Today's football.

[billycopper]

Liverpool have spent £130m (give or take) in the past three seasons.

Rodgers hasn't really been in a position where he can spend £20m+ on squad men, unlike a lot of his rivals. He might not be making full use of them but, off the top of my head, I think he's the only manager in the top 5 to make use of the loan system.

 

[neil999]

Just hoping this is their purple patch and it ends soon, they had a similar one earlier then lost to City and Chelsea, they are still vulnerable as shown by the villa game, plenty of twists yet hopefully

 

[Walken]

They really haven't; they've played a direct counter attacking game. There is a big difference from hoofing a ball in hope, to playing a ball in-between a centre back and a full back to enable a quick counter

by long ball I don't mean a hoof over the top, just that they aren't really playing through midfield

 

[billycopper]

It makes a difference because you were comparing favourably Gerrard's scoring prowess with Eto's.

On another point, in your response you list all of Chelsea's summer purchases but only the RS player who "has gone directly into the team" - not a fair comparison would you agree? In any event it's an arbitrary starting point to tot the respective expenditures from.

Gerrard still needs to put the penalties away.

Liverpool have bought for the future with players such as Aspas, Alberto and Ilori. Would it be fair to judge Rodgers on signings who aren't ready for the first team when his rivals have improved their starting eleven?

 

[mrb85]

They sit far deeper than an attractive counter attacking team, the do press at a high intensity but they only do it in their own half, unlike a dortmund a couple of seasons ago, because they do not have the quality in midfield to do otherwise, so they need to draw a high line from the oppo, hence why their big results came against possesion teams like us, spurs and arsenal. It's brutal but for me not all that attractive, they have good technical quality at the high end of the pitch and are very effective from set pieces, but its a long way removed from a really attractive team to watch, that cant marry that high intensity with technical skill all over the park, like germany, arsene wenger's first arsenal team, or even munich

Can't really agree with the statement that the RS only press in their own half. On the contrary, I think what is catching teams out is the lightning speed with which their front 2 or 3 launch into winning the ball off the opposition when it's in the opposition's own half. This is what's panicking the better sides, knocking them out of their stride and creating so much early pressure that many of the games are all over by the half hour mark. Compare that with our own approach, where we have only one forward up front so making it very difficult to win the ball off the opposing back four.

 

[Walken]

Can't really agree with the statement that the RS only press in their own half. On the contrary, I think what is catching teams out is the lightning speed with which their front 2 or 3 launch into winning the ball off the opposition when it's in the opposition's own half. This is what's panicking the better sides, knocking them out of their stride and creating so much early pressure that many of the games are all over by the half hour mark. Compare that with our own approach, where we have only one forward up front so making it very difficult to win the ball off the opposing back four.

I do think teams will adapt to it at some point, I can't imagine Jose getting caught out like berto or wenger

 

[mrb85]

Gerrard still needs to put the penalties away.

Liverpool have bought for the future with players such as Aspas, Alberto and Ilori. Would it be fair to judge Rodgers on signings who aren't ready for the first team when his rivals have improved their starting eleven?

So none of Chelsea's signings were "for the future"?

 

[billycopper]

They sit far deeper than an attractive counter attacking team, the do press at a high intensity but they only do it in their own half, unlike a dortmund a couple of seasons ago, because they do not have the quality in midfield to do otherwise, so they need to draw a high line from the oppo, hence why their big results came against possesion teams like us, spurs and arsenal. It's brutal but for me not all that attractive, they have good technical quality at the high end of the pitch and are very effective from set pieces, but its a long way removed from a really attractive team to watch, that cant marry that high intensity with technical skill all over the park, like germany, arsene wenger's first arsenal team, or even munich

They've found a way of playing that suits them for now. I'm sure that, as they're able to upgrade areas of their team (their defence in particular), that they'll evolve into a more possession-based side.

Their set up is very unusual. Having two strikers is one thing but they also have a playmaker (Coutinho), a winger (Sterling) and a deep-lying playmaker (Gerrard). In an era where nearly everyone is playing 4-2-3-1, Brendan deserves credit for innovating and risking not having twin destroyers in front of the back four.

 

[paulbefc]

They play kind of the opposite to us. They look to get the ball up to their front two as quickly as possible to allow those two the space necessary to hurt teams and to avoid the average/poor players in the rest of their XI having a big impact on the game. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's called playing to your strengths. Long balls will be part of that. To play the way we do would be a waste of time for them. Why try and be fancy/patient when you can give the ball to Suarez watch him do everything for you?

It works for them because their strengths are in the right area of the pitch and they are some considerable strengths. For us, this isn't the case. We are ace in midfield and defence, but we're not all that in the opposition's defensive third.

 

[billycopper]

So none of Chelsea's signings were "for the future"?

Aspas (Age 26)- 5 league starts
Ilori (20)- 0 league starts
Alberto (21)- 0 league starts

Schurlle (23)- 7 starts
Willian (25)- 12 starts
Matic (25)- 3 starts

Chelsea have been able to buy highly-rated players at the optimum age (just before they come into their prime). Whereas the RS have speculated on players who aren't ready to help the first team at the moment, perhaps out of financial necessity.

