Let’s hope Roy’s “Pass and Move” Philosophy is not all talk

Speaking to LFC Weekly magazine, new Reds manager Roy Hodgson was asked to describe the style of play that he feels would best describe his philosophy as a manager. He came up with a surprising answer:

“All the things I’ve always liked are the things Liverpool were famous for in their heyday. Pass and move, always move it quickly and once you lose it get back in to position. That was the mantra which took Liverpool through their great years. I like a high-tempo passing game. I like players to work hard, I like players to get back in position. Those are my principles. I was influenced by the Liverpool team which dominated the 70s with all its great players and playing the football they played.”

Watching Fulham’s away fixtures over the last couple of seasons you would be forgiven for thinking that Hodgson’s preferred style of play was not reflected in the London club’s performances. They were a functional team who worked hard defensively and kept it tight at the back. At home however, Fulham were a neat passing side and preferred generally to keep the ball down and pass short to create openings in the opposition defence. Of course, manager’s are limited to the player’s at their disposal, and it would be foolish to second guess what style of play Hodgson will employ during his time at Anfield.

One thing that is for certain though is that Hodgson’s managerial style does differ from his predecessor Rafa Benitez. When you see him talk about tactics and formations, he emphasises that any formation must be predicated by the player’s you have at your disposal. In contrast to Benitez, who had a set way of playing, keeping it compact in midfield, pressing the ball high up the pitch, keeping possession wherever possible and hitting teams on the break; Hodgson feels that the surest way of getting the best out of your players, is to employ a style of play and formation that suits them.

This is not a slight on Rafa in any sense as the strict tactical discipline he subscribed too can be adapted to by any top modern day professional footballer. In fact in European matches, it was integral to the team’s success and especially in knockout competitions where the ability to neutralise the opposition is paramount. It does not however always get the best out of the player’s at your disposal and it sometimes asks players to do a job for the team and play in a role they are not used to.

Hodgson seems to come from the opposite direction on this issue and he creates tactics and formations which might better suit the player’s he has. As mentioned in his comments above, he likes to be defensively disciplined but he is more pragmatic as to how he employs his team. The “pass and move” philosophy he admires so much is something he apparently aspires to with every team he manages, but the road to such football is generally limited by the players he possesses. At Fulham, he got the best out of the player’s he had, and with players with greater ability at Liverpool, perhaps a more expansive game will be deployed than the one he used at the London club.

Time will tell of course on whether this becomes a reality. If he chooses to keep players such as Ryan Babel then, you may see a difference in their levels of performance, playing in roles that the suit the player rather than the team necessarily, and in the same measure there is every possibility that players such as Dirk Kuyt will revert to more familiar roles. We will not have to wait long though to find out what sort of manager he will be in his first big job in English football.

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