Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014 - Mod Note in OP, 1/09

BenEadir wrote: »

Becuase Gerrard's lack of pace and movement make him easy to target. His game has been reduced to being a DM with a "quarter back" element to the role receiving the ball and pinging long passes. The problem is this isn't American Football and it's too easy to simply man mark him when our defence get the ball thus preventing him doing the one thing he's still amazing at. Henderson and Allen or any other midfielders can do all the running they like, it won't result in Gerrard not being man marked will it?

Would any other player in any other team in the PL, especially a 34 year old makeshift DM with the following stats for their last 90 minutes be a guaranteed starter next week?

- 82% pass accuracy
- 0 through balls
- 0 shots
- 0/5 crosses completed
- 0 tackles won

Seriously, 0 tackles won for a DM in a game we were trounced in :eek:

My point is that Gerrard has a particular set of skills, picked up over a life time or work, which makes him a nightmare for teams to play against ("Taken" credit). He can open up space for our front players by going long and thus overcome a hard pressing game. If he has the right kind of players around him, ones that can turn and beat a man and open up space, then other teams cannot simply man mark him as they will have more to worry about than him. The other players are not being targetted because they cannot influence the game to the same extent.

Please don't quote stats for 1 90 minute match when discussing Steven Gerrard. It's not right and I wont have it.

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

No body was expecting the header from Sakho , that's what started it. If Gerrard had have done that he'd have been lambasted.

[...]
At that stage it was 3 at the back iirc so Skrtel is far too central for someone whos 2 other centre halves are to the left of him. The 3 centre halves are all on the left hand side of the pitch with no cover on the right.

I suppose it's rare enough that a goal is down to one player's error.

When we have 3 defenders and a keeper that look nervy and a malfunctioning midfield you're going to get these cock-ups chained together more than you can get away with.

It seems a common theme:
- Henderson loses his man and nobody is marking Reid in the centre for the first goal yesterday.
- Sakho bungles a clearing header, our midfield has gone walkabout, Skrtel is out of position and Gerrard doesn't track his runner for the third goal.
-Moreno is too far up the pitch, Sakho gets dragged wide and leaves a big gap through the centre and Mignolet comes miles off his line for Ludogorets' goal.

But given some of the performances of these players in other circumstances (see this post:

YouTookMyName wrote: »

It's the fúckin midfields fault.

)
... I don't think we're conceding lots of goals because any of the players in our back 5 are ****e.

There's a lack of cover in front of them, they're getting attacked a lot, maybe there's a mistake in each of them (but that's true of most defenders), they get nervy, that breeds more mistakes and there's just a cycle of cock-ups that seems to get worse the longer it goes on.

Set pieces clearly need to be worked on but aside from that, I'm not sure what the calls for a "defensive coach" are really about.

We want to play attacking football but Rodgers has maintained that philosophy without maintaining the balance in our front 6.
One alternative is to change our entire approach to the game but I'd much rather we tried to play the same way as last season, even if it's less effective because of Suarez not being present.

Fescue wrote: »

What do you put it down to?

A hangover from last season perhaps?

I just don't think Rodgers has picked the right team and while a he gets a bit of a pass due to injuries and bedding in new players, I don't think that explains why he'd play Balotelli without support or Lucas and Gerrard in the same midfield.

Maybe Spurs was a fluke but that felt like the "real" Liverpool. That had the balance, the cover for Gerard's weaknesses, the support up front and Sterling playing where he should be.

That was the only good performance this season and, given the way we've lined up in every other game, that makes sense.

Vicxas wrote: »

Absolute saint.

Claimed to be a freelance journalist. He shut his account just there.

segadreamcast wrote: »

Claimed to be a freelance journalist..

Fancy speak for "has a blog"

8-10 wrote: »

Gerrard is essential in midfield I think. Very intelligent player, watched him intently last Tuesday night. I can see him playing for Liverpool for another 3 years.

Still has plenty to offer but playing 3 games in 8 days at his age is ridiculous, playing with lucas should but outlawed too.

BenEadir wrote: »

Ah ok, I gotcha. Gerrard had a shocker not becuase he's playing in a role unsuited to him and at 34 his lack of movement and pace make him easy to man mark but because the players around him aren't making the opposition worried enough. That's explained it for me, bar on thing. Can you explain how he didn't win a single tackle or play a single through ball in 90 minutes?

Gerrard had a shocker because he was knackered, I'm not disputing that he had a shocker or that his age is not relevant.

But your focus on Gerrard as the crux of the problem is way off, and he is always the first one to be criticized when we have a poor spell. We should not be relying on our captain the way we are, Rodgers does need to come up with different midfield formations and the likes of Llalana, Can & Henderson need to step up this year so that we are not still relying on our aging star.

We're lucky the likes of Spurs and United are faltering right now. The weekend has been relatively kind to us considering how we did.

I'm still confident we'll have a good season but we need to gain some momentum very quickly.