Over the last week, a series of poor refereeing decisions have temporarily derailed Liverpool's bid to consolidate a place in the top four, but Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is responsible for one of the most inexplicable decisions of the Christmas period.
In the 60th minute of Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, Joe Allen went off injured, and with the Reds desperately needing a goal to avoid defeat, Rodgers decided to bring on 19-year old Brad Smith for his first team debut.
In his pre-Hull City press conference yesterday, Rodgers outlined his reasons for throwing Smith into the deep end. He told reporters:
"The reason I put him [Smith] on is he has the capacity physically to cope with that level. He's quick, strong and powerful, and that's the kind of profile of player that you need"
Before I go any further: I have absolutely no problem with Rodgers blooding young players. It's exciting to see academy talents make it into the first team, and based on his performances for the U21s, Smith deserves his place in the squad. However, in this case, Rodgers made entirely the wrong decision, and his reasoning above doesn't justify his choice.
* If the idea was to increase LFC's physical presence in the game, why not bring on Cissokho? He is bigger, stronger, taller, and more 'powerful', and massively more experienced than Smith. Plus, he is left-footed (!), plays on the left, and has experience as an attacking wing-back. Ignoring Cissokho in favour of Smith arguably proves that there is no merit to the idea that Alberto and Aspas were snubbed because they need to 'beef up'.
* Bringing on Smith over Aspas and Alberto is a massive vote of no-confidence in the Spanish duo. What else can it be? If Rodgers trusted those players, he would've brought one of them on. Instead, he issued what basically amounts to a giant f**k you to his two summer signings.
* Imagine how Alberto and Aspas must feel. A combined cost of £15m, but in one of the most vital games of the season, with LFC desperately needing a goal, they're both ignored in favour of a teenaged without a single first-team appearance to his name. This is disheartening and demotivating man-management.
Fans will inevitably spin the unbacked myth that perhaps Aspas and Alberto 'do not train well', but there is absolutely no evidence to support that. Indeed, Rodgers himself has praised both several times for 'working hard' on the training ground. One again: what is the point in spending £15m on Alberto and Aspas if they are to be ignored in favour of untested teenagers?!
* Bringing on Smith is also a tacit acknowledgment by Rodgers of his failure in the summer transfer market. If Alberto and Aspas figured in his plans and/or he believed in their talent, one or them would've replaced Joe Allen. It's a little shocking that Rodgers select an untested teenager over £15m worth of summer transfers, and FSG should take him to task over this.
* There's a theory circulating that Rodgers brought on Smith as a political move; a ham-fisted attempt to pressure FSG into spending money in the January transfer window ('Look! My squad is so depleted I had to use a teenager against Chelsea!') If this is the case, then it is massively irresponsible and unprofessional behaviour. The first priority for Rodgers should be getting results for LFC, and deliberately weakening the team (in one of the biggest games of the season) just to make a point is - or should be - a sackable offence (IMO).
However, I do not believe for one second that this theory is true. After the City defeat, Rodgers would've been aware of the importance of getting a result against Chelsea, and as an honourable man, with LFC's best interests at heart, I reject the notion that he would deliberately subjugate the team's success for his own selfish reasons. Clearly, Rodgers genuinely believed the Smith change to be the right tactical choice, which in-and-of itself is a cause for concern (!)
A manager's job is to make decisions that benefit the team. Did Rodgers do this against Chelsea? Liverpool needed to score to rescue a point, and with two attacking players on the bench, the manager brought on a teenage LEFT BACK, and proceeded to play him out of position. How was this the best decision for the team?
Smith didn't make any impression on the game, and was basically a passenger for thirty minutes. That's not his fault, though - he's never played at Premier League level before, so it's only to be expected. Alberto and Aspas have also struggled to make an impression so far, BUT both are infinitely more experienced than Smith, and arguably more capable of changing a game.
What does Luis Alberto have to do to get a consistent chance on the field? Even with countless injuries, and Coutinho misfiring, he still doesn't get any pitch-time. The idea that he's 'one for the future' is nonsense. If Alberto is on the bench - which he is in every game - then he's ready to play. He's 20 years old, not 17, and if a player like Suso - who is younger - can go on loan and play regularly in La Liga, Alberto can do the same.
I stress again: it's great to see young players get chances at LFC, but Rodgers (arguably) made a gigantic tactical faux pas with his decision to throw Smith on against Chelsea, and that decision arguably contributed to LFC losing the game.
Author: Jaimie K
In the 60th minute of Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, Joe Allen went off injured, and with the Reds desperately needing a goal to avoid defeat, Rodgers decided to bring on 19-year old Brad Smith for his first team debut.
In his pre-Hull City press conference yesterday, Rodgers outlined his reasons for throwing Smith into the deep end. He told reporters:
"The reason I put him [Smith] on is he has the capacity physically to cope with that level. He's quick, strong and powerful, and that's the kind of profile of player that you need"
Before I go any further: I have absolutely no problem with Rodgers blooding young players. It's exciting to see academy talents make it into the first team, and based on his performances for the U21s, Smith deserves his place in the squad. However, in this case, Rodgers made entirely the wrong decision, and his reasoning above doesn't justify his choice.
* If the idea was to increase LFC's physical presence in the game, why not bring on Cissokho? He is bigger, stronger, taller, and more 'powerful', and massively more experienced than Smith. Plus, he is left-footed (!), plays on the left, and has experience as an attacking wing-back. Ignoring Cissokho in favour of Smith arguably proves that there is no merit to the idea that Alberto and Aspas were snubbed because they need to 'beef up'.
* Bringing on Smith over Aspas and Alberto is a massive vote of no-confidence in the Spanish duo. What else can it be? If Rodgers trusted those players, he would've brought one of them on. Instead, he issued what basically amounts to a giant f**k you to his two summer signings.
