogers thinks we overcome this problem then he will have a lot to learn.
Rob Henry

[Lastfootstamper]

I agree with Olaftab. Usually having so little possession will have the knock-on effect of being controlled in a game, but actually we're turning into one of those rare teams who actually control games without the ball. This is really hard to do, especially on a budget, as you have to take a huge percentage of your chances when you do get them, and also you get very tired chasing the ball so much. We are now good at this, which is quite something. Very 90s-Serie A.

Great minds, and all that! I was thinking similar when watching the analysis on MOTD last night; there's defending, and then there's defending like Italians. Think it was Silhill that said in the match thread that Gabby was leaving their centre-halves with the ball, and concentrating on shutting off Gerrard; switching from a diamond to a five; full-backs that are more than happy to stay at home for the vast majority of a game. Doing things like these mean you don't need to expend all your energy constantly chasing a quickly moving ball and hurling yourself into challenges, instead concentrate on denying space and nullifying the main supply lines. The early goal helped, but, from what I can gather, we then played an absolute blinder to protect it. Almost makes me think we might actually be going into games with some sort of plan. I fear for the rest of the division once we get our front two back up to speed.


*although I reserve the right to deny I ever said all of this if it's gone tits-up in six weeks' time.

[dave.woodhall]

Someone's a bit bitter. From F365.

And On Liverpool's 'Performance'
So it's 2:30am here in china and I've just watched what I hope will be the worst game to involve liverpool all season and I feel the need to get a few things off my chest.

Firstly, Aston villa are the new stoke city. They fought, fouled and wasted as much time as they possibly could from the second they got their goal and it was awful to witness. I'm just glad I didn't pay for the pleasure.

Secondly, how could Rogers have not seen this coming? The last two times Villa have visited Anfield Lambert's "tactics" have been precisely the same. So what does he do? He starts lots of new players, most of whom are speedy, diminutive players lacking that real cutting edge too.

Finally, Gerrard says we are title contenders? I'm sorry, but on this evidence I simply do not see it.

Many predicted the obvious in that teams would now go to Anfield and defend, hoping to snatch a result. If this is how Rogers thinks we overcome this problem then he will have a lot to learn.
Rob Henry

Their proper supporters accept that we were the better side. Their out of towners are bitter "How dare we lose to the likes of...". It's the way of the world.

[Ger Regan]

My favourite bit is how he puts the word tactics in between inverted commas.

[danno]

No Vlaar and no Benteke.
Think that makes our win yesterday arguably more impressive than our win there two years ago.

My eyebrow was Lee Majors esque when I read Baker was starting, many apologies Nathan.

I only got to see the first 40 minutes before I went to work, and was fully expecting to read about
a Balotelli double on my lunch break.

By all accounts we were sat fairly deep but still pretty comfortable in the second half ?

[UK Redsox]

My eyebrow was Lee Majors esque when I read Baker was starting, many apologies Nathan.

I posted something similar on Facebook. Glad to eat humble pie on this one

[Brian Taylor]

Unbelievably marvelous.. I felt gabby was not happy being brought off before the end and was not really celebrating..he scored Paul. He scored the goal!!!!

[Smirker]

Dwight Yorkes comment after lamberts interview said it all

Aston villa are a massive club and there's no better support in the country

Villa till i die

Bless him

didn't see this. He looked buzzing after that apparently. If anyone manages to find it please post it up.