LIKE every supporter I was left totally deflated by Liverpool’s poor performance at West Brom last Saturday. I had high hopes and, perhaps naively, was convinced the pre-season performances were real evidence of the good things to come and that the tiki-taka style of football would flow naturally and demonstrate to the rest of the Premier League that Liverpool were on their way back to the top with a slick passing style of football that would surely secure a first and impressive win of the season.
90 minutes later, plus injury time, I was in a state of depression and déjà-vu. We’d lost a game in a fashion so reminiscent of last season. It’s a game I expected we’d win but Liverpool looked out of sorts, uncomfortable and once again failed to turn possession into goals, a trait they have to overcome if they have any chance of making a serious attempt at a top four place.
So what went wrong? Did some players, just like some supporters, believe the early hype that our new possession and passing approach would become an instant success and as a result not focus fully on the tough reality of battling life in the Premiership? Did we really think that adopting this totally different approach was going to produce dividends immediately? As we now know, the fact is it didn’t and in a manner that was a slap in the face for all of us. But we were warned. Rodgers told us on many occasions during his short reign and the pre-season that it would take time for the players to get used to the new system and that it would take time for it reap the rewards we were all hoping for. Perhaps we didn’t want to listen.
Even though the pre-season had many positives the reality is the top first-team players, many of whom were on international duty due to the Euros, were not involved in the pre-season and hadn’t had a lot of game time experience to have us think is would automatically click. The fact is the majority of the pre-season games were a run out for the reserve-team players or fringe first team players like Aquilani and Cole, especially during the tour of the USA.
The other key factor to Liverpool’s poor first showing was the quality of the players themselves. The question is does the squad consist of the right players to pull off the tiki-taka approach, do it justice and win us games? Certainly Rodgers has stated that he believes the squad needs strengthening and will continue to work up until the close of the transfer window to bring in players he believes can fulfil his vision. So the answer is no, we don’t yet have the right players. During the West Brom game players like Downing and Borini had little or no impact on the game but of course Agger’s sending off did us no favours at all. Still Liverpool managed to achieve 57% possession, which in itself is a positive but not when you consider Liverpool, as usual, had no goals to show for it.
But it’s only one game. It is totally unrealistic to think tiki-taka will be an instant success, it won’t. So the question is, is it the right approach? I think it is. I have faith in Rodgers and I’m optimistic that we will gradually begin to see it becoming more and more successful. Rodgers was heavily criticized for saying we’ll see more days like the one last Saturday but it actually makes sense given the changes to the squad as well. Mind you I wouldn’t mind seeing a bit of instant success on Sunday. Now that would give rise to more optimism.
Live4Liverpool is recruiting columnists. For further info contact the site editor at live4liverpool@snack-media.com
Follow us on Twitter here: @live4Liverpool and ‘Like’ us on Facebook
Spot on. We all got carried away. If we give BR the time hopefully he will mould those players capable of adapting. Sorry but Carra’s dreadful display against Hearts shows he’s ready for the scrap heap.
Agree 100% with you, Carra (and Gerrard against WBA) looked poor. Both fantastic servants and love them to bits, but BR needs to be assertive and “drop” them when they don’t perform. We have a strong bunch of youngsters coming through who needs to be given their opportunity.
Only Liverpool fans would consider the technically-inept Jamie Carragher a footballer. Unequivocally, Jamie Carragher is a disgrace to his chosen profession.
I assume you are not a Liverpool fan from your response you are some sort of sad individual who gets a kick out of this sort of action lol.
He epecially feels that when he is polishing his Champions League winners medal !
Carra might be poor lately but to call him a disgrace after being such a wonderrfull servant to LFC and England, Turner i think you yourself is a disgrace.
I could only think of 3 persons who are a disgarce here in our club:
1) John Henry for appointing a rookie coach who actually had just ONE, 1 ,so so season at the top flight with a mid-table club where we had a better option staring in our face in the form of Rafa. His eagerness to gamble with our future is beyond comprehension. By the way, what happened to the stadium you promised Mr. Henry.
2) BR for prioritising his “footballing philosophy” over the actual interest of tye club.
3) SD for not tring for us, 0 goals, 0 assist speaks volume.
We already played “possession” football before Rodgers came. In fact last season game against Rodgers’ team Swansea we had MORE possession than they did! What we were guilty of and so are most other teams is that last 10 minutes or so of a game when absolute panic sets in instead of defence and wild clearance kicks go straight to the opposition! We see a start now of trying to allay that panic stage and keep a control of the final minutes when we are 1 goal to the good.With all the new comers now we naturally have stepped one back to being yet another team in creation and will have to accommodate early non-successes ( to be polite about it). I do not see thee season getting off to an auspicious start due to the high standard of our early opponents . They are more established in their team construction and style of play. Having said that if we solve our actual bad conversion record we stand as good a chance of any to progress to a reasonable level by the new year. We ar not quite ready for the renting of garments , sack cloth and ashes – but hey, who knows?
Absolutely brought me back down to reality! There is some way to go still and I’ll reserve judgement, but I thought Gerrard looked really bad last week. He has to step up, because Sahin will be starting regularly in terms of his loan agreement. At least there is competition which can only help. I’m still not sure who’ll be our 25+ goal scorer this season, at least there is still a week left in the transfer window…
You do not know the definition of what bad football really is until you have watched Jamie Carragher, the best hoofer of a football, plays.
Brendan needs time because we just don’t have enough composed, technically proficient players for this new style of play. Skrtel, Carragher, Adam, spearing will struggle for quite a while whilst they try to learn the new style. Skrtel and Carragher aren’t composed like agger. Adam is ponderous, wasteful and fouls too much. Spearing average. Brendan will need this transfer window, the winter window and next summer to mould the squad he wants. Lfc should have bought Michu for a start. We have limited funds so a guy that bagged 17 goals in la liga for rayo- for £2m is a steal. Sahin is a great loan though.
Yes Nigel, this is what i meant when i said BR is prioritising his “philosophy” over LFCs interest.
We have not got a 25 goal per year striker which you have to have to get in top 4. Lest not forget a certain Lionel Messi scores a ridiculous number of goals for Barcelona more than any other player they have. Every top team has their go to striker. We need to get a proven goals order in by transfer deadline or I think we are in serious trouble. If we don’t I would like to see Adam Morgan tried out.
That striker would not come. Again due to BR’s philosophy.
we do need an out and out goal poacher,some one like Huntellar,B.R.needs time & we must be patient,but its uncomfortable looking at jamie putting Reina under pressure with bad play,Adam fouling & Gerrard lacklustre form & Downing does not look interested,hopefully Sahin/Assaidi/Sterling inclusion wakes him up ,Its a technically high tempo game played at pace,we simply dont have enough flair players at the moment.A work in progress indeed.
We’ve been programed into thinking Rodgers is the messiah. I would like to say I’m impressed with his football philosophy , but he needs to be adaptable in his tactical approach,which I fear he may not be.
The one area I would question is his player selection and where they play. If he continues with Carragher,Allen, Cole and Downing then I’m not impressed and that will seriously question his judgement.
Gerrard whether he likes it or not should be moved to the right side of the front 3 and he should be played no where else because Sahin must play.
Correction it is Adam not Allen
let’s see what tiki taka is going to bring us today… hopefully a positive result.ynwa