Wenger & Rotation

[fred_plasticine]

For me, Wenger rotates his squad as it should be done. He basically plays his best 11 for every game but plays a complete reserve team in the Carling & FA Cups. also if there are any dead games in Europe he rests players then. If a player is looking particularly tired he will rest him for a couple of games. What he doesn't do is change half the team for every match.

Wenger is a master of rotation in my book, whereas Rafa isn't.

As for press bias against LFC, don't make me laugh.

as if rafa rotated "half the squad" every game. that's a bit of a myth.
he rotated just as much as wenger in the league. that's a fact.

[Sir Bob]

I think Rafas rotation helped an inferior squad finish above Wengers in the last two seasons. Actually I don't think that rotation can be viewed as a policy on it's own but the make up of the squad (and hence the purchases made by the managers etc.) all contribute to whether it works.

I think that in the past Rafas rotation has had some flaws in that he has had too much faith in certain players to come in. However in the long run I think his decisions have benefited us even if they have weakened us for individual games.

The difference in quality in squads and the amount of turnover the rejuvenation of our squad has required given the financial constraints Rafa has worked under and the comparatively short length of his stay so far has made comparisons difficult with the other top managers. I would hope that from this season on we would not be looking to overhaul large sections of our team but rather adding to a team which is strong in all areas. Once that is the case I think that a comparison which more or less isolates rotation (or style of rotation) between the various managers policies will be possible.

I think Rafa's policy in the past has helped us in that because we were never going to win the league Rafa could rotate players knowing that European success was more attainable. I don't doubt that part of our success in 2005 & last season was down to players being fresher than opponents come April/May.

However, we've stepped up a level on last season. We now have a decent chance of putting up a realistic title challenge. However, this has been compromised already by Rafa's rotating too many players too often. To compete with the other title challengers I feel we need to play our best 11 as often as possible. This will lessen our chances in other competitions but thats whats needed to win the league. Ferguson did this last season and Utd ran out of steam against Milan in the semi final of the CL. Had Ferguson rested players as Rafa did, they may well have beaten milan but in my view they wouldn't have won the league, Chelsea would have done.

Its virtually impossible to win both the CL & the league in the same season. Rafa has previously prioritised the CL, which is fair enough. But to win the league this season we needed to make it our no.1 priority, like Utd did last season, and I don't think Rafa has done this.

[Sir Bob]

as if rafa rotated "half the squad" every game. that's a bit of a myth.
he rotated just as much as wenger in the league. that's a fact.

Rafa regularly makes 4 or 5 changes from one match to another, Wenger doesn't.

When fit, Wenger nearly always picks his best 11, Rafa doesn't. Would Wenger have rested Torres for the Brum home game only to play him against Reading in the League Cup, not a chance. For me, that move cost us 2 points.

[dww]

I think Rafa just has a different idea of how to win things and has been disappointed by the failure of Kuyt (and before the last few games Voronin) to offer a goal or creative threat.

[Pacman]

I think Rafa's policy in the past has helped us in that because we were never going to win the league Rafa could rotate players knowing that European success was more attainable. I don't doubt that part of our success in 2005 & last season was down to players being fresher than opponents come April/May.

However, we've stepped up a level on last season. We now have a decent chance of putting up a realistic title challenge. However, this has been compromised already by Rafa's rotating too many players too often. To compete with the other title challengers I feel we need to play our best 11 as often as possible. This will lessen our chances in other competitions but thats whats needed to win the league. Ferguson did this last season and Utd ran out of steam against Milan in the semi final of the CL. Had Ferguson rested players as Rafa did, they may well have beaten milan but in my view they wouldn't have won the league, Chelsea would have done.

Its virtually impossible to win both the CL & the league in the same season. Rafa has previously prioritised the CL, which is fair enough. But to win the league this season we needed to make it our no.1 priority, like Utd did last season, and I don't think Rafa has done this.

Those are a lot of assumptions based 2/3 months of the season. Truth be told we don't know what will happen come April/May time. Arsenal may fall away (although I doubt it) and we may go from strength to strength.

[dww]

Those are a lot of assumptions based 2/3 months of the season. Truth be told we don't know what will happen come April/May time. Arsenal may fall away (although I doubt it) and we may go from strength to strength.

I think there is something in Sir Bob's claim that both Wenger and Fergie concentrate on having an exceptional first XI and this policy has served them well. However Mourinho was more squad orientated and had success. I think that all of the other top four are lucky that Abramovic decided he wanted to see nice football as the money available to Mourinho allowed him to do what I believe Rafa would like to do and it was very successful.

I think that Man United were lucky last season in that they suffered few key injuries. If the same happens for Arsenal they will be right up there at the end of the season but their squad is very thin IMO. Having added a lot of numbers (with no little quality) in the summer I think Man United are favourites for the league.

