2 Points from 9: Is it only me who questions BR?

The next time someone mentions top 4, please shoot them.....both barrels!

First off, I'd like to congratulate Clarke and WBA for a job well done yesterday; they knew how to stifle us and did it very well.

I find it really hard to stay positive tbh. While I applaud how we played against City and somewhat less so against Arsenal (awful defending again).....yesterday showed up our inadequacies in bright technicolor. Lot's of people will vilify me and argue that BR is learning.....and that's fair enough, but are we a club that wants to nurture a manager clearly not at the right level yet? Has anyone ever considered that he may not EVER be at the right level?

Let me make my case a little more; The first half yesterday, we were set up all wrong; make no mistake, this is how BR sends out his team; we should of had them on the rack from the first minute, instead, we play tippy-toe football for 45 minutes and it infuriates me! What is the point of so much procession if we do nothing with it??

Our defence is shocking at defending set pieces. This isn't about how we play football, it's 101 coaching out on the park, day in, day out. And as bad as we are at set pieces, we are worse being awarded them! I see no reason for us to simulate a foul anywhere tbh, we can't score for toffee from a set play......corner kicks look like a scene from Gullivers travels!

What is the point of Borini? Where is Joe Allen? Is it just me who questions BR on here? Make no mistake, we are heading nowhere under him.

Anyway, my last point. No plan B. Nothing. How many times yesterday did we get into great attacking positions and cross to......Nobody. It's as much the system as the players and I've had enough.

We play some nice football, are good in procession but lack penetration and are pretty lightweight. We have become Swansea (11/12). We are mid table mediocrity and am afraid will stay there under BR; I'm sure of it. I will of course eat my hat if i'm wrong.

 

Counter-argument/Devil's Advocate: He's had two transfer windows. Trimmed wage bill, opened room for Joe Allen, Borini (Hasn't paid off yet), brought in Sturridge, Coutinho (who played well with what little game time he had).

Also, Downing, Enrique, Henderson all seem to have improved under Rodgers. Youth brought through, sat players when they weren't doing much (Allen, Shelvey, etc...)

Plus, in our new system, we've taken to it quite well, and improve almost every week. We actually dominated play much of yesterday's game, aside from the last 15 minutes. We also were without Sturridge, who is the man on fire right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm disappointed we lost (majorly so,) but I don't really understand the doom and gloom around the board right now.

 

We should have beaten Arsenal and Man City away - good performances and decent yet disappointing results.

We were dog sh1t last night - but yet we still dominated, still created chances, missed a penalty and ultimately should have won.

 

Perhaps. I'm sure you, me and probably a dozen regulars on here said the same thing every game during Dalglish's reign - what's changed really?.....We play pretty football, sure....but it's not effective against well drilled teams......when I say team, that includes the keeper as we have to get past him too!

I think BR is tactically inept.....there I've said it.....

 

Question the players too. Not a single standout performance last night. The only one who looked decent was Lucas and that was only because he had to mop up all of the ****e around him, he couldn't play his own game yesterday.

 

I had my concerns about Rodgers tactically but I think he has improved recently - as shown in our last few games at Anfield and against Arsenal and City. It was another game when we should have won with all the chances we had. Personally, I think last night was down the players because they were shocking.

It also showed our lack of quality options up front. Sturridge was a big loss, and if Suarez isn't performing then our attack is toothless. Our front three still requires a bit of work and so does our midfield.

 

I actually thought Downing played well. I rarely compliment him and I'm quick to highlight his faults but he was an actual threat last night. Which says it all about our attack last night.

 

Agree downing was good. What infuriates me is that he causes problems when he runs at full backs so why does he only choose to do it 1 on every 5 games!?

 

It makes no difference when there is no one in the box attacking the ball. Shelvey put in a great ball and I think it was Reid who spliced it over the bar. Not one Liverpool player near him.

 

Our tactics were fine. It was a classic smash and grab. If Gerrard scores the penalty then WBA open up and we get another on the counter. Instead we miss, they score from a set piece and then they can counter us. The Chelsea-Barecelona game followed the exact same script but you don't see people calling Barcelona inept or respecting Chelsea for their fortunate result (though it is fair enough for WBA to do it since they haven't spent hundreds of millions on their team).

 

We now need to average a whole point a game more than Tottenham, I bet there are still posters that claim we can get fourth

I've said all along, better last seasons eighth and I'll be happy

 

You lost 0-2 at home to a side without a win since Boxing Day & yet you think your tactics were fine?

The penalty was never a penalty anyway, so it was justice that Foster kept it out.

You only mustered 7 shots on target including the penalty, so you were hardly creating hatfuls of clear cut chances.

West Brom sat deep & absorbed what you threw at them, Foster made a couple of great saves, but that's what he's paid to do.

For me you lacked any form of 'plan b' there were large spells of that game, when you never looked like scoring.

 

We lacked a Plan A too

 

I'm sorry but I repectfully disagree. Relying on a penalty (which shouldn't of been given btw) is not the best tactical plan. The first half we weren't a threat; leaving us only half a game to break down a team that parked the bus in front of goal. Sure it's tactics. We've dont this time after time this season, this isn't a one off.

 

Which is my point.

 

You just did it tactfully

 

Can't agree with the Downing comments, I remember seeing one good bit of play where he ran at their left back. The only outlet we had on the right was Johnson, who was dire yesterday. When I saw the team sheet, I thought we would pack the centre to allow the FBs to bomb on but both had stinkers. That meant we had no natural width - anonymous Downing on the right and Suarez kept getting dragged into the left.

 

Even while playing badly against a team set up to not have a shot until the 80th minute we still forced Foster to make several great saves. The penalty was soft but when your tactic is to cynically trip Suarez all game then that's the risk you take (reputation can work both ways). I agree that some of the same problems were evident (weakness at corners at both ends, no one on the end of balls into the box) and you might call that tactics but I think it is more players than Rodgers (this thread is about questioning him), unless he is specifically coaching players not to go into the box unless their name is Sturridge

 

I forgot to mention Enrique! This guy is a liability. I lost count how many times he gave the ball away cheaply yesterday and it always leaves us open to a counter.......

 

Despite all the plaudits, Foster made one world class save (from Gerrard) and guessed right from a penalty. The rest was bread and butter for a EPL keeper imo. We were limited to pot shots and half chances and a lot of wild efforts from outside of the box. WBA played 2 DM's (as usual) and basically said, come on then, play through us, knowing that if the ball goes wide, we do feck all with it. Tactical ****eness imo.