by Kash_Mountain » Thu Sep 25, 2014 3:21 pm
Below are just some of the reasons I said "Someone within the club needs to give BR a few hard boots up the backside, sit him down and give him a few hard slaps, and ask him what the F**k he thinks he is doing by tinkering needlessly. It's not clever and he should not be playing around as if it was Football Manager 2014"
1: Its evident that BR has employed new tactics this season, he’s been tinkering, why? well that’s anyone’s guess!. Basically we are dropping deeper and holding onto positions defensively. To me, It really seems like BR is concerned that our pressing, quick pass and move game was dragging players out of position, leaving space for the opposition to attack., and yes to a certain degree it does. What BR has to understand/remember is that dropping off and handing the ball back (yes, that is what we are doing) to our opposition is just asking for trouble. The way we are playing at the current time requires a very high work-rate throughout the team. It also requires our defensively minded players to get stuck in to block the opposition, and right now, we are not doing this. Don’t get me wrong, I think we have good players, just not those required for the tactics that BR has introduced this season so far. We really need go on the offensive with the players we now have. Sterling and Markovic can run the channels for instance. Btw, Sterling should never be put in the middle as that is not his game, and I think the change of tactics has affected Courtinho’s game.
2: The rubbish and needless messing about i.e. tinkering (sorry, but BR is maybe trying to be clever, but really just needs to keep it simple) is the thing that really stops the players having any real chance of working on combining/gelling as a team. Why o why rest a player (RS) after just a few games? The thing is, if RS can’t manage to play the first 8 -10 games without burning out, then something is definitely wrong with LFC’s training methods et al they have for him and requires drastic/sensible changes. Also, BR actually states that he chose to rest RS when playing Aston Villa because of the up-coming CL game. Fair enough, however, why on earth would he then allow RS to play the full game against Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup (i.e. 120+ minutes) when he also states that the EPL is our “bread and butter”. It really doesn’t make any sense. He really needs to take a step back and think about what he is communicating to the Press and the World (not sure BR has worked out the requirements for this season!!).
IMO, BR should not be worrying himself with player tiredness when we are only 5 games into the season, worry about it if and when that issue arises. Look, if RS is not having a good time and is tired etc and requires rest, then he really should be rested on the days we have no games and away from training. BR also really should stop planning 5 or 6 (or whatever it is) games ahead. He should take it on a game by game basis as he isn’t going to know who will be fit, therefore making these ‘long term’ plans is just crazy. Btw, it’s starting to show how reliant we are on a 19 year old. That can’t be good.
3: One of the gripes so far, and this was one of the essential priorities, which is that The Transfer Committee / BR did not bring in a much needed Goal keeper, and now it’s biting us up the backside. Don’t get me wrong, we bought some good players, however, some would argue that a couple of these maybe weren’t really required. In come a load of attacking midfielders when we actually have plenty of them. This then forced the Club to send what we already have out on loan. The Club needs to take a serious look at these issues and get them resolved quickly. It’s already looking like it will be a difficult season for BR, but he’s making things worst by trying to be clever and overthinking things. Doing this just complicates matters and doesn’t help us fans. He is a Coach, so he needs to ensure the basic elements are right such good technique and good positioning etc, get these right, then we’ll be laughing..
4: Also, the position BR has created for Stevie G is not right for him. Essentially, the opposition are marking SG tightly, as a result of this we have problems getting the ball up-field. If we look at the game against Tottsh1te, we played with two upfront, DS and MB, both wanted the ball from the wings. Doing that proved to be successful as Tottsh1te were a player short in midfield when they man marked SG. Against West Ham, we tried it, but Borini for all his efforts just couldn't cut it like DS. DS gets marked by two players because he has pace to burn. IMO having DS, MB, and RS up-field give our midfielders more time and space on the ball. Having said that, BR must surely know this, well I hope he does! The thing that stands out is that both RS and LM should be running the flanks/out wide. This would definitely create space in the middle, and if the opposition defence doesn't drop back, then both can get in behind them. These new tactics and SG position is not helping Hendo either. Hendo was pressing and making runs etc, this season none of that, one of the reasons is that he’s having to help out SG at the back.
5: When we played West Ham, Balotelli was clearly attempting to press forward with the ball, and was unsettling the opposition defence, the thing is, not one of the other LFC players attempted to help him out, nobody stepped up to the plate. If they had, I am sure we could have turned the game to our advantage, by that I mean we could then attack them but we didn’t. However, because of the tactics employed by BR, the LFC players just dropped back and watched all this happen. Once MB realised he was on his own, he just stopped as well. If we continued like last season, i..e press and win the ball high up the pitch, we would have created many countless opportunities to score. We have MB now, there is no more LS, and what is required is a change of tactics and for the whole team to step up to the plate and press, press, press. Currently that won’t happen if we carry on in the same vain as we have played in the last 5 games (barring the Tottsh1te game off course).
6: We are in a transition, oh yes we are. Not sure what BR was really talking about- during the start of the season, BR stated that the players would “gel” . Before the West Ham game he “believed the team would improve in the second part of the season”, however, just following the game, he states that “the players lacked the intensity”. I for one hopes he hasn’t written the season off already!! FSG must be having kittens by statements like these, particularly the one about improving in the second part of the season, well, what about the first part.
7: I think BR has also changed tack on youth, I know a couple have had games, most recently the Capital One Cup, but he said more of the youth will get a chance this season, but instead, loaned out loads or moved them on permanently.
8: I understand we have players injured, but we have other players that can come in to continue the way we played last season. Yes I know Suarez was our best player (world class), but, we don’t have Suarez now, it’s not the end of the world, we must carry on.
