Brendan Rodgers

[Mostar]

i think we've actually been unlucky not to have won more.

You could say the same thing about Kenny last year.

[little dave hedgehog]

i was simply refuting the claim that if we had won more matches than we have, it would be lucky and show us in a false position in the table. i just don't think that's true.

[Corndog]

we actuallly dont create that many clear cut chances.

suarez creates his own chances but we've nothing from the fullback positions and not a lot from wide forward players sterling and suso. We look good until the final third and then its all sub standard.

On paper there isnt a big difference between 4231 and 433 but there is between the 4231 we're used to and rodgers 433. Huge differences.

i do agree about the clear cut chances.

but i still think that the biggest problem or factor in the decline of the team has been personnel.

the team once had 5 truly world class players in it, alonso,mascherano,gerrard,reina and torres. 3 left, 2 have declined as players which was to be expected with gerrard.

mascherano and alonso were pretty much irreplaceable. lucas has come on since masch left but i don't think he will ever be as good a defensive midfielder, not that theres any shame in that, there is probably only one or two players of his standard as a 'destroyer' type of player.

[Fernandinho]

i completely disagree, the formation and style is fine, the team has dominated many games this season and had more than enough chances to win. it is the same problem as last year (when everybody was moaning that the problem was a 4-4-2 formation), there is not enough consistent goal scorers even suarez (who has held his end of the bargain up by scoring consistenly) is very wasteful in front of goal.

the talk of differences between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 is rubbish imo, both sterling borini and whoever else has been on the flanks this season has dropped back in defense very well (effectively making it 4-2-3-1) and then in attack they obviously push further up the field as do the fullbacks. very few good teams now-a-days stick rigidly to any one formation, rather they adapt to the flow of the game whether they be dominating or under pressure.

formation talk is relevant but its over-analysed imo, intelliegent runs that find space, good decision making about whether to pass or shoot or where to pass are more important factors about whether a game is won or not, that has not changed since the first game was ever played and it will never change, i wouldn't say you necessarily need to be dominant in possesion in every game but it obviously helps. if a team is shackled rigidly to a formation in attack they lack creativity and become predictable.

i don't think LFC has made many good decisions when it comes to play in and around the box, and i think like last year it all becomes a bit predictable because the play is too slow when attacking. we create very few clear cut chances which the team did very well when Torres was up top, he got so many goals from one-on-ones.

Suarez probably does not have the raw pace to make the same sorts of runs as Torres and most of the time now, the team does not go out there to hit opponents on the counter where there is alot of space between the backline and keeper.

As for the premierleague being a **** league bar utd city and chavski, that is quite an arrogant and misleading view imo. the league is the most competitive in the whole world, spurs, arsenal,newcastle and everton have good squads, spurs, city, newcastle and everton all have far superior squads than they did 5 years ago.

Where do you find the time???

Great post but...

[Corndog]

Where do you find the time???

Great post but...

procrastinating instead of studying German

[red g]

im going to say what some others might be thinking. i might get slated but i dont give a ****.

im not at all convinced by this formation. I like brendan rodgers and his ideas about football and developing players but im struggling to see how 433 formation will work. People keep saying that he cant play the way he wants to because lucas is injured but for me thats not right either.

Its taking an eternity for the team to get to grips with how the manager wants them to play but some of these lads have played under different managers with different approaches to tactics at all levels of football.

reina, agger, skrtel, johnson, gerrard and lucas all played under rafa and all are international players. The others like downing, henderson, assaidi, suarez, coates are all full internationals and they arent as thick as some make them out to be. All the english lads played under capello who is a task master when it comes to tactical discipline and shape. These lads understand tactics and systems.

I think its a formation / tactics issue than a squad one. Yes we dont have the best squad in the league but you need to ask the question as to how many of our players are being played in correct positions, reina played under rafa as a sweeper keeper but the defence is still pretty deep so he cant really do that.

johnson a right back at left back, two centre backs fine, wisdom a central defender at right back. henderson - everywhere but central midfield even ****ing right back, downing being a natural left winger playing inverted right winger, suarez plays best off the front man being played at the apex but doing well.

Gerrard being our best playmaker and finisher being played deeper if a suarez pass to shelvey infront of goal had gone to gerrard that would be 2-1, sahin being a deeper player being played at the apex of the three midfielders in support of the front man. Suso being a natural off the front man type who plays in the hole playing on the right and having to cut in onto his left. Allen being played at the base of the defensive midfield where he plays better as the one in front of the base player.

