Neil was joined by Nick O’Prey, Jim Boardman and Jay McKenna to reflect on Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat to Arsenal
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PODCAST: ARSED?
by The Anfield Wrap | Nov 5, 2013 | Podcast | 5 comments
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Dear Anfield Wrap staff,
It was always tough growing up in the States a football supporter after leaving the UK and I lament not being born later as a programme such as TAW would have given me great solace, albeit from a distance. Now, that said, I commend you for the podcasts, the magazine, everything. Week in and week out I am impressed by the zeal, knowledge, and humour with which you speak about the Club.
Since my mum took me to Liverpool, as a child, the city has always had a special place in my heart, and the Football Club has done likewise. No visit back to the UK is complete without a trip up north, even if I cannot obtain a matchday ticket. Listening to you every Monday comes almost as close to anything I experience when I visit the city, the football grounds. In other words, it’s brilliant fucking work you’re doing and I appreciate it immensely! Keep up the amazing (no hyperbole!) work.
Lastly, do you allow guests to sit in at shows?
Cheers.
Melbourne (in Los Angeles)
PS – The piece on Thatcher was insightful and poignant. My appreciation to the writer of that article.
Henderson should barely be in the squad let alone the team, whatver about Lucas and Gerrard. At least they were top midfielders; Henderson belongs at West Ham’s level with his mates Carroll and Downing,
I think the game against Arsenal showed that Liverpool’s squad isn’t good enough to get top four. We have a couple of players missing in Johnson and Enrique and we don’t have adequate replacements. Also we don’t have enough quality in midfield. Lucas is defensive midfielder who isn’t known for his creativity, Gerrard when playing in a defensive role doesn’t offer much attacking wise and not suited for that deep position as is suspect in tight situations and isn’t great at keeping the ball which is key for that position, Flanagan another defender who isn’t that great going forward, Cissokho another defender who again isn’t great going forward, and that leaves Henderson who isn’t that creative either. All these players maybe apart from Henderson are not noted for being great at keeping possession and it’s no surprise that we hardly had the ball. Rodgers should have played a 4-2-3-1 with Lucas and Henderson as the 2, and Suarez, Gerrard and Moses as the 3 with Sturridge up top.
Oi
Enjoyed the lastest TAW, as always i might add.
Reflecting a little bit i’m left wondering as some of you lads were, does Rodgers know wich system benefits the team the most, and wich players should be in that system(whatever it may be) Right now i leaning towards no, he doesn’t.
The switch to the (horrible) 5-3-2 was in large due to the lack of players available, he said it himself prior to Manchester game in the Carling Cup or whatever it’s called these days. I’m wondering why he all of a sudden prefers to play 3 (5) at the back when we looked tight, hard to break down early on with the regular 4?
To me this system leaves us with to many players in defense, i would even say more then we need. You pointed it out the Lucas really shine when he’s left alone with the defensive duties in that midfield, when Gerrard or whoever drops in alongside he really can’t play his own game and starts doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that. None of it to great effect. The same could be said about that back three, with usally just one being occupied by the oppositions striker, leaving two of them doing nothing.
I get the idea that we should play to our strength, and our best players with out a doubt is the two men leading the line up front. But in the 3-5-2 we’re taking away so much from the rest of the team just to have those two up front. With none of Sturridge or Suarez being an out and out central striker it only confusses me even more to why we play this (shitty) system. Can’t remeber who but you pointed out that Rodgers probably will drop Henderson to replace him with Coutinho, we’ll win Saturday and think “oh well, we just needed Coutinho in there”. No.
I’m thinking why not play the whole bunch? Play Lucas as the only holding/defensive midfielder with two in front of him, may that be Hendo, Allen or Gerrard just pick two and move Coutinho up front with Sturridge and Suarez. With more people in midfield, more people in attack we might being able to start controlling games the way we should be doing.
Our problem isn’t defending so why do we put extra men there? Cissokho even looks lost at wingback. Kelly? Our problem right now is that we can’t control the midfield and as a consequens(who do you even spell that) we can’t control the ball, we can’t control the game but hopefully Sturridge and Suarez will score more than the opposition. It has given us a good start but it’s also a really fragile approach to the game,espacially against top team. Like we all saw last weekend.(you touched on this i believe)
And to be perfectly honest, 1-0, 0-1, 1-0 gave us momentum and the “good start” wich to build from and that was with you guessed it 4 at the back.
Look at the squad, all our attacking players is versatile and fluid so why not play a fluid front three? Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho, Moses, Aspas, Alberto is a fucking good offensive line. Need to go wide bring on Sterling as a winger, not at wingBACK. Playing to our strengths.
If we lack quality, pace and strength in midfield, don’t play two of them play three.
What we don’t lack is big powerful centerbacks who can play the ball. We’ve got one of the best right backs in the league and a Spaniard who looks shaky (lost) at times but always seems to find Suarez and getting goals and assists.
It’s tough being all negative with the postive start we’ve had but why settle for that when we can perform much better?.
I’m just frustrated that’s all.
Thanks.
why are there so many vocal fans protecting henderson?
what’s with this obsession with the grafting but limited player type of player. So much so that now across all the midfield in the arsenal game there is not even one creative flair player left to compensate?
we should have kelly for flanno, and coutinho or alberto to replace henderson since lucas and gerrard are already defending deep. Its not so much of lucas or gerrard loosing the midfield but more of the fact that henderson does not provide the link outlet for turning defense into attack.
Can we leave henderson out FINALLY now that coutinho is back.
Or is it because of this issue that fans of henderson, knowing his position in the first eleven is finally threaten try to desparately argue lucas or gerrard out of the team.
I hope rodgers is not foolish enough to do that in the fulham game. I believe henderson is still too limited and shows no sign of improving his creative or attacking attributes. If the manager persist with him at AM or even CM, it will be his downfall as a manager not getting the top 4 spot. No team can win with such a limited player as a starting 11.
The reason I say this is because, I notice the whole conversation almost none mentioned the detriment of henderson’s awesomely poor passing and lack of penetrative passes or even shooting on target. All which is so vital for our midfield more than the wingbacks or even our defensive setup as we have almost five defenders covering the back.
You can change formation or personnel. but a top manager should never have to carry a lower quality player just to fit him in for the first 11. Because if you keep including a weak player like henderson in the team you will frustrate quality players and the build up might become more fractious and players like suarez may resort to type and become selfish due to mistrust on henderson always fucking up a simple pass or scuffing open goals. never underestimate the undercurrent of such frustration.
already there is problems with the lack of squad depth in wingback. lets not create more unbalance with the inclusion of a defensive henderson and with no attacking flair anywhere in midfield.