IT is often said that managers sink or swim by their substitutions. In the game against Zenit St Petersburg, which seems to be a game I frequently return to during these articles, Brendan Rodgers was widely criticised for the substitutions he made throughout the game. Particularly the double substitution made within a few seconds of us going 3-1 up. These changes didn’t have the desired impact and if anything they stymied what was at that moment in time a very threatening momentum.
However, as much as we can question the changes, I don’t think anyone would question the reasoning behind the subs. They were bold and attacking, designed to try and kick on and win us the game. Ultimately, they didn’t work.
However, I’d like to take this opportunity to praise Rodgers for the substitution he made against Tottenham on Sunday. A lot of eyebrows were raised when Joe Allen’s number appeared on the board. Not so much a surprise to see Coutinho leave the pitch, as the little Brazilian looked tired and had quietened down in the second half after an industrious first 45 minutes.
It wasn’t the change that I had envisaged either. Whilst we were clearly in need of a central midfielder to get on the pitch, I thought it would be the harassing presence of Jordan Henderson who would get the nod. His form has been good and he would give the Spurs central midfield something to think about.
I personally thought that change was key to the slow burning shift in momentum that eventually saw us go on to win the game. Whilst we were on the grateful recipients of two enormously poor pieces of defending from Spurs (the penalty tackle was particularly hilarious) we had started to shift ourselves onto the front foot.
Spurs’ plan had worked really well actually. After going 1-0 down they dropped Bale deeper into midfield (which worked out well for him as he was able to launch attacks and get on the ball deeper, that is if he didn’t choose to fall to the floor clutching his face) and began to outnumber our two deeper lying players. Additionally, they used the fact that Verthongen is very comfortable on the ball and he was coming into midfield regularly as well, meaning that we were getting overrun frequently.
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Joe Allen is a measured, composed player. He doesn’t spray passes 40 yards and he doesn’t charge around the midfield like a rhinoceros. I like him myself as he is an intelligent player, but he’s not everyone’s cup of tea as they want to see midfielders be more active. What is a very much underappreciated facet of Allen’s play though is his reading of the game.
After his introduction on Sunday, I honestly lost count of the number of times Allen dispossessed Spurs in midfield. We obviously needed the extra man in there and Allen was superb when he came on. He broke up attacks, he kept the composure and the tempo calm once we were gifted our equaliser and he linked up well with the three forwards until we went into our shell and decided to defend our lead – and who can blame us?
This isn’t about analysing Allen, who as I say I thought was excellent, it’s about the substitution. Most people wanted Henderson (that was the change I would have made) but Rodgers went with Allen and is totally justified in doing so. I’m not saying it exonerates the mistakes made against Zenit, but it just goes to address the balance.
And what a win again – we owed Spurs a result after some appalling fortune against them in recent years and it’s 3 points we must now use to continue our recent momentum into the latter weeks of the season.
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Oh please! It was simply 2 dreadful defensive mistakes.
Yes , but some writers and fans are soooooo biased and stupid they don’t like to face reality
Thats it then, the next ten trebles are all wrapped up! Let’s book our hotels for the up coming cup finals and have our open-top bus all shiny and polished! The rest of football may as well give up including Barcelona. Rodgers has really turned this juggernaut around with relative ease. Hurrah!
Good thing you didn’t call yourself Mr Tool as you have the ever so easy sarcasm down pat. See, it’s easy!
I am known for my Tool, helloo ladies…
Daniel, I agree that the tactical change helped and that Allen did okay, but believe Henderson can feel hard done by for being overlooked instead of the Welshman. It’s funny, I submitted an article a coupla days back (should be published in next couple of days I think) that said almost the opposite. The issue is that the ‘initial’ team selection was wrong, and this win owed more to surprising mistakes and brilliant Suarez than anything else. We’ve played better against even better opposition (Man City games and 2nd half vs. Man Utd), but the result is the most important thing. We can’t forget that this was our first win against decent opposition all season.
