Liverpool FC Forum

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

Rimetto

I agree with your assessment of the way we’ve played this season but think that show more about BR than you give credit. I think it shows that he’s assessed the group and realised that with the current senior players there is no use insisting on the passing game he wants because some of them are just not capable of it so he’s found a style of play that almost blends the 2 until he can put together a squad that can deliver the high tempo pressing and ball retention game he wants to play. 

For me that shows real courage and also quality from BR because he’s constantly reminded about his philosophy and to move away slightly to ensure results takes a lot. Although we do still dominated most of the games in possession so he’s not a million miles away from the balance we need

sorry i dont buy that mate, are you telling me the players he had at swansea in the championship are more accomplished footballers technically than the likes of gerrard, suarez, agger, johnson etc?

[jacdaniel]

I think Rodgers said something a few weeks back about modifying the tactics a bit to suit the personnel we have

[Rimetto_]

Rimetto

I agree with your assessment of the way we’ve played this season but think that show more about BR than you give credit. I think it shows that he’s assessed the group and realised that with the current senior players there is no use insisting on the passing game he wants because some of them are just not capable of it so he’s found a style of play that almost blends the 2 until he can put together a squad that can deliver the high tempo pressing and ball retention game he wants to play. 

For me that shows real courage and also quality from BR because he’s constantly reminded about his philosophy and to move away slightly to ensure results takes a lot. Although we do still dominated most of the games in possession so he’s not a million miles away from the balance we need

sorry i dont buy that mate, are you telling me the players he had at swansea in the championship are more accomplished footballers technically than the likes of gerrard, suarez, agger, johnson etc?

Not accomplished players no but had better capability at playing a role within his prefered system.

[Boxscarf]

I think Rodgers said something a few weeks back about modifying the tactics a bit to suit the personnel we have

He has shown a great astuteness when it comes to the tactical side of the game. I've been nothing but impressed by Brendan Rodgers.

[Kenny Kan]

i just dont see this brave new dawn in terms of playing style that we were all promised, we are not a pressing team (our front 3 arent all over the opposition like a rash when they they play it out from the back which is what we were told would happen) and our passing is decent but not spectacular by any stretch of the imagination, if anything i think our passing has regressed since the start of the season. 

Agreed.

I think it was Rimento? who said above that Rodgers had to change to suit personal. Now, whether he has come out and said this I don't know but if this is the plan I do agree with it. And it shows the Rodgers isn't as dogmatic in his approach as many thought and is flexible enough to change things - even putting his "philosophy" on hold. I remember earlier in the season I was critical of us not being pragmatic enough and almost playing the Arsenal way - trying to pass it into the net, over passing it. So, for me, it's good to see that Rodgers is trying to play to the players strength.

You're right though, we haven't pressed at all. I don't know why, it's physically demanding to do this without the ball all the time. But, when we did press high we had a huge gulf in size between midfield and defense which the opposition exploited and this made us look very prone to conceding goals on the attack, remember we were conceding almost 2 a game for a while there. Perhaps he's tightened up the team as a unit a bit so teams can't play through us as easily, if we're not pressing.

I think our passing is 'good'. However, I believe we have an Italian problem, we knock the ball around at a snails pace (this isn't bad if it isn't being consistently done). The oppo have time to organise, regroup and sit behind the ball. Even when Rafa was here we struggled to break organised times down, now we're having the same problem and perhaps relying on a moment of genius from Suarez to do something. We don't alter the tempo and up the pace of the game when need be IMO, so having Gerrard hitting these 50 yard balls to Johnson (for e.g.) on the wing, isn't a bad thing. But the fluidity of passing throughout the team is pretty one paced and isn't threatening at all.

I think we need a midfielder amongst our ranks who can link up with that final ball and be a goal threat himself, we don't have one here at the moment. We need a striker or two perhaps, and possibly another front man who plays out wide and carries a threat at Premiership level.

[red till i die!!]

some real good posts on the last 2 pages lads and most i agree with.
its a funny one where we have progressed but nearly havent, we do play good stuff at times and blitz the passing stats but its our penetration thats the problem. other than suarez we dont have it.
its just down to the over reliance we have on the youth. suso,sahin,shelvey,sterling,borini, henderson and allen suffer because of it,  they regularly make errors when under pressure and just arent ready for so much football never mind the pressure to be winning consistently. all are just learning their game and while the nucleus of our team is good in reina,enrique,johnson,skyrtel,agger,lucas,gerrard and suarez its not good enough to carry that many players in the team. its worse because downing and cole are pure letdowns.
for most clubs its around 23 before players are either progressing from the reserves or sent to the pool. we are asking an awful lot to expect 17 and 18 yr olds to compete with the best in the prem.
ive said at the start of the season that if we finished higher than last season id be happy but its a shame that 4th is so teasingly close , with our current squad i can see us always being a couple of wins short unless rodgers is backed in january and then we can make a real go at it.
we have to wait and see what he buys and how they fit in before we can judge whether we can make it or not.if he has the reported 30mil then a trio of huntelaar,walcott and a diame/dembele type player would give us a good shot and help set us up for the next 3 years before the transition is complete.
while he hasnt got 110 mil to spend he has already had 30 and that was in his first window. if he's backed again with another 30 then his signings have to improve results or it wont be long before either fenway lose patience or spunk the best part of another 110mil away.
this season was never going to be plain sailing but we are improving and can get there if rodgers has the balls to grab it

[heimdall]

@ycsatbjywtbiastkamb
Please change the frigging record, we all know you love Kenny and Carrroll in equal measures but they are not part of the club any more so why don't you let the past be the past and actually start supporting the club and not individuals.

