Sturridge v Jabo (Liverpool v League Two... i.e. Carlisle - League Cup)

[shoddycollins]

I know I should really be in the Domestic Competitions forum with this, but

1) If there were more teams from L2 left in the competition we'd have a Third Round thread for us all, just as we had a Second Round thread... consider this the Third Round thread.

2) Nobody reads the Domestic Competitions forum

Massive disappointment to lose two points from a two-goal and one-man lead at the weekend... which I consider more important than this game... This game, I see as a free chance for us to cushion the morale blow that York's comeback will have inflicted. Put on a performance we can be proud of here, then go into a home game against bottom of the table Newport, and we have a chance to put the events at York behind us.

I am of course hoping we pull off one of the shocks of the year and get something against Liverpool. At the very least I'm hoping they've just assumed we're going to sit back and try and keep the score at 0-0 for as long as possible.

I don't think we'll be doing that. I think we're more than capable of getting a goal... we just have to hope that somehow we don't concede 26 goals... which if we defend as we have been, Liverpool will manage quite easily. We have been a bit more solid at the back in League Cup games though, only conceding one goal in each of our previous rounds, and not looking like the floodgates were about to open.

 

[merseyboyred]

I don't think we'll be doing that. I think we're more than capable of getting a goal... we just have to hope that somehow we don't concede 26 goals... which if we defend as we have been, Liverpool will manage quite easily. We have been a bit more solid at the back in League Cup games though, only conceding one goal in each of our previous rounds, and not looking like the floodgates were about to open.

Oh believe me we won't!

I imagine we'll stick an inexperienced line-up out, possibly even more youthful than v Bordeaux.

 

[johnnytodd]

I'd put Carlisle as slight favorites for this.......only just though.

 

[shoddycollins]

Oh believe me we won't!

I imagine we'll stick an inexperienced line-up out, possibly even more youthful than v Bordeaux.

How many of the teams you've faced this season have played with a single centre back?

 

[Amber Nectar]

Good luck to Carlisle. There's always the chance you could beat the reds, if it falls right for you on the night.

 

[hellogregory]

Jabo Ibehre has started from the bench in the previous 2 rounds. Asamoah played well up top by himself at Loftus Road in round 2.
I wouldn't be too surprised to see Ibehre on the bench for this one.

 

[hellogregory]

I wonder if we'll stick with the 3-3-4 formation. Part of me hopes we do just so we'll at least score, but the sensible side of me thinks we should be a bit more reserved to avoid a humiliating hiding.

 

[hellogregory]

Oh and I'm not going. I'm out of the country tomorrow

 

[StagsForLife]

Unlucky HG, karma for your constant negativity last season.

Hope Carlisle put a shift in and a good account. Come on you Cumbrians.

 

[merseyboyred]

How many of the teams you've faced this season have played with a single centre back?

With Lovren in the side we've been doing it ourselves for most of the season...

Srsly, we've had real problems in front of goal & creating chances, strikers massively isolated and a lack on confidence streaked through the squad. With Benteke injured it's likely to be Origi up front too (I reckon Ings may get rested) and he looks a way off the finished article yet and his movement was something that concerned me.

I know there's the gulf in class etc. but this would seem a great time for yourselves to be playing us tbh. Similar vibes around to when Northampton knocked us out in 2010 and we're just really vulnerable and look a side devoid of confidence and fight a lot of the time. Yeah, I'm dead optimistic too!

 

[cufc17]

Yeah I don't think Ibehre will start, probably bring him on after an hour.
Even if it's mainly Liverpool youngsters, it'll still be a tough game, but we have an outside chance in.

I'm hoping we don't get embarrassed, and it'd be great if we scored.

I wonder if we'll stick with the 3-3-4 formation. Part of me hopes we do just so we'll at least score, but the sensible side of me thinks we should be a bit more reserved to avoid a humiliating hiding.

This is the game we keep a clean sheet though, isn't it?

 

[shoddycollins]

With Lovren in the side we've been doing it ourselves for most of the season...

Srsly, we've had real problems in front of goal & creating chances, strikers massively isolated and a lack on confidence streaked through the squad. With Benteke injured it's likely to be Origi up front too (I reckon Ings may get rested) and he looks a way off the finished article yet and his movement was something that concerned me.

I know there's the gulf in class etc. but this would seem a great time for yourselves to be playing us tbh. Similar vibes around to when Northampton knocked us out in 2010 and we're just really vulnerable and look a side devoid of confidence and fight a lot of the time. Yeah, I'm dead optimistic too!