* Imagine how Alberto and Aspas must feel. A combined cost of £15m, but in one of the most vital games of the season, with LFC desperately needing a goal, they're both ignored in favour of a teenaged without a single first-team appearance to his name. This is disheartening and demotivating man-management.
Fans will inevitably spin the unbacked myth that perhaps Aspas and Alberto 'do not train well', but there is absolutely no evidence to support that. Indeed, Rodgers himself has praised both several times for 'working hard' on the training ground. One again: what is the point in spending £15m on Alberto and Aspas if they are to be ignored in favour of untested teenagers?!
* Bringing on Smith is also a tacit acknowledgment by Rodgers of his failure in the summer transfer market. If Alberto and Aspas figured in his plans and/or he believed in their talent, one or them would've replaced Joe Allen. It's a little shocking that Rodgers select an untested teenager over £15m worth of summer transfers, and FSG should take him to task over this.
* There's a theory circulating that Rodgers brought on Smith as a political move; a ham-fisted attempt to pressure FSG into spending money in the January transfer window ('Look! My squad is so depleted I had to use a teenager against Chelsea!') If this is the case, then it is massively irresponsible and unprofessional behaviour. The first priority for Rodgers should be getting results for LFC, and deliberately weakening the team (in one of the biggest games of the season) just to make a point is - or should be - a sackable offence (IMO).
However, I do not believe for one second that this theory is true. After the City defeat, Rodgers would've been aware of the importance of getting a result against Chelsea, and as an honourable man, with LFC's best interests at heart, I reject the notion that he would deliberately subjugate the team's success for his own selfish reasons. Clearly, Rodgers genuinely believed the Smith change to be the right tactical choice, which in-and-of itself is a cause for concern (!)
A manager's job is to make decisions that benefit the team. Did Rodgers do this against Chelsea? Liverpool needed to score to rescue a point, and with two attacking players on the bench, the manager brought on a teenage LEFT BACK, and proceeded to play him out of position. How was this the best decision for the team?
Smith didn't make any impression on the game, and was basically a passenger for thirty minutes. That's not his fault, though - he's never played at Premier League level before, so it's only to be expected. Alberto and Aspas have also struggled to make an impression so far, BUT both are infinitely more experienced than Smith, and arguably more capable of changing a game.
What does Luis Alberto have to do to get a consistent chance on the field? Even with countless injuries, and Coutinho misfiring, he still doesn't get any pitch-time. The idea that he's 'one for the future' is nonsense. If Alberto is on the bench - which he is in every game - then he's ready to play. He's 20 years old, not 17, and if a player like Suso - who is younger - can go on loan and play regularly in La Liga, Alberto can do the same.
I stress again: it's great to see young players get chances at LFC, but Rodgers (arguably) made a gigantic tactical faux pas with his decision to throw Smith on against Chelsea, and that decision arguably contributed to LFC losing the game.
Author: Jaimie K
Aspas did come on for Glen Johnson though even if it was in the 83rd minute.
ReplyDeleteOne thing Aspas and Alberto both need to do is beef up a little, especially Aspas who looks far to fragile.
Let's see if one of them make the starting eleven today. Have a feeling Aspas may play alongside Suarez.
absolutely argee with you!
ReplyDeleteI will never slag off a young player from the academy, I watch them in the U18 and U21 teams and they are excellent players, Teixeira is another about to get a place on the bench.......................bring it on as the fans love seeing them coming through!!!
ReplyDeleteStrange choice by Rogers,but might be just a case of with all injurys that we had been having he thought better save some first team members for the next game? At least thats my theory?
ReplyDeleteWe really like to see Alberto start though
Why is Gerrard is playing 90 mins and in all games. Why is Allen a rather unimpressive signing still given the chance to prove himself . Why BR is going after attacking midfielders wingers and what not when in fact he needs a holding midfielder who can win tackles and ultimately stop the opponents move. LFC can't and will never play tiki taka, Brendan Rodgers since we don't have 10 players who has individual skills to make that happen. We need a bold manager and I don't see that in BR.
ReplyDeleteRodgers has improved us on a massive scale since Rafa's last season. Hodgson and Dalglish have come nowhere near what Rodgers is prioviding us in terms of results and attacking football.
ReplyDeleteSo what is your solution then to a bold manager? You do not even have one do you?
Not sure why my reply to your post was deleted but anyway.
ReplyDeleteHe has got us to where we want to be and that is challenging for the top 4. something we have failed to do since Rafa's last season.
Seeing that you want Rodgers out, who should replace him?
First my reply to henry Lewis is deleted???
ReplyDeleteThen my second post is sent for moderation???
Can i get an explanation on why both posts have not been allowed???
Bold enough to win 23pts more this year than last year.
ReplyDeleteExactly. I have tried to reply twice to his comment. my post either gets deleted or sent for moderation.
ReplyDeleteWhy cannot I post anything?
ReplyDeleteModerated.
ReplyDeleteRodgers' substitute decisions are mystifying at best, and not just in the Chelsea game.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Louis Alberto, it makes no sense to waste another 10 or 20 million on players like Salah or Tello when there is no room for Alberto in the team. Alberto is just 1 year younger than Tello, and had very similar assist and goal numbers in the Barca B team as Tello.
Nothing in my post was bad.
ReplyDeleteSame with me but moderated too.
ReplyDeleteTried to reply to Henry Lewis twice. No foul language and no sniping at all!
ReplyDeleteSo what 23 points when you can't beat or match up against teams like Man City and Chelsea. I know these are not the only 2 teams in the premier league but it does give one a barometer on where Liv is going to be this year. My guess 6 or 7.
ReplyDeleteNot too sure that my first effort made it on, so apologies if this is just repeating a yet to be moderated post,...but my point was that the comment could as easily be construed as a message to Aspas and Alberto that they need to get more physically strong to get game time. If you read Rodgers comments as a response to the question, why did you bring on Smith instead of the other two? Then it kind of makes sense and could well be his thinking.....
