Liverpool FC Forum

by **Sir Roger** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:07 pm

If Rafa keeps the same mentality, attitude and commitment within the team we had from february then we shouldnt need a plan b
If we do, I recommend plan b should be to revert to this mentality, attitude and commitment.

by **Octsky** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:24 pm

if rafa managed to sign tevez, barry and silva without losing alonso. then this will be the strongest lfc team for 2 decades. i dont think rafa can sign all three as he has a tight constraint.
it really makes u appreciate the manager more unlike fergie who can make two or three 25-30 mil signings every season without batting an eye lid.

by **lakes10** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:25 pm

Reg wrote:
lakes10 wrote:(ok so its not my idea but its what King Kenny said this year)

I heard him say that too on 5 Live.

dam i only heard it on bbc sports news

no you are right i did hear it on monday night sports night on bbc radio 5 live

by **dawson99** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:31 pm

I thought we'd found the recipe for success, but found it too late.

Need cover for Torres, someone on the left, apart from that, pretty much let them get on with it. We know what can achieve now

by **roberto green** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:45 pm

Deffo no plan with a Target man because it is so easy to start pinging long balls up all the time and I have never been an admirer of target men.

We need a creative genuis someone like messi.

God Damit just spend our whole tranfer kitty on this little genuis no frigger can get the ball of him.

by **JC_81** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:19 pm

SouthCoastShankly wrote:We never should of sold Crouch. He has to be the most effective plan b option.

We had no choice, Crouch wanted to go mate.

Plus if you look at the stats, Crouch's scoring record from the bench was horrendous, he only ever produced the goods when he started.

Our biggest problem this season has been what the fu.ck do we do without Torres. I don't have any strong preferences whether it's a target man, second striker or straight swap for Torres, we just need an alternative of decent quality.

by **mart** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:33 pm

Ace Ventura wrote:Kinda like Arshavin ?

Cant believe we were not in for him personaly.

Half the forum claimed he would not be nearly good enough for the premiership before he went to arsenal.

by **Ace Ventura** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:39 pm

mart wrote:
Ace Ventura wrote:Kinda like Arshavin ?

Cant believe we were not in for him personaly.

Half the forum claimed he would not be nearly good enough for the premiership before he went to arsenal.

Name names.

Cos everyone i read said that he would be ideal.

And if i am on this list i have a split personaliy

by **dawson99** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:40 pm

I thought he may have been a lil weak, kinda like Modric... i'll admit I was wrong

by **mart** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:43 pm

Ace Ventura wrote:
mart wrote:
Ace Ventura wrote:Kinda like Arshavin ?

Cant believe we were not in for him personaly.

Half the forum claimed he would not be nearly good enough for the premiership before he went to arsenal.

Name names.

Cos everyone i read said that he would be ideal.

And if i am on this list i have a split personaliy

Well i dont think i'm gonna go digging through the forum to find the threads.

But it was the usual he cant adapt to the premiership stuff.

by **Ace Ventura** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:45 pm

dawson99 wrote:I thought he may have been a lil weak, kinda like Modric... i'll admit I was wrong

Fair enough me cockney sparrow

But i would say that Modric is better than most say or think as well.

We get hung up on too much stuff like that in our league.

But both Modric and Arshavin are not likely to be bullied out of games too often.

by **mart** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:47 pm

Silva could very well be the player we need. Valencia is apparently in financial trouble too so they would want to sell some of their top players. Add a rightback and possibly a backup striker and i think we got a really good team.

by **Madmax** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:49 pm

lol miserable feckers at redcafe.... loving it

by **bigmick** » Wed May 27, 2009 11:04 pm

It's an interesting question and a good topic starter. I think in years to come unless they limit squad sizes, we may well see clubs having "special subs" or whatever they call it in American Football, (Joe or the Basketball bloke will know what I'm on about I hope). Anyway, they are like a kind of special unit which is brought on when something completely off the wall is required. People sniggered at Mourinho when he was prone to sticking the big lads from defence up top if desperate, but it made perfect sense to me as a game breaker. It's only the same as the goalie coming up for a last ditch corner, except it has a much greater chance of success.

I think also as far as a "target man" is concerned, there is a difference between playing that way all game and then say taking Lucas off and bunging John Carew up top to play with Torres for the last 15 minutes. This kind of move I totally support if the situation demands it, much the same as you bring on a little trickster to unlock things. It's all about changing the way you attack, and tyhen by definition the way the opposition defends.

It's kind of gone out of fashion a bit as a tactic the old "big lads and lump it' approach, and as such I think sometimes people lose sight of what you're actually trying to do. Some talked earlier in the thread of "losing posession" and the like, and that kind of misses the point. Equally, getting people to try more long shots is precisely what the opposition would like. They'll sit off the likely ball striker, invite him to line it up and then pressure him at the point of execution. There ain't that many blokes who can hold the technique togehter under pressure both from the opponent and from the state of the game. Usually the ball is ballooned into the stand and precious time wasted in restarting the game.

The whole essence of the big lads and lump it is that you don't care about posession. What you are saying to the opposition is that we don't care if you have the ball, but you are going to have to play within 25 yards of your goal. If you lose it, we are going to lump it back into the box, and for the last ten minutes our objective is to ensure the ball spends as much time in your box as possible. We'll take ricochets, rebounds, fouls, knockdowns, bits and pieces and whatever else comes our way. What's more, we are going to circumvent midfield and push our blokes on, even if you win the headers we are going to swarm around the football. "Posession" in these cirumstances becomes secondary, it's teritory which is the main currency. As the pressure builds, the game is kept alive for longer as the ball rarely goes out of play (Defences don't want to give away corners or potential long throws around the box) and usually teams who are being squeezed resort to lumping it as long and as far as possible to clear the danger, from where it inevitably returns quick smart.

I thought if Man Utd had had a Sheringham tonight, that would have been my course of action. Get him up, hit him early and get around him. Course back then they had the Keanes to disrupt the flow, Giggs to open up the left side, Scholes to arrive and score a goal etc etc. That their "target man" was/is Berbatov probably explains why they didn't go for the option. I'd have also been tempted to get Rooney central, unleish his energy and desire onto proceedings.

Like I say though people laugh at Mourinho for trying to do the same against us in the Champions League semi. They forget perhaps that only the width of the post prevented Eidur Gudjohnson from putting us out with seconds remaining, and so vindicating the tactic.

by **Ciggy** » Wed May 27, 2009 11:12 pm

Emerald Red wrote:Hmmm, I wonder if Rafa Benitez is sitting somewhere in an office and thinking to himself, "Hmmm, I wonder if we shall need a plan B, or even a plan C? I never thought of that before. Right, I shall think of one for the first time this season! Eureka!". I think so. What about you, no?

I didnt suggest for one minute that Rafa was clueless I was asking members of the forum what they think we need. Next time Ill write to Rafa instead.

Liverpool FC Forum

Plan b - I think we need one.

Who is online