WE lost didn’t we. I’m not sure how else to start but that.
Sean Rogers spoke very eloquently in the week about getting buy in from players. About having a plan they could all believe in. He said a manager risks putting it all on his own head if you change a winning formation back to a losing one. I don’t mind having a brave manager. But if you lose…
3-5-2 doesn’t work for us today. We don’t see any of the ball. They pass it around and we chase shadows. A change happens at some point. Most likely during a break for injury. We score straight after.
After that we look easy. Suddenly passing it around and looking comfortable. Until…
Formation changes are rarely all positive. Benefits in some areas are countered by issues in others. We’d been 2nd best first half an hour, but they hadn’t created a chance either. With four at the back they equalise with their first attack.
The negative to the formation switch is Can. He might have a great career at Liverpool but it won’t be at right back. All their joy comes down the left and Can is frequently out of position. Never sure where he should be off the ball. Unable to contribute anything going forward. For all our numerous issues elsewhere, with a proper right back we might have won the game.
https://twitter.com/FenerHotspurs/status/589819161494294529
Half time sees a substitution which seems unnecessary and ultimately kills us as an attacking force. Balotelli did little wrong. In fact, knowledge of the offside rule aside, he played pretty well. But if our plan in the biggest game of the season is to play with a target man up front on his own then we might as well sell Coutinho now. We don’t create a chance from open play in the whole second half.
I think this is what annoyed me most about today. The manager is obviously dealt a bad hand with Lucas, before we even get to, Sturridge and Sakho. But he has to get the most out of the attacking players we have. The team should be built around getting Sterling and Coutinho on the ball as much as possible, and at no stage did you feel it was. Each formation change pushing one aside or another.
The formation changes are interesting. In theory its nice to have a manager who is adaptable. Who can play different ways. But today you’d have loved to have seen a team with clear ideas and purpose. Swapping and changing, albeit often forced by necessity, has led to uncertainty and confusion when it mattered most.
So what now? We’ll save that for another day. Right now I just want to go home for a sulk. But there are big decisions ahead.
[yop_poll id=”44″]
[rpfc_recent_posts_from_category meta=”true”]
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda-Photo
Brendan got just about all the big decisions wrong today and may end paying for it with his job. It’s great that he can change shape within a game, its not so great when he fails to pick his best players and changes shape obsessively to the detriment of the team. Sticking plaster stuff today and no amount of excuses will cover the fact that Villa outplayed us. His treatment of poor Markovic has been little short of deplorable. I’ve supported Brendan, and I wouldn’t be overly concerned if he stayed on. But If Klopp’s interested, we should bite his hand off.
Same here Paul, the Markovic nonsense is unbelievable, would anyone blame him for wanting to leave. And he’s not the first player that Brendan has treated shabbily either.
I counted at least 3 formation changes – 3!! (It may have been more) that is ridiculous to be honest and shows me that Rodgers is flapping in the wind here.
As you say, there should be communication with intent to the Dortmund region thsi morning
I think Markovic might consider himself unlucky to get pulled a couple of times this season, and he looked ok in this game. But I don’t think this idea that he is being treated shabbily holds up.
He was always likely to be one pulled when Mario was brought on, because there is no way Rodgers was going to pull Sterling or Coutinho. He could have pulled Gerrard, and pushed Markovic up, but he didn’t and managers should be allowed to make that sort of call without everyone being worried about a players hurt feelings.
I agree with you when it happens once, when it happens twice it may be a coincidence, when it continually happens especially when there are worse players still on ( who never get subbed) and the same player continually makes way, no matter how he’s playing then it becomes an issue.
A big club intent on getting back to the top would move for Klopp. He is respected across European football, has won a major league twice and reached a Champions League final with a team whose budget was akin to QPR’s.
Rodgers has done reasonably well, but we need better. We need Klopp’s desire and madness and experience to shake up the club and convince players and fans we can be the best again.
If you’re still defending Rodgers after this you need to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror.
What transpired today with the selection & non removal of Gerrard went beyond pardody. Poor Markovic. The lads confidence is shot to pieces because his gutless coward of a boss keeps making him the scapegoat and hooking him at hslf time as ever when there are worse players on the park every week.
Gutless. That sums us up. And a team always reflects its manager. It is no coincidence we freeze & shit ourselves in big games & big moments. We have a coward in charge.
Im not going to say much more because I am beyond furious about that bullshit today. It was Aston fucking Villa!
