PL: Liverpool vs Arsenal | 31/03/07

[gunnerGH]

I can't believe people are still defending Hleb. I accept that he has contributed in past games but in this match he was crap! Did I watch the same match as these guys? :roll:

There are many weak links in this side at the moment but hleb has to be the main one. All he does is pass? and he isnt even the best in the squad at that

 

[Lukazan]

Hleb needs to be more arrogant. He has to become a real c**t if he wants to help us. With his skills he'd be awesome.

I'd agree tbh.

And our corners are bloody awful. Denilson's set piece delivery was awesome in his first few games but now it's as bad as everyone elses.

Do you reckon a player gets fined if their corner clears the first man?

 

[stiiphunn]

Who knows?

But today it worked for one of them. I think Diaby deflected the ball and Gallas was on the receiving end and scored.

 

[kel varnsen]

With Hleb, I am not so sure.

He is definately an oustanding player, but maybe he just cannot adjust to our system. Which is a shame, because he´s got all it takes....

keep him. while inconsistant, he is absolutely outstanding on his day. we do need another winger, though. rotating rosicky, hleb and a third winger would be ideal imo. preferably someone different to rosicky and hleb; a player like the ljungberg of a few years ago...

 

[marco]

To be honest if you had to pick the perfect time to play liverpool in a season.. it would have been today!
4 days before a champions league semi final when we have **** all to play for...

and the players couldnt raise there games... 3,000 of us up there good atmosphere setting off a stupid hour to see the players play like that....

quite why diaby gets subbed is beyond me and the defence was a shambles.
we never ever look like scoring with those players out there..

today was a lack of effect, determination which is unacceptable and last seen in sheffield in december..
if we arent careful we could go into freefall and the players are at rock bottom...

and next week will be tough

hleb baptista, woeful..
fabregas didnt touch the ball

adebayor bright spark second half

 

[stuart]

I couldn't let Hleb go because i know how damm good he can be. It is just a crying shame that he is so inconsistent

 

[stiiphunn]

I think it's partially because he's always trying some impossible things on the pitch.
He always goes for the ultimate pass or the ultimate move.
And because it does not come off we're disappointed. But you can't blame him for trying to make things happen.
It's always better than having someone who passes the ball backwards.

 

[choi12911]

Okay so he was crap today.. and has been for some time, apparently.

What's your point?

Cesc has been just as bad for even longer in my opinion.

The problem with Hleb is that we can never rely on him to be good for 3 matches in a row. He is very inconsistent. And in 2 years he has not shown any signs of improvement. He is mentally weak as well. I think you overrate him.

I think you and many others underrate him.

I'd also disagree that he hasn't improved although I don't want to get in to it because I'm quite frankly sick of talking about Hleb.

Dont think he has improved myself,Ive never seen him do the below for ous.

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?doc ... +stuttgart

Hehe. Prime example of why we shouldn't judge players based on Youtube/Google videos. I still cannot believe we spent 10 million pounds on this guy. Players like him will never win any kind of awards because he'll always be inconsistent as ****.

 

[Wenger14]

We're playing with absolutely no motivation at all. And you can't completely blame the players for it, we have no silverware to play for, and have been in a comfort zone with regards to qualifying for the CL. What does worry me is if we continue to play like this, we'll be scrapping for 4th and our confidence will hit rock bottom. I was hoping we would bounce back from the cup final defeat and have a good run in, to carry that form into next season, ending the season on 75+ points. But now I'm becoming more and more worried that we'll finish the season on a low and carry that form into next season, which is very likely as our confidence on a whole is on a real low, and I can't see it getting any better by May. We've got some real tough away fixtures coming up, and Chelsea and Bolton at home, scrapping for 4th is a very real possibility.

 

[Glovegun]

A few thoughts:

1. I think Hleb gets a lot of unecessary stick. HOWEVER, there is a difference between being a decent player (eg Hleb) and one who fits into the mould of a title-winning side. If we want to step up to the next level we need to bring in Ribery.

2. Denilson and Cesc are too like for like to play as a partnership IMO.

3. Diaby isnt a left-winger.

4. Are Gallas and Toure too similar? Usually a CB like that plays alongside a Campbell/ Vidic/ Carragher/ Terry. Both of them are superb with the ball, v. pacy, strong etc, but neither aerially dominate, and that could (has) cost us.

5. Baptista. I did want this guy to do well, I really did, but as far as Im concerned now he can sod off.

6. Why not start with Rosicky or Freddie? As soon as they came on the threat was obvious to see.

7. Eboue is a d**k. And that is not just on the evidence of today's game. He dives, is petulant, spiteful and not nearly as good as he seems to think he is. Give me Justin Hoyte any day of the week.

This season is over. We will probably get 3rd, not 2nd, and thats that. Its just a huge shame that some great performances (eg beating Man United home and away) came to nothing. Id like to see this team for the rest of the season:

Lehmann

Hoyte Toure Gallas Clichy

Hleb Fabregas Gilberto Diaby Rosicky

Adebayor

 

[Big Poppa]

I think it's partially because he's always trying some impossible things on the pitch.
He always goes for the ultimate pass or the ultimate move.
And because it does not come off we're disappointed. But you can't blame him for trying to make things happen.
It's always better than having someone who passes the ball backwards.

Hleb is a very good player - and I'd say he's one of few that has shown himself to be a big game player against some of the better sides this season. I'd say the one thing holding him back is his lack of willingness to take on more responsibility in the final third. He would rather pass the ball to a player in an impossible position than take on an opportunity himself. Some might call this unselfish, but he really does take it to another level. He'll carry the ball up to 30 yards from goal and then just freeze. The guy just needs to take more gambles and believe in his ability to inflict real damage by himself.

