[Hightown hope]

Well, Im pissed off about it. I’ve got £10 on Salah being the Premiership top scorer, and a blatant disregard by Harry Kane for my finances is thoughtless on his part. these extra, unexpected Champions League games are hitting the household budget.

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[Hightown hope]

As for the away goal, no, keep it! It seems to me to be a change for changes sake. I can’t see any gains from abolishing it, or am I missing something?

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[Hightown hope]

I’ve got another – the safe standing debate has been battered around for a long time, I know, but with the Governments refusal to allow WBA to set up a safe standing area for 3500 people this week, is it time to discuss it again?

For me, I am very much in favour. Like Beni I was at Hillsborough, and so saw at first hand what dangerous terracing and disgracefully inadequate policing can result in. But, as I understand it, this safe standing is exactly that…safe, and the policing and stewarding at games is by and large significantly better than it was in 1989. It works well in Germany and at Celtic Park, hopefully it would lead to better in ground atmospheres, and also cheaper prices, enabling more youngsters to go to watch football. It’s a no-brainer for me, but maybe someone disagrees?

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[Hightown hope]

Can’t really see what the arguments on here are all about! People disagree, but as long as they are civil with each other, what’s the problem. The idiots who beat up the father and son are completely in the wrong, as were the fans that attacked the bus the previous week. I’d be surprised if anyone on here disagreed with that. I’ve had opposition fans sit around me at Anfield many times over the years, and never felt the need to attack them though I’m sure it does happen. People who want to hurt opposition fans are just scum.

Having said all that, a bit of common sense is sensible, if only for self-preservation. I remember standing on the Stretford End in the 80’s when John Barnes scored for us. Funnily enough, I didn’t jump up and down celebrating!

So come on, lads, Pax, Jim, Beni, 999, let’s not all fall out over this, as by and large, you all agree, it’s just the nuances that you’ve fallen out over. It was a great tie of top class football, at least for Liverpool fans. I’m just excited to see who we will get in the draw on Friday…I think I want Munich, though yesterday I wanted Madrid and by midday tomorrow I’ll want Roma!

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[Hightown hope]

It’s difficult to single out any player from last night, but special mention must go to two of the most underrated and often vilified Liverpool players whose performances over the two legs actually outshone their more lauded and praised colleagues. Take a bow Degsy Lovren and James Milner! Great efforts from the pair of them.

Madrid for me in the semi final. While they are obviously the best team left in the competition, I fancy our chances of beating them more over 2 legs than in a one off final. They won’t fancy Anfield one bit, and over there, our pace on the break can do them like it did for City last night. Having said all that, I really don’t care who we get…I just hope we keep the players who are currently available fit for the remainder of the season. We really can’t afford any more injuries.

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[Hightown hope]

What a fantastic night…in the end. A thoroughly deserved win over the two legs. Yeah, we had a little luck with the offside given against Sane, but hey ho! I don’t think anyone can argue the better team went through.

I’d just like to pick up on Pep at half time. As soon as the half time whistle went he was on the pitch ranting at the referee, he’d been moaning about the ref for a couple of days before the game (some history in Spain, I believe). So he would have gone in to the City dressing room at half time with a sense of grievance and anger, and maybe that rubbed off on his team somewhat. Surely he should have gone in, and bigged his team up, told them they were doing great, and more of the same in the 2nd half please. Dare I say, always the victim?

We’ll of course never know what either manager said at half time, but Klopp, I’m guessing, was more considered, realising we were getting stretched, dropping too deep etc, and did something about it. The team came out revitalised and re-energised in the 2nd half.

I really do believe that last night was as much a tale of 2 managers as it was a tale of 2 football teams, and I think Klopp handled the adversity far better than Pep.

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But Sean, if someone had said to you in August that we’d be going in to the 2nd leg of the Champions League 1/4 final 3-0 up and we’d be 3rd in the league, you and any of us would have bitten their hand off for that. We have alraedy overachieved getting this far in this competition. I would have been happy just reaching the group stages, but to be within touching distance of the semi finals is beyond our wildest dreams last summer.

Having said all that, and I know what I’ve just written will fall on deaf ears with you(!!), I would be alot more relaxed about tonight if it had been 0-0 from the 1st leg!! I’d obviously prefer it the way it is now, but suddenly I’m going in to the game with hope and expectation, instead of just hope, and frankly, it’s terrifying!

