Ben Patrick » Mon Sep 15, 2014 1:15 pm wrote:Yakka that's what he is being asked to do.
He isnt standing on their toes he is dropping in and they split.
Everton do the same, it's what Barca have being doing for the last 5 years.
You and others might not like it but it's the tactics that Brendan employs.
I'm not having it that he was playing simple passes sideways the whole game. He was constantly switching play with superb raking passes either side.
The problem we had is that we conceded an early goal and villa then had something to defend. To be fair to them they defending pretty well.
I think where we were poor Saturday was more to do with the attacking players.
If you dont think we controlled the game I think you need to look at the stats again.
We dominated posession and territory. We just lacked guile and decision making in the final third - nothing to do with Gerrard.
That's wasn't controlling the game Ben, Villa attacked until they got their goal then just sat back and said to us break us down if you can. They weren't under any real pressure and looked very comfortable, they fully deserved their win. You make it sound like we were robbed when in reality we were out thought, out fought and outplayed.
Rodgers needs to change the way we play because with Gerrard sitting so deep our build up play has become slow, predictable and laborious, we knock it around in our half constantly going sideways and backwards allowing teams to get back and set into their defensive positions.
We need to get some energy into our midfield and start playing higher up the pitch, we need to get back to pressing teams at the edge of their box and we need to increase the tempo of our play. All our best performances over the past 18 months have been when we've played at an incredible pace that has just blitzed teams and blown them away, the problem is that playing games at a breakneck pace doesn't suit Gerrard anymore. Pace and energy is the way forward for this team, that is road we need to go down to perfect Brendan's philosophy, at 34 Gerrard is not compatible with that style of play.
We are a team caught between two stools and two styles of play at the moment and it shows.