Liverpool v AFC Bournemouth

Picking up on Neil's comments one of the top 6 games with no honest expectations, as with the rest of the 14, but then we did turn over Chelsea as a bonus.

Having abdicated the Echo readers comments for some considerable time because of the Lincoln influence I thought I would read them this morning. Low and behold Cherrybright's doom and gloom is still on there. Sorry Echo I won't bother again. No ignore facility.

"The outcome of this game was almost predictable. We were missing three key players in the form of Wilson, Lerma (not match fit) and Brooks and we were playing away to a struggling side who play very little football and who were calvanised by the Sala affair. We in fact walked into a snake-pit. I also still believe that fatique may have played a part after playing another game so soon after the Chelsea game of which a tremendous performance. Our points cushion is now back down to 11 points off of the bottom three. We now have to face Liverpool away with a vastly weakened side. Unfortunately, and I stress unfortunately, we are very unlikely to get anything from this game and so our points cushion from the bottom three could go down to just eight points. Additionally, I can see another losing run coming up as we have to play top six sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City as well as in form Wolves in the next four games with a injury ravaged side. Due to this we are far from safe from being sucked in to a possible relegation scrap."

:banana:
 
Teams below us.
Palace v west ham
Scum v Cardiff
Brighton v Burnley. All on Saturday.
So some points dropped between that lot.
I suppose it's best if Cardiff lose.
Hopefully WestvHanm will lose tonight as well.
 
...it really is mickey mouse land in the echo comments...I must admit I haven't posted on there for years, but just taken a peep and Steve Cook is getting dogs abuse for his role on Saturday!

I don't agree with vilifying him, although it was a strange decision to raise his arm and handball the cross, and his confusion with Ake for their second goal was Sunday League at best
 
Best thing for Eddie to get into the players heads is Forget the Weird and Ghoulish Cardiff Affair...and get that Chelsea mentality back to the forefront! They know what they CAN do .
Neil mentions Gosling tracking whoever Drops Deep for Liverpool...Yeh that is one way......but several of their players in particular Salah have the ability to drop wherever they want and make things happen! This game requires Out of the Ordinary Leadership and swift Adaptation to events throughout the 95 minutes!
But on the day I'm not going to Over do the Fear of Liverpool or Underestimate our Battling Cherries...we have as good a chance and better than most outside the Elite!
 
So effing sad that Steve Cook ...this Magnificent and Talented Bournemouth Footballer and Servant....gets abuse from Anyone within the Towns boundaries for one Unlucky Minute in his Club Career! For Christ Sake someone get Cooky to read This Post!
 
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I'm worried about the Anfield game. We lost the plot at Cardiff and the last thing we need now is a real hiding from Liverpool - the 4-0 defeat at DC was painful because we hardly put up a fight. With the following three games against Wolves, Arsenal and Man City a bad outcome on Saturday could hardly be worse timing.

Eddie's comments reported in the Echo about "mental" issues are unusual - he rarely suggests that effort and togetherness are lacking. He says at Cardiff we lacked Brooks' intelligence - the key feature of our Chelsea win. I read this as our Cardiff midfield going missing - yet again. So what's his selection for Anfield? We've few choices - move up Ake maybe or bring Stanislas infield ... he's sometimes been effective there in the past.

Dare I say???... the money spent on Solanke would have been better used on a lively midfielder. And this MUST be the priority for the next window, even if Lewis Cook returns in top form.
 
I'm worried about the Anfield game. We lost the plot at Cardiff and the last thing we need now is a real hiding from Liverpool - the 4-0 defeat at DC was painful because we hardly put up a fight. With the following three games against Wolves, Arsenal and Man City a bad outcome on Saturday could hardly be worse timing.

Eddie's comments reported in the Echo about "mental" issues are unusual - he rarely suggests that effort and togetherness are lacking. He says at Cardiff we lacked Brooks' intelligence - the key feature of our Chelsea win. I read this as our Cardiff midfield going missing - yet again. So what's his selection for Anfield? We've few choices - move up Ake maybe or bring Stanislas infield ... he's sometimes been effective there in the past.

Dare I say???... the money spent on Solanke would have been better used on a lively midfielder. And this MUST be the priority for the next window, even if Lewis Cook returns in top form.
...sorry but Stanislas looks off the pace at the moment...
 
I agree Garbo - Stan not looking too bright. But we need some midfield spark - and it's not coming from Surman and Gozza. At least Stan put King in with an incisive pass for the third against Chelsea - we know he has the skills.

