Iago Aspas (Liverpool -> Sevilla -> Celta Vigo)

It's not always about having great players to win or challenge, it's about the right setup and balance with some very good players

And to be clear - you think in Balotelli, Borini and Lambert we had the right balance in attack and the right players "to win and challenge" if only they had been utilised better; yes?

Listen I can't do your thinking for you but please take a bit of time and be honest (to yourself) before answering...

Simple question: If we get a new manager - would you be happy, going into the new season, if that manager signed no one but kept the squad we have (including Balotelli, Borini and Lambert as our only options in attack)?

Take away the tactics for one moment

When you are talking Balotelli though in game you only have to look at players feeding him the ball, Coutinho for example that when he has the ball and Balotelli is in front of him he gets frustrated, he's pointing for him to make runs, he shrugs his shoulders at his lack of effort and movement.. He more or less refuses to give him the ball because Balotelli doesn't suit him, there is a marked difference how quickly Coutinho releases the ball with Sturridge in front of him than with Balotelli.. Take tactics away Balotelli doesn't suit the players around him let alone the tactics or style

He was a poor signing from day one to what we have personnel wise let alone how we approach games.

Same with Lambert.. Think back to the QPR game I think it was and Hendo tried to release him twice in behind and he was too slow to get onto a ball that Sturridge would have been on with time to spare..

Aspas is simply sh*te

Forget tactics.. Forget Rodgers for a minute, surely when looking at potential signings you look at everything, but one of the biggest things is that they suit what you currently have style wise. If you are doing a tick box for a potential signing then all three of those wouldn't get many ticks by their names.

Our two main supply lines from midfield get frustrated with both Balotelli and Lambert when they have the ball, they aren't a threat, leading to them holding onto the ball too long and moves breaking down.

Whoever comes in as manager or if Rodgers stats I just hope to f**k we target players who suit what we have already let alone a style.

Then you look at Gerrard as a DM, Lucas box-box or Hendo as RWB, Sterling striker. Players usually play poor if played wrong or out of position, especially if your confidence is shot. But then I agree, some players are sh*t, like Aspas.

It's difficult to forget tactics because everything goes back to it. I'm sure Coutinho has the ability and intelligence to adapt to one player, he'll still have other runners in the right setup, runners that I believe can be suited to a footballing target man and Coutinho.

I don't see our target players as main strikers, mainly secondary, so goal threat from them wouldn't be there as much if we had a mobile striker. I see our target players as footballing ones who bring others into play, so with the right tactics, I believe we'd be a lot stronger than what we have shown throughout the season.

For sure the attacking players signed does not tick the boxes of a Rodgers attacking system, but rather than being stubborn about it, he could've done some slight altercations and better coaching and maybe we would've been a lot better off.

And to be clear - you think in Balotelli, Borini and Lambert we had the right balance in attack and the right players "to win and challenge" if only they had been utilised better; yes?

Listen I can't do your thinking for you but please take a bit of time and be honest (to yourself) before answering...

Simple question: If we get a new manager - would you be happy, going into the new season, if that manager signed no one but kept the squad we have (including Balotelli, Borini and Lambert as our only options in attack)?

I don't think they are world beaters, but if coached correctly and played a system suited to our target players, perhaps we'd have seen the best in Lallana, Sterling, Hendo etc.

As mentioned, I don't think the squad is that bad. Every summer, we all want new signings, so it would be disappointing not to get players, even with the 08/09 squad you always want to add more. But would I  be happy with Balo, Sturridge, Lambert & Borini as our strikers? Not entirely, but I'll live...only if we patch up GK, midfield and full back areas and have a manager that's knows how to play target men, I honestly wouldn't be as concerned. I would however, be very concerned if Rodgers were to stay with Balo, Sturridge, Lambert & Borini at his disposal!

Then you look at Gerrard as a DM, Lucas box-box or Hendo as RWB, Sterling striker. Players usually play poor if played wrong or out of position, especially if your confidence is shot. But then I agree, some players are sh*t, like Aspas.

It's difficult to forget tactics because everything goes back to it. I'm sure Coutinho has the ability and intelligence to adapt to one player, he'll still have other runners in the right setup, runners that I believe can be suited to a footballing target man and Coutinho.

I don't see our target players as main strikers, mainly secondary, so goal threat from them wouldn't be there as much if we had a mobile striker. I see our target players as footballing ones who bring others into play, so with the right tactics, I believe we'd be a lot stronger than what we have shown throughout the season.

