Liverpool FC Forum

[woof woof !]

I was talking to a Spanish friend of mine (a Valencia supporter) the morning after the Arsenal game and was asking him about Rafa's style at Valencia. He keeps an eye on Liverpool and says that he sees no difference in the style of Liverpool than when Rafa was at Valencia - only the results were better.

He said it was the same formation 4-4-1-1 (with Carew and Aimar instead of Torres and Gerrard), same no-substitutions before 60mins tactic, a series of boring 1-0 wins with a preference to defend rather than attack, that there was an "inner mafia" at the club - Rafa would favour certain players over others despite their quality not matching up - and that he won La Liga in 02 and 04 because Real and Barca were in the middle of a minor slip up.

He also stated that Liverpool will NEVER be a positive, attacking team with Rafa in charge. It's just not his way. Maybe my friend was talking nonsense but hopefully Sabre can confirm.

I know there are a lot on here who will take boring 1-0 wins any day of the week but there are some, like me, who think we should and can be doing more. This is Liverpool, after all.

there's no need for a confirmation from some other poster.
its obvious in our results we're a boring boring team.

We're having a poor season this time around and this is the kind of stuff that really p'isses me off. Uniformed b'ullshit thats' passed off as fact, completely ignores the FACT that last season we were the premierships leading scorers, but f'uck it, why let that get in the way of us having a whinge about how boring LFC are under Rafa Benitez.

[tubby]

I was talking to a Spanish friend of mine (a Valencia supporter) the morning after the Arsenal game and was asking him about Rafa's style at Valencia. He keeps an eye on Liverpool and says that he sees no difference in the style of Liverpool than when Rafa was at Valencia - only the results were better.

He said it was the same formation 4-4-1-1 (with Carew and Aimar instead of Torres and Gerrard), same no-substitutions before 60mins tactic, a series of boring 1-0 wins with a preference to defend rather than attack, that there was an "inner mafia" at the club - Rafa would favour certain players over others despite their quality not matching up - and that he won La Liga in 02 and 04 because Real and Barca were in the middle of a minor slip up.

He also stated that Liverpool will NEVER be a positive, attacking team with Rafa in charge. It's just not his way. Maybe my friend was talking nonsense but hopefully Sabre can confirm.

I know there are a lot on here who will take boring 1-0 wins any day of the week but there are some, like me, who think we should and can be doing more. This is Liverpool, after all.

there's no need for a confirmation from some other poster.
its obvious in our results we're a boring boring team.

We're having a poor season this time around and this is the kind of stuff that really p'isses me off. Uniformed b'ullshit thats' passed off as fact, completely ignores the FACT that last season we were the premierships leading scorers, but f'uck it, why let that get in the way of us having a whinge about how boring LFC are under Rafa Benitez.

Strange how none of this BS was being spouted last season when we were challanging for the title. 

[Emerald Red]

I was talking to a Spanish friend of mine (a Valencia supporter) the morning after the Arsenal game and was asking him about Rafa's style at Valencia. He keeps an eye on Liverpool and says that he sees no difference in the style of Liverpool than when Rafa was at Valencia - only the results were better.

He said it was the same formation 4-4-1-1 (with Carew and Aimar instead of Torres and Gerrard), same no-substitutions before 60mins tactic, a series of boring 1-0 wins with a preference to defend rather than attack, that there was an "inner mafia" at the club - Rafa would favour certain players over others despite their quality not matching up - and that he won La Liga in 02 and 04 because Real and Barca were in the middle of a minor slip up.

He also stated that Liverpool will NEVER be a positive, attacking team with Rafa in charge. It's just not his way. Maybe my friend was talking nonsense but hopefully Sabre can confirm.

I know there are a lot on here who will take boring 1-0 wins any day of the week but there are some, like me, who think we should and can be doing more. This is Liverpool, after all.

there's no need for a confirmation from some other poster.
its obvious in our results we're a boring boring team.

We're having a poor season this time around and this is the kind of stuff that really p'isses me off. Uniformed b'ullshit thats' passed off as fact, completely ignores the FACT that last season we were the premierships leading scorers, but f'uck it, why let that get in the way of us having a whinge about how boring LFC are under Rafa Benitez.

