Who criticised Alberto?

Wasn't suggesting that playing Allen from the start would have given us a result against Hull but I do feel we need to start dictating the tempo of games. In our last 2 matches, we were chasing shadows. In the event, we are struggling to match the pace of our opponents, I just feel we need to take the initiative to slow the game down, even if it makes us as interesting to watch as grass growing. The intention is to frustrate our opponents in hope that they will leave some gaps at the back.

Offensively, we are crap of late despite a good start to the season. As it stands, we've still bagged more goals than the mancs or Chelsea. Given that we started the first few games without Suarez, the difference seems to be Coutinho. I was hoping that Moses would have been able to provide us with an alternative but as we all know, he's been pretty ineffective. The injury to Enrique doesn't help either as without him and Countinho, we basically impotent attacking from the left. On the opposite end of the field, Henderson is certainly no winger and as much as he hasn't lived up to his price tag, I feel Stewart Downing would have at least provided us with more firepower than we are currently packing. We are facing the same problem we did last season in that the midfield isn't contributing on the scoring department.



Thing is we have to play with the hand we've been dealt. The transfer window is looming but until then, Rodgers has to work out how we can best play the said players? This season Lucas looks as good as Christian Poulsen and Gerrard is but a pale shadow of his former self. Henderson is industrious but certainly not someone we can rely upon to be our primary offensive weapon from midfield. He is a support player but with Stevie looking more and more like he's going to check himself into a retirement home, we have little option. Allen is playing so well even Rodgers had relegated him to the bench for much of the season so far. Again, I lament our lack of depth in central midfield (broken record). I'm not sure Pastore alone will be the answer. We need someone in the mould of Mkhitaryan (what could have been?).

I'd pick the latter as well but like I mentioned earlier on, we have to do the best with what we have until January. Based on the personnel we have, I just hope we can hold out until then and if that means, boring possession play, I'm all for it until we bring in more potent offensive weapons.

Then the question is, why are players unfit since we haven't played in any cup games? I'm not sure it's to do with training.

If the issue isn't possession, then yes, it has to do with not having any potent offensive weapons which means that the likes of Sterling and Moses were a letdown. You know my verdict on Moses and I reckon everyone feels the same but I agree with an earlier post that Sterling really has done very little since he signed a new contract. In hindsight, maybe selling him for a substantial sum wasn't the worst thing to do given we've got Ibe lining up behind him.

The role of Lucas is actually a very underrated role. Not that I'm talking about the role and not Lucas specifically. The defensive midfielder not only plugs the gaps left by the defenders and it usually assigned to take out the most advanced opposition midfielder (of which there are many quality ones in the league), he also dictates the tempo of the game as he is the first to receive the ball from the defenders. The likes of Essien, Makalele, Busquets and so on are good distributors aside from being good defenders. When your defensive midfielder has a bad game, you're usually in for a bad day at the office.

No excuses yesterday. Based on the squad sheet alone, we should have got a result.

Sorry but what does this mean? Rafa came under repeated criticism for rotating his squad even when it was proven that Fergie does it just as frequently. Of course no one brought that up simply because in the end, it matters little if you get results. Rafa did keep his spine though and players like Reina, Carra, Stevie and Torres always kept their place. Don't get what you mean when you say he keeps his best 11.

Rodgers did himself no favours when he lamented the lack of depth in the squad. Individual players aside, he built a team that I feel has too many defenders. How many teams have 4 first choice centrebacks in Toure, Agger, Skrtel and Sakho competing for starting berths, and 3 young centrebacks in Kelly, Coates, and Ilori looking to break into the side? We were thin in this department last season and I was pleased we were linked to centrebacks before the season began but I didn't think we'd sign all of them!

