Liverpool Away Match Build-Up

We will get at least at point.

Be interesting to see how we do against a side that does more than just park the bus. I thought we were unlucky against united. Hopeful for a good game at least! Burnley was particularly dire

Go there - keep tight - do a WBA and nick a point - job done.

Would prefer - do a Burnley and nick a win

Go there - keep tight - do a WBA and nick a point - job done.

Remember the good days when we used to take a game to the top 6 sides and win?

Try and cast your mind back to 2015

Won at Chelsea 3-1

Beat Arsenal 4-0

Won away at Man U 1-0

Beat Man C 4-2

Won away at Spurs 2-1

Beat Liverpool 3-2

Remember the good days when we used to take a game to the top 6 sides and win?

 

Try and cast your mind back to 2015

 

Won at Chelsea 3-1

Beat Arsenal 4-0

Won away at Man U 1-0

Beat Man C 4-2

Won away at Spurs 2-1

Beat Liverpool 3-2

Don`t forget these though just for balance

Swansea 1 Saints 0

Stoke 2 Saints 1

West Brom 1 Saints 0

Everton 1 Saints 0

2014 Same season

Burnley 1 Saints 0

Remember the good days when we used to take a game to the top 6 sides and win?

 

Try and cast your mind back to 2015

 

Won at Chelsea 3-1

Beat Arsenal 4-0

Won away at Man U 1-0

Beat Man C 4-2

Won away at Spurs 2-1

Beat Liverpool 3-2

Yep - I do, but these are not the 'good old days', these are the bad old days.

Don't forget, just like my 14 year old son reminded me at SMS after the Burnley game "Gotta take the rough with the smooth dad".

Alternately we could just sack everybody in the club from Les Reed down - whatever.

Don`t forget these though just for balance

 

Swansea 1 Saints 0

Stoke 2 Saints 1

West Brom 1 Saints 0

Everton 1 Saints 0

 

2014 Same season

Burnley 1 Saints 0

No doubt mate - 2015: The Impossibility Of Pleasure Without Pain

2017: Pain without pleasure?

Would prefer - do a Burnley and nick a win

That's exactly what I was going to type - but it would mean somebody would have to score - any ideas...?

No doubt mate - 2015: The Impossibility Of Pleasure Without Pain

 

2017: Pain without pleasure?

Wait till we win at the bin dippers....

That's exactly what I was going to type - but it would mean somebody would have to score - any ideas...?

Maya Yoshida

Yep - I do, but these are not the 'good old days', these are the bad old days.

 

Don't forget, just like my 14 year old son reminded me at SMS after the Burnley game "Gotta take the rough with the smooth dad".

 

Alternately we could just sack everybody in the club from Les Reed down - whatever.

Quite. Wise words from your 14 year old. And compared to what we went through a few years back, this isn't even very rough.

I've not particularly enjoyed the past couple of years, but some here need to get a sense of proportion. Being a slightly boring mid table Premier league team would have been beyond our wildest dreams only a few years ago.

For those predicting that we will "get hammered": is it not the case that Saints often play much better against "top 6 clubs" (and worse against mediocre teams that they ought to beat rather easily)?

It is a recognizable element of sports psychology that teams (and individuals) will adjust their performance to match the quality of play of their opponent. If you want to get better at tennis, for example, you play someone who is better than you, not worse.

It seems we're always "up" for a game against Liverpool. And I expect the same this time.

Remember the good days when we used to take a game to the top 6 sides and win?

 

Try and cast your mind back to 2015

 

Won at Chelsea 3-1

Beat Arsenal 4-0

Won away at Man U 1-0

Beat Man C 4-2

Won away at Spurs 2-1

Beat Liverpool 3-2

It's been a whole year since we went to the Emirates and Anfield and won.

For those predicting that we will "get hammered": is it not the case that Saints often play much better against "top 6 clubs" (and worse against mediocre teams that they ought to beat rather easily)?

 

It is a recognizable element of sports psychology that teams (and individuals) will adjust their performance to match the quality of play of their opponent. If you want to get better at tennis, for example, you play someone who is better than you, not worse.

 

It seems we're always "up" for a game against Liverpool. And I expect the same this time.

We usually up our game but still usually lose, that’s why it’s vital to win your easy home games.

Our current style is something that they struggle against, If we keep it tight for 60 minutes, who knows. However I can't see anything but a Victims win. For me, Mane and Salah will just bee too quick and good for our defence.

to get anything from it, we'll need VvD and Forster to have world class games. Having Lemina back would be a bonus as well.