For sure the attacking players signed does not tick the boxes of a Rodgers attacking system, but rather than being stubborn about it, he could've done some slight altercations and better coaching and maybe we would've been a lot better off.

I'm more simply talking a style of player.. You say Coutinho is a good enough player to adapt to one player, and yes I'd agree but he has tried, you can see that and Balotelli simply hasn't done his part. Do we think it's odd the amount of times both Coutinho and Sterling have flung their arms up or shouted something to Balotelli after a move has broken down or are simply not releasing it to him and getting caught in possession? So again for a second forget tactics and presume that in game those players decide to work more to Balotelli's strengths as good smart footballers.. But they can't get a read off of him.. They don't commit to making a second run off him even when they give it to him as he has likely turned and tried a 30 yard effort that's gone into the crowd or deflected back off the cb and if they commit to a second run they are caught the wrong side of a counter attack.

Maybe Brendan thought he could get Mario to adapt his game but it's not worked.. We can talk all we like about what we should do with Mario but maybe in training they have talked and talked and talked to Mario and both in training and in game he just doesn't listen and players get frustrated with him? Because that's what I see in the ground, players either shouting at him to move or release it to him or simply as a subconscious trigger not giving him the ball and holding onto it too long.

Look again at Coutinho's goal against QPR, there is more of a will to release to Lambert than Balotelli.. In that instance Raheem did give him the ball because they do trust him to use his footballing brain to actually find a player like he did with Cou at the far stick whereas you can see a complete lack of trust in Mario as he would have likely turn and ran 10 yards and smashed it at the legs of Richard Dunne.

I'm not meaning to take tactics away from the season as a whole as you are right, tactically Brendan can do better than has been shown in a few occasions this season but as an individual Mario is a F**k up.. His record from open play makes so much more sense now I've watched him week in week out.

He was simply a poor buy.

We really should be discussing this in the Balo or tactics topic

So again for a second forget tactics and presume that in game those players decide to work more to Balotelli's strengths as good smart footballers.. But they can't get a read off of him.. They don't commit to making a second run off him even when they give it to him as he has likely turned and tried a 30 yard effort that's gone into the crowd or deflected back off the cb and if they commit to a second run they are caught the wrong side of a counter attack.

I agree, Balo hasn't done his part, same with Lambert, but why is that? is it really their ability or style of play? Has Coutinho really tried? Because the way I see it, his mind was still rooted in thinking our attack should be as fluid as last season. The way I see it, the style of play of a player isn't that much of a concern and  again, it leads back to tactics which doesn't help bring out the best in our players which in turn, shoots the players confidence down. If you also noticed, our attack has become lot more greedier than ever before, most choose to shoot at ridiculous angles, take that extra touch or dribble past that extra player. Our teamwork seems to be an all time low and I really have to question  the coaching rather than the players.

Maybe Brendan thought he could get Mario to adapt his game but it's not worked.. We can talk all we like about what we should do with Mario but maybe in training they have talked and talked and talked to Mario and both in training and in game he just doesn't listen and players get frustrated with him? Because that's what I see in the ground, players either shouting at him to move or release it to him or simply as a subconscious trigger not giving him the ball and holding onto it too long.

Yes, that's one negative aspect I dislike about Balo, something he really needs to iron out. Why he does it often is ridiculous, whether that's down to coaching or the player itself, I don't know, but it does lean more so to the player. Perhaps he needs a more disciplined manager (Rafa, Simeone etc) ?

Maybe Rodgers isn't doing enough for Balo in training, but then again, maybe he is? I really don't know so judge on what I see, and what I see is poor tactics mainly,  but I can understand your thinking for this because of Balo's reputation, and perhaps the reason for Rodgers in dropping him, who knows

He was simply a poor buy.

Absolutely, like many players we have bought last summer, but again, I do not think they're as bad as most make out to be.

I do see it from your POV and maybe you are right and the player is just sh*t, but I'm trying to look at other avenues and after such a poor season as a whole, It's lead me down this road in believing that poor tactics has weakened us as a team.

But would I  be happy with Balo, Sturridge, Lambert & Borini as our strikers? Not entirely,

Thanks for your reply - there's no right or wrong answer: just insight to a mind set.

As for me - I wouldn't wish them, as the attack, on any Liverpool manager. I want us to "win" and we wouldn't be doing that with these lads... even at their best. 

