Crystal Palace v Liverpool May 5 20.00hrs. Match Preview

[davek]

Its over mate.

No way are City going to bottle this now. It was curtains for them the other week after their defeat at Anfield and then the draw to Sunderland, curtains !!!....... The final nail was hammered into the coffin after this Sunderland game. They more or less conceded the title at that point. Liverpool have amazingly mailed them a crowbar to open that lid. No chance City will blow this now.

City only have to win the game, 1-0 will do and so they can be patient and pick Villa apart. That shower last night had to go out and hammer Palace to try and get some of that GD back and it backfired beautifully.

I wonder whether there's any parallels to be drawn with that game last night and ours with Palace at Goodison. I got the feeling on the night that Martinez went all out with selection to try and get a march on Arsenal in terms of GD, which looked like being a factor at the time. Liverpool obviously got likewise punished when they went for broke trying to run up a score at 3-0 with 55 minutes gone. I suppose the conclusions are obvious: just get the points on the board and if you fail after that it just means you weren't potent/solid enough over the season.

 

[rascal]

Please get the four points needed, City. Ta.

 

[LeeRab]

I wonder whether there's any parallels to be drawn with that game last night and ours with Palace at Goodison. I got the feeling on the night that Martinez went all out with selection to try and get a march on Arsenal in terms of GD, which looked like being a factor at the time. Liverpool obviously got likewise punished when they went for broke trying to run up a score at 3-0 with 55 minutes gone. I suppose the conclusions are obvious: just get the points on the board and if you fail after that it just means you weren't potent/solid enough over the season.

I completely agree 100%

Once that deflection went in and that made it 1-3, surely the alarm bells sounded in their camp. Make a change, shut up shop, take the points and put the ball into Man City's court, putting the pressure onto them, hoping for a slip up. At the very least, you go into the final game level on points with an outside chance.

Bizarrely and arrogantly they didn't care and still pushed on at 1-3 and they rightly got what they deserved.

B-Rod lol .... has taken a pounding from a few over this.

 

[LeeRab]

What is even more bizarre though and has not been mentioned yet is this....... I can't remember the last time that Clattenberg officiated a game in which his performance was questioned about. Especially after one of their games !! I'm astounded.

Although had Palace not clawed it back, would we be talking about the blatant dives he waved away unpunished. Wasn't there a couple of stonewall penalties he missed. Must of been blinking at the time.

 

[Darth Toffeeman]

[QUOTE="LeeRab, post: 2705321, member: 25282]I completely agree 100%

Once that deflection went in and that made it 1-3, surely the alarm bells sounded in their camp. Make a change, shut up shop, take the points and put the ball into Man City's court, putting the pressure onto them, hoping for a slip up. At the very least, you go into the final game level on points with an outside chance.

Bizarrely and arrogantly they didn't care and still pushed on at 1-3 and they rightly got what they deserved.

B-Rod lol .... has taken a pounding from a few over this.[/QUOTE]
Agree fully. Once that hits the net to make It 1-3 they needed to take the sting out of the game. Get to 89 mins to quiten the crowd and then push for another. Points in the bag are so crucial at the end of the season.madness that yesterday, utter madness!

 

[davek]

I completely agree 100%

Once that deflection went in and that made it 1-3, surely the alarm bells sounded in their camp. Make a change, shut up shop, take the points and put the ball into Man City's court, putting the pressure onto them, hoping for a slip up. At the very least, you go into the final game level on points with an outside chance.

Bizarrely and arrogantly they didn't care and still pushed on at 1-3 and they rightly got what they deserved.

B-Rod lol .... has taken a pounding from a few over this.

Regardless of whether City slip up or not, he's been found out in the run in. He completely lost the plot in the last two matches. In fact you can throw in the Norwich game too. Pressure needs a cool head and he thinks just saying "we go with Plan A+" is a response to in-game changes. He's been getting plaudits all season and I've argued on here he doesn't deserve them. He's rode on the coat-tails of a system that suits Gerrard's game (and is probably imposed by Gerrard) and the fact that until recently the rest of the PL refused to learn the lesson of their largely agricultural play, preferring instead to look on and fear the finishing of Suarez/Sturridge.

