Liverpool Football Club 2021/2022 - We go again.

[Akula]

Villarreal 2 - 3 Liverpool. We progress through to CL Finals on a ( 5 - 2 ) aggregate.

Hosts started strongly, their intensity was real surprising and perhaps caught us off guard. Went in 2 nil down at HT (level on aggregate)

Klopp must have given the lads a good one in the dressing room, and with the introduction of L Diaz, plus also the host tiring, we came storming back with goals from Fabinho, Diaz and Mane.

With 3 goals tonight, we surpassed our previous record of 138 per season. 

We marched on to Paris. 

Next up, vs Spurs at Anfield.

YNWA.
 

[Fooblack]

Pool played real bad in the 1st half and Villareal was probably fair to have scored the 2 goals to equalise for this tie.  

The key was that they did equalised just before half time.  that made the team talks for both teams very different.  Klopp had no choice or option to defend a slender lead and had to adjust his starting lineup to bring on Diaz for an ineffective Jota.  Villareal was concerned that Pool will come out blazing and whether they can play the entire game of that intensity, abandoned its high press with man-marking, and decided to go to its bread and butter double decker bus.  These crucial changes at the half time turned the game on in Pool's favour and it could play its normal game of patient possession and then exploit opportunities that will appear once Villareal ran out of legs in the 2nd half. 

In the end, once Fabinho scored through the legs of the GK, the tie and momentum swung significantly for pool and there was no recovery possible for Villareal. It was probably also fair that Pool's dominance in the 2nd goal was rewarded with 2 further goals for an overall final tally of 5-2, which on balance over the 2 legs, was probably a correct representation of the tie over 2 legs. 

Given what we saw in this semi-final 2nd leg, we cant discount the element of suprise and pressure for the visiting team.. so City will almost certaintly face a much sterner test at the Real this evening.   same as Salah, I would rather play Real then City for the final.   

[Akula]

Mane's winning goal was his 15th in the knockout stages of the Champions and now sees him become the first African to achieve such a feat. There is still the final...

[Atrecord]

Newcastle match was tight, and heng got keita to get a winner - else that Dubraka would be public liverpool enemy no. 1, for foiling (almost) all the attacks... Was hoping Leeds can do wonders, but they disappointed... now can only hope that City slips up somehow - maybe after a draining UCL s emi...

Then Villareal was unrecognisable from the 1st leg, right from the whistle. So was Pool... I tot the teams changed jersey, so bad was the Reds' play... and it didn't take long to get punished - and what was initially tot a formality, suddenly looks uncertain. Worse was to come, and from the balance of play in the half, Pool fully deserved to be knocked out... And it was really counting our lucky stars that Allison got the ball while knocking into that Lo Celso... else it would have been penalty + red card = confirmed game over...

Really lucky to be only 2 down at half time, and even luckier to be able to play our normal game in 2nd half, which coincided with Villareal tiring and reverting to what we saw in the first leg. Emery maybe told them to conserve energy for a while, soak up the pressure, then maybe towards the end spring another high-tempo surprise... but Pool managed to pull some rabbits out of the hat, and both Fab and Diaz beat the offside trap to score important goals that deflated Villareal and in the process, brought the belief and confidence back to the team. 

Mane added a bonus eventually to make it a victory for the night (and not only for the tie), and then Salah, Hendo, Jones, etc. all tried their luck but couldn't score more. In truth, if they had, then it would really be unfair for the valiant Villareal team. Their first half was really good, and Pool had a taste of its own medicine, being pressured every single time any player had the ball...

Am still uncertain whether it is better to face City or RM. If it was beginning of the season, it would be RM without doubt, but they seem to be improving as the season progresses... and that Benzema seems a handful, as is that Vinicius Junior... Am worried that our best RB in the world will be tekan'ed by them badly... 

talking of which, really must convert TAA to midfielder... his defence - despite what Klopp keeps saying - is just shit...

Anyway, Spurs next. and their hot and cold form is... unpredictable. from the form book, Spurs' next game should be cold... so that will help Pool... 😄

[Raymondism]

Honestly i dont think Villareal could have scored more in the first half... afterall they only had two shots on target. We were bad to concede the second goal especially TAA who stood and watch Conquelin score with a header.

Maybe Klopp's plan was to wear down Villareal in the first half and go for it in the second half.

[Jamesc]

We just wanted to make it fair to Real Villa and give them two goals.

Then we see who goes thru based just on second half.

And we won 3-0.

[Maxus-MIFA9]

5 hours ago, Raymondism said:

Lets see who we will meet in the finals.... 

Well... Villareal put up a great fight but they are obviously not used to playing a high tempo high pressing game and got tired in the second half... in fact, its not possible to maintain such a high tempo.. at least Klopp's Liverpool turned up in the second half.. the first half was probably the worst i have seen Liverpool play ever... opponent score 2 out of 2 chances.. was that Roy's Liverpool?