When we sold Jonjo Shelvey I thought it was fairly obvious that we needed to sign a central player and then we were linked with Mkhitaryan and then Eriksen but signed neither. Red alert! This had indeed come back to haunt us as our midfield trio of Steven Gerrard, Lucas and Henderson have been steamrolled in the last two games (not the first time this season either). Now, it could be said that no one expected Gerrard and Lucas to play this poorly and that Alberto flattered to deceive and hasn't been performing in training to warrant a first team start. I don't know about Alberto but I certainly didn't expect Gerrard and Lucas to be this poor. I reckon Henderson will play much better when played with more attacking players because based on statistics alone, he is clearly doing better as a defensive player. I can understand why Gerrard doesn't track players as well but Lucas has been really poor at getting back and making challenges. You blow by him and he's gone for good. Henderson is the only midfielder who continues to hound opposition players even if he's beaten.

Anyway I don't see the point in playing the blame game. Reminds me of our political satire. I'd much rather focus on moving forward.

Brendan Rodgers may yet be a top boss but he's the boss we've got and I think it's more productive to get behind the boss. Some of you may be familiar with the term, "circle of control", which essentially talks about concerns that we can address. We are in no position to make any managerial or board decisions like firing the manager or buying players. We do however have the power to influence how we react to situations. How I chose to react is to take this defeat on the chin (yet again) and focus on how we can set up to avoid facing a similar results this Wednesday.

One thing I like about Rodgers is his steely determination and superb handling of the press. Aside from the occasional hiccup, his responses are usually laced with class and confidence. In terms of his managerial ability, I'm not so sure if our drab performances this year have been down to tactics, poor choice of signings or both? Our midfield has been a letdown but none of Gerrard, Lucas nor Henderson has been his signing. No excuses when it comes to Allen and I can't even comment on Alberto as I don't see him in training. It's fairly obvious though that this is the department that has been failing us this season, coupled by the fact that we don't have good support players for the forwards with the exception of Countinho. The question I ask myself is this - would we be doing better with the same tactics but with better players?

Which led me to make the point I made yesterday about Lucas' role being an underrated one. It's the reason why I was baying for us to sign another holding midfielder who ultimately controls the pace of the game and is often the first player to decide where we start our forays forward? Mascherano was somewhat limited in distribution as well but he had Xabi Alonso who could pass the ball to the moon. Henderson doesn't have the same range and it's up to Stevie alone which makes Lucas' role that much more important. When the holding midfielder has a poor game, the team will often suffer.

In terms of our central pairing, I reckon Sktrel and Agger have the best understanding having served together the longest and should therefore be deployed for big games. Agger and Sakho could form a good pairing as they complement one another well much like the Agger-Skrtel pairing.

Who was playing in that position for them then? Fletcher? Carrick? Both have better passing range than Mascherano who like I mentioned, was well supported by Xabi Alonso who at one point, led the league in interceptions made indicating that he was doing his fair share defensively. Mascherano on his own is a pretty limited player. He's been playing centreback for Barca meaning he's pretty much limited to just performing defensive duties.

Against teams that park the bus, movement off the ball is to me, more important that movement with the ball because you have so little space. The onus is therefore on players to make runs across the opposition goal in an attempt to pull defenders out of position and then for the best passers on your team to look for gaps. The problem we had is that our most creative player i.e. Countinho was no on the pitch and with the exception of Suarez, none of the other players are as good as say Dirk Kuyt in movement off the ball. Sterling needs to ball at his feet and Moses just isn't that good a player. He doesn't score that many for an attacking player and when he does, he does so in patches. We are often very static when faced with compact defences.

Roy Hodgson tries to disguise any notion that he may still be bitter. Had a go at the fans as well didn't he?

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/44...him-past-injury

Brendan Rodgers did indicate that we lack squad depth which is his own doing but he did not shirk all responsibility for our poor showing

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/footbal...rs-8978789.html



Respect for owning up.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Dec 3 2013, 12:09 PM

We did have arguably the best midfield at the time which is why we managed to finish 2nd. Having a good midfield doesn't guarantee you a Premiership title. Man Utd won it that year but they certainly didn't have the best midfielder around, on paper anyway. Man Utd have been playing the same football for decades whilst we've been constantly reinventing ourselves. It stands to reason that it will take more than just quality players to usurp them.

I've never disagreed that players we hoped we could rely on for that creative spark have not turned up bar Coutinho.

