FA Cup
Sunday 6th January 2013
Field Mill
Mansfield VS Liverpool
It's that time again. A weekend where the cliche is king. The third round of the FA Cup and a chance for a member of the lower leagues to match up with footballing royalty. Being paired against a non league side, we are the giant looking to not be killed. Losing is unthinkable. Impossible. Football - and especially this competition - does have a way of ignoring those kind of things. But not today. Surely.
Losing the final last year and what happened in the aftermath removed the gloss from what was a very memorable campaign. A last gasp winner over Manchester United and a glorious come from behind victory over Everton in the semi final. These games and memories should never be diminished for those feelings of joy were a reward unto themselves What happens now is that we create new ones, some that could perhaps burn even brighter and end up with the right result at Wembley in May.
There isn't a lot anyone can say about our opponents for fear of patronising them or trying to laden the occasion with insincere significance. The cup does provide these clashes of disparity and a welcome break from the monotony of playing the same faces week in week out. I may not know much about the club or their players but that's the joy of it and I'm looking forward to the game as it's a journey into the unknown. Also, having played against lower division sides in the past and the disdain with which they have for us it's nice to see Mansfield show support for the 96. A touching gesture and one which makes me think very highly of them.
With no game in midweek, the door is open for Rodgers to play as strong a side as he likes. The likelihood is that due to the nature of what we're expecting from our opponents - both in terms of mentality and conditions - and also the fact that a trip to Man United awaits next Sunday, that more than a few players will find themselves being rested. Gerrard, Agger, Skrtel, Reina, Lucas, Allen, Downing, Johnson, Sterling the list of candidates for omission is long. I expect Coates and Carragher to come in at center back and any number of changes around them. Wisdom, Pacheco, Robinson, Coady, all could feature pending the managers approval. Up front however is where we'll see the most intriguing activity. Suarez might want to play but will have to settle for a place on the bench. Today should mark the debut of Daniel Sturridge. I'm looking forward to seeing him and really hoping he can hit the ground running.
Every passing spectator who doesn't have Liverpool at heart will be hoping for an upset and though the task may be daunting, every tackle that's won and every chance they can create will give them hope. Regardless of circumstance it's eleven against eleven and as such the onus is on Liverpool to make that superiority count. I'm hoping we can do that early and often, purely for atheistic sake more than anything else. The longer the game goes without a goal the scrappier it will get. If we score quickly, we may score often. I can only hope that it's going to be as comfortable on the pitch as it is in my mind.
It's that time again. A weekend where the cliche is king. The third round of the FA Cup and a chance for a member of the lower leagues to match up with footballing royalty. Being paired against a non league side, we are the giant looking to not be killed. Losing is unthinkable. Impossible. Football - and especially this competition - does have a way of ignoring those kind of things. But not today. Surely.
Losing the final last year and what happened in the aftermath removed the gloss from what was a very memorable campaign. A last gasp winner over Manchester United and a glorious come from behind victory over Everton in the semi final. These games and memories should never be diminished for those feelings of joy were a reward unto themselves What happens now is that we create new ones, some that could perhaps burn even brighter and end up with the right result at Wembley in May.
There isn't a lot anyone can say about our opponents for fear of patronising them or trying to laden the occasion with insincere significance. The cup does provide these clashes of disparity and a welcome break from the monotony of playing the same faces week in week out. I may not know much about the club or their players but that's the joy of it and I'm looking forward to the game as it's a journey into the unknown. Also, having played against lower division sides in the past and the disdain with which they have for us it's nice to see Mansfield show support for the 96. A touching gesture and one which makes me think very highly of them.
With no game in midweek, the door is open for Rodgers to play as strong a side as he likes. The likelihood is that due to the nature of what we're expecting from our opponents - both in terms of mentality and conditions - and also the fact that a trip to Man United awaits next Sunday, that more than a few players will find themselves being rested. Gerrard, Agger, Skrtel, Reina, Lucas, Allen, Downing, Johnson, Sterling the list of candidates for omission is long. I expect Coates and Carragher to come in at center back and any number of changes around them. Wisdom, Pacheco, Robinson, Coady, all could feature pending the managers approval. Up front however is where we'll see the most intriguing activity. Suarez might want to play but will have to settle for a place on the bench. Today should mark the debut of Daniel Sturridge. I'm looking forward to seeing him and really hoping he can hit the ground running.
Every passing spectator who doesn't have Liverpool at heart will be hoping for an upset and though the task may be daunting, every tackle that's won and every chance they can create will give them hope. Regardless of circumstance it's eleven against eleven and as such the onus is on Liverpool to make that superiority count. I'm hoping we can do that early and often, purely for atheistic sake more than anything else. The longer the game goes without a goal the scrappier it will get. If we score quickly, we may score often. I can only hope that it's going to be as comfortable on the pitch as it is in my mind.
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