The chavs, the West Hams and the Stokes of the world, how do you actually go up against them and beat them??? It is something Rodgers needs to learn and learn fast, personally I'm not sure (I'm not a manager), but how do you set up against these teams, how do you get through them and how do you actually beat them?
Yes, we have had a poor defence this season, but that wasn't why we lost yesterday. I am not wanting to have a go at how teams play, but I am interested in what you do to beat it.
They invited us to shoot from distance and we dont really have anyone that can anymore. Thats why konoplyanka could be a good signing
Score early, force them out and get more attacking chances as a result. What we did yesterday is no different to what half the league do to all the top teams on a weekly basis. Chances should always come and if you're clinical you'll win more often than not. Not being clinical in some of these games (west ham, sunderland, villa) is why we're not top.
You have to play them at their own game, out-muscle them and out-run them. Unfortunately for us, our team of 5 foot 6 slight and lights cannot do that. Henderson would have been perfect in the middle yesterday.
Don't play to the strength of the ant-football team. If you don't attack them then their strategy is shot from the start. Sooner of later the defence will break ranks to try and win the ball and create the strength for you.
If all you had to do against a good side was 'park the bus' then all of the unfashionable sides would surely be challenging for the league? The simple facts are that there's more to it than simply sitting deep and getting bodies behind the ball. It takes precise planning, total concentration and no little skill to be effective in stifling expansive sides. The difference between Chelsea and your lot, is that they can play like you do, with the likes of Hazard, Oscar and Willian capable of fast pace expansive attacking play. However, you can't do what they did yesterday i.e. grind out a result by playing deep and stifling the opposition. How do you overcome it? by increasing the pace once you get to the attacking 3rd and trying to get in behind
Sit deep and force them forward to create the space in behind. Its tactical football at its best. Literally a game of chess.
I agree, the early goal brings the opposition out, but yesterday we never looked like getting the early goal. Jose stuck to his plan and Rodgers didn't have an answer to break it down. What is the next step, because our play yesterday or other similar styles you have come up against in Europe recently aren't the answers, hence your success, but I am sure there must be some way to break it down.
Classic tobes, ignore what the topic is about. 1. This isn't about why other 'park the bus' teams aren't top of the league. 2. This isn't about how well the chavs set up yesterday. 3. This isn't about how the chavs change their style in other games. 4. This isn't about how we can't grind results out. Thank fully, your last sentence gave your insight on how you do overcome it.
You have to be patient, the other team are giving you the ball so enjoy it. To be honest that's what we did but Gerrard slipped for that game plan to be thrown out the window.
I think you need to make the pitch as wide as possible, with your 2 wingers pretty much hugging the touch line , or you can use the fullbacks if you would prefer to use them. There is no point playing narrow against these tactics like you guys did yesterday as there's no way you'll pass through the middle. The more you spread your play and the wider you make the pitch feel, the more energy the bus parkers will be using up, to continually have to move across the pitch to close you down. You can guarantee that come the 2nd half when they begin to tire, gaps will begin to appear as they'll run out of gas, as it can be very tiring playing negative tactics against a side that knows how to spread the play properly. We used to do this very well under SAF, and that's why we used to get so many late winners, as sides would park the bus, and we had players that could ware down the opposition with the way they could ping balls from one side of the pitch to another. Paul Scholes for example was the master of doing this. He'd ping the ball out to Becks who was on one touch line, and then next time he'd ping it out to Giggs on the other. Becks could also ping it all the way across to Giggs, and vice versa. The opposition would be out on there feet after 70 mins of it, which would give us the opportunity in the last 20 mins to break the deadlock
Stand off them and settle for a 0-0 draw. Pretty soon no-one will go and watch games and Sky will pull out of boring spectacles. Hit them where it hurts, in the wallet. Or the purse in Chelsea's case. P.S. Still hope you can win the league. I think you are maybe going to have to rely on your neighbours though.s
Well for starters do not let Stevie G do a Cattermole and give a goal away! Then show patience to 'get round the back or through the channels' or draw them on and hit on the counterattack/ You also missed a few chances. I reckon Henderson was missed and for £30m you can have Wickham a big lad to unsettle their defences so that either Sturriage or Suarez could pick up the pieces.
We did bring on Aspas....... With that being said though, what was the other option to bring in? Without Moses it did show how we do still lack something..... different up top. Doesn't even have to be a big lad but a poacher, someone making runs behind, someone very strong in the 1v1 to disrupt the shape, etc.
I'd rather we brought Tex on (was he even on the bench). I think he would have given more to the game- plus given him valuable experience. Aspas is a throwaway player at the end of the year- so we shouldn't worry about his "Experience" plus- he has been dire all season, whereas Tex's small cameo had been brilliant.