But nah, too many supporters out here for a day trip in London not arsed who the manager is, not that arsed where the club is heading. Happy to be on a coach with a few bevvies singing about glorious years gone by. Shithouses, like Rodgers and like the team.
“You are Mad Manc Mick and I claim my £10.”
62% win rate when Gerrard doesnt play. 39% when he does.
But apparently some of us are making him a scapegoat.
Gerrard started today in a front three. For the first half hour Henderson and Allen were exactly where they would have been had Gerrard spent the afternoon in the stands. And were completely fucking anonymous. Not just blaming them, but the ‘they were shit because of Gerrard’ shit is harder to stick when he’s not even playing in the midfield.
Just like our other recent ‘big games’, Arsenal and United. Again, no Gerrard – team froze. Maybe it’s because they could see Gerrard sitting in the stands and it still put them off?
During our good run we have not been giving up many clear cut chances and it hasn’t just been against “shite teams with shite strikers”
The run included City with Aguero and Spurs with Kane and included victories of 6 of the nine teams who were above us in December as well as a Villa with Benteke.
None of that excuses a poor performance on Saturday, but let’s have less of the revisionism when looking at what has gone before.
“Im not going to say much more because I am beyond furious about that bullshit today.”
I was pissed off like the rest of us after the result, but this cheered me up no end this morning and I’ve been in a much better mood ever since. I hope you stay furious for a very, very long time.
“Happy to be on a coach with a few bevvies singing about glorious years gone by.”
Yup – and unfortunately our numbers our dwindelling, being replaced with cockroaches like you. Cockroaches who give up half way through. Cockroaches who can’t back a club unless “thier” choice of manager is in charge.
The more supporters like yourself stay furious, the more chance there is of you giving up, fucking off and doing something else with your negative, non-supportive shithouse attitude that seems to have spread around this club more and more in recent years. Your demands have not been met and now you’re furious.
Good. Stay furious and have a shit April / May. Shithouse.
Brendan Rodgers Liverpool, we’re on our way to glory…
Bring on the Baggies..!
The video supplied of the offside-that-wasn’t is very useful. Why then state of Balotelli “In fact, knowledge of the offside rule aside, he played pretty well.” He was clearly onside and so not at fault. I’m genuinely puzzled.
I think because he was caught offside (legitimately) about 47 other times.
Ah, text and video placed unfortunately. Rather like Mario.
Don’t know but maybe it was because he was in the ground and those tv screens don’t replay anything contentious.
If Klopp phoned FSG tonight and offered his services, they probably would bite his hand off. Just a shame there’s more chance of Dale Winton winning a UFC belt.
Why d’you think that Brownie? Rafa Honigstein, who, y’know, actually knows Klopp, has repeatedly stated that he and Liverpool are a perfect fit. He’d welcome the challenge: he’s a mad romantic. Besides, it doesn’t look as though any of the mega clubs are interested in him anyway.
“Besides, it doesn’t look as though any of the mega clubs are interested in him anyway.”
Who told you that? City will be looking for a new manager. So will Madrid, likely enough. Maybe as a mad romantic he’ll be interested in reviving the fortunes of one of the Milan clubs, both of whom will start next season with more chance of CL qualification than we will?
None of us knows, but I’ll just say I’d be surprised, not least because short of us losing our last 6 games I doubt there’ll be a vacancy at Liverpool anyway.
Don’t you read the papers, mate? Both City and Madrid have briefed already: they’re not interested. Can you imagine Kloppo working with galacticos?
I only read certain papers. Probably the same ones as the bookies, seeing as they have Klopp as second favourite for the Real job (behind Zidane) and odds on favourite for the City job (see Oddschecker).
He’s on record as saying that only England makes sense: language issue.
Caught a snippet of a presser with him the other day, I don’t know if it was the quitting Dortmund one or historic, but when he was talking about what interests him it went something along the lines of “..yes England interests me, whether you talk about somewhere maybe in Liverpool or Manchester..” this is not an exact quote nor am I totally sure of the context but telling that he mentions Liverpool first? I think he’d be keen.
Probably the most upset I’ve been after a Liverpool game in recent memory. Hope it doesn’t mean the end for BR, but I can see how he may start to be perceived as not being a big game manager. If he couldn’t get the players to buy in today, how is he going to go about getting them to buy into the remainder of the season?After I’m sure the majority of them have already ruled out a top four finish.
Today? What about over the summer and next year? What will potential summer signings think after seeing today? Why would Alexandre Lacazette come now? Lyon will be in CL next year, it seems. Why come when we won’t be?
