For the first time this season, Rodgers explicitly confirmed what everybody already knew: Champions League qualification is imperative to Liverpool. It the ultimate aim of this season. All fleeting discussions about a surprise title challenge, of waking up one morning in May and suddenly discovering they're champions, is a quaint distraction to reality. Pretty much sums up the article this line. We need to be back in it. I think the mentality though should be shoot for the title, if you fall short you land in the CL places.
Considering the new BT Sports deal, there will be even more money handed out to British teams if they qualify for CL ...
We seem to be coping better with the lesser teams this season and that's encouraging, now we need to find the right formula against the bigger sides. There will always be surprise results, for every team, but let's show we are at least contenders by winning convincingly against the better sides. We need CL football for the club, the fans and to retain Suarez and ultimately Coutinho and lastly to get back to being able to attract big names.
If we can hang around the top of the table going into the new year and then have a good finish as we so often do then who knows what is possible.
Not necessarily IMO. If you are going for the title, some matches (e.g against a fifth placed side) you need to get 3 points at all costs thereby making you vulnerable to a defeat. How many times have we seen United at 70 minutes throw all cautions to the wind and go for all out attack? They could lose the match - losing one point in trying to get 3. Which is fair enough if you want to win the title. If you are in 4th and want a CL place, 1 point away to 5th placed side is a good point!!
Agreed...Once we've 'settled' on the formula for beating lower teams, it has to be full focus on finding the tactics for the others. I do believe that if we can be shrewd in January yet find another cheeky Coutinho, then that problem will be resolved... Happy days!
In the league, I really don't think you should be throwing so much caution to the wind like that though if you have aspirations of winning the title. I can understand in tournaments and one off games, home and away, gotta deal with aggregate scores, etc but not really in the league. Oh and that 1 point theory...... bit us in the ass hard in 2009 as we ended up with too many draws ( only lost two games) while you lot lost more but came away with a better average for wins.
As much as I understand that we should be aiming high, talking about it only puts unnecessary pressure on ourselves. Why not keep these ambitions in house rather than raising the hopes of fans and aspirations for the club from pundits etc? I also disagree with the 'aim for the title / aim for top four' stance. I'd prefer the Kenny Dalglish 'take one game at a time' approach.
You always take it one game at a time but you have to have goals: long and short term. I would have no problem if BR said before the season, I want to be challenging for the title, do you lot want to? ( hopefully yes), then come along and let's work hard and fight each game to achieve that goal. Think they go hand in hand really.
You do have to have long term aims but surely that's for the board and manager to worry about? When talking to the coaching staff, the manager should then be looking and smaller sections of the fixture such as the blocks of four but when talking to the players or media, ONE GAME AT A TIME! I don't agree with putting unnecessary pressure on the club. If someone asked what our ambitions for the season are, answer like Kenny would; "we'll take it one game at a time and add the points up at the end". Yes, its boring but it works. Obviously not BR's style though, he prefers the 'bull in a china shop' approach.
See I don't see it as pressure but more of a reminder on what you are striving for. Focus on one game at a time but doesn't hurt to have a friendly reminder of the goal/goals you set out before the season..... Are you on pace to reach those goals? If so why and what is working, keep it up, if not, what is wrong how can fix it. Again I think it is hand in hand but I wouldn't bleat on about it, it would be a simple conversation with the team and a friendly reminder on what can be achieved. We are getting to that stage where Rodgers will probably put that to them. If we beat Everton this weekend, he should really encourage the team to believe in it and show his convictions too. Just glad to see everyone pulling in the right direction for a change!!
I think it should only come up if we are not doing well enough or become complacent. other than that, one game at a time with plenty of encouragement etc.
Just put a post up about all this and while I agree with it, I think they are forgetting that everyone has literally beaten everyone in this premier league. Teams have become stronger, other teams weaker or not finding the balance. It is really topsy turvy so why not aim bigger? If ever a year there could be a real shake up in the top four it could be this year, might not, but at the moment everything is up in the air and many teams are in the race not just for the top four, but at the moment the title even.
I think an established side side have those high expectations but if you can get away with it then you should portray yourself as the underdog with nothing to lose. Look how we performed at the end of last and the 2010-11 season. Why did we perform so well? Simple really, we had nothing to play for so the player were relaxed.
totally agree with that last part...... but what happens when we break in the top 4? When we are put back in the conversation, seriously put back in? Do we just buckle due to the pressure? I surely hope not and would want the players thinking and believing they can handle that. That type of mentality has driven United for years. EDIT: any non clique people want to partake in this? Pretty intriguiging dialogue but hey ho!
The expectations would grow naturally as we would have achieved something. the players we have will have been a part of that and gained experience from it too. Plus we would be able to add a couple of additions that could help with the additional pressure too. At this moment in time, we should still be considered underdogs. Sure, we've had a great start and sit second in the league but we've only had to visit one of the top sides in our opening ten games and we finished seventh last year too. We need to make up a twelve point deficit on fourth from last season which isn't a easy task. I want to see the expectations return but lets walk before we can run.
