Doss on his ex-boss

[DannyMan2006]

If we had taller players we'd score more. I don't think we do to bad with regards the height of our team.

[Armchairkopite]

Perhaps it's the same as zonal marking. We know it has been more effective than man-to-man because we had the stats to prove it, even though the pundits didn't recognise the fact until recently, preferring to go with their perceptions rather than the facts. Now, as you say, if those stats are correct then it seems that's precisely what we have been doing with corners.

It makes you wonder what else people have got wrong, based on their perceptions...

Jesus, dont start

[Pablo]

Can you ever remember a time when we have been particularly proficient from corners though

I've watched Liverpool since the mid 70's and I'll be damned if I can remember us ever being a consistant threat from corners

Under Houllier we were for a while, especially Hyypia.

[red g]

Under Houllier we were for a while, especially Hyypia.

Under houiller we were a team of giants !! Remember going to anfield and us towering over everyone

[CJ]

we where virtually all at least 6 2 at one point i think apart from murphy and owen i think.

[Craig_H]

Can you ever remember a time when we have been particularly proficient from corners though

I've watched Liverpool since the mid 70's and I'll be damned if I can remember us ever being a consistant threat from corners

Perhaps so, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt want to see improvement and strive to achieve it.

[5europeancups]

He has to be diplomatic, especially as his old boss "could" soon be his new boss.

[Exiled_red]

Under Houllier we were for a while, especially Hyypia.

Under houiller we were a team of giants !! Remember going to anfield and us towering over everyone

we where virtually all at least 6 2 at one point i think apart from murphy and owen i think.

But I still don't think we were that effective from them even then.

[Neil Young]

Jesus, dont start

That's precisely what I wasn't aiming to do.

[G]

Saw this over on TLW.Arbeloa gave an interview to world soccer magazine.Few points speak volumes for how we play:-

" You began your career at Real Madrid. Moving to the Bernabeu from Liverpool last summer must have been like a homecoming for you…?

Yes, but it’s a different Madrid and a different me. When I left without a buy-back option, thinking the door would remain shut. I’m glad to have been wrong. I took a decision that I thought was right at the time and I still think so. It’s hard to make the first team. The pressure is intense; there wasn’t the stability that a fantastic generation of youth teamers perhaps needed. And, as for me, I wasn’t ready. This summer, I was. Things have fallen into place: the return of the president [Florentino Perez], my situation at Liverpool, my development. I’ve been lucky.


How important were Liverpool and Rafa Benitez in your development?

Hugely important. It was a wonderful opportunity and a great experience. Rafa is very, very, very demanding. He pushes you extremely hard. To work with him you have to have patience and understanding; you need to accept what he’s like. There’s no doubt that if you can work with him, he improves you. He’s correcting you every single second, always wanting more. That was good for me. So was going to the Premier League because it’s so much more physical. It made new demands, developing sides of my game that I hadn’t developed in Spain.


What stood out most about English Football?

The fans, the folklore, the atmosphere, the feeling, the intensity. There’s a respect, a kind of deference, towards tradition and indentity. In Spain, the team has to carry the fans; in England it’s the other way round. Madrid’s fans demand the best, Liverpool’s fans help you produce it.


What are the biggest differences between Manuel Pellegrini and Rafa Benitez?

Pellegrini gives the players more freedom, he’s not so intense and has more of a soft approach. The style is different. We play two-touch, there’s more willingness to take risks; Rafa doesn’t want you to take any risks ever. Rafa’s happy to score the first and sit back; Pellegrini is the opposite. He’s more focused on possession. They’re different concepts, and both perfectly acceptable.


But should Liverpool and Rafa let go a bit? Do they need to be freer, more creative?

Rafa was a bit more attacking last season. Liverpool follow Rafa’s instructions very closely. What Rafa wants, the team does. Rafa works hard during the week and a lot of the time the team plays on memory. That’s very good in certain situations, but there are momentsthat you need to think or yourself and do something unexpected. If the opposition works you out, you need you need another option. Sometimes, within [Benitez’s] framework, doing something unpredictable is hard. Every player knows what he wants. The 1-2-3 you work on in the week is the 1-2-3 you produce in the matches. AT times that can be a bit robotic.


Was it a relief to leave Liverpool?

I was sad to go, but as soon as I saw I had this opportunity there was no way I could turn it down – the chance to come home and to be part of an incredible project.


Are you suggesting team rotation is therefore necessary for psychological factors rather than physical reasons?

Yes, for sure. If you have a player who hasn’t played for five or six games, there’s the risk that he will switch off. He’ll not give his all, he won’t train as hard. It’s not just about making sure all the players are physically right but that they come to training thinking they have a chance of playing, that they compete – and, as a consequence of that, oblige their team-mates to compete too. You make sure people are happy and working. TO do that they have to know that there’s a place to fight for. Players want to play, especially in a World Cup year.