I understand that some of these changes are enforced but we have six of seven of 11 playing out of position just so we can stick to this 433 philosophy. There comes a point in time when you just cannot keep sacrificing points just to play the way you want. Rafa played the 4231 at valencia when he tore the league apart but when he came to us he played 442 or 451 in his first season or two because he knew we didnt have the players to play that way. we still have to pick up points.

This is a ****ing **** league. apart from chelsea, utd and city all the chasing pack are all rubbish. We've got a massive chance of finishing top 4 because arsenal look worse than we do, spurs are constantly up and down, newcastle havent been ripping up any trees and even everton are inconsistent.

We want to see progress but if we finish 11th and get knocked out of every cup competition early how can that be judged as progress ? how many of us will go into next season feeling positive ?

i like the manager but he needs to be a bit more realistic and flexible. there is no such thing as carte blanche at big clubs and you cant write a season off. But i think if we revert back to the 4231 we played under rafa we could finish fourth.

its there for us but we have to be bold in our choices.

Rodgers has had a whole 4 months in charge and one relatively quite transfer window, I am not sure that qualifies as an Eternity, Give the bloke a chance ffs sake.

[Kenneth]

Rodgers has had a whole 4 months in charge and one relatively quite transfer window, I am not sure that qualifies as an Eternity, Give the bloke a chance ffs sake.

spot on.

[kris90210]

Rodgers has had a whole 4 months in charge and one relatively quite transfer window, I am not sure that qualifies as an Eternity, Give the bloke a chance ffs sake.

You can definitely see signs of improvement. I think we need to have a bit more patience for what the manager wants to do.

[Lee]

Rodgers has had a whole 4 months in charge and one relatively quite transfer window, I am not sure that qualifies as an Eternity, Give the bloke a chance ffs sake.

[el matador]

Forget the attacking side for a moment because as we all know rodgers needs more forward players to score goals which he tried to get but couldnt. What about our defensive shape when were being countered. Its a disgrace.

That sort of stuff doesnt take 4 months to sort out. It takes a few weeks. The fact is that we are jot organised well enough to stop people scoring. Its great having the ball but teams know that sooner or later we will give it away and then its happy hour.

Thats basic tactical defensive work which hasnt got through to the players yet. What are they supposed to he doing when we dont have the ball, who stands where and covers what space.

[dww]

Forget the attacking side for a moment because as we all know rodgers needs more forward players to score goals which he tried to get but couldnt. What about our defensive shape when were being countered. Its a disgrace.

That sort of stuff doesnt take 4 months to sort out. It takes a few weeks. The fact is that we are jot organised well enough to stop people scoring. Its great having the ball but teams know that sooner or later we will give it away and then its happy hour.

Thats basic tactical defensive work which hasnt got through to the players yet. What are they supposed to he doing when we dont have the ball, who stands where and covers what space.

Whilst this is the general consensus there have been times where United and Arsenal have had bad defences for months on end and not been altering their overall style. City too are going through a rough patch now. I don't think these things always work out how they would ideally.

We've seen before, particularly under Rafa, how strangely progress can be made with seeming backwards step working out to aid progress in the long run.

[kris90210]

Forget the attacking side for a moment because as we all know rodgers needs more forward players to score goals which he tried to get but couldnt. What about our defensive shape when were being countered. Its a disgrace.

That sort of stuff doesnt take 4 months to sort out. It takes a few weeks. The fact is that we are jot organised well enough to stop people scoring. Its great having the ball but teams know that sooner or later we will give it away and then its happy hour.

Thats basic tactical defensive work which hasnt got through to the players yet. What are they supposed to he doing when we dont have the ball, who stands where and covers what space.

So are you basically saying that Rodgers doesn't know what he's doing? You do realise that Swansea had a fantastic defensive record under him in the Premiership don't you?

I think you need to consider that your idea of how long things should take may be wrong.

[kris90210]

Whilst this is the general consensus there have been times where United and Arsenal have had bad defences for months on end and not been altering their overall style. City too are going through a rough patch now. I don't think these things always work out how they would ideally.

We've seen before, particularly under Rafa, how strangely progress can be made with seeming backwards step working out to aid progress in the long run.

Man City too of late - famed for their defence over the past few years. El Matador is being exceedingly harsh in my opinion.

[red g]

Man City too of late - famed for their defence over the past few years. El Matador is being exceedingly harsh in my opinion.

Specially when you take into account we have not been able to play a settled full back line up becuase of Johnson's injury and Enrique being total ****e.

[Tee]

Specially when you take into account we have not been able to play a settled full back line up becuase of Johnson's injury and Enrique being total ****e.

GJ not being regular has been a big miss for us, both defensively and going forward.