Rush Job wrote:STR_18 wrote:,Firstly before any numbnutz says is this a Rafa out thread no it is not. The mans a living legend and I love him to peices for whats he's done so far. He's also tactically extremely clever and potentially a world class manager...
He has however up this season and NEEDS to have a look at himself and the things he's done and learn from it.
An absoloutely awful first half to the season. Quite simple really...
Poor management, poor team selections, poor signings and a little bit of bad luck aswell.
Firstly the "bad luck". I'm not a fan of this excuse at all. But missing Kewell and Sissoko for long periods has caused us massive problems this season. Especially Kewell's absence. Kewell was excellent at times last season and held the ball up aswell as using the ball intelligently he helped out defensively and gave us good balance. We've missed that this season. Sissoko's loss hasn't been as important for me, however its still not allowed us to place out a tried and trusted midfield.
Secondly the team selections. A blind man can see that Liverpool have been playing BETTER (not good) football in the previous weeks so why change is again? Why does Rafa feel the need to fix something that isn't broken? I like rotation, i think it works. The pace the games played at these days you HAVE to rotate but you don't drop an on form player or your best player unless you have equal quality to replace them. Rafa often goes on about percentages and how its important that players are at 100%. Often the case but not always, you lose percentages when teams arent settled just as much as you do from rotation, you lose that telapathy, you lose confidence in players knowing that no matter how they play they could be on the bench the week after... Also, why has the defence changed so much last season? We were outstanding at the back this year, we've been very average so far. Agger has shown promise but thats all. He's not at Sami's level yet and we miss Hyypia when he doesn't play alot. The best back four is the one that played last season.
Poor management comes under the tactics and team selections. Crouch in for Kuyt at the weekend? Why? Playing out and out wingers who like a cross when theres two forwards who can't head a ball to save there life in there? Why? Playing a 3 man midfield? Why? Taking strikers off when you're losing? Why? Not playing your best goalscorer and one of your best players? Why?
The signings over the years...
Aurelio - Seems excellent technically but poor physically. He doesn't seem to have the mentallity either nor the tactical quality to play in defence...
Gonzalez - Quite simply not good enough and never a Liverpool player. Has shown glimpses of quality occassionally but never had a good 90 minutes.
Kuyt - I like, a decent player, but not good enough to be our main striker. He's a decent finisher not a great one and he's awful in the air. His ability to attack a moving ball and anticipate something in the box isn't great either. He's fairly strong and the ball does stick alot of the time with him but it should stick more than it does.
Pennant - Has shown glimpses but in general looks petrified to play at the minute. Looks like he knows this is his last chance and has no belief in his play. Simply isn't showing what he's capable of. Also, the point in him playing with Bellamy and Kuyt is what exactly? Pennant's a good crosser, Fowler attacks the ball as he shown against Galatasary, Kuyt and Bellamy don't. The aren't going to score goals from crosses. Feel sorry for the lad at the minute.
Crouch - Why did we pay £7million when Ashton went for 7million to West Ham? Crouch has better dribbling ability than Ashton, Ashton pisses all over him at EVERYTHING else bar height.
Bellamy - £6million. A good player, definately. Like him, got him for his value. First choice though? Do me a fucking favour. We're used to Owen's, Fowler's, Rush's...
The ones that got away...
Ashton £7m, self explanatory. Better than all of our strikers. Better finisher than them all, more of a goalscorer than them all and can play with his back to goal better than them all.
Anelka £8m, pace and quality personified. Excellent player. Him and Ashton would have been a hell of a partnership. Pace, power, intelligence, goals, strength, arial ability, poaching and Anelka even runs the channels.
Bullard £2m, a bit of quality on the ball in the attacking third. Will make a pass, take an extra touch, make a decoy run, will try and play a one two, can dicate the play in the opponents half of the pitch aswell as covering more ground than nearly every player in the league. A workhorse with quality at a bargain price.
Ashton Anelka
Kewell Gerrard
Alonso Bullard
Riise Hyypia Carragher Finnan
Reina
Would have been nice... Still...
We lack quality individuals. Fowler is still an excellent player and never gets a look in and certain players we have aren't as good as made out. Its as simple as that.
you say it isn`t a Rafa out post so then what is it.
IMHO to many fans hail Rafa for his successes but then moan he hasnt done enough, have a go at his tacticts his signings his team sellections forgeting it was his selection his team that won the FA cup, his selection his team that got us our biggest points haul we have had in the prem and most other years would have won us it, his inspired words that got us on
our way in Istanbull.
You cant say i love Rafa but then on the other hand he`s shi.t "poor management , poor team selections poor signings".
None of us like were we are in the league at the moment but we have got to believe the Boss is the best man for the job and that he`s got a team not far away from challenging.
It was always going to be hard going from a Champions league place side to a league winning side but i don`t think we are that far away, we have been punished for slopy performances too many top players below par, our best player for what ever reason going missing to many times but we are going in the right direction and we are and will improve even if sometimes the result says different.
We are a good side who have let are selves down this season but i dont blame the Boss, i dont know how anyone can have a go at his transfer deals, he`s brought some gems to anfield without paying other the odds and i include Crouch, he`s improved us again this season. We have a solid defence quality midfield and a good choise of forwards, a bit more craft, cunning, creativity and a few more goals in those important games and we`er their.That could be as little as one world class player, it took them Cantonar i think it could be something similar with us but i dont think Bullards the man ( for sake ).
Its really not that bad dont you remember Souness?
.
Its a Rafa must do better and learn from his mistakes post.
Like I said, I love Rafa and I believe in him and I firmly believe he's the man for the job and I will rightly or wrongly venomously back him should he come under uncunstructive critisism just like I did with Gerard Houllier. But by the same token I will not blindly follow and agree with EVERYTHING he does, every team selection and every signing.
Did you agree with his selection of Zenden over Alonso in the first game of the season away against Sheffield United?
Do you agree when he leaves Gerrard or Alonso on the bench? Or when he plays a winger who's game is about crossing with two forwards who don't thrive on crosses?
You then mention the "Quality defence"....
Riise, Hyypia, Carragher and Finnan... Houllier and Evans signings those mate. Nothing to do with Rafa. Also Agger hasn't convinced me at all, despite some praising him beyond belief I see a decent player with ALOT of improving to do before he can be considered first team material.
The point is its not "that bad". But I feel last seasons team could have been improved massively. Yet it hasn't. We were a far far far far better side last season. Both at the back and in terms of efficiency and scoring goals. Pennant in for Sissoko hasn't improved us, it may have gave us better balance had Morientes and Fowler still been the strikers, but they aren't. We now have strikers who don't score goals from crosses. The balance of the team's changed and we're alot different and nowhere near as effective. The league table shows this. We lost less last season than we have in the whole of this one.