Agreed. Don’t know if any established player or an up and coming one would come. No CL, high chance that you’d be asked to play out of position (Can, Markovic). Add on the contract drama, and I wouldn’t blame a player for not wanting to sign with Liverpool.
Everything changes with goals (as Neil keeps telling us) and yes we were poor today, but before we hang BR out to dry, let’s remember Sterling was tripped in the box and Balo was onside – we win 3-2 (possibly) and the story’s oh so different.
Personally, I’d keep 9 of that team (not all 1st choice, but at least in the squad), so it’s not all bad and as long as we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – or possibly that should be the other way round – I still think this team we be challenging for honours in the not too distant future years.
Al, this is not the time for balance and clear-eyed thinking. If you’re not prepared to vilify individual players and/or the manager (preferably both), please don’t clutter up the comments with such a naked display of rational thought.
Thank you.
Goals do change everything but when you get to the 75th minute of a cup semi, against an average team playing a 39 year old goalie and have one shot on goal to show for everything then no sugarcoating it can hide how shite we were.
Ha, yes agreed – just pointing out that a couple of decisions our way and we’d be all “we’re gonna win the cup – la – la – la”
Hard to disagree with that mate, just pissed at the shite performance by all today. Was anymore said about the trip on Sterling?, I don’t usually watch the analysis at half or full time just had that boring twat Owen dismiss it at the time.
On MOTD Keown and the commentator said Delph was very lucky not to give away a pen.
If If If, it was hardly South Korea v Italy 2002 style robbery was it. It wasnt as if we battered them and all these decisions meant that we lost. They had chances to make it 3 maybe 4 so lets not get into if’s and if that it wasnt so bad.
So the bookies now have Rafa as favourite to succeed Rodgers, followed closely by Klopp and De Boer. If only to lighten the mood, tell me which of these three you hope we go for.
My vote is Klopp-shaped.
Howe
Well I suppose he is the Don.
you knew I meant Eddie, right??
The first time I can rem football Bringing me to tears was 1985 when I was about 11 and Mark Hughes scored the (offside) winner at Maine Road in a Semi replay, unusually for Ireland those two ties were shown live on the box and I thought after getting out of jail in the first tie at Goodison that we would batter them,
Today’s feelings aren’t a million miles away,
And they say the FA cup doesn’t matter as much anymore,
Great report John, summed it up well.
This many be controversial but be honest and objective:
We should all thank Gerrard for the memories and then all stand up and demand that he removes himself from consideration immediately. I would welcome seeing him head to LA tomorrow before he causes the club and his legacy any more damage this season. He’s the past and he’s had his time, his teammates are the future. Make way, Steven. Sure he brought so much to the club but that does not justify or grant him a right to eliminate any chance the club has at a huge payday in the CL next season in his final month. Such a financial gain is imperative for the club to succeed in the post Gerrard era. Gerrard at his peak, many years ago now, is a rightful legend. Gerrard as a current legend in 2015 is a myth. Every decision today was made to accommodate some fairy tale ending for SG and his ego. BR feels he needs tocompromise his ideals and decisions at every point to allow SG his “moment”. 3 at the back instead of the preferred 433? To cover for SG’s ball watching, lack of legs, his failure to track runners, and the holes he allows right down the center and his side of the pitch. Markovic getting the hook? How can any player defend for two positions and also be expected to drop deep, help and receive from Can, and then bomb on down the wing and hold up play until SG catches his breath and finally arrives on the scene. He was stuck between all of these roles effectively failing at all. So drop SG deep and surround him with multiple players effectively shackling each and everyone. Allen getting the hook? Again can’t pull SG because his fairy tale and ego are more powerful and popular than the manager and the manager knows it. Allen has been lacking while shackled to Gerrard. Can is more useful and dynamic. Allen goes. Gerrard himself offers one moment of quality in his entire 90′, a corner that could have been taken by Coutinho or Hendo with no loss on the pitch during open play. Gerrard, as mentioned in Neil Atkinson’s ratings, offers less than nothing. Any attempt to accommodate him marginalizes our three most important players, Coutinho, Sterling, and Hendo while exposing many others like Lovren, Skrtel, and Allen. His lack of legs and even lack of effort really is detrimental to the ten men lined up beside him. Thank you #8 but it is time to move on and at the end of the season is not soon enough. Go to the manager offer to accept a bench role or decide it is time to leave completely. The sideshow is madness. If Rodgers does get the sack, it will be because of his willingness to attempt to accommodate the Steven Gerrard-sized elephant in the room. Rodgers’ successor, if the sack comes this Summer, will not have the same issue of a player more powerful than himself undermining his philosophy and the axe will wrongfully be deemed as just. Give Rodgers one more year post-Gerrard but provide him better guidance or leadership on transfers, recruiting, and scouting. It will be his first chance at a true clean slate. If Rodgers must go though, Klopp is tailor made for this young squad with plenty of speed, stamina and technical ability. Just add a fit goal scorer and a couple others. Let’s hope everyone has learned from today’s experience and BR has the nerve to bench SG and the fans and media have the impartiality to back the manager in a correct decision.
