liverpool "the most over rated team in england"

[turny]

please please please lets not let this thread get into a flaming and abusive war.

lets take off our red tinted,blue tinted and green with puple spots tinted glasses off please.

my point is all the pundits and all there supporters were screaming from the rooftops to all and sundry who would listen that this would be there season in the premiership. that they would be the main danger to chelsea.

its not even the end of october and they are already imo out of the title race 11 points behind man utd and chelsea.

i know the liverpool supporters will start spouting about the champions league etc which was i agree a great achievement but thats largely a cup competition which it seems liverpool are very good at raising themselves for one off games but to do it week in week out over a season they dont seem good enough.

imo take steven gerrard out the liverpool team and they're a run of the mill mid table side with him a top 4/5 side.

man utd completely out classed them sunday and i cant see it improving and some of benetez's team decisions and signings are baffling.


as i say please lets not flame lets discus.... your views please

[Jedwick]

I totally agree with you mate, they have some good players but Benitez has the strangest rotation policy, Kuyt looks pretty good but wasnt used very well against Man U (who never looked like losing or even conceding at any point in the game) it was a very confortable win for united and I think Liverpool might struggle to get Champions League, Bolton are looking very good and are getting some good results away from home, I think they'll last the season in a high spot. 

[LeKnave]

Totally agree, Kuyt has flairs of brilliance, but was totally unsupported against united...which made it impossible to get anywhere with Vidic and Ferdinand on his case.

I think they need some big changes if they are to go about threatening the title anytime soon.

[Graham C]

I don't think they are overrated at the moment, I can't see anyone singing thier praises to be honest.  Saturdays game has almost finished them off for the season.  Gerrard isn't performing at the moment and I think the feeling is rubbing off on the whole team.  Not sure why he keeps playing Gerrard on the wing either.  Totally out classed my Man U at the weekend, I'd be a bit disapointed if I was a Liverpool fan at the moment.

[Karabiner]

I think their problems lie in defense where Reina has been terrible and his lack of confidence has affected

Hyppia and Carragher and then spread like a virus throughout the team.

It's strange how what seemed like a watertight defence last season has become so porous, and Sissoko who looked a

tremedous acquisition and had a great first season suddenly seems a shadow of last year's player.

[Rod Paradise]

I fancied Liverppol to come closer in the league this season, mainly because I really rate Bellamy & thought he might add a more predatory edge to them. Unfortunately for Liverpool, the wee man's not turned it on. Man Utd are starting to look like the team to beat in the title race.

[kinboshi]

We were rubbish on Sunday.  Completely useless.

Who said we would be fighting for the title this season?  The media?  The same media that said England would be fighting for the World Cup,and West Ham would be fighting for a Champions League spot?

Liverpool are still 3 or 4 players off where Rafa wants the squad and team to be.  There are going to be 2 or 3 decent signings being made in the January window, and some in the summer.

I'm as disappointed as anyone with our start to the league, and yes, we're out of contention for the title bar a miracle (or set of them).

Going back to your point about winning the CL, and saying that Liverpool had to raise their game for the odd game - you're doing their achievement a dis-service.  Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, chavski and then AC Milan.  Hardly easy matches, and hardly a one-off performance.  I understand the underlying point that you're making that Liverpool seem to do well in cup competitions - that can't be argued, and the FA Cup last season highlights this as well.

But the team is still in transition.  To say Rafa's signings are baffling...who exactly?  Bellamy was a bargain.  Pennant a good signing, bought because we couldn't our first choice (although that'll change come January or the summer), Kuyt - a good buy, Agger - a natural replacement for Hyypia when his great Liverpool career comes to an end.  Aurelio and Paletta will need time to adjust to the premiership, but that's fine (look at Tevez and Mascherano at West Ham - hardly setting the world on fire, and look at the fuss that was made about them).

