ECHO Comment: "Fears of Witch-hunt Against Liverpool FC" part 2

[hallamblue]

Still not clear to me why there was five minutes of stoppage time yesterday. A few fouls, no injuries that I can think of. Can only imagine how many minutes that would have been at Anfield!

I was fully expecting them to score when I saw that board go up.

6 substitutions and 2 goals, that's 4 added minutes for a start.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Remember when a team with a forward line of Suarez Coutinho Sterling Sturridge won 13 games in a row and then dropped 5 points in two games at home to a Chelsea B team and away at Pulis’ Palace after being 3 up. City dropped 6 points to Palace and Leicester. No one looks like they’re going to drop points right up until they drop them. I’d doubt that any of Spurs Liverpool or City will replicate their first half tallies in the second half of the season.

 

[upthetoffees]

6 substitutions and 2 goals, that's 4 added minutes for a start.

Is that the general equation? One minute per three subs, one per goal? (Genuinely asking, not being sarcastic)

Either way, still telling that I was totally expecting a RS goal

 

[HongKongToffee]

Cigarette paper between both teams and they showed they are way ahead of everyone in the league, both teams are so quicker in transition & pressing.

Should be a pulsating title chase with 17 games to go, interesting that Pep is saying the PL is so tough last night in his comments, he is used to winning titles in March and for once it looks like it's not going to be a procession for him like he had in Spain and Germany.

I deffo see Klopp binning the Fa Cup and going warm weather training in the 4th round weekend like most PL clubs will who are out of the cup, Maybe City will as well as they are fighting on 3 fronts already , i saw on Twitter today that United are going to Dubai for warm weather training for 5-6 days and will be playing the reserves this weekend.

Shows that the Fa Cup is a minor competition for most clubs when even the Championship teams rest players when they have a gruelling 46 league match season.

 

[hallamblue]

Is that the general equation? One minute per three subs, one per goal? (Genuinely asking, not being sarcastic)

Either way, still telling that I was totally expecting a RS goal

Yes, they add 30 seconds for each substitution and 30 seconds for each goal.

 

[hallamblue]

Cigarette paper between both teams and they showed they are way ahead of everyone in the league, both teams are so quicker in transition & pressing.

Should be a pulsating title chase with 17 games to go, interesting that Pep is saying the PL is so tough last night in his comments, he is used to winning titles in March and for once it looks like it's not going to be a procession for him like he had in Spain and Germany.

I deffo see Klopp binning the Fa Cup and going warm weather training in the 4th round weekend like most PL clubs will who are out of the cup, Maybe City will as well as they are fighting on 3 fronts already , i saw on Twitter today that United are going to Dubai for warm weather training for 5-6 days and will be playing the reserves this weekend.

Shows that the Fa Cup is a minor competition for most clubs when even the Championship teams rest players when they have a gruelling 46 league match season.

Nonsense to say that City and your lot are way ahead of everyone. Spurs have been blowing teams away in the last few weeks. I agree there wasn't too much between the teams though.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

Going out of cups on purpose is never a good thing and is small time. If Klopp throws away the FA cup then he is cranking up the pressure on his players to win the league. It can be looked at both ways, I’m sure the Liverpool players would want to play tomorrow to get back to winning as quickly as possible and forget this loss. Having a long break after it with a tricky cup fixture in the middle might be the key thing they want especially if they lose it. Intensity is difficult to turn off and on like a switch.

Yes there are two ways of looking at it, but I'm fairly certain top four clubs do have their order of priorities and with Liverpool in the Champions League last sixteen and favourites for the title, any domestic cup is at the very bottom.

City are in everything including the league cup and Liverpool's chances of their number one objective could be greatly enhanced if their main rivals have serious fixture congestion which besides the mental side of coping can often mean fatigue or knocks to key players too.

It would seriously be a major advantage if one team only had the very highest prizes to aim for.

While no team goes out especially to lose and managers will say all the right things, team selection usually gives you a better idea of where their real priorities lie. I expect Klopp to rest most of his first XI and not be too upset if they go out even if he tells the media the opposite.

Pochettino at Spurs seems to be taking this approach too....

Mauricio Pochettino: I want to win the Premier League or Champions League, not the FA Cup

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...ino-want-win-premier-league-champions-league/

 

[canuckblue]

Yes, they add 30 seconds for each substitution and 30 seconds for each goal.