Wanna let me know how Gerrard in a front 3 compromises Henderson playing in centre-mid where he wants to play, and where he was for the first half-hour when Villa ran rings around us? Rather like Arsenal ran rings around us as did Utd in the first half (games which Gerrard didn’t start)?
Every pundit and most of the TAW lot said they’d start Gerrard today. Are they concerned about his ‘ego’, too?
Scapegoating drivel.
It’s very simple, Brownie. Gerrard in a front 3 compromises Henderson because Gerrard walked around and did nothing up top. He does not know how to position himself in either direction nor does he have the necessary pace or stamina. He looks like he is managing his stamina all match and is effectively not engaging because of it. He unbalances the numbers game in midfield. He allowed Villa to play around him with simplest of triangles and did not follow the Villa players back as they flooded the midfield and left Allen and Henderson and also Skrtel and Lovren for dead. Allen and Henderson looked poor, sure, so would any midfielder in the world if there are 4 opposing players running about you with no help from the forward 3 for most of the match. Putting Gerrard behind the same two does not help them especially when now they have Balotelli in front of them. Now they have 2 defensively liabilities around them. The formation flip flopping is 100% due to trying to find a solution to the Gerrard conundrum by shifting numbers about to cover for his liabilities but also maximize the offensive outlets just as it was last season. Last season, we had better outlets. Yes, the team was beaten soundedly by Arsenal but that’s because we were playing the compromise 3421 that was put in place to improve the defensive record due to Gerrard’s defensive lapses as well as for Allen and Henderson struggling to pick up the slack in front of an overwhelmed defense that lacked confidence following weeks of abuse from being outnumbered. 3421 is not the best fit for the majority of our players and we lack any semblance of a fit scoring threat striker. 3421 with Sterling up is never going to succeed against even moderate opposition.. BR should have played 433/451 both matches. Coutinho has far too much to do if he has to start, carry and finish a scoring run from midfield or wide forward match after match after match. Sterling cannot lead the line. Time to end that experiment. Balotelli does not understand the offside rule nor how to be a teammate. Can is not a right back and was left exposed with no cover considering Coutinho was shifted to a marginally right sided yet free role despite Villa showing an obvious plan to target Can. Again, all compromises that had to be made to accommodate Gerrard because the manager cannot drop him due to myth that he can still contribute as Gerrard the legend. How many teams took him out early in the season placing a single quicker player in and around him? Downing and many others far less capable schooled him week after week. The remaining games, the core players should be on in their best positions with an eye on next season and beyond. Coutinho, Sterling, Hendo, Ibe, Markovic, Can, Sakho, Moreno should play in every match as well as Lucas and Allen if they are in the future plans. Cut out Gerrard and Johnson, remove Balotelli and Lambert if they aren’t in the plan. I pray they are not. Build. Give these players the chance to build belief and become leaders in the absence of the crushing weight of Gerrard’s presence. Give them the chance to take the match into their own hands.
If you trust in punditry, you know less than you think..
This season’s themes are easily summed up: 1) Gerrard’s inability to cope with the pace of the game and the failure or inability of the club and/or management to address it leading to the aforementioned issues and 2) last summer’s failure to recruit a worthy striker who fits with the style desired by the manager and matches with the rest of the player personnel.
“He allowed Villa to play around him with simplest of triangles and did not follow the Villa players back as they flooded the midfield and left Allen and Henderson and also Skrtel and Lovren for dead”
Just read that back to yourself. Gerrard – from his front three position – is responsible for Liverpool’s entire midfield and defence being put on the back foot. It’s as though there is no agency possessed by the middle 4 we started the game with (let alone the other 2 of the front 3). Villa didn’t even set up outnumbering us in midfield. Per Sherwood they played with two number 10s (Grealish and N’Zogbia) marauding behind Benteke. They were just more ‘at it’ than we were across the park. We changed formation twice and it made no difference. If you want to convince yourself that – irrespective of position – this was down to Gerrard playing and not some collective failure, go ahead. But the notion these changes were there to accommodate Gerrard doesn’t stack up given how Rodgers flirted with 3-4-3 and 4-4-2 variants in recent matches in which Gerrard wasn’t even available. Whether for better or worse, Rodgers doesn’t need Gerrard in the side to induce him to experiment with different formations…not just from game to game, but within a game itself.
