I wonder how Rafa would use our current squad. --------------Mignolet----------- Manquillo-Skrtel-Sakho-Moreno -------------Can---Lucas--------- ----Henderson---------Lallana--- -------------------Sterling-------- ------------Sturridge------------- or --------------Mignolet----------- Manquillo-Skrtel-Sakho-Moreno -------------Can---Lucas--------- ----Lallana--Coutinho--Sterling- --------------Sturridge----------- #ILikeIt
Rafa's a 4-3-2-1 / 4-4-2 man so your 2nd option maybe? Also BenÃtez understands the number10 role better than most managers, and attacking midfielders have always thrived under him – Aimar, Gerrard and Mata all shining.
You don't remember Rafa well do you? ----------- Migs --------- Manq - Skrt - Lov - Flan ------- Can - Lucas (given in Rafa team) Johnson - Coutinho - Moreno -------- Studge -------------- Rafas teams always have to have full backs playing on the wing!
Winning the league with that team. It's Rafa was the surprises his teams used to bring, he would focus on a teams weakness and use it to full effect. Us beat Chelsea a lot in the champs league, the 4-1 on Man U and countless of champions league matches was when i would go into every big game thinking we would have something special to beat them.
If Rodgers left id have Rafa back in a shot. He loves the club and is about as tactically astute as they come. Cant see us attracting anyone else of his calibre who wouldnt move elsewhere given the chance. Something that is worth looking at is that no players, (until the Alonso fiasco) wanted to leave under Rafa. We were a club that kept our players and some of them were seen as some of the best in the world. In fact for a few years we were ranked the best in Europe/The world. Love Rafa - Legend and no arrogance
I cannot see Rafa working together with Rodgers. This will be so humiliating for Brendan and won't happen. There will be constant conflict between the 2 men. If the owners want Rafa then they will need to sack Rodgers. I think that if we lose against palace, the owners may sack him in order to try to save the season. I am not saying this is the right course of action but the Americans don't tend to have much patience.
I don't want Rodgers to go. He needs this season and the next to really show what he can do. If we are still struggling then, fair enough maybe it's time to look elsewhere. If Rodgers was to go, heart would love Rafa to come back. His transfer record when given money to spend was up there with the odd exception. He had our defence sorted (although admittedly had far better players) and during the year we came 2nd we were playing some lovely football going forward (weren't we top or 2nd top scorers despite everyone claiming we were boring and not very attacking). My head says, if he came back and didn't live up to expectations would his reputation go down and would he be afforded the time to get things right again? Think it's far too early to talk about replacing Rodgers though, he took us to 2nd, wheter is was luck thank for Suarez/Sturridge or not. Not all managers would have had the balls to play both of them where 1 up front has become the norm in recent years. Losing our 2 top scorers is going to affect the team which is why I think we need to give him time to get the team to a position he wanted and allow him to develop the young players he brought in.
In all competitions I think we totalled over 110 goals. And we only lost in the league twice all year
It certainly isnt time to sack Rodgers, but he need to show he can turn this around and thats for certain.
That's the right amount of time he should,and will I think,be afforded. Yep,outscored Man.utd,Chelsea and Arsenal by 9 goals.............LFC 77.................other 3 all scored 68
My heart would have Rafa back tomorrow but my head says no. As others have said Rodgers has to be given time. How much time that will be will truly depend on how he sorts out the mess we are in this season. As it stands today, if we finih outside of the top 7 and the gap between us and the top 2 continues to grow then I can see FSG making a change at the end of the season. If that is the case and Rafa is back in Liverpool then the game is on! Some have suggested rafa in a DOF role. I don't see that happening for 2 reasons. I don't think that Rafa would take on the role - especially not at Liverpool. Secondly, I just don't see Rodgers and Rafa working as a partnership.
Time certainly seems to create a nostalgic, romantic memory of Rafa for many Liverpool fans, no matter how misguided that may be. His final season was as bad as anything this season. He left you in disarray, and it's taken you years to recover from it (although that may still be debatable). He failed in the premier league, it's as simple as that. Performance-wise, tactically and mentally. There really was nothing to suggest he would ever succeed - he seemed to regress in the end, something particularly evident in his last season where most league matches involved working the ball back to Carragher who would lump it up field in Rafa's infamous, somewhat desperate "hoofball" tactical approach to the prem. And after Chelsea, he may have won the Europa League, but in terms of the prem he was finished in England. Harsh perhaps, but that was the reality. Who other than Liverpool fans, would want him at their club? It's ironic that regardless of the number of Liverpool fans that may want him back, there are probably many more United and rival fans that would want him back at Anfield even more. That speaks for itself. Any petitions, let us know
Why bother mate? It's just funny reading your rant. Shows just how much you understand about the man and the club. Time also appears to have vindicated him in relation to your club and your ex-manager.
I think this sums it for me. We should always look forward rather than backward. However, who else could we attract? Simeone's stock has risen a lot, so much so that he can walk into any top job so why would he choose LFC? Klopp is struggling at Dortmund so he could be seeking a challenge - but I think Dortmund's board are a lot more tolerant and won't sack him (akin to Wenger at Arsenal). Other than that, I'm not sure of any alternatives - definitely none with the credentials of Rafa. The only problem is that I feel Rafa needs a DoF ahead of him IMO - and he simply cannot work with one. I rather keep Rodgers and change the structure around him. Bring in a top DoF to oversee the recruitment, some quality coaches (Rene Muelensteen), a defensive coach and GK coach.
To bring in a top quality coach is always a great idea....but only if they are happy to be a coach and are working in the way a manager wants them.
