[quote author=Herr Onceared link=topic=39257.msg1069324#msg1069324 date=1268613002]
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=39257.msg1069318#msg1069318 date=1268612195]
[quote author=Herr Onceared link=topic=39257.msg1069313#msg1069313 date=1268611342]
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=39257.msg1069276#msg1069276 date=1268606521]
[quote author=Herr Onceared link=topic=39257.msg1069124#msg1069124 date=1268569031]
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=39257.msg1069121#msg1069121 date=1268567730]
I think you should put another goalkeeper in Oncy.
[/quote]You should see the bench! Yowzers!
I've also drawn up a brilliant scene that involves Lucas and Mascherano occupying only the space in the D of the penalty box, I figure that plus (rm) Deadly playing narrow and Gerrard and Maxi squeezing back to the edge of the 6 yard box should free up enough space for (cf) deadly to be able to sit about 40 yards out from goal to stop their centre backs pressing towards the halfway line.
I've got this Sussed kid.
Subs of course pre-planned - Maxi off on 61mins for Cavalieri to shore up any ground lost to the Portsmouth widemen.
Gerrard off 71mins. It was all just getting a bit open out there, with Gerrard at one point appearing to look over the halfway line. Plessis on.
(cf) Deadly of on 91mins with the score tied at 0-0 success just two minutes of injury time away, time to use some extreme pace to push on for the win aquilani on.
[/quote]
Ha.
[/quote]Good lad. For the record I think you're taking some unfair stick for actually going to a bit of effort regarding your footballing posts. I like them most of the time, I don't agree with a lot of your philosophies, but then I guess we just prefer a different brand of football, neither your approach or mine being the 'correct' way.
I think the objection that some are having to your analytical posts is your inferrence that if people aren't in agreement they don't know football. You speak as if there has only ever been 1 way to play football. Only one tactic that works. Only one approach to the game that could ever succeed. And yet with the last but one post you made you nod your head towards some of the great teams of the past. Seems strange.
I love the tactical side of the game, that's the reason I collected hundreds and hundreds of football magazines for years and years, reading Calcio Italia or the Champions magazine or my favourite World soccer gives you some insight into the tactical nuances of the game, and Reading different coaches approach to the game and tactical accumen is always interesting. But I think ultimately that I tend not to have such a stoical analytical approach to Liverpool, because it's emotional and visceral rather than analytical and practical. When we lose imjust pissed off. I can't be arsed going into it with a fine toothed comb pouring over why we lost.
Anyway I hope you know I'm just taking the piss with these posts, and I hope you realise I'm probably gonna keep doing them. I'm glad you said Ha, because I wouldn't want anyone who goes to that effort to feel like it wasn't worth it. It is.
All that said you are going into your shell to much regarding YOUR tactics. We can't, we CANNOT keep doing what we are doing. Wether it is the right approach or not, our lads are not enjoying our play currently and we need to change. First and foremost we need to take a forward step. We need to put the teams we are facing on the back foot, in particular at home against the bottom clubs. I don't expect us to go to Old Trafford with a lineup like KHLs but at home against Portsmouth, we can't just roll up hoping that Torres and Gerrard will break lose of the shackles that teams are casting over those two in an attempt to stop us creating anything. We need to show some teeth, and to be honest a 4-3 defeat would feel like a forward step to me.
Aquilani needs to play this game. He just must do. Alongside one of the two holders (my choice would be Mascherano) or Moving Gerrard out to the right (where he has drifted a lot of the time of late anyway) and dropping Kuyt who is off form terribly and cannot afford to be. Ideally I'd like to see the 442 that I posted earlier, if only to suprise the opposition and not go into every game with the opposing manager knowing what he is going to face.
[/quote]
I knew you were having a laugh mate, s'fine. No worries at all. There's probably truth in a lot of what you say, and cheers for bluntly pointing it out.
As for "only one tactic that works" - Well I obviously don't think that mate, I'm not naive, narrow-minded, stubborn, or clueless. Not saying anyone else is either.
With this team, or actually with our players - that formation (4-2-3-1/4-5-1 or whatever you want to put it) works. Sure it's not been working recently, but we've had the more important players in that system - Agger, Carra, Gerrard, Masher, Kuyt, Torres, johnson - just not playing with each other (!) enough this season. Confidence has quite a bit to do with it as well, but in my honest opinion - If that group of players had played regularly in the same team all season long, we'd be in the Top 4 and in the Champions League. I honestly believe that.
4-4-2 jst won't work in the long-term, for tactical and personnel reasons. so bar the very odd occassion, I don't want to see us playing with it. I'd prefer to see us get one system that we know works from past history back, than chop and change between systems that don't suit us.
[/quote]I agree. 4-3-3 is certainly my preferred formation. My problem with it is that we currently have 4 players suited to playing in the middle of the front 3 (gerrard, aquilani, benayoun and arguably Babel) 1 who is suited to the right (Kuyt) who is at present terribly off form and 1 who is suited to the left (Riera) who is out of favour.
I'd like us to switch to 4-4-2 for this game simply because we can play Babel or Kuyt up front with Torres to give him more space. And I don't give a fuck what Portsmouth bring. We can play 442 we should play 442. But we won't.
Here's the team and formation almost as sure as night follows day.
Reina
insua
agger
carragher
Johnson
Lucas
mascherano
maxi
gerrard
kuyt
torres.
Maybe aquilani will get the nod ahead of Lucas but I doubt it.
[/quote]
Form fluctuates, and certaing players have been good one day, and bad the next. Certanly some players could be doing more than they have been of late. The one problem I've had all season long though is the pace and tempo we've been playing at. Everything has been done too one-paced, and been ultimately predictable. We're not going to solve that in one game, certainly not when were as far from confidence as we are. Now there are a million reasons why I think that's been the case this season - Alonso, defence playing too deep, lack of a cutting edge up front when Torres is otu, confidence, injuries, etc etc. What I would do though is try to get around that by releasing certain players from defensive responsibilities so that they can try and do things quikcly. Like we did with Babel the other night.
I know people have concerns over an Insua-Babel left wing, and rightly so, but if you play two holding midfielders you counter that issue somewhat. (As an aisde, two holding midfielders helps Glenjo's attacking impetus greatly too). The Babel equation's simple - you don't ask him for defensive offerings, you get more going forward. Simple stuff, but then he's a simple character.
If you go with Babel, you can't play Aquilani in my view. Just my opinion again, but if you're asking Mascherano to cover Gerrard, Babel, Insua, Johnson, and Aquilani you're asking for trouble. I don't want us to be defensive, I want us to allow our attacking players to attack.
I'd play the same team, and importantly - formation - as the one that played away to Lille. And I think Rafa might too.
