Last night, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers trivialised Liverpool's 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa as a 'bad day at the office', and whilst that may be partly true, Anfield legend Dietmar Hamann believes the the problems that led to yesterday's defeat go a lot deeper.
Analysing the game on LFC TV, Hamann slammed the complacency of some of Liverpool's players, and bemoaned the lack of quality in the team. He observed:
"It’s disappointing and frustrating, especially given the three results leading up to this game.
"People came to Anfield with high expectations, and maybe this was a problem leading up to the game. If we’d won today we’d be in a fantastic position, but now, it’s back to square one".
To be honest, it's probable that most fans underestimated Villa too; I certainly did, and prior to the game, I didn't for a second entertain the possibility that Paul Lambert's team would be 3-0 at Anfield until the final minutes of the game.
Hamann also hinted at a lack of trust between the players:
"It seemed that some players had a lack of belief in their team-mates, and obviously, it's a concern. There’s a lack of quality in the team, and we didn’t have any answers to Villa today, it’s as simple as that".
I wrote last night about what I perceive to be a fundamental lack of real leadership at Anfield, and that is evident on the field too. Where were the on-field leaders against Villa? Specifically, where was Steven Gerrard's leadership? The captain seems to have regressed back to wandering around the pitch looking miserable, and that probably transmits itself to the rest of the players.
Constant individual mistakes leading to opposition goals marred Liverpool's start to the season, but that issue seemed to have been addressed over the last couple of months. Well, against Villa, it was back with a vengeance, with all three goals arguably the result of avoidable mistakes.
* Goal 1: Suarez lost possession in midfield. Defence backed off and allowed Benteke to get a shot off; Reina failed to get down fast enough despite having lots of time to see the move progressing.
* Goal 2: Agger and Allen both failed to track the run of Weimann, who ghosted into the box unmarked and smashed the ball home.
* Goal 3: Hospital pass from Allen to Cole, who was immediately dispossessed. Defence backed off again, with Skrtel in particular giving a masterclass in how *not* to defend.
Other issues:
* Who is the better left-back: Glen Johnson or Stewart Downing? Why not just play aces in their places? Andre Wisdom is fit, and he's played superbly well this season. Why not just start with Wisdom on the right and Johnson on the left? Liverpool are unbeaten in the league this season with that set-up.
* Another poor game from Gerrard. He could benefit with a spell on the bench, but that will never happen a Rodgers does not have the balls to drop star names. He's too busy trying to get on their good sides with constant servile praise to actually do what needs to be done.
* Luis Suarez has not scored/assisted for 6 games in a row now. That's 480 minutes without a goal. That is a problem. Yes, he's scored a few goals this season, but the club's main striker cannot go 6 games without any kind of creative contribution. The need for another striker has never been more acute.
* As I've argued many times in the past, Martin Skrtel ultimately needs to be replaced in central defence. He is a good, solid defender, but he is too often prone to lapses of concentration, and we saw that again vs.Villa. What on earth was he doing for the third goal? Where was he for Weimann's goal, which came right at the heart of LFC's defence?
* Assaidi not in the squad *again*? What is going on?! If the Algerian is not good enough for Liverpool then why the hell did Rodgers sign him in the first place? The squad is paper thin as it is yet the manager refuses to use one of his own players as a attacking option, and instead puts four defensive-minded players on the bench.
* On Friday, Rodgers admitted that he was unsure whether Lucas would be fit enough for the Villa game. He started him anyway, and it was a gamble that failed. If there was a doubt, why not just start Henderson to be safe? The Brazilian was off the pace, and it showed with the huge gaps left in midfield.
It's not panic-stations yet though. Yes, the defeat is disappointing but football teams lose games! That's just the way it is. Liverpool have lost 5 games so far this season, but Spurs have lost six, and they're one point off the top four right now. Chelsea and Man Utd have lost three games apiece; Arsenal have lost four games.
The manner of Liverpool's defeat is more disappointing that the result itself, and even though the club lost the chance to consolidate its position in the top four, there are still 22 league games left to play, and the wild inconsistency of all the top four challengers so far this season means that there are plenty more twists and turns to come yet.
With five months of the season to go, the Reds were always going to lose more games; does it matter if the loss came yesterday, or one month from now? A defeat is a defeat, no matter where it falls in the season.
When all is said and done, Liverpool are still only five points off fourth place. That may seem like grasping at straws, but it doesn't matter how the club gets there as long as it somehow gets there in the end (!)
Liverpool now face Fulham, Stoke, QPR and Sunderland over the next two weeks. There are no easy games in the Premier League, and these four matches will undoubtedly be tough tests, but on January 2nd, we'll have a much better idea of where the club is heading this season.
Perhaps the Villa defeat is the wake-up called Liverpool needed? If the club can get 10-12 points out of the next four games - which is certainly achievable - then yesterday's defeat will be quickly forgotten.
Jaimie Kanwar
Analysing the game on LFC TV, Hamann slammed the complacency of some of Liverpool's players, and bemoaned the lack of quality in the team. He observed:
"It’s disappointing and frustrating, especially given the three results leading up to this game.
"People came to Anfield with high expectations, and maybe this was a problem leading up to the game. If we’d won today we’d be in a fantastic position, but now, it’s back to square one".
