Liverpool F.c.

[JacknDanny]

Will Bellamy play?

I quite liked the gob sh!te. Plenty of pace, and plenty to prove to Mancini. I hope he doesnt play, because I think he could give Richards and Clichy problems. As well as gobbing off to Barry!!

mate i hope bellamy plays simply because he's a really good player. the front six we played at chelsea at the weekend had five likely goalscorers in it, suarez, bellamy, maxi, kuyt and adam. that can't always be said when we start downing and henderson. or carroll for that matter.

bellamy or maxi on the left to keep richards pegged back makes loads of sense to me. kuyt has always made clichy look like a little boy lost when the lad was at arsenal. a lot will rest on the middle of the part where i expect mancini to go with his more conservative three of barry, toure, milner or so.

Glad you put "or Carroll for that matter" bit in finally coming round to the majority way of thinking.

Disagree with your assessment on them three being the conservative choice,for that you would play De Jong in there,which they just might do.

Get Lucas on Silva and Liverpool will win that's how good he is at the moment.

I dont think De Jong will start. I think he will go Barry/Milner/Yaya and Silva.

I prefer De Jong, but he has not been right past couple of games

[mrbojangles]

I thought City where unbeatable reading Thai Visa

We'll beat 'em at Eastlands. I doubt it will do much other than cement our second place though.

Correction 'We'll beat 'em at Etihad.'

400m and you cant even get the name right.

haha. it means 'united' don't you know.

i miss maine road.

In the strictest sense of the word it means Union or Unity. Believe me, I've asked many of my Arab friends.

For info Etihad = Union = الإتحاد.

Mutahed = United = متّحد.

Edit to add Arabic

[smokie36]

In the strictest sense of the word it means Union or Unity. Believe me, I've asked many of my Arab friends.

We understand mrboj....you eventually managed to get your driver to agree with you!

[mrbojangles]

In the strictest sense of the word it means Union or Unity. Believe me, I've asked many of my Arab friends.

We understand mrboj....you eventually managed to get your driver to agree with you!

He's from Kashmir

[MrRed]

Must be a City fan then^

[Abrak]

Quite right as usual. Its a restaurant.

I won't be dining there though as I only eat Mexican food recommended by Jimbo.

Wow. Open until 4.00am and well placed for the overflow after Nana closing.

[Devil]

Lucas yet again an amazing performance... future Captain?

Adam has finally starting to settle now, more consistent and more confident on the Ball. His work rate and tacking has impressed me of late. And seems to be involved in most of our attacks or chances.

Carroll nearly grabbing the headlines with that header! Great double save in the end from Hart.

Think most Reds will agree, disappointed not to of got the 3 points in reflection of our performance - more Possession, more Corners and more Shots than City.

Just hoping we stay within reach of the top 4 come April.

[mrbojangles]

Think most Reds will agree, disappointed not to of got the 3 points in reflection of our performance - more Possession, more Corners and more Shots than City.

Are you counting Adams shot in that? You know, the one going to the corner flag when it got deflected off Lescott

[Devil]

1322487059[/url]' post='4877521']

1322460713[/url]' post='4876582']

Think most Reds will agree, disappointed not to of got the 3 points in reflection of our performance - more Possession, more Corners and more Shots than City.

Are you counting Adams shot in that? You know, the one going to the corner flag when it got deflected off Lescott

Or the mistimed header that went in of the players shoulder?

LIVERPOOL V MAN CITYPossession

Liverpool 56%Man City 44%

Attempts on target

Liverpool 9Man City 3

Attempts off target

Liverpool 8Man City 4

Corners

Liverpool 8Man City 5

Fouls

Liverpool 11Man City 13

I rest my case !

[mrbojangles]

1322487059[/url]' post='4877521']

1322460713[/url]' post='4876582']

Think most Reds will agree, disappointed not to of got the 3 points in reflection of our performance - more Possession, more Corners and more Shots than City.

Are you counting Adams shot in that? You know, the one going to the corner flag when it got deflected off Lescott

Or the mistimed header that went in of the players shoulder?

LIVERPOOL V MAN CITYPossession

Liverpool 56%Man City 44%

Attempts on target

Liverpool 9Man City 3

Attempts off target

Liverpool 8Man City 4

Corners

Liverpool 8Man City 5

Fouls

Liverpool 11Man City 13

I rest my case !

No case to rest. You have not heard me say that we deserved a win and I have said I am happy with a point. But you were at home you know. We were the away side but still had a go at you and almost scored when we were down to ten men.

[mrbojangles]

1322487059[/url]' post='4877521']

1322460713[/url]' post='4876582']

Think most Reds will agree, disappointed not to of got the 3 points in reflection of our performance - more Possession, more Corners and more Shots than City.

Are you counting Adams shot in that? You know, the one going to the corner flag when it got deflected off Lescott

Or the mistimed header that went in of the players shoulder?

LIVERPOOL V MAN CITYPossession

Liverpool 56%Man City 44%

Attempts on target

Liverpool 9Man City 3

Attempts off target

Liverpool 8Man City 4

Corners

Liverpool 8Man City 5

Fouls

Liverpool 11Man City 13

I rest my case !

