Full-time: Bordeaux 1-1 Liverpool
A useful away point for Liverpool on a night gained thanks to a wonderful goal from Adam Lallana. With more composure and solidity they would have held on for the win but they remain fragile at the back and were punished. Worth noting a nice European debut from Rossiter, another joyful display from Coutinho and not an awful lot else. There are still far more questions than answers for Rodgers.
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90+1 min: Liverpool spending the final minutes protecting their away point as Bordeaux seek another breakthrough. After Sakho heads a cross clear, Lallana casually gifts it back to the home side, who resume their pressurising.
89 min: Wonderful strength and footwork by Maurice-Belay to set up a chance for Bordeaux. Can, showing sound defensive instinct this time, gets across to deflect the shot out for the corner, which Mignolet then punches clear at the near post.
88 min: Corner to Liverpool after some purposeful and slick interplay, mainly involving Coutinho and Lallana. Bordeaux clear the corner as far as the edge of their box, where Brannigan retrieves it. His shot wobbles a few yards wide.
86 min: Bordeaux substitution: Gajic off, Guilbert on.
84 min: Moreno lashes a fine shot goalward from 30 yards. It was struck hard and true and demanded a decent save from Carrasco.
GOAL! Bordeaux 1-1 Liverpool (Jussié 81)
Bordeaux dinked it around the box nicely, Then Crivelli took a pass from Jussié got it about 17 yards out and juggled the ball while battling with Gomez and Sakho. Gomez got a foot to it but only diverted it to Jussié, who fired into the net from 14 yards. In the whole thing, Can was in the the vicinity but ineffective, showing once again that he has no real defensive instinct.
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80 min: Liverpool substitution: Rossiter off, Brannigan on. It was a good European debut for Rossiter, who did a reasonable imitation of Jordan Henderson. Now 19-year-old Cameron Brannigan gets a valuable experience too.
78 min: Can diverts a cross worrying lose to his own goal, but it hits the sidenetting. Bordeaux then overhit the corner.
76 min: Bordeaux change: Poko on, Saivet off.
74 min: Nearly a second goal for Liverpool! Ings produced a beautiful first touch to take down a long ball from midfield and simultaneously elude Pablo. He then tried to recreate Lallana’s finish but the goalkeeper was forewarned and this time saved the low curler towards the far corner.
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73 min: Liverpool substitution: Origi off, Ings on. The Belgian made some clever runs and worked hard but nothing quite came off for him tonight.
70 min: Ibe marauds down the right and lashes in a good low cross. Origi tries to get to it at the near post but a defender beats him there and sticks it behind for a corner.
68 min: Bordeaux change: Jussie on, Khazri off. So that sa striker for a creative midfielder.
GOAL! Bordeaux 0-1 Liverpool (Lallana 65)
You see, that’s why I’ve been berating him all night - because I knew he was capable of that and was falling way short of his standards - and that is a hell of a way to make up for it. Lallana received a pass at the corner of the box with his back to goal, then spun and deftly nutmegged Pablo before using another defender to help target his shot, which he curled low into the bottom corner! A marvellous goal!
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63 min: A let-off for Liverpool! Shoddy defending all-round. First Sakho didn’t do enough to prevent a cross from the right, then Gome and Can jumped for the same ball. Gomez met it but, being jostled by Can, he merely headed on to Maurice-Belay, whose eight-yard shot from a difficult angle was well parried by Mignolet. Crivelli couldn’t divert the rebound into the net because it came at him too fast.
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61 min: After a spell of blunt Bordeaux pressure, Ibe wins a corner for Liverpool. They take it short, then eventually toss it into the box. Saivet heads it away but Rossiter meets it 25 yards out and unleashes a respectable shot. Saved by Carrasco.
58 min: Bordeaux reply by going close themselves, Saivet nutting the ball into the sidenetting after racing in front of Liverpool defenders to meet a corner at the near post.
56 min: Thats more like it! Coutinho darts infield and rolls the ball to Lallana, who turns cutely past the last man and fires at goal from 16 yards. Carrasco bats it behind for a corner.
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53 min: The intensity that Rodgers demanded before the game? It has only been seen in spurts so far. It’s alarming how quickly this Liverpool side lapse into casualness, sometimes even passivity.
51 min: See, that’s not really on. There was a couple of minutes of artless skirmishing by both sides before Coutinho injected a bit of guile and dash before rolling a perfectly adequate pass into the path of Lallana, who, if he had collected it, would have had the ball and space at the edge of the Bordeaux area. But Lallana was instead caught on his heels and failed to bring it under control so the chance evaporates.
48 min: A liverpool move breaks down after Origi plays a loose pass. Bordeaux hurtle forward but Sakho brings an end to their conniving.
46 min: Liverpool get the second half going.