To be honest, it's probable that most fans underestimated Villa too; I certainly did, and prior to the game, I didn't for a second entertain the possibility that Paul Lambert's team would be 3-0 at Anfield until the final minutes of the game.
Hamann also hinted at a lack of trust between the players:
"It seemed that some players had a lack of belief in their team-mates, and obviously, it's a concern. There’s a lack of quality in the team, and we didn’t have any answers to Villa today, it’s as simple as that".
I wrote last night about what I perceive to be a fundamental lack of real leadership at Anfield, and that is evident on the field too. Where were the on-field leaders against Villa? Specifically, where was Steven Gerrard's leadership? The captain seems to have regressed back to wandering around the pitch looking miserable, and that probably transmits itself to the rest of the players.
Constant individual mistakes leading to opposition goals marred Liverpool's start to the season, but that issue seemed to have been addressed over the last couple of months. Well, against Villa, it was back with a vengeance, with all three goals arguably the result of avoidable mistakes.
* Goal 1: Suarez lost possession in midfield. Defence backed off and allowed Benteke to get a shot off; Reina failed to get down fast enough despite having lots of time to see the move progressing.
* Goal 2: Agger and Allen both failed to track the run of Weimann, who ghosted into the box unmarked and smashed the ball home.
* Goal 3: Hospital pass from Allen to Cole, who was immediately dispossessed. Defence backed off again, with Skrtel in particular giving a masterclass in how *not* to defend.
Other issues:
* Who is the better left-back: Glen Johnson or Stewart Downing? Why not just play aces in their places? Andre Wisdom is fit, and he's played superbly well this season. Why not just start with Wisdom on the right and Johnson on the left? Liverpool are unbeaten in the league this season with that set-up.
* Another poor game from Gerrard. He could benefit with a spell on the bench, but that will never happen a Rodgers does not have the balls to drop star names. He's too busy trying to get on their good sides with constant servile praise to actually do what needs to be done.
* Luis Suarez has not scored/assisted for 6 games in a row now. That's 480 minutes without a goal. That is a problem. Yes, he's scored a few goals this season, but the club's main striker cannot go 6 games without any kind of creative contribution. The need for another striker has never been more acute.
* As I've argued many times in the past, Martin Skrtel ultimately needs to be replaced in central defence. He is a good, solid defender, but he is too often prone to lapses of concentration, and we saw that again vs.Villa. What on earth was he doing for the third goal? Where was he for Weimann's goal, which came right at the heart of LFC's defence?
* Assaidi not in the squad *again*? What is going on?! If the Algerian is not good enough for Liverpool then why the hell did Rodgers sign him in the first place? The squad is paper thin as it is yet the manager refuses to use one of his own players as a attacking option, and instead puts four defensive-minded players on the bench.
* On Friday, Rodgers admitted that he was unsure whether Lucas would be fit enough for the Villa game. He started him anyway, and it was a gamble that failed. If there was a doubt, why not just start Henderson to be safe? The Brazilian was off the pace, and it showed with the huge gaps left in midfield.
It's not panic-stations yet though. Yes, the defeat is disappointing but football teams lose games! That's just the way it is. Liverpool have lost 5 games so far this season, but Spurs have lost six, and they're one point off the top four right now. Chelsea and Man Utd have lost three games apiece; Arsenal have lost four games.
The manner of Liverpool's defeat is more disappointing that the result itself, and even though the club lost the chance to consolidate its position in the top four, there are still 22 league games left to play, and the wild inconsistency of all the top four challengers so far this season means that there are plenty more twists and turns to come yet.
With five months of the season to go, the Reds were always going to lose more games; does it matter if the loss came yesterday, or one month from now? A defeat is a defeat, no matter where it falls in the season.
When all is said and done, Liverpool are still only five points off fourth place. That may seem like grasping at straws, but it doesn't matter how the club gets there as long as it somehow gets there in the end (!)
Liverpool now face Fulham, Stoke, QPR and Sunderland over the next two weeks. There are no easy games in the Premier League, and these four matches will undoubtedly be tough tests, but on January 2nd, we'll have a much better idea of where the club is heading this season.
Perhaps the Villa defeat is the wake-up called Liverpool needed? If the club can get 10-12 points out of the next four games - which is certainly achievable - then yesterday's defeat will be quickly forgotten.
Jaimie Kanwar
Benitez might still be available for next season.
ReplyDeletewe just dont put the ball in the back of the net ,thats our problem school boy finishing , we press and press up the field ,create and miss so many chances , then become desperate and start leaving gaps , then teams counter attack on and punish us , its becoming so frustrating , we should of been 3 nil up against villa with out them even having a sniff at our goal but because our final third lacks , we end up on the end of score lines like this , we seriously need to get players in during january otherwise we are just going to struggle
ReplyDeleteSorry folks Liverpool are finished as a top four club. No money, few quality players most of whom are primma donas, no desire within the team.Best tactic seems to be screaming for a penalty every five minute!
ReplyDeletejust on point. yesterday's result was a perfect reality check.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Suso not playing anymore?
