Absolutely gutted.
Spineless, heartless, passionless, mediocre, inept I could go on and on...
Where to start?
They wanted it more than we did, perhaps this is down to Fergie being British, he knows how important this game is, he's been there 20 years, does Rafa fully understand that this is our biggest game of the domestic League campaign?, I'm not so sure.
Today only Sissoko, Carra, Stevie, Kuyt and crouch when he came on looked like they gave a ****. That's just not good enough.
We were second best at everything; passing and movement, tempo of play, and most importantly they were aggresive in their approach and won all the 50/50's. That's what pissed me off the most.
Just a theory; but under Ged we had Tommo, a scouser, an ex-player, he hates mancs, hates the scum, you just know he let the players know this in the dressing room before kickoff, we always had fight in us in those games. It was the same in the derby games (bitters especially) under Ged, we always went at them and were ready for their dogs of war routine, and we had more locals in the team at that time who were up for it, but under Rafa, especially this season, we let them bully us, likewise today. The players just weren't fired up. This should not happen. Is Rafa too nice?
I reckon we need an Aldo type character in the dressing room for pep talks for games like these. To make the foreigners understand how important it is to play for the shirt, for the pride and for the fans pride. Losing to the scum hurts, but if the players at least try you can get over it and move on. If you lose and the players don't look arsed then it's unbearable.
Rafa's tactics are a concern also.
The lack of movement today was depressing. I lost count of the amount of times I saw Finnan, Gerrard and Carragher looking up for a pass with nobody open. Only Kuyt had any movement amoung the forward players.
There's just no cohension in our attacking play, unless Gerrard is pulling the strings, or Garcia makes something happen, as he can occasionally, we have no creativity whatsoever.
To me there's 4 problems; Rafa's tactical set-up is too rigid, the players don't pass and move for each other (an extention of the first problem), too many players aren't good enough, and there's just far too much rotation.
Look at the scum forwards today. Saha and Rooney constantly moving and interchanging with the wide players, Scholes getting forward into the box. Finding space, because they play week in, week out and have an understanding. Compare that with us;
Minimal to no movement from our midfield.
Alonso and Sissoko sat too deep, to babysit the back 4 who were also too deep, and offered no attacking threat because of this.
Did Finnan and Riise cross the halfway line all game?
When one of our players had the ball, just about every other player stood still.
The space between our midfield and attack was too vast. Kuyt was left isolated.
There was a lack of ambition and attacking intent (again). Through Rafa's tactical negativity we handed the intiative to them.
Do we work on this stuff in training?
Lets be blunt, to me the following players have the quality to play regularly in a title winning side; Gerrard, Agger, Carragher, Sissoko, Alonso, Kuyt, Riise and Reina. We still don't know about Paletta, and Crouch, Hyypia and Garcia are good bench options or reserves.
Surely it's pretty simple. You play your best players week in, week out, in the same positions. Let them develop an understanding for **** sake. We need to go back to basics. Unchanged back 4 of Finnan, Riise, Agger and Carragher. Gerrard on the right, but given a free role to roam. Sissoko and Alonso in midfield. Gonzalez on the left. Garcia and Kuyt up front. These wholesale changes of 4 and 5 a game just creates confusion and players struggle for consistency because of it. Plus it doesn't help that a lot of the players we've got just aren't up to it. How often do you see the scum, chavs and the arse rotate a squad player like Zenden into the team? Virtually never. It has to stop.
A few more tactical gripes specific to today;
Surely 1-0 down Crouch should've come on at half time, why wait until we're 2-0 down?, the team were playing ****e in the second half anyway. Take a risk. Like in Istanbul?
Also, why was Gonzalez taken off for the completely ****ing useless Pennant, Gonzalez at least tried to run at them, even if at times his final ball was rubbish. Still he delievered a beatuiful cross from which Kuyt should've scored, it was our best chance. Once again Pennant showed why Arse Wenger dumped him. Useless ****.
Hyypia, he was either too slow or just asleep at the wheel for the first goal, then there was his distribution, oh dear. Daniel Agger everytime please.
Gerrard. There's something wrong. Went he went central today he hung back instead of bursting forward. That couldn't have been a tactical order from Rafa, not with us 2-0 down. Was he fully fit?
Bottom line; Rafa has to grow some balls, set the lads out to go at teams, attack them, we need more winners, more creatvity, more passion, less rotation, and a few more top quality players.
Forget the title this season. Not enough good players, and until Rafa understands this league properly he isn't either.