A static midfield at Anfield will be asking for trouble.
 
I agree Garbo - Stan not looking too bright. But we need some midfield spark - and it's not coming from Surman and Gozza. At least Stan put King in with an incisive pass for the third against Chelsea - we know he has the skills.

A static midfield at Anfield will be asking for trouble.

My thoughts are that against Chelsea, Surman and Gozza helped frustrate and break up the play. This forced Chelsea forward in numbers and left space at the back for Brooks et al to exploit. There's no reason we couldn't do it again against Liverpool but we would need players who are prepared to gamble and take the ball forwards at pace. From what I've seen this could be King and Ibe with support from the likes of Smith, Clyne or wee man but they need to have that belief that was lacking at times vs Cardiff.

We would also need to cut out the needless surrendering of possession that we saw 1st half vs Chelsea.
 
“From what I've seen this could be King and Ibe with support from the likes of Smith, Clyne or wee man but they need to have that belief that was lacking at times vs Cardiff.”

Clyne not available.
 
Once the bollocking has been administered the next most important thing this week might be some rest and recovery for the players. There were too many odd performances on Saturday which I can only put down to mild exhaustion. The Chelsea game was magnificent but maybe it cost too much physical and mental energy for the lads to be on it for Saturday. Get them back into training fresh and having had some time to themselves to ponder what went wrong on Saturday.

Then get them fired up for another thrashing of one of the big boys at Anfield.
:utc:
 
Good points made above. Surman and Gosling did a good job against Chelsea by staying tight on their playmakers. But in the PL a midfield has to do more - hold the ball and initiate attacks, which Brooks did brilliantly, and which we failed to do at Cardiff. So unless Surman and Gozza reveal unexpected talents in training this week we need something else. Ake moves up from CB? Hyndman in? Stan comes in from the wing??? My guess is that Eddie's racking his brain for a solution.
 
No reason not to play the sexy, infallible counterattacking 4-2-3-1 against this lot:

------------Boruc------------
Smith---Cook---Ake---Rico
-----Lerma-----Surman-----
Ibe------Stanislas------Fraser
-------------King-------------

Subs: Begovic, Daniels, Mepham, Gosling, Taylor, Solanke, Mousset


Might see 3 at the back again though:

-------------Boruc-------------
----Mepham--Cook--Ake----
Smith--Lerma--Gosling--Daniels
----Ibe------King------Fraser----

Subs: Begovic, Rico, Simpson, Surman, Stanislas, Solanke, Mousset

Slight personnel changes dependent on the approach. There is no doubt in my mind that Rico is a better fullback than Daniels, but at LWB specifically he's been atrocious. With more midfielders I'd always go for Surman ahead of Gosling, since he's just a much better passer of the ball and is capable of picking out forwards well. Gosling in a two however is probably better because he's much more energetic; Surman is far too passive.

I like the fluidity of having the interchangeable wingers in the front 3; otherwise Stan is out for Moose. Ibe has done enough to be in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future; unlucky not to have some assists from the last few games.

Fancy another cheeky win here. Nervy Liverpool in front of their own fans (in what I've learnt in the past few years is a mostly silent experience).
 
Interesting to see what Wham do tonight....wake me up before we Go Go.
Once again at 3pm on a Saturday ...that magic moment when under E.Howe we have had so many positive thoughts like never before in the history of the club. Believe...or forever be a Minty!
 
Picking up on Neil's comments one of the top 6 games with no honest expectations, as with the rest of the 14, but then we did turn over Chelsea as a bonus.

Having abdicated the Echo readers comments for some considerable time because of the Lincoln influence I thought I would read them this morning. Low and behold Cherrybright's doom and gloom is still on there. Sorry Echo I won't bother again. No ignore facility.
Just poke fun at him....he hates me...one of his reasons for going quiet on here. He is a joke...so keep him as that!
 
Good points made above. Surman and Gosling did a good job against Chelsea by staying tight on their playmakers. But in the PL a midfield has to do more - hold the ball and initiate attacks, which Brooks did brilliantly, and which we failed to do at Cardiff. So unless Surman and Gozza reveal unexpected talents in training this week we need something else. Ake moves up from CB? Hyndman in? Stan comes in from the wing??? My guess is that Eddie's racking his brain for a solution.

Exactly, if you cant start Hyndman now then sell him because you never will.
 

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