Cheers P
Ludogorets (A) - Wednesday 26th November
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Cheers P
Yesterday was my birthday. That was a treat.
I'd now do the following for the next few games:
Drop Skrtel and bring in Toure. I know Lovren hasn't exactly been tremendous and has arguably been worse than Skrtel this season but I'd still do it. I think Lovren needs a steady head to integrate him into the side, and Skrtel is anything but a steady head. Toure will be found wanting against good opposition but he's hugely experienced and knows how to organise a back four.
Drop Gerrard and bring in Lucas. In fact, have a midfield three that is first and foremost there to win the ball. That probably means a three of Lucas, Allen and Can. Set us up to be physical and compact, with emphasis on pressing. We could lose something from a creative point of view with those three but they're less likely to allow the opposition to waltz through us.
Stick with Lambert up front and have him flanked by Lallana and Coutinho. The latter has been stupidly inconsistent but I think his form has been marginally better than Sterling's of late. Markovic would probably just be anonymous.
Drop Skrtel and bring in Toure. I know Lovren hasn't exactly been tremendous and has arguably been worse than Skrtel this season but I'd still do it. I think Lovren needs a steady head to integrate him into the side, and Skrtel is anything but a steady head. Toure will be found wanting against good opposition but he's hugely experienced and knows how to organise a back four.
Drop Gerrard and bring in Lucas. In fact, have a midfield three that is first and foremost there to win the ball. That probably means a three of Lucas, Allen and Can. Set us up to be physical and compact, with emphasis on pressing. We could lose something from a creative point of view with those three but they're less likely to allow the opposition to waltz through us.
Stick with Lambert up front and have him flanked by Lallana and Coutinho. The latter has been stupidly inconsistent but I think his form has been marginally better than Sterling's of late. Markovic would probably just be anonymous.
Desperation is what is killing us.
You look over most of the team; Manquillo (some of the ratings have been absurd - I thought he was one of our best against Palace), Skrtel, Johnson, Moreno, Lallana, Coutinho, Sterling, Allen, Lucas, Gerrard - all those players have had performances in the early part of the season which were really good. The problem is that they've not, in any game, all performed well together.
Rodgers has got a number of good - in some cases really good - players to pick from but they're performing sporadically. That comes down to effort - they don't put in the effort required to lift their game. Whether that is a desire thing, a fear thing or they're confused I don't know - there's probably a mixture of all three.
I thought Coutinho was excellent against Palace. Macca made the point at half time that these are the sort of games he should come out and dominate. Second half he ran his heart out and was the only one who looked semi-likely to create something. What he needed was for Sterling, Lallana and Allen or Gerrard to feed off that and force themselves to support him. None of them did. That meant there was no reward for what was, frankly, the closest I've seen to the young Brazilian taking a match by the scruff of the neck.
Next time it could be Sterling who does everything and nobody else goes with him. As I said there is probably a combination of factors preventing this from happening. The one thing that will overcome all of them is desperation. If each of those players is absolutely desperate, if they feel like their lives depend upon it then desire, fear or confusion will mean nothing. They'll perform.
I haven't seen many of the young guys perform but if there's one thing you're guaranteed to get from them its desperation. They're desperate to get a chance and, when it comes, they're desperate to make it count. You get one in to a match and see how desperate he is. We've all seen how that desperation can rub off on senior players.
I've liked what I've seen of Rossiter; Macca keeps talking Yesil up; Sinclair looks a player and we certainly need goals. Just one of these guys getting some time on the pitch will bring desperation. At this point it's not like we've got much to lose.
As much as we need an injection of goal scoring ability from Sturridge or someone else we need an injection of desperation.
You look over most of the team; Manquillo (some of the ratings have been absurd - I thought he was one of our best against Palace), Skrtel, Johnson, Moreno, Lallana, Coutinho, Sterling, Allen, Lucas, Gerrard - all those players have had performances in the early part of the season which were really good. The problem is that they've not, in any game, all performed well together.
Rodgers has got a number of good - in some cases really good - players to pick from but they're performing sporadically. That comes down to effort - they don't put in the effort required to lift their game. Whether that is a desire thing, a fear thing or they're confused I don't know - there's probably a mixture of all three.
