Liverpool are back at the top of the league this evening after a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, but once again, the team basically collapsed in the second half, something that 'disappointed' Reds boss Brendan Rodgers.
In his post-match press conference, Rodgers basically slated LFC's inability to control the game over ninety minutes, and admitted that the team only played well 'in patches'. He told reporters:
"The lack of control in the game was disappointing.
"The second half was nowhere near what we wanted it to be. We need to be better with the ball - we risk the ball too much, but without playing well, we got the result.
"It's not enough to just win games - I worry about how the team plays, and controlling the game. We’ve won the game without having playing great, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do"
These comments arguably show Rodgers' positive forward progression as manager of LFC. Last season, he would've grossly overpraised the players, and tried to convince fans that the team was 'outstanding/terrific/phenomenal/brilliant/insert superlative here'. Instead, he took the honest route, and told the truth, and this is what I personally love to see.
I've been calling for this approach ever since Rodgers took the job: don't try and pull the wool over the fans' eyes with unwarranted praise; just tell the truth, and highlight areas for improvement. Being critical in victory - i.e. promoting continuous improvement - is an approach that has underpinned much of LFC's historical success, and it's great to see Rodgers following in the footsteps of LFC greats of the past.
The most recent proponent of this 'tough love' approach is Rafa Benitez. I'm not the biggest fan of the Spaniard, but one of the hallmarks of his management style is never being satisfied with a performance, and constantly looking for areas for improvement (just ask Steven Gerrard!). It's a tradition that must continue, and on the current season's evidence, it looks like it will.
On a related note, I find it amusing that the mainstream media is not really covering Rodgers' critical comments. They formed a major part of his post-match press conference (I've only posted the a brief snippet), and from his demeanour, it's clear that the boss took very little pleasure in Liverpool's performance, or the victory.
Long may it continue.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
In his post-match press conference, Rodgers basically slated LFC's inability to control the game over ninety minutes, and admitted that the team only played well 'in patches'. He told reporters:
"The lack of control in the game was disappointing.
"The second half was nowhere near what we wanted it to be. We need to be better with the ball - we risk the ball too much, but without playing well, we got the result.
"It's not enough to just win games - I worry about how the team plays, and controlling the game. We’ve won the game without having playing great, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do"
These comments arguably show Rodgers' positive forward progression as manager of LFC. Last season, he would've grossly overpraised the players, and tried to convince fans that the team was 'outstanding/terrific/phenomenal/brilliant/insert superlative here'. Instead, he took the honest route, and told the truth, and this is what I personally love to see.
I've been calling for this approach ever since Rodgers took the job: don't try and pull the wool over the fans' eyes with unwarranted praise; just tell the truth, and highlight areas for improvement. Being critical in victory - i.e. promoting continuous improvement - is an approach that has underpinned much of LFC's historical success, and it's great to see Rodgers following in the footsteps of LFC greats of the past.
The most recent proponent of this 'tough love' approach is Rafa Benitez. I'm not the biggest fan of the Spaniard, but one of the hallmarks of his management style is never being satisfied with a performance, and constantly looking for areas for improvement (just ask Steven Gerrard!). It's a tradition that must continue, and on the current season's evidence, it looks like it will.
On a related note, I find it amusing that the mainstream media is not really covering Rodgers' critical comments. They formed a major part of his post-match press conference (I've only posted the a brief snippet), and from his demeanour, it's clear that the boss took very little pleasure in Liverpool's performance, or the victory.
Long may it continue.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
whats odd though is the less we control games the more we win
ReplyDeleteSo he fails to bring in controling midfielder, doesnt even try, in the summer and now hes surprised we cant control games. Everyones to blame but Brendan. Its Houllier all over again...
ReplyDeleteopposition possession in certain sections of the field, mean key rests for our players in other areas, then explode into counter attack, and a flick of a switch. for me this is a tactic to sit off in some games . we did v united, then done em 1 nill.
