Rafas Tactical Dilemma - Solutions

[leeboy30]

Liverpools current run of poor form seems to be based on tactical mistakes (judging by a lot of Lfc fans opinions). I will now outline a few more radical/logical suggestions that may fix this problem.

1.Play Glen Johnson at left back. Insua isnt good enough to start every game. Kelly is a very able deputy at Rb and I think may be the new steve finnan for us. We also have the option of Degen and Darby at Rb. At the very least Carra is better cover at Rb than Insua is at Lb. We always expect Babel and Benayoun to be able to play on the left instead of the right so why cant we expect the same of a 17m Rb?? That leaves us with a more solid back four imo and removes Insuas lack of ability to be a starter.

2.Gerrard has to come back to the middle. I fear hes gotten too lazy as Cf and now doesnt want to do any of the dirty work in the side. Hes not getting the service he deserves as Cf so lets not waste any more time with him up front. He was pushed up there due to Alonsos undroppable run of form so everyone had to be accomodated. That train has passed lets get him back in the middle partnered with Masch.. thats a world class pairing that can tackle and attack.

3. Lets play Benayoun/Maxi as support strikers 'in the hole' to compliment Torres. Torres needs support and using makeshift wingers hasnt been effective for us this season. Benny is lost out on the left and maxi has been ineffective so far as well. Both of these players are neat intricate passers of the ball who can deliver a killer ball. Neither enjoy chasing after Insuas long balls down the left.

4. Hate him or love him Babel is a potent attacking force. If kuyt is deemed undroppable for his workrate on the right then Babel should be undroppable for his attacking prowess. He gives us an option over the top spreading the play. He has a ferocious shot and as of late has shown a rejuvenated work rate. Cannot see why he isnt guaranteed out on the left when Riera is the only plausible cover. Personally think he should be the immediate replacement for the oft injured Torres. just a better more developed player than Ngog.

5. Pacheco has gotta be rotated into the side. I know he lacks experience but we are bereft of attacking options. He should defo get a run playing in the hole supporting Torres. Benny gets injured often and Kuyt needs breaks on the right.

I feel the side needs tactical upheaval to reignite the attacking play of the team. At the moment we cant change players and even in the transfer window it appears we wont have anything to spend either. the only way to keep it fresh is to rotate more players and use different systems to keep the players guessing. Some of the above changes would leave us with a starting 11 like below:

                                                 Reina
                             
                              Kelly  Kyrgiakos Agger Johnson

                             Kuyt Mascherano Gerrard Babel

                                       Benayoun
                                                    Torres

Im not saying all of these ideas or any should be implemented but the current system is jaded and the players have gone stale with those defensive shackles. Even this starting 11 leaves us with a subs bench of Cavalieri,Carragher,Skrtel,Pacheco,Maxi,Riera,Ngog.

Lets change it up..

[corballyred]

Any team that has Kuyt playing right midfield has something wrong with it.

[crouchinho]

Lets change it up..

Sorry for looking past what you have taken time to write, but everything I feel is summed up by this last statement.

Pacheco, Aquilani, no Gerrard, no Carra, Babel, Kelly, anything. Lets just change things up.

[leeboy30]

Any team that has Kuyt playing right midfield has something wrong with it.

Agreed but hes one of our better options. Still on target for double figures in goals. Until investment comes into the club im interested in making the best out of what we have tactically..

[redkop63]

Whatever formation, the forward line must play like juggernauts from now onwards if we want to snatch 4th place and not treat the oppositon penalty box as a demilitarized zone. At the rate things are going I'm more incline to play Johnson as a right winger when Kuyt can't do an effective job, except those side and back passes, and get Maxis to play just behind Johnson and move quickly into the opposition box. Maxis can do that very effectively from the number of clips that I've seen. As for the left back position, whoever has a strong left foot will need to replace Insua.

[Esoteric Mist]

I agree with the OP. Its sad that Aquilani isn't incorporated. I don't think Maxi should be either. Maxi has been unconvincing since he's here and Aquilani hasn't been given a proper chance but I don't think this is the season he'll get to his best. What matters most at the moment is getting the team to winning ways and I think that team can do it.