“Yes, the team was beaten soundedly by Arsenal but that’s because we were playing the compromise 3421 that was put in place to improve the defensive record due to Gerrard’s defensive lapses ”
Let me see if I’ve got this straight: even when we lose a game that Gerrard isn’t playing in, it’s still somehow his fault? Got it.
“3421 with Sterling up is never going to succeed against even moderate opposition.. ”
Liverpool 2-1 Man City.
“BR should have played 433/451 both matches…Sterling cannot lead the line. Time to end that experiment. Balotelli does not understand the offside rule nor how to be a teammate.”
So Sterling can’t lead the line, Balotelli is out because he doesn’t understand the rules, and Sturridge is injured. But you insist we *have* to play 4-3-3 or 4-5-1. So you’re leading the line with Borini? Good luck with that.
“Give these players the chance to build belief and become leaders in the absence of the crushing weight of Gerrard’s presence.”
Arsenal, Utd and others.
I understand people are frustrated. I am, too. But scapegoating individual players is a bit pathetic (even when it’s justified). And pretending that the solutions to all these problems are obvious if only the manager of the EPL team could see what some two-bit commenters on a blog could see is risible. It doesn’t mean that the manager hasn’t and won’t make mistakes and that we as fans can’t have our say, but when your answer is a formation that has Borini leading your line, it’s probably time to acknowledge that you don’t have all the answers.
Gerrard was part of the ‘top 2’ of a midfield square. Pretending that our 3421 is a 343, such that Coutinho and Gerrard can be spoken of as ‘the front 3’ is a little too convenient.
I am not one to defend Henderson. It’s not Gerrard’s fault, or the manager’s fault, when Henderson under-performs.
Gerrard’s performance and his use by BR ought to be addressed (critically, if necessary) on their own merits.
I thought you meant Don Howe also,
A Child of 80s football will always think Don when they see or hear the word Howe.
Look, there’s no getting away from it, the reasons stated in the review are the reasons we were shite. I think he became so obsessed with his little battle with Sherwood that he forgot football’s a simple game. Just put 11 players out there and say go out and enjoy it. Pass the ball, find space, have some shots and if we get a corner try and get a head on it. Why over complicate it?
One thing I’m left questioning though was the desire of one or two of the players. Poor Lazar didn’t have a clue where he was supposed to be. He was in front of me, I could see his face and he was confused. But, instead of not knowing what you’re doing and running around like you’re stoned, why not run round like a headless chicken and not know what you’re doing? He wasn’t alone though. I saw no fight or character out there today. Have we even got someone who can show it?
Apart from Mingolet nobody seemed to know where they were supposed to play. It was an exercise in amateurism. Rodgers’ recent treatment of Marcovic is truly shocking. Hauled off at half time allowing Gerrard to carry on doing absolutely nothing was ridiculous. Today was a dark day, although only one more in a desperate season of managerial incompetence. As I’ve posted before, Newcastle did it for me, but the ‘white flag’ game in Madrid and the subsequent dropping of those valiant players who rescued Liverpool’s pride was terrible. Rafa or Klopp for me.
Lovren in defense, Gerrard holding and Balo upfront, that was the spine that had us getting less points than Hodgson for the first half of the season
Yet he played Gerrard the whole game and said he was excellent
All these formation changes just seem desperate, so he keeps flipping them around coz basically none of them work. If that’s the case then it’s the ability of the players that’s the issue, but you can’t tell me they’re worse than the Villa players. And he has had 200 mil to build a squad, yet ends up buying guys like Lovren
And he has gloated for years on about playing like Barca and possession football and tiki taka, then last year with Suarez, probably the best direct style footballer in the world, we start to play another way and he calls that his philosophy. So what exactly is his philosophy? Can Rodgers even decide himself?
Lovren did alright today, I thought. In fact, out of all the problems we had today as a team, our defence was the least of them. Villa had 7 attempts on goal. You’d normally settle for that in a semi–final. This game was lost further up the park.