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at our front three you immediately ask: where are the goals going to come from? My views on Sterling are pretty obvious...not a fan at the moment. Suarez needs at least one player in the side to be on his wavelength to be devastatingly effective and he was injured yesterday (Enrique). Shelvey is not quite the goal machine BR believes he will be. He's not a natural finisher although he does take up good positions. All this said and Pacheco and Assaidi still can't get a kick to at least see if they can click with Suarez.
ReplyDeletePacheco Suarez Assaidi. would worry me more than:
Sterling Suarez Shelvey.
Pace trickery and flair V hard graft and no imagination.
If this defeat makes us more determined in the transfer window then maybe sime good will come of it. Sickeming result, agree with most of the points raised by article
ReplyDeleteI support rodgers, but we seem to be going nowhere at the moment, and FSG need to realise this. They think things need to get worse before they get better; that may be the solution in baseball, but not english football. Picture MLB like this; it is a room with a big ladder reaching to the ceiling. the steps on the ladder remain in tact, and if you fall down the ladder, you can always get off the ground and climb back up. however, english football is vastly different. It is a very large ladder slanted against a skyscraper. the first 4 steps at the top remain in tact, however, the steps below it start to get larger and larger gaps, making it harder to grab onto something as you fall down, and if you do, it's still very difficult to find your way up. the gaps get larger and larger, as it reaches further down to the ground at league 4 or whatever, where it is virtually impossible to reach the premier league again. FSG have to realise, that as you fall down this ladder, you get weaker, and grabbing onto a step is more difficult, let alone climbing up the gap ridden steps rock climbing style, back to the top. If we let things get bad, they will continue to get bad. We finished 8th under dalglish, regressing from the previous year. we can't afford to let things get worse. this excitement talk after a few wins are stringed together needs to stop. it's been going on for a few years now, where players and manager of lierpool come out and evoke the possibility of 4th, even second. it's why I kind of expected us to lose or draw, because it always happens in this scenario. the players need to shut up, work, and take each game as it comes. they can't afford to be distracted visions of making the champions league. and seriously allen and sterling, f***ing bulk up. you are way too easily beaten in challenges
ReplyDeleteLiverpool are nothing but a mid table team now -hence the defeat to keep us around 12th position- we have a mid table manager, with mid table players; the table doesn't lie. expect more of the same for the rest of the season and indeed Rodgers' tenure as manager - amateur that he is
ReplyDeleteOh, and someone really needs to pull Rodegers and Gerrard aside and tell them to shut the fcuk up when asked to give predictions. Rodger's foolish assertion that we could nick second (!) and gerrard banging on about getting close to 4th is just the usual kiss of death we always suffer. In fact next time they come out with the same old tired crap, i will be putting down a score at the local ladbrokes and bet on a liverpool defeat i am guaranteed a return on my money.
We had 73% possession and 29 attempts on goal, Villa had 3 chances and took them. We played reasonably well until we got to the box....................same old problem that puts pressure on our defenders. WE NEED A NEW STRIKER, it's that simple!!!
ReplyDeleteReally!!!................yawn.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool fans always expecting too much as usual. Youre not as good as you think you are, youre a long way off the pace. It's going to take as long as Villa for Liverpool to be challenging for the CL
ReplyDeletelol, after the CWC, is a club allowed to sack 2 managers in a season?
ReplyDeleteSaying what BR said yesterday did have a touch of the Rafas about it. "I Guarantee 4th..... Guarantee, Guarantee, Guarantee......." sting rings in my ear to this day.
ReplyDeleteLike you say, we should shut up, WORK HARD and adapt the same work ethic, underdog mentality as a Big Sam side because in terms of quality West Ham are only one or two players away FROM being a BR side.
it's not just them, liverpool have been doing the talk ever since they got bundled out of champions league. pepe is guilty of it, downing, kuyt a few times, rafa, hodgson, definitely gerrard, johnson, anger..list goes on
ReplyDeletescratch that - apparently Rodgers actually said Liverpool are capable of finishing second in EVERY game ... makes sense now
ReplyDeleteNot at all as we dominate games without scoring enough goals, that will be sorted in January.
ReplyDeleteWHERES KUYT WHEN YOU NEED HIM? LOL
ReplyDeleteConsidering how small the no. of games we have won in the league this season is, got to be quite a few bad days at the office now eh, Brendan.
ReplyDeleteNot enough on-form older players to lead and compensate for the inconsistency of young players makes for a somewhat poor squad. Our current league position is a fair reflection of the state of the squad, imo.
We simply do not have enough cutting edge in the last third, nowhere near, unlike the likes of the Manchester clubs, Arsenal, Spurs, etc, hence we are in the second half of the table and they aren't. Add in the average-at-best defensive record, we are not doing well enough at either end.
Oh on a slightly more positive note, Gerrard becomes our second player to get more than 1 league goal this season. Yay.......
On a separate note, a rumour today that Kelly has rejected the club's contract offer.
Agree with you about Sterling. I wouldn't be too unhappy if LFC flogged him for £15m.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to take as long as Villa for Liverpool to be challenging for the CL? That sentence doesn't even make sense you illiterate moron.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you when you said this loss could be a blessing in disguise. I'd rather lose a match and win the next than get two draws, because three points are better than two.
ReplyDeleteRight now, we lack intensity in our game, especially upfront. It takes us an eternity to take a shot on goal, consequently allowing the other team to close all the gaps. Therefore, while we would still rack up an impressive goal attempt number, these goal attempts would be of a very poor quality and terribly predictable.
