31 Jan 2018 08:32:40
Hard to judge anyone in that game as Huddersfield didn't show up, but I'll try. You can only beat what is in front of you i guess. Can't help but feel we got lucky though. A huge deflection, a goal keeping howler, and a silly penalty to concede. Hopefully that luck (which didn't fall for us at all in the last league game against Swansea) will give the team some confidence going into the game against Tottenham.

Karius 7/ 10 - made some convincing claims, was quick off his line, and his positioning was perfect to stop a firm shot from a cross which went down the centre of the goal. As Mignolet showed against West Brom, it's easy to get drawn too far to your near post on crosses and leave the whole goal open for a rather central tap in! One bad pass out to Lovren gave away a needless throw in.

Gomez 6/ 10 - had nothing to do really. Couple of good runs and forward passes, crosses were poor again. Defended well when he had to.

Matip 6/ 10 - see above.

Lovren 7/ 10 - defended very well. In fact he was so dominant against the big strikers that the player on his side started standing on Robertson instead so he could touch the ball. Most importantly, no mistakes.

Robertson 7/ 10 - got beaten in the air a few times after the big striker moved to his area, but made some good runs forward and looked very assured in general. Considering he was targeted and gave away nothing, it was a good game from him.

Henderson 8/ 10 - hopefully people can finally see how vital his quick short passing is. Yes, it's not Hollywood like Gerrard and Alonso, but Hendo shifts the ball so quickly that opposition never get time to settle. He set the tempo, won Back possession a few times and was my man of the match. Controlled the game.

Can 7/ 10 - lucky with the deflection, but if you don't buy a ticket you don't win the lottery. Also played in a couple of good crosses for Mane. Was in the right place at the right time to win the penalty. Overall a much better performance, but his general play was still lethargic at times. At key times though, he produced and i saw a bit of passion in his tracking back at one stage, even though Firmino had more pace to actually get back and win it before Can got there!

Milner 6/ 10 - won possession back countless times by pressing very high. However, his passing was slow though, and on several occasions he intercepted a pass out wide to Robertson which either made our play narrow, or gave Huddersfield an extra pass to set themselves for a cross. Frustrating.

Mane 6/ 10 - overall Mane played well. Good involvement in the build up to the second goal, and kept getting into scoring positions. The only problem was he missed an absolute sitter from the second cross from Can. The first header was harder as the cross had less pace and he was further out, but the second he has to be hitting the target. I don't get all the nonsense about him lacking pace after his injuries. He's still strong as an Ox and lightening quick. His end product has just been lacking at a few key times this season. Could've had a goal if Salah had passed to him for an open goal as again he had the pace and power to get into the right position.

Firmino 7/ 10 - naughty finish and his tracking back to recover his and other peoples mistakes all game was an example to all aspiring footballers. The only reason I'm giving him a 7 is because he kept dropping too deep in possession so there was nobody to aim at in the box at times.

Salah 6/ 10 - poor game from Salah. Missed the best chance of the game due to having no right foot to either score or pull it back for Mane, and he kept getting knocked off the ball all game when he is usually so strong. He saved his performance with a confident penalty though and as we've seen lately, penalties aren't guaranteed goals. He was heavily marked though and that focus on him did allow Can the space to exploit down the right flank as he did on several occasions.

1.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 09:07:36
Nice that MK. It was a strange game but you can only beat what's put in front of you. I'm loving Robertson at the moment, his energy was much needed last night. Big test Sunday, payback hopefully.

2.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 09:10:43
Pretty good assessment but how Henderson is man of the match ahead of Can is beyond me.
I said the other day, Can's head is already in Italy so I owe the lad a massive apology.
Im also very happy Lorius got his clean sheet big improvement confidence hopefully.
Nice write up mate and good read.

3.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 09:19:22
Did you watch the match mate? Thought you were giving it a miss with Can and Matip starting 😉.

4.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 09:31:10
Hi MK I have to stick up a bit for Milner. No one on here wanted him to play. But he was brought into the team last night to do a very specific job and he did that very well. In the first 20 minutes along with Henderson they earned the team the right to control the game. He won every second ball, no attacks came from the opposition down his side in the whole first half. Our goals came from moves created from the side he was covering.

He was forward when he was supposed to be and in the center or back when he was supposed to be. On their one chance he was the one who tracked back and would have got any rebound. On the penalty he never moaned, he is the best penalty tacker but he didn't make a fuss. Who was the first player in the box in case a rebound Milner.

Milner is a limited football we all know that, if he could do what he did last night plus pass quick like you say he would be in every week but he can't. Remember it was his first league start for a month, that is not easy for any player.

My point is you can't give him a 6 for doing everything that the team agains't Swansea and West Brom couldn't do. Will he be in the team v Spurs no but was he the best man for the job last night yes 100%. very solid 7

If you have time Mr Dennis how did you think he played?

5.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 09:35:14
Johncrow, Can was great in a few moments and poor for most of the game over running it or hitting shots, passes and crosses against Huddersfield players. He certainly had luck with him last night though because that shot was never beating Lossl without the heavy deflection, and why that defender has fouled him in the box when there was no immediate danger is beyond me. Can's only moments of quality came with his two good crosses to Mane, but credit where it is due, he's got himself involved and reaped the rewards that you sometimes get for doing so.

