Liverpool vs Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[steamer]

It is said that the table does not lie
Early days I know, but based on yesterdays lack of intensity and poor defending, I would not bet on us beating any of the 9 teams above us.
Hopefully I am just being my normal pessimistic self, but the season may be tougher than we thought.

[ChicagoLion]

Bringing on Bailey just repeated the mistake that was made against Newcastle. ie playing Bailey.

Based on the circumstances of the match, looking at the bench and the options available, I am struggling to think of a worse option than to say Bailey is just what we need right now.
I think he has a blind spot.

[PaulWinch again]

It is said that the table does not lie
Early days I know, but based on yesterdays lack of intensity and poor defending, I would not bet on us beating any of the 9 teams above us.
Hopefully I am just being my normal pessimistic self, but the season may be tougher than we thought.

Table lies at the moment, it’s only 4 games! I would bet we beat plenty of those 9 teams above us.

[Flamingo Lane]

Without wanting to ignore the bigger picture of the performances, is it not very unusual to start a season by having three away games and only one at home? Usually it would be 2-2?

[PaulWinch again]

Without wanting to ignore the bigger picture of the performances, is it not very unusual to start a season by having three away games and only one at home? Usually it would be 2-2?

I was confused by that but apparently we asked for it.

[PeterWithe]

We have a great manager, theirs was better.

[sid1964]

Listening to Radio 5, the co commentator on their said that we did not work hard enough and blamed a lot of the problems with our team on our midfield

[Nev]

We do seem to have games where our press vanishes, players drop about 40% in energy and quality from previous performances and the whole thing looks a bit of a mess. Having said that, we don't have much luck either, 2 goals at Newcastle were offside, the second yesterday wasn't really checked properly and that's before you consider the ball rebounding against one of our players and yet another in game injury.

In reality we weren't anywhere near good enough to win either game though and that is for the Manager to fathom out.

[PaulWinch again]

Listening to Radio 5, the co commentator on their said that we did not work hard enough and blamed a lot of the problems with our team on our midfield

He’s right, the midfield was the problem and it was the same against Newcastle.

[cdward]

As a rule of thumb, we will beat the teams who finished below us last season, and lose to the teams that finished higher than us.
This has rung true so far. There will obviously be exceptions. But i tend to manage my expectations in line with that.
Good news is , that out of our next 10 league games, only one team finished higher than us last season (Brighton), so we should be looking good for some better results.

[Smithy]

Klopp basically did to us what we did to Newcastle at VP last season.  "Here's what I think they'll do, and here is a plan to exploit it".  And he did it well.  As others have said, I don't thin the high line per se is the issue, but rather letting the oppo midfield have the time and space to play balls in behind it.  Giving Alexander-Arnold time on the ball when you have the pace they do in the front three is suicide.

I'm quite sure this game will be analysed to death at VP this week, but the manager also has to take his fair share of the criticism for not finding a way to combat the obvious way Liverpool were playing.

[AV84]

Who gets dropped to fit Ramsey back into midfield? 

Bailey / Carlos

I forgot that we had 3/5 defenders starting today. It's not as difficult a question as I thought it was.

Not difficult at all. He just goes back in the position he played last season and McGinn hoes back to the right. Nothing to do with the number of defenders.

I was thinking of the team yesterday and thinking we'd have to drop 1 of McGinn, Luiz, Diaby, or Kamara to put Ramsey back in, which would have been a difficult decision. The fact we had 5 defenders on means we wouldn't have to drop any of the midfielders. So it does have something to do with the number of defenders.

[Risso]

I was thinking of the team yesterday and thinking we'd have to drop 1 of McGinn, Luiz, Diaby, or Kamara to put Ramsey back in, which would have been a difficult decision. The fact we had 5 defenders on means we wouldn't have to drop any of the midfielders. So it does have something to do with the number of defenders.

Cash back at right back, McGinn on the right, Ramsey on the left. Very simple.

[LeeB]

I read on Twitter that the Villa fans were singing God save Jug Ears again. 

There was a few lads a couple of rows behind me singing that, and sign on, and generally trying start something with the Liverpool fans next to us. Saw one of them being spoken to by the rozzers at half time, they were a right obnoxious bunch of pricks.

[Somniloquism]

We have a great manager, theirs was better.

I would argue manager wise, similar, just one has better players who have played in title winning teams. So when they know they are on top, they will punish.