Why rest players for a European tie?

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What’s going on at Liverpool and what are Roy’s plans exactly? I need someone to shine some light on why do we rest our under-achieving, but potentially best squad players. Isn’t it a plain fact (no need to be earning £5 million a year) that players need games to get them up to scratch? Why bring up the excuse about resting players when results have been poor. I’m sure players can manage these games so early in the season. The physical aspect should not be raised unless a player is out due to injury. Lack of confidence – this seems to be buzz word lately – can only be rectified by throwing the affected player in the thick of it all and right now every game offers such an opportunity especially European ties.

Leaving out Stevie and Nando puts back any efforts by the two to regain that “telephatical” understanding which was so apparent and fruitful a few months back. If anything it gives us fans watching the game on the box something to look forward to! The only positive thing is that Spearing will be in the midst of it all hoping to impress. The boy has got potential but needs to be playing regularly.

What worries me most is Torres not featuring enough to regain his predatory form. Torres needs games; Such negative tactics risk ruining a player who was regarded as one of the best – if not the best – striker in European football. Fernando is a person who must be admired, a true professional. He’s been through thick and thin, criticized beyond belief during the World Cup, playing for a club who hasn’t won anything for the last 3 years amidst inconceivable but yet real boardroom troubles and yet showing his pride and joy to play for the Merseyside club by showing off an LFC scarf during Spain’s W. Cup celebrations. Torres is our biggest fan I dare say so seeing him struggle – when he gets to play – is horrendously hard to accept. True to say that injuries have been instrumental in reducing his performance levels and you can see he is frustrated at not scoring goals but now that he has got over his injury mishaps, it is time to get as much games as possible.

What irked most fans yesterday (myself included) was how Roy reacted to news Man. Utd may be planning a deal to take Torres away from Anfield. There’s only one answer to such questions – Torres is a Liverpool player, a Liverpool fan and will never be on a the transfer list irrespective of which club is linked. Torres knows that leaving for Man. Utd would be the last straw for many fans and is fully aware what this entails. If – and that’s a huge if – Torres hands in a transfer request, he would probably move to another country. Last thing we need is to gift Utd. with a super striker! That’s cloud cuckoo land stuff.

Anyway, time to sign off now. Here’s hoping that this time tomorrow we will all be celebrating Liverpool’s demolition of Napoli (although I can’t see this happen). I’ve been told that a small group of Liverpool fans were seen inside the Meazza (San Siro) stadium during Inter’s game against Spurs last night. I guess these will be heading for Liverpool’s game this evening so well done to them and to anyone who will be attending the game trying to lift the players. Thumbs up.

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18 Comments

  1. Ah who cares about the UEFA Cup? To hell with it, they’d be better gettin off knocked out of it as soon as possible, every one knows that, the manager, the players & the fans.

    The UEFA Cup would only be worth winning if it meant a place in the CL next season.
    I think they’re better off gettin out of it & worry about the league, I think Hodgson has only one or two games left to save his Anfield career, so the games against Blackburn at home & Bolton away are a bit more important that playing some mid-table team in a hell-hole in Italy. If Roy gets 4 points from the next two games he’ll keep his job, if not then he’s out and hopefully Peligrinni is in

  2. Roy is to pally with whiskey nose. torres has been called a cheat and now they are trying to unsettle him,but roy wont tell utd to fuck off and mind his business for fear of upsetting old whiskey nose. go now roy please

  3. I agree in that we shouldn’t write off any chance for silverware. I do however feel that in the interests of keeping key players fit for weekend games, their exclusion during these midweek games is justified, especially when they have insufficient cover. I think given the quality of Babel and Ngog, we’ll do OK in Europa.

    To be honest though, I really would like to see Hodgson replaced. His postmatch comments are entirely deluded and his recent refusal to tell ManYoo to keep away from Torres is highly upsetting (for me anyway).

    That’s why it’s kind of paradoxical for me to say YNWA. Because I don’t extend that principle to RH, and I don’t feel as if that’s going to change any time soon.

  4. “Why rest players for a European tie Karl?” simple, because it’s nothing more than a second division European competition which ranks even lower than the Carling Cup. Keep an eye out for another half empty Anfield – maybe worse, at the next Europa League game.

  5. When a team is performing and playing well and you’re genuinely competing for silverware on several fronts, then it is justified to rest players. Rafa did it numerous times in league games to protect players for important CL games.

    When you are at the bottom of the league, scrapping for points, with a team that has yet to gel or understand the managers unfamiliar new systems, then you do not rest players. The more Torres, Gerrard, Mereiles and Cole get to play with each other, understand each others movement and runs, and fit in to the managers style of play, the sooner we will lift ourselves out of the mire.

