So what's the way to deal with a parked bus?

[Kronenburg1892]

Part of me believes that sometimes you have to draw an oposing team out of their box, with guile and cunning. Especially if they've scored. So how do you do that to allow you space to get players in between their backline to put the ball in the net?

Personally, I think keep ball is the way to go. Unfortunately it requires a lot of back passes to do, instead of flicks around the box. But I doubt many would like to see that sort of Italian football. The English game has a mantle to live up to sometimes, which I think sometimes blinds an important part of tactical play. Something a lot of international teams understand better than ours.

What do you think? Do you think that's an important part of play?

[Muddled]

Width.

The other element is intricacy.

If the opposition has two banks of four which are extremely close together, the only way past them, is through them. So in essence, the movement from the players is key, but it ties in with your point about pulling them around the pitch. If you've got width you can pull them over, so it then comes back to intricate and decisive passing to switch it and get behind them.

I always remember being taught a basic 4-4-2 and how width, getting to the byeline and pulling it back is the easiest form of attacking football as you can't he offside and defenders can be caught off balance. To an extent, going back to basics sometimes works a treat.

But going back to my original point, that type of passing relies heavily on players controlling the ball with one touch and moving it on with the next and in parts this season, we've seen both bad first touches and heavy passing, but you can see a vast improvement and you can see it's developing and something we are working in I'm training.

[Kronenburg1892]

Width.

The other element is intricacy.

If the opposition has two banks of four which are extremely close together, the only way past them, is through them. So in essence, the movement from the players is key, but it ties in with your point about pulling them around the pitch. If you've got width you can pull them over, so it then comes back to intricate and decisive passing to switch it and get behind them.

I always remember being taught a basic 4-4-2 and how width, getting to the byline and pulling it back is the easiest form of attacking football as you can't he offside and defenders can be caught off balance. To an extent, going back to basics sometimes works a treat.

But going back to my original point, that type of passing relies heavily on players controlling the ball with one touch and moving it on with the next and in parts this season, we've seen both bad first touches and heavy passing, but you can see a vast improvement and you can see it's developing and something we are working in I'm training.

I fully agree, space on the flanks does allow you to put in questioning crosses.

But what if their midfield is on the 18 yard line already? The cross has to be absolutely inch perfect on an out numbered head. This to me is the problem.

[BringbackBiscan]

Buy yourself a set of keys. Otherwise known as Howard Webb.

Seriously though, there's wasn't much wrong with our tactics on Saturday. Individual errors, lady luck & poor finishing is the only reason we didn't spank Stoke.

[Craig_H]

Let down the tyres.

[Kenneth]

Surely that makes things worse.

[Craig_H]

It would stay parked, but also make you feel better.

[Kenneth]

That's just cutting off your nose to spite your face that is.

Just go round it.

[Muddled]

If their midfield line is on the 18 yard line, you're gonna have their defensive line 12 yards out, which means you have at least 16 players in and around the box, if not 21 players in their half, so I guess you look at your options:

• Shots from distance are likely to be blocked.
• Crosses have to be extremely accurate.
• Runs from deep are likely to be crowded out.

For me, you have to bring them out, but as we've seen, some opposition are happy to hold their position as apposed to going to the ball. This - for me - leaves the only option of getting to the byeline, otherwise you're just playing the percentages.

It can also be argued that it also depends how long is left in the match.

[MrMichael]

Buy yourself a set of keys. Otherwise known as Howard Webb.

Seriously though, there's wasn't much wrong with our tactics on Saturday. Individual errors, lady luck & poor finishing is the only reason we didn't spank Stoke.

Although my United supporting "friend" tells me a Mike Riley works just as well.

Completely agree about the Stoke game though, on another day we would have won that game despite their extremely well parked bus. I do think a difference going forward this season for us will probably be if Gerrard gets back to fitness and form, that additional player who is capable of producing something unexpected and brilliant will hopefully be the extra edge we need in games like that.

[Kronenburg1892]

All good points. Even Clattenburg being banned from LFC games since the 2007 derby, (apparently, can't find the facts on that.)

Even still. Surely there's another way in? Draw the midfield out from the 18 yard line. Or am I the only person that sees that as part of a good performance?

[yamiedo]

I personally think we were making some good chances against them and thought Dalglish went about it the right way. The overlapping from Jose Enrique at full back was creating a lot and Downing's wide play was effective. On another day we would have scored but it just didn't happen for us. For me, it wasn't so much the tactics but just finishing. We dominated and created good chances. A few more creative, innovative players in the mould of Suarez would definitely make a difference too.

[Kronenburg1892]

I personally think we were making some good chances against them and thought Dalglish went about it the right way. The overlapping from Jose Enrique at full back was creating a lot and Downing's wide play was effective. On another day we would have scored but it just didn't happen for us. For me, it wasn't so much the tactics but just finishing. We dominated and created good chances. A few more creative, innovative players in the mould of Suarez would definitely make a difference too.

I don't want to knock KD at all. I think we have some very good personel.

What I would question, is that the only way in?

I think we need to be smarter than thrashing it around their half.

I think that pulling the play back towards our half is as just as important.

[Muddled]

I took it as a generic question, not specific to the Stoke game.

Because, as BringBackBiscan says, we did break them down and did everything *but* score. I think it was aimed more at the teams that are going to come to Anfield and shut up shop and how we counter that.

[kop-al-74]

I think the game itself and the clearcut chances we missed answers the original question as we opened them up on numerous occasions.Our play wasn't an issue it was just our finishing where on most other days we would have won that game pretty comfortably, that's why I won't be losing any sleep over Saturdays result and look forward to Sunday's game against Spurs.