Top scorers the previous season also, Woof.

[Lando_Griffin]

I seem to recall having our a*ses handed to us on a plate by Rafa's Valencia a couple of years before he joined us.
I also seem to recall they were the best team to visit for quite some time, too.

It's interesting that those who bemoan our "lack of attacking threat" are the same ones who said that the Spanish way wouldn't work here, and flair players were a luxury we couldn't afford.

Hmmm...

Silly billy's!

[account deleted by request]

I was talking to a Spanish friend of mine (a Valencia supporter) the morning after the Arsenal game and was asking him about Rafa's style at Valencia. He keeps an eye on Liverpool and says that he sees no difference in the style of Liverpool than when Rafa was at Valencia - only the results were better.

He said it was the same formation 4-4-1-1 (with Carew and Aimar instead of Torres and Gerrard), same no-substitutions before 60mins tactic, a series of boring 1-0 wins with a preference to defend rather than attack, that there was an "inner mafia" at the club - Rafa would favour certain players over others despite their quality not matching up - and that he won La Liga in 02 and 04 because Real and Barca were in the middle of a minor slip up.

He also stated that Liverpool will NEVER be a positive, attacking team with Rafa in charge. It's just not his way. Maybe my friend was talking nonsense but hopefully Sabre can confirm.

I know there are a lot on here who will take boring 1-0 wins any day of the week but there are some, like me, who think we should and can be doing more. This is Liverpool, after all.

there's no need for a confirmation from some other poster.
its obvious in our results we're a boring boring team.

We're having a poor season this time around and this is the kind of stuff that really p'isses me off. Uniformed b'ullshit thats' passed off as fact, completely ignores the FACT that last season we were the premierships leading scorers, but f'uck it, why let that get in the way of us having a whinge about how boring LFC are under Rafa Benitez.

Yeah, I heard exactly the same excuse from Gerard Houllier about us back in 2001 too. Sadly scoring a few goals DOES NOT mean you are playing good football. It usually does mean you are playing successful football ...... but not even that under Rafa.   

If you think we are playing good football you either need your eyes testing, or your memory has finally gone mate 

[woof woof !]

Yeah, I heard exactly the same excuse from Gerard Houllier about us back in 2001 too. Sadly scoring a few goals DOES NOT mean you are playing good football. It usually does mean you are playing successful football ...... but not even that under Rafa.   

If you think we are playing good football you either need your eyes testing, or your memory has finally gone mate 

Don't think it's me that has a problem with memory.

The conversation revolved around the question that under Benitez we play BORING football. We've certainly played poorly (especially this season) but I've rarely if ever considered watching our play as being boring.

As for

Sadly scoring a few goals DOES NOT mean you are playing good football. It usually does mean you are playing successful football

Your denigration of a team that topped the premiership scoring chart last season as "scoring a few goals" is noted, now perhaps you'll step down from your lofty perch and enlighten us all as to what "good football" actually is ? as seemingly according to you it's not about scoring goals or being successful.

[account deleted by request]

Yeah, I heard exactly the same excuse from Gerard Houllier about us back in 2001 too. Sadly scoring a few goals DOES NOT mean you are playing good football. It usually does mean you are playing successful football ...... but not even that under Rafa.   

If you think we are playing good football you either need your eyes testing, or your memory has finally gone mate 

Don't think it's me that has a problem with memory.

The conversation revolved around the question that under Benitez we play BORING football. We've certainly played poorly (especially this season) but I've rarely if ever considered watching our play as being boring.

As for

Sadly scoring a few goals DOES NOT mean you are playing good football. It usually does mean you are playing successful football

Your denigration of a team that topped the premiership scoring chart last season as "scoring a few goals" is noted, now perhaps you'll step down from your lofty perch and enlighten us all as to what "good football" actually is ? as seemingly according to you it's not about scoring goals or being successful.

Well at least we have narrowed it down to being your eyesight thats at fault.

Good football is about passing the ball with confidence imagination and invention, and moving seamlessly from defence to attack. Something we have seen little of under Rafa.

