Our style of play

[danperkins]

Can cannot play Gerrards position

Look how that lad plays hes more like Henderson than Gerrard

Still think he should be playing and I would have him playing on the opposite side of the diamond to Henderson just in front of the holding player (whoever that might be)

But what is Gerrard's position & in what formation? At the moment IMO i would say Lucas should be playing in Gerrard's position & Can beside him. Lucas is our only dedicated/specialist DM.. it goes without saying with the way our back line has been that Lucas should be a banker starter. Can beside him playing a box to box role would be perfect IMO. That way it frees up Henderson to make those runs into the opposition box he was doing last season.

----------Lucas---Can-----
----Henderson----Lallana------
--Sterling/Coutinho/Gerrard--
-------------Striker-----------

IMO & judging by our performance vs Madrid the team is more balanced with Lucas & Can in there.

[danperkins]

The only thing with Borini is hes ****ing ****e when the ball comes near him (luckily against Palace he didnt touch it)

Yeah the lad shows good movement but its kind of useless if you cant kick a ball

Aye said this long time ago he has great heart and works hard but he's technically awful.

[Lecter]

But what is Gerrard's position & in what formation? At the moment IMO i would say Lucas should be playing in Gerrard's position & Can beside him. Lucas is our only dedicated/specialist DM.. it goes without saying with the way our back line has been that Lucas should be a banker starter. Can beside him playing a box to box role would be perfect IMO. That way it frees up Henderson to make those runs into the opposition box he was doing last season.

----------Lucas---Can-----
----Henderson----Lallana------
--Sterling/Coutinho/Gerrard--
-------------Striker-----------

IMO & judging by our performance vs Madrid the team is more balanced with Lucas & Can in there.

Can cant play Gerrards current position

Hes not a holding player by any stretch of the imagination

To me all the options for that position are unappetising because I dont think any of them can do that holding role adequately enough, and Gerrard isnt even the worst option for the position imo

[danperkins]

Can cant play Gerrards current position

Hes not a holding player by any stretch of the imagination

To me all the options for that position are unappetising because I dont think any of them can do that holding role adequately enough, and Gerrard isnt even the worst option for the position imo

I didn't say he was a holding midfielder. He is a box to box midfielder, but he is also combative & mobile. For me, beside Lucas at DM he gives us extra protection in front of the back 4 but he also makes some great runs into the opposition half and pushes us forward.

[Lecter]

I didn't say he was a holding midfielder. He is a box to box midfielder, but he is also combative & mobile. For me, beside Lucas at DM he gives us extra protection in front of the back 4 but he also makes some great runs into the opposition half and pushes us forward.

I dont believe covering up and trying to be defensive is going to be in anyway successful

Part of that is whats gotten us into the mess we are in now

We have gone from playing 2 up top with a diamond in front to a hybrid 4-2-3-1 / 4-1-4-1 system with either 2 deeper midfielders or 1 holding and the two at either side sitting deeper than they were last year

This side cant ****ing defend to save its ****ing life and nobody in that squad is gonna change things dramatically for the better in terms of that

The only thing we can do is get back to pressurring teams and trying to once again score goals

That means playing a higher line, switching back to the 2 up top diamond, having the players at either side of the diamond be mobile, aggressive and be able to push up and press teams. It also means that those two players have to be forward thinking when they get the ball either in terms of carrying it, passing forwards, running in support or running beyond the forwards

That is why I would go with Henderson & Can they would be the first 2 names on my teamsheet

I am not sure whether I would continue with Gerrard holding or whether I would put Lucas in. If I played Lucas I would push Gerrard to the tip of the diamond (but only for 60 minutes or so), if I stuck with Gerrard holding I'd be playing Sterling or Lallana at the tip

Two up top I dont care who they are any two even if you pick someone from the crowd or failing that Borini

When fit I'd also be bringing Flanagan in at rightback (Moreno on the left) and I'd be giving give Toure a game at centrehalf in place of either Skrtel or Lovren (it doesnt matter who they are both ****) and when fit I'd be giving Sakho a go

