Our style of play

[baitman]

in a few threads people often refer to transfer targets [bentekeh] not suiting our style of play....

i would say that we really have no style of play anymore. we no longer have the players the carry off a fast counter attacking game.
see how suarez tore into bayern, thats what we miss. sturridge too often injured. no decent alternatives to continue to play the exact same way.

too much emphasis on an amazing style of play, but one we will be unlikely to see anytime soon. there may be glimpses but to continually trot out the cliche like we can only do it one way.
to some extent teams have sussed out our counter attack and sit deep, and we no longer have the lads to do it enough justice consistently.
our pressing game has gone to ****. a few lads further up the pitch to press and some teams just go long and bypass our thin midfield and cut through us too easily.

we are all over the place.

[baitman]

so then brendan...

not playing lucas because you want to try a pair of hendo and milner as the deep lying pair...

its as obvious as the tits on a cow that this isnt getting the best from either player. it has left us easy to play through as our midfield is all within 10 yards of our defence. once we clear the ball it was easy for bournemouth to regain possession and bring it back up the pitch. its true we snuffed out their final ball or shot but we were pretty toothless up the other end as we didnt have the bodies in the middle to hold the ball and give us more options.
coutinho was on his own...
ibe was running up the touchline and doing little else.
lallana was drifting like a boatload of asylum seekers in a cheap inflatable lost out it the mediterranean sea.

rodgers seems reluctant to play lucas. maybe there is a move going on, but in the mean time it is surely compromising the potential of the team.

if can was fully fit and brendan wanted to go with hendo - can - milner [can withdrawn] then fair enough, but to play hendo - coutinho - milner [cout advanced] if isolating cout and preventing us better utilizing the running of hendo and milner.

hendo is carrying an injury too... proof of brendans stubbornness to introduce lucas.

[captainfog]

I'm not sure we have a style of play.

[Chris]

Roger wants Lucas dead

[baitman]

I'm not sure we have a style of play.

yeh, i know

i think the thread is more about a post match debrief on the overall team development and use of the players in [or out] of their positions.

[Dessy]

Perhaps if Ibe and Llalana were doing their jobs well then bodies ahead of Milner/Hendo ain't an issue?

FWIW, I thought Milner in particular5played well against Bournemouth and Hendo was growing into the game before he was injured.

I also think that they should both compliment each other quite well with both capable of marauding forward to support attack (not at same time obviously) and both able to break up play or offer that DM cover when needed?

[BigChief]

Perhaps if Ibe and Llalana were doing their jobs well then bodies ahead of Milner/Hendo ain't an issue?

FWIW, I thought Milner in particular5played well against Bournemouth and Hendo was growing into the game before he was injured.

I also think that they should both compliment each other quite well with both capable of marauding forward to support attack (not at same time obviously) and both able to break up play or offer that DM cover when needed?

If even one of Lallana or Ibe played half decent then we'd be applauding Rodgers' decision not going overly cautious by playing a DM. The style can remain the same for now, just the personnel need upgrading. And thankfully this season we have personnel coming out of our ears and chomping at the bit.

[Mostar]

I'm not sure we have a style of play.

Aye.

Don't think we do.

[Fosterbloke]

I'm not sure we have a style of play.

Surely the hardest thing to defend against

Seriously though, we will build up some patterns, I think we're waiting on some players to get fully fit.

[baitman]

I'm not sure we have a style of play.

i think kloppo/kloppy has dusted off the cobwebs and given our lads a bit of belief. do the simple things, press and harass the opposition.
we even have managed to do some defending... does anyone remember that

its looking much better

[BigChief]

The question being asked (correctly) is can we do this against parked buses? Our home form suggests currently no. So what would Klopp have learnt in his time at Dortmund when the Bundeliga started working him out?

I would say at home we don't need to play Milner, Lallana or Ibe. All three are a bit wasted with packed defences. Firmino and Coutinho have much better deftness of feet and vision to play. Then we need Sturridge (either as a striker or just behind) to offer a shooting threat from any distance. Finishing off with a monster up front so we can just keep crossing the ball in if walking through teams doesn't work. Benteke is great at causing confusion and the ball dropping ala Skrtel's goal.

That means a 4231 formation at home:

Back 5
Henderson Lucas
Sturridge Firmino Coutinho
Benteke

Leaves us woefully short of gegenpressen players but we won't need to press so much against teams that will be hoofing clear rather than dominating possession. A weaker midfield might also encourage oppo teams to play more courageously. I'm all for winning games 3-2 or 4-2 than safe 0-0s.

[dww]

I think the opposite - we should play the way we do against big team even more against the weak. We went with Benteke from the start against Palace and were less fluent. My feeling is that gengenpressing against poor sides should mean that you are trying incisive balls a lot and then winning it back quickly from less adept on the ball defenders when it fails. That works better with mobile players.

The option to bring Benteke off the bench is ideal to change things up.

[baitman]

Poor again at home, struggling to play through teams, not much pressing in evidence and weak in midfield.

[Chris]

Klopp is a bum.

[Mattshark]

Poor again at home, struggling to play through teams, not much pressing in evidence and weak in midfield.

I don't think it is the midfield. Our play consistently slows when we start Benteke.