Spineless, heartless, passionless, mediocre, inept I could go on and on...
Where to start?
They wanted it more than we did, perhaps this is down to Fergie being British, he knows how important this game is, he's been there 20 years, does Rafa fully understand that this is our biggest game of the domestic League campaign?, I'm not so sure.
Today only Sissoko, Carra, Stevie, Kuyt and crouch when he came on looked like they gave a ****. That's just not good enough.
We were second best at everything; passing and movement, tempo of play, and most importantly they were aggresive in their approach and won all the 50/50's. That's what pissed me off the most.
Just a theory; but under Ged we had Tommo, a scouser, an ex-player, he hates mancs, hates the scum, you just know he let the players know this in the dressing room before kickoff, we always had fight in us in those games. It was the same in the derby games (bitters especially) under Ged, we always went at them and were ready for their dogs of war routine, and we had more locals in the team at that time who were up for it, but under Rafa, especially this season, we let them bully us, likewise today. The players just weren't fired up. This should not happen. Is Rafa too nice?
I reckon we need an Aldo type character in the dressing room for pep talks for games like these. To make the foreigners understand how important it is to play for the shirt, for the pride and for the fans pride. Losing to the scum hurts, but if the players at least try you can get over it and move on. If you lose and the players don't look arsed then it's unbearable.
Rafa's tactics are a concern also.
The lack of movement today was depressing. I lost count of the amount of times I saw Finnan, Gerrard and Carragher looking up for a pass with nobody open. Only Kuyt had any movement amoung the forward players.
There's just no cohension in our attacking play, unless Gerrard is pulling the strings, or Garcia makes something happen, as he can occasionally, we have no creativity whatsoever.
To me there's 4 problems; Rafa's tactical set-up is too rigid, the players don't pass and move for each other (an extention of the first problem), too many players aren't good enough, and there's just far too much rotation.
Look at the scum forwards today. Saha and Rooney constantly moving and interchanging with the wide players, Scholes getting forward into the box. Finding space, because they play week in, week out and have an understanding. Compare that with us;
Minimal to no movement from our midfield.
Alonso and Sissoko sat too deep, to babysit the back 4 who were also too deep, and offered no attacking threat because of this.
Did Finnan and Riise cross the halfway line all game?
When one of our players had the ball, just about every other player stood still.
The space between our midfield and attack was too vast. Kuyt was left isolated.
There was a lack of ambition and attacking intent (again). Through Rafa's tactical negativity we handed the intiative to them.
Do we work on this stuff in training?
Lets be blunt, to me the following players have the quality to play regularly in a title winning side; Gerrard, Agger, Carragher, Sissoko, Alonso, Kuyt, Riise and Reina. We still don't know about Paletta, and Crouch, Hyypia and Garcia are good bench options or reserves.
Surely it's pretty simple. You play your best players week in, week out, in the same positions. Let them develop an understanding for **** sake. We need to go back to basics. Unchanged back 4 of Finnan, Riise, Agger and Carragher. Gerrard on the right, but given a free role to roam. Sissoko and Alonso in midfield. Gonzalez on the left. Garcia and Kuyt up front. These wholesale changes of 4 and 5 a game just creates confusion and players struggle for consistency because of it. Plus it doesn't help that a lot of the players we've got just aren't up to it. How often do you see the scum, chavs and the arse rotate a squad player like Zenden into the team? Virtually never. It has to stop.
A few more tactical gripes specific to today;
Surely 1-0 down Crouch should've come on at half time, why wait until we're 2-0 down?, the team were playing ****e in the second half anyway. Take a risk. Like in Istanbul?
Also, why was Gonzalez taken off for the completely ****ing useless Pennant, Gonzalez at least tried to run at them, even if at times his final ball was rubbish. Still he delievered a beatuiful cross from which Kuyt should've scored, it was our best chance. Once again Pennant showed why Arse Wenger dumped him. Useless ****.
Hyypia, he was either too slow or just asleep at the wheel for the first goal, then there was his distribution, oh dear. Daniel Agger everytime please.
Gerrard. There's something wrong. Went he went central today he hung back instead of bursting forward. That couldn't have been a tactical order from Rafa, not with us 2-0 down. Was he fully fit?
Bottom line; Rafa has to grow some balls, set the lads out to go at teams, attack them, we need more winners, more creatvity, more passion, less rotation, and a few more top quality players.
Forget the title this season. Not enough good players, and until Rafa understands this league properly he isn't either.
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