ReplyDeleteWe played the better football than City. We were robbed by the officials. Every other LFC fan will agree with me on that.
ReplyDeleteI don't have one who is available to take on non CL club like LFC. Martinez rejected the offer and so did other European Managers however when the talk of having Van Gaal into Liv it was swiftly rejected by BR or LFC themselves. Price to pay for settling for less.
ReplyDeleteRodgers himself says he chose smith because he is a physical and industrious player. I've long felt that it is his default selection policy after undeniable skill. Alberto is a real quality player who keeps the ball moving through vision and his own positional play. I'm not sure Rodgers is equipped to appreciate this aspect of the game. He talks more of the teams work ethic which yes is important but come on Chelsea beat Liverpool physically but we looked best when we found our creative rhythm - something Alberto had the guile to build. It embarrasses me that Rodgers will overlook talent for graft.
ReplyDeleteYou are one of the minority who want to see Rodgers go so i guess you will just have to live with him being offered a new contact soon which will happen by the start of next season :-)
ReplyDeleteYes Alberto to start.pLease!
ReplyDeleteI said in the previous article that both Alberto and Aspas need to beef up. Their frames are far to small for the EPL so hopefully our coaches are working on their physical side.
ReplyDeleteHenry, You can accuse BR of many things, but not being bold ? Totally wrong. If you watched the game against City you will see that we nearly beat them by sticking to an ambitious game plan and style without compromise. No other team have done that this season at the Etihad. palace got away with a narrow defeat by playing 10 men behind the ball and they were never going to win that match..going toe to toe with the best team in the league is bold, that you cannot disagree with
ReplyDeleteYes we did but our midfield is weak and we missed 2 chances to score. Don't blame the referee they are expected to get it right and most often they will screw up on big games. Referees are not going to score the goals for you and don't expect any help from them
ReplyDeleteIf you want to finish top 4 stop blaming others and win games.
It's horses for courses. Against some teams Akberto is the right player for the job, ie Spurs...against Chelsea you need a much more physical approach. I don't think you can validly accuse BR of preferring strength over guile totally, it's just that you need a minimum level of physicality to play your game and arguably Alberto lacks that at the moment, but suspect he will get there in time. Look at Coutinho as an example.
ReplyDeleteIn EPL nothing is for certain players and managers alike. I will get back to you on this when that day happens.
ReplyDeleteHumble pie my friend. Humble pie.
ReplyDeleteI agree but bold on making unfavourable decisions. Why is Gerrard in the first 11? Brendan has signed couple of players this season but most of them are on the bench
ReplyDeleteWhat's the point of spending cash on players and only introducing them only when there is injuries. Common what's up with that. Brendan can't be relying on Gerrard Suarez Johnson all the time.
Wrong choice and another fail signing. Nurin Sahin ???
ReplyDeleteWe are challenging for a top 4 spot this season which is something we have failed to do since Rafa's last season so not sure where you are going with your argument. Pot kettle black.
ReplyDeleteThat fact that you have no solution to replacing Rodgers just smacks of knee-jerk.
Loan signing. how many loan signings have come good for Liverpool even with other managers???
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of the comments and JK's questioning of this type of substitution. But in the Chelsea game we were ruthlessly exposed despite the bad decisions. LB, RB, CB, CM, AM all were out-thought and for the most part out-muscled. Mourinho's a brutal opponent - we have to learn faster.
ReplyDeleteSo after such an examination spending 6-7m - or even 12m on young lightweight players does not make financial or tactical sense if the dont get in the team or have to wait 2 years for a chance....particularly when we let players like Kuyt go who relished these sort of matches.
But also bringing in a premiership brusier (Diame is mentioned a lot) is not going to happen- seems stupid to me to start simple sums game like 1 aggressive Dm + 1 playmaker + 1 other from Allen, Hendo etc and expect a great midfield to spring into action. We need all the midfield to be good on the ball and to be able to pass and press opponents. We were good against City, great against Spurs - why so poor against Chelsea? Everybody have a bad day or they attacked ALL our weak points simultaneously? No time to recooperate....no time or space to play our game...
So for me we need players to step up to this sort of pressure and survive...maybe the Porto player or even Cabaye make better sense in the middle...even if they cost 20m+. LB and RB also need reinforcement - I also not sure about Saleh...no way you can tell if he will make it or fade in the EPL...Rakitic looks a better possibility
None of your comments have been deleted, so stop saying they have been.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a red herring. You make it sound like Alberto and Aspas are puny, yet they are bigger than the likes of Sterling and Coutinho. 'beefing up' has nothing to do with it, and there's no evidence to suggest that's why Rodgers is keeping them out of the team. It's just another in a long line of excuses.
ReplyDeleteAspas and Alberto have infinitely more experience overall than Smith. In what universe is 19-year old teenager with zero Prem experience preferable to Alberto and Aspas? Smith has no physical presence in a Premier League game. Whatever the reason, it's not because A+A need to 'beef up'.
I think I could follow your argument if the results were poor, but as we basically got to the top of the table with Gerrard in there, I am not sure that it really holds much merit. As for Johnson, I think once Flanno is fit again we may see some change there, GJ has been pretty poor and if everyone was fit I would not be surprised if BR did drop him. Don't forget that chucking flanno in at LB was a pretty bold choice given we had senior alternatives who were fit and able to play instead
ReplyDeletePerhaps BR thought that Azpilicueta would be vulnerable to young lads pace, but as pointed out, Smith did nothing
ReplyDeleteRegardless of who was brought on, it is pretty damning that we had a 16 year old and a 19 year old on the bench
Was this contrived or are we really that low on numbers?
