Liverpool FC Forum

[account deleted by request]

I think the anti rotationers (pick your best siders)will be pretty happy over the next couple of games, as I think Rafa will actually pick his best side against Marseille and will play almost the same team against the mancs. Having hopefully won both of those games, I expect rampant rotation over the Christmas period before settling back into his usual rotation. Rafa isn't going to change his ideas, and either we learn to accept the odd game where he gets it wrong or we get a new manager.

I don't think he underestimated Reading, or Gerrard and Torres would have been benched. I am also sure he knew he was taking a bit of a gamble on Saturday, I think he simply got it wrong. Every manager makes mistakes this game was one of Rafa's unfortunately.

Nothing to do with normal rotation, he picked a team he thought could win while giving players like Hyypia and Kewell a rest before the two big tests this week. Like all good managers he has to prioritise, and Reading unfortunately was the least of his priorities this week.

[Igor Zidane]

I've kept out of the forum for a couple of day's for a couple of reason's . The first reason was, i was bleeding fuming with the result and the second was i didn't want to read the usual sack rafa poo( i haven't even bothered reading the match thread).

The team selection was pretty good as far as i'm concerned, well capable of beating Reading, the formation puzzled me and i'm still trying to see where Rafa was coming from on that one . Vorinin and crouch cannot play on th left or right as part of a front 3 as i see it ,and that is where we failed , virtually no penetration at all . Like most have said we would have been better with Bable or Kewell or both . Another thing or me is ,if we are going to play 2 holding players in midfiled ,one of them has to be creative ie Xabi or Lucas . Mascherano and sissoko together gives us no chance of keeping the ball and using it in an attacking sense through the middle. If we are going to play with little or no width ,then we need a creative midfielder in there to help gerrard out .

The anti lads will know that i said before in this thead that there will be oppotunities for there arguements for the rest of the season and that was the case on saturday . There was and never will be no gloating from me. We all want to win the league ,that's one of the things we have in common.

By the way Bigmick .i think your earlier post was pretty much spot on regarding the implications of the loss , with Arsenal also getting beat ,we've got away with it some what, but we must capitalize against the mancs .

[Judge]

I expect rampant rotation over the Christmas period

are you visiting that new sex club in liverpool s@int 

[bigmick]

I expect rampant rotation over the Christmas period

are you visiting that new sex club in liverpool s@int 

 

[account deleted by request]

I expect rampant rotation over the Christmas period

are you visiting that new sex club in liverpool s@int 

pmsl 

[Judge]

I expect rampant rotation over the Christmas period

are you visiting that new sex club in liverpool s@int 

pmsl 

yeharrrrrr 

[maguskwt]

I expect rampant rotation over the Christmas period

are you visiting that new sex club in liverpool s@int 

pmsl 

yeharrrrrr 

what?...

tell us about the sex club... 

post some pics if you can... 

[JoeTerp]

Right. Rotation. 

[account deleted by request]

I think if the last few games has taught us anything, its that when it comes to the crunch Rafa actually knows his best team, and that its not about rotation, its about getting a balanced team on the field in their best positions and in a sensible formation.

The team we put out against Marseilles was as good as most of us could have wished for with the only questionable positions being Kuyt or Crouch - Benayoun or Babel. Whether we can maintain that balance while integrating our injured players back into the team is the next problem. Alonso, Agger, Pennant will soon be fit and hopefully we will see a couple of new signings after Christmas to boost the team. I just hope that it doesnt affect the balance of the team and set us back rather than giving us a boost.

[bigmick]

Those of us in the anti camp Saint will be concerned and happy in equal measure once the players come back and we make new signings in January. Having a deeper squad is great if it allows you to cover for injuries in the way that a top class player like Alonso can be replaced with a similarly top class replacement in Masherano. If however it clouds the thinking, gives ever more "options" and "possibilities", and in so doing allows us to visit or somewhat more surrealist selection periods, it's quite possible it could be a hinderance.

When all said and done, you can only put eleven blokes on the field at any one time, and I can't help thinking that in Rafa's particular case, perhaps a few less "options" and "possibilities" is not necessarily a bad thing. It's just a bit of a shame in retrospect that all our "options" and "possibilities" didn't stretch to us being able to field a somewhat more conventional line-up and formation against Reading, as I feel we probably would have won the game. It was one of those occasions that probably disprove the standard rotaioners disclaimer " it wasn't solely down to rotation or team selection". Sadly, on this particular occasion while is wasn't ALL down to that, it's probably fair to say it mostly was.

[JoeTerp]

Those of us in the anti camp Saint will be concerned and happy in equal measure once the players come back and we make new signings in January. Having a deeper squad is great if it allows you to cover for injuries in the way that a top class player like Alonso can be replaced with a similarly top class replacement in Masherano. If however it clouds the thinking, gives ever more "options" and "possibilities", and in so doing allows us to visit or somewhat more surrealist selection periods, it's quite possible it could be in hinderance.

When all said and done, you can only put eleven blokes on the field at any one time, and I can't help thinking that in Rafa's particular case, perhaps a few less "options" and "possibilities" is not necessarily a bad thing. It's just a bit of a shame in retrospect that all our "options" and "possibilities" didn't stretch to us being able to field a somewhat more conventional line-up and formation against Reading, as I feel we probably would have won the game. It was one of those occasions that probably disprove the standard rotaioners disclaimer " it wasn't solely down to rotation or team selection". Sadly, on this particular occasion while is wasn't ALL down to that, it's probably fair to say it mostly was.

But if Raf had more of the "Better" options to choose from, when he rotates, the squad would more or less look "different" rather than weaker.  I think because of his form now, a lot would pick yossi over a fully fit pennant, but there were certainly times when that was not the case, and I think that time will come again. And both offer different things to the team when they are picked (even if its for the same position)  Same thing applies with rotating Mascherano and Alonso, it is up to debate who should be included in our BEST XI, so when one is rotated for the other nobody can complain too much, and it could be a "horses for courses" type thing, but that argument seems to  have lost any favor whatsoever. Rotation becomes a problem when the people coming in are Hobbs and Momo and Crouch out wide, instead of Hyypia, Alonso and Yossi.

Yes, while adding more options will encourage more chopping and changing, as long as TALENT is added, the pros will not mind one bit.  I could see how you would be made at the alleged lack of cohesion within the squad, but the Reading situation would actually have a less likely chance of happening with a deeper MORE TALENTED squad.

And I do not want to speak for Sabre, but I have seen  him make the point that there is rotation and then there is poor team selection, and that he might argue the second case for ONE of the reasons why we did not take anything from the reading match, and another big reason would be players playing like and making needless challenges on the edge of the box, when Reading weren't even in a very threatening position.

[stmichael]

right children, please stick to the subject.

[bigmick]

right children, please stick to the subject.

Did you post this in the wrong thread or something Mike?

[Bad Bob]

right children, please stick to the subject.

Did you post this in the wrong thread or something Mike?

There was a bit of a fracas earlier in here, mate, and St. Mike did some house-keeping.

[bigmick]

right children, please stick to the subject.

Did you post this in the wrong thread or something Mike?

There was a bit of a fracas earlier in here, mate, and St. Mike did some house-keeping.

Cheers fior the explanation Bob. When I first looked at the quote from St Mike it was kind of like getting a harsh word from the ref for running down the tunnel before the game