Is Brendan Rodgers going to take us forward???

We had Suarez the year before on similar form and it didn't get us top 4. It wasn't until we added Sturridge to the mix that it really took off. And Coutinho.
We also did very well without Suarez playing.
This one man team accusation is flimsy at best. Yes he was a brilliant player who made us much better, but it's not the extent that critics are saying.

 

I think we have to just look back seriously at the numbers here guys.

look back to when the run started last year.

We must give rodgers credit cos we were always on for 70 points last year. Right up to christmas and frankly while sturridge was injured we were just ok. We were a bit better than this season but not by all that much

The run started with the 4-1-2-1-2 formation. thats when we made a 4th place into 2nd place and nearly won it.

Rodgers picked it and stuck with it.


On the con side there is a consistent pattern of goals against which are just stupid. set piece goals in particular he's never resolved.

 

If Suarez didn't make that big of an impact, then why has our whole style changed? Why can't we do the basics like pressing and playing with high intensity?

As I say, if Rodgers truly implemented that style, then why has it completely gone to sh*t when one man left?

Sterling and Sturridge were very good last season but Suarez was the one who created space for them to operate in. As we've seen this season, neither have had a similar impact.

Suarez carried Rodgers and most of the team last season. The attackers played a good supporting role in their defence, but the midfield and defence offered nothing.

Since then, our defence and midfield are still awful, but now our attack is rubbish. So what has Rodgers actually done?

To his credit, he did the right thing last season and basically built the attack around Suarez and gave him a license to do anything.

Rodgers didn't build a system - he played to the strength of one player. Take the player out, the manager is now completely exposed.

 

then why were our results so good when Suarez was banned while he was here and this season when Sturridge played. Not just good, brilliant.

we didn't win 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, but we still won like clockwork.

 

we didn't lose our front 1, we lost our front 2.

the 2 top scorers in the league whether they played together or not

 

So you have a sample of around 9 games?

I have around 38 games for this season.

And you're right - we did lose 2 strikers but who decided to build the attack around an injury prone striker, and sign Lallana as a replacement for Suarez?

 

well over 20 league matches

more than enough to form a realistic opinion

and Sturridge wasn't injury prone for the first 2 seasons - but I'm guessing you saw this coming anyway mystic meg

 

I'd prefer to use the last 38 games to form a more realistic opinion.

Sturridge has been injury prone throughout his career. This is not something that is new. If you think Sturridge was going to play over 30 games this season consistently, then it's very naive to say the least.

 

OK just this season from the other 606:

Ignoring what he missed this season I thought I'd look at how we coped without our one man team Suarez with just the half fit and stuttering Studge

Southampton W 3
Tottenham W 3
West Ham W 3
Tottenham W 3
Southampton W 3
Man City W 3
Burnley W 3
Swansea W 3

Everton D 1

Man City L 0
Man Utd L 0
Arsenal L 0

Points 25
PPG 2.083333333
Extrapolate over a season 79.16666667



That's what Sturridge does for our attack in the league.

But let me guess, it was all Suarez

 

Not doubting Sturridge's ability - just why Rodgers banked on building the attack around an injury prone striker?

And those stats are well and good - but how many games as Sturridge missed through injury?

 

I don't think anyone expected him to play 35 matches, but it was 12 FFS

another 10 matches he's still considered an injury prone player but we're having a very different discussion about where we finish. Top 4 with a couple a matches to spare in my opinion

I think you're overplaying the we should have known card as well as it was all Suarez

 

he missed a vast amount of the middle of the season last year.

when he came to us he missed a few games as well with injury the season he joined.

 

Ok, it wasn't LITERALLY all down to Suarez. The attack carried us last season which included SAS and Sterling, Coutinho.

But Suarez was a massive part - I'd say 80% of the reason why we finished 2nd last season.

 

I think Rodgers thought he'd get a roughly similar number of matches that Sturridge normally gets in a season. Which includes his usual knocks and few weeks out here and there. Low to mid 20s appearances in the league at worst.

Lick our wounds, recover from the loss of Suarez and missing out on his replacement in Sanchez.

The reality was much, much worse and unexpected.

 

I dunno what he thought.

balotelli and lambert as the options doesn't even make sense so I dunno.

 

Managers live and die by their signings and Rodgers business has been largely ****ing dreadful.

You can argue all day about the 'Suarez season' but it was patently all of the moons aligning to create the near perfect storm for you. This season has seen you slip back to a similar level that you were in his first season, in a league that was extremely poor overall by previous years standards.

He's done some things that deserve definite credit, but plenty that deserves criticism also. Will he still be at Anfield next season? The answer to that will come next week imo.

 

That's the exact problem with Rodgers. Yes Sturridge hasn't been fit, but he saw Lambert and Balotelli as good back up and Aspas and Borini over the past few seasons. I wouldn't trust the bloke with 50p, he has to go.

 

Who would you like to replace him?

 

I've got more issues with Rodgers not using his strikers properly or at all than the one's he bought.

 

Klopp