by big al » Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:18 pm
The fact is we have'nt played that badly this season however there are weaknesses that Rafa knows he must put right. Just after Agger got injured Liverpool played Porto they were going all guns in the premiership by pushing high up the pitch and pressing teams deep into there own half. Rafa was gamboling that young Agger had the pace to get back in and cover. He also knew that Carraghers ability to read the game would also compensate for defensive errors, therefore he had pace and experience. Initially they tried to play high up th epitch against Porto but Hypia got caught for pace, The defense did not panic but they did start to over compensate and lie deep. In games were the opponents lack pace we have been comfortable but were teams have pace and a midfield that supports the forwards we have struggled. Rafa had Agger as Carraghers partner with Hypia as cover and maybe even playing against the slower forwards or overly defensive midfield. Rafa Knows he needs either a center half or a left back who can get in round the back of Sami. He knows that if his rotation system is going to work then he needs to be able to cover all angles. I think he has the players apart from left back and an additional center half. If you analyse the area in a game were many teams are weak its left midfield, left back. (Even England suffers big time in this department) I think Rafa still has an eye on Heinze he would free Aberlado to rotate with Finnan. Riise is really a midfielder with useful defensive qualities but all in all like Finnan they are journey men. Don't get me wrong they have been excellent servants of Liverpool, however the but suffer from what carragher suffers from when playing right back, namely the inability to go by people most of the time. If you watch Finnan (he has improved and is prepared to get round the back of defenders) about 40% of the time he will either turn in field or will stop and lay the ball of and then make a run. This works when Gerrard gets the ball but sometimes it goes to Carragher and then either gets pumped long or is sprayed across the back QED end of attack! This only happens whenthey lie deep, when the push high up the pitch Finnan and Riise play like to wingers, they can do this because they have less ground to make up if an attack fails.
"Football Is the greatest democracy of all, That's providing your not Italian and pay the referee" Big al 2006
, as for warnock, the only thing that he did well was score that goal , and we cannot confirm that if we had kept warnock , that he would be playing or scoring like that for us , i don't think he has done his defensive duties well , letting in 2 goals against a very mediocre fulham side , cristiano would run rings around him , as warnock is young and lacks the experience of mre skillful had pacy players like torres or ronaldo
