re: Liverpool FC 2011/12 Season Thread

Carroll didn't get better, in fact you could make the argument that his faults were on show more with Gerrard.

Gerrard seemed like he was on a mission to get Carroll a goal, and Andy made a mess of it.

One was an inch person cross that Carroll put off the cross bar, and another one was a fantastic long ball over the back line in the area that Carroll kuyted and lost possession.

He wasn't terrible all day I don't think but at this point I'm desperate to see him start showing something. At least Gerrard has the quality to actually get him the ball in a good space as opposed to everyone else just knocking things in his vicinity.

yeah if had ten goals this year then sure, but he's gotten kinda good at butchering great chances when it seems like the hard work is done.

I feel bad for him and really want these to start going in

Well, I read the opposite on another forum. Hopefully I can watch the game online somewhere and judge for myself.

I bet I would have. But at thi point I'm not looking for goals. I'm looking for any positive improvement that will manifest into good form.

That includes, but is not limited to: work rate, enthusiasm, positioning, awareness and timing. Which I heard all improved once Stevie was on the pitch.

We all know that if he continually receives these beautiful balls from Gerrard, he will score. It's just a matter of patience and a steady build up of confidence for him and the squad around him.

Can't find a replay anywhere, so instead I watched the match highlights. I am grinning from ear to ear.

The addition of Stevie to the squad can't be stressed enough. His presence on the pitch immediately makes everyone around him better.

I didn't get to see Carroll's entire performance, but his two opportunities were enough for me. The biggest thing I noticed was that on the overhead through ball (which he fricked up) and the header off the crossbar, he wasn't double teamed. This is huge. Virtually every appearance he has made for the club he has been double teamed. This is because of two reasons:

1. A lack of goal threats around him. This allows the opponents to focus more defenders on him.

2. A lack of creativity in getting him the ball. Almost all of the crosses sent in to him throughout this season have been from the end line. This is unbelievably predictable and gives defenses the ability to migrate towards Carroll once the ball goes deep in the pitch.

With Stevie on the pitch:

1. Teams must put large amounts of defensive focus on him. This obviously frees up players around him, including Carroll.

2. Teams are forced to defend other runs due to his creativity. By now having to watch for runs by Kuyt, Henderson, Bellamy and Carroll, teams aren't able to dedicate as much attention to Carroll.

3. Stevie has the ability to whip in crosses from the midfield. This is very tough for defenders especially going up against such a physical threat.

I've been blabbering and am finally getting to my point. Carroll will score goals with Stevie on the pitch. His two opportunities against Newcastle were all I needed to see. He blundered the first and got unlucky with the second. In time, those will go in. Hopefully Stevie is back for the long haul. We could use him for the rest of the season. This leaves Chuck on the bench (thank god).

Tl;dr: Gerrard is good and Carroll will score goals.

What about the squad for City tomorrow?

-------------Reina

Johnson-Skrtel-Agger-Enrique

Henderson--Spearing--Gerrard/Adam

Kuyt/Downing-Suarez-Bellamy/Maxi

??

I think Maxi and Kuyt will get the nod. Don't know if Stevie will start or come off the bench. We have a lot of matches in January though, so we need to conserve stamina.

Bellamy has has has to be in the starting XI at this point.

Can score, and is one of the only players with the pace to make a difference.

quote:

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And Xavier, it's three horrifically terrible games in a row for Adam.

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Agreed...I've said it before, but I think the loss of Lucas really exposed Adam in the midfield. But neither Bellamy nor Gerrard are capable of playing 90 mins more than once a week right now. So guys who have been disappointments like Downing, Adam, and Henderson (though he's played better since Kenny moved him inside) are going to be counted on in important matches. Adam definitely needs to be better (and never take a PK again) but with the upcoming schedule, he'll still get plenty minutes.

Match Day... Does Stevie start?

I'd like to see the usual back 5

kuyt henderson gerrard bellamy
carroll suarez