Rafa: We'll soon hit top form

[rage]

And in order to do so, you pick holes with formations, you question his every word, you accuse him of being Houllieresque, you constantly berate him on these boards...and yet you claim not to have an agenda against him?? Then what the heck do you call you vitriol aimed in his direction at every opportunity?

he is houllieresque

narrow football
hoof ball
playing players out of their natural positions
reliance on two players to win him games
oh and most definitely his interviews. come on just play a houllier post match crap performance interview back to back with rafa's latest.

i don't have an anti rafa agenda i have a pro liverpool one by the way

[Vermilion]

Unfortunately, soon we'll be saying "Utd rely on Berbatov, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Scholes, Ferdinand, Vidic......" Hmmm.....I just wish we had a coupel more palyers to rely on....

Exactly what i'm saying....when you can spend above 20-25mill on a single player and do it many times...you have more players you can and do rely on.

[Scratch]

Unfortunately, soon we'll be saying "Utd rely on Berbatov, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Scholes, Ferdinand, Vidic......" Hmmm.....I just wish we had a coupel more palyers to rely on....

And we'll rely on Keane, Torres, Gerrard, Skrtel, Agger, Carra, Riera (gut feeling), Riena, Babel (hopefully)...we ain't so far short of star players you know....have a little faith, the season is three games old...

[El Jefecito]

See how someone without an anti-Rafa agenda might have written this.

he is houllieresque

narrow football

Liverpool have been narrow for a while now and even though Sky imply that width can only come from natural wingers a la Quaresma, I saw an interview with Rafa where he said we couldn't get those wingers, so that he was going to get his width through attacking FBs. Hmmm, I thought, so I looked at Chelsea, Arsenal and Manure and lo and behold they don't have Quaresma types either. They use the full backs to get width.

I saw the game against Villa and you know what, I saw Dossena and while he was in and out of the game he definitely added width he must have got 5+ crosses into the box. Maybe he'll be more consistent once he works out the correct balance of attack/defense between the CH and DMs.

Apparently, Degen is a similar type player, will be interesting to see if he can add similar on the right.


hoof ball

Dogma vs. Pragma. Some times the hoof ball is the right ball.

playing players out of their natural positions

Another thing I've noticed is that Rafa is always looking for ways to deploy players to get the best out of them for the team. I love it when he chooses to play SG "out of position" as an AM and SG proves him right by getting 20 goals and 20 assists.

It's the same as Torres, at Atletico he played the Rooney way, dropping deep to collect the ball. Rather than follow the Dogma Rafa gave it some thought and decided to mess with how he played, told him to play off the shoulder, stay high and goal side of the ball. Well that messing around certainly paid off. He got 30 goals in the much much tougher PL.

reliance on two players to win him games

Because of how he plays Torres and SG out of position they've been winning a lot of games for us. Which is a good thing, but I also like the fact that he can make changes late on in games and make match winners out of other players like Babel for instance. He's been a matchwinner more than once when brought on late in games. Who can forget how he won us the CL game against Arsenal.

Hell, he even made a matchwinner out of Lucas in the derby when it looked like the usual matchwinners had petered out.

And Kuyt in the CL last year. How many matches did he win us?


oh and most definitely his interviews. come on just play a houllier post match crap performance interview back to back with rafa's latest.

I've seen some similarities between interviews given by Rafa and Houiller, no suprise really if you lose there is really only so much you can say and anyway in general most football interviews are just a repetition of the same tired old cliches. What I will say that is when we play crap, Rafa does at least admit it. Houiller never would.


i don't have an anti rafa agenda i have a pro liverpool one by the way

[DomL]

Well with the signing of Reira for me its more of a clear signal now that we will revert to 4231 its supposedly his natural formation and deffinatly we had alot of success with it at the end of last season.

It would also put alot of players into their more natural possitions Benni, Babel gerrard etc, personally i can see Babel playing a more on the right hand side with reira on the left hand.

It would be a balanced side with each side using its strengths, Arbeloa can pass the ball simply and easily and allow Babel to do the attacking and he can concentrate on keeping it simple and concentrate on his defending which is a weak point.

Reira can beat people but also likes to use the full back, Dossena will allways like to push up cross from deep or on the run and with babel running in from the right at pace it gives us alot of more options at pace and on the move.

I think we will deffinatly see us playing alot better football in general throughout the season as people will feel confident and know whare they will be.

Keane can also play in gerrard's role within even gerrard still being in midfield, Reira may very well a key signing it just making this side settled and confident.

[El Jefecito]

Well with the signing of Reira for me its more of a clear signal now that we will revert to 4231 its supposedly his natural formation and deffinatly we had alot of success with it at the end of last season.

It would also put alot of players into their more natural possitions Benni, Babel gerrard etc, personally i can see Babel playing a more on the right hand side with reira on the left hand.

It would be a balanced side with each side using its strengths, Arbeloa can pass the ball simply and easily and allow Babel to do the attacking and he can concentrate on keeping it simple and concentrate on his defending which is a weak point.

Reira can beat people but also likes to use the full back, Dossena will allways like to push up cross from deep or on the run and with babel running in from the right at pace it gives us alot of more options at pace and on the move.

I think we will deffinatly see us playing alot better football in general throughout the season as people will feel confident and know whare they will be.

Keane can also play in gerrard's role within even gerrard still being in midfield, Reira may very well a key signing it just making this side settled and confident.

Would like to see a lot of that. Just not SG in the CM though. In a 4231 the CM role is so restrictive that it is a waste of SGs talents. He needs to be in the 3.

[Elvoz]

He should have pulled it back to Keane who was free in middle

i hope im wrong and dont shoot me for saying it but i dont think them two get on

i noticed during the boro game ....

maybe im ****in mental

keep ya eye on it

[El Jefecito]

i hope im wrong and dont shoot me for saying it but i dont think them two get on

i noticed during the boro game ....

maybe im ****in mental

keep ya eye on it

You are an old fart like me so you will remember Tommy Smith and Emlyn Hughes and you'll also know once you are on the pitch. That **** don't matter.

[wiw]

good post in response to rage, el jefecito

[DomL]

Would like to see a lot of that. Just not SG in the CM though. In a 4231 the CM role is so restrictive that it is a waste of SGs talents. He needs to be in the 3.

Yeah agree if gerrard can improve his short game to, which i feel he has done anyway but their is allways room for improvement, then he could be even better than last year.

we have a 11st eleven now for which can be starting all the time and be very very good if its the eleven im thnking of anyway.

[El Jefecito]

good post in response to rage, el jefecito

Thanks man!

BTW You really a cockney? Where you from? Hackney E5/8 me!

[El Jefecito]

Yeah agree if gerrard can improve his short game to, which i feel he has done anyway but their is allways room for improvement, then he could be even better than last year.

we have a 11st eleven now for which can be starting all the time and be very very good if its the eleven im thnking of anyway.

And that is the worrying thing. Rafa may decide to prove Rage and Rashid right by rotating that 11 out of the first team

[Rashid]

I think his comments are Houlliersque especially the bit about "getting a draw without them" (Mascherano, Lucas and Babel) - well Mascherano is good, Lucas was utter gash, and Babel didn't even play even though he is fit.

[El Jefecito]

I think his comments are Houlliersque especially the bit about "getting a draw without them" (Mascherano, Lucas and Babel) - well Mascherano is good, Lucas was utter gash, and Babel didn't even play even though he is fit.

Homosexuals. Interested in your opinion Rashid. Ignorig this is as good as admittting guilt!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FatTony]

Homosexuals. Interested in your opinion Rashid. Ignorig this is as good as admittting guilt!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you been on the space cake this evening?