Liverpool FC Forum

[Scottbot]

More sense from Tomkins. Granted he always sees the silver lining and sometimes relies very heavily on stats but makes some excellent points here....

Tomkins;
At least in terms of results. It's fair to say that the Reds are performing markedly better in away games than this time two years ago, but the results, if anything, are currently worse.
 
While I remain convinced that this season is going to be more open than ever –– look at how many points Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have dropped, both away and, more pertinently, at home –– it's also clear that without a drastic improvement in the Reds' away results, no push for the title will be possible.
 
Let's be frank: the Reds' most recent fixture, Bolton away, is never easy. It's a pig of a game, for all the top teams. Sam Allardyce has always pointed out how Bolton profit against the big teams if they've had midweek Champions League games.
 
Whilst Rafa was hoping for even-handed officiating in what is usually a physical fixture, it was neither fair (Faye should have been sent off) nor, in the case of the linesman, was it even clear-sighted. The first goal changes a game, and this was a howler. Rotation seemed to take the blame for the defeat, but what has that got to do with such a key first half decision?
 
The start to the season has thrown up pretty much all of the trickiest away games. Sheffield United are an average team, but one playing their first game in the Premiership like a cup final. Everton were buoyant and fresh when the Reds went there, and able to use their extra energy to great effect, even if the game could have finished 4-3 to the Reds.
 
The performance at Chelsea was actually the best at that venue since Benítez arrived, with more chances created in that one match than in all the recent visits. Chelsea, at home, only had one meaningful effort, and it was a screamer out of nothing. Three of the four away games have been against the early-season form sides who sit in the top five.
 
I don't want to blame officials, as that's not the sole reason Liverpool are mid-table. But it's one reason. Since the legitimate penalty on the opening day of the season, the Reds have been denied a number of clear calls. Nearly all of these have been at 0-0, or 1-0 down. Meanwhile, crucial goals conceded at Everton and Bolton have been down to poor refereeing.
 
Then there's the endless succession of strikes against the bar and post. It's now 12 times this season – I can't remember a season like it. The woodwork does not move to stop a shot, so I dislike the phrase "denied by the woodwork", but when your aim is out by inches you can consider it hard luck, especially if the keeper is totally beaten. Bellamy's effort against Spurs aside, where hitting the post seemed harder than scoring (all strikers have been there, mind) these have pretty much all been excellent efforts at goal.
 
Most strikers are aiming just inside the post, as the first thing you have to do is look to take the keeper out of the equation; it's not about simply hitting the target, as that can often mean giving the keeper easy shooting practice. Again, these ultra-narrow misses have been at key stages of games.

 
To my mind there's no denying that the fixture list has been cruel, but the aim now has to be to make the most of the remaining away fixtures; if it's been cruel to start with then, barring any miraculous transformations at other clubs in the meantime (Watford sign Ronaldinho and Kaka), the rest should be fairly kind.
 
Once Old Trafford is out of the way, there will be 14 games away from Anfield, and while plenty won't be easy, only Arsenal will be considered extremely tricky. And even the Arsenal game (which may actually be easier now they're on a bigger pitch, that suits wingers more than their favoured narrow formation) comes before mid-November.
 
If you look at Manchester United, they've yet to play their away derby, and they've had their one 'big four' match at home (which they also lost). Like Chelsea, they've also played one more home game than Liverpool, and therefore one less away.
 
And the three league games at Anfield – all of which have been won – haven't exactly been of the cakewalk variety. West Ham arrived brimming with confidence and full of skill and ambition, before their behind-the-scenes uncertainty undermined the good work of the last two years. Newcastle and Spurs are traditionally in toughest six-to-eight fixtures, albeit ones the Reds tend to win.
 
Liverpool's away form doesn't need to be better than last year if the home form continues to show an improvement; and so far so good on that score. While the home form has been good since Benítez arrived, there is still scope for improvement, especially against the top few sides.
 
But if the away form continues to yield such poor rewards for all the corners, shots on goal and possession, and the opposition continue to score from their only chances, then there will undoubtedly be problems.
 
It's too early to panic. If there's one thing Rafa Benítez has done consistently since he arrived it's solve problems. Inevitably new problems will arise as the blend is altered; that's football. You don't evolve without setbacks (ask any Duck-Billed Platypus or Emu). Problems can't be solved overnight with the wave of a magic wand.
 
The World Cup hangover, after two gruelling 60+ game seasons, and the incessant international breaks, hasn't helped. It's too simplistic to just blame rotation.
 
The manager's track record over the last five years has been superb, and it's all been achieved with rotation. The calls for him to abandon one of his key philosophies make no sense to me; it's like asking Xabi Alonso to play like Vinnie Jones. I might not personally agree with every team selection, but then I don't know the ins and outs of the complex decision making process behind it. With hindsight, even Rafa might have made different selections.
 
