06 Mar 2024 06:54:01
Any news on whether Mo trained with the 1st team or not as planned yesterday?
06 Mar 2024 07:25:59
The cynical side of me thinks that he won’t play until the Egyptian FA’s deadline for him to prove he is fit to play for them passes.
06 Mar 2024 07:52:10
Salah will play against Man City. No one will be holding him back.
06 Mar 2024 08:11:52
no point having him from April onwards if we lose to City.
06 Mar 2024 09:15:39
I don’t get this ‘have to win’ mentality against City. Sure if we win it puts us in a good position but if we lose we are still in a good position.
Win, lose or draw we are still in this title race.
06 Mar 2024 09:37:26
BP whilst that may be true, this for me is a must not lose more then it is a must win.
Win gives us a game bufffer with both chalengers facing each other sooon after
Draw keeps it in our hands
Loss hands all momentum to City and then rely on them to slip, we know all too well how that ends up!
Whilst a loss would keep us in it technically I think it'd be a huge momentum swing and may knock the confidence of the side.
06 Mar 2024 09:42:51
If City win they go clear, and have an easier run in then us.
So we lose, then the league is definitely gone, especially as Arsenal can also go past us.
{Ed025's Note - my biggest concern is that the "derby" could be a pivotal game for both Merseyside clubs Dean, its now been moved to very late in the season and it could end up with either us costing you the title...or you sending us down mate, the one thing thats for certain is that i wont be attending that game..
06 Mar 2024 09:56:04
6 point swing BP so very important, it would mean we can afford to drop points elsewhere. Although I do agree we are still in a good position if we don't win.
06 Mar 2024 09:57:56
This title race is crazy and must be great for the neutral and shows why the premier league is the best in the world.
It’s being billed as the title decider between Liverpool and City but by the time it kicks off on Sunday it could be 2nd v 3rd and at the final whistle either club could be 1st, 2nd or 3rd.
06 Mar 2024 10:22:07
@BP, Im with @WYred on this one. It is a Must Not Lose game. I know what the stakes are and I know we have to go for the win from the off and Im with all of that, for sure. However, you want to make sure that whatever happens, that game has to end with City still being behind us in the table. That is SUPER important, IMO.
Cos even tho we are favorites, we can still lose that game to City and that would be a huge blow esp. mentally to our team and the fans. Sorry, we can't have that happen. If you can't win the game then, you better make sure you don't lose it. Just my take.
06 Mar 2024 10:24:11
Do you genuinely see yourselves in position of going down Ed025? Don't count your chickens to be fair and all that, but I think you'll be safe by then.
{Ed025's Note - i would like to think so Dan but our club is in such a mess mate, from more points deductions to new ownership by what sounds like a very dodgy investment company it could all go tits up, its very worrying times for us and it looks like the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off i would say..
06 Mar 2024 10:27:15
I couldn’t disagree more Dean.
To say if we lose the title is gone is just your own insecurity talking. The fact is if we lose we are 2 points behind the leaders with 30 points still to play for.
It’s far from done.
I just hope that our team doesn’t have the same attitude as some of our fans.
06 Mar 2024 10:37:59
It’s a massive 3 points however you look at it.
With City looking strong it’s hard to see how they will drop more points than us if we lose against them this week.
But you never know.
Just hope we go out there with the mentality of smashing them rather than playing for a draw.
06 Mar 2024 11:05:54
Amazing the City are flying narrative, what have they taken maybe ONE more point than us in the league since xmas? although saying that i do think we have to come out of Sundays game still ahead of them.
06 Mar 2024 11:16:41
We've got a game Thursday first.
Bit annoying we have to go to Prague before potentially the biggest game of our season against City, who are playing at home a day earlier.
Kind of hoping for a second string starting 11 Thursday with hopefully Mo, Szob and Nunez getting some time on later as subs. Oh hang on. second string. we're already playing our second string!
Bumpy ride ahead I feel. Personally, despite what happens on Sunday I don't believe it will decide the title. We still have Spurs at home, Everton, Fulham and Villa away which are all tough so even if we win. I don't expect any of those games to be easy. we've seen enough of Fulham already this season to know they cause us problems!
Just keeping fingers crossed and crossing each game off when it's been won!
06 Mar 2024 11:18:33
The match against City is a must win. There is simply no other acceptable result if we are to win this league. We have a few banana skins coming up in the remaining fixtures. City won't be dropping any more points this year unless we take them off them. Arsenal won't be dropping many points, unless of course that is to city. We have to win its as simple as that. And I believe we will spank them personally.
