I read a stat somewhere: 1 in 3 attempted passes by Benteke results in lost possession. I hope Rodgers isn't hoping we play pass the ball around the opponents box waiting for space. Benteke will be useful for the counter attack but he's not going to fit Brendans possession philosophy (not that we usually play possession footy when we do well).
...Ooops quoted wrong post. I meant to quote the LaCasette comment... BlurayTechie? Will he look better on my Balotelly?
Villa counter attack using the wings. We don't - we counter through the middle and we have players who are better playing through the middle. Benteke does not make runs in behind the defence, in fact, he doesn't run that much at all. He's only good at holding the ball up if it's in the air and controls it on the chest. You cannot pass it into his feet. To get the best out of him, he needs fast runners and players around him. Unless we have Marko or Ibe playing wide, Firmino and Coutinho are simply not suited to him. All in all, he's a waste of money - but I hope I'm proven wrong.
This. Last seasons 'style' hardly worked so who is to say Rodgers isn't going to adapt how the team play slightly which in turn will help benteke. Doesnt mean we we have to go all United #hoofball but somewhere in the middle where we have players who can provide that quick mobile in behind movement but also option to deliver in the box and be a bit more direct when needed.
Firstly, he's not a good player. He didn't seem to adapt when he has Hazard or Kevin De Bruyne around him at international level - both players who actually try not to pass to him because he breaks down attacks so frequently. And you don't ask your good players to adapt - you build around them. Out of curiosity, who can make the runs in behind the defence? Coutinho doesn't, Firmino can but is not renowned for it - both players prefer movement ahead of them. Benteke doesn't run full stop. Ings and ORigi can but neither will be starters.
Had you a decent fit striker last season and your style hadnt worked you could say it needed changing. But that wasnt the case. Your style doesnt need changing. It had worked for you in the past. You needed the right striker. And where you do sometimes need to mix it up, you do it with a backup striker coming off the bench in the second half.
Did it? Didn't rally work in the first year and the season after Suarez pretty much ran our forward line and determines our style on his own.
You were creating chances. Tbf that's what liverpool fans were saying as well. Particularly with how much you missed Sturridge but generally throughout the season, nobody really criticised the system but moreso the lack of a decent, pacy finisher up front.
You don't really know who will start at the moment or how Benteke will fit into the team. A team does need talented individuals who tend to dictate the play and run the team, others adapt around them. Benteke may well be a disaster and not suit our style of play but I think we're a long way from there at this point. It may also go the other way and the players will work out how to get the best from each other and click. Lots of footy to play yet before writting the season off, lets get to Christmas before we all hit the doom and gloom.
The first year was the real Rodgers style - it didn't work because we simply didn't have the players to suit such a system. The second year, Rodgers did the right thing and simply gave Suarez a free license and built the attack around him. Last season, Rodgers tried to go back to his original style but it failed spectacularly. I think Gez mentioned it earlier how Benteke now adds a new dimension to our attack, and our attack was far too predictable last year. I agree to some extent - the issue last year is that our Plan A simply did not work because of the personnel and because Rodgers changed the Plan A. I rather Rodgers work on a Plan A that works and no Plan B, than have an average Plan A but with a Plan B (if that makes sense).
The fact that the club is ridiculed for signing a £32m players speaks volumes - it should be making them jealous and scared.
It appears to me that we've paid £32m for a player who always plays well against us, so he, er, won't play well against us. Should we have bought Agbonlahor too, to be on the safe side? Maybe we're trying to guarentee six points, or at least save two at Anfield... Just get behind him, I suppose. But on the subject of our 'style' of play: Sterling and Suarez are gone, Struridge is more injured than not. Those days have gone, I'm afraid. I wanted Berahino and Shaqiri to continue that style, but that's not the way we're going. But as for markovic playing that style; he's fast, but the missed five-yard pass at Arsenal summed up his overall ability to me. Cisse without the strength or shooting ability.
This. Most people I've spoke to think we've bought a very good striker, that will bring us goals - the main thing we lacked last season. Maybe Jimmy reads too many internet blogs
Exactly. We have to move on. Since SASAS has been disbanded, we've been trying to replicate it with zero success. We badly need to change it up, and looks like we're planning to. Can't be a bad thing imo.