[Brian78]

Soloutions to a tactical dilema

1) Play more then one man up front, if that not possible tell your back 4 to stop hoofing long balls to that lone striker

2) Advise your players to a) pass the ball b) pass the ball to a team mate

3) Advise your team that when player a has the ball in the opposition half of the field run very fast to get up and join him 2 run wide  with 2 to 3 more getting into the box on the off chance 1 of the 2 who ran wide will get the ball and may tend to want to cross that ball into the box

Easy as

[RedLFCBlood]

                              Reina

       Skrtel              Carragher           Agger

<-------------Lucas----><-----Masch------------->

Johnson        Aquilani               Gerrard         Riera/Benayoun

                                  Torres

If your going to set your stall out with two defensive midfielders have them covering the wings, whilst the 5 up top do the damage.

[SODMG]

Take Lucas out of the team, buy a decent striker (Jovanovic) and stick him upfront with Nando

           Reina
Glen  Carra Agger Insua
       Mascherano
Maxi    Gerrard     Babel
   Jovanovic Torres

Problem well and truly solved.

[LFC_Stuart_1988]

Reina
Johnson - Skrtel - Agger - Aurelio
Benayoun - Gerrard - Masch/Lucas - Babel
Aquilani
Torres

That would be our best side imo. The attack would be a lot stronger with Yossi and Babel on the wings and Aquilani in behind Torres. The midfield with Gerrard who has the ability to pick a killer pass similar to what Alonso did for us in the past.

[arvindram]

Spear Spear Spear. Throw caution to the wind and lets spear our opponents. We got a small preview with Torres-Babbel up front againts Lille

                               Reina

      Carragher            Skrtel               Agger

      <---------------Masch------------->
  ^                                                              ^
Johnson                                                   Aurelio
  v                         Gerrard                            V


             Kuyt/Ngog                Babbel
                               Torres

[enforcer]

Enjoy. Our team's now fu**ed.

[tezmac]

Lets try a little attacking football not all this everyman behind the ball at corners. Against the smaller teams play 2 up front. Torres is left on his own to often and even has to go out to the flanks to get the ball

[brezipool]

Once the guys who have been injured are firing again, the good footi will be back. But I fear it may be too late.

All the tactics and formations in the world will not help if guys are injured, and then the team loses confidence, and then when they do come back, they take 3 or 4 games to get back into it. In that time the guys who were battling for points when the rest were out lose form.

Its like torres and gerrard come back, and kuyt stops scoring, and guys like riera and aurellio constantly being injured dont help. Dagger getting injured, carra playing RB cos Johnson is out.

Mind blowing season.
Only players who have showed consistant good form this season has been Reina! and recentl masch.

The rest have been stop start or generally average.

[lefty1896]

Do I dare say this? What if Masch leaves at the end of our season.  Is lucas being groomed in that holding midfielder role to play alongside aquilani next year?

[HUYTON RED]

Do I dare say this? What if Masch leaves at the end of our season.  Is lucas being groomed in that holding midfielder role to play alongside aquilani next year?

Covers eyes and ears. "La la la la la la la...........I can not hear you!"

[lefty1896]

Covers eyes and ears. "La la la la la la la...........I can not hear you!"

haha if masch were to leave though mate what would you think rafa would do?

[HUYTON RED]

haha if masch were to leave though mate what would you think rafa would do?

Well he's not likely to be able to buy anyone with the tenner the owners will give him from the £30 million they make on Masch.

[AngelicRayment]

Sorry, my first post.

IMO, there's thousands of possibilities (hyperbole), but before RAFA changes his MIND (a.k.a stop being stubborn and acknowledge his tactics needs to change) all will be useless.

The tactics works fine, just the personel, we have useless Kuyt up front, makeshift Left side, 2 DMs. To be honest, Kuyt regardless of how well he does is not a good RM. If you want workrate and pressure, heck put in 2 RB in Kelly and Johnson.