ReplyDeletewhat brendan said was correct. in defensive area.s we gave the ball away way too much, and have to learn and realise we would be punished on another day v another team, so were learning while we win. cracking manager he is, very thoughtful, and smart.
ReplyDelete^^tool!
ReplyDeleteThat might be a valid point if Liverpool were 8th in the table, but the club is 1st.
ReplyDeleteSome of the team were awful in the second half, Enrique gave the ball away numerous times, as did Sterling, Moses, etc. Hard to point out what the problem is, except maybe other Managers suss our way of playing, and change their strategy in the second half. I just could not believe it, as it was happening again today in the second half.
ReplyDeleteWe can see the team making progress, and also BR making progress, he will be a better Manager the longer he stays, but reinforcements are badly needed in January. Saying we need more is good, considering we are top of the league.
Truth of the matter is for now we are top of the league, and hearing Brendan state he is not satisfied shows he is maturing as a manager and learning all the time how to deal with players psychologically and tactically and I do believe he is slowly growing into the huge boots you have to put on to manage a club with such high standards and history. 1st in the league is not to be scoffed at as how many of us really thought we would be at this point? It's early days yet and I am not foolish enough to think we will be top at the end of the season as we have some testing games to come yet but as it stands we are. So lets get behind the team and if we manage a top four spot at the end of the season I'll be a happy man.
ReplyDeleteYNWA
Totally agree m8
ReplyDeleteWell the midfield needs improvement the lads get tired in the second half. Stevie G is not 25 anymore. We need to buy a couple of players in jan cabaye we need a good holding midfield bring macherano back and DONT sell suarez
ReplyDeleteMy season ticket is right behind the dugout and Brenden has been going mad in the second halves. He's furious that we cant connect our passes or just seem to sit off, you can hear him screaming at the players so I don't think it's a planned tactic, although i wish it was, I'd feel much more comfortable that way!
ReplyDeleteThere's only so much a manager can do. Yes we missed out on a quality midfield signing during the summer and the hierarchy have to take responsibilty for that.
ReplyDeleteBut from our first half display, the team was well set up, knew what their jobs were on the pitch and dominated the game.
Contrast that to the second half, where nobody seemed to know where to play a pass, our attempts to control possession were half hearted and we looked more interested in getting back to the dressing room than putting Palace firmly to bed.
Long term the manager and board need to address the midfield deficiency in January, with one, prefereable two, top quality c signings.
In the short term the players need to take their head out of the clouds of top spot on the table and realise that second half displays like this will see us mid table again after 38 games.
We got away with it against mediocre opposition, but we all know this will cost us in the long run.
Now the rant is over, i'm still confident both these areas will improve over the season, and we ARE top of the league. So the faith is there that we can sustain this great start, as long as the right attitude and action is taken on and off the pitch.
Our problem isn't a dm,we lack enough midfielders comfortable in possesion.imagine lucas and hendo had alberto's composure on the ball
ReplyDeleteOur problem is DM plus gerrad. I'm not saying captain fantastic sucks he's great when we are attacking but when we are under the kush he might as well not be there. Everytime some one started running at us its like we have no midfielders
ReplyDeleteBR,is right to be upset with that display of football from his charges.
ReplyDeleteIf Liverpool don't improve there second half performances,then they're in trouble when they play the better teams.JK, you're so right about missing out on Erikson,it stands out like a sore thumb.Hope BR makes some wise moves in January,we need it.
Johnson coming back sooner than expected will be a boost and Cissoko will provide much needed competition for Enrique. We should, hopefully, only get better in the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe for a minute its tactical, I think the manager said last week its something mental. I don't have an answer but i suspect he does.. and Sterling needs to learn to pass the ball
ReplyDeleteThese second half performances are mind boggling. Why has a near identical team from last season suddenly started doing it this year? It never used to be a problem. These second half no-shows are always characterised by impatience and inability to close down the opposition. Gerrard really doesn't help with his often needless long balls, and the urgency shown in Palace's goal was really criminal.