As things stand, we lead the league table in terms of total shots (including blocked shots). However, our conversion rate right now sits at 7%, second worst. Comparatively, Man. UTD have a 16% conversion rate, which is the best. During the first twenty minutes, I said to my mate with whom I was watching the game, that if we were Man.UTD, we would already have been at least 1-0 ahead. We are just THAT BAD at taking our chances! :(
From the statistics as well as from watching Liverpool play, it is crystal clear that we lack decidedness in front of goal. We arrive in the opponents box with our clever play, but we try to be too clever to score. This is the big difference between us and Man. UTD. Take for example Rooney's first goal against Man. City, it was a bad shot, but he tried it and it went in. I doubt any Liverpool player would have done the same in that situation.
Bill Shankly once said "If you're not sure what to do with the ball, just pop it in the net and we'll discuss your options afterwards." Liverpool players should simply do it. Sometimes, especially in sports, there are things which you somehow find your body reluctant to do, but if you force it, it does it and when it pays off, your body will do that every time. This is what Rodgers needs to tell our players. Just shoot anyway.
It's all well and good to keep possession of the ball, but only to score goals. I'd rather have us play like West Ham and score than like Liverpool and be too predictable in our play which makes it very difficult for us to score.
Damn you filter system!
ReplyDeleteAgree with you, although just buying a striker is not enough. Players need to realize that when they get even half a chance to score, they have to take it IMMEDIATELY rather than continue with a silly, impossible passing game of 11 vs 5 in the opponents box.
ReplyDeletewhy will it be sorted in January Gano .....what do you know that i don't.....Rodgers bought a striker for 11 mill in borini and he cant hit a barn door ...he payed 10 million over the odds for Allen...i hope your right but what will more than likely happen is we will pay over the odds for a player who doesn't fit the system and drop an in form player and be in a worse position .
ReplyDeletetoo lightweight, but then so are a lot of the other players
ReplyDeletepassing about in your onw half at 3 nil down is called doing your opponents a favour ...okay whan your 3 up but suicide when your behind...as for the 29 attempts if you mean hitting the corner flag from half way your right....watch the game again there Goali hardly makes a save ...Ps other clubs will strengthen in January ie CISSE at Newcastle so it negates what we do as we will as per usually buy poorly and spend a lot.
ReplyDeleteThat is the trouble with playing young players. Most of them, regardless of how talented they are, suffer from inconsistency and narrow-mindedness. Its par for the course with their development. Only once in a while you get a Cesc, a Messi, etc, who are very mature in their play. The problem is we got is too many young players and too many off-form older players that are not leading and compensating for those young players. Its a potentially very bad mix.
ReplyDeleteIt happened at Arsenal (when they had Nasri, Denilson, Theo, etc) a few seasons ago before the switch to bringing in more older players in the last two seasons. They still managed to finish top 4 always with that young squad but even than it was regarded as a failure for them, partially because of expectations and that they were a better side than what we are now, by a mile. The depth of our problems are a lot worse than theirs, as their attacking play was rather good and more importantly, more penetrative. So we aren't even near the Arsenal of a few seasons ago, let alone the more successful teams in recent times.
Have to agree with you totally Jamie on this. Gerrard has to be dropped. His influence in the game is no longer there. His presence is actually causing problems with the younger players.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like too many "bad days at the Office" Unacceptable quote from the manager of Liverpool Football Club. Does Rodgers think that he is still at Swansea.
FSG better bring out the cheque book and get a few signings come January.
Balancing the books without results and being a mid table team is not LIVERPOOL FC. These Yanks are no better than the previous cowboys.
Spend on new players or get out FSG.
Whilst the players have to be accountable for their individual performances, I still lay much of the blame at Rodgers' feet.
ReplyDeleteTransfers: he brought 4 players in, 1 hardly ever makes the bench (Assaidi), another infrequently makes the bench (Sahin), the 3rd was never worth the £10 M plus that was paid for him (Borini) and why did he buy Allen again? Great pass completion rate, ensures we make a million passes every game, but no real contribution to attack or defence and please don't talk about him being a 'metronome'! Suspect transfer policy?
Mentality: after the match v West Ham, which we were lucky to win (due to Diame's premature departure from the game), the manager has all of a sudden started to spout not even top 4 credentials, but top 2! Yesterday the team played like 'invincibles', attacking with confidence but blatantly refusing to believe that Aston Villa had any chance of scoring.
Defence: It's all well and good blaming individual players for LFC's defensive profligacy, but I don't understand how we went from having one of the meanest defences in the league to what we have now (we are mid-table in that department, combine that with being mid-table in goals scored and what do you get....yep, a mid-table team)
Approach: the height in the team has been systematically eroded, so the only option is to pass, pass and pass some more. We need more pace, height and strength in the team - this is the EPL, not La Ligue
Decision-making: Sterling, a fantastic prospect, has been generally poor the last 2-3 games. He has made some significant contributions during this period but generally, his final ball has been woeful, he has struggled to get by opponents. He just needs a rest. I don't believe you should bench players just because they're not producing their best. How are they meant to improve their form sitting on the bench? If they're fatigued, injured or have the wrong mentality then fine. But if someone is giving their all, but it's not quite working they should be given a chance.
