I think everything is about balance. Rafa mentions it alot and when we play well we get the right balance between 'defence and attack'. This season, the majority of the time we have not got this balance. I think there are a few reasons for this...
1) New players:- It has taken time for the new players to adjust and settle. Apart from Kuyt, the others have not made the impact which we hoped. Gonzalez was over hyped and looks very raw. Aurelio looks shakey defensively and lacks the tools thus far and Pennant and to a lesser extent Bellamy look to be suffering to low confidence.
I also think the new players were bought in to make the team player wider, more attacking and offer more of a threat with pace. But all these factors have made us look more vulnerable defensively. Playing two wingers, as opposed to Gerrard on the right and Riise left for example is not as compact.
2) Form:- It is easy to blame the new players, Gerrard for not reaching his incredibly high standards etc... but the truth is the squad as a whole are playing below themselves. Apart from Kuyt, Hyypia, Riise, Momo and Agger, in my opinion. All the rest have been very inconsistant and below par... whether this is down to confidence, adapting or other reasons *rotation etc) I'm not sure.
The media have blamed rotation as the main reason for the poor start... but I'm not so sure. I think it is just a convieniant excuse. Rafa has always rotated his squad at Valencia and Liverpool and won the Spanish League x2, Spanish Cup, Uefa Cup, Champs League, FA Cup, Super Cup, Community Shield and taken our club to the World Club Championship and Carling Cup Finals. Not bad for someone who rotates, it means this cannot be the problem... or main problem.
Another factor the the media keep banging on about is Gerrard's position. Everyone seems to be in the 'Gerrard has to be in the centre camp'. But if you watch Gerrard play, whether he starts on the right, left or in the centre he is often seen roaming all over the place, so it is only a starting position. He scored loads of goals last season on the right, but it is only a position on paper... he roamed and scored the goals centrally. This is not a big problem either, if it means having Momo and Alonso in the same lineup also, it usually helps the team.
The media always think they know the answers and questioning Rafa's methods which have been so successful, is naive, in my opinion. They can blame rotation, formation, Gerrard's position etc etc. But the main fact is the players are just playing below par and that is the main factor. Once the form improves and the new players get more confidence / settle more, then I doubt we'll here much talk of rotation. Once the balance is found, we should see the best of the team.
1) New players:- It has taken time for the new players to adjust and settle. Apart from Kuyt, the others have not made the impact which we hoped. Gonzalez was over hyped and looks very raw. Aurelio looks shakey defensively and lacks the tools thus far and Pennant and to a lesser extent Bellamy look to be suffering to low confidence.
I also think the new players were bought in to make the team player wider, more attacking and offer more of a threat with pace. But all these factors have made us look more vulnerable defensively. Playing two wingers, as opposed to Gerrard on the right and Riise left for example is not as compact.
2) Form:- It is easy to blame the new players, Gerrard for not reaching his incredibly high standards etc... but the truth is the squad as a whole are playing below themselves. Apart from Kuyt, Hyypia, Riise, Momo and Agger, in my opinion. All the rest have been very inconsistant and below par... whether this is down to confidence, adapting or other reasons *rotation etc) I'm not sure.
The media have blamed rotation as the main reason for the poor start... but I'm not so sure. I think it is just a convieniant excuse. Rafa has always rotated his squad at Valencia and Liverpool and won the Spanish League x2, Spanish Cup, Uefa Cup, Champs League, FA Cup, Super Cup, Community Shield and taken our club to the World Club Championship and Carling Cup Finals. Not bad for someone who rotates, it means this cannot be the problem... or main problem.
Another factor the the media keep banging on about is Gerrard's position. Everyone seems to be in the 'Gerrard has to be in the centre camp'. But if you watch Gerrard play, whether he starts on the right, left or in the centre he is often seen roaming all over the place, so it is only a starting position. He scored loads of goals last season on the right, but it is only a position on paper... he roamed and scored the goals centrally. This is not a big problem either, if it means having Momo and Alonso in the same lineup also, it usually helps the team.
The media always think they know the answers and questioning Rafa's methods which have been so successful, is naive, in my opinion. They can blame rotation, formation, Gerrard's position etc etc. But the main fact is the players are just playing below par and that is the main factor. Once the form improves and the new players get more confidence / settle more, then I doubt we'll here much talk of rotation. Once the balance is found, we should see the best of the team.
Comment