ReplyDeletewhen I wrote pass the ball.. I really mean pass it acurately
ReplyDeleteAnd you know what I wanna know? Where the hell is Jason Carr!?
ReplyDeleteHe is tearing up trees on "this is anfield", I reckon about 2 posts from a ban, he he.
ReplyDeleteHe will be back when our form drops, to give us the "I told you so"
what's he saying on there?
ReplyDeleteI was also watching an interview with Jan Molby and a journo from fox sports (aus version). He said Liverpool is a very talented squad, but it's not big, and rather thin. It's the only thing on our own part that will block us into the top 4. We need to try and hold on until January, and then BR NEEDS to spend on some more artillery! We're not far away though. Our defence is basically sorted, we need only a couple of midfielders, a winger, and maybe a striker. Compare this to the start of last season, when we needed much more than this. We're obviously making great progress, and if BR strengthens the squad like he says he would, we may even give the title a shake, If we're still in a reachable position in January.
ReplyDeleteActually he is very polite, no prophecies of doom and gloom, Yet.
ReplyDeleteBut still the negative undertones, although we are No 1 in the league.
I thought maybe he is banned here, I dont know,
I also see some posts on other sites with very dubious spelling and grammer, that reminds me of sum1.
If your'e out there Jay, do a Suarez and come back to the fold.
The answer to that is in the hands of FSG, will they invest in the team, or insist on more Aspas's.
ReplyDeleteagree
ReplyDeleteJaimie should should post a link on this page to a new website called 'jason carr watch'
ReplyDeletemomo diame would have signed for free had kenny not been sacked but still a bargain at 3.5m
ReplyDeleteThe difference between Rodgers' approach last season and this is that the team now understands his footballing methods. If he was too quick to say the team played poor, etc last season then not only would the players have lost confidence but so too the supporters. Then the vicious cycle would begin: team performs badly, manager 'turns' on team, team lose confidence, fans turn on team,team lose belief in manager... etc. A more severe case was seen at Sunderland with Di Canio or indeed Man City with Mancini. The support Rodgers showed his players is now reflected in the fact that they are playing for him. Now he can come out and say the team played under par in the second half and it was disappointing and the players will fight to improve it. Rodgers is a shrewd manager - he has built up squad competition; put egos in check - eg Suarez situation or just selling overpaid underachievers; lifted the team spirit and reintroduced the icons of LFC's past success (Macca, Robbie Fowler, Rob Jones and Kenny). It's smart management and well timed. It's far to early to get carried away but progress is being made. We are still several signings and transfer windows away from having a great squad (eg we desperately could do with another no.10 and defensive midfielder in my opinion) but as things go it's a case of so far so good.
ReplyDeleteI believe there is no outstanding team so far this season and that means there are a number of clubs capable of stringing a good run together and going beyond their expectancy this season and winning the top prize, Liverpool are one of six sides who I believe have a realistic chance, ok Chelsea, man u, man c, we're supposed to be the top three with also-rans Arsenal, spurs and Liverpool, however the latter at present seem to have not read the script and the longer the season goes and their all still in there with a shout, who knows hey?
ReplyDeleteLack of concentration and/or stamina? Complacency? Glad to know Rogers is aware of the second half problem and voiced it out. Question is how he and his coaches will rectify it. We were playing well in most first halves. I doubt bringing in new player is an effective solution.
ReplyDeleteI'd say that the key difference is having a goalkeeper that actually saves shots!
ReplyDeleteBesides the repeated instances of hitting the woodwork/forcing opposition goalkeeper MOTM performances, over the last couple of seasons a consistent theme in us dropping points was conceding goals from isolated opposition attacks during our dominant performances
We've been winning the first halves in most games, which is where we've been controlling games. We've consistently failed to control games in the second halves of most games and that is when we've struggled to score.
