I think I'm the only one that thinks...

[enema of the state]

...that Rafa got his tactics spot on against Blackburn.

We kept things tight the first 60-65 minutes and then when Blackburn got tired and ran out of ideas then Rafa decided to start to attack them.

We couldn't play an attacking game from the start with Hyypia playing but we could do that when Blackburns strikers got tired and slower.

Sissoko and Mascherano took out all energy from Blackburns midfield and it would have paid off if we had not missed chance after chance the last 15-20 minutes.

Kuyts hard work made the Blackburn defenders scared and in the end they hoofed away the ball because he were everywhere. That gave us more possession and better control of the game. Blackburn also made a few rushed mistakes because they got tired at the end of the game.

Kewell has been out a long time and Rafa can't take any chances with him so he couldn't let him in earlier.

Blackburn away is a difficult game and even more difficult with Agger, Alonso and Torres out injured.

NO - he got the tactics exactly right in the sense that blackburn is the 4th most difficult away game. the way you win games like that is to be solid, dont concede and pick of a goal in the last 3rd when they tire and the game opens:

thats how lfc played in the glory years, thats how valencia played and thats how ALL the recent champions (wengers unbeaten arsenal accepted) played.

"Tactically" thats what benitez set out to do so yes he got it right - and we were punching big holes in their defence in the last 20 mins!

in terms of player execution, we were not up to the level we need to win this kind of game - but player execution is NOT tactics

[Armchairkopite]

Negative my arse Rafa is doing a bloody good job at the moment without 3 of the best players in the league. I think his tactics on Saturday where spot on i loved the line up considering what we had available and we should've won. We totally stifled Balckburn.

'Only the woodwork saved us'
A quote from an earlier post, hahaha pathetic if that had of went in it would've been a screamer but guess what........off target.

[Armchairkopite]

Exactly.

It's not the result that bothers me, a point at blackburn in the current climate isnt a bad result.

It's the fact that we showed so little intent to actually impose OUR game on them and win. We approached it as if it WAS Barcelona at the Nou Camp.

Rafa's been going into away games with the same mentality since he came here, changing our style to suit inferior opposition and placing a clean sheet as the main priority, ahead of winning.

That mentality isnt a winning one and we'll never challenge for the title unless he ups the ante a little.

The plan clearly worked?

So them hitting the post and bar was part of the masterplan?

Wow your really good at this picking holes stuff aren't you so what would your team have been on Saturday and how would you have got them to play, remember you do have the advantage over Rafa here because the game was already played and you know exacly how Blackbirn will play.

Go for it if your man enough.

[Craig_H]

'Man enough'...christ...

I said BEFORE the game that Crouch should've started and surprise surprise, when he comes on, he links well with Gerrard and we look at our most dangerous...

[The Birdman]

We cant play our high tempo game at the moment with Hyppia at the back how many times do people on this bloody forum need to be told this ffs. Samis as slow as **** Benni McCarthy and Santa Cruz are arguably the best strike partnership outside the top four and they have pace to burn, if we use brain dead lets go for the jugular tactics we will be exposed on the counter big time

There ladies and gentleman is the point - why do we play with 2 defensive midfielders? because Sami needs more protecting than Agger, why do we keep it tight until 20 minutes to go then try and nick it? because if we went all out from the 1st minute Sami and Riise would get exposed like they have done time and time again over the last 12-18 months.
With Agger we press from the off, squeeze teams and win the ball back high in their defensive third because he has the pace to defend 1 on 1 higher up the pitch, with sami we have to sit deeper and draw teams onto us, that's why our performances have regressed to the level of 2 years ago because we are playing the same way we did then out of neccessity.
People bang on about signing a winger and another striker in Jan, I would bet my house Rafa gets or trys his bollocks off to get a centre half that can cover left back (Like Heinze) or just a plain centre half, don't be surprised to see a 'short term' signing of someone experienced on loan if he can't get whoever it is he is after.
I don't mean to knock Sami because he has been class but we have moved on to a different style and he has gotten old, time waits for no-one

[Armchairkopite]

'Man enough'...christ...

I said BEFORE the game that Crouch should've started and surprise surprise, when he comes on, he links well with Gerrard and we look at our most dangerous...

Ah you replied, good boy

Ok so we start with Crouch what happens?

Firstly the Blackburn defenders can now distribute the ball a lot easier as they have more time on their hands allowing them to have more possession and time thus control of the game.

With no natural width in the team we are sending in diagonal long balls to Coruchie so defenders only have to mop up the second ball.

Crouch gives away a hell of a lot more free kicks now than he did when he started withus.

Gone is the leech that is Kuyt snapping at defenders heels hurrying them into squandering possession and hitting the ball out to concede needless throw-ins (this happens countless times lads watch out for it) defenders see the Dutch bull coming full backs cant use the line in case they get caught in possession.

[enema of the state]

The plan clearly worked?

