Liverpool FC Forum

by **EddieC** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:41 pm

Obviously, with the amount of games we have to play every season now, we need to rotate the squad. However I don't think it's being rotated in the right way.

If I were in charge I'd have 2 groups of players. The first would be Finnan, Carra, Agger, Riise, Gerrard, Sissoko, Alonso, Bellamy & Kuyt. The second would be Warnock, Hyypia, Paletta, Aurelio, Zenden, Luis Garcia, Pennant, Fowler & Crouch. I would stick to a policy of using as many players from the first group as possible against the big teams, and the second group against smaller teams. When the first group is playing, the second group would all play together in the reserves. This way we would have the core of 2 teams that knew how to play with each other.

For example, against the better teams:

Reina
Finnan Carra Agger Riise
Gerrard Sissoko Alonso ?
Kuyt Bellamy

The left wing would be the only position rotated against bigger clubs, with the possibility of Crouch coming in if any defences have a weakness in the air, i.e Sh!tski.

Against lesser teams I would play:

Reina
Finnan Paletta Hyypia Warnock
Pennant ? Zenden Aurelio
Crouch Fowler

With the ? to be filled by Xabi/Momo/Gerrard, again possibly swapping one of the strikers perhaps for Bellamy if a defence lacks pace.

This team should be good enough to beat lesser teams like Watford & Charlton, especially if they play together regularly.

I want to make it clear that when I say lesser teams I mean the ones right at the very bottom of the table, maybe 5 or 6 teams. IMO our first 11 should be fit enough to play the other 30 or so games. The main problem with our rotation policy at the moment is for example, one game Finnans playing with Gerrard in front of him, helping out defensively & giving him more freedom to go forward, and the next he's got Pennant or LG there and he has to stay back. Footballers are best off doing the same job week in week out, habit creates second nature. At the moment our players don't seem to know what their role is from one week to the next.

IMO training & playing the way I explained above should solve these problems, but please feel free to add your input and correct me if you think I'm wrong.

by **66-1120597113** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:59 pm

Thats all well and good Eddie but the fact is we are in a very tough league!
Who exactly are the lesser teams?...I presume you mean the likes of Sheffield UTD,Watford,Reading etc.

There are no easy games anymore and playing away to any one of these teams is never going to be easy regardless of what team we put out on the day!
The whole idea of fielding a weaker 11 against a so called weaker side is disrespectful to opposing professionals!No manager would be unprofessional enough to do this.
Another thing the so called weaker teams have a tendancy to raise their game against us big time.

Its a nice thought Eddie but i dont feel it would work!
In reality we should really be sticking with the best team available but as we all know Raffa wont be doing this...We are all just gonna have to be patient enough to give the rotational system time to gel!

by **Bad Bob** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:21 pm

Have to agree with Barry on this one. Rafa's already being questioned in some quarters about his understanding of/commitment to the Premiership. There would be blood in the streets if he put out the "B" team you are advocating against any topflight side. A sh!tstorm that would intensify to epic proportions the minute one of those "lesser" sides turned us over (which would happen). Besides, no scheme that calls for Zenden at CM ahead of a fit and available Alonso, Sissoko or Gerrard will ever get my endorsement.

A better bet would be to stick with that first team you suggested and rotate in the likes of Crouch, Garcia, Pennant, Gonzales, Aurelio, Hyypia, Fowler and Kewell (if ever fit) sensibly, in small doses, as injuries, suspensions, fatigue or loss of form requires.

by **EddieC** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:44 am

Right, I've slept on it & re-thought my original idea.

The point I was trying to make wasn't that we should field a weaker team, but that we should field a team that knows how to play with each other. Having thought about it again, I've decided that it's not the whole team that needs to know how to play together, but the key area is that the Full Backs & Wingers can play together. Obviously I know we've only got Finnan at RB, which I expect to be resolved in January, but on the left I'd always have a LB playing with the same winger in front of him, i.e Riise with Gonzales, and Warnock with Aurelio. I would also use the same system on the right when we get a new RB, presuming it is going to be Lucas Neill I'd go for Finnan with Gerrard, and Neill with Pennant.

A lot of goals we've conceded this season have arisen from no real communication between the full back and the winger, they need to get an understanding of each other.

by **bigmick** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:58 am

No surprises here but in the short term I think we need to field what we think is our strongest team in every game, then re-assess the situation around the end of November. If by then we have established some fluency, some belief and some momentum then look to give one of the lads a rest here and there. Until then, those who are not in the team would have to wait until somebody either gets injured, or they would have to really shine in a cameo role off the bench to force their way in.

The danger is here that it takes until mid-November to establish any kind of run, and by then we would be struggling to get into the top four of the Premiership never mind win the thing. If it's the case that the players siomply aren't good enough (and I don't think for a second that that is the problem) then lets find out now. Pick the best team and lets go for it. If we ultimately fall short by a whisker because some of the automatic first choices are tired by the end of a long season, then so be it. What won't do anybody any favours whatsoever is a continuation of the form we are showing at present, followed by a late run through beaten horses which gets us belatedly into the top six.

Those of us who thought we were in with a shout of winning the title this season were not mad, nor unrealistic. After the first ten games of last season (during which we over-rotated BTW) we were as good as anybody, both in terms of points gained and in general play. Now this season we have very seriously under-achieved. The unlucky cries are starting to wear a bit thin to be honest, as are the International break calls (simply because everybody else has them as well). The crunch time is arriving (in the Premiership anyway), some may say it has already arrived. We need our best team on the pitch. Lets give the lads a chance to remember what each one of them looks like when they are all on a football pitch together.

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