in the first madrid game we played well for 20mins. one of thier lot flopped over for 2 mins and we lost all our intensity... that was poor. it was 1-0 at half time and then we literally threw two goals in. Its funny how a little thing like someone just flopping over can just kill our game so LFC really need to be thinking about that.... we lost it totally. At madrid we rode our luck big time.... several times they could have socred and were in second gear. no we must think back to basel away...forget madird they re 5 times the team we are. At basel in the first half we were fine. we went in at half time in control, came out unfocused and conceded early. again lets be frank this is all mental... mourinho is right... even if he is wumming when he said it... mentally we have not got 11 MEN who ge ttheir game heads on focus and give it all for 90. we are sloppy, can lost concentration and momentum over the slightest thing... We need men now not boys. men who know how to earn thier 100k+ per week by putting it on the line. no hiding, no walking back (johnson).. .there is a reason why mourinho goes to pains to single out hazard sprinting back at 3-0 up in the 88th min.... this is what he truely values and gives him beleif his team will win the lot. I'd rather a man jog forward and sprint back then sprint off up the line, not get a pass then let the next move occur while he walks back sulking he didn't get it.
The mistake tonight would be to go all out on the attack and get hit on the counter. Players must have belief and stay focused for 93 minutes or more. Trying to defend a 1-0 lead near the end of the match would be suicidal. Keeping the ball means they don't have it to attack. What we don't want to hear is" the players could not be faulted. They gave everything. Basel defended with 11 players behind the ball" I wouldn't mind Rodgers saying: "we were under the cosh. We nicked a goal to win. Fair play to Basel" . The result is all
you are right... thats why we don't need to throw the full backs on that much but we should have a front 4 pressing very hard and then some tactically sense in the two cms sitting in the middle. we cannot allow them to settle on the ball and we have to see that as an english side we do have 3/4 players who are half decent in the air from a set piece and play for everything.... chase everything down with the first 4.
Don't panic. Everton have more ranking points this season (although that will change if Pool make the last 16 of the CL) but the overall ranking is based on the last 5 years combined, and Everton are currently 79th to Pool's 42nd. Seems like like a lifetime ago that both clubs were winning European Trophies in the same era!
Forget playing it tight and controlled. We can't create chances or even have shots on target in this current set up. And even if we do nick a goal - we can't defend to save our lives. Kolo and Lucas have improved us but they're still average and will get caught out. Go back to do what we do best - attack with pace and press early on. We have the players to do this - even having Sterling/Borini/Markoovic up front will give us much needed pressing, intensity and speed.
well not markovic sorry... we can get 60mins out of coutinho only it seems... rodgers wants the sack for that alone my front 4 would be sterling coutinho lambert borini and their jobs are to be all in after 60 odd mins chasing and pressing.... and hopefuyll by then i've 2 goals and then i sub on allen for coutinho, move henderson up to press more and then well we would see. however.... i expect to see gerrard and lucas start so i'd expect borino to be benched and henderson to play wide right so it'd prob still work somehow.
I don't want Lambert anywhere near this team - hardly any movement, poor runs, little intelligence. No self-respecting defender would give him any thought. We had SAS last season - they would occupy around 3-4 defenders themselves. Lambert doesn't need marking. As a result, defenders can push higher because Lambert has no pace to run in behind. So instantly, we're already playing deeper. To make it work, you need players like Sterling to make the runs beyond but they're simply not suited to that style yet so it hasn't worked. I want players who are quick in terms of speed in their legs and mind. We need more pace in this team so we can win the ball high up and attack with pace, and to drive into the box. We've got much better chance with Markovic and Sterling up front. Doesn't matter anyway - Rodgers will play 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 and Lambert will be the target man.
Well, being that lambert is actually all we have, what would you suggest? At least he scores goals, where Borini does **** all except make a few "promising" movements, and mario is as thick as a tree trunk
You are saying we are an average team? I was just looking at Basel's team. They are not that impressive but they are experienced and play controlled football as a team. We need to be patient. They've show many times that they are no pushovers even against better teams than ours. If we play like headless chickens and think that Basel will crumble under pressure we'll be stuffed. I can see a game of very few chances with very little flowing football. Set pieces could be key for both sides.
