http://anfieldindex.com/11791/liverpool-midfield-balance-without-gerrard.html Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers reached new heights during his second season at the club, seeing his team finish 2nd in the league, just 2 points behind eventual winners Manchester City. After several seasons of disappointment, the Liverpool team looked rejuvenated under Rodgers, striking 101 goals over the course of the campaign and doing so in the most attractive of fashion; Suarez and Sturridge leading the line with 19-year-old Raheem Sterling operating at the peak of a diamond represented arguably the most dangerous frontline in the league, if not Europe. In recent weeks though, Rodgers has come under levels of criticism that he has not faced since the early stages of his tenure as Liverpool boss â much of it owed to his somewhat questionable team selections and player-management. When Rodgers arrived at the club he did so with a promise to promote attractive football, a death by football mentality that fans warmed to despite sub-par performances in the early stages of his tenure. Without doubt, Rodgersâ charisma and the clear vision he presented so well earned him the patience and respect he required to set about his work. To begin with, Rodgersâ detractors cited a lack of adaptability when aiming criticism in his direction, arguing that he opts for style over substance, refusing to deviate from his philosophy to win games. That all changed in his second season though where he frequently adapted the formation to accommodate a variety of approaches: 4-2-3-1; 4-3-3; 4-4-2; 4-2-2-2; 3-5-2; 3-4-1-2; 4-3-1-2, you name it, Liverpool fans witnessed it during the 2013/2014 season. Rodgers eventually settled on a 4-3-1-2 formation with the frankly unforgettable Luis Suarez partnering Daniel Sturridge ahead of Raheem Sterling, who earned all the plaudits in the latter stages of the season following a lacklustre start. In doing so Rodgers answered his critics, emphatically demonstrating that he can be pragmatic in the name of results. The 4-3-1-2 that Liverpool fans became accustom to deployed Gerrard in a deep-lying playmaker role, with Henderson and either Phillippe Coutinho or Joe Allen flanking him. The range of passing Gerrard offered to the team became a key component of the teams attacking play, allowing attacks to develop quickly and ruthlessly through the energy, pace and tenacity of the likes of Henderson, Sterling, Suarez and Sturridge. Gerrard, despite displaying defensive frailties, appeared to settle into the role in just the way you would expect and his presence in the midfield was without doubt one of the key drivers behind Liverpoolâs title charge. I donât think many fans would argue that last yearâs team was one of balance, but the sheer unforgiving nature of Liverpoolâs attacking play was such that no-one really seemed to care. The miserable truth is though, that this team is totally different to the one that put fans on cloud nine last year. Suarez is soaking up the sun in Barcelona, Sturridge is injured and the alternatives are not exactly Suarez-esque â Liverpool have gone from SAS to SOS in terms of goal-scoring. Fans have been craving the diamond formation for large parts of this season, but without Sturridge fit and a plethora of attacking midfield options to choose from, Rodgers seems to have settled on a 4-2-3-1, which aims to accommodate Gerrard in a midfield pairing; or a 4-3-3 with Gerrard sitting at the base. The 4-2-3-1 formation goes against everything Liverpool fans have come to love over the last 18 months. Without the fluency of Suarez and Sturridge, Gerrard has failed to influence the game in the same way he did last year, and the change in shape has exposed the defensive weaknesses that were hidden last season. The problem with Rodgersâ team selections this year is that they donât get the best out of anyone: Gerrard struggles defensively so Henderson canât operate in forward positons; Sterling has spent the majority of his game time deployed as a winger and, particularly in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Coutinho canât impact the game as much as fans are used to seeing. Team balance has become a far bigger cause for concern this year and the team selections arenât reflecting the need for it. The effectiveness of Gerrard was in large parts down to the movement and ability of those in front of him; Suarez and Gerrard had an almost telepathic relationship at times, and the fluency in Liverpoolâs attackers coaxed the best from Steven Gerrard. In this current team though, his defensive frailties are being exposed and without the presence of a potent strike-force, they are not concealed. Labelling a playerâs characteristics by their number is the modern football trend that irks me the most and Coutinho is the perfect explanation as to why. To me, the player in the ânumber 10â role is the sort that controls the tempo of the game, has a natural sense for space in front of a defence and has a knack of changing the direction of a game at a momentâs notice. Coutinho is not that guy; in my opinion his best qualities are completely wasted there. Coutinhoâs ability to pick the ball up in deep positions and jink through an opposition midfield before finding a splitting through ball are wasted playing as the ânumber 10â. Instead, his creative trade should be applied from deeper in the midfield where he can induce a turnover in play and craft chances for other attacking players. The best Liverpool performance under Rodgers is arguably