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to go to sleep for a half of football then it might as well be against a team at the bottom of the table when you've got a 3-0 half time lead. Of course Rodgers will have noticed it, just like notices every tiny issue we have in every single game. Anyone who seriously thinks they've seen something in a football game that the manager or his team don't notice and consider for themselves is a little naive. I still think that what he says to the media is mostly irrelevant. It's for the fans or maybe even himself, not the players, and I doubt it closely resembles all the things he actually thinks, says to his players or uses in terms of planning for the future. So sure, if that's what you want to hear then you've heard it. It doesn't mean much beyond that.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really concerned because it's not as if we've gone backwards. Gerrard was a bit slow around the pitch, Enrique gave the ball away, we were a bit vacant in the area just in front of the 3 CBs ... it's the same old story. We have plenty of improvement required in the team and it was like that from the first match, carried over from last season. The team will have been working on all of this and you just have to hope it eventually comes together. If it does then we'll be a match for any team in the league. If it doesn't then perhaps we have some shopping to do.
I think there is finally a place found for Henderson.Lucas your benched.
ReplyDeleteIf you're suggesting that the players sub consciously become complacent due to the safety net of Mignolet, then you could be right. However..they've been doing it from day one, and Mignolet's performance against Stoke in the first half was shaky. So they couldn't have had a sub conscious reliance on him in the second half.
ReplyDeleteAt least we're consistently picking up points while we're trying to improve at the same time.
ReplyDeleteIf anything it would appear that Rodgers does his best business during the January transfer window, after he has seen the limitations and capabilities of the team assembled in the summer. Last time out we got Sturridge and Coutinho, both have gone on to be integral at such a relatively young age. Sure we've had injuries, but even when we have everyone fit there's still a discernible lack of strength in depth, though that said the hugest positive by far, is that in spite of this the team is top of the league or thereabouts, which ought not to paper over the cracks and make fans think 'everything is fine and the title is ours', because it is that kind of blinkered thinking that got the club in trouble in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI actually really want to see how a henderson + leiva midfield would do
ReplyDeleteAnother very good first half but then flat, just like everyone here is saying. I liked Sterling on the wing for his speed, but as .another poster said, his passing accuracy still is horrible. He was energetic and a pest and we sorely needed speed in the middle of the field. I would like BR to consider Ibe as a sub for Moses in the last 20 minutes. Ilori is supposed to be lightning fast and as a defender, might make for a great DM if he is good in possession. lastly, I hope Moses gets to work into the great chemistry shown between Sturridge and Suarez. Moses and Suarez don't seem to be gelling yet but the big man is a force IMO.
ReplyDeleteI forgot one thing. Anyone else notice Aspas getting sent flying again? He is a real disappointment so far. I hope he finds himself, and soon.....
ReplyDeleteWhen I played we only started to win games comfortably when the whole team had the attitude of its 0-0 turn and face the opposition and play no matter what the score was.
ReplyDeleteOpta stats show that Sterling's passing accuracy was 84.1% which is pretty much on par with the teams average percentage.
ReplyDeleteSterling has not been asked to play at RWB to often. He also had a 100% tackle success rate.so he might not have been the best player on the pitch but did what was asked of him.
Opta stats show that Sterling's passing accuracy was 84.1% which is pretty much on par with the teams average percentage.
ReplyDeleteThe reason we are winning is the brilliance of the few...Suarez, Mignolet, Sturridge, as opposed to the beauty of the team play
ReplyDeleteThe one thing Rodgers would have learnt yesterday is that Henderson is actually pretty adept at playing the deeper role and now can consider Hendo ahead of Lucas if need be. I would actually play him ahead of Lucas straight away. Henderson is such a dynamic player and has improved big time under Rodgers and will continue to improve. He gives 100% everytime no matter where he plays. We might have overpaid for Hendo but he is the type of player that fully deserves to wear the Red shirt.
ReplyDeleteI don't, guaranteed 0 points
ReplyDeleteIt's not just another midfielder, and i tend to agree with Eric.