Astute buys need to be made in January, but I believe there are many more issues that need to be resolved before Liverpool can contemplate being a part of the top 4.
I don't think Sterling has the potential to be better or even as good as Jermaine Pennant. Getting £15mill for Sterling would be like getting our own back on the likes of Newcastle, Villa, Sunderland and Blackpool.
ReplyDeleteHe could be used as a Micheal Owen type striker just sitting on the last man but other than that.........
For sure. He will be sacked in May.
ReplyDeleteYesterday was not a bad day at the office. It was a VERY bad day at the office, that match had to be a home banker ! I cannot understand the use of Downing as a defender when we have the likes of Robinson and Flannigan chomping on the bit to get a game. What these lads lack in finese they more than make up for in passion and endeavor. They give their all, which is more than can be said of certain individuals. For my money Suarez, Gerrard and Sterling are suffering from burn-out, but with our lack of strength in the reserves the manager has problems in resting them. That said, I think Brendan should be honest with the fans and tell us why he constantly ignores Assaidi, plays Suso infrequently and yet consistantly plays Allen who is at best, mediocre. Joe Cole is passed his sell by date and should not be given preference in being selected before the new generation players. Am I the only one who was disappointed, nay, disgusted, at his attitude on scoring at West Ham. He received plaudits for his gentlemanly behaviour towards Hammers fans and subsequent actions telling his teammates to cool it. He had just scored in front of liverpool fans who not only had paid a lot of money to get to the game but who also contribute to his obscene salary. Surely a fist punch in the air or a wave to the fans would not have tarnished his reputation ! Villa was a bad result but we did not get relegated, we did not get knocked out of a cup competition so some people need to take a reality check. The 'Office Manager' has a week to get the staff back on track before Fulham. Hopefully he will emphasis that complacency and lack of effort will be rewarded with names being entered into the . January Sales. And I sincerely hope that Santa's stocking is big enough to accommodate a striker, a winger and an attacking midfielder.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of the points you make. You're right Arsenal did have a lot of young players BUT they were all highly technical. Our young lads have specific qualities like pace, strength or can pass. But none of them with the exception of Pacheco and Suso have extreme technical ability. Technique and flair are essential to hitting that top 4 as Suarez to a point demonstrates every week in is mastery of the football and his ability to almost single handedly take on the opposition back 4 on his own.
ReplyDeleteWe need more shapers in our 1st team and youth sides.
In- Ba,Michu,Diame
ReplyDeleteOut- Carrol,Downing,Cole
Didi Hamman fantastic article i agree 100 % , BR is out of his depth , he signed PA & FB and yet they are mediocre, SD & JH is crap and still being selected and our better player Suso is on the bench and since he signed a new contract BR has not picked him in the starting line up.Henry and Warner must sell the club to some wealthy Middle East billionaires as the are not willingb top spend big on quality. Yunus
ReplyDeleteYep, Arsenal were comfortably a better side than what we are now and still they illustrated the issue of the mix of young players and meek older players. But yes, they were a better and more talented side, easily.
ReplyDeleteSuso has a long way to go. He is technically very good but tactically and mentally, he is way off the mark and Pacheco even worse. The maturity in Cesc's play at Suso's age was a lot better but so few players of Suso's type are as mature as Cesc was. So yes, players need a high level of technical ability but they also need the application to match it, in PL. Otherwise, they become inconsistent like Luis Garcia was for us in the league. Suso has plenty of time and talent on his side but for now, he has played too much, too soon.
The result was pony. Pass pass pass pass pass pass - create chance- miss. Pass pass pass pass pass - create chance- miss. For a team who is on a real budget right now to reduce costs long term why the hell didn't we buy Michu? £2M!!!!! He excelled in La Liga in a belowdecks average team! I just don't understand our transfer policy. It's ridiculous. Common sense leaves the boardroom meetings when it comes to balancing quality and expense. We needed a striker so we bought Borini for £10M! He hardly done anything yet and may come good but we should have been looking at players like Michu who are performing now. I really hope we sort this constant problem out ASAP- STARTING JAN 1ST fsg
ReplyDeletedisagree with your ananlysis you need to mix experience with innocence on the park ,funny enough ferguson did it with man united in the 1990s and look what they achieved
ReplyDeleteHamann's back to square one comment referred to our chase for 4th spot.
ReplyDeleteWe are dominating games but do not have the ability to break down 9 players camped in penalty area - only Barca do.
In my humble opinion, we need to draw teams out a little by playing around midfield, then create some space for Sterling to receive the ball in and hit them quickly.
It is puzzling why Wisdom and Suso have dropped out, why Assaidi doesn't feature, but I don't have inside knowledge......:(
For Benteke's 2nd goal, Weimann's run drew Skrtel's attention, very difficult for him.....
We need a manager who realises what a top player is for a start, we also need a manager who can then attract top players due to his winning reputation and standing in the game, both of which Rodgers cannot do!