I have a soft spot for Aspas. Probably because his name is Iago and I was always holding out hope I'd be able to throw out "Othello" quotes whenever he scored

It really is pretty sad when people are saying:

They're not good enough, but they're better than what we've managed to get out of them as proven by the facts.

Gets turned around to:

You think they're brilliant and would be happy for them to stay and if they do stay I expect us to win things or my point is proven.

Even here:

Balotelli is in fact always a f****** idiot and not only that, but unless you play exactly to his strengths isn't actually that good in any case.

To pretend that's Brendan's fault is like BBB says, complete sh!t.

Whose fault is it for not playing to his strengths? Of course that's Brendan's fault, either play to his strengths or don't play him if it's obvious, even to you, that when you don't play to them he "isn't that good".

Shall we put Migs in at the number 10 and then blame him when he doesn't have the requisite skill to perform the task at hand. The manager of course has culpability for tactics employed and when they're wrong, so wrong that we look like a team with square pegs in round holes then it is only fair to question that.

This whole 'polish a turd' bullshit though it getting ridiculous now, nobody is asking Brendan to get any more out of these players than they've previously achieved and on that score he failed.

Whose fault is it for not playing to his strengths? Of course that's Brendan's fault, either play to his strengths or don't play him if it's obvious, even to you, that when you don't play to them he "isn't that good".

Shall we put Migs in at the number 10 and then blame him when he doesn't have the requisite skill to perform the task at hand. The manager of course has culpability for tactics employed and when they're wrong, so wrong that we look like a team with square pegs in round holes then it is only fair to question that.

This whole 'polish a turd' bullshit though it getting ridiculous now, nobody is asking Brendan to get any more out of these players than they've previously achieved and on that score he failed.

It's hard to know where to start Luke, or indeed whether or not there is any point in starting. So muddled is your head with hatred for the manager that you are unable to read posts properly, unable to decipher the meaning of fairly simple sentences. Now you've allowed yourself to be honest and finally admit that you despised the manager all along, it's like you've gone into a spiral from which you can't pull yourself out.

Now in my post you'll notice should you read it again that I said "unless you play EXACTLY to his (Balotelli's) strengths". By that I mean plenty of crosses, hitting him from deep on the diagonal, accommodating him when you haven't got the ball to allow him to not get involved etc. You said "whose fault is it for not playing to his strengths?" (with the answer obviously being the manager). But you see, I don't dispute that it's Brendan's "fault" that we didn't play that way, because I actually agree with him for not playing that way. Had we played that way and Balotelli had scored ten goals instead of one, I firmly believe we would have finished lower in the league and had an even worse season.

Football is like that, sometimes you have to accept that the price of playing to a players strengths (or hiding his weaknesses) is too high for the rest of the team to bear, you usually see it with a defender who you have to defend deeper for in order to hide his lack of pace. Sometimes you have to accept that when a player won't even partially adapt to the rest of the team (Balotelli), or a player can't adapt to the rest of the team because he no longer has the legs (Lambert) or can't do it because he's sh!te (Borini), that you are up against it.

Surely the point is could we have finished higher than 6th had we decided to play in a different way with our strikers, and more to the point could we have got into the top four. I've made it clear twice now and explained why that I don't think we could, but I fully accept that you disagree. I don't need to roll around on the floor at your reply, but I disagree with it. Nothing on Earth you could say would make me change my view, so there seems little point in continuing the discussion further.

To summarise in case you can't be bothered to read my reply.

1. I do think we could have utilised Balotelli/Lambert/Borini better.

2. I think in order to do so (certainly for the first two) would have led to a complete change in style which would have left us in a worse spot than we ended up (unless you conclude not unreasonably as it goes that 9th or something would have left us with no Europa league to play in). Part of me thinks too that some people (who could I possibly mean?) would have lambasted the manager for making the change and would have accused him of trying to make himself look better at all costs at the expense of the team.

3. The highlighted bit/ I've made a little pledge that whenever somebody makes an utterly ridiculous point and completely loses the plot I aren't going to answer it as life is too short. This is an example.

It's hard to know where to start Luke, or indeed whether or not there is any point in starting. So muddled is your head with hatred for the manager that you are unable to read posts properly, unable to decipher the meaning of fairly simple sentences. Now you've allowed yourself to be honest and finally admit that you despised the manager all along, it's like you've gone into a spiral from which you can't pull yourself out.

I don't despise the manager, I just can't stand the rubbish being said in so called 'support'.