the demolition of Spurs at White Hart Lane last season. The way Liverpool pressed the ball and made a mockery of Andre Villas Boasâ tactics was a joy to behold â Spurs managed 0 shots on target that game, the first time during their time at White Hart Lane, whilst Liverpool struck 5 from 10 shots on target. In the build-up to the match my Twitter was filled with fans, both Spurs and Liverpool, suggesting that Liverpool would be overrun by the power of the likes of Dembele, Paulinho and Capoue. The reality was quite the opposite. The mobility Liverpool possessed in the centre of the pitch took Spurs by storm and they were totally unable to deal with the intensity that Liverpool harrowed them from start to finish. The team that played that day had no Gerrard, no Sturridge and none of the new defensive acquisitions. Instead, it had a clear game plan and a level of balance that fans have not witnessed since. Deploying Steven Gerrard in a deep role is fine, but only when his passing outweighs the defensive weakness he brings to the midfield, and that is simply not the case this season. Steven Gerrard would only warrant a place on the teamsheet alongside Emre Can and Jordan Henderson who together could shield him and allow him to play. In my opinion though, he doesnât offer enough to justify sacrificing creativity in more advanced positions in the form of Coutinho. Deploying Coutinho as part of a midfield trio alongside two of Jordan Henderson, Joe Allen and Emre Can offers far more balance and would go some way to achieving the levels of energy that are so pivotal to Rodgersâ philosophy. Itâs sad to say, but Rodgersâ persistence with Gerrard is costing Liverpool this season. As much as I am a fan of playing out from the back and dictating the game from deep areas, Liverpool do not have the attacking assets or the defensive solidarity to allow it with Steven Gerrard. I would much rather see Coutinho, or even Allen, given a bit more freedom in the centre of midfield to encourage composure and mobility in vital areas. Rodgers is not doing Gerrard a great service by playing him week-in week-out. The season is still young, but it is old enough now to see that the midfield needs restoring with balance, power and attacking prowess.
An interesting read but in reality it's a load of bollocks! The one thing that last season's side was not was balanced in any section of the team. Truly the only consistent factor was the all out commitment to attack. When we stopped attacking we were as vulnerable last year as we are this. It's nothing to do with if or where Gerrard plays, it's the mere fact that we haven't got any pace in our attack that is the crucial issue.. But if we are going to be brutally honest then we have to admit that appart from Gerrards cross-field balls we have little or no midfield inventiveness. Giving a ball to henderson is now a recipe for disaster. He's become the complete all-rounder - can't tackle, can't pass, can't shoot!
The simple fact is we've been pretty poor with him and equally as poor without him. We're also usually pretty **** when Allen plays too....oh and Coutinho's having a stinker of a season culminating in yesterday, one of his poorest performances in a Red shirt.
The simple reality is that there is nothing in our midfield (with or without Gerrard ) that makes our team stand out as a top 4 team. Let us ask ourselves this? Are there more than 4 teams with a better midfield? Are there more than 4 teams with a better strike force ? Are there at least 4 teams with a better defence AND GK? I am afraid that if we look at the picture dispassionately and try to see the wood for the trees, we are just a mid table team at best. The question is: would tinkering with this or that formation or with or that player do? Or do we need a wholesale transformation? Starting with the manager. Harsh but it is the reality if people are willing to open their eyes.
I don't like using stats but it's the only way I can answer that one... Lallana has two goals and one assist in fifteen appearances (0.20 impact per game) Coutinho has one goal in seventeen appearance (0.06 impact per game) Edit: I will say that Coutinho is struggling because of a lack of movement in front of him though. Lallana has been better when Lambert as played too.
Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd and Arsenal all clearly have better midfielders. Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd and Arsenal all clearly have better forwards. Chelsea have a defence, the rest are debatable. However, ours is super poor so Man City, Arsenal, Man Utd, Spurs and Everton are better than us. Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal and Spurs all have a better keeper than us too
It's too melodramatic for me. So Stoke finished 9th last year, if they had Suarez then they would have finished 2nd as well?
Dave's comment was about Henderson. He does seem to have followed the same patterns as Cleverley, just a coyuple of seasons later. Heavily hyped at first as the future for club and country, disappointed for a bit, for a year or so he looked like he might deliver on the hype (ok, for Cleverley it was about six months), now looking increasingly bang average. Of course neither of them can hold a candle to Darron Gibson
He did but it wasn't all Suarez. Luis being in the team raised other players games too. Sturridge, Sterling and Hendo were fantastic last year too.
Imo Saints are the only ones whose defence is close to Chelsea's for quality right now, the City match aside of course.