Either way, it surely guarantees us a couple of signings. Fdotm's post highlighted the difference in depth of our squad compared to recent rivals
What is Alberto's position? Is he a classic number 10, behind front 2 or off a loan front man. We have seen so little of him. Must trawl through reserve footage
I don't think you can say it is excuses as a matter of fact, these are opinions. You are overly dismissive of Logan's point here. Coutinho actually has a lot of body strength, as does Sterling, you can see it in the way they hold people off when in possession. The evidence against was probably in Aspas' first few games where he struggled with physical aspect, particularly against Stoke. I said to my friend whilst watching the game that Smith looked quite strong and well built when he came on. Ultimately we are not party to training and the fitness/strength testing they undertake on a weekly basis so we know much less than the coaching team as to the strength of these guys.
ReplyDeleteI am just stating what I think may be the issue with the likes of Aspas. The guy does need to put on some pounds. You can blow him over.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, Sterling and Coutinho may not be the biggest players around but have shown that they can cope with the physicality of the EPL. When Aspas has featured he has not quite looked like he can cope so in order to do so he will have to add weight to his frame.
ReplyDeleteWe did score v City and linesman had a shocker. That is a HUGE deal
ReplyDeleteEto'o made a brainless hip check on Luis in penalty area - what was Howard Webb thinking? But he has form - De Jong on Alonso in World Cup final 2010
Quit antagonising everyone with your irrelevant posts, we competed brilliantly in two toughest possible away fixtures in 3 days against teams with 2 of the best squads in Europe, where they could afford to rest players before and after facing us
Would REALLY love to see Alberto, I hold him highly but he needs some game time to get the pace of BPL. By the way is he attacking midfielder or forward? Hope to see some team changes tonight. I agree that BR has some man management issues, but is it his view/fault only? I am just asking....as shouldn't he have some assistant who advices him. Once again the games at Chelsea was remarkable as I never saw Chelsea play this aggressively this year and hard! The teacher teaching his pupil game tactics...If we drew at city or won the match, this defeat wouldn't taste so bitter. If we don't see both Aspas and alberto play today then I give up. what do they have to do to play.......leave? I hope also we get to see Llori for 10 min ...BR please!
ReplyDeletei am not saying i do not want Aspas to be given a chance as I do but it ultimately is down to the manager who works with the players everyday.
ReplyDeleteYes, whenever I disagree with people I'm 'overly dismissive' etc, but when people disagree with me, it's perfectly fine. Also, if I say something is 'excuses', it's my opinion, not fact, so please don't misunderstand my point.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know that Coutinho/Sterling have greater body strength than Aspas and Alberto? Coutinho got muscled off the ball quite a few times over the last few games, and anyone watching would've seen that.
And again, if the idea was to beef up the physical aspect, why not bring on Cissokho, who is much bigger and stronger than Smith?
It makes no sense. Smith has never played a Prem game before, so he's not used to the physicality, so even if he's built, he isn't adapted to the nature of these games.
I agree with you that Aspas probably needs to strengthen a bit, but I disagree that BR ignored him in favour of Smith for this reason.
ReplyDeleteJust because a manager works with the players every day doesn't mean his decision-making process is infallible.
ReplyDeleteAgree. If they're not good enough/trusted enough to play in a home game against Hull, then there's a serious problem.
ReplyDeleteGood point on Cissohko, forgot he was even on the bench. I suppose the fact is that there are a lot of reasons behind every decision, so it might not have been just due to the physical aspect (although i do think that is what BR was saying to A&A with these comments) but also wanting to reward Smith for some excellent performances in training, a small, very small, point being made to the owners about need for investment etc.
ReplyDeleteI genuinely don't think he spends money just to muck these guys around, he probably bought them knowing their adaptation was a risk and thus why they cost 6/7 million and not 12/15mm and prob a similar saving on wages. BR would really hope these guys succeed, but sometimes they don't and just giving them game time isn't always the answer if you cannot see the results behind the scenes...
I prob did misunderstand you originally, read it as you saying Logan was producing a long list of excuses and you didn't agree as a result! Assuming that you don't actually have a long running feud with him over how much Aspas can bench!
ReplyDeleteI was totally pissed off when he decided to bring on Smith. Smith did not perform well under such immense pressure which hopefully didnt affect his confidence. His few touches were too heavy and his decision making was not good. Of course its not his fault but he shouldve been used under a different circumstance, with pool leading or starting a game. I really feel bad for Alberto and aspas, alberto has done nothing wrong to be constantly benched. Coutinho needs rest so he should be given a chance. Also rodgers always doesnt use all his subs which is frustrating especially when we r winning or need to chase the game. I just dont understand what he is thinking sometimes.
ReplyDeleteSmaller players with greater quality like Silva and Navas adapt to the physical nature of the PL. They use body movement and the ball to their advantage.
ReplyDeleteYou don't just beef up overnight. Alberto and Aspas will never become more physically imposing. They are both typical Spanish players and will not change.
Before it was for the future and now it's working on their physical side, you just keep coming up with excuses to take the heat off Rodgers.
With Assaidi, Borini and Suso already at the club Aspas and Alberto were not even required, not to mention they do not play in positions we STILL need strengthening.
With January upon us the pair will only fall further down the order. Alberto has some time (21) but Aspas has already been shafted by Rodgers.
Rodgers has achieved a lot which you like to bring up but these two signings hindered our progress at a critical point during the season.
If Rodgers doesn't play Alberto today IN THE STARTING ELEVEN he is a f****** idi0t
ReplyDeleteI agree with Henry on his point that we need to be in control of our own destiny, and try to win regardless of bad refereeing decisons (as hard as that is!!). As annoyed as we all were at the injustice of both games, BR was right to point out afterwards that we need to move on, and focus on the next game against Hull.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I too am not currently enamoured by BR. But as Logan has stated, there is no replacement plan for BR, so we MUST persist with him. Afterall, to his credit, he has got us in contention for a top 4 spot. His position should be assessed at the end of the season based on our results. I really do not like the mid-season management changes as they rearly succeed, are counter-productive and actually cost the club more money. Examples that worked IMO were Hiddink and Rafa (Chelsea) and Redknapp (Spurs).