But just hang on to the fact that we have overachieved already…we are not one of the 4 best teams in Europe, and it’s probably true that we are not one of the 8 best teams in Europe. We have done brilliantly to get where we have so far, so don’t be too hard on the team or yourself if it does go Pete Tong! Easier said than done, I know. Anyway, I’m waffling, I’m so on edge, so I’ll sign off now before I spout even more tripe!

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[Hightown hope]

Mak – Sean could never agree to a pact like that!! We’ll still ‘feck’ it up, eh, Sean!!!

I’m nervous for tonight as well. I think we’ll be able to tell alot from the first 20 minutes, as you can so often from Liverpool games. I would put us as 60-40 favourites to go through, but no more than that. We SHOULDN’T f*** it up, but City are a very, very good side, and we are not quite as good…probably. We’ll have a very weak bench undoubtedly, so won’t have much to offer any changes if needed. It’s going to be a long night with more clock watching than actually watching the game, I reckon!

Karius, TAA, VVD, Lovren, Robbo, Milner, Gini, Ox, Mo, Bobby, Mane Subs Migs, Moreno, Klavan, Clyne, Ings, Solanke and maybe Woodburn, who I believe is in full training again. That’s my predicted line-up. So it’s off to the pub in Manchester(!) to find a quiet corner and chew my nails!

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[Hightown hope]

Great post, Mak.

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[Hightown hope]

Jim – get yourself back on here, mate!

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Beni…my sources for team selections etc finished the day Lucas left for Italy!

I really hope Can is fit. I’d have Can, Milner and Ox playing if available. Just feel that Can, when on his game, gives us something none of the others do. I think the rest of the team picks itself assuming everyone is fit. But we need something on the bench, and by that I mean I want Klavan, Moreno, Clyne, Gini, Ings and Solanke all there as well.

I’m in a dilemma as well. I live in Manchester and don’t have BT Sport. Big work day the next day so can’t go back to Merseyside to watch it. Pub full of City fans and then me and my kids! Doesn’t bode well!

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[Hightown hope]

Is Can definitely out? I’d play him if he’s fit.

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Sean – I don’t think Moreno is that much of a risk. He’s had one doisaster game this year, but other than that, he’s had a good season, and it was only because of his injury and then Robbo’s exceptional form that he lost his place. I’m confident the lad can do a job for us.

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[Hightown hope]

Karius,
Clyne, Lovren, VVD, Robbo
Gini, Hendo, Moreno
Ings, Bobby, Mane

Give Moreno a go in midfield. Robbo doesn’t look like he needs a rest, whereas I think it’s more important the likes of Milner and Ox have a break. Would have liked to give Bobby a rest also, but just don’t fancy Solanke, I’m afraid

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[Hightown hope]

If City were so traumatised by the scenes outside, how come Liverpool barely got a touch of the ball for the first 10 minutes? Until we scored it was all City. So the trauma only hit them after we scored? Come on…really? These are experienced footballers who have played all round Europe. That is just a pathetic excuse peddled by people who can’t accept that on the night they were comprehensively outplayed.

I am really surprised at some of the rubbish I have read on this thread. Yes, what happened was wrong, yes, it shouldn’t happen again, but society as a whole has idiots who frankly are a danger to themselves and others, but that’s what they are…idiots who can’t handle alcohol, drugs, a crowd, who knows what! The club will get punished and they will have to take what punishment is handed out, end of.

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[Hightown hope]

We know, even Pep knows, these fools don’t represent the overwhelming majority of Liverpool supporters.

Reflecting on the incident, Guardiola stated clearly that “Liverpool’s history is bigger than the four or five, or ten guys who did this.”

He’s right, out of a crowd of 54,000 people, just a handful went over the top. To focus on them is absurd.

The Spaniard is a class act though, a proper football man. He knows, and so do we, that football is nothing without us.

Now Pep is right, although probably not about the number of people who did go over the top admittedly, but football needs atmospheres like last night. As the same article that above came from said, the people who are hunched over their phones betting online during the game are the same ones complaining about how football grounds are now ‘libraries’

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Come on, Adlab, that is bang out of order! ALL right minded Liverpool fans condemn that behaviour last night without reservation. As I said in my post earlier it is disgusting behaviour, but to come out with your comment that it is a result of years of deprivation is pandering to the worst of stereotypes. You are far better than that.