According to Transfermarkt:

Chelsea spent £112.7m
Arsenal spent £45.5m smashing their transfer record on a world-class playmaker.
City spent £102m
Liverpool spent £50.2m but only Sakho and Mignolet have gone straight into the side.
Spurs spent £107.2m

So, they've spent less than half of everybody apart from Arsenal and they've improved their side by far less than the Gunners, in my opinion. That means that Rodgers has had to work with what he had more than his rival managers as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Walken]

Aspas (Age 26)- 5 league starts
Ilori (20)- 0 league starts
Alberto (21)- 0 league starts

Schurlle (23)- 7 starts
Willian (25)- 12 starts
Matic (25)- 3 starts

Chelsea have been able to buy highly-rated players at the optimum age (just before they come into their prime). Whereas the RS have speculated on players who aren't ready to help the first team at the moment, perhaps out of financial necessity.

According to Transfermarkt:

Chelsea spent £112.7m
Arsenal spent £45.5m smashing their transfer record on a world-class playmaker.
City spent £102m
Liverpool spent £50.2m but only Sakho and Mignolet have gone straight into the side.
Spurs spent £107.2m

So, they've spent less than half of everybody apart from Arsenal and they've improved their side by far less than the Gunners, in my opinion. That means that Rodgers has had to work with what he had more than his rival managers as far as I'm concerned.

assuming we ignore the fact that he inherited his star player, and didnt want to buy sturridge when he had the chance in the summer before the window when they bought him, after the chairman insisted on putting together a transfer committee so rodgers couldnt bungle another transfer window. He's probably a decent coach, but his team has been put together by other people, and he is lucky to be chasing fourth with a chairman like he has, a kitty like he has, a world class striker like he has and wage budget like he has. He's no miracle worker, he's also a slimey wide headed p***k

 

[hullefc]

They've found a way of playing that suits them for now. I'm sure that, as they're able to upgrade areas of their team (their defence in particular), that they'll evolve into a more possession-based side.

Their set up is very unusual. Having two strikers is one thing but they also have a playmaker (Coutinho), a winger (Sterling) and a deep-lying playmaker (Gerrard). In an era where nearly everyone is playing 4-2-3-1, Brendan deserves credit for innovating and risking not having twin destroyers in front of the back four.

Tonight Henderson was not far away from Gerrard sitting in front of the back 4, Rodgers has reverted back to the way Benitez used to play. Rodgers is not innovating he has copied Benitez and Mourinho, who at times this season has played 7 behind the front 4. Exactly what Rodgers has done, but getting the ball forward quicker with long balls.The first 10 minutes of the second half tonight consisted of Toure, Skrtel, Flanaghan and Gerrard giving it the welly towards Suarez and Sturridge. It was notable tonight that when Fulham lay deep Liverpool were still trying to play the ball over the top. Liverpool created quite a few chances tonight, but their strikers were always hurried in their strikes on goal and at times they laboured when they tried to break down Fulhams deep defence.
Quick long ball counter attacking football is working for them so why change it, it is getting results. They were camped in Fulhams half quite a bit in the second half and as Gerrard and Herderson pushed forward they left themselves wide open at the back. Nearly every time Fulham broke out they were fouled so that Fulham couldn't get a quick break away. Wenger calls it 'tactical fouling' so as to stop the opposition from getting counter attacks, Arsenal were experts at it and that is why they could throw so many players forward.

 

[billycopper]

[/B]

assuming we ignore the fact that he inherited his star player, and didnt want to buy sturridge when he had the chance in the summer before the window when they bought him, after the chairman insisted on putting together a transfer committee so rodgers couldnt bungle another transfer window. He's probably a decent coach, but his team has been put together by other people, and he is lucky to be chasing fourth with a chairman like he has, a kitty like he has, a world class striker like he has and wage budget like he has. He's no miracle worker, he's also a slimey wide headed p***k

If he's managing somebody else's team, why is it working for him when they were average under Hodgson and Dalglish? I don't necessarily think that Rodgers is a tactical mastermind but he deserves credit for going against the grain an getting the most out of the players available to him.....apart from Toure.

 

[rascal]

Rodgers hasn't really been in a position where he can spend £20m+ on squad men, unlike a lot of his rivals. He might not be making full use of them but, off the top of my head, I think he's the only manager in the top 5 to make use of the loan system.

Name me one Arsenal 'squad' player who has cost £20m?

If we're going to use money/finances as a barometer, Arsenal would be much more deserving. They've been outspent by Liverpool over the past years.

And £10m on Borini, £15m on Sakho, £7m on Iago Aspas in past two years... Need I go on?

 

[Walken]

If he's managing somebody else's team, why is it working for him when they were average under Hodgson and Dalglish? I don't necessarily think that Rodgers is a tactical mastermind but he deserves credit for going against the grain an getting the most out of the players available to him.....apart from Toure.

he's a decent coach, a slimeball clearly, but maybe the players relate to that. He's stumbled onto a system that gets the best out of the player he didnt buy, his intention was to go there and tiki taka his way to the top. Hes so far removed from being the smartest coach in the league its untrue, the others will adapt to it, if I'm wrong then you can vault me when he wins the league