ReplyDeleteInstead of paying countless millions on players who may or may not become quality players lets instead pay the going rate for a REAL manager and not have the cheaper option, FSG need to either be prepared to go all in and buy the needed quality in both manager and squad or step aside and let someone else do it, i appreciate everything FSG have done for LFC as without them i dare not think were we would be today but they need to realise this game is nothing like Baseball and to reach the top they are going to have to employ the right people to get us there and there is not a cheap way to do it.
and who do u suggest we get in as manager lol ,not even pep guardiloa or mourinho could do anything with our small squad , our biggest problem is that we just dont put the ball in the net ,
ReplyDeleteAnd also it is obvious certain players are lacking in belief, whether its belief in the manager or the system i am not sure but it needs to be sorted ASAP
ReplyDeleteBefore the usual suspects or some new ones start the Tribal Warfare I will say this as a observation.
ReplyDeleteMany like me did want Hodgson and was disappointed when we Dalglish wasted money on his Xenophobic purchases.
Dalglish got money while many fans wanted to give him another season.
I wasn't one of them.
So we have Rogers who is basically a trainee Manager at a Big Club and lots of pressure, the likes he has never had before and he is struggling BIG TIME.
I don't have any answers or solutions but I'm aware that he's young and as such, IF like Dalglish was given the fans backing and many wanting to give him more time then Rogers should get at least another year.
IF by this time next year we are further away from any kind of Top 4 finish then he should be sacked.
Exactly!!!
ReplyDeleteDID NOT WANT HODGSON!
ReplyDeleteDifference between their experience and our experience was their older players led by example on the pitch with the their performances, their leadership, etc. Our older/experienced players aren't doing that, especially not consistently. Cantona, Bruce, Pallister etc, provided leadership and good performances.
ReplyDeleteHence why I said: 'OFF-FORM' and 'NOT LEADING', in relation to our experienced/older players.
So I didn't say/imply anywhere in my post that we shouldn't mix experience with youth. The point of my post was that the experienced/older players weren't doing a good job of it. Bit of a difference.
It would be nice tho, a penalty that is.
ReplyDeletewhy dont u manage liverpool lol ,every one expects miracles , our problems have been existing for years , to many liverpool supoorters live in teh past hanging onto our history ,well sorry to say ,its time for a reality check because we are not any more and we have to rebuild , teams that in the past we would flog have all been building while weve just been making mistake after mistake with in the club its self , i really hope that rogers can turn our club around so i can come back here and laugh at the so called supporters who have nothing but negativity towards rogers and players ,
ReplyDeleteso if torress scores at anfield and does the same you wouldnt applaude his decision lol
ReplyDeleteim a liverpool supporter and i agree ,liverpool supporters need a reality check and stop living in the past and just support there team and get behind them and hope fully we get back to where we belong
ReplyDeleteWe r a poor team that has been rotting for years with poor buys and if we continue like this we may end up relegated in the near future. BR i believe has the ability to get liverpool competative, but for me he is missing one trait and thats to be ruthless with certain players. Gerrard in this system is not happy that is clear. But what i would love for the editor to do is produce the win percentage of liverpool over the last 3 years with Gerrard in the team and i bet its quite lower than when he doesnt play. He is not good enough with the short passing and pressing game to influence matches at his age now. by all means put him as second striker with Sahin and lucas behind him and he will flourish.
ReplyDeleteBR needs to drop some players. Time sahin got a run alongside Lucas and Henderson wiith Gerrard moved out wide with suso and suarez.
Marky i think more people are pissed that the money spent on players has amounted to squat.
ReplyDeleteIt is not all history if the money invested was done so reasonably wisely, top 4 would not be out of the question.
If Rodgers dosn't buy Erickson and a proven top goalscorer or at least 2 of the later he is a waste of time. We know were we are weak We knew before the last transfer window, the opposition know too of course so they play on it. To question Suarez is dispicable and ignorant.
ReplyDeleteMarky, no-one is expecting miracles, but what we are expecting is that the same old mistakes aren't repeated. Last season, our biggest woe was our conversion rate, arguably, our best asset was our defence. For someone who talks such a big game, BR has not solved the former issue, whilst his approach has made the defence more leaky. Am I not allowed to comment on that? Are you pleased with what you are seeing?
ReplyDeletetrue we just need a good finisher. if that finisher ends up being sturridge we are done. I dont know why we keep dipping into the english market there is no talent there. We need to start raiding the south ameerican, asian, and spanish leagues for the players we want that will make our team better. i dont know why we are obsessed with buying overrated, overpaid english players.
ReplyDeletedrop gerrard he has been poor this season we need a playmaker in the final third and a striker (hunterlaar) and sturridge if only we can get snjeider sell all henderson downing and carroll
ReplyDeleteSpineless chokers and serial letdown merchants!, that squad needs to be asbolutely decimated, starting with an abysmal gerrard to set an example, an absolute DISGRACE to the shirt, virtually all of them.
ReplyDeleteGet Rodgers OUT!!!!!!!! followed by Gerrard!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are optimistic, eh. Wouldn't be surprised if he got sacked long before May.
ReplyDeleteBefore anybody feels the need to reply "Rafa Benitez", I'd like to say that I wouldn't know who should replace Rodgers, but surely not Rafa BenÃtez.
ReplyDeleteYou mean the Erikson of Ajax who recently stated that he wouldn't want to join us (as reported on this website, amongst others). Maybe you could have a word with the lad in order for him to change his mind.
