54 replies to this topic

[Invader Gir]

Previous FA Cup meetings:
1931-32 - Quarter-final - Liverpool 0 Chelsea 2
1961-62 - Round 3 - Liverpool 4 Chelsea 3
1964-65 - Semi-final - Liverpool 2 Chelsea 0
1965-66 - Round 3 - Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2
1977-78 - Round 3 - Chelsea 4 Liverpool 2
1981-82 - Round 5 - Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0
1985-86 - Round 4 - Chelsea 1 Liverpool 2
1996-97 - Round 4 - Chelsea 4 Liverpool 2
2005-06 - Semi-final - Liverpool 2 Chelsea 1
FA Cup head to head: Pld 9, Liverpool 4 wins, Chelsea 5 wins.
This is the first time the two teams have met in a FA Cup final though Chelsea did beat Liverpool 3-2 to lift the League Cup at the Millennium Stadium in 2005.
Phil Dowd refereed the League Cup meeting earlier in the season which Liverpool won.

Scorers this season (FA Cup in brackets):
Liverpool: Suarez 17 (3), Bellamy 9 (1), Gerrard 9 (2), Carroll 8 (3), Maxi 6 (0), Kuyt 5 (1), Skrtel 4 (1), Adam 2 (0), Downing 2 (2), Agger 1 (1), Coates 1 (0), Henderson 1 (0), Johnson 1 (0), Kelly 1 (0), Shelvey 1 (1), own goals 6 (2).
Chelsea: Lampard 16 (2), Sturridge 13 (1), Mata 12 (4), Drogba 11 (1), Torres 11 (2), Ramires 10 (3), Terry 6 (0), Ivanovic 5 (0), Kalou 5 (1), Meireles 5 (2), Luiz 3 (0), Cahill 2 (1), Malouda 3 (1), Anelka 1 (0), Bosingwa 1 (0), own goals 2 (0).

This post has been promoted to an article

Edited by Invader Gir, 05 May 2012 - 09:17 AM.

[Hotel California]

I love cup finals and the build up to it. It has everybody excited and everyone giving their own view of tactics and team selection. It's fucking brilliant and there is nothing else that comes close to playing in a final. It's fucking brilliant.

As for the game, well I think it's going to be extremely difficult and if I was a betting man, all my money would be on Chelsea. Yes, we have beaten them a couple of times this season but the situations were completely different back then. Looking at it now, they've got the stronger squad and they've got the momentum and confidence since Di Matteo took charge. I think the only thing going for Liverpool at the moment is that experience of playing in knock-out competition and even that is fairly slim, looking at the current squad. However, I'll never write my team off. I think they've proven so many times before that they can beat anyone on their day and I'm hoping this is the case come Saturday.

To actually analyse this game from a Liverpool perspective and trying to plot ways to beat them is actually very difficult. Before you can even pick a system, you need to analyse your opponents strategy and team selection and then try to employ something that will over come it. You need to find weaknesses in the Chelsea team and then pick the correct players who can exploit that weakness. The problem with the current Chelsea set up is that they're pretty accomplished in all positions. They might not be particularly strong or weak in one area but they're more than decent in all of them. However, you've got to look at current form and at the moment, the Chelsea attack is red hot. Torres, Drogba, Mata are all in excellent form and that's certainly an area Liverpool will need to be wary of. Dalglish needs to set up a team which will stifle Juan Mata supplying either Drogba or Torres.

Defensively, I also think Chelsea are a bit susceptible to errors. They've got some good defenders there but somehow, it just hasn't worked for them. I think they've struggled a bit aerially and that is definitely something Liverpool should look at exploiting. Will Carroll be able to exploit that? He should be considering the money we spent on him but it hasn't worked. You never know though. Carroll might just have the game of his life and rip into that Chelsea defence. We really do need a big game from him.

I'm not really sure what Dalglish's thinking is but yesterday's game should have given you a heads up of who is in the plans. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Kenny's gonna string a surprise on all of us. I've got this feeling he is going to play 3 at the back and employ a 3-6-1 formation. Why else would he rest Carragher? He's surely not going to drop Skrtel and Agger being rested means he will start as well. Surely Carragher not playing yesterday, points to him starting on Saturday. Do I agree with him employing 3 at the back? Normally I'd be wary but I actually think he's doing the right thing here. Chelsea are a very powerful team and employing another big man at the back will help in that sense. We're also a bit weak in midfield and I think having extra cover could come in handy if our midfield get turned and I think that's what's gonna happen on Saturday. I don't think we're good enough in midfield to impose ourselves and no matter what combination gets picked, Chelsea will be better than us. What's important though is to combat that attack when ours gets overturned. I think having that third defender there will re-inforce us defensively.