I'm loss with Rafa, I guess he's playing for the pay-off, how else could you explain Aqua not playing, persistence with Kuyt, N'gog, Lucas ahead of Aqua, most important, how on earth he does not change anything when all have failed and any change can't be worse than what's served. Have he become senile and deluded to see that things need to change? at least in formation, lineups, motivation.

Tactical Genius My ARSE!

[Redmen]

                              Reina

       Skrtel              Carragher           Agger

<-------------Lucas----><-----Masch------------->

Johnson        Aquilani               Gerrard         Riera/Benayoun

                                  Torres

If your going to set your stall out with two defensive midfielders have them covering the wings, whilst the 5 up top do the damage.

I quite like the look of this set up, but we all know theres no way Rafa is going to change anything.

Its unbelievable to think how bad we have been recently yet the likes of Aquilani and Pacheco still cant get in the team.

Im really concerned about what Rafa considers a good performance at the moment.

[AngelicRayment]

Let's not bother to talk about tactics when Rafa does not even change a shitty lineup (you know who they are)

[JD]

I will now outline a few more radical/logical suggestions that may fix this problem.

1.Play Glen Johnson at left back.

2.Gerrard has to come back to the middle. I fear hes gotten too lazy as Cf and now doesnt want to do any of the dirty work in the side.

3. Lets play Benayoun/Maxi as support strikers 'in the hole' to compliment Torres.

4. Hate him or love him Babel is a potent attacking force.

5. Pacheco has gotta be rotated into the side.

Some good points in your post there.  I'd be inclined to put Johnson on the left but I'd probably put Kelly on the right as opposed to Carragher.

Gerrard can most definitely hide as CF and doesn't get involved. Although when Mascherano was right back and Gerrard was back in there he didn't have much impact either.

Benayoun or Aquilani to play behind Torres is a good option.

Not too sure on Babel.  Still too flaky for my liking - I'd place Yossi, Maxi and Riera above him as a winger.

I definitely think Pacheco should be coming on more as sub - he looks like he has got a bit of hunger and desire in him which is sadly lacking from the first team.

[racerx34]

                            Reina

             Skrtel    Kyrgiakos    Agger 

Johnson      Mascherano   Aquilani       Benayoun

                   Maxi           Gerrard
                       
                          Torres

Cavelieri, Pacheco, Babel, Kelly, Kuyt, Carragher, Ngog on the bench

[alliphone]

Reina
Johnson - Skrtel - Agger - Insua
Maxi - Gerrard - Aquilani - Riera
Yossi
Torres

[InertObject]

Reina
Johnson - Skrtel - Agger - Insua
Maxi - Gerrard - Aquilani - Riera
Yossi
Torres

Wow finally a post that I can't give you a neg for

Wait you left out Lucas 

[Junior_Red]

Reina
Johnson - Carragher - Agger - Insua
Mascherano
Benayoun - Gerrard - Rodriguez
Kuyt - Torres

Simples.

[Mohammad Abdullah]

                              Reina

       Skrtel              Carragher           Agger

<-------------Lucas----><-----Masch------------->

Johnson        Aquilani               Gerrard         Riera/Benayoun

                                  Torres

It's a top formation. I've always wondered why don't we play with 3 CBs and 2 CDMs? If anyone takes a look at this formation he'll recognize how powerful it is defensively and in attack.

[clint_call01]

                            Reina

             Skrtel    Kyrgiakos    Agger 

Johnson      Mascherano   Aquilani       Benayoun

                   Maxi           Gerrard
                       
                          Torres

Cavelieri, Pacheco, Babel, Kelly, Kuyt, Carragher, Ngog on the bench

I liked yours, it is a balanced team. Well Done mate. If I was rafa surfing here, I would choose yours.

[Reprobate]

All the talk has been about the Gerrard / Torres partnership up front but personally, I think a Gerrard / Mascherano partnership in the middle would be more valuable to the team and hard for ANY team to better.

                                      Reina
                            Skrtel           Agger
            Johnson                                     Aurelio
                                  Mascherano

            Beneyoun             Gerrard              Riera

                              Babel
                                           Torres

Bench : Cav, Carra, Kelly, Insua, Lucas, Kuyt, Pacheco

Aquilani, Maxi to prove themselves in reserves.