ReplyDeleteAnd most of all, our standards aren't suppose to have nothing to do with how the other teams in the PL plays; You saw what Bayren did to City; They could have crashed them 6-0; No team in the PL are on top of they're game - maybe accept Arsenal - so us being second isn't suppose to be even a factor in our thinking!!! Ones they get on top of they're game we will have nothing to show for it. Is that what we want? Spending all that money and delude our self just a bit for the Chlesea, City, United, etc are having a bad time just so next year we will stand a the same place we were a year ago and two and three years ago etc? Come on...
Now, in my eyes the problem yesterday obviously seemed to look like the players thinking and perspective of the game is just not good enough; When they were energetic it showed less and individual over-rising provided us goals who could easily not have happened, again; Suarez somehow did what he did for the first, Sturridge did it by himself, we got a penalty that wasn't a penalty.
Ones the team was not energetic you could see the state of mind, vision, decision making of the players just isn't in the top class [and what worries me is that Brendan won't see that sometimes with players is either you have in you or you don't, and as much as he can explain them how he want's them to play, next match and next match when the energy drops we still will lose possession to Cardiff or whoever]:
They complicated every move, they've passed to the wrong spots time after time, receiving of the ball is out outrageously bad from some o'them, and they have problems getting themselves out of this mentality and taking a step back to spot on easy simple looking football. But it just goes on and on game after game - is it fixable?
For me, it's just a bunch of players that are not good enough and that are very very LIMITED in they're play. Alberto i thought, as i thought he would, showed the right composure and decision making in the time he played [Without going into is he strong and tough enough to be opening matches at the moment]. Just before the Sturridge crossbar shot at the end, Suarez, if he would have just passed a SIMPLE pass to Alberto he who have scored easily and would have been hailed now. [Of course I'm not saying Suarez's mistakes are these who aren't fixable, just emphasizing a point concerning Alberto].
They just complicate everything and a bunch of players vision shouldn't be accepted by top 4 standards.
We miss Coutinho and Johnson very much, even Joe Allen would be handy for what Brendan says he wants. And ya, we need to buy 4-6 players in Jan if we don't want to 'somehow get to champions league next year', and instead get there with force and top class ability, good looking football, and team fluency.
A lot of thinking to do for BR. Hope words doesn't come just a bit to easily for him.
Sorry, didn't know Eriksen was known for his hard work -- if you need someone to lead the team in pressing and preservation of possession, you don't need Eriksen, you need Joe bloody Allen.
ReplyDeleteEverything that Bayren does is everything we didn't do yesterday.
ReplyDeleteA lot of thinking to do for BR, and big-masseurs-actions to be withdrawn.
Hard on the team when we win; full of praise when we lose.
ReplyDeleteI think I remember Fowler or Mcmanaman talking about Roy Evans, saying that was his way -- as it had been Shankly's.
Can he get Gerard to improve his ball clearance from set pieces...... 3rd goal now due to our captain
ReplyDeleteAgainst Crystal Palace is ok, not yet proven.
ReplyDeleteHe only had one good January transfer window, it can't happen every time.
ReplyDeleteThen we must have been watching a different match. Henderson was brilliant. Each to their own.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more Logan - Hendo was MOM as far as I was concerned. Were you at the match? For the second game running we were rubbish as a crowd - I don't remember 1 song being sung all the way through in the whole 90 minutes. I know it stems from the team playing well but we certainly didn't help in the second half!!!
ReplyDeleteHe was caught on his heels again - just doesn't seem alive to the situation half of the time!!
ReplyDeleteIf only i was lucky enough to attend a match at Anfield...
ReplyDeleteWill if you ever do - make sure you sing!!!
ReplyDeleteRodgers has only had one January transfer at LFC so unless you can predict the future then do not count your chickens before they hatch.
ReplyDeleteRodgers overall has made the team considerably stronger and better than the one he took over at the start of last season.
I meant its OK to perform well against Crystal Palace, that doesn't make Hendo a proven defensive mid or someone who could replace Lucas.