Henderson was great all game though both in and out of possession. That's only my opinion mate and i respect your right to disagree. I don't think you owe Can an apology though. He is picking and choosing when he wants to show up. Last night Huddersfield gave him 50 yards to run into all game because they had every player down their left side chasing after Salah. Can's eyes must've lit up when he saw the space they continually gave him. At least he did something with it, but I won't be apologising for calling out his lack of effort this season. If anything, Can should apologise to the fans because performances like this and the Man City game only highlight his lack of effort in other games even more! He has proven he has ability, but he only shows it once or twice a month when it suits him.

I'll happily credit him for this one off game, hence why i gave him the joint 2nd highest match rating in the team. One game hasn't changed my overall opinion of him though.

6.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 09:49:11
nor should one game change your opinion of anybody MK
I personally feel that winning a penalty, scoring a goal, and offering up two assist for mane on a platter warrants Man of the match in addition to his actual game performance.
I feel a few on here champion Henderson because Ed001 speaks highly of him (and so he should ) as before that not a lot ever mentioned him and his performances in a glowing manner.
I personally think Henderson will struggle for Game time next season if his ankle does not improve
Question for you MK as you rate henderson could you give me your opinion on him for next season once Naby comes in as where do you see him fitting in?

7.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 09:53:55
That is a very good defence of him Mark, to be fair.

I only knocked him down to a 6 because he got in the way offensively, but you are correct in everything you said that he did right. I'd still prefer him in the team to Wijnaldum on current form. Maybe he was a 6.5 😉 he certainly didn't have a bad game and it was very mature of him not to kick off about the penalty. Complaining and making a scene would've heaped pressure on whoever did take it eventually!

8.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 10:06:26
John - Henderson will play where he played last night. Keita will play midfield more left side, but covering a lot of ground. All will depend on whether Henderson's foot can take the pressure of a full season.

Milner will be off, Can as well so we need other midfield players. Lallana very injury prone so who knows who will be in our midfield next season. Keita, Hendo, Ox still not quite good enough for me.

9.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 10:10:42
That's a fair reasoning Johncrow, and i do agree Can was still one of the better players on the night. The old saying is "you make your own luck".

I have to say though, i think I've rated Henderson longer than even Ed001. I've taken stick for the last 6 years for being his biggest fan. His name is on the back of my replica shirt.

However, to answer your question, i think he will be phased out next season unless he can string together 15 games in a row between now and May. If he's not fit to play regularly, we need to move on as a team. Sturridge is a great player but we moved on because of his fitness issues. Henderson is equally great, but if he can't shake these injuries and start making more than 20-25 appearances a season then we simply have to move on. Your captain should play 45-50 games a season. They should be one of the main players in the side. Not necessarily the best player, but they are the one players look to for leadership and when they're not there it spreads uncertainty throughout the team.

If Hendo returns to full fitness, i see Henderson in central midfield with hopefully Lemar left of him (where Milner was last night), and Keita right of him (where Can was last night) .

10.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 10:16:51
Sometimes the team needs someone just to do a specific job. Away from home agains't certain sides I think he should play as well. Henderson and him seem to be actually communicating which made a nice change.

I left all of the negative stuff after West Brom game but I couldn't take Wijnaldum away from home ever, and Mingolet in any game. They have had too many chances and let the team down badly. It will be a big call in the next match to see who plays in midfield.

My main change is VVD for Matip. I think VVD and Lovren can form a good partnership.

11.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 10:35:16
I was only joking about not watching, Ron! They frustrate the hell out of me but for the 90 minutes they're on the pitch i want nothing but good things for them.

12.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 10:36:27
Unfortunately Can has 1 good game in 4. Hendo is consistently strong and busy when fit. He's captain for a reason and will be a constant in the starting 11 when he's fit. Arrivederci Can 👋.

13.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 10:36:37
How heavy are Cans boots? He played better further forward but still easily replaced, glad to see Wijnaldum not starting and agree Henderson for all his bashing for sideways and backwards passing he brought an urgency we miss.

14.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 10:41:50
Cracking reply to my question mate, much appreciated.

15.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 11:14:01
Milner definitely did a job, Mark. Agree on Gini never playing away from home, and on Mignolet never playing!

You're welcome Johncrow. Fingers crossed he sorts his injury troubles out, but if not we have to be ruthless.

Lancaster, I've also noticed how slow Can seems to be at times compared to others. Keita will be a huge upgrade in my opinion, purely because he's more mobile.

16.) 31 Jan 2018
31 Jan 2018 11:17:22
@LancasterRed, I couldn't agree more with your first question there. Can seemed almost clumsy when he got the ball and pretty much telegraphed every move he made. He got lucky with his goal and the penalty against him was just daft, but I don't think he was man of the match. I am trying not to take too much away from him though, was a much better performance than his last game.

One thing that did strike me last night, we had nothing creative going on down the right side from midfield. Everything was being pushed down the left which just ends up making us a bit narrow and predictable. Aside from the absolutely obvious that we need some better defenders, and a new keeper (I am warming to Karius but still don't see him as the long term answer) I really think we need a strong creative midfielder. Ed's, seeing as he is a BVB player, would Klopp look to someone like Gonzalo Castro to fill that void? Meant to be highly rated and good at building attacks, which we seem a bit lacking in from midfield now?