rafa's football philosophy

[badpiggy]

what is it?

as far as i know he bases all - or a lot of - his ideas on the ac milan side of the late 80s-90s. seeing as there are a lot of arguments about rotation, who he has bought, getting the best out of players etc, is there any member who feels that they have a good handle on what exactly rafa is trying to do with the team?

[thesilverfoxlfc]

...most probably try and win is a key component of his philosophy

[rushscored4]

It seems much of his football philosophy was learnt whilst studying other top class foreign coaches like Christian Gross, Jozef Vengloš and Martin Jol...

[Guest]

As you say, Rafa's model is the great AC Milan teams of the 80's and 90's (the one with Gullit and Van Basten). They were a team blessed with magnificent players all over the pitch too, such as the ones mentioned above plus the great Franco Baresi. That's not to say that he models everything based on that team. Football is evolving so only a fool will not alter his model slightly.

The rotation element is grossly exaggerated though, because every team does it. It's just the way football is played at the moment, with so many matches, domestic + internationals, that it's imperative players are rotated time and again. The idea is to have 2 players of exactly the same level for each position, which is a very difficult thing to do. That's why probably (and the fact that many players lost form) that we're struggling a little but lately.

Going back to Rafa's tactics, it's mainly based on 4-4-2, but with some alterations, and it's not as rigid as some people have make it look. We've often seen players swapping wings and there's a lot of overlapping going with the fullbacks. He does also like to have many options at his disposition, in case teams pose a specific problem, so he doesn't care to mess with 'ugly' football if it's meant to be, explaining why Peter Crouch has been bought.

Oh, and it's all based on fantastic stamina and fitness as a strong component of our team is the pressing game and the ability to accelerate the game when we're in that position.

[thesilverfoxlfc]

It seems much of his football philosophy was learnt whilst studying other top class foreign coaches like Christian Gross, Jozef Vengloš and Martin Jol...

...and Fergie, Wenger and McClown when at Boro

[bazza76]

First off, Rafa doesn't like his team to be predictable.
He likes having options or possibilities that we so often hear him going on about, this means having a wide variety of players that offer different things which we do have.
The maain thing we take from the Milan side, is our defending from set pieces with our zonal marking, and awell as that, the way we defend when the opposition is attacking, as soon as a forward a sidewards pass is made by the opposition in our half, the defense usually steps up, which is one of the reasons we are so good at playing the off side trap. No other team as far as I am aware plays like the in the Premier League.
Rafa wants to use all avenues to score, be it short passing, long passing, dribbling, shooting from range, or being able to try something out of the ordinary. Which is why as I said earlier, why he wants so many different types of players.
Fitness wise, Rafa has alot of experience, I can't quote exactly off the top of my head what Rafa's qualifications are, but he knows his stuff. I take it that is a reason he loves rotation so much, he knows his teams wil always be fresher than the opposition come the end of the season.
He wants to get the ball forward from defence as quickly as possible into the opposition half to catch them off guard, be it long balls or very quick passing.
Psychologically Rafa's motivational techniques are advanced as you can get in English football, the english FA sent people to study what was going on at Anfield in this respect. Not that it worked for England. Rafa is not the hairdryer that Slur Alex is. He would prefer to remind the players before the game, what their family feel like reading the papers after they play bad etc, I am sure he goes much deeper into it.
If you want a good insight into the mind of Rafa, read a season in the brinnk by Balague, I can't recommend it highly enough.

[el matador]

Rafa's not one to say "right lads - we are liverpool - dont worry about them just go out there and show them what you can do".

His planning is meticulous and his teams are very well organised. There are no individuals in his side - every player is a cog and that cog has certain characteristics. He wont buy kaka and then change the system to suit his style of play, instead he will buy the player to suit his system.

It worked really well in spain where most of the top teams sacrificed a degree of defensive solidity and organisation to play open attacking football. His style of play was the complete opposite and he has a cagey approach to things.