I think we'll be solid and play a patient counter-attacking game. The 3-4-3 for me is certainly a formation that is designed to burn teams on the break provided you have that pace in the wider areas. This obviously points to Downing and Bellamy and I think that's how we'll attempt to win the game. I'd love Carroll to start but that would mean Suarez would move a bit wider and one of Downing or Bellamy misses out. That can also work and is probably what I would've done but from what we've seen, Suarez hasn't really started in a wider position and I don't see that changing now. It'll be a bit sad for Carroll to miss out but I think that's how Kenny would go about it.

[Entourage]

Unfortunately Liverpool tends to be a thorn in our side, especially as of late.  It also helps that you were able to rest many of your stars because how you do in the league essentially means nothing as of this point in time while we are playing our starters against Newcastle today.

I'm going with a close affair with the winning team edging it by 1-0.  Haven't decided who I think is going to win yet.

[Strikeb4ck]

I think Liverpool will take this, maybe in extra time, this is Dalglish's job on the line and it's clear by their league form the past 2 months that all that has mattered to them is this cup final.

Edited by Strikeb4ck, 02 May 2012 - 05:45 PM.

[Piksi]

I predict 3-1 Chelsea. Terry scoring first off a corner, Suarez equalizer off a mistake then Drogba and Torres. Then after the match I get the pleasure of reading thousands of "Liverpool r shit", "how can Liverpool fans be happy with this", "Liverpool fans are deluded" posts. Bonus points for bringing up Hodgson.

If Carra starts over Skrtel then I don't even know what to say. I may go live in a cave for the rest of my life.

[Sir Chesney]

Took two wonder goals to beat Chelsea last night, even still, Liverpool are tough cup competitors, so this one's difficult to predict. I think Chelsea will edge it because of Torres, though.

[Lukemeister]

Come on you reds, Caroll to score the winner has got to be destiny haha.

[The Colonel]

What's with the Torres bandwagon? He scored the easiest goal I've ever seen against Barca and a hat trick against a poor QPR side. He is still just as useless as he was 3 weeks ago.

[PatrickKidd]

The Colonel, on 05 May 2012 - 03:58 AM, said:

What's with the Torres bandwagon? He scored the easiest goal I've ever seen against Barca and a hat trick against a poor QPR side. He is still just as useless as he was 3 weeks ago.

How many hattrick did your players score against QPR? Oh wait, you guys actually lost to them aswell.. Which even Derry scored.. Now would love to see Torres score the winner tonight..

Anyway, should be a cracker of a match.

[OGC]

Torres is far from useless, thats why despite his lack of goals he's still in the good books of most Chelsea supporters. He works hard tracking back, he's running the channels much better now and his movement is still spot on, it's just he doesn't fit with our style of play at the moment. We don't have the players to get Torres goals. If anyone thinks he's useless they probably only follow him on livescore and go: lulz, Torres didn't score again, he's shit.

The only thing I'd criticise Torres for is his reluctance to shoot at times. Seems to always take one extra unnecessary touch of the ball. You won't score unless you shoot.

[Mini9Torres]

OGC, on 05 May 2012 - 06:04 AM, said:

Torres is far from useless, thats why despite his lack of goals he's still in the good books of most Chelsea supporters. He works hard tracking back, he's running the channels much better now and his movement is still spot on, it's just he doesn't fit with our style of play at the moment. We don't have the players to get Torres goals. If anyone thinks he's useless they probably only follow him on livescore and go: lulz, Torres didn't score again, he's shit.

The only thing I'd criticise Torres for is his reluctance to shoot at times. Seems to always take one extra unnecessary touch of the ball. You won't score unless you shoot.

I agree with this. I always give him shit, and want him to be shit. But he does play well, despite not scoring. I think his chance vs United (3-3) summed up your last point, where he had just headed it past the defender and was in a prime position to shoot, but he held on to it.

[Travis Bickle]

Strikeb4ck, on 02 May 2012 - 05:45 PM, said:

I think Liverpool will take this, maybe in extra time, this is Dalglish's job on the line

No, it's really not buddy.

Anyway, I'm a bag of nerves right now.  I'd write out something worth reading but for now, I just can't find the words. Huge huge HUGE day for the club. Lets shove the plastic flags right down their vile necks, COME ON YOU REDS.

[Invader Gir]

Travis Bickle, on 05 May 2012 - 01:55 PM, said:

No, it's really not buddy.

Anyway, I'm a bag of nerves right now.  I'd write out something worth reading but for now, I just can't find the words. Huge huge HUGE day for the club. Lets shove the plastic flags right down their vile necks, COME ON YOU REDS.

same feeling, I believe in the team but I know we have been so poor this season, big day for the club!! YNWA!

[Piksi]

Few ITKs reporting the team as:


Reina, Enrique, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Spearing, Henderson, Gerrard, Downing, Suarez, Bellamy

[Invader Gir]

Piksi, on 05 May 2012 - 02:28 PM, said:

Few ITKs reporting the team as:


Reina, Enrique, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Spearing, Henderson, Gerrard, Downing, Suarez, Bellamy

I like it!