... was our first win of the season with that emphatic win over Norwich. Not sure what happened from January on ( adding sturridge and Coutinho helped last year) but it seems Rodgers and the team have come to some understanding and it is clicking. Now, we will slip up, we are still the modern day LFC and are prone to that but looking that up made me realize how far the team, BR, the players, the philosophy, everything has come since this time last year.
I think Rodgers has ditched the tiki-taka for a bit of proper mix to suit the league and it has worked wonders. Thoughts MFG?
my thoughts are thus;
1. Rodgers changed his style, he certainly removed the swansea 2 wide forwards he was really trying to employ and went with a more fluid front 3. The addition of players allowed him to go do this but he did change his menthods.
2. Purely adding sturridge and coutinho allowed LFC to drop those guys in. Sterling was dropped out and downing was "accomodated" on the right.
3. We finally had someone to get beyond suarez who played false nine and we never had anyone i nthe box when those aforementioned wingers looked up.. Sturridge got past suarez, coutinho found a slot to play in that he was not really picked up in.
4. it was not all plain sailing... see west brom beating us at home as sturridge was injured, reading and westham taking 0-0s at anfield too. in short results have actually been mixed since january. In the main... fantastic wins late last year.... still quite a few draws but a lot less losses.
all in all I think possession football is still crucial and for me the modern premiership is more about winning the midfield than anything else... yes you need a sahko type to dominate at the back as half the prem lump it at a target man but to really compete you have to win the midfield area and create from there. The last few games we are not doing that but i don't think rodgers is abandoning that.
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My opinion of the future:
1. LFC have a good keeper but one who needs to improve on some areas, his shot stopping is great but if he can't catch or pass well get working on it.
2. I think our full backs are soemtimes under rated but equally they don't fill me with confidence.
3. We finally have a top 4 set of CBSs not agger, no toure and sahko. Ruthless yes but i've said it since 2009 that skertl and agger were not top 4.
4. Midfield is very weak and needs improvement.
5. We've a fine front 3 if they stay but it needs building on.
in short the makings of a top 4 side can be seen but i think the overall quality backing that is lacking. Mingolet, sahko, coutinho, sturridge and in the short term at least toure, gerrard and suarez are good enough... Not sure about lucas at this point as his fitness is not where it was and johnson is the sort you might carry... our reserve options scare me and enrique is very hit and miss for me.