Let's try boring football

This may be very obvious to some people, but it only dawned on me this evening.

I think the key to beating teams like WBA, Stoke, Hull, Villa, Everton () et al is to stop playing into their hands by attacking them for 90 minutes as we have been doing. We need to play patient possession football, with patient being the key term. We're actually playing to their strengths if we just run at them for the entire game; they're expecting that and train to combat that. We need to be boring and patient. That's how the chavs win their titles.

It's not the only way of course, Barca, Madrid, Citeh and possibly Bayern Munich (haven't watched them much) can attack you to death, but they also know how to play it cagey too, when needs be. And it does help to have a Messi, a Ronaldo, an Aguero, or a Mueller, in your side; you have to have kwality. But even so, if all your tactics ever amount to are batter the opposition by attacking them all the time, then its akin to the saying (in Psychology circles), if all you have is a hammer, all you are likely to see are nails.

We have to vary it up and not only adopt a change of personnel and formations but how we approach games too. I've seen very little of that with the Gaffer. I wouldn't dare to tell him how to go about his business, but I think it's time he started looking at how to approach each team we play from a blank slate. Fat Sam said it's easy to play against us because he knows what we'll do because we do it every single time we play. And he's absolutely right too. Yes we are playing poorly right now; but all the more reason to retain possession and coax the other team to open up. Right now we're forcing our passes and are too eager to get the ball forward. All that's happening is it's all breaking down way too often.

Great Liverpool sides of the 80s and 90s kept the ball and passed it around the pitch. That's death by football, not a gung ho you score 3 we'll score 6 attitude (Cardiff City 3 v 6 Liverpool, Stoke City 3 v 5 Liverpool and stuff).

So be boring, pass it sideways, pass it backwards and wait until they make a mistake. Because they will inevitably make that mistake. That's why these teams are always the same ones to struggle season after season; it's because they don't have top players who can play a good enough game for 90 minutes without letting you in the back door

I'd be happy to win games 1-0 and be boring but efficient.

No one would have suggested this so called Boring football, last season, when the side where scoring so many goals, almost at will. Although this season such a different scenario, I see your point.

We've been boring for most of the season.

Could of done with being F***ing boring last season against Chelsea!!

Don't care how we play as long as the lads look like they know what they're doing

Could of done with being F***ing boring last season against Chelsea!!

Pretty much

Could of done with being F***ing boring last season against Chelsea!!

Back then we were ripping teams apart by playing attacking football, if we had of sat back hoping for a draw, Chelsea would have come at us, and could have won anyway with our defence.
Going at them the right thing to do IMO, it was only very bad luck that prevented us getting at least a draw anyway.

Back on topic,  I think playing boring football would make it even harder for us to win.

To offense to the OP but I'd rather us just figure out how to win by playing entertaining football.

The problem with boring football is that it's....well.......boring.

Winning isn't boring. The only ones who claim it is are those not winning. Liverpool USED to get loads of "boring" wins back in the heyday. I'd take those all day long if it meant getting our hands back on the league trophy!

Back then we were ripping teams apart by playing attacking football, if we had of sat back hoping for a draw, Chelsea would have come at us, and could have won anyway with our defence.
Going at them the right thing to do IMO, it was only very bad luck that prevented us getting at least a draw anyway.

Back on topic,  I think playing boring football would make it even harder for us to win.

Don't agree we went at them, couldn't break them down and ran out of ideas, one idea might of been to drop back invite them onto us, open them up. Attacking footie was the problem against Chelsea, we only had to draw, not lose!!

Sometimes playing the way Chelsea have in last couple of weeks, wins you league titles.

That's how we did it back in our hey day ;-)

Don't agree we went at them, couldn't break them down and ran out of ideas, one idea might of been to drop back invite them onto us, open them up. Attacking footie was the problem against Chelsea, we only had to draw, not lose!!

Sometimes playing the way Chelsea have in last couple of weeks, wins you league titles.

That's how we did it back in our hey day ;-)

In fairness to Brendan, but for a Unfortunately slip, we would have gotten the draw.

Chavs won this year playing pretty functional stuff. They have some really good players, but the strength is in defense. They set the tone, and thought it was a boring enough season. Inevitably people will look at how they did it, and compare.
But plenty of sides win playing entertaining football. Would love to see us playing footy as entertaining as last season, and though will be hard to score as many goals, a bit more solidity at the back might mean we wouldn't have to.

when they brought in the back pass to the goal keeper rule , it was meant to stop games becoming boring because teams were constantly passing backwards.
to be boring nowadays you really need top quality players to keep the ball away from the oppossition . if it doesnt work though and you lose to counter attacks then whats the point . its philosophy football , far too complicated for such a simple game.

Just to clarify, I'm not saying we should always play cagey defensive football, only when we need to and in order to remove the bus some teams bring on the pitch.

Ironic that patient cagey football can be used to take the handbreak of the bus but there you go

Does anyone seriously believe that, at the time we were ripping teams to shreds, we should have just sat back against Chelsea and played for the draw?

Oh yes, it is easy in hindsight, but I can guarantee the shitstorm it would have created on this site if Liverpool lost and Rodgers had deviated from the tried and tested formula of previously and reverted to defensive mindset.

I find it laughable how some people on here say that Rodgers 'lost us' the title by playing the same style which, erm, got us in that exact position to fight for it.

As much as i hate Mourinho as a man, i have nothing but the utmost respect for him as a manager. He does what needs to be done and he gets the job done. He has the ability to adapt.

Next Season is going to be hard for us. Brendan has to learn to be more flexible with his philosophy and tactics. The changes made against Villa were more blind panic than controlled genius and he has displayed this on several occasions this year.

I agree with Rush that we do need to adapt our game when playing bus parkers, or at least have a variation in place to make us more tactically flexible in game.

There is a lot of work to do over the coming Summer, everyone is talking about rebuilding the Squad in the media. The fact that this is the case three years into his tenure really does highlight the need to F**k this transfer committee off.

I find boring football, a boring topic, maybe it is time to call topic locked !

Anyone remember the away game at Cardiff last season.... 6-3 we won I think..... what a cracking game that was to watch.  The backheel from Sturridge to Suarez....

oh man last season was amazing.

I find boring football, a boring topic, maybe it is time to call topic locked !

Or you know, you could just leave the topic and let other people continue to discuss it?

Or you know, you could just leave the topic and let other people continue to discuss it?

can you imagine if a topic could get locked if only one person didn't like it?

how many topics would there be left do you think?

Another topic started in the hope of defending Brendan and our current clueless gameplan.

Another topic started in the hope of defending Brendan and our current clueless gameplan.

Like the poster who wanted the thread locked - an off the map point of view and comment.

can you imagine if a topic could get locked if only one person didn't like it?

how many topics would there be left do you think?

Exactly.

I have nothing against some people not liking a certain topic (there's a load I don't venture into). But to suggest it get locked by 'one' individual because they don't like it, it smacks a little of arrogance for me.