If they finish second it'll be the beginning of the end for Rodgers.

 

[deipnosophist]

The strike force of theirs hid a multitude of sins...that have now been exposed

 

[LinekersLegs]

Agree fully. Once that hits the net to make It 1-3 they needed to take the sting out of the game. Get to 89 mins to quiten the crowd and then push for another. Points in the bag are so crucial at the end of the season.madness that yesterday, utter madness!

Don't like how he did it but Dzeko took a lot of our momentum away with his antics. It could have backfired as it did really get the crowd into the game but it really messed with our players heads.

Killing the game momentum & quietening the crowd are the things Mourinho teams usually do superbly.

 

[davek]

The strike force of theirs hid a multitude of sins...that have now been exposed

The backline is as bad as any title contender ever known...and they have the goals conceded column to prove it.

Johnson/Sakho/Skrtel/Flanagan....that's Hull City or West Ham standard as the stats demonstrate.

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

Regardless of whether City slip up or not, he's been found out in the run in. He completely lost the plot in the last two matches. In fact you can throw in the Norwich game too. Pressure needs a cool head and he thinks just saying "we go with Plan A+" is a response to in-game changes. He's been getting plaudits all season and I've argued on here he doesn't deserve them. He's rode on the coat-tails of a system that suits Gerrard's game (and is probably imposed by Gerrard) and the fact that until recently the rest of the PL refused to learn the lesson of their largely agricultural play, preferring instead to look on and fear the finishing of Suarez/Sturridge.

If they finish second it'll be the beginning of the end for Rodgers.

He's shown his arrogance as well as his limited ability imo. Having a pop at Chelsea for having the audacity to play in a manner that negated their strengths after gifting them the points by pressing too high up the pitch and leaving the back door wide open. When all they needed was a point.

Last night, home and hosed, but again he shows his arrogance and lack of nous, by refusing to shut up shop.

It's all about him, from his distasteful Hillsborough armband to his blaming of his players today, the man's an egotistical beaut.

 

[Milk]

BTW, how was Tyler's commentary last night?

 

[Eggs]

The strike force of theirs hid a multitude of sins...that have now been exposed

.....still got 3 goals last night, which should be sufficient to win any game.

 

[ScouseBlueBoy]

Eggs mate if you listen carefully you can actually hear him howling with sobs at one point when the cams stuck on him, serious never seen the like of that overreaction and makes me worry for just how unstable he actually is

Remember that this is the same man who feigns mortal injury at least once every game - but never actually gets injured. He never worries about covering his face then.

30 seconds before the final whistle he had a sarcastic smile on his face as if to say 'I was ill today but still ran myself to the ground for THIS USELESS LOT'.

Who knows what was really going on under the shirt.

 

[NewRadical]

Regardless of whether City slip up or not, he's been found out in the run in. He completely lost the plot in the last two matches. In fact you can throw in the Norwich game too. Pressure needs a cool head and he thinks just saying "we go with Plan A+" is a response to in-game changes. He's been getting plaudits all season and I've argued on here he doesn't deserve them. He's rode on the coat-tails of a system that suits Gerrard's game (and is probably imposed by Gerrard) and the fact that until recently the rest of the PL refused to learn the lesson of their largely agricultural play, preferring instead to look on and fear the finishing of Suarez/Sturridge.

If they finish second it'll be the beginning of the end for Rodgers.

I think so too, I would say the same about the current team as well.

Still hope they give him a new contract though.

 

[bluemangroup]

I think it's a shame the neutrals favourite team have come unstuck so late when it's glaringly obvious they just needed a tiny bit more investment (200m) to overcome the evil petro-dollar empire of Manchester. Death of football, this.