Liverpool playing a youth team definitely made it more interesting than it would otherwise have been tonight, even if the game itself might have been more even had Lallana, Origi et al been permitted to play.
It's Colchester's to lose now Liverpool are out.
Arteta is the new Arsenal manager. Going to have ex-players in charge of every team soon.
Teams have become savvy to the PR benefits of having sympathetic figures in charge. Tony Pulis will be lucky to work again.
Liverpool team: Alisson, Milner, Gomez, Henderson, Robertson, Lallana, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Shaqiri, Origi
Subs: Lonergan, Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, Jones, Williams, Firmino, Mane
There's rotation and then some. All I can say is if this Monterrey are any kind of competent, expect goals.
That the final of the Mexican league had to be postponed for a few weeks due to this shit is an outrage.
Yeah but once you've had the final of the Mexican league all the other competitions seem irrelevant. They need to do it this way to keep people interested.
Henderson at centre back :/
Injuries are really starting to mount up but fortunately it's just illness for VVD. It is what is but I feel we have enough quality to still win.
I think the biggest challenge will be the contrasts in playing style compared to what we're used to.
Another win-win tonight.
Should we lose, give the whole first team basically a week off before Leicester.
Are we finally starting to see the real Naby Keita....he's back to showing flashes of real quality I feel.
When does this move to the new format when it doesn't have to be in the season? Or is that even going to happen? Such a dull game. Should be neatly tucked into pre-season where this sort of tepid friendly (with with heavy contact) belongs.
I guess the summer isn't everyone's pre-season though.
2021 I believe but its a joke that its even expanding. You could see the Europa League runners up finding themselves being world champions? Get out of it.
Yeah, what next? Teams who aren't even the champions of their own country being the champions of their continent?
STOP THE MADNESS.
I haven't watched much of de jong. But he moves nice on the ball. He is so composed. He is graceful in possession.
You disagree? I find it all rather pointless. I would rather quality over quantity for any tournament. I would have held that opinion even if Wales qualified for Euros via nations league position etc.
Too many meaningless games. Example being last night in League Cup. If say Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham had reached that far then the quarter finals could have theoretically been kids for all sides, add on the knock on effect in the league where all four would have missed this week's set of fixtures etc.
And for what? For Fifa to line their pockets. If the Champions League becomes an actual league then it can fuck right off.
As a side note, you wouldn't have won either of your Champions League titles if only champions of the league qualified.
Never in doubt. Ha. Late goals just seem so normal for us at the moment.
I'd fancy Flamengo's chances.
Barbosa to FM it.
Well at least you haven't taken a throwaway joke too seriously, Smiff.
My short answer is that I can't think of many things I'd get het up about less than the possibility that the world club whatever might get won by a losing Europa League finalist. It's always been a tournament nobody cares about other than the people who are going to profit from it.
It is absolute madness that we could find ourselves returning to Liverpool with a trophy, a tan, a game in hand, ten points clear and our nearest challengers our next opponents.
Speaking of pointless games I'd forgotten we were playing tonight. Not on TV though so that's a bit of a result.
I still think the World Club Cup worked better as a summer tournament. Just bin the Confederation's Cup. World international football gets its due.
Fair.![]()
Good ol’ Bobby.
I’m still really surprised the Villa game went ahead. Absolutely ridiculous!
I'm a twit
They need to change football so it's like baseball. 162 game league season, so you're playing every day but you rotate the players so each player only plays every five days or so - though for a goalkeeper or perhaps a centre back you could get more games out of him.
There are no downsides. At least three times as many people would be employed as professional footballers (+ jobs and + happiness), you'd need loads more staff to run the grounds and run the games (+ jobs), TV revenue would increase (+ money) and there wouldn't be any problems caused, not in a month of Sundays.
Most importantly the large sample size would mean the best team would truly win and xG would at last be proved correct.
Where would the League Cup fit?
Where is the footybite for League Cup games (or am I just missing it)?
You could fit 162 games September-March no drama, so the League Cup can go in April.
Turn it into a five-a-side instead.
Is Angel Gomes not worth a start over 'Andreas' in these fixtures?
This is like watching a rugby team without its halves.
Huge bore over in the Clasico.
I bet Harry Maguire is slower than Daley Blind over a short distance.
Baines with a proper strike in stoppage time to send the Everton game to penalties. That was rather tasty.
That Ronaldo header is brilliant.
Leighton Baines missing a penalty seems like big news.
Utd Vs City in the semi.