My feeling is that we could achieve so much more, especially when we have a player in Suarez who is now one of the top 3 players in the world. As great as we are going forward and scoring goals against the average teams, we still have a number of weaknesses, brutily exposed by the likes of Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea. BR is the one accountable for:
1. Our poor defending
2. No plan B when we are losing
3. Lack of goals from centre midfield
4. Our continued failed transfer policy
To be balanced, I will also highligh BR's positives:
1. Our increased attacking fluency
2. Introducing youngsters
3. Turning around Suarez in the summer
4. Being bold enough to oust Caroll
Agree with everything. Good comment!
ReplyDeleteSorry,off topic but who is the ref today?
ReplyDeleteI hope we see all three players against Hull. Alberto, Aspas, and Smith.
ReplyDeleteCissokho got a chance against City but he was pretty poor for his experience and reputation of being an attacking fullback. He seems very limited. Enrique, Flanagan and Smith have all been preferred to him, he hasn't contributed much on the field and I can only assume he isn't the greatest trainer either.
Yep, Cissokho has been a dissapointment! As have the likes of Aspas, Borini, Allen, Moses, while the jury is still out on the likes of Alberto, Sakho, Illori et al. The only successes BR can claim in the transfer market are Sturridge and Courtinho.
ReplyDeleteI think he might have an assistant because I saw some guy from the dugout and he looked like he was giving BR advice. BR was listening quite closely so maybe he might have an assistant to help with subs or whatever.
ReplyDeleteFully expected you to mention BR introducing Smith to send a message to FSG. But I agree, it's not really in his character. If he did do it, then I hope the big self portrait in his home makes him feel guilty...
ReplyDeleteCL is a massive possibility now (thanks to BR) and I have no doubt he will be supported this window. What he must not do is blow it big time. Tello/Salah etc are exciting but like Aspas and Alberto, not really needed right now.
With Smith who is hopefully going to soon play for Australia i was wrapped to see his name on the team sheet but very disappointed with his efforts.
ReplyDeleteNone the less a first timer and will benefit from the run hope he puts a lot more hard work in he needs it also remembering he has had a long lay off with injury recently.
Overall i dont think it was a totally bad move at least he can go back and work on his game knowing what is needed to succeed at a higher level.
The other day, Jaimie, you were arguing that our transfer policy should change in such a way that academy players were given a more prominent role in the squad. If that's how you want things to go, well, things like Smith's anxious debut against Chelsea -- which wasn't half as bad as it has been described actually, and wasn't much below the kind of level we'd get from Enrique at one time! -- must be accepted.
ReplyDeleteThe kid was trying too hard, that's all. I remember two or three good passes from him, nicking it round the fullback for a runner from midfield, Suarez on one occasion and Henderson on another; and a great run inside from him making space for a burst into the box from Suarez that ended with an attempt on goal. His heavy touch in the box was a bad moment; partly down to nerves I'm sure, to being in a rush, though he does have a habit of losing concentration when trapping the ball which he and the coaches must address.
He showed his good qualities of workrate and football intelligence. His positioning was mature and he showed no fear in making himself available for the ball and looking to get the team forward. As I've said before, I think he has a chance of making it at Liverpool. Workrate is the foundation. Everything else comes from there, can be learned, if the character is good.
I liked the substitution, in theory, and was even vaguely hoping for it. Given Smith's qualities, his experience as a left-back, it made sense. If we could have nabbed a goal we'd have had a better chance to defend the draw. Alberto would have stood no chance against Chelsea's wide threat, tending to get drawn inside; in that game the Chelsea midfielders -- it was Mikel and Luiz at that point wasn't it -- would have eaten him and Coutinho alive. We needed direct running beyond their line, and Smith was the only player on the bench who offered that option.
Footballroos (socceroos) need a left back. Most of his touches let him down, but he has some pace. He seems like the kind of player who can get down the line and put a decent ball into the box.
ReplyDeleteIf he doesn't make it at Liverpool I wouldn't mind him moving to Sydney.
good comment
ReplyDeleteI am fairly confident he could make an EPL player not sure if he will make it at Liverpool hope he does god knows the Socceroos need all the talent they can get.
ReplyDeleteRossiter and Smith finding places on bench but not texeira and ilori?! Says it all about rodgers!
ReplyDeleteCan Alberto or aspas play Left Back? Hrmn i mean he wanted to bring on a left back so yeah theres that..
ReplyDeleteHope so but you never know with young players. I think if he is already at Liverpool then he can make a career for himself.
ReplyDeleteDo you follow the A-League?
Yes Adelaide United seen some great great clashes with Sydney over the years.
ReplyDeleteBR has stated in the past that Illori is for the future and the fact that CB seems to be our strongest position with depth i never thought Illori would get much of a look in.
ReplyDeleteTexeira i have no idea why he hasnt had a look in but the fact that he's been training with the firsts and still gets over looked, BR must see something in training i dunno.
Hopefully one coming up in a few days. I like your coach he seems to have some tactical knowledge about him. Nothing like Farina who is horrible...
ReplyDeleteBut this is a Liverpool site :)
Sorry, but do you remember Van Gaal at Barcelona around 15 years ago? Or at Bayern after that?
ReplyDeleteActually, it suddenly all makes sense. You were arguing above that Gerrard should be dropped; just as Van Gaal dropped the best player in the world, Rivaldo, for Barca, derailing the entire club; and almost forcing Ribery, Bayern's best player at that time, to leave when he was in Germany. Van Gaal is a dinosaur, he can't handle modern players, is an egotistical buffoon who never lasts more than a couple of seasons wherever he brings his little circus to town.