Yes , that is a fair and honest assessment – not a ridiculously biased one like this article
absolute nonsense article . Allen did nothing , contributed nothing as usual . 2 Tottenham errors turned the match in our favour – nothing else . kop on
a defensive cock up got us back into the game; not the Joe Allen substitution.
Henderson was the right substitution. BR was just lucky for once.
Pathetic. LFC banging on about beating spurs after 2 awful mistakes. #howthemightyhavefallen
Only a few of our fans get carried away after that. Most of us are not that silly
Hopefully this is true because from where I was sitting this told me that Liverpool are a long way short rather than getting closer. I have never seen Tottenham in such control at Anfield and still cannot work out how our worst 2 mistakes this season happened at all, let alone within 10 minutes of a game against a team we were beating with some comfort.
While I feel the 2 errors turned the game in our favor, Joe Allen’s introduction certainly shored up the midfield and allowed us to stifle Dembele and Parker a little more thus limiting their creativity and allowing us to wrestle back control
Nonsense. Allen did not do anything . 2 howlers by spurs changed the game. It was a stupid sub to make when we needed a goal but we got lucky
It doesn’t matter what BR does from now on…. most fans are soo deluded that no matter what BR does some of you will never be happy.
If we (with a lot of luck) make EUROPE next year and lose a game – some of you will bitch. Its feels like unless we win it all – there will always be some blokes saying we could have done better. Its pathetic gentlemen
I am not a fan of BR but I have accepted that he is here for the time being. You should to. Just get over the nic picking.
Is it BR fault that Pepe has cost us at least 5pts with bone head plays?
Is it BR fault that agger backed pass to Pepe as it they were bored against City?
Or is it BR fault that our set piece defense is awful?
We would be in the 4th spot if it wasn’t for our usually solid defense & goal keeping.
Like I said, I am not a fan of him but I am giving him a chance. I SUGGEST SOME OR MOST OF YOU GROW UP AND DO THE SAME…..
YNWA
YOUHEARD
You grow up . Your the one moaning
You talk alot of rubbish ! Of course it’s the managers fault if the team is not defending set plays properly. ..duh, he organizes them
Yes it’s the managers fault for defenders doing silly backpasses ,- he has them messing around in their own half all the time…duh.
…and ‘we would be 4th’ …if this happened ..or this didn’t happened…blah blah nonsense.
You have some cheek – a yank telling scousers like me how to support my club. Grow up fool
They are as much my team as it is yours… like I said, I am not a fan of BR but I have accepted that he is here. You just waste your time moaning on how he does this wrong or that wrong. Being a Yank has nothing to do with this… I have loved Liverpool almost my entire life – what difference does it make where I’m from.
We are finally scoring goals and still you moan. I bet if we win out – you will still find something to complain about.
Pathetic
Oh no, nothing is BR’s fault now is it! He’s only the manager whose job it is to instill discipline motivation & desire! Blame the tea lady..
You heard – you talk rubbish. Wake up man
Lol . ‘inspired change” what bull . Did Allen score ? Create a goal ? Create anything ? Or even do anything ? (except his usual sideways 10 yard passes )
Stop being silly , and call it like it really is .
My son, who plays U18 Academy football said to me ‘Allen is a cheat’. ‘What?’. ‘Because he sits in front of the back 4 and passes back to the centre half or full back the whole time. I’d rather have 10 men. He wouldn’t be allowed to do that in our team.’ Clearly he has a different version of ‘cheat’ but means it in terms of cheating his team mates/fans etc. by doing 2/3 of nothing. My son reckons he could do what Joe Allen does for Liverpool. So my question is ‘what does Joe Allen actually do?’
Nothing . Is the answer . It’s a shocking disgrace every time Rodgers puts him on the pitch.
every team needs a balance.. allen opens up different parts of the pitch he recieves the ball, looks for a pass (albeit to his left or right) and sends it that way.. Anyone can do that but than again if you can pass a ball than you can do what xavi does. Its what hes good at that makes him quite valuable when your being locked down by opposition as quick as spurs did. His range of passing might not be as good as gerrard but hes good at spreading play and the timing of it.
