Liverpool FC Forum

[112-1077774096]

yes it is critical, but I do not feel its a good trade off, 4th for a QF spot, Man U and Arsenal also have a QF spot, as do chelsea but none of them are scrambling for 4th in fact two for them are in a title battle showing its possible to still be involved in both

All three of them are involved in the title race peewee to be fair. Despite the fac that we've shown ourselves to be more than their equal, despite lots of injuries and losing important players to the African Nations Cup, Chelsea are very much in it make no mistake about that.

There's no questioin that out of the top four, we're the stand out under achievers as far as the league is concerned. Still, now we've resorted to more sensible team selection methods, I'm confident it'll be an entirely different story next season.

i think every season at this point we have gone on a run of good results mate because at this stage rafa has normally decided to field a stronger settled team and decided on trying to win games rather than trying to not lose, but then he reverts back to his tactics that have failed him for the following season.

next season (if he is still here) watch what happens

[bigmick]

yes it is critical, but I do not feel its a good trade off, 4th for a QF spot, Man U and Arsenal also have a QF spot, as do chelsea but none of them are scrambling for 4th in fact two for them are in a title battle showing its possible to still be involved in both

All three of them are involved in the title race peewee to be fair. Despite the fac that we've shown ourselves to be more than their equal, despite lots of injuries and losing important players to the African Nations Cup, Chelsea are very much in it make no mistake about that.

There's no questioin that out of the top four, we're the stand out under achievers as far as the league is concerned. Still, now we've resorted to more sensible team selection methods, I'm confident it'll be an entirely different story next season.

i think every season at this point we have gone on a run of good results mate because at this stage rafa has normally decided to field a stronger settled team and decided on trying to win games rather than trying to not lose, but then he reverts back to his tactics that have failed him for the following season.

next season (if he is still here) watch what happens

Well I'm ever the optimist, and I think he's finally realised what is needed to succeed in the league over here. He must surely know now that mass rotation isn't the way to go, not only has it beeen proven over four years but we are in the process of proving how to do it right now. I'm very optimistic about next season, because I think he's going to properly go for it.

Needless to say if I'm wrong and we revert back to five changes per match again at the start of next season, I'll be well and truly back in the doomer and gloomer camp once again.

[112-1077774096]

well we have had so many false dawns with rafa mick i just hope he has finally learnt his lesson, but time will tell

[ConnO'var]

yes it is critical, but I do not feel its a good trade off, 4th for a QF spot, Man U and Arsenal also have a QF spot, as do chelsea but none of them are scrambling for 4th in fact two for them are in a title battle showing its possible to still be involved in both

All three of them are involved in the title race peewee to be fair. Despite the fac that we've shown ourselves to be more than their equal, despite lots of injuries and losing important players to the African Nations Cup, Chelsea are very much in it make no mistake about that.

There's no questioin that out of the top four, we're the stand out under achievers as far as the league is concerned. Still, now we've resorted to more sensible team selection methods, I'm confident it'll be an entirely different story next season.

i think every season at this point we have gone on a run of good results mate because at this stage rafa has normally decided to field a stronger settled team and decided on trying to win games rather than trying to not lose, but then he reverts back to his tactics that have failed him for the following season.

next season (if he is still here) watch what happens

Well I'm ever the optimist, and I think he's finally realised what is needed to succeed in the league over here. He must surely know now that mass rotation isn't the way to go, not only has it beeen proven over four years but we are in the process of proving how to do it right now. I'm very optimistic about next season, because I think he's going to properly go for it.

Needless to say if I'm wrong and we revert back to five changes per match again at the start of next season, I'll be well and truly back in the doomer and gloomer camp once again.

Agreed Mick.....

But one more season is really all he really should be given , IMO, to prove he has what it takes to win the prem.... To be be perfectly honest, I'm not even asking us to take it home for the 19th time next season... just be in the running and give them other b@stards a right, proper run for their money. I'm really tired of being out of it by the turn of the new year (or earlier!) again.

We're good enough.... the idea that we're not, simply doesn't add up for me. Europe may be a different kettle of fish but the quality of the teams in that competition far outstrips 60% of the current teams in the Premiership easily IMO. The tactics we employ may be different but no matter how much tweaking you do with the tactics, at the end of the day, it's the squad that has to execute them.... and if they're good enough to beat the giants of Europe as we've consistently done, I find it it very hard to swallow the argument that our squad is not good enough for the premiership.

Why did we do so poorly last year? It's simple.... we struggled against Everton and the 6th to 11th placed teams.

Of the available points we only got
1 out of 6 vs Everton and
12 out of 30 vs Tottenham, Reading, Bolton, Portsmouth and Blackburn.