The biggest worry for me today though was not Hleb, it was Cesc. And it has been for a while. Wenger's almost unrelenting insistance on putting the onus on this kid to dictate our play week in week out is really taking its toll. I've never seen him as poor as he was today, and yet it was Diaby - one of our better performers, who got sacrificed when Rosicky came on. Not only did he look weary and burnt out, his attitude was unusually poor. I can't imagine what the reaction would have been by some on here had it been Henry swapping shirts with Gerrard at HALF TIME! It's just not on. Not when you're 2-0 down in a game such magnitude.

As a team we just look shorn of all confidence. To be done 4-1 by what was ultimately a mediocre Liverpool performance for a club like Arsenal beggars belief. Is talent enough? In theory, yes. Arsène is an economist and that how economists think. Everything is driven by models and theory. In the long-term, economists tend to be proven correct but as with all modelling, there are assumptions that do not always hold true. Say for instance, the assumptions that all our youngsters will stick around to become great while we're not even looking like winning things. Will they? We've taken a big gamble but now we need some collateral.

 

[henry79]

I think it's partially because he's always trying some impossible things on the pitch.
He always goes for the ultimate pass or the ultimate move.
And because it does not come off we're disappointed. But you can't blame him for trying to make things happen.
It's always better than having someone who passes the ball backwards.

Hleb is a very good player - and I'd say he's one of few that has shown himself to be a big game player against some of the better sides this season. I'd say the one thing holding him back is his lack of willingness to take on more responsibility in the final third. He would rather pass the ball to a player in an impossible position than take on an opportunity himself. Some might call this unselfish, but he really does take it to another level. He'll carry the ball up to 30 yards from goal and then just freeze. The guy just needs to take more gambles and believe in his ability to inflict real damage by himself.

The biggest worry for me today though was not Hleb, it was Cesc. And it has been for a while. Wenger's almost unrelenting insistance on putting the onus on this kid to dictate our play week in week out is really taking its toll. I've never seen him as poor as he was today, and yet it was Diaby - one of our better performers, who got sacrificed when Rosicky came on. Not only did he look weary and burnt out, his attitude was unusually poor. I can't imagine what the reaction would have been by some on here had it been Henry swapping shirts with Gerrard at HALF TIME! It's just not on. Not when you're 2-0 down in a game such magnitude.

As a team we just look shorn of all confidence. To be done 4-1 by what was ultimately a mediocre Liverpool performance for a club like Arsenal beggars belief. Is talent enough? In theory, yes. Arsène is an economist and that how economists think. Everything is driven by models and theory. In the long-term, economists tend to be proven correct but as with all modelling, there are assumptions that do not always hold true. Say for instance, the assumptions that all our youngsters will stick around to become great while we're not even looking like winning things. Will they? We've taken a big gamble but now we need some collateral.

Tell that to the liverpool fans, some posters in their forums think their team was magnificent and would win the league next season!!!!

 

[Allyboy]

Not much to say about the game, if we dont totally collapse and get 4th this will be totally irrelevant.

Just want to say well done our away fans, it was ****ing brilliant atmosphere from start to finish, even at 3-0 and 4-1. Their fans were absolute pony, and we were even chanting "Anfield library" at them

Our players were their usual dickish selfs at the end when they lost, a couple of them clapped as they went into the tunnel but most just headed straight off.

There was one exception though, Denilson actually made a point of coming over to us and he got a huge ovation. The club need to sort this out though, its all very well Gallas pumping his fists and the players going into carnivalistic theatrics when we win but when they lose they dont want to know. I have been to some away games in the past where we have been dead, but when we gave them nothing but positive, encouraging support from the first whistle we deserve better than that.

 

[Biggus]

Indeed Ally......It was men against boys today and it showed.....Where was the leadership? Not only Gallas but Toure and Lehmann have questions to answer.

 

[guinertron]

Watching MOTD absolutley no leadership or direction
Baptista haha i don't know if we have brought Baps fatter crapper identical brother Hugo Baptista.
Ade was unlucky 2 off the post.
Do also have the two shortest centre backs in the league.

I fear some of the squad are in holiday mode already
i would not go as far as being worrried about finishing in the top four but this should be a rocket up the Arse.

Shearer summed it up... experience!!!

 

[illmatik]

missed this game...i just checked the scores..and god im happy i didnt watch..crouch with a hat trick!!?! cmon now

 

[the dawn raids]

two things:

1. its almost getting farcical at how poor our strikers are in front of goal.

2. toure and fabregas both need a long, extended rest this summer. i really hope spain can qualify early or crash and burn.

 

[the dawn raids]

we do need another winger, though. rotating rosicky, hleb and a third winger would be ideal imo. preferably someone different to rosicky and hleb; a player like the ljungberg of a few years ago...

this is an absolute necessity this summer. ribery, robinho; whoever can add some goals really.

 

[kel varnsen]

we do need another winger, though. rotating rosicky, hleb and a third winger would be ideal imo. preferably someone different to rosicky and hleb; a player like the ljungberg of a few years ago...

this is an absolute necessity this summer. ribery, robinho; whoever can add some goals really.

neither ribery nor robinho would fit the bill. neither of them would offer what we'd need from the wing. robinho is class, but more of a 'second forward' and ribery is nothing more than a poor man's hleb.

 

[kamikaze80]

wenger is going to have a tough time motivating the players down the stretch. we'll most likely limp across the finish line in 4th place, but it's clear that the players are in holiday mode. nothing to play for, throwing parties with hookers..

it's just not the sort of attitude that natural winners have. winners hate losing, even if its just in training. gallas, toure and henry are winners. cesc is rightfully tired, so he gets a mulligan. van persie's out. i'm not sure about the rest. are they all just passengers along for the ride?