Brendan Rodgers

[Muddled]

I looked at that sentence at least seven times and I still couldn't decide if I was making sense. The gist is there, folk are going to have to piece it together themselves.

[EwarWoo]

I looked at that sentence at least seven times and I still couldn't decide if I was making sense. The gist is there, folk are going to have to piece it together themselves.

[Slinky Skills]

[Sarb]

@LFCTS: BR on 3-4-3: "If it was a foreign coach it would probably have been seen as a wonderful tactical idea of playing the game."

@LFCTS: BR: "He's played 7 midfielders?' ‘Sterling through the middle – what's he doing? Markovic out wide?"

[BigChief]

No Brendan, its your over-use of Lovren, Johnson and Gerrard we're all questioning. Don't try to deflect this away.

[Chris]

Not posting the Sanchez stuff from Rodgers, Sarb? Oh no, because that makes what youve been spouting look a load of ****.

[Sarb]

Not posting the Sanchez stuff from Rodgers, Sarb? Oh no, because that makes what youve been spouting look a load of ****.

Ive not seen it Chris. What's he said on Sanchez? Why dont you post it rather than moaning about it you daft cunt

[marcus50bucks]

Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers says new system will restore side’s potency

• Rodgers to stick with 3-4-3 formation against Arsenal
• Manager says Sánchez would have softened Suárez blow
• Wenger: Arsenal’s 5-1 loss to Liverpool is ‘scar in your heart’

Andy Hunter
Friday 19 December 2014 22.30 GMT

Brendan Rodgers believes his new 3-4-3 formation will restore Liverpool’s potency but would have received more plaudits had it been devised by a foreign coach.

Liverpool brought their manager some much-needed respite with Wednesday’s Capital One Cup quarter-final win at Bournemouth when, with Raheem Sterling leading the attack for the second game in succession, their pace up front and counterattacking play represented a vast improvement on most performances this term. The approach is unlikely to change against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, when Mario Balotelli serves a one-match ban for breaching the Football Association’s social media rules by reposting a controversial image of Super Mario on Instagram.

Rodgers was angered by criticism of Sterling’s finishing in the 3-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday and did not hide his annoyance at recent coverage of his team during an abrupt press conference on Friday. “I find it incredible the stick the kid has received,” said the Liverpool manager, who later accused one national newspaper of “trying to kill us”. Rodgers was also aggrieved at the reaction to a tactical switch that he believes can make Liverpool effective once again.

He explained: “When you have got the players to play in the way we want to work you can see the issues and the problems we can cause opponents. We had that ability to break forward with speed and on the counterattack for probably the first time [this season]. That was clear. That tactical element is critical to how we work.

“The other night it was a British coach playing 3-4-3 so he has probably thrown the team together. ‘He has played seven midfielders?’ If it was a foreign coach it would probably have been seen as a wonderful tactical idea of playing the game. ‘Sterling playing through the middle – what is he doing? [Lazar] Markovic out wide?’ But that is the key for us – trying to get the players in position who can make us effective.”

Rodgers believes Liverpool’s transition to life without Luis Suárez would have been much smoother – even considering the long-term absence of Daniel Sturridge – had Alexis Sánchez arrived at Anfield as part of the deal that took the Uruguay international to Barcelona. Sánchez was Liverpool’s first-choice target to replace Suárez in the summer but they lost out to Arsenal, with the Chile international’s preference for London one reason for their thwarted pursuit.

Asked if he felt Sánchez took the comfortable option by joining Arsenal, Rodgers responded: “It doesn’t matter. He made his decision, the best option for him.” As for whether the forward took the best football option available, the Liverpool manager said: “He will probably give you that answer in 20 years.”

As for the impact Sánchez would have had on Liverpool’s troubled campaign, Rodgers added: “He was someone we identified who would be perfect for us. He not only has outstanding quality but an even bigger work rate. If you look at how I ask the team to play it is critical, not just with the ball but the intensity with the pressing.

“When Daniel was injured in August I think everyone who knows football should hopefully have been able to see that our game has become much deeper because of personnel [available]. He [Sánchez] was identified for us as someone who would have been a key signing and really just a roll-on to what we had with Luis Suárez. So to not get him was obviously bitterly disappointing but once he was gone that was it, we just had to focus on what we had.”

Liverpool’s high-pressing game destroyed Arsenal at Anfield last season, when Rodgers’ team swept into a four-goal lead in 20 minutes against the then Premier League leaders en route to a 5-1 victory. The Liverpool manager believes an attack comprising Sterling, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho can exert similar pressure on Arsène Wenger’s team despite the home side’s struggle to recreate last season’s form.

“If you look at the team the other night against Bournemouth it had that pace in the central area of the field,” said Rodgers. “That allows you to press and it means your game can be much more aggressive. It gives you more chances of a goal if you are winning the ball higher up the field.”

