Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool

[jmarlow 458]

Malouda doesn't deserve a start i agree but i want him to start for tactical reasons. Despite Malouda having a poor spell he is still one of the best players in the league technically and he is very intelligent tactically too. I firmly believe that both of their full backs will struggle against Malouda and Mata because they both have the ability run inside and play one two's and create space. I want 2 wide players with creative ability on Sunday with one pure Striker that will give us fantastic balance like what we had against Valencia when Malouda and Mata started that game.

so you want Malouda and Mata out wide with Sturridge in the middle?

that doesn't sound good to me, playing sturridge as the front man up against what will be a very defensive Liverpool team, Sturridge would get bullied by Skertl, Agger and Carragher if he plays.

It has to be Torres through the middle he will be well up for this game like he was at Old Trafford, where he had a great performance and could have scored a hattrick, Torres knows he has a lot to prove and Sunday is a great opportunity for him.

all eyes will be on Torres on Sunday and if he has a good and and can nick a goal then the whole footballing world will be talking about Torres for the right reasons, and that will give him a massive confidence boost and could be a catalyst to change his fortunes around at Chelsea, if things don't work out for him on Sunday, it will be the same old Torres criticism again, i think he is used to that now.

[jmarlow 458]

he is still one of the best players in the league technically

Josh Mceachran is better than Malouda Technically!

[dodojojo 510]

I would start Danny up front on his own with Malouda and Mata on the wing. Torres does not deserve a start after what he put us through against Arsenal and Drogba will be rusty.

And Sturridge was MOTM against Arsenal? Or have you forgotten his foibles in that game?

AVB did play Sturridge in the middle against Blackburn--it worked so well, he had Torres on sharpish after HT.

[tmessy 139]

if you want to score goals, malouda needs to start the game on the bench...

anelka and torres seem to be on the same page, and if you throw a little mata in there we should create alot of chances...

cant wait for this game

need to keep a clean sheet and get torres many chances early so he gets that little extra boost...

[Badboy 1,526]

You think?, Malouda just gives the ball away too much his passing this season hasn't shown anything, the magic he created this season was his low cross to Lampard in the Valencia match, but besides that he doesn't even trouble players that much, He did in the Genk match, but that is Genk, and even then his decision making was piss poor and resulted in Genk having goal kicks.

Malouda and Mata provided balance in that game and we had structure we were in total control.

[Krypt 241]

We all know Malouda isnt the player he was two seasons ago and i agree with some comments about Anelka starting on the right , but its such a gamble with him because we never know which Anelka will turn up. This team is crying out for a Natural right winger ( we have been for years) it should have been addressed in the summer. I say we start with Danny then if he is out of his depth stick Nico on , I think Danny has the hunger at the moment which is why i would pick him.

[Kojo 4,676]

Malouda and Mata provided balance in that game and we had structure we were in total control.

I think playing Malouda is a bad idea, he lost pace, he lost confidence with it. And to add to his technical ability he can't cross anymore, I'd rather play Mata and Anelka, and i seriously hope we get rid of Malouda and Kalou in January and get two new players in too replace them. Perhaps playing Malouda against a team favourites for relegation or bottom 6, but this is Liverpool!, i can see Malouda just fucking up like he has done in his past games.

[Badboy 1,526]

you can't be serious

I am very serious, you just look at his record in terms of productivity since he has joined. He is technically superb and he is also tactically astute Liverpool would rather play against a makeshift forward like an Anelka or Danny on the wing then someone who could potentially whip the ball in for an on rushing Lampard or Torres.

[Badboy 1,526]

And Sturridge was MOTM against Arsenal? Or have you forgotten his foibles in that game?

No he was not but he was still well more involved then Torres who completely disappeared in that game.

Josh Mceachran is better than Malouda Technically!

Yep because Josh has played every single game this season and its clear.

I think playing Malouda is a bad idea, he lost pace, he lost confidence with it. And to add to his technical ability he can't cross anymore, I'd rather play Mata and Anelka, and i seriously hope we get rid of Malouda and Kalou in January and get two new players in too replace them. Perhaps playing Malouda against a team favourites for relegation or bottom 6, but this is Liverpool!, i can see Malouda just fucking up like he has done in his past games.

Yes his form has not been great i admit in fact i have bashed him but sometimes you must pick people on tactical strategy. We have to have structure we cant keep playing seasoned strikers out wide just because they have pace. We concede too many goals in the first 20 mins because we keep playing strikers who have a very low awareness of what a winger should do in the event of the opposition gaining ball. How many times have we watched Chelsea and you just sit down with your drink and the opposition have scored. That's because we lack structure when we play strikers out wide.