Half-time: Bordeaux 0-0 Liverpool
Well, it hasn’t been a thriller but it has held a certain intrigue, nonetheless. As so often, it has been hard to know quite whether Liverpool are on the verge of finding an identity or completely collapsing, but they’ve been closer to the latter. It is plain that they remain a bag of nerves at the back and that hasn’t been helped by Touré having to depart injured. Rossiter has been useful in midfield but Coutinho is the only one who has looked capable of doing something really inventive. Lallana has been disappointing. Origi has been full of enthusiasm and made some shrewd runs but has received paltry service and not held the ball up well on the few occasions that he has been invited to do so.
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45 min: Pow! Coutinho collects a pass from Moreno about 27 yards out and tries to do what he did it at Stoke, but this time his drive cannons back off the post!
43 min: More concerns for Liverpool, as Khazri collects the ball just inside the opposing half and scurries all the way into the box. Again no Liverpool player was decisive enough to make a telling intervention, all backing off or tracking other runners. They were fortunate that Khazri’s shot at the nd of it it all was weak.
41 min: A canny reverse pass from Coutinho (I think) finds Lallana, who dithers and then catches it under his feet before being dispossessed by a defender, whom Lallana then boots while trying belatedly to take a shot. An undignified episode, to be fair.
39 min: Rolan is allowed to take down a long straight ball from midfield and, with Sakho a few yards away, turns and smashes a wayward shot over the bar from 18 yards. A band finish following slack defending.
35 min: Chantome booked for steaming into Rossiter, who got to the ball first, something he has mad a good habit of doing so far. Early days, but if forced to make a ridiculously kneejerk prediction, I’d say this lad will go farther than Jay Spearing.
34 min: Liverpool lost control of midfield a good while before the rejig but they attempted to reassert themselves just now and did so quite well with Chirivella contributing well to a patient move from back to front. It might have concluded with a Coutinho shot from the edge of the box but Lallana left the pass too short, allowing a defender to get to the ball first and divert it behind for a corner, which brought no joy for the visitors.
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31 min: Rossiter takes down Rolan a few of yards outside the box. Freekick to Bordeaux. Mignolet orders a five-man wall - but there are two Bordealais in there aswell to complicate matters. Saivet lets fly and it deflects off one of the Liverpool bricks, but Mignolet keeps close watch of it and saves comfortably.
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28 min: A new challenge for Liverpool: turns out that that rejig is required after all. Touré can’t continue so is replace by Pedro Chirivella, an 18-year-old Spaniard. Can drops back into defence and Chirivella joins Rossiter in central midfield, where Liverpool now had a duo with a combined age of one Steven Gerrard, give or take a few months.
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27 min: Nice move by Liverpool! They work it forward neatly and then Origi gives Moreno a good option by making a clever run across the defence. The Spaniard rewards it with a perfect low pass and Origi finds himself with a clear sight of goal from 16 yards ... but he fires low and just wide!
26 min: Liverpool try to settle things down with a bout of steady possession play. It’s going well until Can goofs - not for the first time - and gives the ball away in midfield.
24 min: Another headed clearance by Touré. Liverpool are having to endure a lot of pressure here ...
22 min: Khazri cuts infield and aims a menacing ball towards Crivelli. Touré is well positioned and cuts it out.
20 min: Bordeaux are looking more composed now and popping the ball about craftily. Rossiter, as keen a tackler as there is on the pitch, intervenes in his own box to nod the ball out for a corner as the home side threatened to create another opening. The corner is well cleared.
18 min: Panic at the back for Liverpool as another crossfield pass finds Maurice-Belay, who had eluded the attention of Ibe. That’s twice the wing-back has dozed off defensively (he’s been decent going forward). Maurice-Belay sought to punish him by laying the ball back to Khazri, who, under pressure, slashed at his shot and saw it swerve just wide from 12 yards.
16 min: Touré is back on. No need for a rejig. But go ahead and do a repeat dance if you want, all the same.
15 min: After prolonged dabbing with the sponge and so on, Touré still feels iffy. He hobbles off to continue treatment so Liverpool are down to 10 men at the moment, with Can filling in at the back.
12 min: A jittery spell for Liverpool. First Touré is booked for a rash foul, then Mignolet makes an unnecessary drama of a routine clearance, coming out to punch a ball that Touré had covered and instead catching his team-mates on the side of the head. Touré is now receiving treatment.
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9 min: Moments after a gentle overhead kick from Can brings a comfortable save at one hand, Liverpool are nearly caught out at the other end. Crivelli pinged a nice crossfield pass over the top of the Liverpool defence and Rolan took it down about 10 yards out. Mignolet hurtled out to intercept and Roland lifted it over him ... and over the bar.
8 min: No clear chances so far but Liverpool fans can at least be heartened by the tempo and positivity of their play. Few token sideways passes, plenty of aggression and enterprise. Rossiter has started very impressively, showing real composure and tidy passing in midfield.
6 min: More promising play from Liverpool, with Rossiter dropping a fine 40-yard pass into the path of Ibe, who got to it and then lifted the ball over the head of Poundjé and tried to retrieve it on the other side in the box. The defender stretches out a leg and pokes it away. Ibe went down under the challenge but, without seeing a replay, it looked just about OK.