This is why i think he is such a big believer in the rotation system in that the players coming into the side have the same qualities as those outgoing. Its like changing the cogs on a machine, if you take one out the replacement is exactly the same size and type so there is no disruption to the overall functionality of the machine. But we all know that not all the players in the squad are of the exact same quality.

I believe that his first idea is to stop the opposition playing, then building our attacks from this point. His style is counter-offensive.

[Parm]

Rafa's not one to say "right lads - we are liverpool - dont worry about them just go out there and show them what you can do".

His planning is meticulous and his teams are very well organised. There are no individuals in his side - every player is a cog and that cog has certain characteristics. He wont buy kaka and then change the system to suit his style of play, instead he will buy the player to suit his system.

It worked really well in spain where most of the top teams sacrificed a degree of defensive solidity and organisation to play open attacking football. His style of play was the complete opposite and he has a cagey approach to things.

This is why i think he is such a big believer in the rotation system in that the players coming into the side have the same qualities as those outgoing. Its like changing the cogs on a machine, if you take one out the replacement is exactly the same size and type so there is no disruption to the overall functionality of the machine. But we all know that not all the players in the squad are of the exact same quality.

I believe that his first idea is to stop the opposition playing, then building our attacks from this point. His style is counter-offensive.

I think that for Rafa, the team comes above any individual player. That's why he's had problems fitting SG into the system.

[el matador]

I think that for Rafa, the team comes above any individual player. That's why he's had problems fitting SG into the system.

I agree in that Gerrard doesnt have the characteristics of a benitez type of midfield player and if someone came in with a big bid for him, Benitez would not stand in his way.

Benitez wants to play with 2 defensive midfielders and gerrard is not a defensive midfield player.

[Kopite_Colin]

But he can be - he has proved that earlier in his career. He can do it all.

[Parm]

I agree in that Gerrard doesnt have the characteristics of a benitez type of midfield player and if someone came in with a big bid for him, Benitez would not stand in his way.

Benitez wants to play with 2 defensive midfielders and gerrard is not a defensive midfield player.

true, I think he'd prefer to have Xabi and Mascher in the middle. I think Rafa has seen greats like Zidane and Ronaldhiniho play in not their natural positions, but still have the intelligence to influence the game and team and thinks that SG should be able to do the same from say wide right or off the front man. But for some reason, maybe bloody mindlessness on SG's behalf, SG doesnt want to play that way.

[Guest]

I agree in that Gerrard doesnt have the characteristics of a benitez type of midfield player and if someone came in with a big bid for him, Benitez would not stand in his way.

Benitez wants to play with 2 defensive midfielders and gerrard is not a defensive midfield player.

You're wrong. Gerrard is very highly rated by Rafa, like it or not. He's a player who could fit any system. It's just that he's so dominant that he sometimes stifles other players.

[rushscored4]

You're wrong. Gerrard is very highly rated by Rafa, like it or not. He's a player who could fit any system. It's just that he's so dominant that he sometimes stifles other players.

Look at how Arsenal have flourished since Henry left...

[friedk]

I think Gerrard has something similar to the Henry effect at Arsenal; he is our best player and recognised as such by the rest of the team, which means the other players are always looking to get the ball to him as often as possible, I think it's quite natural and understandable, especially for the younger players, but it's not always the best option for the team. It's easier to break a team's rhythm when everything goes through a single source. In the few games SG hasn't played this season we have looked more fluid.

I think it would be madness to sell him as he is one of the best players in the world, but the whole team needs to change their philosophy towards him. King Kenny was the greatest Liverpool player I have ever seen, but as good as he was, he wasn't the star that everyone turned to, but rather the best member of the 11 on the pitch.

[Parm]

Look at how Arsenal have flourished since Henry left...

true, even the Manure with Beckham and Horseface have flourished. Sometimes I do think we would be better off if we sold SG for 30mill and used the money to get in some essential quality players.