City is the game I'm really worried about. That could easily end up anything if we just sit off them and let De Bruyne / Silva pick holes in our back 4/8...

Our current style is something that they struggle against, If we keep it tight for 60 minutes, who knows. However I can't see anything but a Victims win. For me, Mane and Salah will just bee too quick and good for our defence.

 

to get anything from it, we'll need VvD and Forster to have world class games. Having Lemina back would be a bonus as well.

 

City is the game I'm really worried about. That could easily end up anything if we just sit off them and let De Bruyne / Silva pick holes in our back 4/8...

This is where MP earns his keep - perhaps he’s better at setting teams up to play against the big boys. That’s what he did successfully in Spain. Perhaps we’ll discover a different side to his management style and skills than has so far been on display.

Our current style is something that they struggle against, If we keep it tight for 60 minutes, who knows. However I can't see anything but a Victims win. For me, Mane and Salah will just bee too quick and good for our defence.

 

to get anything from it, we'll need VvD and Forster to have world class games. Having Lemina back would be a bonus as well.

 

City is the game I'm really worried about. That could easily end up anything if we just sit off them and let De Bruyne / Silva pick holes in our back 4/8...

Really I thought it was your Burnleys and West Broms they struggled against. We will go and try to play football (which in fairness we've done all season) and they will kill us because we will leave space for Mane and Salah to get in behind. Both of them are far less dangerous if you just sit deep in two banks of 4/5 and give them no space to work in. Puel managed to nullify Liverpool 4 times last season playing like that (at the expense of any major attacking threat it has to be said). Liverpool's defence is still pretty flaky making them the best team in the league to play anti-football against (other than us at home of course) because if you sit deep they struggle and their defence always looks like it will leak a goal.

Pellegrino's pathological terror of the counter attack and his knowledge of Mane and Salah means we will barely be crossing the halfway line, let alone creating a chance or god forbid, scoring a goal. One up in the box if we do manage to win a corner, with everyone else marking one of their players or back near the halfway line. Its going to be grim. It's going to make Mourinho look like Keegan. And it won't work. It hardly ever does.

2 tickets available for this - luke9sfc@hotmail.com

completely agree, a lot of animosity has built up now towards Liverpool FC and to have the record we had against them last season was brilliant, no goals conceded and a semi final win absolutely magic. I can't see us making a repeat of it this time, someone mentioned Lallana and Mane may be ready to return from injuries after international break, I hope they don't. Liverpool won't even be distracted by needing to rest players for the Champions league as they're virtually already through in that.

They certainly aren't. They still have to play Sevilla and Moscow, and need a win against one of them to guarantee going through.

Our current style is something that they struggle against, If we keep it tight for 60 minutes, who knows. However I can't see anything but a Victims win. For me, Mane and Salah will just bee too quick and good for our defence.

 

to get anything from it, we'll need VvD and Forster to have world class games. Having Lemina back would be a bonus as well.

 

City is the game I'm really worried about. That could easily end up anything if we just sit off them and let De Bruyne / Silva pick holes in our back 4/8...

Yep. We're ****ed.

We don't need to be romantic about this and dream about a minor miracle we are not very good and this is a very tough fixture. Liverpool attack at pace although their movement off the ball is not always as inspired as it should be but Mane and Coutinho have the pace and guile to find plenty of space in behind our back four as we tend to defend zonally and often lose track of wing backs running wide. Our defence is good but they will need to concentrate more than they have done lately, any lapses and we'll be torn apart.

For that reason one suspects Cedric & Bertie will be held back in line so as not to get caught forward with balls from Emre Can over the top. That will put tremendous pressure on our wide attackers and attacking midfielder to to get down the lines and in behind their back four. Somehow I can't see that happening, our pace and movement on and off the ball is bordering diabolical and how can anything change before the weekend? Our goalscoring opportunities it would seem may be few and far between. In these circumstance Pellegrino seems most likely to go defensive from the kick off and hope for a 0-0 draw at best.

We have been so frail at the back 'though that it seems impossible we could play the full 90 without conceding against one of the best teams in the league. If one goes in Pellegrino is up muddy creek without a paddle as he is probably only a defeat or two away from the boot anyway so if he tries to get one back for the equaliser he risks opening the floodgates behind. On the other hand if he goes one down he might think "bugger it" might as well go for it and risk losing 4-0 trying than lose 1-0.

I can't see us getting anything from this and for me and for the reasons above my prediction is 0-3.