06 Mar 2024 11:24:04
The negativity on here is amazing! It's a big game this weekend but it's just 1 game from a total of 38.
Win, lose or draw, the league won't be decided this weekend. We could be top and 4 points clear or we could be 3rd 2 points off the top - either way there will still be a quarter of the season to go and the other 2 teams will still have to play each other.
Arsenal are currently 3rd and 2 points off the top - should they be considered out of contention?
I suspect Arsenal and City fans are looking at us concerned that with 14 first team players unavailable we are still winning game after game and we are only going to get stronger as more players come back.
06 Mar 2024 11:59:42
ShipleyKopite, I fully agree with you and others saying that losing would NOT end our title hope. At the same time, getting the 3 points does not guarantee anything either on the other side. I just think the mental damage a loss (not a draw) can do to the team esp. with 12 to 14 senior players out, could be consequential, IMO. Like I said, if you can't win the game then, you better make sure you don't freaking lose the game.
06 Mar 2024 12:20:59
I agree JK - great for the neutral and City are away to Liverpool and home to a rampant Arsenal in their next 2 league games, who honestly knows what the league will look like in the next couple of weeks
Full credit to Arsenal too, were behind in their goal difference and have fairly turned that around too lol - should be a cracking end to the season, with us 1st, Arsenal 2nd and City 3rd ideally haha but a great watch for neutrals.
06 Mar 2024 13:21:15
I definitely wouldn#t want the title win to hinge on a derby against Everton where anything could happen
Plus I'd rather see Everton stay up, so would be a bit sad to see them go down!
{Ed025's Note - hopefully you have won it by then Dean and you go easy on us mate..
06 Mar 2024 13:29:37
The City game is a chance to put some breathing space between us and them, so it is must win. A defeat effectively hands them the title as they’re extremely likely to go on and have a run of consecutive wins like they’ve done every other year and a draw brings Arsenal back into it, which we don’t want to do.
06 Mar 2024 14:48:43
The only difference in the run-in is we play Everton, Sheffied U and Man U, they play Arsenal, Luton and Forest. The other teams on each list of games are the same. Home or away doesn't matter as they are all winable for us in my red tinted view.
06 Mar 2024 17:52:45
It’s a must win game.
{Ed025's Note - im with the "must not lose" brigade LFC8..
06 Mar 2024 18:40:43
Exactly, Ed25. If we draw, Arsenal goes top on GD. With 10 games to go and with them playing at the Empty Crate at City next week, I can live with that.
IMO, We have to make sure City are still behind us (by 1 or 4 points and preferably 4 points) by the full time whistle cos we go top if we beat Brighton cos any result at the Etihad (a draw, hopefully) will keep us top for that week. And until Arsenal show that they can handle the pressure of a run-in esp. with that brutal schedule they have (City, Brighton, Spurs and Utd all away from home), It's us and City.
06 Mar 2024 18:41:07
City have proven season after season they are near faultless in the run in. We need to be as well and frankly I don't think we have that level of consistent performance in our locker like they do. We might be winning, but relying a lot of last minute winners etc. Yes it all counts and shows a level of grit and guts but we don't blow teams away as regularly as they do. That leads me to think that we are more likely to drop points to lower teams than they are, so for me I think we need the buffer a win against them would bring. We can beat anyone on our day, but City's consistency is scary good. That Klopp, one of the best managers the league has ever seen, has only 1 league title is testimony and evidence of that. Must win for me.
06 Mar 2024 18:46:27
Arsenal and City will win the majority of their games, so it absolutely is "must not lose".
If we beat them, I think momentum will carry us over the line.
06 Mar 2024 19:49:22
Weren’t city supposed to win every game before? Until Chelsea drew at the Emptyhad? And now they are going to win every game again?
Westwood, when was the last time City blew anyone away? They got lucky against Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago, they deserved something from the game. Everton reduced them to no shots on target for 70 minutes. They are really not flying right now.
They won’t win every game. I guarantee it.
This weekend will not decide the title either way. In fact we are the team that should not be fearing a defeat. We are only 2 points behind if we lose, they are 4 points behind if they lose.
It’s a must not lose for City but not for us.
06 Mar 2024 20:33:12
Ed025 I think we must win Sunday and then we must win Brighton because it’s straight after the international break then I think the league e we old be ours.
As for the blue side I can see you losing a couple more points but the forest losing 6 with the ffp. You have had a bad run of results but there has been a lot of tough games in there and we some better fixtures coming up you will be very safe my friend.