I have the pleasure of living in Manchester (I love the city), but there are areas of equal and worse deprivation in Manchester as there are in Liverpool, and you know it, I’m sure. I’ve been attacked outside Old Trafford and Maine Road in the not too distant past, and guess what, deprivation and disadvantage wasn’t the first thought i had when searching for a reason for those scary attacks. People who behave like that, whoever they support, are dicks, full stop.

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Well, I have only just got my voice back from last night! Firstly, can I say that I utterly condemn the minority of knobheads who attacked the bus on it’s arrival at Anfield. There is no excuse for that and the perpetrators should be identified and punished accordingly. As I said on a thread last week, I’m all for giving the team a hostile reception, inside and outside of the stadium, but when you get a few dicks doing stuff like that it deflects the attention from what was an excellent performance. So, my apologies to all affected. Mak, you had a go at the crowd in one of your during the match posts for jeering the opposition and not supporting the team. Well, there was both in ample amounts last night. I thought the crowd inside the stadium were nothing short of magnificent, and booing the opposition and trying to put them off their game is part of that. Anyway, that is all I will say on the crowd last night, as the main focus should be on the team…

…who were just sensational! Before the game, in the pub I refused to give a prediction as it was one of thiose games that could have ended 4-0 either way, and it wouldn’t have been a graet surprise. But for me, it was our best performance all round I have seen for a long time. Clinical, powerful, pacy in the first half and gritty, strong and committed in the second half. Trent, Degsy Lov, Robbo and Milner were awesome. It says something when our worst defender on the pitch was big Virgil…and he was superb!

The game is really not over though. We have injuries, maybe no Salah next week and definitely no Hendo, and if anyone can score 3 goals in 90 minutes against us it is City. Sure, we are now strong favourites, but we know better than anyone how a 3-0 half time reverse is not necessarily game over. If we are missing Mo next week, that is a big goal threat absent, so…who knows! To the City lads on here, you can’t play as poorly again next week – I wouldn’t have given up!

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I’m so buzzing for this game, but like you, Mak, I make City the marginal favourites, and there is a real danger that the tie could be over after this first leg. Where I do disagree with you is with your line-up. I’d risk Clyne, and in midfield I’d have Can, Ox and Milner.

Clyne is obviously a risk with his lack of football, but Trent is just getting caught too often at the moment, and City do have the best left winger in the Prem. I’d tell Clyne not to worry too much about supporting the front players offensively, but just never take his eye off Sane – stick to him like glue. Milner, just in front of him can give him some help. If Clyne can’t last the full 90, then depending what the score is, then make changes.

In midfield I just think Can is our best bet, assuming he is fit, and on that basis he has to play. Gini is woeful at the moment, and Hendo is only marginally better. Ox is more dynamic, and will give their midfield something to think about.

My prediction for Wed is 2-2, but it really could be anything! Just know that work over the next 2 days is going to come a poor second to the game. Getting there early…it’s going to be bouncing, though unlike the other great nights at Anfield I’ve been to, because it is only the first leg, it won’t have quite the intensity and drama of St Etienne, Olympiakos, Chelsea in ’05 and Dortmund. All those games were s**t or bust, this one, in theory at least, isn’t.

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Regarding the England fans who plan to travel, then God help them. The shaven headed bozos who throw chairs and bottles (and bikes!) at police and by-standers will get what is coming to them – I have no sympathy with them whatsoever. The ones I feel sorry for are those England fans who never miss a game, and watching and travelling with England is their lifetime hobby. I’ve met people like that, and they will be gutted if they don’t go as it’s the pinnacle of watching your national team, like watching your club team in the Champions League final. They have put up with enough dross and dire games, and this should be their 2 or 3 week reward. I wouldn”t go, I must admit. Having said that, in the unlikely event of Liverpool reaching the Champions League final, a trip to Kiev will be hard to turn down. I know it’s not Russia, but it’s still unlikely to be a particularly nice trip where we are welcomed by happy smiling locals eager to show us how wonderful Kiev is!

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