Liverpool FC Forum

[GunGod]

Liverpool vs Boro 13/08/05

Match Review:

4-5-1 is not the way to go for the current Liverpool team. 

Of course 4-5-1 worked and it will carry on working on away days. It allows Gerrard to bomb forward and join the striker ie Nando's flick down and Gerrard blazing it JUST over the bar. Carragher said it was Gerrards best postion, just behind the lone striker, any other day it would have been 2 or 3 nil.

Which brings us to one question: what exactly is Gerrard's position? Is he A: Defensive Midfielder (DMC) or B: Attacking Midfielder (AMC)? Cos' in every game, he's always everywhere, tackling and attacking 

U might even say its C: Scholes-type "in the hole" midfielder just behind the striker(s)

His style of total football makes it hard to give him an exact position. And I feel that, pardon me, sometimes his unregulated play does disrupt team plans a little.

[Luis Garcia]

We played well enuf for 3 points just unlucky.A gd performance tho for a first game of the season

im not that worried, if we play like that every game that will ensure we get 3rd or second.

Its just if we play like that and dont score very often, thats when we will pay for it.

have you heard the term "when you play badly and still get three points" ??

thats what chelsea did on Sunday, and thats gonna be the difference.

you have to stick the ball in the net, regardless of how it crosses the line. its the sweet science

[66-1120597113]

And he will come back on a loan i reckon!! And we will buy him in a years time!
The biggest problem here being,he'll come back,play outta his skin,score about 20 odd goals and then Madrid will want a few extra million for him!!

The thing is, you know that madrid didnt even want him in the 1st place. The only reason why they actually signed him is because time was running out in the transfer window for them to sign their annual ''galactico'' as due to their stupid president he has to every year and they couldnt find anyone else therefore they had to quickly get owen. (Notice besides Owen they didnt sign any big attacking star last year). Hence why he weren't starting any matches at the beggining for them and why they want to get rid of him even though they couldnt have asked for more of him from the amount of playing time hes had. So if it weren't for madrids stupid policy and politics we would still have owen now.

U silly little ignorant man u! It was not Madrids fault that owen went in the first place,it was liverpools loss under a bad manager that had hit a brick wall!
michael owen only wants to play football at the highest level,not a crime at his age when he left us,no a betrayal it seems to ignorant people!
I was not happy when he left in fact i was disgusted but if i was owen i wud have left too!Liverpool had run  its coarse under a bad defensive manager that could not grip the English game and its schizophrenic pace! All Owen did was try and better himself,yes he failed,but at least he had the balls 2 try!And he can come home with no regrets!
An old true cliche being: Nothing ventured ,nothing gained!
Having the balls to try is another kettle of fish that most dont posess!

[blur]

YAH!! talk abt exorcising demons.

For me personally, i reckon our play started degenerating at Riverside 2 seasons ago when they ended our unbeaten run of what was it?? 11 or 12 games in the season? We were top of the table then with 7 points (or something like that to spare)...

I was hoping we'd come to RIverside and make a fresh winning start and leave all the ghosts to rest.

It is encouraging however, to see that we can dominate play on away games and instead of sitting back (as we used to do pre-rafa days), we were in the half most of the time. For me, Gerrard was awesome, but the other player that truly impressed was Momo... for an EPL debutant, he was simply MASSIVE... i loved the way he played without giving quarter... how his gangly legs could just hook the ball away from opposition and mostly, i reckon he could just link with almost everyone on field. He promises to be a very exciting player. I reckoned the only reason why he lost out against Boateng was becos of the lack of physical strength... If that aspect of his game is improved... well.. we could have another huge star in midfield.

I think to wrap it all up, Saturday was good solid proof of how much we need a proven scorer in the EPL... we had chances aplenty but we just couldn't convert them. And it's always the usual suspects (or should i use that in the singular?) attempting shots at goals... The commentators that day brought up a very interesting point. For a team who won the CL without any goalscorers scoring double figures in the league, our shortcomings are glaring. I can think of only one person currently available to us, for better or for worse, capable of knocking in goals consistently against Premiership sides... and that person is Owen. I would like to see him wear a Red shirt again and help bring us back to glory in the league.... We'll have to wait and see what happens within the next couple of weeks.

[azriahmad]

We are in dire need of a right winger/midfielder who can really cross quality balls into the box.

I wondered what the hell Cisse was doing on the right, he should be in the centre and El Morro needed a partner rather than going at it alone.

The game was mixed with good and bad points. Sissoko had a good game IMHO as he was very energetic and showed some good touches. Most of the bad thing is the usual over reliance on Gerrard and a lack of creativity to carve up chances especially from the wings.

