We need to get back to the ways of Rafa..

[juniormember]

By that I mean when we don't have the ball. How the hell are we leaving all those gaps and space in front of our defense? Yeah, we were facing very quick attackers but fuck that, in that case the midfielders should be tucked in tight in front of the defense that would no doubt have to drop a little deep.

We can talk about the negatives of Rafa's system, particularly when we had the ball. But when the opposition had it, we were so damn compact and solid and nearly impossible to break down during most of his reign. I just don't understand how we're so shite at defending. It just ends up giving the weaker sides a lift and as a result puts us under serious pressure.

We should have won. We were unlucky. But those 30 minutes in the second half where we were dog shit could have been avoided with a much more solid system when it comes to defending and thus could have helped us create more chances and tire them out even more.
Our defending - as a team - is unforgivably shite at the moment.
Give Rafa a part time job as a defensive coach.

 

[Red Mullet]

Er, did you notice the scoreline? Don't think defending was the problem today.

 

[Skullflower]

a part of me would like rafa back.

 

[juniormember]

[quote author=Red Mullet link=topic=47426.msg1422256#msg1422256 date=1320514830]
Er, did you notice the scoreline? Don't think defending was the problem today.
[/quote]

You've missed my point.
Did you just look at the score line or watch the game. Hopefully it wasn't the latter...

 

[StevieM]

[quote author=Skullflower link=topic=47426.msg1422261#msg1422261 date=1320515328]
a part of me would like rafa back.
[/quote]

which part?

 

[Red Mullet]

[quote author=juniormember link=topic=47426.msg1422288#msg1422288 date=1320517284]
[quote author=Red Mullet link=topic=47426.msg1422256#msg1422256 date=1320514830]
Er, did you notice the scoreline? Don't think defending was the problem today.
[/quote]

You've missed my point.
Did you just look at the score line or watch the game. Hopefully it wasn't the latter...
[/quote]


Rafa was known to set his team up with a solid back four and have high energy players closing down the opposition but there was some pretty dowdy stuff played under Rafa as well.

 

[Skullflower]

[quote author=StevieM link=topic=47426.msg1422294#msg1422294 date=1320518257]
[quote author=Skullflower link=topic=47426.msg1422261#msg1422261 date=1320515328]
a part of me would like rafa back.
[/quote]

which part?
[/quote]

head

 

[Vlads Quiff]

[quote author=Red Mullet link=topic=47426.msg1422256#msg1422256 date=1320514830]
Er, did you notice the scoreline? Don't think defending was the problem today.
[/quote]

Not sure about that. The fact they did not score was more by luck (and Pepe) than good judgement they had as many good chances as us.
It's not our biggest problem which is true.

 

[Modo]

It is quite typical of fans to start calling for Rafa now.
I don't think its fair to be honest.
Dalglish may have won us the league before but he still needs time and he also needs to make mistakes. Hes been gone far too long and I'm a bit worried about how he favours some players despite poor performances.

 

[Hansern]

I think we need to get back to pressing the opposition further up the pitch. Under Rafas reign we won the ball with high pressing and scored loads of goals from those break aways.

This standing off thing we're doing at the moment isnt working to well.

 

[juniormember]

[quote author=Hansern link=topic=47426.msg1422313#msg1422313 date=1320520346]
I think we need to get back to pressing the opposition further up the pitch. Under Rafas reign we won the ball with high pressing and scored loads of goals from those break aways.

This standing off thing we're doing at the moment isnt working to well.
[/quote]

Yup. Finally someone who gets my point.

 

[juniormember]

[quote author=Modo link=topic=47426.msg1422309#msg1422309 date=1320520035]
It is quite typical of fans to start calling for Rafa now.
I don't think its fair to be honest.
Dalglish may have won us the league before but he still needs time and he also needs to make mistakes. Hes been gone far too long and I'm a bit worried about how he favours some players despite poor performances.
[/quote]

I'm not calling for Rafa to come back. Obviously the final sentence was tongue in cheek.
It's just that we're so unbelievably shit when we don't have the ball when it comes to positioning, it's driving me insane. I don't understand how Kenny & his staff are allowing it to happen.

 

[Richey]

http://www.lfchistory.net/SeasonArchive/

Take a look through any season under Benitez (and probably any of our other managers for that matter) and you'll see at least a few results like today's. Its bloody frustrating and annoying but it happens

 

[juniormember]

It's not the result I'm talking about Rich.
We certainly were shite in attack at times under Rafa but that's not really much of an issue under Kenny.

 

[Richey]

Oh I do see what you're saying mate, and you are certainly correct that under Benitez we kept our shape extremely well at times - I I think it was almost to the point of obsession for him! - but its the result that is all important, and even under that kind of system we would have some absolutely dire ones!

 

[Wizardry]

[quote author=juniormember link=topic=47426.msg1422193#msg1422193 date=1320512838]
By that I mean when we don't have the ball. How the hell are we leaving all those gaps and space in front of our defense? Yeah, we were facing very quick attackers but fuck that, in that case the midfielders should be tucked in tight in front of the defense that would no doubt have to drop a little deep.

We can talk about the negatives of Rafa's system, particularly when we had the ball. But when the opposition had it, we were so damn compact and solid and nearly impossible to break down during most of his reign. I just don't understand how we're so shite at defending. It just ends up giving the weaker sides a lift and as a result puts us under serious pressure.

We should have won. We were unlucky. But those 30 minutes in the second half where we were dog shit could have been avoided with a much more solid system when it comes to defending and thus could have helped us create more chances and tire them out even more.
Our defending - as a team - is unforgivably shite at the moment.
Give Rafa a part time job as a defensive coach.
[/quote]

While I must admit to be surprised by the stat myself, as StevieM points out, we've conceded the second fewest number of goals in the premier league behind Newcastle. To be in that position after 11 games - having played the mancs, 9 players against Spurs and Arsenal - you'd have to concede we're doing something right in that department. Take out the Spurs debacle and we'd have the meanest defense in the league.

I'm sure everything can be improved but, bottom line, defense is not our problem.

 

[StevieM]

[quote author=Skullflower link=topic=47426.msg1422302#msg1422302 date=1320519319]
[quote author=StevieM link=topic=47426.msg1422294#msg1422294 date=1320518257]
[quote author=Skullflower link=topic=47426.msg1422261#msg1422261 date=1320515328]
a part of me would like rafa back.
[/quote]

which part?
[/quote]

head
[/quote]

Which head?