Liverpool v West Ham 13:30 12th August 2018 Match Thread

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Comments

  • secrethammersfansecrethammersfan
    edited August 2018
    Rice seemed to be caught high and wide a few times yesterday, too. Probably due to his youth and inexperience, but what do I know?
  • alderzalderz
    I think it’s unfair to judge Rice as a holding midfielder from that game. He seemed to be playing on the left of a flat midfield three, rather than as an anchor behind Noble and Wilshere. I think the three can work well together but only if Rice is the central one and sitting deeper than the others.
  • BarneyBarney
    I thought we lacked energy, failed to close their players down and all our midfield had a poor game. Arnie was too isolated and there was a lack of movement up front. by comparison as soon as we were on the ball Liverpool players were all over us. Personally I think we need a stronger captain on the pitch - I never saw Noble geeing up the players at all. Good to see Anderson tracking back but both he and antonio added little going forward. I think Antonio lost the ball almost every time he got it. Hey ho on to the next game
  • secrethammersfansecrethammersfan
    At halftime, we had almost 50% possession. I think this is interesting, and should be explored and exploited by the management.
  • KuchinghammerKuchinghammer
    I've just deleted a rant about the Old Boys being better than the New Boys, becaue it is early days and the team needs time to bed in. I don't think this will happen in the next two games, either, so patience and any substance that reduces people to a state of semi-consciousness are needed. COYI!
  • secrethammersfansecrethammersfan
    I find a 4-0 defeat is often able to return people to a state of semi-consciousness.
  • TheMadcapLaughsTheMadcapLaughs
    alderz said:

    I think it’s unfair to judge Rice as a holding midfielder from that game. He seemed to be playing on the left of a flat midfield three, rather than as an anchor behind Noble and Wilshere. I think the three can work well together but only if Rice is the central one and sitting deeper than the others.

    Or he could drop a little further back and join Ogbonna and Balbuena in a back three, with Fredericks and Masuaku playing as wing backs. Not sure if a back three would suit us though ;hmm

    A back three, I wonder ;hmm
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    I can't find any record of Pellegrini ever starting with three at the back, not even when he was at Malaga or Villarreal against Real Madrid or Barcelona
  • PrestonHammerPrestonHammer
    I think it is quite clear that the defenders are going to have to learn to defend properly and the central midfield are going to have to find a way of not parting like the Red Sea whenever someone runs at them.
  • TheMadcapLaughsTheMadcapLaughs
    Aslef, I think you are right. Just seems so frustrating to me that over the past two seasons the one thing we seemed to have learned is that we look a damn sight better playing a back three. I know Pellers will persevere with a four, I know that he has been successful over many years playing a back four, I know that we will have success playing a back four (can`t see us losing 4--0 every week) but it just seems to be a case of banging your head against a brick wall for the sheer pleasure of banging your head against a brick wall. With the players we have I would love to see us play either 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 depending on availability, opposition etc etc.

    I watched us sunday and refrained from commenting as any post would appear knee jerk and unnecessarily negative. Having slept on it and taken a full day to calm down I still fail to see any positives from the match. I thought we were as bad as any of our worst performances over the last 5 years. There was nothing. No fluency, no cohesion, no goal threat, no ball retention, nothing. I am hoping against hope that this really was just a really bad day at the office and Liverpool were at the very top of their game and we were surely at the very bottom. I am genuinely excited about this season, I just don`t want another season where we fail to compete in a large proportion of games. We could have easily lost on sunday by seven or eight.

    ;scarf
  • adecokeradecoker
    PrestonHammer said:

    the central midfield are going to have to find a way of not parting like the Red Sea whenever someone runs at them.

    I think they'll be on a hiding to nothing against Chelsea if Moses is playing.

  • Colchester_IronColchester_Iron
    We should have prioritised getting in some defensive defenders.
  • McHammerMcHammer
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45158915
  • Cuz1Cuz1
    adecoker said:

    PrestonHammer said:

    the central midfield are going to have to find a way of not parting like the Red Sea whenever someone runs at them.

    I think they'll be on a hiding to nothing against Chelsea if Moses is playing.

    Or Man City with Jesus
  • chicagohammerchicagohammer
    Sundays game was certainly disappointing as I was expecting/looking/hoping/praying that we would have caused them more problems than we did,

    It is always difficult to criticize anyone on the evidence of just one game against a quality team, but if we are going to persevere with Rice as DMC, then there is some work still to go, he looked totally lost and in no mans land, it struck me that he was unsure what exactly was expected of him
  • OutcastLondonerOutcastLondoner
    ASLEFshrugged said:

    I can't find any record of Pellegrini ever starting with three at the back, not even when he was at Malaga or Villarreal against Real Madrid or Barcelona

    Yes but it's become a far more popular formation recently, while he was in China, so hopefully his past tendencies won't mean he doesn't change if he can't get the 4 to work. If you back two or three seasons, I don't think many managers would have much record of using a back 3.
  • MunichHammerMunichHammer
    Cuz1 said:

    adecoker said:

    PrestonHammer said:

    the central midfield are going to have to find a way of not parting like the Red Sea whenever someone runs at them.

    I think they'll be on a hiding to nothing against Chelsea if Moses is playing.

    Or Man City with Jesus
    Nah. Jesus doesn't cause water to part. He just walks right over it. Guess he won't get sent off for stepping all over Reid, though
  • EXETERHAMMEREXETERHAMMER
    5 at the back. 3xCB and 2 wingbacks.

    It's just a matter of time. ;wink
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    We have been beaten on the opening day of a PL more than any side, 12 times.
    Pellet has lost to Liverpool more than any other side, 5 times.
  • BazshuayiBazshuayi
    We can only ask for consistency ;thumbsup
  • KuchinghammerKuchinghammer
    When we lost 4-0 this time last year, people were saying it was because the opposition were incredibly strong. This year, apparently West Ham are complete rubbish (I paraphrase & exaggerate here). But I think it was because the opposition were incredibly strong. Next year I fully expect us to be away to Man City.
This discussion has been closed.