What I do know is that Benítez rotated on the way to winning two Spanish titles in three years. He actually selected a 'weaker' team to tie up his second league title, using what looked a stronger team in the Uefa Cup. Which Valencia also won. He rotated heavily between the league and the Champions League in 2005; and it led to knocking out Juventus and Chelsea, and remarkable glory in Istanbul. And he rotated last season, on the way to 82 points, and approaching 70% of all league games won. With the FA Cup thrown in to boot.
 
Three bad results this season, and apparently that all counts for nothing.

[Dalglish]

Superb as per usual from the level headed Tomkins..............

There are a few "fans" who might want to take a leaf out of his book next time they light the touch paper and go off on one !

[Scottbot]

Superb as per usual from the level headed Tomkins..............

There are a few "fans" who might want to take a leaf out of his book next time they light the touch paper and go off on one !

Agree with that completely. Unlike the majority of the media (and us fans), Tomkins does a great job of putting a perspective on any LFC situation. A real leveller. His take on rotation is excellent. I also read somewhere the other day that the team to win the title the past 3 years only played the same team back to back on just 4 occasions. A fact that will conveniently go unoticed by the national press of course.

[account deleted by request]

Thanks for posting it - a good read with plenty of optimistic sense.

[red37]

Then there's the endless succession of strikes against the bar and post. It's now 12 times this season – I can't remember a season like it.

surprised its that many...it'll be interesting to see if those missed chances count against us come May. but if the lads continue working hard, they'll start flying in.

[Sabre]

I liked that read.

I hate opportunists, for instance I hate sky commentators, that say Liverpool is doing well with 0-0, then the oposition scores, and 5 minutes later say that Liverpool are doing badly. If you're playing well you're playing well, even if the oposition scores. But nowadays pundits are score dependant, if Liverpool have a good run, all praises. If Liverpool loses, all criticism.

Some will say that Tomkins is a happy clappy and trying to find excuses. But I say he's valiant enough to see and comment the strenght of LFC even when the results haven't been that good away.

[Lando_Griffin]

Spot on.

No suprises there, though. He always talks sense.

[Ace Ventura]

A good read that and some of the points he has made i have been arguing the very same things with my sceptical mates.
The fixture list has been really tricky with traditionaly three of the most difficult away games out of the way.
As Tomkins said having these international breaks so early in the season, and straight after a world cup has been a major problem as well.
I am very confident we will go on similar long winning runs like last season and be right back in the mix of things sooner rather than later.
The major bonus is that all the other top sides are dropping points as well, so despite the patchy start we are not that far away from putting pressure on them.

[JBG]

I too refuse to lose the head at this point. We've had a hard start to the season if you look at how the fixtures lined up, and this time last year we were in a similar boat and didn't turn things around until we hit rock bottom by losing to Palace in the League Cup.

This year we have a better squad, and we are due an upturn in form from some key players.

I genuinely think that we are made of sterner stuff that what our results show, and a couple of wins on the trot will put our season right again.

[Bad Bob]

Tomkins is always worth reading.  The middle part of the piece may sound like a laundry list of excuses but there's something to each of his points.  His discussion of rotation is spot on, IMO--it's brought us so much success during Rafa's regime so it can't be totally rubbish all of a sudden.

[Ciggy]

His discussion of rotation is spot on, IMO--it's brought us so much success during Rafa's regime so it can't be totally rubbish all of a sudden.

Yes but when Rafa has rotated in the past its been 3 players at the most, this season we have seen up to 6 players being rotated.
I just dont agree with it its killing us.

[Espionage]

His discussion of rotation is spot on, IMO--it's brought us so much success during Rafa's regime so it can't be totally rubbish all of a sudden.

Yes but when Rafa has rotated in the past its been 3 players at the most, this season we have seen up to 6 players being rotated.
I just dont agree with it its killing us.

I think its becasue we have more players challenging for spots, so I dont think his rotation regime has changed.

[bigmick]

I must confess I find the "glass is half full" thrust of every Tompkins post a little wearing at times. If you didn't know better you would think that picking up one point in four away games, in the process scoring only goal from an extremely dodgy penalty (I really can't go with the theory that the award was "legitamate", lets be sensible here the referee made a mistake) was all part of Rafa's grand plan, a deliberate ploy. Maybe he wanted to lure the others into a false sense of security.

"Rafa made a mistake? Nah mate, your a fairweather knee-jerker. Wait till you see us in the second half of the season, you'll be GLAD we lost those games and drew with Sheffield United then. We'll be sprinting about the pitch with gay abandon, everyone else will be treading water while we will be overwhelming all and sundry 'cos we'll be FRESH. Fresher than a spring lamb, we'll be leaping like salmon to head in those corners, sprinting around like gazelles to every loose ball whereas our rivals will be wearing concrete boots, overcome by the fatigue of playing in a non-rotated formation."

