Liverpool vs West Ham United; Saturday 28th @ 3pm

alderz

Mayers and Kante on for Diouf and Soucek

buffybegood

Kante and Mayers on for Soucek and Diouf.

chicagohammer

It must be rare when you can honestly question if a team fully deserve the three points when they win by three clear goals but this might be the case today.

You have to take your chances and we did not do that today so I cannot truly begrudge Liverpool the victory but the gods were against us today…….

And when the gods are against you….

alderz

Is it just me, or has Adama Traore been a massive disappointment, even from incredibly low expectations?

MIAHammer

Mayers seems to lack pace for a defender

buffybegood

alderz said:

Is it just me, or has Adama Traore been a massive disappointment, even from incredibly low expectations?

Not really, don't think he's done any worse than I expected him to tbh.

chicagohammer

Even right at the end Bowen had a half chance to get into a promising position yet turned into trouble when better options seemed available.

All in all no one expected anything from the game and in most scenarios a heavy defeat would negatively impact morale but I do not think will be the case today as imo….the team never gave up and played pretty well.

alderz

buffybegood said:

alderz said:

Is it just me, or has Adama Traore been a massive disappointment, even from incredibly low expectations?

Not really, don't think he's done any worse than I expected him to tbh.

I think he's looked slow

Fortuneseeker

Todibo instead of Mavropanos v Fulham?

buffybegood

Fortuneseeker said:

Todibo instead of Mavropanos v Fulham?

I can't see a reason for that tbh.

claretandbluesky

alderz said:

Is it just me, or has Adama Traore been a massive disappointment, even from incredibly low expectations?

He got Tobido sent off leading to our run of clean sheets.

thornburyiron

Bizarrely we had more possession, completed more successful passes and had a better expected goals ratio yet ended up losing 5 -2. Liverpool had one of the worst records of scoring from set pieces but unfortunately we have the worst record for conceding from them so today was a gimme for them.
We scored 2 at Chelsea but lost because of set pieces too.
Hopefully we’ve got it out of our system but we need to work hard at it from now on in.

Fortuneseeker

Apologies thorn this isn't a snipe but we are 28 games into the season and we are still conceding from set pieces?

Liverpool aren't at their best but they still managed to score 5 past us yet again. Didn't expect anything from the game sitting in the Realistic Inn but we do need to start getting some wins pdq.

Lukerz

Tbf, we haven’t really conceded from set plays since about September/October

thornburyiron

Not sure what you mean by it’s not a snipe. I agree we are still conceding from set pieces, especially corners, which I thought we’d started to cut out.
Someone said if we played like we did today at the beginning of the season we’d be safe but that’s not necessarily the case as it would only apply if we scored more than the shedloads we were conceding.
Playing well and losing 5-2 is only ok up to a point and that point is we win more than we lose from here.
The supercomputer last week predicted we’d win 4, draw 4 and lose 3 of our last 12 giving us 41 points. I’m assuming today was one of the losses.

Lukerz

We have generally defended well in 2026 but there will always be games where you don’t defend as well as you should - when you do that against Chelsea or Liverpool away you will concede goals due to the quality of players they have

Had we played Everton away today we may still have won

chicagohammer

And despite all our defensive frailties -we still created enough chances to make a proper game of it.

At 2-0 and 3-1 down I still felt we were in it - had we clawed the deficit back to a single goal in either instance - (and we had chances to do so) I really think we would have had the momentum to actually get something from the game.

I am looking at the table so I am not delusional but I still believe that if we play like today and as we have been playing - we will get ourselves out of trouble

COYI

Fortuneseeker

thorn, I didn't want it to be seen as having a pop, I am just frustrated with our plight 👍.

alderz

Let's also not forget that fact that, no matter how poorly we defended in moments, three of their goals only happened because of huge deflections

Lukerz

Fulham’s a huge game now with City home after. If we don’t take 3 points it is likely to be 5 without a win by the end of the following week. That is probably going to be coffin-nailing for us at this stage of the season. Forest have City away on Wednesday so that could be a huge chance depending on their result today.

Lukerz

We also must go back to 4-4-2 to keep sides further away from our goal. We haven’t won a game since going 4-5-1/4-3-3. I know Pablo is injured but it will have to be Wilson & Taty for Fulham.

buffybegood

Lukerz said:

We also must go back to 4-4-2 to keep sides further away from our goal. We haven’t won a game since going 4-5-1/4-3-3. I know Pablo is injured but it will have to be Wilson & Taty for Fulham.

I'm not so sure; Taty and Pablo as a front 2 both work very hard and press very well, that's why it was working for us. You simply won't get that dynamic from Taty and Wilson.

Pengeman

buffybegood said:

Lukerz said:

We also must go back to 4-4-2 to keep sides further away from our goal. We haven’t won a game since going 4-5-1/4-3-3. I know Pablo is injured but it will have to be Wilson & Taty for Fulham.

I'm not so sure; Taty and Pablo as a front 2 both work very hard and press very well, that's why it was working for us. You simply won't get that dynamic from Taty and Wilson.

A 4-4-1-1 system with hard pressing by the front two brought us a bit of success. Nuno needs to return to that. Wilson won't chase. Need someone from the U-21s to step up. I have seen some U-21 games and Josh Ajala looks good. Can he fill the Pablo role?

IronHerb

I don't think I've left a game after a 5-2 defeat feeling less despondent. Probably our best performance at Anfield since we last won there.

Maintain this level of performance and the points will come. Yep, 5 goals conceded isn't a good look but Liverpool are the current dead ball specialists in the Division.

I'm off to the Positive Inn for a pint, anyone coming? 🍻

COYI

Lukerz

Or you get Bowen & Taty up top & go with Fernandes wide right & Summerville wide left if you don’t want Wilson. Might help Bowen who is struggling at the moment. But we looked a real good team against Spurs, Sunderland, Chelsea first half, Burnley & we played a 4-4-2.

Since the 4-5-1 has returned, 2 points from 9. I didn’t think we played that well against Man Utd & Bournemouth - very passive for large parts of the game - & whilst our play on the ball was decent yesterday, we chose not to defend. You could play Fernandes as a narrow RM - with AWB offering width - & Souček & Magassa in the middle. Bowen & Taty being high energy up top.

Fernandes - Magassa - Souček - Summerville
Bowen
Taty

thornburyiron

Taty yesterday was still chasing down when we were 5-2 down and in stoppage time. He’s been a good signing.

Lukerz

Finally found a decent striker, 10 games before we get relegated 😂

Hopefully not 🤞

Slacker

I’ve seen us get mullered at Anfield many times over the years, this wasn’t like that. 5-2 looks terrible but it didn’t reflect the game.The performance was one of our better ones up there and on another day it could’ve ended up 5 all.
Hopefully we can take that form into Wednesday and beyond.I’m certainly not giving up hope on the back of this defeat.