Gerrard holding it was just a completely crazy thing to do, yet again we got outrun in midfield and acres of space in front of the back 4 because of it. For a whole half of the season that was a huge weakness for us and he goes back to it in the biggest game of this season, baffling
Lovren might’ve been alright yesterday, but everytime we’re chasing a game he consistently does idiotic things when he has the ball. It’s either a crazy Charlie Adam pass that goes nowhere or giving it away. I guess he added to his arsenal today with the shot into orbit. He really is the definition of a player who has a brown spot in his pants under pressure
“Gerrard holding it was just a completely crazy thing to do, yet again we got outrun in midfield and acres of space in front of the back 4 because of it.”
All of those things happened in the first half when Gerrard was part for a front three. We were second best all over the park from first to last and it didn’t matter where Gerrard, Henderson, or anyone else played.
Erm it most certainly for the 2nd goal, Gerrard was woeful
Gerrard lost a header in the opposition’s half of the centre-circle to a bloke about 2-3 inches taller than him. If that constitutes him being responsible for the goal that was scored on the edge of our six-yard area about 10 seconds later, I really don’t know what else to say. There’s basically nothing some people won’t blame him for.
Are you sure he’s not the reason you’re not living with Angelina Jolie in a condo in Santa Barbra, too?
I can’t believe how fast so called “fans” will turn on a manager and a team…
No protection in front of defence, very weak midfield, Gerrard a passenger in the front 3 not effecting the game. Thought we got away with it, Villa playing the much better footy through our midfield. If we score their two goals we’re waxing lyrical about carving them open.
In hindsight should of gone 4 at the back from the off with Can and Skirtl in the centre, 5 in midfield to win the battle and sterling up front. At least then you can dog it out.
Team lacked any coherent shape for me and we can’t rely on 20 year old kids in an FA Cup semi to pull us through. Sometimes as unfashionable and out of date as it may sound you have to earn the right to play and sticking a few reducers in early on, breaking the play up can do that. The last decent player we had who could do that was Mascherano who’d kick the shit out them and let them know who they were up against. Good LFC sides in my memory have always had that type of player in the middle.
SG’s tackle on Mata was the the right message the other week, he just wasn’t clever enough 3 seconds later.
Overall very flat, outplayed, Villa sharper, looked fitter, more fluent, more up for it than us.
Not convinced about Klopp either, his team has been found out and they also can’t defend. Also not convinced on FSG policy. Teams generally have a 5 year cycle and it feels were back in year 1. Club needs a marquee signing or two to add some clout & experience to help bring the younger players on.
“In hindsight should of gone 4 at the back from the off with Can and Skirtl in the centre, 5 in midfield to win the battle and sterling up front. At least then you can dog it out. ”
“In hindsight” is the key phrase, because no-one before the game suggested we should adopt a 4-5-1 formation we haven’t played all season as we’d probably have to “dog it out” against Aston fucking Villa.
Inexperience is rife at the club.
From the top to players to management.
Rodgers says there’s no big game mentality in the team. He’s right. He himself hasn’t experienced many big games. Neither has Can, Lovren, Sterling, Markovic, Moreno, Allen etc etc.
And now this summer we are very likely to lose Gerrard, Johnson and possibly Toure and Lucas.
Where does he expect this big game mentality to come from?????
Sorry, didn’t Moreno win Europa League last season – I’m sure that counts as a BIG game.
“In hindsight should of gone 4 at the back from the off with Can and Skirtl in the centre, 5 in midfield to win the battle and sterling up front. At least then you can dog it out. ”
“In hindsight” is the key phrase, because no-one before the game suggested we should adopt a 4-5-1 formation we haven’t played all season as we’d probably have to “dog it out” against Aston fucking Villa.
Agree with the hindsight comments but we’ve played a false 9 with Sterling acting as the front of the false 9 before. To go 3 at the back, with no protection and then 3 up front left us looking toothless. one pass through our flat midfield undone on countless occasions yesterday.
Ultimately Rogers has been done in the last 3 big games. We can debate big game mentality in payers but if in these big games you’re not set up right ie we think we can just play our game regardless of the opposition then there’s the chance to come unstuck as we did.
If you go back to Chelsea at the end of last season even JM comes to anfield with a plan to bore and stifle the fuck out of the game and look if he can sneak a win. So even the most arrogant of managers goes somewhere with a negative plan to get the result, same as he did this weekend against Utd. End of the season couldn’t give a shit how it looks just get the result.