Now in my post you'll notice should you read it again that I said "unless you play EXACTLY to his (Balotelli's) strengths". By that I mean plenty of crosses, hitting him from deep on the diagonal, accommodating him when you haven't got the ball to allow him to not get involved etc. You said "whose fault is it for not playing to his strengths?" (with the answer obviously being the manager). But you see, I don't dispute that it's Brendan's "fault" that we didn't play that way, because I actually agree with him for not playing that way. Had we played that way and Balotelli had scored ten goals instead of one, I firmly believe we would have finished lower in the league and had an even worse season.

You claim I'm muddled and come up with that convoluted rubbish. You either play him and play to his strengths or you don't play him, it's very simple. You actually admitted that if you don't play to his strengths you have a player who is "not very good" when in truth it's "not very effective" when you don't play to his strengths. Now you're suggesting it was right to play him in a manner that isn't effective rather than having any other player out there and that we finished as high as we did because of the Balotelli selections.

So you actually want to give credit to Brendan for playing Balotelli ineffectively and believe that in doing so we achieved the best we could.

Well let me tell you in no uncertain terms that is complete bollocks.

I don't despise the manager, I just can't stand the rubbish being said in so called 'support'.



You claim I'm muddled and come up with that convoluted rubbish. You either play him and play to his strengths or you don't play him, it's very simple. You actually admitted that if you don't play to his strengths you have a player who is "not very good" when in truth it's "not very effective" when you don't play to his strengths. Now you're suggesting it was right to play him in a manner that isn't effective rather than having any other player out there and that we finished as high as we did because of the Balotelli selections.

So you actually want to give credit to Brendan for playing Balotelli ineffectively and believe that in doing so we achieved the best we could.

Well let me tell you in no uncertain terms that is complete bollocks.

Forgive me being silly here, bit I thought that's kind of what we did? We played him (as we had nobody else credible) and tried to adapt a little bit to him and him to adapt a lot to us, and when neither appeared to be possible we didn't play him any more. At the end we were giving Jerome Sinclair game time and then playing with no striker whatsoever rather than play Mario, so I took that as Brendan coming to the conclusion that Mario wasn't going to be able to adapt his game in order to fit with the rest of the team.

And yes I think given the players at his disposal, we finished in and around where we were entitled to finish in the league. Whether or not Brendan gets "credit" for that is up to the individual (he doesn't get much off me but I do agree with his "par" assessment, particularly when looked at in the context of where we've finished historically under four different managers/two cup semi finals in the same season). No "credit" from me, but I'm used to LFC and "not a great season" being in the same sentence, so it wasn't a complete shocker either.

So am I right in thinking you are saying that if we'd "played to Balotelli's strengths" we'd have finished in the top four or won a trophy or both? If that IS the case, why have you waited until the season is over before mentioning it?

Forgive me being silly here, bit I thought that's kind of what we did?

Come off it Mick this is getting ridiculous, now you're suggesting we did do exactly what you said we didn't do and what we should give credit to Brendan for not doing, in fact we finished higher not doing what you're now suggesting we did do or at least that's what you told me previously!

You're like a spinning top at the moment Mick.

Either we played to Balotelli's strengths (which we clearly didn't) or he doesn't get selected (which he clearly did for a time).

As for:

So am I right in thinking you are saying that if we'd "played to Balotelli's strengths" we'd have finished in the top four or won a trophy or both? If that IS the case, why have you waited until the season is over before mentioning it?

No Mick if it were one player I could totally put it down to a drop in form or failure to adapt to the league, so this is not a Balotelli point, it's a striker point.

We had:

Lambert
Borini
Balotelli

All 3 performed better the previous year, all 3 have been used as square pegs in round holes for us. All 3 have looked completely ineffective in every situation (other than Studge with Balotelli) we've tried them in. It has been the inability to get even their usual terrible standards out of these players that makes me level the criticism at Brendan.

Why now, it was simply the first time I'd checked out our strikers had performed previously to see if they were indeed that sh*t like we keep getting told and while they are poor players they're nowhere near as bad as they've been shown for us.

Just checking this is Iago Aspas Thread?

Just checking this is Iago Aspas Thread?

Nope. It's the "Colin Pascoe isn't a good assistant manager based purely on his wearing of shorts and because he nods his head" thread.

Come off it Mick this is getting ridiculous, now you're suggesting we did do exactly what you said we didn't do and what we should give credit to Brendan for not doing, in fact we finished higher not doing what you're now suggesting we did do or at least that's what you told me previously!