I'd only be trying the changes at the back out of sheer desperation nothing more than that, I still think the changes would have little or no bearing on things

[Lecter]

And I say all this from a traditionalist point of view

I generally prefer my teams to be able to defend (like we use to in the old days)

But the fact is this team cant defend and we dont have the personnel to do this

[Lecter]

[Sarb]

What is the ideal forward for this kind of system Lec? Would be quite demanding of any lone forward, especially one with the injury record of Sturridge

[Lecter]

What is the ideal forward for this kind of system Lec? Would be quite demanding of any lone forward, especially one with the injury record of Sturridge

For which system????

The one we are playing now???

[baitman]

For which system????

The one we are playing now???

what, we are playing a system...

[Sarb]

For which system????

The one we are playing now???

Yep. Im slightly baffled by it. He seems to be sticking to a system that we dont have the players for. I am assuming a mobile lone striker is what he intends to go for. He doesnt have them currently. The one he does have is injury prone, and I think the role would be too demanding. Crazy that the system isnt adapted to account for players we have.

[Lecter]

I know its hard to believe but there is some meths behind the madness

[Lecter]

Yep. Im slightly baffled by it. He seems to be sticking to a system that we dont have the players for. I am assuming a mobile lone striker is what he intends to go for. He doesnt have them currently. The one he does have is injury prone, and I think the role would be too demanding. Crazy that the system isnt adapted to account for players we have.

Well its a lone striker system so a Diego Costa or an in prime Didier Drogba or even a Torres (when he was good) would be ideal - there will be others I am sure some of those who watch foreign football can tell you

I am not too convinced Sturridge would be the answer also, he'd do ok but beyond that I'm not sure

This is what I just dont get he looks to buy Sanchez and Remy was his intention to play them as lone strikers or pair one of them with Sturridge because imo neither of them can play the lone striker role either

He then goes out and signs Balotelli who is clearly better with a partner and proceeds to stick him up front on his own. I've posted stats in one of the thread regarding Balotelli and shots and passes in relation to him having a partner or not, it really is quite telling

You get the best out of what you have got, you dont stick rigidly to something that is to the detriment of your players

And its not just Balotelli sufferring imo, its an awful lot of them

[Sarb]

Well its a lone striker system so a Diego Costa or an in prime Didier Drogba or even a Torres (when he was good) would be ideal - there will be others I am sure some of those who watch foreign football can tell you

I am not too convinced Sturridge would be the answer also, he'd do ok but beyond that I'm not sure

This is what I just dont get he looks to buy Sanchez and Remy was his intention to play them as lone strikers or pair one of them with Sturridge because imo neither of them can play the lone striker role either

He then goes out and signs Balotelli who is clearly better with a partner and proceeds to stick him up front on his own. I've posted stats in one of the thread regarding Balotelli and shots and passes in relation to him having a partner or not, it really is quite telling

You get the best out of what you have got, you dont stick rigidly to something that is to the detriment of your players

And its not just Balotelli sufferring imo, its an awful lot of them

Yep. Agree with that. Just dont see how Sturridge coming back will solve all of our problems because even he doesn't fit that style of play.

He hasn't adapted anything in light of out of form/injured players. He wanted to flog Lucas yet now he is probably the only one who can play the holding midfield role in the club. From my own point of view I think some of this is him in a game v The Committee. Proving a point that they signed him crap players. Id assume Bony is maybe one he wanted because he has the strength to play up top on his own.

A death by football system/style doesn't suit our best players really.

[ChrisDR1968]

So if the team had no injury problems at the moment is this the ideal team to put out given the players we currently have:

Mignolet (or is Jones a realistic option here until someone else is brought in?)
Moreno
Sakho
Toure
Flanagan
Lucas (as the only genuine holding midfielder we have)
Henderson
Lallana
Sterling (at the tip of the diamond - or Coutinho or possibly even Gerrard)
Sturridge
Balotelli