No case to rest. You have not heard me say that we deserved a win and I have said I am happy with a point. But you were at home you know. We were the away side but still had a go at you and almost scored when we were down to ten men.

[Devil]

1322494921[/url]' post='4877782']

1322489257[/url]' post='4877599']

1322487059[/url]' post='4877521']

1322460713[/url]' post='4876582']

Think most Reds will agree, disappointed not to of got the 3 points in reflection of our performance - more Possession, more Corners and more Shots than City.

Are you counting Adams shot in that? You know, the one going to the corner flag when it got deflected off Lescott

Or the mistimed header that went in of the players shoulder?

LIVERPOOL V MAN CITYPossession

Liverpool 56%Man City 44%

Attempts on target

Liverpool 9Man City 3

Attempts off target

Liverpool 8Man City 4

Corners

Liverpool 8Man City 5

Fouls

Liverpool 11Man City 13

I rest my case !

No case to rest. You have not heard me say that we deserved a win and I have said I am happy with a point. But you were at home you know. We were the away side but still had a go at you and almost scored when we were down to ten men.

More excuses than a pregnant Nun

[smokie36]

Team please Stevie..?

[Devil]

2-0 get in!

Quality all around.

4 wins in a row against Chelsea

[bkkjames]

Yea dev, good show, hope you draw city next, and assuming (big if) we get passed palace with our kids, then cardiff we can meet you in the end.

[bkkjames]

Btw was your match on tv, I woke up and only found barca playing?

[carmine]

Btw was your match on tv, I woke up and only found barca playing?

That was a result then

[room11]

Liverpool best performance last night

[Abrak]

Liverpool has one as many at Stamford Bridge this season as they have at Anfield

[Devil]

How Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva Became The World’s Best Defensive Midfielder

Three years ago, Liverpool had the best midfield in the world. The Kop even sang a song about it. ‘We’ve got Xabi Alonso… Momo Sissoko… Gerrard and Mas-cher-aaaaa-noooooo!”

Meanwhile on Merseyside, quietly trying to make his way in a new country with a starkly alien culture and very little initial grasp of the English language, was a young reserve player with flowing blond locks and a vivacious enthusiasm for the game.

He’d arrived for big money, billed as a prodigious creative midfielder from football’s exotic homeland of flair and fancy. Still a teenager, he had just one senior season under his belt, but in that one campaign he’d led Gremio to the Copa Libertadores final while still a teenager, and in the process became the youngest ever recipient of the Brazilian league’s award for player of the year. Younger than Tevez had been. Younger than Kaka, than Ronaldo, than Zico even.

Goldielocks had undeniable pedigree. But reputation counts for nothing when you’re trying to break into Rafa Benitez’s glittering, Champions League-winning engine room.

He’d wait for an injury or a suspension, and then stumble into a cauldron of pressure and impatience. In replacing Xabi Alonso, the world’s foremost holding midfielder, or Steven Gerrard, the league’s ultimate deep-lying attacking force, this timid novice was expected to swim a medley in the deep end against the currant of football’s most ferocious and unforgiving tide. Nobody ever said it was going to be easy. And so it proved.

Many Liverpool fans detested Lucas with an unhealthy passion.

Lucas Pezzini Leiva is an educated middle class lad from the small city of Dourados, close to the border of Paraguay in Brazil’s south west. He was prepped for a career in business or economics before his outstanding ability on the football pitch took over. But during his first couple of years in England, he might’ve considered falling back on his academic qualities.

As far as they were concerned, he was overhyped, overpaid and lacking the cajones to make an impact in the big league. His fleeting appearances offered little evidence of the sparkling report Benitez had attributed to him. He was both sloppy and inhibited. And what’s more, he wasn’t in any way creative. He didn’t even approach doors, let alone prise them open. Liverpool fans were expecting the new Kaka. But at his best, Lucas was a mild improvement on Igor Biscan. At his worst, he was a Sunday league chaser with the composure of a schizophrenic chicken.

It all came to a head during the 2008/09 season. Leiva had been struggling to find his feet in the big league, and giving away a last minute penalty at Wigan, and then getting sent off in the derby against Everton – all in the space of seven days – only compounded his misery. Being booed by the Anfield faithful during a disappointing draw with Fulham could’ve been the last straw, but his manager protected his fledgling. “Some day, people will realise how good Lucas is,” forecasted Rafa Benitez.

His reluctance to put a foot wrong was superseded by his drive to make a difference, to meet the ball, to commit defenders

Fast forward three years and that day Benitez predicted has now been and gone…

While Liverpool stuttered – initially in the latter days of Benitez’s reign, and then so markedly under Roy Hodgson – Lucas quietly, rapidly grew. His shyness evaporated as his shoulders became broader. His reluctance to put a foot wrong was superseded by his drive to make a difference, to meet the ball, to commit defenders, to probe with his passes, to rally the troops around him. That Lucas has become one of the pearls in Benitez’s Anfield legacy is testament to the Spaniard’s foresight and perseverance.