You're like a spinning top at the moment Mick.

Either we played to Balotelli's strengths (which we clearly didn't) or he doesn't get selected (which he clearly did for a time).

As for:

So am I right in thinking you are saying that if we'd "played to Balotelli's strengths" we'd have finished in the top four or won a trophy or both? If that IS the case, why have you waited until the season is over before mentioning it?

No Mick if it were one player I could totally put it down to a drop in form or failure to adapt to the league, so this is not a Balotelli point, it's a striker point.

We had:

Lambert
Borini
Balotelli

All 3 performed better the previous year, all 3 have been used as square pegs in round holes for us. All 3 have looked completely ineffective in every situation (other than Studge with Balotelli) we've tried them in. It has been the inability to get even their usual terrible standards out of these players that makes me level the criticism at Brendan.

Why now, it was simply the first time I'd checked out our strikers had performed previously to see if they were indeed that sh*t like we keep getting told and while they are poor players they're nowhere near as bad as they've been shown for us.

I'm sorry fella I couldn't get past that first paragraph. I read it about fifteen times and there was once when I thought I had it, but then I read it again and nope, you got me. I have no idea what on earth you are trying to say. It reminded me a little of when you're in the deep rough and you find your ball, except when you go get your 9 iron to dig it out when you come back you can't find it again.

Because of that, I'm just going to have to repeat what I already wrote, but hope that if I jumble the words up ina  different order you might get it. here goes:

** I think it's quite possible Brendan could have utilised the strikers better than he did.

** I think if he had, they would have scored more goals.

** I think if he had, we would have had to change our style to such an extent that other players would have been effected. Think Coutinho trying to play in a 90's Wimbledon team and you would have an illustration of what I'm on about.

** I think if Brendan HAD played this more direct style (which would have suited the strikers more, still with me?) we would have finished even lower in the league than we did, and wouldn't have got to two cup semi finals.

I have to ask you the question again though as I'm not sure you answered it. Are you saying that if we'd utilized Balotelli, Borini and Lambert better we'd have got into the top four or won a cup?



As for Aspas, he's sh!te. I don't think if he were at Liverpool this season just gone he would have had more impact than me sitting on my @rse in Wimbledon.   

I'm sorry fella I couldn't get past that first paragraph. I read it about fifteen times and there was once when I thought I had it, but then I read it again and nope, you got me. I have no idea what on earth you are trying to say. It reminded me a little of when you're in the deep rough and you find your ball, except when you go get your 9 iron to dig it out when you come back you can't find it again.

Because of that, I'm just going to have to repeat what I already wrote, but hope that if I jumble the words up ina  different order you might get it. here goes:

I think it's quite possible Brendan could have utilised the strikers better than he did.

I think if he had, they would have scored more goals.

I think if he had, we would have had to change our style to such an extent that other players would have been effected. Think Coutinho trying to play in a 90's Wimbledon team and you would have an illustration of what I'm on about.

I think if Brendan HAD played this more direct style (which would have suited the strikers more, still with me?) we would have finished even lower in the league than we did, and wouldn't have got to two cup semi finals.

I have to ask you the question again though as I'm not sure you answered it. Are you saying that if we'd utilized Balotelli, Borini and Lambert better we'd have got into the top four or won a cup?



As for Aspas, he's sh!te. I don't think if he were at Liverpool this season just gone he would have had more impact than me sitting on my @rse in Wimbledon.   

It's becoming quite clear you struggle to read with any thought process going on at all:

The statements you've made:

We don't play to Balotelli's strengths.
I agree with Brendan for not playing to his strengths.
Because we don't play to Balotelli's strengths we've finished as high as can be expected.

I then said we should play to Balotelli's strengths or simply not play him and you actually had the temerity to suggest that's what we've done

Unelievable Mick, your method of drawing conclusions is clearly flawed, you don't actually know what you're trying to explain and I'm not going to even bother trying to understand how you get there, I'll simply tell you that all the above can not be true, so again it's total bollocks!

It's becoming quite clear you struggle to read with any thought process going on at all:

The statements you've made:

We don't play to Balotelli's strengths.
I agree with Brendan for not playing to his strengths.
Because we don't play to Balotelli's strengths we've finished as high as can be expected.

I then said we should play to Balotelli's strengths or simply not play him and you actually had the temerity to suggest that's what we've done

Unelievable Mick, your method of drawing conclusions is clearly flawed, you don't actually know what you're trying to explain and I'm not going to even bother trying to understand how you get there, I'll simply tell you that all the above can not be true, so again it's total bollocks!