I've heard the argument about Liverpool being a one-man team lots of times.  How many games did you watch last season when Gerrard didn't play for Liverpool?  How many did we win?  You'd be surprised.  Of course Liverpool will miss Gerrard if he's out of the team.  Show me any team in the country, no Europe, that wouldn't benefit from his presence in the team.  Saying that, he was shocking on Sunday as well, along with Alonso and virtually all the team.

As for struggling for a Champions League spot for next season.  That won't be a problem.  The Champions qualify automatically...

[kinboshi]

I fancied Liverppol to come closer in the league this season, mainly because I really rate Bellamy & thought he might add a more predatory edge to them. Unfortunately for Liverpool, the wee man's not turned it on. Man Utd are starting to look like the team to beat in the title race.

Bellamy has been playing well.  Shame he was injured for the game against man u - we sorely missed him.

[Karabiner]

I fancied Liverppol to come closer in the league this season, mainly because I really rate Bellamy & thought he might add a more predatory edge to them. Unfortunately for Liverpool, the wee man's not turned it on. Man Utd are starting to look like the team to beat in the title race.

Ahem, aren't you forgetting someone ?

[matt674]

On their day Arsenal are good enough to beat any team in the premiership, i'd even go as far as to say any team in Europe/World.

Unfortunately the days dont happen consistently enough week in week out for them to win the premiership this year IMO.

[Graham C]

Arsenal play the best football in the Premiership, Man U are a close 2nd.  Unfortunately we don't put the ball in the back of the net enough.  The games we haven't won this season we have been great too, just not taken anything from the game and it's cost us.

Chelsea grind out results, they aren't that impressive - look at the win over Reading - they we're lucky to win that with the deflected goal (Not saying Reading deserved it though because they didn't)  Even their win at the weekend wasn't that impressive.  Chelsea do get the job done though and they don't often drop points to the 'lower' teams.

Up the Arsenal

[turny]

every liverpool supporter i know was spouting at the start of this season that they would be the main danger to chelsea in the premiership so imo it wasnt just the media.

i agree arsenal play great football at times but again dont grind out many results when the chips are down like man united and chelsea. there team is very young and will be a major force in the next few years and have the best youg player by miles in fabregas.

man utd are man utd, they have the best manager to ever grace the game and as well as attractive football they can knuckle down and pull together to get a result.

as for chelsea you cannot knock a system that has won to two titles and although i agree they may not be as attractive as man u or arsenal or even liverpool for that matter i do think they get some unneccessary bad press.

i canot agree with silo regards chelseas win the weekend being unimpressive. this was probably there most dominant game of the season and the 2-1 scoreline flatters portsmouth as dave james had a blinder. the shots on target was the highest for 3 years and with a bit more luck or a average performance from mr james and chelsea would have won without exagerration 6-1. this against a team that didnt conceed in the first 5 games of the premiership.

back on topic personally im not sure if benetez is the man to take liverpool forward, his use of the most inform english striker in peter crouch baffles me.

[matt674]

his use of the most inform english striker in peter crouch baffles me.

Has to be either Darren Bent or Andy Johnson for me not Crouch - Crouch has only 1 premiership goal all season. Though i have to agree that he is Liverpools most likely goal scorer at the moment he isnt really that good a player at holding the ball up playing as a lone striker and feeding players making runs through the midfield - which is the system of 4-5-1 benitez planned to play at old trafford

[turny]

fair point matt.

hes the england teams best striker at the moment and must be on such a high with his international record.

must be very frustrating for him to keep findind himself on the bench for liverpool. im not a great fan of his but you have to admit although his games not easy on the eye its certainly effective.

imo he would be the first name on the sheet s far as the forward line is concern and it should be kuyt and bellamy fighting to partner him, he is the perfrect foil for either of them.

[matt674]

I have to admit that i nearly fell out of my treehouse laughing when i read the news that Liverpool had paid that much for him and his first few months hardly did anything to change my views. However at the moment he is Liverpools most inform striker and he is scoring his fair share of goals per games played for both Liverpool and England.

Now whether that should be a concern for both Liverpool and England to say that they are both relying heavily on Crouch to come up with the goods is another question in itself!!