I want us to take the risk and play Sterling and Markovic up front. Sterling is the only player who resembles Sturridge in terms of pace and movement. He's obviously nowhere near as good at scoring or composure but I guarantee that with Sterling up front - you then get players like Lallana and Coutinho having some to aim for and feed throughballs to. I rather we create the chances we did last season and have Sterling miss them, rather than having a recognised striker like Lambert in the team and not creating anything (our chance creation is appalling this season). And Markovic needs to be playing centrally or as an inside forward (mainly from the left). He's also played as a striker for Benfica on a number of occassions. On paper, we are an average side. And on the pitch, we're even worse. But that's because we're not playing to our strengths - Rodgers is forcing this 4-2-3-1 and it's not good. Basel are a good side and they're enjoying a record start to their domestic campaign. But we have some players who can hurt them if they're unleashed. Sterling and Coutinho in particular.
well sorry but he does try so like sorry but we've nothing else... I am telling you now markovic and sterling up front is never happening as only stelring has ever been stuck false 9 and that was once... this aint happening cos its not going to work... the thing is in the prem we've seen three strung across behind lambert and stelring and coutinho and lallana have shown zero physicality and pressing intensity at all... markovic has 15mins of ok play behind him... sorry but its not enough With the best will in the world wanting it and having the players to do it are two different things... we are scrapping for anything until jan 1... if we don't buy the first week in jan all hel is going to break loose. I expect scrapping and fighting and lambert will do it. the others are not showing the desire for me
I think having Markovic as a 'false nine' (can't be classed as a striker) is an interesting idea but it requires people from the midfield to run beyond him, which is something only Sterling does out of all the players in our squad. So unless Sturridge makes a miraculous return from injury or we have a top attacking player in our u21s ready to make an impact we are ****ed until at least January so we'll have to just keep plodding along as we are currently doing trying to grind out results.
I agree we are bang average nothing more... there's not a player in our current squad bar perhaps sterling as a potential player that would be within an asses roar of chelsea or city's teams... period... mourinh owould kill coutinho the way he is going on. that boy wants a huge slap for the effort he put in.
thats all i expect... there is nobody like a wilson or kane in our u21s beleive that... so unitl jan 1 thi is it... scrappers... try to be in both cups and keep within 6 points of 4th. Cos believe me if we do not immediately move in jan I for one will go mad.
Thing is, I was saying last season that we need an extra attacking player or we'd struggle to break teams down. I was proved wrong because we finished 2nd and had the 2nd best attack in the league, the problem was that a lot of our players overachieved like Suarez, Sturridge, Skrtel, Sterling etc in the goal department to create an illusion that we had a really strong attack when it was more, in hindsight, a season where the bounce of the ball went our way. Now that Suarez has gone we need to still replace him AND sign another attacking that will score and assist because our other attacking players aren't good enough or still young and inconsistent. I agree also that it will be really frustrating if we don't sign an attacking player in January.
Didn't see him do it in the last match? He was dreadful I rather have players who have an ounce of ability over a player who merely works hard.
you are going to be disappointed then lamberts got more ability to go do something than the others... its simply a matter of fact... just cos his legs are gone before we even bought him doesn't mean he can play a bit. markovic has shown nothing to merit a starting shirt at lfc so far... at least lamberts knocked a couple in and competed. lets not confuse a disastrously bad summer thats put us in this terrible position of even thinking about markovic or lambert and a real team selection. this is the best of a bad lot.... markovic and can need games and they aint getting them so kudos to rodgers for creating that scenario. markovic should be minded and put in his best slot to give him a hope of justifying his fee but i have seen nothing and i mean nothing so far to merit putting our cl life in his hands.
I agree with you mate. I just think we need to do something drastic to change the season. Because at the moment, Rodgers is trying to force a system on players who aren't suited. The performances are simply not improving and there is no evidence that it's going to change anytime soon unless he does something.