Pellegrino’s away record at Alavés wasn’t all that bad. Perhaps this will be the start of a decent run of results?!

Don’t expect many goals so will say 0-0 or 1-0 Saints

3 nil to the dippers Vvd hattrick of own goals and a red card all within the first 5 minutes!

Mane sent home from international duty with reoccurrence of hamstring injury, fingers crossed it not just a precaution

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Would be good if Mane is out.

Is Coutinho fit? If he shoots from outside the box he will obviously score.

Play like we did last time out away at Liverpool - tightly organised, set up defensively giving no space for the likes of Salah or Moreno to run in behind.

Get them on the counter attack with Sims and Long.

We have the players who could draw or win at Liverpool but I doubt if the team tactics will take advantage of their strengths. For that reason I'm not at all confident of avoiding a defeat.

I wonder what day Van Dijk will get injured or become ill?

I going for Thursday, just in time for the press conference "unfortualy Van dijk picked up a knock on training and will miss the match on Saturday"

Would be good if Mane is out.

 

Is Coutinho fit? If he shoots from outside the box he will obviously score.

If anybody shoots from outside the box they'll score!

If anybody shoots from outside the box they'll score!

I hope its Boufal, Redmond, Davis, Long, etc....

If anybody shoots from outside the box they'll score!

unless they are a saints player in which case it will be shanked into row z nearer the corner flag than the goal....

unless they are a saints player in which case it will be shanked into row z nearer the corner flag than the goal....

Which is quite close for us.....!!!

I hope its Boufal, Redmond, Davis, Long, etc....

You old optimist you...!!

You old optimist you...!!

Nah! Nothing optimistic just blind hope

This is the first game of the season where Pellegrino can show he has another string to his bow (albeit what appears a fairly limited bow atm). Although Puel's record against the top 6 wasn't exactly stellar, we at least put in a few good performances away from home, not least at Anfield.

If Pellegrino can demonstrate some tactical nous he might yet give us reason for optimism. If it's another incoherent performance then the writing is probably on the wall for our season.

Will be a massive blow to not have Lemina for this one. He would be ideal against the quick feet of their players.

Aldridge has piped up again telling the dippers to sing Vvd's name to make him feel at home !

Will be a massive blow to not have Lemina for this one. He would be ideal against the quick feet of their players.

Is he stilled injured? I thought it was only supposed to be a minor niggle. I Hope it isn't going to turn out to be one of those half a season injuries Lemina is our best player by some margin this season.

Got 4 tickets for the game if interested

Is he stilled injured? I thought it was only supposed to be a minor niggle. I Hope it isn't going to turn out to be one of those half a season injuries Lemina is our best player by some margin this season.

With our physios' track record a "minor niggle" could mean half a season out.

Is he stilled injured? I thought it was only supposed to be a minor niggle. I Hope it isn't going to turn out to be one of those half a season injuries Lemina is our best player by some margin this season.

They had said he hoped to be available after the international break but I don't think he's appeared in any training ground pics yet so doesn't look good. Hopefully there will be an update in press conference tomorrow. Such an important player for us.

Our record at Anfield isn't that bad since we got promoted back up to Premier league but I'm not looking forward to this one at all.

There's a little bit of a whisper, that we will play three CB's.....not an itk post, just a whisper!

 

Our record at Anfield isn't that bad since we got promoted back up to Premier league but I'm not looking forward to this one at all.

Me neither. Looking at last season we ought to be optimistic about this, but I can see us getting a proper shafting here. On a side note, while everyone and his dog is getting on Forsters back, it's worth remembering that penalty save at anfield that got us a point and a seasons unbeaten record against them.

Lemina still injured. Still wearing a protective boot too

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There's a little bit of a whisper, that we will play three CB's.....not an itk post, just a whisper!

Remind me, what happened last time we tried that....?

Lemina still injured. Still wearing a protective boot too

 

 

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Remind me, what happened last time we tried that....?

In the League it was when Koeman turned around the awful mid season form in 2015/16. Resulted in a run of 5 wins in 6 games.

In the League it was when Koeman turned around the awful mid season form in 2015/16. Resulted in a run of 5 wins in 6 games.

yeah but the last time we tried it with this current squad we got spanked by wolves reserves/u23s team.

Lemina still injured. Still wearing a protective boot too

 

 

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This is going to be one of those seemingly innocuous injuries that drags on for months, isn't it?

Not sounding good. And the last time one of our best players got injured in a seemingly innocuous challenge looked what happened to him when he had too much time on his hands. Let's hope Jurgen doesn't have his number.