Your team v Real Madrid (Champion's League Last-16, First Leg)

[Insidious]

It's Carlo Ancelotti.

It's the Champion's League.

It's Real Madrid.

........................Alisson

Trent.......Matip.....Gomez...Robertson

........................Fabinho

..............Henderson.....Bajcetic

....Salah...........Gakpo........Núñez

We still have a long way to go if we wish to participate in the Champion's League for the 23/24 season. With that in mind, there is a distinct possibility of this being our last knock-out match at Anfield until February of 2025 - two years from now.

Real Madrid are a tough prospect. It's Europe and we are Liverpool - absolutely anything is possible under the lights at Anfield. Some may make Real the favourites for the entire tournament, so the prospect of beating them will induce drooling for many. Arrive at anything less than 100% though and it could be an unpleasant one.

Often uphill battles make me think of some of my favourite quotes in fiction, be it book or film.

"If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance" - Théoden



"Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. How did it come to this?"

Once more Redmen. One more rally. One more epic performance. One more addition to the Anfield folklore.

Then on again.

I would be lying if I said I was confident. I hate playing this lot. To say we owe them one is an understatement - so let's be having this!!!!!

[Nineteenx]

Alisson

Trent Matip Van Dijk Robertson

Henderson Fabinho Bajcetic

Salah Wagbo Nunez

[eggy81]

Question now is is nunez our most important player

[miller0863]

Fabinho really worries me, we desperately need a 6.

[Insidious]

Question now is is nunez our most important player

That shoulder had bloody better be alright.

If Jota had to come in that's fine - Diogo is a cracking wee player - but Núñez's raw pace and power (and increasing understanding with Salah) would be a big miss against Real.

[Nineteenx]

Fabinho really worries me, we desperately need a 6.

We had one in Hendo, he stepped up his game massively in 19-20 and the team evolved massively with him in the No6 position in Fab's absence, Jurgen and our coaching and analysis staff choosing to completely ignore or disregard that was a fuck up of catastrophic proportions, Fab should have long since departed, and another No6 who could do what Hendo did brought in in the summer of 2020 in his place

That fuck up was the first step in Jurgen breaking down all our automation and orchestrating the devolution of the side he has, it was absolutely scandalous, and bar 2 poxy domestic trophies on penalties with the benefit of greater strength in depth in defence and attack what have we won since? Fuck all

It's easy for people to see now, but it's not new, I've been talking about it since 19-20, nothing has changed apart from Jurgen compounding the obviousness of Fabinho's numerous weaknesses and inadequacies by letting Gini go and persisting trying to play the equally defensively and positionally hopeless Elliott at RCM

Fab and Thiago fucked up between them to let Modric and Casemiro combine to release Valverde to assist Real's offisde winner in the Champions League final, Fab shouldn't have been starting that game either, or v Atletico in 19-20 or any other side after he'd been out

[Insidious]

Question for your Nineteen, given that we have the players that we do at the moment ahead of this match.

Hypothetical - if you were the Manager and know Fabinho is inclined to misjudge when to push up etc, would you consider taking the calculated gamble of sticking Fabinho on as the 8 with Hendo as the 6?

Obvious con of Hendo covering less of the ground behind Trent and we lose certain deliveries from the right channel - pros being that Fabinho's tackling occurs higher up, meaning if we win it, we win it high - plus if he fails to win it we still have Hendo as cover and thus theoretically are less exposed.

Or do you leave it as is, given the results of the last two matches?

[Nineteenx]

Against the bitters, Hendo and Bajcetic covered Fab's deficiencies really well on numerous occasions, both making interceptions of the ball the bitters were trying to play to release the player in behind Fab to then put us on the attack, and did so really well for a fair bit of today's game again, the midfield went to complete shit when both were subbed for these reasons

I think Hendo has an issue that means he can't play those balls he was playing in 19-20 anymore, I think over time, playing them with backspin like that, because the technique to create the backspin creates a weakness in the knee and an issue with the thigh

Bacjetic is the best midfielder we have had to play the Gini role and has the better passing of the right type of balls Gini didn't have, so he Bajcetic at LCM and Hendo at No6 could work as well although Hendo doesn't have the legs he had 2 seasons ago, it's who do we play at RCM, Milner or Keita are the only real options, both have played very well in that position with Hendo and No6 and Gini, because their combined better positioning, pressing and counter pressing and reading of the game makes it easier for them

Keita gets a lot of flack as did Oxlade and others when trying to play RCM with Fabinho at No6, but his reading oif the game and positioning is so fucking atrocious it really isn't easy at all, Hendo and Gini are our only 2 players who have managed to play well at RCM and help the team function as well as it can with Fab in it since he arrived, every other player has been consistently shite at RCM with Fab at No6 except Thiago in 20-21 when Gini was at LCM

Our best midfield we can put out all players fit is

Bajcetic LCM Hendo No6 Thiago RCM

As long as Thiago is under strict instruction not to try and self appoint himself playmaker, or dominate the ball, or overplay and to use his passing more directly as it provides the greatest benefit to all our other players as he did in 20-21

Bajcetic Hendo and Milner/Keita/Jones at RCM is probably the best midfield we can put out in Thiago's absence

[miller0863]

I suppose a midfield three of Henderson, Bajcetic and Thiago is our best option currently. Possibly Hendo at 6 and Bajcetic to the right.

[miller0863]

Read your post after writing mine 19.

Even Bajcetic at 6 is better than Fabinho in there, with Thiago and Hendo either side.