Sorry I don't buy it. I don't buy it because it's palpably b0ll0cks. Sorry if it makes me fall out with most people on here, but it's nothing short of delusional nonsense. We didn't win the Champions League because Rafa rotated the team. FFS, we were a couple of minutes from going out in the group stages until we fashioned an unlikely comeback culminating in Gerrard busting the net in the dying seconds against Olympiacos. Did we come back in the final because Milan were too tired? Did Gudjohnson miss by inches at Anfield because he had played too many games? If Milan were too tired, how come they were 3-0 up at half time and cruising? Sorry but I don't buy us winning the Champions League was down to rotation at all.

It really kills me when rafa says "nobody can play sixty games a season" and everyone goes "yeah exactly, top man Rafa". Nobody is suggesting that anybody, even Gerrard plays in every single game. Look at us sofar though, we have got players who are injured and players who have been injured. You have to rotate naturally through injuries so why make six changes in a game just for the sake of it?

If you are going to "rest" a player, do it one or two at a time. Do it when they are actually tired. Do it when the team has established at least a modicum of fluency and momentum. People need to realise, we are still in the race because everybody else is dropping points (which probably means it's a weaker league this term) and not because of some tactical masterstroke. While it's true to say that if we win the league people will forget about the start, it's also true to say that it won't mean the mistakes didn't happen. It's also true to say if we do win the league, it will most definately not be because of rotation, it will be despite it.

[bunglemark2]

Good post bigmick....i agree with your points.....If you look at the strength in depth of the two teams most pundits believe have a claim on the title this season (Chelski and LFC), you'd have to say man-to-man that Chelski's players are prodb. individually more talented, a few excepions barred. Thing is, even if Maureeno DOES rotate, the players he can bring in who would be fresh, are prob. that bit better than LFC's (Zenden ? "I've a runny nose" Kewell ?)....I agree with some pundits who say that consistency is the key - you only have to look at our past record - but accept that the game nowadays is a lot faster than back then.....However, I'm not sure this constant week-to-week rotation will lead to consistent results, even if or despite the fact that the players are fresher...

[Ciggy]

I must confess I find the "glass is half full" thrust of every Tompkins post a little wearing at times. If you didn't know better you would think that picking up one point in four away games, in the process scoring only goal from an extremely dodgy penalty (I really can't go with the theory that the award was "legitamate", lets be sensible here the referee made a mistake) was all part of Rafa's grand plan, a deliberate ploy. Maybe he wanted to lure the others into a false sense of security.

"Rafa made a mistake? Nah mate, your a fairweather knee-jerker. Wait till you see us in the second half of the season, you'll be GLAD we lost those games and drew with Sheffield United then. We'll be sprinting about the pitch with gay abandon, everyone else will be treading water while we will be overwhelming all and sundry 'cos we'll be FRESH. Fresher than a spring lamb, we'll be leaping like salmon to head in those corners, sprinting around like gazelles to every loose ball whereas our rivals will be wearing concrete boots, overcome by the fatigue of playing in a non-rotated formation."

Sorry I don't buy it. I don't buy it because it's palpably b0ll0cks. Sorry if it makes me fall out with most people on here, but it's nothing short of delusional nonsense. We didn't win the Champions League because Rafa rotated the team. FFS, we were a couple of minutes from going out in the group stages until we fashioned an unlikely comeback culminating in Gerrard busting the net in the dying seconds against Olympiacos. Did we come back in the final because Milan were too tired? Did Gudjohnson miss by inches at Anfield because he had played too many games? If Milan were too tired, how come they were 3-0 up at half time and cruising? Sorry but I don't buy us winning the Champions League was down to rotation at all.

It really kills me when rafa says "nobody can play sixty games a season" and everyone goes "yeah exactly, top man Rafa". Nobody is suggesting that anybody, even Gerrard plays in every single game. Look at us sofar though, we have got players who are injured and players who have been injured. You have to rotate naturally through injuries so why make six changes in a game just for the sake of it?

If you are going to "rest" a player, do it one or two at a time. Do it when they are actually tired. Do it when the team has established at least a modicum of fluency and momentum. People need to realise, we are still in the race because everybody else is dropping points (which probably means it's a weaker league this term) and not because of some tactical masterstroke. While it's true to say that if we win the league people will forget about the start, it's also true to say that it won't mean the mistakes didn't happen. It's also true to say if we do win the league, it will most definately not be because of rotation, it will be despite it.

Now this is better than the PT article cause its the truth, sometimes people have to take off those red tinted specs and see thing for how they are.