Why, one should ask, seeing as substitutions and goals are all part of the normal flow of a game? Injuries, yes. Cockwomble pitch invasions, yes. Anything else, leave the clock running. Do they add time for throw-ins?

 

[Steve0]

Now that is delusion at its highest level. Has the person who wrote this ever watched Liverpool or Man City play before?

Yeah he's wrong on both accounts lol lol

To come up with that you have to completely footballistically illiterate.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

He'll make 7 or 8 changes. Only question is how seriously Wolves will take it. Have a feeling they may change their team a lot as well.

Yes agree I think most prem league teams will make a lot of changes but those at the top and bottom of the league could go for the most changes, while its more important for the clubs who have only the FA cup to go for as with ourselves, others at the top or bottom have far higher priorities.

The cup has been devalued and is far less important than it once was in its heyday, its important for lower league clubs and should be important for midtable clubs out of everything else but most of the very top clubs will field squad teams at best until the quarters or semis. City or Liverpool are unlikely to take it very seriously at all.

 

[wandyr79]

Why, one should ask, seeing as substitutions and goals are all part of the normal flow of a game? Injuries, yes. Cockwomble pitch invasions, yes. Anything else, leave the clock running. Do they add time for throw-ins?

30 seconds has always been standard for subs and goals, remember that players take their time leaving the pitch and celebrating goals/getting ready for kick off. If no time was added teams would be free to really take the piss.

In regards to throw ins, I am sure that if the ref deems that teams are taking too long for set pieces he will add a bit extra and/or book the player.

Either way with 6 subs and 2 goals, 5 minutes is not a far fetched amount of minutes to add.

 

[Prevenger17]

Cigarette paper between both teams and they showed they are way ahead of everyone in the league, both teams are so quicker in transition & pressing.

Should be a pulsating title chase with 17 games to go, interesting that Pep is saying the PL is so tough last night in his comments, he is used to winning titles in March and for once it looks like it's not going to be a procession for him like he had in Spain and Germany.

I deffo see Klopp binning the Fa Cup and going warm weather training in the 4th round weekend like most PL clubs will who are out of the cup, Maybe City will as well as they are fighting on 3 fronts already , i saw on Twitter today that United are going to Dubai for warm weather training for 5-6 days and will be playing the reserves this weekend.

Shows that the Fa Cup is a minor competition for most clubs when even the Championship teams rest players when they have a gruelling 46 league match season.

City showed they were many cuts above Liverpool yesterday, should have won by 3 or 4. But if Liverpool's incredible luck holds out, they might be able to do it

 

[PhilM]

Any idea why @Seathestars has been blatted this afternoon? Anything said in here?

 

[Tin-Tin]

Yes there are two ways of looking at it, but I'm fairly certain top four clubs do have their order of priorities and with Liverpool in the Champions League last sixteen and favourites for the title, any domestic cup is at the very bottom.

City are in everything including the league cup and Liverpool's chances of their number one objective could be greatly enhanced if their main rivals have serious fixture congestion which besides the mental side of coping can often mean fatigue or knocks to key players too.

It would seriously be a major advantage if one team only had the very highest prizes to aim for.

While no team goes out especially to lose and managers will say all the right things, team selection usually gives you a better idea of where their real priorities lie. I expect Klopp to rest most of his first XI and not be too upset if they go out even if he tells the media the opposite.

Pochettino at Spurs seems to be taking this approach too....

Mauricio Pochettino: I want to win the Premier League or Champions League, not the FA Cup

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...ino-want-win-premier-league-champions-league/

Cant be doing with this attitude tbh as much as I like Pochettino. How can a team thats won absolutely nothing in years turn their noses up at a trophy? (That goes for Liverpool too)

Mourinho had his detractors but he was known for wanting to win the Leaue Cup as it was the easiest to win and it got that first start to a winning mentality.

Maybe if Spurs and Liverpool had players who had won trophies and had that mentality they would have a better chance at winning stuff.

Real Madrid were no great shakes in the CL last year but the players are serial winners, have the desire to keep winning and can cope with the pressure.

 

[roydo]

Any idea why @Seathestars has been blatted this afternoon? Anything said in here?

Just noticed that myself. Made a joke that was racist.