Now it seems to me you actually like those qualities in him: that he's totally inflexible, high-handed and authoritarian. That's the opposite of Rodgers, isn't it. But this is modern football. Guardiola, Klopp, Allegri, Wenger, managers who understand players and can communicate with them, develop them, keep a squad happy and functioning at a high level: these are the kind of people a club like Liverpool needs these days, people like Rodgers himself, not a Capello, Mancini, or bloody Van Gaal.
lfc and the people of lverpool exposed the south Yorkshire police,do you think we will ever get anything from webb ,who is one of them, should never be allowed to ref a top flight game again. I think its payback time for exposing his f!ckin mates
ReplyDeleteI think there are plenty of tactical reasons to satisfy everyone. First of all we had Coutinho playing as part of a front three for most of the match. He tends to stay wide left when that happens and Allen was the central attacking midfielder for most of the match. That's a somewhat conservative approach because Coutinho has some defensive deficiencies and Allen is more likely to effect a tackle. But when we needed a goal and Allen came off it made sense to put Coutinho in his best position: in the centre of the ground. That means we needed to bring on a player comfortable playing wide left so that we didn't lose our width in attack. Neither Aspas nor Alberto are suited to that kind of role, that much is obvious and you've argued yourself previously that players should be played in their strongest positions. The best left sided option we had, in Rodger's mind, was Smith. Credit to the kid for training his arse off and impressing the manager enough to get the chance.
ReplyDeleteThe alternative would have been to keep Countinho on the left and bring Alberto or Aspas into the middle. If we go with Aspas and play him centrally then we suddenly have two players outside their best position which makes no sense. Alberto could have been an option but that's where Rodgers actual comments come into play - physicality. This was a rough game with fouls a-plenty and the ref was letting much of it go. Rodgers possibly made a judgement call that Alberto was not suited to that. Since he effectively said as much I do wonder why you would question that. You might disagree but is Rodgers telling the truth or not?
I think this actually does very much play to the idea that Rodgers picks his team and makes many decisions based on what he sees in training. Of course we have no evidence that Alberto or Aspas are underwhelming in training but surely the proof is in the pudding. Rodgers has talked specifically about how well some young guys are training with the first team and we've heard him talk before about how players are evaluated on the training ground. So if a player doesn't make the match day run or side or doesn't get picked to play then what else can you conclude? You're left with conspiracy theories and bizarre speculation. I think the simplest answer is that Rodgers saw Smith train well during the week and made a specific tactical call on the match.
Indeed, his job is to make the decision that is best for the team. Do you think he didn't do this? Do you have anything beyond vague speculative questions? Why not just accept that Rodgers made a decision on the day that he felt would represent our best chance to nick a goal?
I'm not slating him, I hope to see him for LFC soon, maybe next season, but Teixeira has weaknesses. First, he makes mistakes. Second he's not mentally focused enough throughout the game. Third he can appear tired: he either doesn't commit enough physically or doesn't have enough endurance. Fourth his teamwork can be pretty average both in defense and attack.
ReplyDeleteIf he made his debut at this point he would be as likely to affect the course of a match negatively as positively and would be in danger of getting slated. His confidence is obviously fragile, I don't get the impression he takes criticism well, so it wouldn't do him any good. He's got to mature, in terms of character above all, before he's ready for first team football
Very interesting, I thought it was a case of something like that. Sometimes talent can over shadow whether they are actually gonna be effective or not. Thanks for the rundown as I don't get to watch him play in the youth teams very often so it's good to get a bit of info on them.
ReplyDeleteAspas will come good he simply needs a chance to play especially in games with the lower teams where we are comfortably in the lead. Once he gets a goal he will find his form. Alberto has beeb hard done by as he has shown talent in the U21 games and with Stevie G out i would have like to see Alberto come in or at least rotated with Allen. In the Chelsea game we should have had Alberto come on not smith. The logic here baffels me and only Rodgers knows the truth behind this decision. Aspas should have been bought on with at least 20 mins to play. We were chasin a game Rodgers tactics were piss poor. Coutino is has disappointed me in recent games with his selfish/poor decision making with his shooting instead of pocking a killer pass. If his shot to goal ratio was respectable i could accept his decision making in the final 3rd. Rodgers needs to ensure he is using the talent he has bought or he is buying players to rob them of their confidence on the pitch!!
ReplyDeleteLoan signings may not be the most prudent transfer approach, but when your squad is a little light and you need a little bit of experience to see you through till the next transfer window (or you have a little more money) then loan signings are a good option. For a team like LFC (who lets not forget were facing administration 3 years ago) loan signings will only ever be squad players as the calibre of player we would usually be looking to sign will not be available for a loan. Once exception may be Tello, who is an excellent player but is not about to oust Messi in the Barca team.
ReplyDeleteI'm not with you Jaimie. Aspas and Alberto are two different players with their own issues on the prem. Aspas had a decent season in a struggling team and looks as though he is struggling with the pace and physicality of the prem, which has sapped his confidence. Alberto was bought as a promising youngster who had only really had the equivalent of Championship experience (playing for Barca B in the Segunda Division). He looks promising, but needs to adapt more. In the Chelsea game, where Mourinho has a squad of strong athletic players BR needed to bring on someone who would possibly not get bullied in the centre of the park. Someone who would get "stuck in" in an old fashioned English way. Aspas and Alberto where not the right tools for that job. Was Smith the right tool? Possibly not yet, but the best one available at that time. Allen was playing a holding midfield role alongside Lucas, and you don't bring on a tappy tappy "fairy" to play that role against Chelsea
ReplyDeleteAllen has bene quietly effective in the matches he has played in recently. Anybody attending matches would know this.
ReplyDeleteAlberto nd aspas clearly aren't up to the task. So why not blood a youngster, our bench is dispicable and reinforcements are none. Even the game against hull seemed like it could go either way for 85 mins, so bring on a of bit of bolstering of the squad in Jan... Ps. Allen should b brought into a field and descretely dissposed of!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree a bad decision to bring on the young lad. I also am no major fan of Rodgers as I think his weakening of the squad, loaning/selling Wisdom coady borini assaidi downing, then saying he has too few players is weak. I also think his have been weak and not willing to stand by them. However Jamie Kanwar I do think his coaching is good and you seem to attack every liverpool manager. Ive said it once and will again your no LFC fan just a manc mole.