ReplyDeleteOh, you again. Last week, after a win, you posted a quite positive comment. This week we lost, which is hard to take for all of us. What do you do? Post the most negative comment of all again. I wonder if you are one of those fans who only sing when we are winning.
ReplyDeleteHave to agree here. Our playing pattern is too complicated at times and when our players reach the opponents box, the already complicated game we play becomes an almost impossible game because it does not allow us to score.
ReplyDeleteIf you watch Man.UTD play, they do pass it around, but when it comes to the last third of the pitch, suddenly they become extremely direct, often catching opponents on the back foot which leaves them with easy chances to convert, hence their vastly superior conversion ratio.
We had three managers and none solved this problem. It's all well and good having the right players to score, but if you don't have them, you have plenty of training sessions per day to drill the players to score.
I hope Rodgers is not committing the mistake he did at Reading, were he waited too long to solve the issue. This issue was clear from the beginning because it was our main issue last year and to be honest, the least I expected from, being such a good man-manager, was to solve it.
Why we lost?
ReplyDelete1. Reina is a piss poor goalkeeper who need a kick in his #ss and sold ASAP. Teams always seem to have a 100% accuracy with their shots on target when they play against us and reina is the no1 culprit. The 1st goal was weak and at his near post and should have been easily saved.
2. Allen and Lucas.Why the heck are 2 defensive minded players who fail to make any offensive contribution whatsoever play both at the same time? Either play lucas or allen.
3. Why is Gerrard still playing? he should be rested like carragher and played only in cups against mansfiled town and similar teams.
4. Sterling although potentially good is far from being good enough at the moment. His shots are most of the time weak and seem like passes to the opposing keeper.
5. Shelvey is a good squad player but nothing more.
6. Skrtel was pathetic for the 3rd goal. Why move outside when it was obvious the player was gonna cut inside to shoot?
7. Cole is not the solution when things are not going right. He is not the super sub that will help the team make a comeback when we are 2 goals behind. He may have scored a few goals and created a few assists recently but it was just a lucky streak and his luck ran out yesterday.
8. Downing is not a left back and god knows what his position is really since he does not look as a left winger either with his 0goals and 0assists in the league.
9. Assaidi and suso should play. Why is assaidi not given any game to play? Why is Suso not played anymore? Why do Rodgers keep polluting the squad with the inclusion of all those british players. We were starting to win games when players like suso were starting matches. But progressively we started fielding more and more british players like downing, henderson, cole. Its no coincidence we are losing matches with them. How does BR expects different results than last year when he keeps playing the same flops that KD was playing. Like Einstein said "Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results!"
10. We badly need new strikers/wingers who can score goals and FSG has better open their wallet otherwise its midtable mediocrity again for us this season.
the problem with the Villa game was that everybody from defence to striker wanted to score , defenders forgot their duties, mid fielders alike and nobody had the belief that another could score with the exception of himself. there were too many one on ones that were unnecessary ...passing was poor , swansea passes better..lol seriously ..liverpool have been very terrible this season , i would be surprised if we finished 8th with this team. can't we do anything as fans . cant about a millon of us put togeda 50quid each and bring Ba and Burak and two other midfielders to anfield ...FSG will never love liverpool like we do.God help us.
ReplyDeleteThat'll cost you 8 points , unless you have two free tranfers this week ?
ReplyDeleteI asume your talking about your fantasy football team ?? lol
Lets hope he does. We will need him soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's reality. No money and not more a top four club.
ReplyDeleteAny chance the fee would be decided by a tribunal?
ReplyDeleteI think he will sign forums though, no one else will give him any game time.... Certainly nowhere near the 26 appearances we have given him
Reina was a little unsighted. No one closed shooter down. But a bright young keeper, like Jack Butland, might be good.
ReplyDeleteSkrtel was impossibly isolated, he had Weimann overlapping outside.
Dont worry about it. In January we are going to sign Sturridge and Paul Ince!
ReplyDeleteThe goals are gonna just fly in.
Diame is injured and will be out for a while. Don't fancy buying a injured player, especially after buying Aquilani injured.
ReplyDelete"Any cjance the fee would be decided by a tribunal. I think he will sign forums though"
ReplyDeleteWhat? I don't understand any of that. I understand the meaning of each word, but arranged in that order they make no sense.
Holy Crap that was a hell of a good analogy.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest. could not care or less for Rafa. We have issues of our own that need to be sorted
ReplyDeleteout asap. Very worrisome times.
yep i am pleased with what im seeing ,its a work in progress , and mistakes will be made , i cant understand how people can blame br ,the style of foootball he has brought to the table is positive attacking football ,its not his fault his players cant put the ball in the back of the net ,and that the bottom line of it all , funny enough man united leak goals just like us but funny enough they also put them in the other end something we dont do ,and no manager who ever you bring into liverpool can make his players put the ball in the net its up to the players them selves , you have 29 chances at a opponents goal you should be scoring more than one goal and sorry to say that just comes down to school boy finishing
ReplyDeleteI fear for the transfer window, so far Rodgers has signed Allen, Borini, Sahin & Assaidi. Not one of them players has made any difference to the players they replaced, admittedly Assaidi hasn't had much of a chance yet. But are any of them players any better than the players Rodgers sold or released? Why are we expecting miracles once January arrives, when so far Rodgers has signed poor to average players.