In my opinion I think we are playing much much better than last season, we are creating many more chances and the team in much more dynamic and we now have a plan B which we never did under Kenny.

[Boxscarf]

In my opinion I think we are playing much much better than last season, we are creating many more chances and the team in much more dynamic and we now have a plan B which we never did under Kenny.

The fella is just bitter, I pay no heed to a majority of his pasts that continually harp back to the 70's and 80's, decades long gone.

We're creating as many chances as last season, but we do look a more threatening side and we do have a Plan B as you say. I do think we have as many holes in this squad that we did last season and despite the improvements made in our first team, our bench is possibly weaker than last season. Last season we had Kuyt, Bellamy and Maxi, these players are huge losses for us. All of those players could come on and impact a match, Kuyt and Maxi were very good at popping up with an important goal. I feel we lack this in the squad this season.

Despite being 4 points off 4th, I don't think we'll get it, I think that is too much for us to obtain this season.

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

whats this plan B that we have under rodgers? hit the ball long to five foot nothing forwards like suarez and sterling as we did in the second half of the derby?
and last season you two were the two biggest whingers on this site, putting the boot into a genuine legend who`s up there with shankly at every opportunity.

[stmichael]

4th is anybody's this season. it's as poor a league as i can remember in terms of quality. everyone's been lauding everton and we're 4 points behind them. chelsea didn't win in 7 league games but stayed 3rd all that time.

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

4th is anybody's this season. it's as poor a league as i can remember in terms of quality. everyone's been lauding everton and we're 4 points behind them. chelsea didn't win in 7 league games but stayed 3rd all that time.

i`d say the league is more interesting though because anyone can beat anyone on any given day.
a few years ago it was hardly worth checking united`s, chelsea`s and arsenal`s results because they won practically every week.
the 60`s/70`s were seen as a golden age in football because a lot of teams had possibly their greatest ever sides and at the start of any season 6 or 7 teams had a genuine chance of winning the title. in the decade or so from 1960 to shanklys retirement the title was won by - burnley, spurs, everton, man united, man city, leeds, arsenal, derby and of course liverpool.
in this modern era where cash is king i doubt we`ll ever see footy being that competative again but i quite like it this season where there`s not a lot between teams and a few wins can see you leap up the table.
the quality might not be the best but it`s more interesting than the processions we usually get where the league table mirrors the spending table.

[heimdall]

whats this plan B that we have under rodgers? hit the ball long to five foot nothing forwards like suarez and sterling as we did in the second half of the derby?
and last season you two were the two biggest whingers on this site, putting the boot into a genuine legend who`s up there with shankly at every opportunity.

Yes I was whinging last season becuase we had an inept manager who insisted on playing his terrible signings, Carroll, Downing and Henderson every single match without any signs of improvement from them.
As for Plan B Kenny never had one whilst Rodgers has shown on numerous occasions this season his ability to change the teams shape to combat the opposition and also an astute eye for making correct substitutions at the right time, instead of Kenny's tactics of waiting until the last 10 minutes.

BTW to compare Kenny to Shankly is a massive insult to Shankly

[redno7]

[quote="ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:25 pm"][/quote]

and then in the eighties... Liverpool ...  everton... Liverpool ...  everton... Liverpool ...  everton...

[Boxscarf]

whats this plan B that we have under rodgers? hit the ball long to five foot nothing forwards like suarez and sterling as we did in the second half of the derby?
and last season you two were the two biggest whingers on this site, putting the boot into a genuine legend who`s up there with shankly at every opportunity.

Rodgers has shown he has a plan B on multiple occasions, including the 2-2 draw with Everton which is a lot more than Dalglish showed last season. He also isn't afraid to alter things at half-time, when did Kenny ever alter his tactics or his players at half-time last season? He didn't. Brendan has shown he is capable of adapting and changing, he has shown pragmatism this season, unlike Kenny last season who was incredibly dogmatic and stubborn.

That comparison is unfair, I never called for Kenny to be sacked as manager. I wanted Kenny to be given another season to try and alter the path and I was saddened by his departure, especially after his brilliant stint as caretaker manager for the six months of the 2010-2011 season. The fact remains he tore up what worked, altered it with what he thought would work and in the end, it failed and failed drastically and Rodgers has had a monumental task on his hand with limited financial support. He's done very well this season and I hope we continue to progress under his management.

You also cannot criticise for others about putting the boot in, when it is you who has done nothing but criticise Rodgers since the day he arrived.

[Boxscarf]

BTW to compare Kenny to Shankly is a massive insult to Shankly

Yes it is, because Kenny is Kenny and Shankly is Shankly and both men are legends of this club. Comparison are seldom needed and this epitomises this view.