So them hitting the post and bar was part of the masterplan?

the plan was correct in principle - them hitting the bar/post results from individual players execution, not overall tactics

cant you understand that starting 4-4-2 wouldnt guarantee they wouldnt have hit the bar??

maybe theyd have scored

[enema of the state]

There ladies and gentleman is the point - why do we play with 2 defensive midfielders? because Sami needs more protecting than Agger, why do we keep it tight until 20 minutes to go then try and nick it? because if we went all out from the 1st minute Sami and Riise would get exposed like they have done time and time again over the last 12-18 months.
With Agger we press from the off, squeeze teams and win the ball back high in their defensive third because he has the pace to defend 1 on 1 higher up the pitch, with sami we have to sit deeper and draw teams onto us, that's why our performances have regressed to the level of 2 years ago because we are playing the same way we did then out of neccessity.
People bang on about signing a winger and another striker in Jan, I would bet my house Rafa gets or trys his bollocks off to get a centre half that can cover left back (Like Heinze) or just a plain centre half, don't be surprised to see a 'short term' signing of someone experienced on loan if he can't get whoever it is he is after.
I don't mean to knock Sami because he has been class but we have moved on to a different style and he has gotten old, time waits for no-one

is correct

[Armchairkopite]

There ladies and gentleman is the point - why do we play with 2 defensive midfielders? because Sami needs more protecting than Agger, why do we keep it tight until 20 minutes to go then try and nick it? because if we went all out from the 1st minute Sami and Riise would get exposed like they have done time and time again over the last 12-18 months.
With Agger we press from the off, squeeze teams and win the ball back high in their defensive third because he has the pace to defend 1 on 1 higher up the pitch, with sami we have to sit deeper and draw teams onto us, that's why our performances have regressed to the level of 2 years ago because we are playing the same way we did then out of neccessity.
People bang on about signing a winger and another striker in Jan, I would bet my house Rafa gets or trys his bollocks off to get a centre half that can cover left back (Like Heinze) or just a plain centre half, don't be surprised to see a 'short term' signing of someone experienced on loan if he can't get whoever it is he is after.
I don't mean to knock Sami because he has been class but we have moved on to a different style and he has gotten old, time waits for no-one

Damn that was quick typing

[tomasjj]

'Man enough'...christ...

I said BEFORE the game that Crouch should've started and surprise surprise, when he comes on, he links well with Gerrard and we look at our most dangerous...

Agree, but it might not be JUST down to Crouch coming on. (I do agree we should have started with him though...)

Other possible factors could be:

Blackburn were tiring. Major factor imo.

We changed the formation playing both Kuyt and Crouch, so the Crouch instead of Kuyt argument doesn't wash completely.

Kewell was on too, doing well.

As for them hitting the woodwork, sure, you can hope to nullify a team, but it is not very realistic, no matter the tactics and plans you make out before the game. Any half decent team is bound to at least get a couple of chances/half chances in a game. I don't this is something we should criticize, zero chances against is not realistic against a good team.

[red g]

There ladies and gentleman is the point - why do we play with 2 defensive midfielders? because Sami needs more protecting than Agger, why do we keep it tight until 20 minutes to go then try and nick it? because if we went all out from the 1st minute Sami and Riise would get exposed like they have done time and time again over the last 12-18 months.
With Agger we press from the off, squeeze teams and win the ball back high in their defensive third because he has the pace to defend 1 on 1 higher up the pitch, with sami we have to sit deeper and draw teams onto us, that's why our performances have regressed to the level of 2 years ago because we are playing the same way we did then out of neccessity.
People bang on about signing a winger and another striker in Jan, I would bet my house Rafa gets or trys his bollocks off to get a centre half that can cover left back (Like Heinze) or just a plain centre half, don't be surprised to see a 'short term' signing of someone experienced on loan if he can't get whoever it is he is after.
I don't mean to knock Sami because he has been class but we have moved on to a different style and he has gotten old, time waits for no-one

18 posts - waht you playing at son? get posting more!! thats a superb post

[The Birdman]

The other thing that I find interesting is that on that show on Sky Sports 1 Sunday mornings - is it called the supplement?? when all the journo's sit around and chat **** (generally) they were all saying that maybe Rafa is right about rotation because they couldn't argue with the fact that Blackburn tired while we got stronger and if we had killed the game off as we should have we would have deserved the win. They were also saying if Blackburn are tired in Nov what are they going to be like as the season progresses, it goes in cycles my friends, by the end of the season rotation will be the new black (for everyone over 25 that isn't addicted to Champ Manager)

[einar]

The other thing that I find interesting is that on that show on Sky Sports 1 Sunday mornings - is it called the supplement?? when all the journo's sit around and chat **** (generally) they were all saying that maybe Rafa is right about rotation because they couldn't argue with the fact that Blackburn tired while we got stronger and if we had killed the game off as we should have we would have deserved the win. They were also saying if Blackburn are tired in Nov what are they going to be like as the season progresses, it goes in cycles my friends, by the end of the season rotation will be the new black (for everyone over 25 that isn't addicted to Champ Manager)

Keep posting man.

[The Birdman]

18 posts - waht you playing at son? get posting more!! thats a superb post

Thanks - I used to lurk but got ****ed off with the amount of ****e written on here and decided I couldn't slag them off if I wasn't posting myself!!

[John_Gotti]

...that Rafa got his tactics spot on against Blackburn.

We kept things tight the first 60-65 minutes and then when Blackburn got tired and ran out of ideas then Rafa decided to start to attack them.

We couldn't play an attacking game from the start with Hyypia playing but we could do that when Blackburns strikers got tired and slower.

Sissoko and Mascherano took out all energy from Blackburns midfield and it would have paid off if we had not missed chance after chance the last 15-20 minutes.

Kuyts hard work made the Blackburn defenders scared and in the end they hoofed away the ball because he were everywhere. That gave us more possession and better control of the game. Blackburn also made a few rushed mistakes because they got tired at the end of the game.

Kewell has been out a long time and Rafa can't take any chances with him so he couldn't let him in earlier.

Blackburn away is a difficult game and even more difficult with Agger, Alonso and Torres out injured.

AFII, you are not alaone on this one. I agree with you.