It's not the "Leeds" midfield that isn't working, it is the midfield full stop. IMO (and that of others, see several posts above) that is because we are not playing the right formation for getting the best out of them. Howson is an excellent player, but thrives in a more forward role. It's unfair on Johnson to ignore the tireless work he's been putting in all season. Yes he's not the most accurate of passers, but when it comes to pressing, breaking up play, winning the ball back etc. he has been outstanding. Snodgrass has been at the centre of a lot of our most dangerous attacking play, but hasn't yet adjusted fully to the faster tempo of the Premier League. Additionally, they are all still adjusting to Hughton's greater emphasis on defensive organisation (not much in evidence on Saturday admittedly). As Superman has been saying since the start of the season, we need to play a deep sitting DM to provide defensive cover, and bring in Fox as the fulcrum of our attacking play. That will allow more freedom to the forward midfield players and start to get the best out of them. But of course Hughton isn't the only one who is yet to be convinced; there are many of us on here who grumble incessantly if we don't play 4-4-2. If we are going to play 4-4-2 then we have to play Pilkington and Bennett out wide and creative players like Hoolahan and Butterfield will be sitting on the bench.
4- 5 1 must be the way we play - I think most people agree we need to see some width and someone to glue the midfield together and provide some defensive cover. Personally I'd like to see Ruddy Rusty Bassong Barnett Garrido E Bennett Tettey Fox Pilkington (or Snodgrass) Hoolahoops (or Howson or Butterfield) Holt Holty can play the lead role if he has someone in the pocket getting forward to support him - we have a number of players who could do that - Hoolahoops, Howson, Butterfield, Snodgrass - we have plenty of options to mix it up. Just a word of praise for Liverpool - as bad as we were - and we WERE bad, Liverpool expolited it to full advantage. They looked a bit shaky at the back but going forward were slick, mobile, inventive and clinical. I liked the young lads Suso and Sterling - very impressive. Their fans were brilliiant too .... well done to them for intiating the minutes applause for Bondy.
I was just thinking about Rodgers' Liverpool v Rodgers' Swansea. We all remember how we throttled Swansea twice last season by pressing high and stopping them passing out from the back. Apart from the difference in general quality, the huge difference on Saturday was Gerrard. His ability to pass accurately over distance to the advanced wide players meant that we couldn't stifle Liverpool in the same way. One of their fans said on the match thread, he was astonished to see six Norwich players in advanced positions when Liverpool had the ball. It was as if we were trying the same tactics against Liverpool as against Swansea and completely forgetting about Gerrard.
what we did against swansea last year was what we failed to do at all against liverpool and was the main reason (apart from our mistakes) we got humped. failure to close down their players in midfield and defence. how many times did liverpool have the freedom of the park to make the pass of their choice? drove me friggin' mental i'm telling you! press the ball for gods sake!! liverpool did it very well
I agree that was the case for a lot of the time, especially in the second half, but earlier in the match I thought we were at least trying to do it. Re. Liverpool's pressing, one of their players was quoted earlier in the season as saying that Rodgers' instructions to them were that they should aim to regain possession within 6 seconds of losing it!
i felt we sat off them even early on. we started to press them quickly beginning of the 2nd half - hughton had clearly given them a rollocking - shame that snoddy chance didn't smash the back of the net like it would have done 99 times out of 100 - i think we'd have had them rattled. they weren't great at the back. the timings of their first three goals killed us.
good, promising player. weren't we linked with him last summer? probably just as a joke to wind them up though
Hes really pretty average but then again Johnson was **** n you lot rate him so what do I know Rodolph Austin is an absolutely quality player, Luke Varney is better than Snodgrass Howson n Johnson combined
I completely agree, we did not press well enough. Against decent sides you have 2 choices. Either press high up the pitch and make sure everybody is pressing up together. Or all sit back and soak up pressure. The really problems come when you do one or the other half heartedly which can then open up way too much space for the opposition and makes it easy to pass around the defence.