But from next season you have got to some how find a striker to add goals to your team because with the looks of Leicester and Leeds coming up that looks a stronger league.
{Ed025's Note - its not just a striker we need grino, it would not matter if we had Salah up front mate because without service no striker will score, our midfield is so blunt and ineffective especially the way Dyche sets us up, our players are not good enough offensively and only a change of personnel will change that but with our financial plight its become a catch 22 scenario im afraid..
06 Mar 2024 21:28:48
Ed025, I understand its not ideal but don't Everton have a few promising youngsters to promote? At least to provide an option from the bench for now? Everton always had a few that showed something. I appreciate a relegation battle isn't an ideal Start but needs must.
I understand though about the midfield, part of that has to be the manager and set up though.
Think we may need to win as I don't see either dropping many points apart from their own game against each other.
{Ed025's Note - Dyche has done a sterling job for Everton Ben but he is not very expansive, we have a couple of promising forwards like Dobbin and Chermiti but they dont seem to get the chance mate, and even if they get on its usually in the 88th minute or so, but he sees them every day and we dont so its hard to complain, i think the game on Sunday for the reds is massive, if they win i think the title is yours, draw and its still game on, lose and i would have to fancy city, just my opinion though..
06 Mar 2024 21:42:14
I'm predicting City will walk all over Arsenal at the Etihad. I think it'll be a big score. Happy to be wrong on that, especially if it's a draw.
City are definitely capable of winning the rest of their matches, especially if they beat us on the weekend.
06 Mar 2024 22:37:02
I generally agree regarding the game on Sunday, but we just have to take it one at a time.
I agree with Dyche, said he was the exact right appointment although as you say not the most expansive. You are set up properly defensively now. Could do with a couple of signings if possible. maybe you have to sacrifice Oana or DCL to get some new blood on.
06 Mar 2024 23:23:15
"City have proven season after season they are near faultless in the run in".
Sorry, none of that is true cos we are not even in the run-in yet. Most impotantly, they have not been faultless this season by any stretch. They have drawn way too many games at the Empty Crate to begin with. Spurs, Chelsea, Palace and us. That's 8 points dropped already at home. We've dropped 4 points.
In fact vs Palace, they bottled a 2 goal lead and Palace equalised in the final 10 mins. Did I also mention that they lost away at Villa in December as well as Wolves and Arsenal? That ain't faultless, bro.
Now does that mean we they aren't favorites for the title? no cos they are. Just saying that the whole"City can go on a 15 game winning run" has never happened at any point this season. Will it happen? We shall see.
07 Mar 2024 01:21:31
In these pivotal match-ups, especially in seasons where the race has been tight, I feel like we've not taken the race by the scruff of the neck and taken all 3 points. Would love to see us get the 3 points and take control of the race.
Massive couple of weeks with City to play Arsenal soon too.
Good news is that win, lose or draw we're not out of the race. But it would be nice to be holding the steering wheel!
07 Mar 2024 07:40:38
OilRed. it is completely true. Read what it says, faultless in the run in. The Palace game is not of any significance. That game was not in the run in which begins on Sunday. In previous seasons they have been near perfect in the last 12 games of the season. That is fact look at the stats. They simply do not loose and almost certainly win. Liverpool need a draw and 11 wins from their last 12 games as thats, at the very least, what City will get.
07 Mar 2024 09:46:29
BP - you're right, the title isn't won or lost in this game. But it is still a pivotal game. In those two seasons we came second by a point, we didn't beat City once across those 4 matches.
To me when it's that close, it's arguable that the head to head match-up is what really defines the season. And we didn't take enough points off of them when we played them.
I would like to see us take the bull by the horns and take all 3 points. It would be such a huge boost for the team heading into the international break with a 4 point gap on City and then with City to play Arsenal straight out of the break and the potential to extend that lead further.
Whilst it obviously wouldn't be won or lost after this match a result for either will have a massive swing in the winner's favour.
07 Mar 2024 10:59:39
Edd 25 - agree he’s done a very good job. I think he doesn’t play an expansive way of football because of the personnel he has. Hope he gets money and time to improve the squad.
{Ed025's Note - im hoping for that as well Ecogsi mate..
07 Mar 2024 13:32:21
I’ve never really understood the thinking behind criticising City’s stadium or crowd attendance.
08 Mar 2024 08:44:46
When City went down into the old division 3 a few years back., they had a hardcore following of 25k+. Like all clubs the lads and lasses who support their team through thick and thin are sound. It’s the rent a mob who are United fans for a couple of years then Chelsea fans then City fans that are the pain in the ar$e.