Rousseau

Few points picked up - but we do have a Correct Score! Bill, Ian, Franc and Devil gained 1 point for the Correct Result. Rousseau, Lenny, WB91, Moody, Bill, Yorkie, Gaffer, Franc, 26th, BD, BEARGER, MacK, TB and Les186 gained 1 point for the Correct Number of Rangers Goals. No one had Edmundson as FGS. Bill gained 3 points for the Correct Score. Latest Standings:

While I think they'll edge it over the two legs, it'll be closer that it seems. They're a counter-pressing and counter-attacking side; they do well when teams open up, but they do concede a lot of goals. We're better when we defend in a deep block and counter, which is where most of our European goals are from.

SG: "Arfield is available, has trained the last few days. Ryan Jack won't make it. Defoe will be out for a couple of weeks with a calf problem. Tavernier didn't train today with a foot problem but will give him until the last minute to make it."

Rangers 1 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen FGS Morelos

Apologies - I took a nosebleed with all these points. Corrected.

Wait a minute-- that can't be right, as we had 3 CBs on, didn't we? Was Polster playing in midfield?

That's partly true, yes, but he still needs to be given the service to do that. I only recall one time he was given the ball in a forward area today.

It looked more like a situational back three towards the end (I saw Beale telling Kent to get wide): Polster tucked in, with Barisic high and wide on the left and Kent high and wide on the right -- this suits Kent, as @DMAA has been saying for a while. Also lets us get two strikers on.

Morelos is out of form, but did he have a chance today? At the best of times he needs several chances to score from, because he's not the most clinical.

Woop! Points! Everyone who entered gained 1 point for the Correct Result. Rousseau, BD, Devil and r_s gained 1 point for the Correct Number of Rangers Goals. CammyF gained 2 points for Kent as FGS. Rousseau, BD, Devil and r_s gained 3 points for the Correct Score. Latest Standings:

Woohoo! We won a game!

I can't believe it: I've got points to write up! Woop!

It pains me to say it, but that pretty much sums it up...

I'm actually much happier with Polster's positioning: it's much higher and wider than Tavernier. Tavernier is always coming onto the ball from deep, which makes it easier to deal with for defenders. Right on cue: we give the ball away sloppily to give them a chance out of nothing.

It's certainly more than a blip, but we all know these players are capable of better. I completely agree: drop them. But, then Gerrard runs the risk of playing squad players and youngsters -- he'll get slaughtered for that too. It's a nightmare.

I'm not saying it's good enough; far from it. I just feel like we do create some openings -- I'm not saying they are good chances or enough -- only to show a complete lack of quality. Today we've had a couple of long range shots hit straight at the 'keeper. If they go in, or make the 'keeper work and bit more, it changes the game. But, we look hopeless.

At this point even if we did change it, going with plan B, C, D, E or F, we'd still be sh*te if the players continue to take an age to do anything, misplace their pass, over hit a cross, and/or sky a shot.

F*ck it-- Bring on the youngsters!

As poor as we've been, I do feel like we create some openings, but we're just not clinical at all. Davis found some space to take a strike, but it's straight at the 'keeper; completely wasted.

And now Morelos is the bad guy for complaining.

Walker's gleefully talking sense in his criticisms of us. I hate that.

I feel we get sucked into a congested battle too easily -- surely we should be able to play around them? There were a couple of times we managed to play from one side of the pitch to the other quickly and space opened up.

Liverpool, lacking tempo, were struggling to break down 10 men behind the ball, then conceded, poorly, from one counter-attack, exacerbated by terrible refereeing. They've also got a player playing out of position at Left-back because they've got no strength in depth at Full-back. Sound familiar? The difference? They're continuously moving and rotating positions up front and in midfield, and have quality up front. It's now 2-1 to Liverpool.

I disagree - he's won several of our MotM polls since the start of the year. I'm not suggesting he's not made other mistakes, I just think we're jumping on the bandwagon after that mistake against Hamilton. I don't think he deserves to be dropped. Katic was much worse and Helander is still out. I do agree we need to draft in players for under-performing ones. I would actually prefer youngster drafted in.

These conferences are mostly irrelevant, other than for team news etc. We hear what we want to hear. If we're winning he's 'refreshingly honest and candid; he speaks well'; if we're losing he's 'spouting the same meaningless soundbites; he's lost' etc.