Not only are Liverpool fans now in full agreement as to the multifacted qualities Lucas provides, the 24-year-old’s stock has risen dramatically in wider circles, too. He is a regular in the full Brazil national team and could well captain the Selecao on home soil at the next World Cup. Elsewhere, Kenny Dalglish has fended off approaches for Lucas from powerhouses in Spain and Italy in recent months.

It’s little wonder there’s been interest. This season, the rebranded Lucas has been Liverpool’s best player. In the absence of Gerrard, and latterly of Carragher too, the dynamic Brazilian has developed into a focal point, and something of a natural leader. His fine example – superhuman work rate, cutting edge decision making, strength and desire in combat – has been an infectious influence among the newer signings beside him, and will only benefit his absent captain upon his 2012 return.

He’s leading a synchronised visual masterpiece in the middle of the Premier League’s choppy waters.

Leiva made more tackles and interceptions than anyone across Europe’s biggest four leagues last term. He’s already top of such stats this season. At Chelsea two weeks ago, he bossed from start to finish, gliding effortlessly around the Stamford Bridge turf, picking off Blues attacks and instinctively starting his own team’s counters in an instant. Last week at home to table-topping Man City, he played better still, stifling David Silva’s artistry and Yaya Toure’s power with his own single-handed combination of energy, craft and cunning. And last night, until his injury, he not only smashed Torres twice, he provided the rock-solid platform for Bellamy to wreak havoc.

Meanwhile, he’s also punching well above his weight in pass completion stats, and the method and destination of his staple use of the ball has improved immeasurably. No longer does he take the easy option by popping the ball off sideways or backwards for the sake of it. No longer does he pass the buck. In a round about way, he is evolving into the creator he was originally billed to be. But in addition, he’s an enforcer and a water-carrier all rolled into one.

Lucas Leiva not only looks at home swimming in football’s deep end these days, he’s leading a synchronised visual masterpiece in the middle of the Premier League’s choppy waters.

And while Liverpool may no longer possess the greatest midfield in the world, they might just have one of the planet’s great midfielders of the next decade.

http://www.sabotagetimes.com/football-sport/how-liverpools-lucas-leiva-became-the-worlds-best-defensive-midfielder/

[Devil]

LFC have recalled Jonjo Shelvy back from his loan spell at Blackpool - scored 6 goals in his short spell there.

Although there has been no official update on the Lucas injury you can't help wonder that the recall was for extra cover as the injury could be serious.

Lucas was key to our recent performances... gutted!

[StevieH]

seeing the club doctor and a specialist today for an evaluation. at this point they don't know if he's out for maybe 6 weeks, maybe 6 months. gutted for the lad, he's been outstanding lately.

[SantiSuk]

seeing the club doctor and a specialist today for an evaluation. at this point they don't know if he's out for maybe 6 weeks, maybe 6 months. gutted for the lad, he's been outstanding lately.

He's probably had medical complications. Asphyxiation, caused by all that breathless hyperbole reproduced in the article above

[StevieH]

seeing the club doctor and a specialist today for an evaluation. at this point they don't know if he's out for maybe 6 weeks, maybe 6 months. gutted for the lad, he's been outstanding lately.

He's probably had medical complications. Asphyxiation, caused by all that breathless hyperbole reproduced in the article above

yeah little bit over the top that piece. but he's become a vital player now and i think one of the best specialist defensive mids around. can't think of very many better.

[SantiSuk]

One of, I'll give you that!

I'd pitch our Alex Song as another, who is similarly central to the team's engines. One in the hatchery at Arsenal to look out for is Manny Frimpong.

[Jimjim]

Lucas plays a hugely important role for us. He's become one of the top one or two tacklers in England, and also a very accurate passer. I'm going to be devastated if he's truly out for 6 months. The high of winning against Chelsea for second time away has been brought down with Lucas' injury.

Been our best player the last two years, in my opinion.

Rafa was right, though, and Lucas has proved wrong all the fans who are only experts in their own minds.

As for Shelvey being recalled, my fingers are crossed it doesn't mean 6 months for Lucas as Jonjo was only going to be there for another month. It means they think for sure Lucas will be out until January, but hopefully it will not be too much longer than that!

Still no confirmation, let's hope...

[StevieH]

One of, I'll give you that!

I'd pitch our Alex Song as another, who is similarly central to the team's engines. One in the hatchery at Arsenal to look out for is Manny Frimpong.

frimpong looks a bit of a clown from what i've seen of him. still young though so may learn. song's alright, not what i'd say is top class. think the best few defensive mids in the top flight are lucas, de jong and parker really. tiote's come good too though.

[Devil]

Confirmed...Lucas out for the season - cruciate

[smokie36]

One of, I'll give you that!

I'd pitch our Alex Song as another, who is similarly central to the team's engines. One in the hatchery at Arsenal to look out for is Manny Frimpong.

Its the Gremlins...

[JacknDanny]

Confirmed...Lucas out for the season - cruciate

I guess King Kenny should have kept to his original promise and played his kids/reserve team

Playing 2 games in 48 hours has to make you more susceptible to injuries