Not easy to make a profit off a player after just 1 season in charge. Not his fault we paid so much for Downing and made a loss.

Indeed. I didn't think we should signed Sakho if we didn't intend to sell Skrtel though to be fair, I really though Skrtel was going to leave for Napoli to reunite with Rafa.

I never heard of Aspas before we were linked to him. Had a good pre-season but it looks like his season began and ended there.

Don't know too much about Alberto or Ilori though I imagine they are ones for the future which doesn't help his cause if he continues to string together poor results.

Mignolet has been an upgrade from Pepe so far but I'm slightly perturbed by the fact that he's one of the busiest keepers in the league.

When considering how much we paid for players today, I think it's important to consider the rate of inflation especially if making comparisons with past signings.

Here's a good writeup on the subject : http://transferpriceindex.com/2011/09/tran...-1112-update-2/

We signed Djibril Cisse for a record $14 million almost 10 years ago which would be the equivalent of over $30 million today. In a nutshell, Djibril Cisse then cost us as much as Andy Carroll. This is important when comparing net spending amongst our managers. $50 million just a few years ago is substantially more than $50 million today.

I actually think we have been nurturing promising young players. The likes of Sterling, Ibe, Kelly, Robinson, Flanagan, Wisdom and Suso will command a fair fee. Certainly more than we paid for them.

On the topic of financial prowess I assume you mean we are better off commercially than Everton. With this I agree but we are also a team with higher overheads which is what FSG have started to reduce. Also, much of FSG's initial investment was not in purchasing players but in clearing our substantial debt. I think we've reinvested into the academy during Rafa's tenure and are now seeing the results. Says something that our U21's won the FA Cup back-to-back. We can buy foreign youth but local ones are groomed from an early age and you won't see a Ross Barkley until a couple of years time unless we buy someone from another club.

I don't think BR is any less successful in buying what we would consider first team players than any of our previous managers. Think Keane, Poulsen, Aquilani, Diouf, Diao, etc. That doesn't mean that it's ok to spend on players who ultimately disappoint, it just means that like other managers, he's fallible. The only saving grace is he isn't afraid to drop players he's bought just because he bought them. Take awhile to get it right because of a lot of the time, it's trial and error. If you look at our 2005 CPL winning squad, the only starter Rafa bought was Alonso.

I don't mind that some fellas predict big wins just so long as they back it up with reason. Else, it just sounds naive. Some fellas just say stuff for the sake of saying it. Reminds me of how we call ourselves the best or most knowledgeable fans but we don't behave as such. Words without justification carry no weight at all.

Whilst on the subject, it's been a long time that I went into a game full of confidence. The team has not in a long long time strung together a run of impressive results. The most recent occurrence was when we finished 2nd in the league and before that, you'd have to look as far back as King Kenny's managerial reign. We need to come to terms with the fact that we are a big club but mostly because of reputation. If you look at our league performances over the past 2 decades or so, we are pretty much a team that sits in between mid-table sides and the elite echelon at the top. The occasional cup win raises expectations but we've always contrived to flatter to deceive in the league.

Firstly, FSG wants to invest in young players so the manager has very little choice in the matter.

Secondly, someone needs to invest in the future especially if they intend to be around for awhile. That being said, I think it's commonly accepted that a blend of the two is best - youth and experience. English players are unfortunately, overpriced even if they are young. I mean Arsenal were prepared to offer $8 million AND Theo Walcott for Raheem Sterling who incidentally was said to be holding out for $90,000 a week. In my opinion this is ludicrous for a teenager who isn't even a first team regular.

On to the Norwich game.

History counts for little but nonetheless, we have it on our side. We haven't lost to the Canaries in 8 games and we absolutely pummeled them last season. They have also conceded 17 goals in their last 4 away games. On a side note, I like Chris Houghton and I felt for him when he was sacked by Newcastle just after getting them promoted after being instrumental in stabilising the club. That sacking was controversial and caused an uproar. Sol Campbell was most vocal citing that the sacking made no sense. Well, only Mike Ashley knows what Mike Ashley was thinking when he sold key players without consulting the manager, and when he appointed Joe Kinnear as Director of Football, a man who can't even get the names of his own players right.