ReplyDeleteIs it me who is counting the Chickens? Its the guy who said Rodgers appear to do well in January transfer window. while he only ever had one window.
ReplyDeleteRodgers haven't made team stronger IMO, he could have done lot better. Aspas and Alberto are not helping right now and we have almost the same playing 11 as last season apart from Sakho and Moses who will be out when Agger and Coutinho are fit.
Henderson is far ahead of both Gerrard and Lucas when it comes to energy and endurance. I would have liked to see Lucas top Henderson's performance yesterday against the same Crystal Palace team.
ReplyDeleteLucas would have done considerably well. Henderson, as you said, has more energy and endurance but I wish he had skills to match as well. Coutinho, for eg, doesn't have much energy but he overcompensates it with his skills. Gerrard needs a bit rest, he is almost playing every single minute for Liverpool and England but still he is the best passer in our squad and Lucas is good in interceptions and breaking play. I wouldn't consider Henderson above Lucas or Gerrard, just yet. But thats just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThese are the players who are no longer with the club since rodgers arrived.
ReplyDeleteFábio Aurélio
David Amoo
Stephen Darby
Dirk Kuyt
Maxi Rodriguez
Alberto Aquilani
Craig Bellamy
Charlie Adam
Nathan Eccleston
Joe Cole
Nuri Sahin
Alexander Doni
Peter Gulacsi
Andy Carroll
Jonjo Shelvey
Jay Spearing
Stewart Downing
Dani Pacheco
How is our squad not stronger and better with the players Rodgers bought?
No top flight professional footballer should give the ball away in the positions Sterling did yesterday: that 15.9% includes some very serious errors.
ReplyDeleteI also thought he was poor in completing other people's passes, and positioned his body poorly to receive the ball more than once. Obviously having a crisis of confidence, which may be good in the long run, he needs to learn some humility I suspect; but perhaps he could go and do that on loan.
Playing 11 right now only has Toure, Coutinho and Sturridge who are bought by Rodgers. No other signing has made us stronger. I am not saying BR is bad or he cannot make us stronger, what I meant is we should have bought better players with the money we spent on Aspas, Alberto and couple of players last season as well - Allen and Borini...I hope all of them come good sooner or later. And the fact about the players leaving Liverpool, I am pretty sure thats FSG idea to reduce the wage bill.
ReplyDeleteCompare the list of players that have left the club to the list of players Rodgers signed then you will notice that our squad is stronger and better than the one Rodgers took over as manager and i will be proven right at the end of the season.
ReplyDeleteYou wish Henderson had skills to match as well?
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Do you know that this guy has played number 10, RB, RWB and central midfield and has excelled in all these positions. Now i want to see Lucas do the same.
Sterling still has much to learn but the guy was not out of his depth against Palace. He did what was asked of him playing as a RWB.
ReplyDeleteJK banned him, hence him not being here, As you say Jason is always polite, just negative, however to me nothing wrong with that, but some people can`t handle others having a different view.
ReplyDeleteAgree mate.....henderson is looking more confident by the day and deserves his chance in lucas's place until we can buy in jan.
ReplyDeleteBy the way Enrique and Gerrard's passing was awful yesterday and nice to see BR be honest about our performance. However we are top of the league and scary thought where we would be if we can play better for more than 45mins.
Absolutely. This only becomes a problem if we can't improve or start to go backwards. We're top of the league AND looking to get better, that's fantastic.
ReplyDeleteSakho was the best man on the pitch until he was subd. I would prefer him to Agger right now.
ReplyDeleteYes and Mignolet too? I don't care if Lucas can play wing back or not, I just want him to play where he plays well. Anyway, lets agree to disagree.
ReplyDeleteIt's that we are not energetic, then it simply shows brightly more of the players that are not good enough. And then forget about team fluency. . .
ReplyDeleteThey're vision is lacking, they're receiving of the ball is lacking, choices of passes and decision making generally two, and, some so limited.