The decision to bypass midfield and go long also back fired as our two most creative midfielders were rendered useless in the first half. Maybe it was the Liverpool tradition to do it the hard way.. conceding 2 goals in 1st half and hitting 3 back in a span of 12 minutes... wonder what Klopp said during half time: Shall we show them who is the real come back king!?

Next... Spurs 

Spurs will slaughter us if the 1st half team appears at Anfield on 8th May. 

I must thanks my good friend "Beeb" (ManU supporter) who woke up to see the second half.  🙏

"He woke up tat's made Liverpool wakes up" in the second half.......  

He can sleep throughout as after all not his team (ManU) playing. 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by Picnic06-Biante15

[Maxus-MIFA9]

I think Klopp playing mind games with ManU & RM managers...... 

Blowing cold in 1st half and hot in 2nd half .... 

For sure, both managers will be watching the game with eagle eyes lock onto the screen. Both will be studying hard, who & how to mark Pool players in the grand final. 

Who knows, Klopp might play Firmino in the final to throw them off guards. 

 

[Maxus-MIFA9]

This weekend, home match against Spurs. 

We can beat them...... 

[Daryllim1969]

Watched only the last 30 mins of this morning's game and heng ah, was spared the roller coaster feeling that most bros here probably went through. 😁

At the end of the day, class separates the two teams and I am glad that LFC is into the 3rd Champions League Finals in 5 years. 

Between who will be our Final Opponents, I would prefer Real Madrid instead of Man City. Man City and LFC knows each other's playing style all too well and I think a change in opposition would probably add some spice to the Finals.

 

[Atrecord]

1 hour ago, Raymondism said:

Honestly i dont think Villareal could have scored more in the first half... afterall they only had two shots on target. We were bad to concede the second goal especially TAA who stood and watch Conquelin score with a header.

Maybe Klopp's plan was to wear down Villareal in the first half and go for it in the second half.

What i meant was that Pool was so pressured into making mistakes (and it was all 11 players without exception 😪), that it reminded me of the match at Villa last season... when the team just crumbled... and then the opponents will be fired up and full of confidence, and then... sigh... too painful to bring back the memories...
If it was a team like City dominating a match, they sure whack till point of no return...

good thing at least now the team's mentality was strong, and was able to regroup during half time.

[Jamesc]

At the end of the match the ex Liverpool player and commentator Don Hutchinson

said Klopp's half time talk he would have roasted the players given

them the SAF hair dryer treatment and remind them they are playing for the shirt, the fans, the badge.

This is total nonsense but its what a manger in Don's time the 1980s would have said.

When Klopp came on camera he explained that he told his analysis team

to find one good moment when Pool played well to give the boys some confidence at the half time team talk.

Old school style management and it happens even today is supervisor screaming at workers

to get the minimum effort out of them.

New management is about building people up and giving them self confidence and self belief

and motivating them so they give maximum effort.

Amazing that even today 2022 we still have people doing the old school management method. 

[Jamesc]

This is the secret to Liverpool's success

hug and love them so they give everything

on the field.

[Jamesc]

Liverpool played badly in the first half

not because they were not motivated.

Not because they didn't care,

not because they don't love the club.

It was because they were missing a little

bit of self confidence and self belief.

This is true of everyone.

We all need a little bit of motivation

and people that believe in us sometimes.

[Akula]

We have thus far played 57 games this season, scoring 139 in the process.

4 more league games, plus 1 FA Cup final and 1 CL final will bumped it up to 63.

We would have played in every single match that we possibly could!
 

This team is special. Whatever the outcome of the last 6 matches, what we are witnessing is phenomenal 

[Jamesc]

The only reason we have this special team is because of one man

[Maxus-MIFA9]

1 hour ago, Jamesc said:

At the end of the match the ex Liverpool player and commentator Don Hutchinson

said Klopp's half time talk he would have roasted the players given

them the SAF hair dryer treatment and remind them they are playing for the shirt, the fans, the badge.

This is total nonsense but its what a manger in Don's time the 1980s would have said.

When Klopp came on camera he explained that he told his analysis team

to find one good moment when Pool played well to give the boys some confidence at the half time team talk.

Old school style management and it happens even today is supervisor screaming at workers

to get the minimum effort out of them.

New management is about building people up and giving them self confidence and self belief

and motivating them so they give maximum effort.

Amazing that even today 2022 we still have people doing the old school management method. 

Old school methods always works. Remember, spare the rod, spoil the kid. 

See, one good example is your MIL. She used the old school thoughts and you behave so well like an angle. 

[Jamesc]

1 minute ago, Picnic06-Biante15 said:

See, one good example is your MIL. She used the old school thoughts and you behave so well like an angle. 

I buy you a beer.

You are the only person that says

I behave so well like an angel. 

No one else ever says that.

They don't have perfect vision like you do.