tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24714844.post3391304534982836906..comments2023-11-03T20:41:57.366+08:00Comments on The Red Cauldron: Reds Held At Anfield By Bitter RivalsDROGBALLShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364289200405221590noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24714844.post-87453118400244878672007-02-05T13:48:00.000+08:002007-02-05T13:48:00.000+08:00Well, we always screw it up under pressure don't w...Well, we always screw it up under pressure don't we? A lot is expected from this match not only is it a Merseyside derby but also to revenge that painful defeat. We're chasing after Chelsea who's in 2nd place as well and that win will certainly put pressure on them.<br /><br />But once again, we failed to deliver.<br /><br />In football, we're talking about taking your chances and scoring goals, not how much possessions or how much 'half chances'. We failed because we failed to take those 'half chances' while I could only remember a Crouch volley and a Alonso long shot, that was the closest we went. <br /><br />I personally think 3-4-3 was a mess because with the trio upfront, there will be little freedom of movement and required a lot of team work. We saw no linking up of the front men except the Bellamy's offside goal.<br /><br />Defensively we're not solid. Osman nearly scored as well if you could remember. <br /><br />Agree with you on the point about composure. Considering it is a Merseyside derby, players might lose their head and got anxious. That's what I felt and they were not patient enough. We also lacked a creative spark from anywhere on the pitch. We were just insipid and lacked imagination.DROGBALLShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10364289200405221590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24714844.post-48100816731596959162007-02-05T12:07:00.000+08:002007-02-05T12:07:00.000+08:00"We crumble"? Surely you jest. Our backline was su..."We crumble"? Surely you jest. Our backline was superb for the entire match apart from one poor back pass which gave Johnson a chance.<br /><br />The 3-4-3 was far from a mess, we created a host of half-chances and we were never going to get many chances against a team that is happy to sit 9 players in their own box. <br /><br />The biggest sign of this was whenever a cross was cleared it fell straight to one of our players outside the box. Everton are one of the most negative teams in the Premier League, added to that the fact that it is a Derby means we were going to get very few easy shots.<br /><br />Our mistake was to not move the ball quickly out to the wings (we take far too long to move the ball around) and to always favour the right wing. Everton were happy to stay central and attempt to pack the box and clear crosses rather than commit men out wide. Late in the game our wingers came to the centre too much and crowded the area.<br /><br />I think we played very well, broke down their attacks and pressured them quite well. A bit more composure would have seen us score a goal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24714844.post-62291369427167452712007-02-04T15:36:00.000+08:002007-02-04T15:36:00.000+08:00i love it when i heard Rafa say that Everton is a ...i love it when i heard Rafa say that Everton is a small team.. HAHAHAHA... how true is that! For once Rafa has decided to speak the truth rather than giving his opponents too much face!psychoharehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04455871652331128052noreply@blogger.com