They complicate every single moment of they're game instead of mastering simplicity before all.
So you're right, January reinforcement is the most significant solution at the moment, and for me the biggest test so far as for the current management of this great football club. They have to get it right, or, we can get use to banging our head at the wall because it will keep looking the same way season after season.
Why do you insist on peddling the myth that JC was somehow banned unfairly, and that I 'can't handle others having a different view'? That is just utter nonsense.
ReplyDeleteJC was banned, first and foremost, for incessant sniping, i.e. slagging off the site, me, and sometimes other posters. You don't see most of the offending posts because they were held by the word filter.
He also liaised with the idiot who's been stalking me and my family for over three years.
Added to that, his ceaseless, non-constructive negativity and one-line snipes caused a negative atmosphere in the comment section.
As anyone who visits this site regularly will attest, criticism is not only allowed, it is encouraged, as long as it's backed some rudimentary reasoning/justification/explanation etc.
The majority of people here disagree with me, so the notion that opposing POVs are not allowed is, quite frankly, ludicrous. It's simple: remain civil, and your comment stays live. Personally insult another poster/player/manager etc and/or engage in endless one-line 'He's sh1t' type sniping, and your posts be deleted.
Wait, JC was actually banned? Hahahahahahaha! That is gold!
ReplyDeleteDude, he was far more than just being polite but negative.
ReplyDeleteThanks to WBA and WHU for leaving us atop again. We could be there alone if WBA hadn't had to rely on 34-year old Anelka up top. He missed a clear goal and was to slow to lay the ball off for another almost sure goal
ReplyDeletelooks like a lack of fitness to me , we lost darren burgess this year to australian rules football , and since he has come back to my home town the team he works with , have had a resiliance , this year , and shocked alot of teams this year , theyre last quarters of games they have over run their opposition and won games, that the last years they would of been flogged in , we just look tired , we need to press higher up the pitch as well .
ReplyDeleteWho gives a crap about Carr? His opinions have no facts or common sense behind them; his posts screamed of someone desperate for attention.
ReplyDeleteIt's fine to have a different point of view but not simply for the sake of it and certainly not to maintain some kind of false celebrity, particularly when constantly, ceaselessly negative towards the club I and many others love.
Sorry, I read your msg wrong - for some reason I thought you were referring to our ability to grind out wins, rather than the continued 2nd half failings...
ReplyDeleteIf its mental then what is the team phycologist doing! I hope not yoga and organic foods. If we have one he should be fired so we can get a good one in . Although I believe we got one in when fsg came in.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it our bench. We really don't have an exciting player to inject some pace and urgency into our play in the second half. I really think Ibe should play more . He really looks like he's got that x factor with him.
ReplyDeleteOne does not dismiss the other. Yes we're top and we've done better than last season so far. That doesn't take away from the fact that we'd be more in control of games if we had an actual controlling midfielder. Man United won the league for years without having the best defense. I guess it's all about your strengths outweighing your weaknesses for as long as it lasts.
ReplyDeleteWe only have the league and FA cup to contend so we don't need a huge squad. What we need is more quality. Anyone we buy should be ready to walk straight into the first 11.
ReplyDeletecontrol the 1st half and win ugly the 2nd half if that's the way it is I don't give a flyin f"ck as long there are 3 points at the end of it
ReplyDeleteWhile I am extremely happy to find LIVERPOOL in the position we are now in, I can't help but to feel a little concerned about our second half performances. If each half all league games played to date counted as a full game, we would only be 3 points better off at 19. However, second half points would see us collect 5 out of a possible 21 a full 11 points down .....Food for thought.....but still.....YNWA
ReplyDeleteSPOT ON! Alberto's composure is what we need more of to dominate games! Even Allen shows climpses of that composure and hence i was gutted to see Suso go out on loan!
ReplyDeleteI dont have access to Opta. What I do have is a tape of the last game where his passes at important situations were not good. Lets both tape the game and decide......
ReplyDelete