January 2013 Archives

The result this afternoon was a result that should not have happened but it did and it was blatantly obvious from the moment the chosen team was published that it was going to happen.

Liverpool have always taken the F.A. Cup seriously and there was no way we were going to win that game with the calamitous Sebastian Coates in the team.  No I have nothing against the lad, but he has proved time and time again that he is not a Liverpool player and guess what 90 seconds into the game, he did it again.  This time though, there was nobody competent enough on the pitch to pick up the mess and stop the inevitable goal.

Now if I had been in Brendan's shoes, I would have hauled him off there and then and replaced him with Jamie, who would have been able to cope with the Oldham players physicality.  Sebastian Coates could not and Martin Skrtel was no help today either.  Why, I have no idea, but I suspect had Jamie or even Daniel Agger been on the pitch, the back four would have been a lot more solid than they were.

We have for the last seven days been told by most of the media that the game this afternoon was the biggest in the football calendar.  Now I would love to know why that is because it was simply a game between two rivals based in the North West of England.  Two rivals who have been battling it out over the last twenty years to simply prove a point.

That point of course boils down to who will win the most trophies.  Now as we all know Manchester United are in the lead where the Premiership is concerned, because apart from four years ago when Rafa Benitez was in charge, Liverpool have not come close anywhere close enough to ensure that they are knocked of their perch. Where the Champions League/European Cup is concerned, we have won it five times and Manchester United is playing catch up.

The game today was part and parcel of that fierce competition and it was always either going to be a classic or indeed one of those games that left the supporter wondering what  would happen if things had been done differently.

WE ASKED Echo website readers to tell us their team and tactics ahead of Sunday's showdown at Old Trafford and the verdict is clear - Liverpool FC should take the game to Man United.

by Tom Evans

STEVEN GERRARD says he's fitter than he's ever been - and he's got another three or four years left at the top level.

The 32-year-old Reds skipper has been in sparkling form recently, scoring three goals in his last five games.

And across the league, only Everton's Leighton Baines has created more chances than Gerrard this season.

by James Pearce

BRENDAN RODGERS will send his Liverpool side out at Old Trafford tomorrow with the message: "You're as good as any team in this league."

The Reds maybe 21 points adrift of Manchester United but the manager insists there is no reason for them to fear the showdown with the Premier League leaders.