The subject reared its head again after Liverpool drew 1-1 with Wigan Athletic last night. Roy’s excuse that the team was tired does have some merit as the match against Chelsea on Sunday was a tense affair which took a lot of effort in winning, and so there should have been some tired legs for the match versus Wigan. The game at the DW Stadium didn’t start as if Liverpool were dead on the feet though as Fernando Torres scored within 10 minutes and the Reds dominated the first quarter of an hour of the game.
Certainly there is a case that the team wilted as the match wore on due to the fatigue but this can’t be the entire story. There can be no coincidence that the team took the pressure off the gas once they went 1-0 in front, and it suggests that they may have been some tactical influences that led to Wigan pressuring the Reds so much, especially in the second half.
What is apparent about Roy Hodgson’s tactics is that he tends to sit off teams more often than pressing the ball high up the pitch like his predecessor Rafa Benitez. This is not a flaw in itself as different managers have different approaches but it becomes a problem when you begin to sit deep and allow the opposition too much space. This can especially be problematic away from home when home sides tend to keep the ball better and try to get at the opposition. Going by his record, Roy’s style does not really work away from home, and there must be something in the fact he has only won 13 matches in 82 away fixtures in the Premier League.
The performance against Wigan last night was in my mind a combination of factors of both tiredness and Roy’s defensive tactics which are not conducive for going long stretches of the match without the ball. Tiredness leads to giving the ball away too easily, and then they sit off the opposition as instructed, defending too deep and putting themselves under pressure in the process. Roy has to change tact fast if he wants his away record to change.
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May have been “tactical influence”, may have been players taking their tired feet of the pedal thinking they could coast it against Wigan.
Hodgson said they could have been tired (if he was being charitable) or they were being lazy (if he was being uncharitable). Giving the ball away suggest either or both and I doubt it was “tactical influence” which told them to give the ball away, was it?
btw, his away record means nothing, he’s not managed a Big 4 side so you’re comparing apples and oranges.
While our team can’t pass the ball to each other consistently, we’re a counter-attacking side with the few players who can.
I’m staggered by this statistic but I am glad I’ve read it as it says so much about Hodgson and his lack of vision and confidence as a manager of LFC. 16% – wow! Please send a copy of this to Mr John Henry, who I am sure will find it very interesting. Hodgson was a political appointment. Seen as a nice bloke, a yes-man who won’t rock the boat while the Chairman and CEO went in search of a new owner. Now that job has been done, it’s time to get a ‘real’ manager, someone with true tactical nous, vision and a proven track record of success in the big leagues and with big teams. LFC deserves a world class gaffer, not someone who has plied his trade in 2nd and 3rd tier leagues. 16%, I am truly gob-smacked. What a damning stat.
If the players were tired after sunday why didn’t he play his Europa League team, they should have been enough to beat Wigan? He ain’t got a clue John Henry should sack him now.
Can just imagine what Shanks would have replied to the suggestion that the team were tired after a midweek game.
“Eeeeee, look son, if you work all week down the coal mine then you’re entitled to be tired at the weekend. These kids are earning a fortune for playing football for 90 minutes wi a bit of training thrown in. If they’re tired then they’re unfit and should work harder in training”.
Quality!
No wonder pepe has given a exit hint. if we continue like this how can we ask players like pepe and nando to holdon to our club. They clearly see this manager doesnt have any ambitions. If we didnt fire him rightnow we can loose our top players. Its very sad but we have to be prepared for that. And the fact is we ca not blame players.
What amazes me is the lack of criticism Roy is getting from the media mugs who were so ready to jump on Rafa for rotating his teams and for having different tactics for different opponents.
Can you imagine the headlines of we had the record Roy has under Rafa?
We need this final reminder of Hicks and Gillet to be purged so that we can move on. Every time I see Roy I remember the Yanks and the nightmare.
Tiredness may be a factor leading to our lacklustre performance at Wigan, after all the players were exhausted after the Chelsea game but that can’t be an excuse. If Roy knew beforehand that the first XI were suffering from tiredness then why didn’t he change the team and use the likes of Jovanovic, Pacheco and Poulsen? So after the match, he says the team was tired when he knew perfectly clear that was the case before the match. He took a gamble and played all the same players and when they couldn’t get the job done, Roy gives the excuse. It’s clear, Roy doesn’t have a clue but he had it all planned out that if he couldn’t win at Wigan then he would give the excuse that the team was tired.
NESV if you monitor these boards, please get rid of this useless manager and two of the pathetic players he bought. we have the players now to win trophies and we need three more to win the often but we cant win with this mqanager.
once again the disaster hole has been opened, now he is castigating his players (johnson in public) icant remember when he has opened his mouth and not embarrassed us.
ROY PLEASE BE A NICE GUY SOMEWHERE ELSE !
AND TAKE THE USELESS KANCHESKY AND POULSON WITH YOU. YOU8 HAVE MANAGED TO TAKE THE RESPECT OTHER TEAMS HAVE FOR US AWAY.