1 win in 7
Abysmal performances
Outplayed by Brighton
Outthought by Brighton
Outfought by Watford
Too many of our players are not influencing the game. Barnes, Tielemans, Maddison, Albrighton, Perez, Iheanacho, Gray. One of these having an off game is fine, but every single one of them doing a grand total of naff all in two games?
Players walking out from the back, passing backwards and sideways. Losing the ball far to often in midfield and having no answers to a team set up with a deep and narrow block.
It’s easy to identify the problems - they’ve become apparent since Christmas but unless we arrest this slide, we will drop out of the Champions League place with a whimper.
How do we change it?
For me, we are at our best when we are on the front foot. We have to be asking more questions of the opposition and we have to be getting Jamie Vardy in the game. Just give him a touch please!!!
So for me, revert to pace. High press, get the ball to Vardy or out wide and attack the full backs. High energy and intensity.
Can’t believe I’m about to say this but Gray deployed left and bombing down that left. Engaging his defender and never ever checking back like he was doing again and again and again. Chilwell on the overlap.
Barnes on the right. Same as above.
Ndidi and Tielemans in behind Maddison. Get between the lines. Find Vardy. That way we are exploring width and the centre of the pitch. If a team is narrow or deep, hurt them out wide. If that creates space in the middle, hurt them there.
Yes that leaves our back 4 exposed, but so does offering nothing but sideways passing and inviting pressure.
Something has to change. Do you think we can change it? If so what?
Help.
KTF1 - make me feel better again please!
How do we fix this?
posted on 25/6/20
We weren't good then either, but I believe the lockdown should have rendered all previous form null.
I wonder what Chelsea will do on Sunday. It's a faster turnaround for them and they might see more of an argument for playing their reserves, at least in part.
posted on 25/6/20
Not sure why the lockdown would render all previous form as null? Quite often teams ended previous seasons well actually take that momentum into the new one. If tactical decisions, possibly confidence and starting line ups were a factor before covid, then they will be a factor after covid. In other words the problems don’t disappear because you haven’t played for a while
posted on 25/6/20
I'd have thought that something as unusual as coronavirus would have been a leveller though. Although looking at some of the scores around it doesn't appear that way, granted.
posted on 25/6/20
Sadly having seen us totally inept in the two matches since the restart, we haven't been able to turn around the pre lockdown form, I've taken the easy way out and written off the CL and the FA cup. Oh well lets see how next season turns out in whatever form it takes
posted on 26/6/20
comment by Black Starr (U12353)
posted 1 day, 20 hours ago
It’s not going to change Mersey because Rodgers doesn’t see it. It was clear last night he feels it’s down to fitness, presumably oblivious to the fact the only team we can beat right now is an absolutely shambolic Villa side.
We don’t have the home crowd to carry us through and he he has no answers to get the players back playing on the front foot. His tactics are dreadful and like everywhere he’s been (bar Celtic) he’s fading quickly. Just as we’ve given him a long term contract
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Celtic fan in peace (my missus is from Leicester), but this happened when BR was with us as well. Don’t get me wrong, overall he brought a welcome level of professionalism to us, and won 7 domestic trophies out of 7 ... but the drop off in performance levels over his 2 and a half seasons was marked. Superb first season, second full season was getting dull ... final half season was utterly brutal to watch, with sideways passing across the back 4 which was coma-inducing. Domestically Celtic are generally up against teams with packed defences ... that slow deliberate build up just made their task even easier. BR has many qualities IMO, but he needs to find different ways to play the game at times.
I also suspect that his tendency towards “David Brent speak“ has a limited shelf life with any group of players. Seems like a breath of fresh air for a while, but the more you listen to it ... Is he still saying “like I say” in virtually every sentence?
posted on 26/6/20
Our form dipped after the 0-4 home drubbing by Liverpool, followed by the 3-1 reverse at Man City. It seems to have knocked the belief out of the team. Up until then we were going great guns even unluckily losing at both Old Trafford and Anfield. How we fix it, I'm not sure. Playing two defensive midfielders certainly isn't the answer. An older head in midfield, a " midfield general" type player is possibly what's required, a Cambiasso type of player would probably knit the team together.
posted on 26/6/20
I think playing what appears to be our best formation and current best 11 for the remainder of the season is a starting point. If anything, this would actually take pressure off of Rodgers.
I don’t really like this idea of rotating constantly to avoid fatigue. Play your best team and if some of them become tired react to it then rather than trying to prevent them becoming tired in the first place.
Play your best 11 and have a chance of winning and then having to rest some players vs. Rotating players around to prevent tiredness but dramatically affecting our chances of winning a game. Surely this isn’t even a deliberation there - particularly at this stage of the season, with wins now so imperative and without the depth of squad required to balance this whilst fighting for a CL spot.
Every team, to a certain extent, is in the same position from a fitness perspective, why add another issue by weakening our first 11.
Let’s be honest there’s 1, 2 at most spots that are up for grabs.
posted on 26/6/20
Just as a note about the motivational side of this - if we win the next two games and Man U & Wolves drop points in that time, the pressure is completely on those two to avoid dropping points.
We should be giving everything in these next two league fixtures and worry about anything else after
posted on 27/6/20
If we win the next two games and Utd and Wolves drop points I’ll eat my hat, sick it up and eat it again.
That said, we have to win at least one of our next two fixtures. Let’s hope Everton are already on the beach and Palace look like they did against Liverpool!
posted on 27/6/20
Precisely why the team has to be set up to press and get into the opposition. It’s one thing for a mid-table team to get out there and have some low-pressure fun, but another to ask them to put up with opponents being in their face and doing the ugly stuff for 90 minutes.