Aston Villa 1 Liverpool 3 Post Match Thread.

[Gareth]

Frustrating game as Salah aside they were there for taking, credit to Klopp for changing the midfield when we were getting on top.

I am at the same point as I was with Gerrard a year ago, if Emery wants to change literally any of the team I couldn’t blame him….Martinez, Ramsey, Kamara & Bailey probs safe, any others have to be vulnerable.

We are a mid table side, capable of being very good at times but far too many brain farts.  Olsen made a couple very tidy stops but his kicking makes Bosnich look like Messi…Konsa & Buendia very poor, McGinn, Bailey & Kamara looked good, Watkins worked his nuts off and won a fair amount of ball vs Matip but still doesn’t make you think he is prolific.

Referee was a Liverpool fanboy…just give him a signed shirt & then tell him to referee the game as though two teams were on the pitch.

Atmosphere after the light show was tepid at best.

Weird seeing Klopp watching our team intently warm up from half way

[adrenachrome]

They are way better than us.

We can beat them on on a good day.

Good days are scarce.

[pauliewalnuts]

The team largely picks itself every week, because of the paucity of alternatives, and too many in it aren't really up for it.

I appreciate there's an argument about the high defensive line and the slow substitutions, but the weakness today looked more about the players failing than the manager.

Luiz spent the entire first half giving the ball away absolutely hopelessly, Konsa just looks like he's nowhere near good enough for this level, Mings played his normal 'body-on-the-line-last-ditch' performance rather than the 'stop-the-last-ditch-from-happening-in-the-first-place' which a better defender would manage, Ashley Young looked his age, and Watkins showed us yet again how many chances he has to fluff before he converts one.

Not sure how many more times we're going to have to see the above, but hopefully not many.

On the positive side, McGinn played much better than he has done in most matches over the last two years, despite looking scary and frightening the defence Olsen did alright, and Kamara looked excellent.

It wasn't an awful performance, it was the sort of 'meh' showing that you're going to get from a team where we are.

What it did show was that we need to start getting a lot more realistic about some of these players, and begin to buy in improvements.

That's going to probably mean spending more on players than we usually do. Recent years, Wolves have been shopping for more expensive players than we have. That needs to change.

[brontebilly]

They are way better than us.

We can beat them on on a good day.

Good days are scarce.

I don't think Liverpool are up to much these days. Great forwards for sure, Nunez will come good I think. But legs are gone in midfield and average enough at the back. They conceded some amount of clear chances today, created plenty, mind.

[SoccerHQ]

If we had played any team apart from top 8 we would have won this game. ATM we don’t have quite enough wherewithal to beat teams more fluid than us.

Disagree
You won’t win many games scoring only once from that amount of chances and being as vulnerable as we look defensively.

We beat two top 6/7 teams right before the break.

So?

So we do have quality and can score 3s v Man. United and 2 at Brighton who had another good win today.

We lost to a team that come May will finish comfortably top 4 so as much as I hate to say it these games won't matter too much in finishing top 10, beating likes of Wolves and Leeds does.

[SoccerHQ]

I thought the defence played far too high up the pitch really. That didn't help.

Can't do that at Spurs. They are pretty average currently but Son and Kuluveski will destroy us like in the VP game in April.

Hopefully Unai will tweak things and Emi and Cash returning will strengthen the unit considerably.

[SoccerHQ]

They are way better than us.

We can beat them on on a good day.

Good days are scarce.

I don't think Liverpool are up to much these days. Great forwards for sure, Nunez will come good I think. But legs are gone in midfield and average enough at the back. They conceded some amount of clear chances today, created plenty, mind.

They've still beaten Man. City and Spurs this season and were very comfortable in their CL group. I think they'll finish top 4 and would be amazed if we're within 20 points of them. Salah today was world class in terms of touch, composure, movement so sometimes that's enough to win you many games in this league.

Chelsea is a team we can have a go finishing above for first time in 20 odd years as they're certainly in a state of flux currently.

[PaulTheVillan]

From reading the mobile view the strikeout option has been worn out. Wow

[Clive W]

I thought the defence played far too high up the pitch really. That didn't help.

Can't do that at Spurs. They are pretty average currently but Son and Kuluveski will destroy us like in the VP game in April.

Hopefully Unai will tweak things and Emi and Cash returning will strengthen the unit considerably.

Playing a high line with Mings and Konsa against Son will be a disaster

[adrenachrome]

I have no scientific data for this statement, but I think this is a very low turnout on a post-match thread.

[Clampy]

I have no scientific data for this statement, but I think this is a very low turnout on a post-match thread.

I presume people have eaten far too many pigs in blankets.

[adrenachrome]

I have no scientific data for this statement, but I think this is a very low turnout on a post-match thread.

I presume people have eaten far too many pigs in blankets.

You might be well be right, but I think many posters don't give fuck, cos we ain't going down, and we ain't winning anything, and we took a long time getting here.

[eamonn]

Was Kamara excellent? I still don't really see it with him. Technically decent but is he the player that's going to drive the midfield forward?

[remy]

Man that game was fucking annoying on so many levels.
We lost to better finishers and yet we created so many chances that were spurned it could have been 7-2 to us.
Why must we have a reserve goalie who is a damn jelly between the sticks.
No subs made - does UE not trust any of them ? Bit Deano-esque
Bailey left his shooting boots in the dressing room,
No closing down of the 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' in first half so they were able to control the game.
We should have got a point in this game.
Hopefully we’ll get some bodies in Jan and take us up a notch. The Mings and Konsa axis is coming to an end soon.
Where is this ‘mind the gap’ bollucks I used to hear on radio wm regularly from a jumped up backwater bottlers fans - it’s not reciprocated because they’re an irrelevance like yesterdays toilet paper.
The excitement pre match was doused because they scored so early, followed by repeated spurned chances, wobbly goal kicks and wayward passes.
Can see us losing at spuds with this carry on.
Come on UE - shake them up!

[Villafirst]

The first half was very poor. Dendoncker had a great game against Yanited and was decent for Belgium in the WC but benched for this game? He has the height and physicality lacking tonight. You simply can't give the ball away against a top side like Liverpool - especially in the first-half. The high line was suicidal and exploited by quick passing and diagonal long balls in behind the back line.