Rotation

[friedk]

In the final 11 games of last season - a sequence in which Liverpool won all 11 matches, qualified for the Champions League and won the FA Cup - Benitez made 44 changes in total.

What the **** does he know

[dww]

I think the issue isn't rotation but whether or not players know their roles. Last season we had a well established squad where everyone knew their positions and how each other played. At the start of the season we tried to add pace and width to our system aswell as rotate.

This on top of the fact that I think several of our key players were adversely affected by the WC (example Carra seemed to come back low on confidence) is the reason why I believe Rafa should have been more conservative with his changes this season. I guess the flip side is that rotation gets new players used to the way we play quicker.

[Parm]

I think the issue isn't rotation but whether or not players know their roles. Last season we had a well established squad where everyone knew their positions and how each other played. At the start of the season we tried to add pace and width to our system aswell as rotate.

This on top of the fact that I think several of our key players were adversely affected by the WC (example Carra seemed to come back low on confidence) is the reason why I believe Rafa should have been more conservative with his changes this season. I guess the flip side is that rotation gets new players used to the way we play quicker.

bloody S ven

[Spionkop69]

In the final 11 games of last season - a sequence in which Liverpool won all 11 matches, qualified for the Champions League and won the FA Cup - Benitez made 44 changes in total.

What the **** does he know

Picky point I know but we didn't technically have 11 straight wins because the FA Cup counts as draw.

But yes, you rightly point out that not many were banging on about rotation when we were in the middle of our two long unbeaten runs last year.

The media prefers to play on the negative don't you know.

[MrMichael]

The problem this season ahs been the range of the rotation imo. Lasts eason we were changing one or two players a game mostly due to injury/fitness, but overall had a very settled pool of maybe 15 players who were in line to start, and a bck 5 that hardly ever changed. This season so far the pool has been more like 20, and that's lead to a lack of consitency which has obviously affected the team in certain games. However, on Saturday for the first time this year, Rafa picked what would seem to be his strongest side, ie. the first team from last year, with Kuyt the only new addition.

Imo we need to stick to that more or less and maintain a stable core of at least 9 players from match to match, with only Bellamy, Speedy, Pennant and Agger ready to come in when fitness/form allows.