I digress.

Norwich are there for the taking and unless we contrive to play as bad as we did against Hull, we should claim all 3 points. Norwich will be weakened in attack with the absence of their most potent wide-men (Snodgrass and Pilkington). The latter was one of their best players last season and scored a couple of quality goals. He averages a goal every 4 games or so which is impressive for a winger. To top it off, Norwich will also be without summer signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel who averaged a goal every two games for Sporting before landing in Carrow Road. The visitors will be relying on top scorer Gary Hooper for goals as Elmander has yet to score. He'll be their danger man along with Wes Hoolahan so we'll do well to keep them quiet - cue Agger and Lucas.

I reckon this match could see the return of Iago Aspas to a more favoured central role in the absence of Sturridge. Couple this with the fact that Sterling and Moses were a disappointment against Hull. I see no harm in giving the Spaniard a start given that none of the other lads who occupy that position are doing well anyway.

I reckon we'll see a more conventional 4-4-2 with Aspas and Suarez spearheading the attack. For lack of better options we'll probably see Gerrard and Lucas in the middle with Henderson and Coutinho flanking them. The interesting question is who will play at the back? I'd like to see how an Agger-Sakho combination will work. Can't think of two many central pairings where both defenders are left-footed. Flanagan will likely retain his place at leftback with Johnson on the opposite flank.

I'm going to jinx it and say we'll win this one comfortably despite our indifferent form so far. On paper, we simply are too much for them and it will all depend on whether or not the lads showed up. John Aldridge in particular lamented how certain senior players were absent against Hull and I'm hoping we'll be checking their names on the attendance list after this game.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Dec 4 2013, 02:50 PM

You're free to wager whatever you want or anything you want.

Since everyone's an idiot to you, would you like to provide your opinion of the game or do you only comment in hindsight?

Good result but I must say, it was expected given circumstances.

Needs to be noted that our second goal was a result of a Countinho corner which was flicked on to Suarez by Gerrard. Can't remember the last time Stevie didn't take a corner. All this while, I think we've been poor when it comes to converting corners despite Stevie's reputation when it comes to dead balls. I think Coutinho should continue to take corners as Stevie is an asset in the air.

Our priority during the January transfer window should be to sign two central midfielders. Gerrard's legs may not hold up, Joe Allen and Lucas are struggling, and Jordan Henderson is best used as a squad player for the moment. It's an open secret that in the games we've lost, our engine room has failed us. Our best midfield in recent times comprised of Alonso, Mascherano and Gerrard (and dare I say Sissoko? ). Why was this unit so effective? They all complimented one another. Alonso is not the quickest player around but his vision and passing range drew comparisons with Jan Molby, the Danish pass master. He also helped out with defensive duties. A younger Stevie G did all the running up-front and offered penetration from midfield. Being a box-to-box player at the time, he would also track back to help defend. Mascherano was never a great distributor but he had boundless amounts of energy and would run the breadth of the field to shield the back four.

We've been leaking goals of late but I don't think it's entirely down to the defenders. Often, our back four has looked exposed and they haven't been getting protection from the midfielders. Lucas has looked clueless at time this season and Gerrard doesn't get back as quickly anymore, leaving Henderson the responsibility of providing support on both halves of the pitch. I spoke earlier about how important the defensive midfielder role is, in that he dictates the pace of the game and where we build our attack from? His most obvious duty however is to shield the defenders and it's something that Lucas has been struggling with. To be fair though Masch had Alonso AND Gerrard. We've been linked with Javier Pastore but I reckon a defensive midfielder is a must unless we intend to have Henderson compete with Lucas for that position.

Wouldn't read too much into BR not showing any emotion. Rafa was like that but no one said anything. In the end it's probably because it's a result he knows we should have expected.

Pepe voices his desire to return to Anfield.

http://www.sportsdirectnews.com/premier-le...hp#.Up_vRdIW1g0