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/dec/19/liverpool-brendan-rodgers-new-system?CMP=share_btn_tw

[Sarb]

So we couldnt play the press without Sturridge. Could have done with Sanchez. Then all of a sudden realised we could have played the high press all along with the midfielders we had. ****.

He has just backed up what his critics have been criticising him for. He didnt have to play that boring, negative ****e he's been dishing up for months.

[Yozza]

Wish he'd kept his whitened teeth in his mouth....

Cut the Jibba Jabba & concentrate on getting the points Brendan

[BobTheCharmer]

He's doing marvellously well lately, seems to have found his mojo again and has united the fans behind him. Quite the achievement. Well done gaffer.

[DannyMan2006]

So we couldnt play the press without Sturridge. Could have done with Sanchez. Then all of a sudden realised we could have played the high press all along with the midfielders we had. ****.

He has just backed up what his critics have been criticising him for. He didnt have to play that boring, negative ****e he's been dishing up for months.

If you sign two strikers in the summer I believe you have to give them a chance. I suspected when we bought Balotelli that we'd struggle to press teams like we did. In fairness to Mario, when he is fully fit he is like a train and is hard to stop. He has worked hard for us and I can't fault his commitment. It would have been interesting to see him in a two up top with Sterling.

Lambert was always a Plan B. He was never meant to start games. He's someone you stick on when teams are defending deep late on in a game and you need a goal, put him on to hold up the ball and have a target to hit.

I don't blame Rodgers for what he did, but he should get heavy criticism for sticking with a system for so long that clearly wasn't working. And that criticism should've peaked when he played the same system against Basle that got got a 0-0 draw in a dour game v SAFC. Horrific management.

But he's bright and I think he'll learn. I think the draw with Basle was the last straw for him. He'd tried with certain players no formations and in the end he just gave up on them and reverted to what he knows best. Should have stuck to his own principles from the start and I don't think he'll be making the same mistakes again. Watershed moment for me that.

[Myo]

He's doing marvellously well lately, seems to have found his mojo again and has united the fans behind him. Quite the achievement. Well done gaffer.

You are kidding me right Bob? Sorry the iteration behind that comment can't be conveyed via the internet properly if the above is supposed to be sarcasm...

arggg...wish brenda had balls and stopped deflecting once again...

[topscorer]

Rodgers being a miserable git at the press conference, does he think he's got the upper hand against the press now because we've beaten a Championship side but could easily have lost 4-3.

We'll get destroyed by any average attacking side if we play like that.

I agree with going in that direction though, the defense isn't going to be fixed quickly so we need to get back to fast attacking formations that can get goals to try and out score teams again.

Brendan is trying to play silly backs to the wall mind games, I hope it works and unites the players but I don't see how that can happen when he's so publicly shot down one of them.

I'm not saying Mignolet is innocent of being **** but it doesn't help when you've got a pile of **** in front of you too and a line up that cannot buy a goal with a pot of gold.

Critical to get a result against Arsenal but changing goalkeeper and formation just before is extremely risky. This could go either way. We could lose 0-4 or win 5-4.

Wenger is going to exploit Brad Jones and a 3 man defense. Arsenal will score a bucket load of goals on Sunday, the question is can we score a bucket load plus one?

[Sarb]

If you sign two strikers in the summer I believe you have to give them a chance. I suspected when we bought Balotelli that we'd struggle to press teams like we did. In fairness to Mario, when he is fully fit he is like a train and is hard to stop. He has worked hard for us and I can't fault his commitment. It would have been interesting to see him in a two up top with Sterling.

Lambert was always a Plan B. He was never meant to start games. He's someone you stick on when teams are defending deep late on in a game and you need a goal, put him on to hold up the ball and have a target to hit.

I don't blame Rodgers for what he did, but he should get heavy criticism for sticking with a system for so long that clearly wasn't working. And that criticism should've peaked when he played the same system against Basle that got got a 0-0 draw in a dour game v SAFC. Horrific management.

But he's bright and I think he'll learn. I think the draw with Basle was the last straw for him. He'd tried with certain players no formations and in the end he just gave up on them and reverted to what he knows best. Should have stuck to his own principles from the start and I don't think he'll be making the same mistakes again. Watershed moment for me that.

Agree with most of that. But he tried to force players into a system and style that they weren't suited to. Lambert and Balo as lone strikers when their movement is pretty piss poor. A totally laboured midfield continually picked game after game.

It doesnt take a great manager until 7 league defeats and December to realise he can actually play a pressing game with the players he has. And he should wait until his new system has worked on a good PL side before wanting praise.

A load of fans were saying for a good few months that we needed to press the ball high up, play our pacier midfielders because they could.