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stewie griffin 12:05 Fri Sep 19
Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Let’s be frank, our opponents tomorrow should be coming to Upton Park as Premier League champions - I think it would have been great for football in this country.
Those opportunities don’t come around too often and the challenge for Brendan Rodgers and his Liverpool team is to get back up there and use the knowledge and experience they have gained to make it across the line next time.
They were in pole position and had one hand on the trophy but they ended up throwing it away.
The one thing teams must do when they are fortunate enough to be in the situation Liverpool found themselves in last season is make sure they go on and win it.
They had no European football to distract them, their schedule was clear except for that one goal, that one focus. They were brilliant but they should have taken full advantage when they had it in the palm of their hands.
It is at times like that, though, when you can almost taste victory, that the pressure is at its most intense, like the snooker player who has to pot the black to win the World Championship, the golfer who has to sink the 8ft putt to win the Masters, the tennis player who has to win one more point to take the Wimbledon crown.
It was Liverpool’s task to have the mentality to get over the line and achieve greatness but they just fell short.
Remember it took Sir Alex Ferguson six years to win it with Manchester United — but look what happened after they had won it once.
Manchester City have done it — twice. They also knew how difficult it was to get over that finishing line — remember, they were struggling to beat 10-man QPR until Sergio Aguero popped up with seconds to go to win their first Premier League title.
Rodgers, though, has rightly accentuated the positives of last season. It was still a magnificent campaign for them.
Deep down, though, he and everyone else at Liverpool will know it was a fantastic opportunity to be the champions of the Premier League.
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE MATCH AND BALOTELLI
We’ll be up against Mario Balotelli tomorrow. He showed in the Champions League this week that he can score from a half-chance and if he has managed to improve his temperament on and off the field and become a more responsible adult, then I think he could be a big player for Liverpool. He’s not a Luis Suarez, but if he can finish the season in double figures, then he will have been a success.
Mario and others in that Liverpool squad are going to have to improve their scoring ratio to compensate for the departure of Suarez. The difference with us is that although we also have to improve our goals total, we haven’t just lost a massive scorer - we haven’t had one yet.
VICTORIES WILL COME ONCE WE TIGHTEN UP AT THE BACK
Our performance in the 2-2 draw at Hull was hugely encouraging.
We managed 58 per cent possession, 443 passes of which 332 were successful forward ones, 69 final third entries, 41 penalty area entries and 19 shots.
All impressive figures but things need to be tightened up at the other end, which would turn all that encouragement into victories.
There are times when you need to win games with a lot less possession than that, based on how well you counter-attack.
Stoke did just that against Manchester City, Aston Villa likewise against Liverpool. It was then all about Liverpool having an off-day rather than Villa nullifying Brendan Rodgers’s team with some superb tactical play.
It’s a pity sometimes you don’t get the credit for the way you’ve set your team up or even worse, you’re condemned as playing 19th-century football by a man whose teams have played that way themselves when necessary. Jose Mourinho is clever at deflecting criticism away from his team, though, and I admire him for that.
Our two goals at Hull were terrific for different reasons and such a surprise for the opposition’s defence and goalkeeper.
Michael Dawson took some stick for not being tighter on Enner Valencia for the first. Rubbish!
Enner only shifted the ball half a yard and had no back lift. Sometimes you just have to admire the talent.
I was equally pleased with the second goal, the way Diafra Sakho swivelled and hit it first time.
I’m still finding out things about our new players and Diafra taught me, with that single move, why he is a goalscorer. I don’t think anyone else on that pitch would have scored that goal.
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Replies - In Chronological Order ( Show Newest Messages First)
BetterthanKaka
12:06 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Final third entries
Penalty area entries
Mammoth stats
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Steve P
12:09 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Did you leave out the bit where he may have said 'Creswell's a cunt for sending the ball across the pitch from a throw in like that, and he fucked up in the same way against the yids when Ginge got sent off'?
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penners28
12:14 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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I’m still finding out things about our new players and Diafra taught me, with that single move, why he is a goalscorer. I don’t think anyone else on that pitch would have scored that goal.
LOL!
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Full Claret Jacket
12:14 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Only Arsenal, Southampton and Chelsea have registered more shots on target (19).
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BetterthanKaka
12:15 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Superb dig at Mourinho there as well.
Come on you irons!
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terry-h
12:17 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Apparently fatty is thinking of sending Poyet back to Charlton on loan.
I'm against that because I think the young Spaniard is good enough to give Noble competition in midfield,even usurp the boy from Canning Town.
And no, I am not Fordstar's third user name.
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goose
12:20 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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We managed 58 per cent possession, 443 passes of which 332 were successful forward ones, 69 final third entries, 41 penalty area entries and 19 shots.
ABSOLUTE STATS
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LeroysBoots
12:22 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Anyone else not interested in his fucking stats ?
Bore off
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Academy321
12:25 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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This is one of his finest yet
Stats Everywhere
Fergie shoehorned in for no reason
19th century football
Dig at Liverpool for bottling it
Dig at the strikers for not being prolific even though he signed them all
Applause
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ooooh Morley Morley
12:27 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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I love it when he gives KPIs.
I'm still keeping an eye on his critical success factors though and i hope he's mitigating those risks and issues.
Project Fatso in full effect.
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Steve P
12:28 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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I don't object to stats, it's just how he chooses to ignore ones that don't suit him, like how shit Cole and Nolan are yet he keeps picking them?
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BRANDED
12:31 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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As a northerner you'd expect him to know more about STRIKING.
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Eerie Descent
12:36 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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VICTORIES WILL COME ONCE WE TIGHTEN UP AT THE BACK
JUST LIKE LAST YEAR
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,
12:57 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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BFS should have been more specific about how Liverpool lost the title race. Gerrard mis controlled a a Palace hoof and then slipped trying to rescue the situation. It was not the slip that did it it was the maladroit attempt to originally control the ball.
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Dapablo
1:45 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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I hope they have been sorting defence out, it needs it tbf.
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ATBOG
2:03 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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"There are times when you need to win games with a lot less possession than that, based on how well you counter-attack."
That tells you how allardyce is going to approach the game tomorrow.
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,
2:05 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Are you implying that we will deliberately let Liverpool have the lions share of possession?
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Dapablo
2:05 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Don't believe a word he says Atbog!
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claret on my shirt
2:09 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Funny that he feels he knows what Liverpool should and should not have done, I mean he has been in so many Premier League title races before with his attacking brand of football hasn't he!
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Northern Sold
2:11 Fri Sep 19
Re: Big SAM: Liverpool BLEW title chance, plus Balotelli & tightening up at the back
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Fuck me sideways... that is STAT-TASTIC
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