[fred_plasticine]

Rafa regularly makes 4 or 5 changes from one match to another, Wenger doesn't.

When fit, Wenger nearly always picks his best 11, Rafa doesn't. Would Wenger have rested Torres for the Brum home game only to play him against Reading in the League Cup, not a chance. For me, that move cost us 2 points.

what makes you so sure that we'd have won when torres had been on the pitch? we were on course for a draw the week after - with torres being particulary guilty of wasting great chances - only for yossi to step in and rescue the points with a brilliant individual goal... it's not that definite, is all i'm saying...

[Sir Bob]

what makes you so sure that we'd have won when torres had been on the pitch? we were on course for a draw the week after - with torres being particulary guilty of wasting great chances - only for yossi to step in and rescue the points with a brilliant individual goal... it's not that definite, is all i'm saying...

We'll never know if Torres had played what would have happened but the best chance of LFC winning would surely have been to play our best 11 i.e. Torres.

I think to win the league we need to play our best 11 players wherever possible. Utd did this last year and it did hinder them late on in Europe but it was a sacrifice worth making.

Utd, Arsenal & Chelsea all rotate but not as much as us. To compete with them over 38 games I feel we need to adopt their poilicy. Rafa doesn't, hopefully he's right & I'm wrong

[friedk]

Did anyone see the article in one of the papers commending Wenger for his genius in rotating his squad when playing Prague / in the CC.

FFS How can they give Rafa **** and then bend over for him. Just proves the london press are pretty much as bad as you can get.

I agree the press go on way too much about Rafa and rotation; I also think Ferguson and Mourinho rotated their sides often without comment. Of the 4 though I think Wenger rotates the least and only does it when there isn't much at stake, like against Prague.

I wouldn't call it genius to choose to rest players in a meaningless game instead of sending them on a long flight to play in below freezing conditions, but I don't think you can compare that decision to Rafa's approach to the game.

Which one works best will be decided at the end of the season.

Personally I think Wenger can ill afford a string of injuries similar to the ones we have suffered this season.

[Robster007]

And you ARE scared right ?

Is it the high heels or the tutu?

Will yoube scare if I go for cleats and cycling shorts?

Slips into tutu and mutters '**** kop dan he has a saggy ass anyway'

And you're having a dig at DJS and telling him to go to chatchatchat?

[Redspin]

I agree some of them still bang on about zonal marking yet when was the last time we conceeded from a corner or a free kick?

Against Cardiff in the League Cup

[fred_plasticine]

We'll never know if Torres had played what would have happened but the best chance of LFC winning would surely have been to play our best 11 i.e. Torres.

I think to win the league we need to play our best 11 players wherever possible. Utd did this last year and it did hinder them late on in Europe but it was a sacrifice worth making.

Utd, Arsenal & Chelsea all rotate but not as much as us. To compete with them over 38 games I feel we need to adopt their poilicy. Rafa doesn't, hopefully he's right & I'm wrong

i don't think it did cost them in europe. they had key players injured and milan played excellent footie that night. it wasn't due to them being knackered.

one last time: arse, chelsea, udt - they all rotated just as much as we did. even their key players didn't play more games in the prem than ours.
why is that constantly overlooked?

[Redspin]

i don't think it did cost them in europe. they had key players injured and milan played excellent footie that night. it wasn't due to them being knackered.

one last time: arse, chelsea, udt - they all rotated just as much as we did. even their key players didn't play more games in the prem than ours.
why is that constantly overlooked?

It's constantly overlooked because it doesn't suit the agenda of some feeble-minded journalists who don't like a few facts to get in the way of their paranoia; and it also seems to be beyond the wit or perception of some posters on here who seem to be convinced that Man U and Arsenal always play their best XI, whereas every time I see them on TV they've both brought in a number of different players compared with their previous line-up. I suppose that's called using your squad prudently whereas with Rafa it's the the dreaded "r" word - rotation.

[Craig_H]

thats bull, the reason isn't rotation, we haven't had a good enough team to challenge untill now, and even now we might not be good enough in the long run...

It's not bull. If the TEAM isnt good enough, what the hell dya think is gonna happen when you drop 1st teamers and start picking squad players? The team IS good enough, some of the reserves arent good enough for the tricky games, but can do a job against some lesser opposition.

Rotation is one valid reason, whether people want to admit it or not.

When you're playing a tricky game and you drop your 2 best players, you ARE lessening your chances of victory. Simple.

[Craig_H]

For me, Wenger rotates his squad as it should be done. He basically plays his best 11 for every game but plays a complete reserve team in the Carling & FA Cups. also if there are any dead games in Europe he rests players then. If a player is looking particularly tired he will rest him for a couple of games. What he doesn't do is change half the team for every match.

Wenger is a master of rotation in my book, whereas Rafa isn't.

As for press bias against LFC, don't make me laugh.