[sgs]

If we are gonna be playing a 4-5-1, I think we clearly need to bring Owen back. To challenge for the prem, we really need to win games like this. As it is, we are two points off the pace....

[azriahmad]

Still early days yet, only after the first game. Let's wait and see what happens in the next game.

[GunGod]

If we are gonna be playing a 4-5-1, I think we clearly need to bring Owen back. To challenge for the prem, we really need to win games like this. As it is, we are two points off the pace....

Owen can't play in a 4-5-1. he's also the reason why england can't play in 4-5-1 either.

he's too short to head in the crosses.

but for his frame of 175cm, he actually heads very well. but still not enough to compete for the 50-50 balls with the likes of ferdinand, campbell, terry.

[IstanBuL-FenerBaHce]

With a Cisse, two good wingers and Sisokko&Gerrard pair can be played a wonderful 4-5-1

Morientes, Baros or Crouch cant be play as the single forward. So, why doesnt Rafa put Cisse in the first 11?..

I dont understand..   

[GunGod]

With a Cisse, two good wingers and Sisokko&Gerrard pair can be played a wonderful 4-5-1

Morientes, Baros or Crouch cant be play as the single forward. So, why doesnt Rafa put Cisse in the first 11?..

I dont understand..   

because cisse can't head the ball well?

4-5-1 thrives on a stirker that can head the ball well. read: ruud, drogba/crespo. even the 1999 man u team has yorke and cole to finish off beckham's crosses. arsenal on the other hand is a different 4-5-1; henry can't head well either. but if u noticed they play the ball on the ground and cross low balls instead. prime example being the lastest game against newcastle. both goals came from low 'crosses' from the flank after the wingers cut into the penalty box.

add to the fact that our wingers can't beat most fullbacks to cut into the box.

maybe what we need now is a fowler in his prime who can head, score from range and get pass central defenders.

[bigmick]

I'm not sure that being a good header is that important when playing upfront by yourself. After all, who are you going to head it to? Much more important is the ability to hold the ball up, to protect it and to bring others into play. Also the desire to work along the line, do the closing down and donkey work of two men is crucial. It's also vital that at least one central midfielder plays almost on the shoulder of the lone attacker when we are in posession (Gerrard) and that one of your wide men, the one on the opposite side to the play tucks in narrow to give you another lay-off option.
Done well it's an interesting system. We're probably doing it right now because Rafa feels (rightly in my view) that we were too easy to beat away from home last season. I think on the evidence of Saturday, if he continues to play Sissoko infront of the back four, we aint gonna concede nearly as many goals.

[GunGod]

I'm not sure that being a good header is that important when playing upfront by yourself. After all, who are you going to head it to?

Into goal? 

I don't think its a coincidence that rafa brought crouch for his heading abilities. Besides, why play 4-5-1 if you don't want cross the ball and capitalise on headers? why not 4-4-2 with cisse and baros? they move faster.

therefore, one must be clear that a 4-5-1 thrives on crosses on the flanks. and the target man must be a good header of the ball.

[A.B.]

with cisse and baros? they move faster.

They can't play well along side one another.

[bigmick]

I'm not sure that being a good header is that important when playing upfront by yourself. After all, who are you going to head it to?

Into goal? 

Into goal? yes a bloke who can head it into the goal is always handy but my point is that usually 4-5-1 is a system which is employed away from home by teams in an attempt to make themselves more difficult to beat. By nature of the fact that the bloke is upfront on his own, it then follows that your "out balls" are severely limited when under pressure. If he's not very good at holding the ball up then you will constantly find yourself pinned back into your own half. Your two wider midfield players will find themselves helping out the fullbacks and you will never have the opportunity to get the ball into the box for your striker to head it into the goal. This is of course unless you decide to fly in the face of commonly held beliefs that it is easier for a striker to attack a ball and to score with a header if it is delivered from closer to the byline rather than crossed in "too straight".
Sorry if it sounds like a lecture but it's the way it is, or certainly the way that pretty much the whole of the football world sees it anyhow.

[GunGod]

Into goal? yes a bloke who can head it into the goal is always handy but my point is that usually 4-5-1 is a system which is employed away from home by teams in an attempt to make themselves more difficult to beat.

Sorry if it sounds like a lecture but it's the way it is, or certainly the way that pretty much the whole of the football world sees it anyhow.

I don't know whether you can trust me on this but i've got a feeling that we will play 4-5-1 at home as well.

of cos in the perfect whole we have a striker that can head, can hold the ball and can get pass central defenders. but who can do that in our ranks now?

and you don't need to be sorry as this is a forum open for discussion.. and i don't think "the whole of the football world" thinks of the same way as you do anyway.