If you need to refesh your impeccable memory try looking back at videos from the late 70's and through the eighties. Even under Evans we played some fantastic (if unsuccessful football)   

Arsenal play good but unsuccessful football, the mancs a few years ago played good and successful football, but if you are so blinded to the truth there is little point in me continuing.

Houlliers team back in 2001 scored 127 goals in a season, but the football was hardly a delight to watch. The results made up for it though. Under Rafa we have had more than our fair share of boring cr@p, but sadly the success hasn't followed.

If you think good football means successful football you obviously never watched Leeds or Arsenal in the seventies. The football was very successful but hardly good or entertaining. 

If you think hoofing the ball upfield is good football its no wonder YOU aren't bored.

[LFC2007]

This season has been terrible but most of the others have seen their fair share of exciting games, and last season we played some outstanding football on a consistent basis, as we did latterly in 07/08.

Not top of my complaints list, tbh.

[account deleted by request]

This season has been terrible but most of the others have seen their fair share of exciting games, and last season we played some outstanding football on a consistent basis, as we did latterly in 07/08.

Not top of my complaints list, tbh.

Not top of mine either mate...... just another one to add to the list.

In all honesty, take the last 3 months of last season and the last three months of 2006 out of the equation and there hasn't been a great deal of good football played though.

[LFC2007]

Aye, probably, if you're looking at the league. In Europe we've seen as many exciting games as anyone...anywhere. 

If it were a choice though of playing like the Arsenal since 04/05 and winning next to nothing, or playing more mechanically as we have done under Rafa and winning marginally more. You'd take the marginally more.

[account deleted by request]

Not for the last 3 years I wouldn't

[maguskwt]

I think I can understand the boring football complaint... But I also think that this season, injuries have contributed to this. We never seem to have the whole first team at any single time for a long stretch. If it isn't Gerrard and Torres injured, it's Benayoun and Riera. And then early on it's Agger and Aquilani. And now it is Johnson and Torres. It has just been a terrible season for us in terms of injury simply because we don't have a deep squad. Money doesn't matter my . If you look at the table now it's not a surprise at all why the two top teams are where they are. Arsenal has van persie injured and all of a sudden they lost 2 in a row and played terrible. Sad thing is we couldn't even take advantage of this. I can safely say that with a fit torres we would have beaten Arsenal using the same template of counter attack that the mancs and chelsea used. A fit Gerrard and Torres would have had a field day against that Arsenal side that day. The counting attacking situations that Ngog had and couldn't capitalise on because he couldn't beat the defender, Torres would have eaten up the whole Arsenal's defence.

After winning 4-1 against the mancs last season and 4-0 against Real Madrid, and generally how we played last season, I simply cannot say that Benitez advocates boring football. Rafa is a practical manager and if we don't play the way we play now with the personnel that we have fit at the moment we will be losing 3-0, 4-0 every single time. Sometimes it's easier to talk and harder to manage a football team. When everyone is fit with this kinda line-up I don't think we will see boring football:

                        Reina
Johnson     Carra      Agger   Insua/Aurelio

                    Mascherano       
Maxi/Benayoun         Aquilani           Reira
                    Gerrrad
                              Torres

[account deleted by request]

But will we ever see that line up   What about Kuyt and Lucas ?

BTW Van Persie has been out since the begining of November mate

[LFC2007]

Well when neither side has won anything you look to other criteria to distinguish between the two..if that was Arsenal's fancy football for you, then for me it would be Athens '07 and that whole European campaign as well as last season's league campaign. At least we had some really good memories and had something to get excited about right up until the end.

[maguskwt]

But will we ever see that line up   What about Kuyt and Lucas ?

Truth be told I don't mind Kuyt at right with that line up and still safely say that we will win alot of games. Kuyt and Benayoun are known entities, we know how they will play but Maxi we're not too sure yet. After all we did win quite a lot of games with Kuyt playing last season if you haven't forgotten. Kuyt is like the Joker Card, if the team is playing well you can be sure that he won't spoil the party and even get you some assists and some goals.

But if Aquilani is fit then he has got to play. Masch/Lucas partnership simply doesn't work. Lucas can stand in for Masch as holding midfielder but not the two of them together. And we need another striker urgently... that's a minimum to challenge for the title.