My fear is that BR won't fix it/can't fix it. He was obstinate about it last year when we were banging the goals in. I think it cost us the title, I really do. I and many on here went nuts about the space we offered our opponents........This year, we cannot afford to be so generous.....but BR doesn't seem to ever do anything to tighten things up in defence or in front of them. I'll be honest, playing like this, we'll need a miracle to get top 4. Zamora bullying us ffs. Zamora???
I think it can be fixed with the introduction of one type of player but that won't happen until Stevie retires. I have nothing against Stevie either. Like I said for Mario, my problem is with the manager.
I don't think it will be fixed though. I am losing faith in a Rodgers setting a team up to defend regardless of personnel. It's systemic, chronic failure in nearly every game.
In the short term, neither do I. Has Brod ever set a team up to defend? Not that I want him to either, just conceding one a game will do
Rodgers is very big on defending with the ball and I think possession has always been the best defense in his mind. I think he is still continueing to trying and build that but needs to develop a balance.
True but he needs to move with the times too. Barca won all and sundry playing possession football but teams figured out how to beat it. We're not as good as that Barca team!
Wasn't quite what I meant, we're not a replicate of that Barca team, just have the same 'possession is defence' mentality. We're not capable of keeping the ball in the same way that Barca team did. In fact, our ball retention is actually quite poor considering Brod wants us to use this philosophy! Last season, we won a lot of games whilst losing the possession game! I think our midfield is physically weak, our defence are like strangers and we don't have much of a attack whilst Studge is injured. Teams know we want to keep the ball so they setup in one of two ways; press constantly and force us into silly errors, or sit back and let the two CBs have the ball leaving the CF on Gerrard (if he's playing the deeper role). We need to learnt o mix things up and become unpredictable again.
My point was that I dont think defense by possession would really work in this country, not even for Barca, let alone us. Suarez was the reason we wre so unpredictable last season.
He certainly helped but we were unpredictable when he was banned too. I'd say the interchanging, freedom and movement the front players had made it very difficult for the opposition to contain us. Plus, only Suarez as left out of the quartet. Studge, Sterling and Coutinho remain at the club.
Last season that your defensive record was a consequence of how you played. This season they just look awful, half the time the midfield don't give any cover which has usually been Gerrard's fault and on top of that your defenders are just coming up with tonnes of bizarre errors. I was surprised to hear Carragher saying Mignolet should've done better for the second, Allen was on the post and should've cleared it. The defence is what it is really and I think the worst part of today for you guys was the players infront of them. The first half your midfield seemingly had one idea of how to break QPR down and that was long passes in behind the defence which isn't suited to a small pitch like Loftus Road. Balotelli is a real worry though, he looks as selfish and lazy as ever, maybe Rodgers will sort him out over time but for now I think you're much better off with Lambert. He's not spectacular and won't create chances for himself but if the rest can create good chances for him then he'll score which is more than you can say of Mario at the moment.
Lovren looks decent, at least he's trying to fix things. Problem is he's trying a little too hard. Skrtel is hopeless without Carra beside him. Johnson has degenerated to the point of being actively harmful to us. We look like we're crying out for a coach to instill confidence into the defence. Flanagan - Lovren - Sakho - Moreno should be the back line when everyone is fit mind. Maybe we can start using a midfield including both Allen and Can too.
Despite spending what we have, we are missing 3 players imo. GK. He mat be a good shot stopper but he is the cause of much of the panic when balls are lobbed into our box. Midfield Enforcer - Call it what you want, DM/CM/HM whatever.....we need a player that's taller than 5'6 and wont allow players like Zamora to bully us. Every great team in the EPL has had one. Trouble is finding one good enough. Striker - A top striker who makes runs behind the defence.....a real pain in the arse, one who can play up front alone if required. Let's face it, Studge is too injury prone to rely on. It's not Balotelli, we know that much!
KKK.... yeah you are right... for that game if we'd had all 3 we'd have done much better.... but.... only if the CBs manned up form minute 1. I reckon a good striker and a sandro like player mopping up the crumbs off zamora that qpr were playing for and we'd have done better...
The problem for me is personnel, not the system. We have a player who is has no discipline or defensive mindset sitting as the protector of the defence. What we need is Matic - brilliant player. We have 2 centre backs who make a lot of errors - Lovren's judgement is unbelievably poor. He misses quite a few headers and misjudges long balls. Skrtel is just a moron, loses his marker constantly and makes ridiculous decisions. I just hope the only reason Enrique and Johnson were playing is because Manquillo and Moreno are starting against Real. Enrique, Skrtel, Johnson all need to be binned as far as I'm concerned. Flannagan is a better back up on both flanks. And whilst I'm not Lovren's biggest fan, play him with Sakho.
wellllll..... I don't agree seeing yesterday we flipped it and had gerrard almost off badontelly and can and Henderson doing SOMETHING... but if we changed the system these two then also failed.. so i think a big part of this has to reside on system and manager. be prpared to be disappointed on manquiloo and moreno... one feels rodgers has defaulted to these two.
Zamora ffs BR's tactics are beginning to look extremely naive to me. It's clear to my blind great aunt that Ballo cannot play in that system....Migs is a big reason why our CB's are so nervous....There's just no leadership anywhere on the park. Gerrard was always one to lead by example but he can't do that as much these days. I'm seriously worried and by the look of BR in his last couple of interviews, I'd say he is too. I'm not sure if he knows how to stem the goals against though.....and we're as sure as hell not going to score a bucket load anytime soon.
it'd help if he didn't revert to type Picking johnson and enrique smacked of seeking some old guard experience. he got exactly that. guys who let crosses in the box all the time. The best thing he can do is ensure the team supports each other and move for passes... we simply don't offer the option to one and two touch pass right now. then beg the team to smash it out for a throw not a corner... cos nothing else he's tired has fixed the defensive malaise at set peice.
He's tried??? Our defence is a shambles. I really do fear humiliation sometime soon.....I have every confidence that BR will get us back to playing some neat one touch football but right now, it is glaringly obvious that when it comes to defending, he's a penny short of a pound. How the feck we're 5th in the table is truly beyond me!
