As the manager of a side that came 2nd of course he deserves some credit for that, as a manager gets the plaudits when it goes well and gets the grief when it doesn't. I just think it was less his doing and more about the brilliance of Suarez and Sturridge. He binned his tiki taka philosophy when Gerrard simply wasn't having it, lets be right.
i have to say that 1. suarez was put by all and sundry at 3rd best in world after messi and ronaldo... all and f'n sundry, not us. every hack and pundit. Aguero with respect needs to really prove he's not another crock like torres and come bac. he's simply not at the same level as suarez and with respect to RvP.... best years are behind him and his move to utd paid of for one year so far.
The tika-taka is still evident. We still pass, pass and pass some more, pretty sure opposition fans (can't remember if you have) have used this as a criticism because we keep the ball in defence so long. The keeper rarely punts the ball up field either. The only player that goes for the longer passes often is Gerrard who blatantly refused to change his game. Now, you could question Brod here since he has a player not willing to fall in line but I'd credit him for adapting slightly and allowing us to gain the benefit of a truly great player in possession of the ball. As for everything going through Suarez, it didn't. Sure Luis was involved a lot but then, he was getting involved rather than waiting to be involved. We never intentionally played a "get it to Suarez" game.
Never said I agreed or disagreed with either party. However, that's mainly because I both agree and disagree with both sides too. I wouldn't put Suarez at a higher level than Aguero but I would over RvP. That's just down to opinions though. And before someone accuses me of being biased with RvP, I never rated him as highly at Arsenal either and I've often gone on record as saying if Liverpool can't win the league then I'd prefer Arsenal too (would be Everton but they've got no chance)
Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling, Coutinho, Henderson have all had the form of their lives under Rodgers #lucky
Form the plenty I saw of you last season (you were on every week ffs ) it was obvious that there'd been a shift in playing style, the ineffective, predictable, plodding tiki taka passing had gone and you were getting the ball from back to front very quickly (hoof) to utilise the pace you had in the side, with Gerrard pulling the strings from deep. How much of that was Rodgers 'philosophy'? and how much was it about Gerrards refusal to change - that lead to him almost stumbling into a winning formula?
This is where I hope (really, really hope) we surprise people at how easily we move on from Suarez. The way the whole team plays should mean a very good season again. Some will say we now lack that special something that Suarez gave us but with Coutinho and Sterling improving plus some additions I again hope that we will surprise our rivals.
As I said, Gerrard blatantly refused to change his game so those long range passes where always going to be there but the rest of the team were playing the tike-taka approach. Mixing it up is a good thing though and why not utilise pace upfront if we have it? It's not often the long pass arrived immediately though, we usually pass it about the defence for ten minutes before decided to move forward PS...Gerrard's slip; why was he so deep for that slip to be so costly? Was that not Brod's tika-taka tactics that he employed at Swansea too?
disagree slightly there tobes, we wasn't pissing about with the ball as much would be more accurate, i never saw much hoofing if any. maybe on the wings for sterling etc, but most teams do that with pacey wingers on the counter, wasn't how we mainly played. we may see more of that type this season from us with lambert in the squad, but to start with still passing it about.
This is how Fergie was successful for so many years. He didn't always have the best players in every position but he often had the best team. He had a way he wanted the team to play and only picked players if they fit the position he was putting them in. Team > player every time. This is why I argue that we don't need players like Ben Arfa (previous summers) and often say I'd much rather have a Kuyt, Lucas or Hendo. Yes HBA is a very good player but he isn't a team player and he's often injured, that's not a great asset to the team. The trio are/were all team players.
Gerrard hit the long pass several times every game, this is what Tobes means by hoof ball PS...yes, I realise the CB's occasionally do it too but its usually when there is no other option and it's hardly ever a hit and hope either.
"The trick is finding the players that will go on to be great at a young age - and will grow together to become brilliant individually and collectively." Tried that, they get poached. Next!
well firstly i never mentioned how you played him for the saints like it was some comparison! i was talking from our point of view how we will probably use him sometimes in games, ie impact sub. for you he was an important first team player, for us he is a backup option, and i see us using him that way in games late on, never said you did!
Right, so Rodgers coming to Liverpool with his preferred style of play, then changing it in his second season to better suit the players at his disposal (Dropping Gerrard deeper than any other midfielder in the league where he's got space to pass, using Sterling's pace on the counter and giving him freedom to drift in the final third to find space, Hendo in the centre for energy, shifting Suarez alongside Sturridge when it's rare to have 2 up top, etc), isn't the sign of a good manager, but all down to a player who doesn't want to change Got it.
Did you know that Lallana was signed up as the 'face' of French Connection, just before Gerard tapped him up? It's true, look it up. I think Lambert's being linked with Bench. (I'm here all week)
Rodgers' principal philosophy is to play attacking football. The means change depending on what he has at his disposal. It's good, because it means he is willing to adapt and not stick stubbornly with one plan (like Hodgson)