5 min: Liverpool win the ball in midfield and rip forward, Lallana feeding Coutinho at the edge of the area. The Brazilian has Moreno free to the left but decides to have a shot himself and drags a disappointing effort wide. Promising move, though.
4 min: Origi gets his first chance to show what he can do. His intention was commendably adventurous but his attempt to burst past two defenders failed.
2 min: So the early signs are that Liverpool are indeed playing a 3-4-3, with the back trio being Touré, Sakho and Gomez. Moreno is the left wingback and has just showed his intent by dashing down the flank and sending in a cross. It was too close to the keeper but a fair idea.
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1 min: We have kick-off! Bordeaux do the honours. And now, all raise a glass to Alex Adams, who submitted this: “In reference to Peter Oh, let me just say I predict Liverpool will win at decanter.”
The players march into the arena, which is only about 70% full but looks mighty smart.
Au cœur du poumon du stade ! #FCGBLFC pic.twitter.com/0T6lSWqVg1
— FCGirondins Bordeaux (@girondins) September 17, 2015
For those of you who don’t want to simply imagine what the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux looks like five minutes before kick-off:
“The Reds in Bordeaux? I just hope the occasion won’t produce a case of fine whine served up by Monsieur Rodgers’ in the post-match press conference,” chortles Peter Oh. Feel free to call him a plonker, if only in the name of punnery. And actually, as a point of order I should mention that The Reds are all in white tonight. And before you pipe up, know that no one cares what you think about that, El Hadji Diouf.
Rodgers has had a pre-match natter with BT. About tonights lineup he said: “The idea is to hopefully get through in the group and also to take a chance to play players that havent played so much and also to take a look at some young players … by putting them in pressure situations like tonight. This is an opportunity for players to show they can play in the Premier League team. We’ve got good speed and movement in the team [tonight] ... tt’s important that we get that intensity and aggression in the team.
On another note, he was asked whether Jordan Henerson could be fit for the weekend and indicated that it’s possible, saying: “I’ll see tomorrow how he is tomorrow.”
Several people have emailed to say they can’t see the Liverpool line-up, which suggests either that they are too lazy to scroll down to the bottom of the page or there is some manner of technical boobery afoot. Instead of exploring that issue, why don’t I just print it here again. Good idea:
Liverpool: Mignolet, Gomez, Toure, Sakho, Rossiter, Can, Ibe, Moreno, Lallana, Coutinho, Origi.
One of the question posed by the Liverpool line-up concerns the formation: it looks like a back three. Does that mean Rodgers plans to revert to a back three in the Premier League this weekend too? If so, why not use the same players he intends using then? Maybe he is. Who knows? Let’s wait to find out. Is it OK for a media operative to do that these days?
“Hurray, you’re here!” booms Daniel Johnson. “I’ve been waiting for ages for this thread to open so the banter can begin. Not that I’ve any comedy gold to contribute - I’ll leave that to the professionals. The Liverpool defence should be on any minute ...”
Preamble:
Brendan Rodgers works in mysterious ways. So far those ways have brought nothing but embarrassment in Europe, especially on the road (no wins from 5 matches, no goals scored in last four), and aren’t looking to clever domestically at the moment either. But tonight is the start of a new European campaign and maybe, just maybe, new clues will emerge as to the way forward for Liverpool. Most likely Rodgers has left out several regular starters because he is resting them for this weekend’s Premier League joust with Norwich City (sparing players a European tie against Bordeaux to preserve them for a home league match against Norwich? Does that sound right to you?) but you could argue that tonight’s defence is stronger than the one used so far this season: it’ll certainly be interesting to see how Mamadou Sakho does at centreback. The Frenchman has been given the armband too; a display of solidity and leadership should surely lead to him regaining his place for Premier League matches too. With Christian Benteke left at home, Divock Origi makes his first start: he’ll contribute speed and vivacity, at the very least, and could profit from through-balls from the returning Coutinho. Eyes will also be trained on young Jordan Rossiter, deployed in midfield in the absence of Henderson and Milner.
Bordeaux were no match for Liverpool the last time the sides met. But that was back in 2006, when Liverpool were on their away to another Champions League final and had this rearguard: Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Riise, Carragher. How times change, eh? For tonight, Bordeaux deploy virtually the same side that drew 2-2 away to Paris Saint-Germain last weekend. They proved adept at exploiting goalkeeping errors in that game, and that might not be a bad quality to have tonight. Another attraction to look out is the dinky scheming of Wahbi Khazri - the Tunisian trickster can be a delight when in the groove.
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Teams:
Bordeaux: Carrasso; Gajic, Pablo, Pallois, Poundjé; Saivet, Chantôme, Maurice-Belay, Khazri, Rolan; Crivelli
Subs: Prior, Yambéré, Guilbert, Poko, Traoré, Jussiê, Kiese Thelin
Liverpool: Mignolet, Gomez, Toure, Sakho, Rossiter, Can, Ibe, Moreno, Lallana, Coutinho, Origi.
Subs: Bogdan, Randall, Cleary, Chirivella, Brannagan, Firmino, Ings
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