ReplyDeleteI had been a Liverpool fans since John Barnes, Ian Rush... Liverpool is playing a 'stupa-tipa-tapa' style. Since when does tiki-taka-style get players all to line up outside the penalty box? Passing side ways with no one dare to explore into the opponent's penalty box. Yes, stats shown Liverpool possession to be more than AVFC but their possession is none threathening nor aiming to score! Liverpool are just blindly whipping in crosses with nobody or just 1 player inside. Next you can see Liverpool all trying to fire shots just outside the penalty box with 7 AVFC players standing in front of them. They are purely passing just for the sake of passing. Tiki-Taka Style involved players moving (running) around in a systematic triangle form but wat the hell is Gerrard doing? Walking, LADS... He was walking..
ReplyDeleteBR.. If you do read this. The changes b/m will improve Liverpool
1) Drop Gerrard. He's out-of-form, dont run.. poor ball-control. SuSo is so much better.
2) Get a good balanced left wingback
3) Get a good attacking midfielder.
4) Stop lying to yourself that Shelvey is good. He dare to go into opponent's penalty box but he is lousy. Not techincal, Can't shoot, Can't poach.
5) Sterling is a player just suitable to bring out from the bench to catch opponent by surprise during second half. He can't dribble. He is just purely relying on his speed. Think about a Ferrari just used only to travel on a straight road, can't corner, cant drift...
6) Henderson is just a simple player. We don't need to play high price to buy in players to pass the damn ball around.
7) Assaidi is good as long you give him a constant run. To me, he is way better than Sterling. Techinally gifted. You can't possibly use him in Europa Cup pre-lim matches, expecting him to play with your damn reserve team and say he's not good enough.
Surely Suso offers more than Allen who does nothing in the game except pass sideways and gets dispossessed in dangerous areas of the pitch. Atleast Suso has the ability to pass the ball forward and also he has good understanding with Suarez in the pitch.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure that you want unrest at all levels of the club again?
ReplyDeleteThe team went from a BMW to a Datsun 180B in no time and without cash to buy quality players this is what is left. An old man in Gerrard, Lucas who cant pass but still holds a spot, Allen who is not liverpool standards, Shelvey has potential but that word can also mean your not up to it, cole used by date well passed, downing is not a left back we all know that, Henderson is too soft and plays well only as a central midf player, Reina is done im sick of seeing him beat at near post and he is too short for a keeper. The glairing issue is striker but theres more. The midfield lacks hunger, determination, work ethic, quality passing skills and control and creativity. Unlike the past mids hamman, alonso, younger gerrard, riise all had those qualities. we are just soft and lack the imagination to put the ball in the net. Look at the teams we struggle with sunderland, stoke, all those teams we should beat but dont. why? soft!!!! yeah we can come out every few weeks and beat a scum utd, arsenal or city but those games are not every week so are easy to gee up for. the mental battles are weekly.
ReplyDelete100% agree with what you've said however; i would add is that Wisdom should be included. What is going on there? The only reason i can think of Wisdom not playing is that BR is putting Downing in the shop window.
ReplyDeletetrue
ReplyDeleteCan anyone shed any light on why Wisdom, Suso and Assaidi recently have not been getting games the league? it seems too ridiculous for it to be management error. Does BR have to put certain players in the 'shop window' in order to sell them on?
ReplyDeleteAs bad as we are currently we are only 6 points off 4th place.
ReplyDeleteWe are in need of NEW players to help lift us higher in the league.
Sell: Reina (£10m), Downing (£8m), Cole (£5m), Carroll (£18m) - £41m
Buy:
Butland £6m
Erikisson £20m
Ba £7m
Huntelaar/ Villa £7m
Walcott £8m Total £48m
Butland
Skrtel Agger
Kelly or Wisdom Johnson
Lucas
Erikson Allen/ Gerrard
Walcott Suarez
Ba or Huntelaar/ villa
Promote:
Samed Yesil/ Morgan
Subs woth something to prove every time they come on:
Shelvey, Assidi, Suso, Sterling, Enrique, Morgan, Yesil, Pacheco.
Stirling is a child. Allen is a small man. Like Ronnie Corbitt. And Michael Owen.
ReplyDeleteY?
ReplyDeleteMaybe so. Are you going to support Chelsea or Mancy? I don;t think so. But Rafa is never coming back with FSG as owners. That's reality for Rafa lovers. I'd rather build a team than buy a team. It is the Liverpool way.
ReplyDeleteDowning is getting game time because he is for sale. A player on the bench will amount to nothing. It is called marketing.
ReplyDeleteBut at the expense of results for the team is unacceptable.
Cole is also for sale. another marketing booboo at the expense of the clubs results.
ReplyDeletenice article. good analysis and positive ending,
ReplyDeletekeep em coming.
why do i get sucked into the Jime Kamwar garbage evrytime! DO me a favour and put your name at the top and save me 5 mins of wasted time!
ReplyDeleteyes i agree
ReplyDeletei don't really know the possibility of putting up cash as fans but its a laudable idea. Liverpool is dying slowly we need to do something before transfer deadline eludes us ..lol
ReplyDelete