So, I can accept that our squad may not be good enough against the top 3 but we essentially dropped 23 points to the teams mentioned above. I'm not saying that we should have gotten all of them.... that's unrealistic.... but 75% of the available 36 would have been good and that would have taken our tally to 81 points.

To say that our squad is just not good enough is to suggest that these teams are better than us. 

Sorry but just doesn't hold water for me.

[The_Rock]

Lets come back to this rotation debate once our next 5 games are over....Lets see how fit and fresh our team looks during this critical and hard games.... 

yeah these oh so critical games trying to get 4th spot     

[The_Rock]

Still, now we've resorted to more sensible team selection methods, I'm confident it'll be an entirely different story next season.

Don't count the eggs before they hatch....rafa only said he will rotate less as we are in only 2 competitions (actually only one....as fighting for 4th place cannot be counted as a "competition").

So what will happen early next season when we are in 4 competitions ?

My take...... All this rafa has seen the light is just bull...he won't change his philosophy..

What we can hope (if rafa does in fact sign a new contract) is that he signs quality players so that he can rotate like for like.

That means...voronins, kuyts, auerlios of this world are a strict NO....NO.

[66-1112520797]

I'm confident it'll be an entirely different story next season

You said that last season Mick   I'd hoped the same thing, but it never happened. I am clearly not going to hold my breath.

I have now come to expect Rafa to rotate silly style after three or four games into the season, claiming his players need a rest already.

If he doesnt I will be truly amazed.

[laza]

Oh yes this rotation lark , just like idiot Fergie leaving Tevez out. Resting Ronaldo more often then Torres  and not having the same team since August, looks where thats got him

[66-1112520797]

Oh yes this rotation lark , just like idiot Fergie leaving Tevez out. Resting Ronaldo more often then Torres  and not having the same team since August, looks where thats got him

Above us.

[stmichael]

The irony is, when asked about the race for fourth yesterday, Redknapp said that Everton might struggle because they "don't have the squad to rotate" and looked jaded. Yet a few days earlier he was slagging us off for it.

[Yari7]

Rafa did rotate this season at the begining, but didnt we have our best start to a season in ages?

[ConnO'var]

Rafa did rotate this season at the begining, but didnt we have our best start to a season in ages?

Yes he did. I've got the stats at work. Will look it up tomorrow and tell you how much we rotated. Can't confirm it for you now as I don't have the spreadsheet on hand.

But remember, the best start equates to a WDWWDD against
Aston Villa, Chelsea, Sunderland, Derby, Portsmouth and Birmingham.

It's not hard to be better than in previous years when we've gone

DWLLDW (Sheffield United, West Ham, Everton, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham) last year & DWDDDL (Middlesborough, Sunderland, Tottenham, Man Utd, Birmingham, Chelsea) in the previous year.

I'm happy with the improvement of course but if you're being hyper critical than it could be construed that we had nowhere to go but up.
It was a shame we didn't build on the good start when we drew against Pompey and the Brummies.

[Judge]

i remember black november under houllier

start good, fade off, then late run in to finish 4th or so

dejavu

[Toffeehater]

19/03/2008 17:33
Rafa Rotation Key To Success - Carragher
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher doesn't just accept Rafael Benitez's much-debated rotation policy - he feels it could be the key to the Reds' success as the fixtures pile up...
Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher thinks Rafa Benitez’s masterplan has had an impact on the Reds’ improving form and that the Spanish gaffer will continue to get the best out of the Anfield troops.

After losing their way in the middle of the season, Liverpool have now won their last seven games – reestablishing themselves in the Premiership top four and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.

In the last eight, Carragher and co. will face Premier League rivals Arsenal, with a league game sandwiched between the first and second legs of the tie. Fresh legs and regular rotation then, says Carragher, will be the key to ending the season strongly.

"The first three years the manager has been here we have been to three finals, so hopefully there will be another one this season in Moscow," Carragher told Sky Sports News.

"He gets a lot of criticism for [rotation] but you have to look at his record - not just here, at Valencia too - it does prove successful.

"The manager takes a lot of criticism but over the last few weeks we haven't been changing too much as there hasn't been as many games.

"But with these five games coming up, plus the international game, I'm sure there might be a few changes.

"At this time of the season there are maybe a few tired legs and things just need freshening up every now and again."

Duncan Robertson, Goal.com

[kieran2011_90]

i don't think rafa rotates as much as people like to make out, he keeps his core players in goal (reina), defence (carragher), midfield (gerrard, mascherano) and then torres upfront. these players form the core for the team, and have been played consistently through the season. babel has also become a regular, but was allowed to settle into english football by not being overplayed to start with.
and although a lot of people don't like kuyt, he's been played a lot and hardly rotated.
in defence arbeloa and hyypia have also played over 70 games between them
benitez also gets stick for resting key players against teams like barnsley, but surely our reserves should be able to beat those teams with no problems? if they can't then why are they at the club?