Rodgers now favouring substance over style at LFC?

AFTER the first few obligatory weeks of water testing, the season is now slowly reaching the point where it’s starting to settle. We’re not quite there yet, but we have seen enough to see roughly what to expect from many teams in the league in terms of style and approach.

Liverpool is one of the teams I’m not fully sure about yet. To borrow a metaphor from José Mourinho, I can’t help but feeling that Brendan Rodgers’ team is still in its egg, and isn’t quite ready to hatch yet.

At the start of last season, his first few months in charge of Liverpool FC, it was clear what he was trying to do in terms of playing style and tactics. In many ways it was is in line with the old Liverpool ethos, but it was still something new for a majority of the squad. As the season wore on we saw a switch in approach, probably because of the players he had at his disposal.

So far this season I think we can safely say we have seen at least two or three versions of LFC: a patient possession team, a deep and compact team and a high-intensity pressing team.
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The first half and parts of the second half against Stoke City showed the team I think many of us were hoping to see: great intensity in our pressing game, good in possession and quick and incisive in the final third. Then, against Aston Villa we saw excellent possession play followed by the deep and compact version – a different way of controlling a game, which continued against Manchester United.

All in all however, the emphasis seems to be more on pragmatism and tactical flexibility than branding the team with a certain way of playing, which for me stems from the fact that Liverpool have the players who are capable of mixing the styles without really being thoroughbreds in any of them. We are not really a possession team and we are not really a counter attacking team; we are somewhere in between, and as of now it’s difficult to see which route we will go down this season. The aim is of course to master both styles and have players who know how to use them effectively depending on what is required, but for now we have to accept being jacks rather than masters – a work in progress.

The initial conclusion for me after the first few games is that Rodgers has become gradually more result orientated during his time at the club, and therefore we see these different approaches. If we look at his Swansea team compared to the one he has now there are obvious similarities, but also obvious differences; and I think some of the reason could come from the different expectations.

At Swansea he had the opportunity to continue a building process and tune the team in his image, without having to deal with expectations of trophies and Champions League football. At a top club though, that’s a luxury very few people are afforded. Development seldom can come at the expense of results, and coupled with the existing DNA of the team he took over I think this is the main reason why he at the moment looks to have abandoned some of his ideals in favour of short term results.

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