I thought Coutinho was excellent against Palace. Macca made the point at half time that these are the sort of games he should come out and dominate. Second half he ran his heart out and was the only one who looked semi-likely to create something. What he needed was for Sterling, Lallana and Allen or Gerrard to feed off that and force themselves to support him. None of them did. That meant there was no reward for what was, frankly, the closest I've seen to the young Brazilian taking a match by the scruff of the neck.
Next time it could be Sterling who does everything and nobody else goes with him. As I said there is probably a combination of factors preventing this from happening. The one thing that will overcome all of them is desperation. If each of those players is absolutely desperate, if they feel like their lives depend upon it then desire, fear or confusion will mean nothing. They'll perform.
I haven't seen many of the young guys perform but if there's one thing you're guaranteed to get from them its desperation. They're desperate to get a chance and, when it comes, they're desperate to make it count. You get one in to a match and see how desperate he is. We've all seen how that desperation can rub off on senior players.
I've liked what I've seen of Rossiter; Macca keeps talking Yesil up; Sinclair looks a player and we certainly need goals. Just one of these guys getting some time on the pitch will bring desperation. At this point it's not like we've got much to lose.
As much as we need an injection of goal scoring ability from Sturridge or someone else we need an injection of desperation.
A little from column A, a little from column B.
It's pragmatism, really. He's the only specialist DM we have, and realistically the only player who is going to offer protection to the back four, which is desperately needed. However, that will come at a price - needless fouls outside the box being one such flaw.
How many games have we lost due to him fouling a player outside the box? I can't remember that many but it's still used as a stick to beat him with.
Yeah that's great, and our season as well.
No idea, but he's giving away a goalscoring opportunity each time, which is the point.
Or breaking the momentum of the opposition, as such denying them one, and giving us a chance to get organised.
Anyway, that's a discussion done to death.
I'd love for Gerrard to foul someone in midfield.
Just to confirm:
You want Lucas in the team.
I post a message saying I want Lucas in the team.
You then start arguing with me about it.
You are a fucking lunatic.
Ha, yeah, but Modo likes to act as if he's the only one who wants Lucas or a DM to play. It's a weird childish posting style.
I think the majority of the site wants us to deploy a more specialized DM as we are being over run in midfield.
OK, then why bring up the stuff about him fouling players?
Its bullshit.
Because he isn't the greatest footballer ever and has flaws?
We've been crying out for a DM of the calibre of Masherano since BR took over. Never gonna happen. It will be his downfall.
Stirling needs to be benched for a few games and before we go dropping Gerrard we should push him further up the pitch. Gerrard is the only one in the team who can consistently hit the target, can play through balls and can make things happen....
I would have Lambert up top, with Coutinho, Gerrard and Lallana behind him with Can and A.N. Other behind.
I don't think whatever back four we play will make any difference.
I would have Lambert up top, with Coutinho, Gerrard and Lallana behind him with Can and A.N. Other behind.
I don't think whatever back four we play will make any difference.
You do have a habit of following Ryan alright and clutching at his scraps.
There are/were many opposed to Gerrard as our DM. I'm one of them. I want him to play further forward. Many of us choose to over look it last season as we were playing so well.
I think you insistence on playing Lucas outweighs your actual want for a recognised DM. You tend to support players more so than the team so I find it hard to find sincerity in some of your posts.
Gerrard could play further forward sparingly. It won't happen but it should.
Is he worth 100k+/wk to play 20 minutes off the bench though?
Because if we want to control the game the better sub will be Allen/Can/Lucas/Toure. And if we want to really press and chase the game, there's Lallana/Markovic/Coutinho/Borini.
Because if you remember the last 20 minutes or so of the second Chelsea game last season, where Gerrard was talking stupid long shot after shot trying to singlehandedly bring us back, you understand my concerns about him being the attacking sub we use. I'm not confident in his mentality as a substitute, or his fitness and positional discipline as a first team regular.
Oh come on! Ballo has an amazing record against Ludogorets...
My birthday yesterday too. My present to myself was to avoid the game completely.
We don't win this it looks pretty bleak. Out of the CL in a group we should easily have been able to be 2nd it, and in a total meltdown in the league. Tough times.
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