WHAT to make of Liverpool’s 0-3 defeat against West Ham United? Neil Atkinson is joined by Sean Rogers and Paul Cope to pick the bones out of Liverpool’s unchanged side and decisions made during the game.
TUESDAY REVIEW: DEJA VU?
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Sean mentioned he was surprised that we haven’t trialled playing a formation with the currently available personnel that would reflect how we’ll presumably play when Studge is fit. I’m paraphrasing.
I couldn’t understand why in preseason we played every game with a DM behind Hendo and Milner, only for those two to retreat behind Coutinho as soon as he was ready to play.
I wanted us to give someone like Texiera a try in the position Coutinho would ultimately play when fit, ie in front of Milner and Hendo, as transpired in the first couple of league games. It was as though the coaches were surprised that Coutinho returned to Liverpool and was still our best player. Apparently one training session changed that. Understandably so I suppose!
Lucas gets the blame again wouldn’t have matter who played if we concede we don’t win , Lallana would have been scapegoat had he played now you say we missed him , what about not playing Milner to me cant see what he does unless hes out wide he does everything that’s bad about Gerrard and nun of the good, for me Benteke is limited when up against 2 big centre halfs but the biggest problem is lack of identity doesn’t seem to be a set way of playing bornmouth . stoke the same very worrying . Its all about systems if one system doesn’t work he changes for another rather than specifically to pray on a weakness or to shut game down . Bredan remindes me of the classmate who does all his homework passes his exams but when the teachers asks him something new in class he doesn’t get it
I found this installment of the Tuesday Review the best in a very long while (even ever).
All three lads had “done their homework”, Sean was “on his game”, Paul refreshingly not-preemptively-apologetic, and Neal at his best tactically (which hasn’t always been the case, what with the “goals, goals, goals” deep analysis and whatnot).
All LFC players and the manager were treated fairly yet not spared learned and accurate critique.
Furthermore, Bilic and WHU were given their proper due.
The three lads complemented each other well, adding to the others’ comments, correcting and clarifying them, the works.
Bravo, and keep up the good work!
Have to apologise for not listening to whole podcast as usual see you made point about changing system rather than tweaking existing system with new players . Well done lads good podcast . just listened for 2nd time watched game once live, twice on tv . Just getting lump out of chest now .Lets hope things get better sure they will , Cans position for build up to first goal still pissing me off
Love the show but I have to take issue with a couple of points this week.
Firstly, you can’t go into games with a defence like ours planning to win 1-0 every week.
Secondly, as a manager, and a group of players, you always know that the opposition is capable of scoring. It’s not a handicap, its professional football. If the manager and players fail to respond to going a goal down then they are in trouble. This is basic stuff, particularly for a top team playing at home.
Thirdly, the home team has no obligation to retain possession. If counter attacking is our game let’s counter attack at home. I suspect this is indeed the plan, but it relies on us scoring quickly. Given our woeful lack of penetration and endless sideways passing that’s not likely to happen at the moment.
Fourthly (no-one expects the Spanish Inquisition), whilst your right to point to revisionism, you need to dig back a bit further and reconsider 2013/14. The reason we were so successful was because Rodgers abandoned the ‘death by football’ mantra and adapted to his players’ strengths. We were often very direct as you’d expect with players like Gerrard, Coutinho and Suarez: they are not patient players. The problems set it, it seems to me, when we reverted to the ‘death by football’ nonsense last season: we are at our best when we play quickly. You’re analysis of City is quite correct, but City have far better players, hence Sterling and Milner: they can play and play because Adam Lallana is no David Silva and Toure and Aguero can create chances from nothing. We don’t have those players. The problem against West Ham was we played too much; not only was it boring for the supporters but it is so very easy to set up against as Bilic demonstrated.
The lesson to be taken from the West Ham game then, is surely not to play more, we played endlessly, but to play to the strengths of the players at the manager’s disposal. We may deconstruct football matches but really, it isn’t philosophy. We don’t need to be second guessing teams like West Ham we need to be beating them by playing to our strengths. How the manager still hasn’t worked out the we need players running beyond Benteke or that Lovren has a clanger in him is beyond me and I was, until very recently, a Brendanista.
Revisionism
Neil,
This notion that teams come to Anfield to sit, defend and allow Liverpool to have the ball is not a new one. It didn’t start this season. This has always been the case.
This notion is not an excuse as to why our “creative players” aren’t able to win matches. Our creative players should expect home matches to be this way and we should be able to break teams down. Doing the odd ‘Pass and Move’.
In 12/13 teams came to Anfield and were petrified of stepping over the halfway line. But we went all out attack and annihilated them nonetheless. The difference is it’s Liverpool who have become more defensive at Anfield. Not the opposition. The “You score two, we’ll score three” ethos has gone. We don’t have the confidence to play like that. We no longer have the player/s. In reality, it wasn’t sustainable. It’s the same for every team in the league. The successful ones will not be affected by the likes of West Ham bus parking.