What happened to ours? Surely it wasn't all within Suarez, it certainly isn't in Balotelli thats for sure. Ignoring the Uruguayan, we are just playing a different style to last season, completely. Before people say there is a lot of new players, give them time etc. That isn't the sole reason when we have played Villa, Ludogorets, West Ham and Southampton.
Mix of that, because quick one touch passing, high pressing etc etc, relies on a team knowing each other well and where everyone will be as well as players with lots of confidence and not anxious to impress when they're new. But also because I'm not sure Rogers has figured out what the "new" Liverpool for this season is yet. I'm not sure HE is convinced the same style as last year will work as well..... I will wait until they all bed in before I really worry though.
It will come. The horse before the cart though. There's some issues outstanding that need to be ironed out first.
Last years style will not work with these players - it ultimately didn't work last season! Yes there is the problem of new players trying to find their feet but we are playing so slowly that we are just asking for all the trouble that we are getting.
When Sturridge, Sterling and Balotelli all play as a trio we will be better. Example: The Spurs game.
Frank, i feel the key word here is confidence. Last year we had a fairly settled side who believed they could out score anybody. We believed we could go to the Eithed and beat the best team in England. This year we have not bought players with huge ego's who believe they should be there but players who are trying to make the step up. Not the best example but Lambert was obviously wound up tonight, desperate to make an impression and show what he can do. If your an arrogant bastard you know what you can do and know it will come. Rogers instilled the confidence last year, i dearly hope he can instill that confidence again.
We're certainly not sprinting out of the blocks like we did in those super high scoring games last season, but when did that start to happen in 2013/14? I remember us starting slow.
I would settled for being able to defend set pieces first. Was a problem last year, major problem this season.
I can't believe Rodgers has bought like 7 centre backs and all of them are dogs **** or close to it. That has to be a record to go along with our brand new little Carling Cup one. Think that might have something to do with it anyway, just a tiny bit.
Read a few comments on here and a few on media sites saying it was/is a mistake to overplay Sterling at such a young age etc, well sorry but his new "superkid" status has earned him a new big money contract, what's the point of wrapping him in cotton wool and selling a super fit player to Real(as speculated in the tabloids)or whovever else. We brought Owen through the ranks and played him despite his young age and won silverware, he was never the same player after leaving but who gives a ****, when they play for and are paid by LFC their talents belong to the club. Ok he ****ed up against Boro but that's got nothing to do with him being overplayed.
Totally agree Pagey. This issue of players being overplayed is really pathetic. How much does the average game of football actually take out of an athlete? I ask this in comparison to other sportspeople, a tennis player during a big tournament who has to play every other day, rugby players getting **** kicked out of em. Alright a football player might get a knock, or something left on him from a tackle but they've got the best most highly paid medical and physio teams plus doctors at these clubs to help them recover post-match, then there's the absolutely kushty millionaire lifestyles at the PL level.
Ok, if Rodgers is or was going to "rest" him because of prem/cl commitments tonight was the night, the manager has nurtured him and no doubt feels the need to treat him like Fergie treated the "fledglings" in 92, but our need for results after a poor start to the season is more important than stopping a game changer fulfilling his potential, look a Moyes not overplaying Januzaj at man yoo last season when the kid should have started every game due to his form at the time compared to the so called superstars. Moyes is now on the rock'n'roll but the kid is still at the club.
Firstly - when you take Suarez out of your team, you will instantly lose that intensity. I think his work rate in that area of the pitch is unrivalled by any other footballer in the world. Secondly - our midfield and attack has taken a battering in terms of injuries, and key players from last season i.e. Allen, Coutinho Sturridge are missing. This current team has had an influx of new players who simply aren't used to the style. It will take some time but we really need our established players to get back into the team ASAP. Re. Sterling - I find it really strange that Rodgers rested him against Villa but plays him against Boro? Has the recent form of the team forced him to do this? Very strange decision IMO. And Sterling was brilliant - you could tell the lad was knackered by the end of it and it led to some tired passing.
Folks you need to look at our play last yearand compare it to the early Rodgers years and how we are playing now. The distance between players in a rigid disciplined formation is huge, last season we had 4 5 or 6 players operating in smaller areas of the pitch that 2 or 3 occupy now and the interchanging movement was brillaint, always moving to give a passing opportunity and teams couldn't cope with this. A lot of understanding has been lost with changes to the team. We are so rigid, a creator's work is half or three quarters done for him by good movement by the people looking to receive the ball and so the passing player needs not make wonder passes, our forwards sit on the shoulder of the last player our wide men stay wide our mids stay where they are. We have no little triangles in tight spaces we had last year with someone ALWAYS providing an outlet in a tight situation allowing us to quickly move the bal and attack. Sometimes when the opponents have 2 or 3 players between 2 of ours we need to mass in that area to work the ball through and overlap as they move forward. Instead we keep going left to right and down the sides with no end product. This is very easy to defend against for an organised team of average players. Looking at it again last night it was the same thing, in almost every area of the opponents half we were outmanned and rigid in movement (if any at all) and position and therefor easy to predict. had this been a PL team like Leicester, we'd have got soundly beat last night. Some of our defensive issues stem from no effective attack and ball retention to build up pressure
True but with so many new defenders in the team, it's going to take more than half a dozen games for it to be put right too.
it seems the only option we have in a tight situation is to pass backwards and sideways, last season it was not so
