killerp » Mon May 12, 2014 6:14 am wrote:Poor finish with the team visibly done with this season as this game got underway.
Rodgers has to build a solid defensive spine into his team and remove the deadwood to build on this season.
My hat off to everyone who made this season possible, I'm devastated we didn't win but proud of the achievements we have made with a core of English players.
Reinforce, rebuild, then we go again....

We certainly looked a pale shadow of the team that was trouncing everyone earlier on in the season, for our pressing game to work you need everyone working hard and pulling in the same direction (i.e closing down players, hunting in packs and backing each other up) but even with both Hendo and Allen in the side Newcastle almost took the p1$$ out of us at times.
Whenever we tried to press them they always had an out ball which suggests our players weren't backing each other up.
Wether that was down to tiredness, lazyness or the players were just mentally shot because they knew deep down City weren't going to blow it I'm not sure.
The thing is when you have certain players only putting in half a shift then your better off not pressing at all, your better off just falling back into a solid defensive shape, having only half your team pressing just opens up gaps for the opposition to exploit and I think that's what happened yesterday, we just got caught between two stools, certain players wanted to press (Hendo, Allen) but others couldn't be @rsed.
We looked like a team on its last legs but I'm sure a summers rest and 3 or 4 new recruits who can walk into the starting XI will freshen us up.