    It is a mistake from a manager who is clueless and is out of his depth. The media love Hodgson because he talks b*llocks and gives them a story. Rafa was universally despised by the media because he was so cagey about what he would and wouldn’t talk about. When Rafa was asked what he’d do if Torres was sold – he said he’d resign. Hodgson’s answer was almost as appalling as not defending the ‘Torres cheated’ comments from Alex Ferguson.

    We won’t win tonight or on Sunday. Hopefully then we will be rid of this disastrous manager.

    On a different note, did anyone see Inter last night? The way Rafa sets his teams up in big games at home is brilliant. The intensity for the first 15 minutes was phenomenal and reminded me of how Liverpool came out of the traps on European nights against Juve and Real. Few teams can live with that level of intensity in the first few minutes of the game – he is strategically a brilliant manager and with the team he has inherited, I believe he will win the CL again this year.

    Finally, Gareth Bale’s hat trick was superb. What would you give for Bale rampaging down the left at Anfield? A great young player who kept his head up despite conceding 4 first half goals and kept going through 90 minutes. He is on my wishlist for a new LB/LM…

    YNWA

  6. If the team was doing well and full of confidence I would agree, rest them. But they not. There are several new players in the squad and they need games to allow them to gel. Keep playing them in every game til they start winning and gain confidence.

  7. Totally agree Karl, but leaving out the big guns give Hodgson an excuse if we lose….we were understrength due to a fundumental league match next Sunday. I will really pissed off hearing Hodgson’s comments about Man Utd’s Torres’ links….he should have laughed them off and said that Torres would never do such a travesty. Hodgson’s days are numbered, we will lose today…and unless we dramatically improve on Sunday he will be sent packing.

  8. Purslow said he’s proud of what he has achieved as MD??? Broughton led the sale of the club while it is generally agreed that Purslow led the sacking of Rafa, ignored Kenny and hired Roy – result 19th and looking useless.

    The team needs to play as many games as possible to gain thier rythm, understanding and confidence but if Roy bought Bale he’d play him goal!

  9. For me it’s simple. Is Roy going to be more under pressure for losing a Europa League GROUP match, or for loosing (another) Preimer League Match? The answer is also a simple one.
    If we lose to Napoli, we can still qualify for the knock out stages of the Europa League. If we lose to Blackburn, that will be (another) league defeat and as fans care more about keeping us in the league rather than the Europa, it will mount more pressure on him. Thus, the league game MUST take precedence.

    Not sure if it really matters though, rumours are that he’s a ‘Dead man walking’ and will be out sometime around this weekend. Hope they’re true :-)

  10. Why rest players? well here’s a few clues…we already have points on board in the Europa and only need a few more points to qualify for the next round. And there are plenty of games left to achieve this. Whereas we are 19th in the league and face a MUST WIN game on sunday. Where do your priorities lie? Hodgson has come under a lot of criticism, and in most cases rightly so, but here he has made the correct decision. The game on sunday is much, much bigger and much more important than the one tomorrow. Tonight’s game is not a ‘DO or DIE’ game in the champions league. It’s a game in the Europa league where we already have points on board and only need a couple more from 3/4 game. Let’s try not to get hysterical over anything and everything.

    Follow me on twitter – http://twitter.com/Nizam_Dorasat

  11. I think Roy is spot on – the more important game for the Club is Sunday’s game against Blackburn. Yes, it’s great to play in Europe, but we’re in a comp that has virtually no prestige (thanks UEFA!) – remember when European Cups other than the Champions League were worth competing for? Due to this and based on the fact that we have a few points in the bank, then I believe Roy is doing the right thing – I would rather have the win on Saturday than tonight.

  12. Our league form is desperate at the moment and we need our strongest side out on the pitch every game.

    We’re doing ok in the Europa League and as already mentioned, Roy won’t get sacked for our performances on the Europa League.

    The Torres story is bizarre. Perhaps he has had some credible intel and reacting accordingly? Would Fernando say to Roy “I want to move and I want to stay in England”? Maybe.

  13. so sick of this decision. we need every single win to pump up team’s confident. I think we couldn’t handle any loss from now on.

    what a poor vision..

  14. No way would Torres go to the Manc Scum, They are 1 if not 2 years away from our position. Clasping at straws is all OLD whiskey nose is doing. Nando will come good and I for 1 have all the FAITH in the world in him, Not sure about Uncle Roy though !!

  15. I’ve heard Torres and Gerrard haven’t gone because they, along with Dalglish, are meeting up with Rijkaard.

  16. Naw, I don’t agree with you man, I’d rather LFC won the FA Cup than the Europa, at least the FA Cup has some magic to it. Everyone knows the Europa is just an also-ran Cup, it’s pointless and should really just be done away with.

    Thankfully Hodgson isn’t taking it seriously and he’s only playing the 2nd team. LFC will beat Blackburn, they’re beginning to show grit and determination, the biggest problem I can see is that Joe Cole isn’t fitting in and he’s upsetting how the team attacks…what a waste of £90,000 a week he is

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