That is the biggest load of nonsensical bull I’ve ever heard ‘coutinho’
what is your sons name? WILL HE MAKE IT DO YOU THINK? i think he is imaginary or else does not have any football knowledge like 90% of the posters on here. like the guy who thinks rodgers set them up for defensive set peaces.clowns
Thats possibly the stupidest comment I have seen on here .
You must be a total clown if u think the manager doesn’t organize and planout his teams set plays.
I don’t think u understand football
Why on earth would I make that up? He has about 1 in 20 chance of making it at professional like all other 17 year olds in Academies. Most people agree re Joe Allen. I could stand in front of a centre half, take the ball off him and give back, but at £15m what do you expect, I guess!!! All i know is that at his club they expect a bit more from their midfield players.
Dumb as feck kumber. Have u ever even watched a full match ?
If your son can do what Allen does as well as he does why isn’t he playing in the premiership? Allen was a starter every game last season. Surely your son could play for Sunderland or something???
Doughnut
And also if you tried to play like Allen in a premiership football match, you wouldn’t last 5 minutes.
I don’t think you realise how hard it is to play at that level
Any fool can make 5 yard sideways passes in his own half. Allen is fookin useless
You are clueless pal
Your clueless
I am not saying Allen is good
But if you think anyone can play at that level and just make 5 yard passed you are mistaken it is harder than it looks
Trust me I know
David. You are clueless . My 12 year old could do what Allen does.
I am clueless am I?
So what level have you played football at?
Liverpool fans of today are disgraceful.
Back in the day we supported our manger and players to the hilt. Made them part of the LFC family. Now days every player and manager is crucified when the slightest chance arises. Makes you wonder why we are maybe not the force we used to be. Cause the supporters are bringing their own players and manager down.
I’m ashamed to be a supporter of Liverpool reading these comments above. Now back to where you were, continue the onslaught.
I suppose you wanted hodgson to stay too ?
So by your ethics – we should support the manager no matter how useless he is ?
What? 50m spent and we’re 1 place higher than last season and two cup finals less. Happy days, get BR a knighthood right away!
Spurs fans think they comfortably controlled the game, liverpool did all of that against city and united and came away with 2 points in 4 games. Weve had our fairshare of mistakes (skrtel and carragher back pass against city and zenit) the latter of which cost us a place in europa league. At the end of the day these mistakes are what make you *on the day.
Besides, the truth is suarez scored first and coutinho had a legit penalty appeal that went unnoticed even before you equalised following a cross from 40yards typical stoke-esque headed goal.
Regarding Allen, hes better suited for some games than others and on this occasion he did well.
Allen is better suited for the welsh premier league
We could have blooded Suso or given Shelvey more games instead of wasting a whole season playing Allen, total waste of time and money.
I can’t believe my eyes !!!!
Did I just see a total idiot on here comparing Joe Allen to Xavi. ?????
Lol Lolo lol lol lol
What a plonker !!! Only a total dimwit would compare Allen to Xavi
Rodgers did
I new fickle age of blaming the manager for all wrond doings !! Agreed Allen is sub par at liverpool at the present moment, but the lad looks to have a smart head on his shoulders and in a years time of playing will possibly pull a lucas off. In saying that Hendo would have done a better job just in having a bit more of a physical presence.
LOL. Allen might well pull Lucas off
lol
The manager is responsible for signings, tactics, motivation, coaching etc so exactly who else’s fault is it ya numpty.
Inspired substitute ? No. Get real
Liverpool were 2nd best & lucky to get anything out the game.
This is excatly why i don’t post my opinion for these losers! Biaches!!!! Go and manage Liverpool and win us something then pleeeeeeeeaaaaseeeee!
Good . It sounds like your opinion would be as dumb as that comment
Ill say ” Modern present fans are so fickle its depressing.” Most people usually underrate Joe Allen’s contribution. But the gaffer was spot on. He needed calmness on the ball not hardwork. He needed Liverpool to keep the ball safe and who better than Allen?
You dumb Muppet ! Anyone is better than Allen. Absolutely anyone