ReplyDeleteA youth player will always give you 110% man. Even if they do make a mistake. I don't even think I've seen cissokho make a cross. Soooo.... I was very excited to see what brad smith had. You saw cissokho as the player to come on and tie that game? Really? Hahahahahahahahahaahahahahaha
ReplyDeleteMy comment directly to Jamie Kanwar were deleted as he does not like being called out for debate
ReplyDeleteWHY are you so certain Brendan wanted those two in the first place? I don't think he did. Brendan keeps alluding to the transfer committee. ie Even saying in a previous interview "The transfer committee is working hard on the profile of play we need"..
ReplyDeleteI maybe wrong, but I don't think Brendan is getting the players HE wants... He's hinted at this time and again but to keep FSG on side cannot be too obvious with those type of comments...
What do you think??
(At the end of the day WE fans are on the same side!)
YNWA
BR blundered - it's as simple as that. He is defenseless!
ReplyDeleteIt seems BR is a bit of a gambler and I hope we don't see that kind of gamble again from him. Alberto was the obvious replacement for Allen in the circumstances. I agree totally with JK's article.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to ask, why isn't Jordan Ibe any closer to the first team after so many injuries and tired players. Instead Smith plays.
ReplyDeleteYou may aswell as throw Mourinho in that as well. The guy ruined Real Madrid. Hes ruining Chelsea as well Parking the bus, getting players like Eto and Oscar to get stuck in and go over the top with over agression. The guy has no class or style. I commend Rodgers for having a set of principles. To play attractive football.
ReplyDeleteSo Im guessing you have United Everton and Tottenham above Liverpool in your "barometer". Haha, what planet are you from.
ReplyDeleteSome players don't have that power. I think Coutinho is that type of player aswell. His shots put too much emphasis on power, and as a result his composure on the shot lacks the finishing to beat the keeper. Coutinho doesn't make it look easy when he shoots, which for me shows he hasn't got the power. He can whip it in with curl but he doesn't have an accurate driver. He will develop it over time hopefully. For me, Aspas is a fail. He gets bullied way to easily on the ball and he lacks strength and intensity. Sterling has intensity, and he is pretty much the same build as Aspas. I havn't seen much of Alberto but I think he is a safer option, and a better passer of the ball than Aspas. I would like to see Alberto given more sub appearances when Liverpool are winning. Thats the only problem I have right now with Rodgers.
ReplyDeleteGerrard is in the "first 11" because a 70% fit Gerrard is better than anything that will replace him. He is the England & club captain with tremendous leadership skill and ability. I have read the above comments and am rather disheartened by some 'fans' views and responses. I was beginning to come around to some of the things BR was doing at the club but I must say, like JK, I was shattered when he chose the Chelsea match to throw young Smith into the furnace. The young man was completely overawed and made no real contribution that I could see. I do wish the panel set up to approve new signings would limit their purchases to two quality players per window. Please start buying for 'today' not 'ones for the future'. 5 or 6 new players each window only destroys the confidence of those the manager and his staff have tried so hard to train already at the club. Don't forget our "tomorrow" has lasted 21 long years.
ReplyDeleteIMO it was just one decision that was made at that point of time in the best interest of LFC which back fired, thats all. BR is a great manager and you going as far as saying a "sackable" offense is total unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteYou bloody love humble pie, Logan. Always bloody going on about it.
ReplyDeleteBe honest with me guv': do you own a humble pie bakery? Is this is a get rich quick scheme?
Harsh on Van Gaal. League titles with 4 clubs in 3 countries. European Cup winner. His Ajax side one of the great sides of recent times.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree
ReplyDeleteComletely agree with the article.
ReplyDeletePoor lad was a spectator and all he could do was to foul someone. Alberto should have been on (unless there's a mysterious injury to him on the bench). One of the worst subs decision in Rodger's career in LFC. I like BR as a coach but the game against Chelsea was just unimaginable. However to say that we failed in the transfer market is over exaggerated. We did ok, not a disaster so to speak.
ReplyDeleteContinued failed transfer policy - really? With Sturridge Mignolet and Coutinho? And Allen starting to show his earlier form? Yes there have been mistakes but show me a manager who (without the mega money of a Chelsea or City) has a better track record. In truth no manager has a better than 40% success rate (inc Fergie)
ReplyDeleteMaybe because Cissokho is slow and loses the ball easily?
ReplyDeleteYes Rodgers does make some strange decisions, i thought at the time WTF?. bit like the 4 center backs he played, remember that! I'm not a big fan of Rodgers, but we are where we need to be at the moment. Is that because of Suarez brilliance, or the league is not as good as previous years ( Manure and Spurs have been crap) or is it down to Rodgers? Still can't beat top teams, apart from Manure (see above). Let's see who we get in January, we need four or five quality players IMO just to get top four! Might get two if we're lucky, need more goals from midfield as Sterling and Coutinho could'nt hit a barn door with a banjo!
ReplyDeleteLol, stackable offence to bring on a youngster despite you stating you have no issue with blooding youngsters and demotivating man management! Good players who are worthy of playing for lfc will kick on and win their place, look at hendo, look at skrtel last season! Why do you always attack the manager for decisions they make, aspas and Alberto clearly are not upto the job at the minute like sterling 2nd half of last season and beginning of this season according to Rodgers! Rodgers is doing just fine and hopefully the yanks won't be reading this drivel, which IMO today Jaimie this is
ReplyDeleteLet me rephrase as my other comment is awaiting moderation! I disagree it's not a sackable offence to bring on a youngster, it's not demotivating man management either, aspas and Alberto if they have the strength of character then they will come through this, just like hendo after being told he can go, downing to a certain extent last year, skrtel back to his best after being dropped and sterling now showin that potential after going off the boil, I for one believe it would be a travesty if they took ur advise and sacked him for bring brad smith on
ReplyDeleteChris, perhaps you should understand my article properly before spouting off? I didn't say it's a sackable offence to bring on a young player; I argued that deliberately weakening the team by bringing on an untested teenager just to make a political point *should* be a sackable offence. I then argued that Rodgers wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteYou have got the complete wrong end of the stick, so please don't misrepresent my point.
