posted Feb 19, 2008

comment by valladolidman
posted 52 Minutes Ago

Rafa sets his teams up to play counter attacking football.In the Spanish la liga this was ok as the quality of the bottom half is truly awful and he used this formula to great success against the other top 4-5 times.It also works really well in the later stages of the champions league,normally where Liverpool excell.
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So true.

After Torres's first few games we were all thinking this was going to be the year, attacking our way to the title.

Then all of a sudden I started noticing (in the few games where the opposition weren't parking the bus) how deep we were sitting, in order to counter attack through torres.

This is at the root of my frustrations, if we had a decent coaching staff, and a manager who picked his best team most of the time, we would be playing like Arsenal with the talent we already have in the squad, plus some youth promotion and a couple of world class additions.

Benatics, ask yourself this very simple question:

If Owen hadn't left at the start of Rafa's reign, would we have even noticed a transition between Houllier and Benitez?

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posted Feb 19, 2008

As a loyal toon fan, i would "love it" if we had a manager that would come even close to Rafa's capabilities and silverware collection. At the start of the season i put £50 on Liverpool to win the PL, looks like that's down the pan!

I just don't understand why he doesn't play the best players who are fit, instead of the daft rotation system in place.

Here's hoping that Rafa does bring it around if only for my 50 quid, because I don't want to see those dirty mancs winning the title.

p.s. Do you want Owen back? I think he prefers his bloody horses to the back of the net.

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posted Feb 19, 2008

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Don't you even dare make such a suggestion! He's a Magpie for life, well until that helicopter comes a cropper.

You can have benitez though, and believe me, even if he improved your league position, you would be tearing your hair out after a few weeks watching his decisions backfire

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posted Feb 19, 2008

You are tinkering more than Benitez now, Liverpool team is simply not good enough to play succesfully Arsenal's style, it doesn't mean that is much worst than Arsenal, as it has other qualities, but not that one.

I agree with you Liverpool could play more attractive football, particulary if Alonso was playing, and at good level, but Mascherano has been preferred, and rightly so, but that leaves Gerrard as a playmaker, which he is not by any means, of course he can provide really good passing, organize the team etc, but not during 90 minutes, he's too anarchic for that, some Lvpool fans can't understand that.

the big difference between Liverpool last year and this one, is that last season we were at least constant and good in defense, hence that many thought that getting a 20 goals a year player will solve the problem, when Liverpool got Torres and he started scoring in regular basis, everyone started thinking that we have found the missing link to win the premier league.

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posted Feb 19, 2008

The problem is very simple. Liverpool just lack a cutting edge. We need players of the sort who can swathe through an opposition's defense like a hot knife through butter. Look at Chelsea, Man U. It seems that their players are just more able to make forays into the oppositions danger zone far more easily then Liverpool's players. Something is lacking. I can't quite put my finger on it. Something is lacking.

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posted Feb 19, 2008

so angel, tell me then, were the arsenal of bruce rioch good enough to play the current arsenal style?

Yes. because they had the courage to appoint the RIGHT MAN to the job, and it worked within 18 months after a few world class but cheap additions, and is still working

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posted Feb 19, 2008

Well RajHarry you had better look out below because the Crap you have up at St James you will not win a toss
And i will just love that

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posted Feb 19, 2008

Been saying this all year as you know. You lot will never do any good with Benitez in charge.

The guy's just barking mad, end of chat.

He won't be there next year and whatever you think of him now you'll have forgotten him soon enough.

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posted Feb 19, 2008

One of the best games I've seen us play was the Charity Shield win against Chelsea, when we strung 90 mins of quickfire 1-touch passing together & left Chelsea looking lost.

We haven't played like that since, & against Barnsley no-one seemed to know what to do with the ball, sometimes dawdling on it till someone took it away from him.

We've lost those reflexes, and while rotation has its advantages, this ain't one of them - you don't know who's playing beside you or where he's likely to be at any particular moment.

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posted Feb 19, 2008

hello who was that team dressed in Liverpool strips it certainly wasn"t the team that played on Sat. Imagine that He playes his best 11 and they not only win but completley dominate.Just think of how far we could be if he had used this tatic all year.Wake up Benitize the proof is in the pudding

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