[Krypt 241]

I am very serious, you just look at his record in terms of productivity since he has joined. He is technically superb and he is also tactically astute Liverpool would rather play against a makeshift forward like an Anelka or Danny on the wing then someone who could potentially whip the ball in for an on rushing Lampard or Torres.

Two seasons ago yes ... now i dont think so , I think Malouda is a good backup to mata but nothing more.

[dodojojo 510]

Problem with Sturridge is in action and now in media reports, he clearly wants to be CF and he quite often doesn't provide any width, doesn't cross particularly well and apparently can't use his right foot to pass the ball--which is a problem since he plays on the right. AVB may as well play 4-3-1-2 because Sturridge isn't and won't play like a RF.

Sturridge is a natural goalscorer but he's inexperienced and immature (as a footballer) and it shows in his team play.

But I agree, picking either Anelka or Sturridge results in major pluses and minuses. On his day, I would go with Anelka because he's a much more accomplished and skilled footballer than DS. Problem is when is that day exactly.

[dodojojo 510]

No he was not but he was still well more involved then Torres who completely disappeared in that game.

I vaguely remember having this discussion post-Arsenal so I'm not going to rehash it except to say Torres was in position for a couple of easy opportunities early on but the ball never got to him. I'll just let you recall why. Sturridge was so abysmal that day Arsenal pretty much stopped marking him and Torres was left with two CBs on him and without his right side partner providing much help.

[Sheva. 5,373]

We concede too many goals in the first 20 mins because we keep playing strikers who have a very low awareness of what a winger should do in the event of the opposition gaining ball. How many times have we watched Chelsea and you just sit down with your drink and the opposition have scored. That's because we lack structure when we play strikers out wide.

How many goals have we conceded in the first 20 mins this season?

I can only remember 2.

[manpe 10,857]

How many times have we watched Chelsea and you just sit down with your drink and the opposition have scored. That's because we lack structure when we play strikers out wide.

I somewhat agree. When Mourinho was manager, he demanded his wingers to defend... if they didn't track back once to help the fullbacks, you could see Jose getting pissed at the sideline. That defensive unity was what made us the best in that department back then. Studge, Anelka and Mata are abysmal at defending... Malouda, not so much, he tracks back quite often. But in attacking sense, I think he finishes just above Kalou, but below everybody else.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Yes his form has not been great i admit in fact i have bashed him but sometimes you must pick people on tactical strategy. We have to have structure we cant keep playing seasoned strikers out wide just because they have pace. We concede too many goals in the first 20 mins because we keep playing strikers who have a very low awareness of what a winger should do in the event of the opposition gaining ball. How many times have we watched Chelsea and you just sit down with your drink and the opposition have scored. That's because we lack structure when we play strikers out wide.

I agree with your thinking from the tactical sense.

However the Malouda we expect, based on that, and the Malouda we get is very different. The Malouda will get is one who won't be wise in the final third, who'll shoot from a ridiculous distance - knowing it won't go in - and one who can't play a simple pass.

Yes, though, he does backtrack. He provides good support for Cole, and he'll give Mata license to roam free behind the strikers.

It's a huge gamble because Malouda's lot his attacking instinct (though he can still put in a gem of a cross at times). Defensively he's a good choice, I suppose.

[dodojojo 510]

Until Chelsea get a RW or RF in the winter window maybe AVB can stray from the 4-3-3 and play 4-2-3-1. It's the best formation for Torres and at this point, let's try to play the best formation for the personnel and we can play the ideal 4-3-3 after a couple of new players come in.

Cech

Brana, Luiz JT Cole

Meireles Mikel/Romeu

Ramires Anelka Mata

Torres

I would prefer Anelka over Lampard but we know Nico doesn't always show up for every game. Lampard can slot in for Meireles/Anelka.

Anelka and Mata to swap positions throughout the game.

But AVB won't play 4-2-3-1 apparently....

[Kojo 4,676]

I agree with your thinking from the tactical sense.

However the Malouda we expect, based on that, and the Malouda we get is very different. The Malouda will get is one who won't be wise in the final third, who'll shoot from a ridiculous distance - knowing it won't go in - and one who can't play a simple pass.

Yes, though, he does backtrack. He provides good support for Cole, and he'll give Mata license to roam free behind the strikers.

It's a huge gamble because Malouda's lot his attacking instinct (though he can still put in a gem of a cross at times). Defensively he's a good choice, I suppose.

I think it's a pointless gamble though anyway, because we can't sit back and defend against Liverpool, yes we need to sort out the defending definitely, but we must get goals.

[NattyBlue 44]

Really don't want us to lose this damn game, I fucking hate Liverpool. Just hope we batter them, making the scouse heads hang in shame when they leave SB