Teams who play us don't generally need to worry about creating their own chances. Even if your reserves have an absolute shocker of a game, we're guaranteed to gift you at least five or six golden opportunities, and I should expect players at that level will tuck most of them away.

A scenario where we win, I think would be one where we score early on (which we might well do, even against top quality opponents every now and again a chance will be created, and it's just as likely to be in the first minute as the last... actually probably more likely in the first minute). The Liverpool players have a crisis of confidence and forget how to hit the net, despite how many chances we give you... Mark Gillespie plays a blinder in goal to keep the score at zero and Brendan Rogers, sensing his moment of reckoning has come, panics and starts throwing square pegs into banana-shaped holes. We get the bit between our teeth and throw Jabo on (if he wasn't already on that is), he adds a second just before Liverpool inevitably get one of their own and the game ends Liverpool 1 - Carlisle 2. The Anfield Road End Lower goes into rapture and the players head for the stand in moments that Keith Curle will later be forced to admit were a little 'over the top'.

Buoyed by our heroics we match onto our home turf on Saturday and get humped 3-1 by Newport who say they are 'doing it for Aldo'.

We draw Walsall away in the fourth round, them having beaten Chelsea 5-0

 

[oakroader]

good luck to Carlisle tonight,
I hope your boys put up a fight.
playing Liverpool in any way or form,
is an occasion to cherish cause its not the norm.
whether the match is lost or won,
the experience will be passed from father to son.
to go to anfield with thousands of your fans,
is what dreams are made of and in your life plans.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Good news for me is Atkinson is back on bench tonight as we desperately need him in the back line to move Grainger out of it...hopefully on sat.

but we drop Ibere tonight.......hmmmm

Radio raving about some Liverpool players in their team but i don't watch the prem to know any of them really anyway.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

oooh 1-1

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

and now we bring on Jabo no doubt to win it.

 

[rudebwoyben]

Finding the BBC stats very amusing.

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Come on Yar-bow I-beer-ee (as some hapless stadium announcer used to call him).

 

[E10rifle]

45 shots for Liverpool. Lol.

 

[Wombling Kiwi]

Would have liked to see have seen Carlisle win that. Very close, well done anyway

 

[Glasshalffullpools]

I hope you all enjoyed your evening and your car's hub caps are still on your car !

 

[shoddycollins]

What a game... If we can defend like that in the league then well piss this tinpot division. I'm absolutely buzzing. Let's go again in the FA cup, get Liverpool again, and beat them this time. Michael Raynes is a football genius, how immense was he today? Limited them to pot-shots, Coutinho just couldn't find a way past him. We weren't even at full strength.

 

[daviejones]

Just seen it mentioned on our forum and it has to be brought up here, Gillespie is certainly making a good case at the moment for being the best keeper in the league. Spectacular performance tonight from him, not the first time he's kept us in big games like these - Burton last season, QPR and now this game so far this season. Brilliant penalty save as well for the Coutinho one I think it was.

 

[hellogregory]

I didn't think Gillespie was tested much, that's how well we defended. They had a lot of shots but were mainly long range efforts from outside the box. Most of his saves were routine, but he dealt with some teasing crosses quite well and made a couple of good penalty saves.

Excellent effort, whilst Liverpool had the better, when we got the ball we tried To play out from the back, it was a nice well worked goal as well.

I watched it in a bar in Barcelona.

 

[merseyboyred]

Told y'all!

 

[daviejones]

https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/647017711256506369/photo/1

Thank god he's just signed on for a couple more years...

 

[daviejones]

Also seeing rumours that Curle was shouting from the sidelines that Liverpool players are shite. Heroic stuff.

 

[hellogregory]

https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/647017711256506369/photo/1

Thank god he's just signed on for a couple more years...

He's out of contract in the summer isn't he? Or has he signed a new deal today? For some reason I can't access the cufc website today.

 

[daviejones]

He's out of contract in the summer isn't he? Or has he signed a new deal today? For some reason I can't access the cufc website today.

1 year with an extension clause if he gets a certain number of appearances which is looking likely at the moment.

 

[cufc17]

What a great night. Defended heroically as a team, not one bad performance.
Atmosphere was class.

I didn't think we'd score after they went 1-0 up, but Hery did well to set Asamoah up, and he finished it with composure. Everytime they attacked I had a feeling they'd score, but we limited them to shots from 20+ yards.

I think I seen Liverpool had 47 shots, but most of them were hit and hope. The best thing was that they played a near full strength side, and we still limited them to a single goal.

Jabo had a golden opportunity to make it 2-1 from a corner, and Gillead was lively again.

It's a shame to lose on pens, but it doesn't really feel like a defeat after such a battling performance.