Liverpool FC Forum

bigmick wrote:

Sabre wrote:I also remember that when you were prompted about Ferguson's rotation, you made clear that Ferguson's rotation was not Rafa Style, so that's why that rotation didn't cost him the league. Which is fair enough... *but* then I'm a little confused when you open a Boom Boom Boom thread explaining how Fergie's rotation is the reason Barcelona ridiculed Manchester United. No, rotation wasn't the reason of Manchester being defeated because Barcelona had a lot of chopping and changing in that game. It was a matter of two teams playing attacking game and happening the unavoidable: the team with sensibly better quality won. The Carricks cannot be compared to the Xavis.

I do really enjoy the rotation discussions. I do have learnt a lot from them, and I do think you have a good part of truth. I've even changed my opinion on rotation these years, because right now I think massive rotation is a no-no, where as 3 years ago I thought it wasn't that negative.

But please, you two, let's not pretend we are totally right or wrong about something, because that's impossible.

Just felt I'd come back to this as it's quite an interesting point. The difference between Rafa style, Fergie Style and the effects it has on the teams performance.

Firstly it's not really a fair representation of what I said in the "boom boom boom" thread to say that THE reason Barcelona ridiculed Manchester United is rotation. It's not a fair representation because I never said it. The main reason Barcelona beat Man Utd as I've said consistently since, is that man U believed their own hypw and tried to have a festival of football with Barca. Had they played Hiddink style against them, they would probably have beaten them.

I did refer to rotation in the final on two counts. Firstly they went with a wierd little diamond formation with Giggs at it's point. The players were very clearly not comfortable with it, and it was the silliest piece of tactical tinkering I had seen in a Champions League final since we played AC Milan. The other point in which I couldn't resist wee mention for rotation and the delayed gazelle effect was despite the fact the Mancs had been tinkering for the last couple of months of the season, and had "rested" the whole team the previous weekend, they were knackered in the final. It just goes to show that chasing the football is tiring, delayed Gazelle or not .

As for "Fergie style", I don't think it does them any more favours that Rafa style used to do us. They very nearly threw the Premier League away the season before last whilst employing it, only a timely intervention by Steve Bennett on the last day saved them. Equally, their "resting" of the whole team in the league game at Chelsea did them no favours, as only John Terry falling on his erse prevented Chelsea winning the Champions League final.

And this season, my feeling is that they won the league despite not because of the silliness. Many times the original formation and set up was inept, only for the introduction of a spunky forward from the bench to change the game. I hardly think it's a ringing endorsement for silliness when you constantly have to dig yourself out of the sh!te in the dying moments.

And of course people say, "well they proved it worked" and it completely misses the point. They say in the next breath "but they've got a stronger squad than us, otherwise it would work for us as well". I always smile at this last point. My point has always been, if your squad isn't good enough to allow you to chnge six players per match, don't do it then. If you can't really cope with leaving both Torres and Gerrard on the bench, don't do it then. Life really is quite simple when you think about it.

Anyway for us the proof of the pudding really has been in the eating. Some of us have been saying for three seasons now that if we gave ourselves a chance by cutting down on the ridiculousness, the team was good enough to challenge. We cut down on the ridiculousness, and we challenged. Had we followed it through and not decided to give Martin Skyrtel a try at right back against Boro Away, we might even have won it. Mind you, we did have a golden opportunity to do so, and they don't come around every year.