v West Brom (A): Post Match

[McDermotX]

Not the most inspiring sight to see when looking over at the bench.

[BubbaZanetti]

Don't they have chairs at the Hawthorns?

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

Seen somebody say today, 3 years into Rafa's reign we could see a team and squad taking shape, under Rodgers we don't know our best 11.

At the moment its very difficult to see the vision for the club moving forward because we don't seem to be on the same page, the management, the team, the committee, the fans its all a bit disjointed.

Back to basics this summer hopefully, even if Rodgers stays it feels like we need the mentality of starting over from scratch we still have plenty of deadwood and are lacking in important areas.

[Exiled_red]

I think we have a big problem with movement and creativity as a team, most of our chances seem to be created by good play from an individual usually Coutinho (and Sterling to a lesser extent). We don't seem to create chances from pass and move football and ther seems to be little movement off the ball for through balls etc

For me a large part of the problem is that we don't hav a settled system or players playing in a particular role long enough to get to know it and the players around them. We really need to get a system sorted and stick with it and let everyone learn their role in the side.

[danperkins]

Seen somebody say today, 3 years into Rafa's reign we could see a team and squad taking shape, under Rodgers we don't know our best 11.

At the moment its very difficult to see the vision for the club moving forward because we don't seem to be on the same page, the management, the team, the committee, the fans its all a bit disjointed.

Back to basics this summer hopefully, even if Rodgers stays it feels like we need the mentality of starting over from scratch we still have plenty of deadwood and are lacking in important areas.

absolutely spot on.

[DannyMan2006]

I watched the game & I have to say I don't think we were that bad today. Our pressure was constant and we weren't too slow when passing it around. I remember looking at the clock around the 60 min mark, it actually felt like the pressure we were putting was if we were playing in injury time. I actually couldn't fault any of them today.

Mario does my head in admittedly, but running in behind has never been and never will be his game.

[Red_Polo]

I don't think it's so much knowing the first XI that concerns me, it's more not being able to see a coherent strategy coming into fruition. As it is, we have altered style and systems a lot and have not had a recruitment policy based on any particular approach beyond youth. It's this confused way we seem to go about things that concerns me more than how many points we've got this season.

[DannyMan2006]

I don't think it's so much knowing the first XI that concerns me, it's more not being able to see a coherent strategy coming into fruition. As it is, we have altered style and systems a lot and have not had a recruitment policy based on any particular approach beyond youth. It's this confused way we seem to go about things that concerns me more than how many points we've got this season.

Agreed.

[chadrtc]

I watched the game & I have to say I don't think we were that bad today. Our pressure was constant and we weren't too slow when passing it around. I remember looking at the clock around the 60 min mark, it actually felt like the pressure we were putting was if we were playing in injury time. I actually couldn't fault any of them today.

Mario does my head in admittedly, but running in behind has never been and never will be his game.

I agree with you.

Not for the first time, I feel like I've watched a different game to most people on here. I was only really frustrated with the last ten minutes, when we seemed to go to bits after the changes.

[RichC]

I don't think it's so much knowing the first XI that concerns me, it's more not being able to see a coherent strategy coming into fruition. As it is, we have altered style and systems a lot and have not had a recruitment policy based on any particular approach beyond youth. It's this confused way we seem to go about things that concerns me more than how many points we've got this season.

The transfer strategy has been the underlying problem imo

[johnly]

Not going to be 'that guy' who advocates all the wholesale changes, but it really does seem like we've lost our way a bit and as has already been said, it appears that we don't know what the current best XI or formation is.

The much vaunted 3-4-3 was born out of necessity and maybe its not the way we need to play every week with all personnel available. That diamond last season was great - but you need the players available who can pull it off. We've been hamstrung with a broken Sturridge (I can probably still blame Roy for that somehow), Lallana being out for periods of the season, other injuries, suspensions, a striker who was problematic as we all knew, but seemed to become laden with more problems since he arrived and of course a giant Suarez shaped hole in the squad.

I like Rodgers a lot. He was a breath of fresh air bringing back the old skool swashbuckling style back and pressing teams into submission fast. However once found out he had no comeback. Watching these last two games I'm not sure where we're going.

This game today was frustrating. We couldn't finish them off and that is bad. Pulis' defence game is strong and the frustration clearly got to the players.

But is the magic reset button necessary? I don't know. We can't be the club who panics every three years and starts again. Its too costly to do so and its not productive. What we do need is to abandon a policy of signing potential and splash some big money on proven talent. Players who will enhance the squad with actual world class and will fit into one or two formations.

Slight rant, but the past few weeks have been frustrating

[Slinky Skills]

I fell asleep three times.

The players look confused, listless. I have no idea what's going on.

So did I, and not for the first time this season.

The team actually makes me feel tired. The constant passing for no reason at all, backwards in most cases is tiring. When we're in the final third we just pass pass pass, nothing ever comes of it. It's mentally and physically exhausting. We pass to another player but then the player that played the original pass is then static as is the player who has the ball - ****ing mind numbing.

I was dehydrated too watching us today. Kept drinking tea and then getting thirsty, would get a glass of water and then want a brew so would get the kettle on. Would be thirsty again so would get up again all down to how poor we were. I could barely focus on the game it was that ****e.

[McDermotX]

Dunno why you guys were falling asleep, because we were outstanding again according to Brendan.

I really am starting to think that there's two Liverpool matches on every weekend and I'm looking at the wrong one every time

[G]

Dunno why you guys were falling asleep, because we were outstanding again according to Brendan.

I really am starting to think that there's two Liverpool matches on every weekend and I'm looking at the wrong one every time

Yeah me and all. Outstanding for **** sake. Following on form Gerrards magnificent display last week. Doesn't half talk ****e.

[McDermotX]

Yeah me and all. Outstanding for **** sake. Following on form Gerrards magnificent display last week. Doesn't half talk ****e.

22 shots masks a poor offensive display. We only had 5 on target and rarely worked the keeper - in fact out best passage came in probably a 20mins period not long after the second half started, but we never looked like scoring, bar the Ibe effort against the bar and Henderson's followup after Cout's powder-puff shot.
Right from the first few mins it was clear we were going to be afforded lots of space and time by WBA, who were always going to make things tough in the final third, but our lack of movement and guile was always apparent, and our carelessness on a couple of occasions at the rear could have ended in defeat very easily.
Other than Countinho, who sparked into action every now and then in that final third, we had no-one looking for the intricate, no-one thinking outside the box and instead we followed an almost automatic pattern of losing momentum and allowing WBA to compress our space around the edge of the box. Mario playing in midfield, Sterling producing nothing, Ibe, not as bad, but still found it difficult to bring the ball inside. Less said about the midfield's dumbness the better.

But other than that, we were outstanding.