Jaimie I read what you said about deliberately weakening a team should be a sackable offence, this basically means bringing on a youngster is a sackable offence because the team is likely to be weaker! So I don't believe I have misrepresented your point here. Also Jaimie because I disagree with what you are saying on this occasion does not make what I post inaccurate, it's just a different point of view!
ReplyDeleteMy point is different rightly or wrongly, cissokho has done nothing to convince whilst on loan, same for the others aspas and Alberto, now that doesn't mean Rodgers has failed, lets not jump onto that, why not just see it how it is, those 3 in particular should be asking the question why is the manager bringing brad smith on instead of me? What am I doing/not doing? They are talented players just like assaidi, however Rodgers isn't happy with them at the minute IMO, so just back his judgement, he's done a good job so far. It just winds me up seeing this bad motivation or bad man management, I'm sorry but why should players not get harsh treatment when they are not pulling their weight, worked for me ferguson?
Time will tell if they are a success or not but I think it will be down to the character of the 3 mentioned rather than their technical ability!
I believe we must stop talking about the attributes and deficiencies of our recent managers (from Houllier to Dalglish - on his last sojourn) and tune in to BR and what we want of him and his players. I want to see the cup for winning the EPL back in it's rightful place - The Anfield Trophy Cabinet! We must, surely, stop talking about achieving a 'top-four' place as if it were something we always craved. WE EXPECT TO ACHIEVE CL QUALIFICATION EVERY SEASON! We crave the league title and demand the manager buys the players who can do just that. - 'Top four' is a poor second prize. We need a midfield enforcer (who can win the ball consistently without being sent-off) and a striker or goal scoring winger who can ease the load on Luis Suarez - nothing more. It's up to BR to arrange that by whatever means. Let's give it a good try and if we fail we will just have to accept second prize. BR should do it for our tremendous fans, John Henry and Steven Gerrard.
ReplyDeleteI did not say your post was inaccurate; your paraphrasing of my view is inaccurate.
ReplyDeleteYou have totally misrepresented my view. I did not argue in the slightest that bringing on a youngster is a sackable offence. You've totally ignored the important context around that, which I explained in the article, and in the post above.
The clear, unambiguous point I made is that deliberately weakening the team to serve an agenda should be a sackable offence. It has nothing really to do with the age of the player. In this case, it just happened to be a young player being brought on.
So again, please do not misrepresent my view on this issue.
Perhaps we should agree to disagree on this point because you are talking about political agendas that may or may not exist, something that can not be proven at least!
ReplyDeleteYou have stated 3 successes - which we can all agree with. But then, lets review the guys who have not made it yet: Borini, Allen, Assaidi, Sahin, Yesil, Aspas, Cissokho, Moses.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the following will/should work out: Alberto, Sakho and Illori, Toure.
So 3/15 success, 8/15 fail, and 4/15 probables.
JK would suggest that's a 20% success rate. I'd be more generous include the probables to say 47% success rate, leaving 53% failures.
However, if you look at the sums involved, the 47% account for approx £60M, whereas the 53% account for approx £36M. And JK's point, and mine as well, is that we cannot afford to be wasting £36M on below average players.
This money could and should be used to invest in players who can have a DIRECT and IMMEDIATE imapct to the first team.
BTW, the stats for Allen this year are so appalling, there is no way anyone can suggest he is having a postive impact on the team. The City and Chelsea games just passed him by, forcing Hendo and Lucas to struggle a man light in midfield.
ReplyDeleteI agree fully with Robo Lasers, BR is doing a terrific job at LFC. I am sorry to say, that where management is concerned, our beloved King Kenny proved to be a dinosaur at his second attempt 2 LFC.
ReplyDeleteWhy would he need to go to so many different teams. That alone smacks of ego.Take a look at Wenger, Sir Alex, Shankley, Paisley etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand some of the comments below. we haven't competed for the title in years. so why think its we can just go all out and win It this season. we have to implement some progression to reach our ultimate goal. which like every one else I hope is some time In the next few years(for gerrards sake). when brenden took the job he knew we were not title winning ilk so there has to be plan of progression which in my eyes we are seeing. so axing him would be stupid. Unless jesus is available to perform a miracle. come on get real, have we got a title winning squad. we haven't qualified for C/L in years so the revnue to spend 45+mill to buy top quality players who are proven and probably already ply their trade in the C/L and are on astronomical wages already. and without wearing our blinders I agree some of the transfers made have not been the best. but every transfer is a gamble. players have to adapt to the conditions of the premier league regardless of reputation just look at shevchencko, veron, aquilani, , robinho the list goes on. I think we do need a few signings for depth, definetly a defensive midfielder and maybe an out and out winger. but who could have for seen all the injurys we have had which makes the games against Chelsea an city even harder to take imagine if we had jose,gerrard and sturridge all fully fit I think may have been a different story. I agree we need 1st team players ready to go in for extra depth. but as a whole some of our youth talent looks brilliant with flano,wisdom,suso,sterling,countinho,kelly,future looks bright. another little kick in the teeth is watching assiadi and borini hit a bit of form lets hope they come back and maybe get another chance they could have added a bit of depth we are lacking. confidence is a big factor which brenden seems to instill in his players just look at Henderson sterling suarez skertel but there will inevitably be dips. lets just get behind the team and hope to get back among europes elite once again and build from there.
ReplyDeletep.s sorry for the essay