Hmmm. I'm not giving up just yet.

I agree we don't play to Balotelli's strengths. (YOU ARE CORRECT!)

I agree with Brendan for not playing to his strengths (as I think having a man strolling around not getting involved when we haven't got the ball, not providing movement if we bring it forward on the ground but waiting to be hit from deep or from crosses would be detrimental to our overall play). Visa vis it would suit Mario but nobody else in the team . The result, Mario would perhaps score ten goals a season but we may as well not play the likes of Coutinho, we'd concede possession far easier than even we already did and we'd be less effective. (YOU ARE CORRECT AGAIN!)

Because we don't play to Balotelli's strengths, we finished as high as expected. (YOU ARE CORRECT YET AGAIN!).

So to summarise, I think if we HAD played to Marios strengths and said "f*** the rest of our team play, as long as Mario's happy that's all that counts" we'd have finished lower in the league and wouldn't have got to two cup semi finals. Brendan obviously thought that too, that's why he didn't bother playing him at all once Mario showed he wasn't prepared/able to adapt.


Now, lets not forget my question. Had we played more to Mario's "strengths", do you think we would have got into the top four or won a cup, neither or both or one of them? 

I agree we don't play to Balotelli's strengths. (YOU ARE CORRECT!)

I know.

I agree with Brendan for not playing to his strengths  (YOU ARE CORRECT AGAIN!)

I know.

Because we don't play to Balotelli's strengths, we finished as high as expected. (YOU ARE CORRECT YET AGAIN!).

I know.

However when I then said we should play to Balotelli's strengths or not play him at all, simple as that you tried to claim that we'd done that, as I said to then and I tell you again that is complete bollocks!

It can't be all of the above.

Now, lets not forget my question. Had we played more to Mario's "strengths", do you think we would have got into the top four or won a cup, neither or both or one of them?

As I've told you, I've answered it. Just because you're having an incredibly stupid evening by your standards here it is again.

We should not have played Balotelli if we were not going to play to his strengths. Every time he was selected to play in a system that would be ineffective with him in it it was a mistake.

Every time we played Lambert in a system that wouldn't suit him, it was a mistake.

Every time we didn't play Borini and chose to play any of the above in a system that wouldn't suit them it was a mistake.

So it is not a question of would playing to Balotelli's strengths had got us a top 4 finish, but getting the most out of this group of strikers could have produced a lot more goals than we've gained this season and those goals would have got us closer to a top 4 finish. Very simple.

So it is not a question of would playing to Balotelli's strengths had got us a top 4 finish, but getting the most out of this group of strikers could have produced a lot more goals than we've gained this season and those goals would have got us closer to a top 4 finish. Very simple.

Ah the nitty gritty!!

No Luke, it IS precisely that question (because if you think back, it was ME who asked it, and I can remember!!). So your answer if I'm decoding it correctly is that if we'd "got the most" out of this group of strikers they could have produced a "lot more" goals (can't argue with that, it's definitely a possibility) and those goals would have got us a "lot closer" to a top four finish. Not actually a top four finish then, just "a lot closer"?

How about the cups? I suppose if they could have produced a lot more goals in them too, we could have done a Houllier style treble!

F*** me how do you change your vote  .   

Now, lets not forget my question. Had we played more to Mario's "strengths", do you think we would have got into the top four or won a cup, neither or both or one of them? 

I'll weigh in on this. I do believe that we would have faired better in the league if we had played to the strengths of Lambert and/or Balotelli. However, it's much more complex than saying we should have just hit more long balls and crosses in to those two. It would have required a complete change in our approach to the game.

We had the meanest defense in the league a few seasons ago when Kenny was in charge. We've had a porous defense since BR took over. It isn't because our defenders suddenly turned to sh*t. It's because BR has us play with a high line, split center halves, and very little cover from midfield. Kenny had us defend deep and we were more well organized and disciplined. If we had played a more defensive approach (like we did while Kenny was here) and catered our attacking plan to suit the likes of Lambert and/or Balotelli, then I do think we would have done better. We may not have scored close to 100 goals like we managed last year, but I think we would have conceded far less and our goal difference and points tally would have been better. I also think some players like Markovic, Lallana, Moreno, Lucas, and Sterling would have benefited from more structure, organization, and more well defined patterns to our attacking play.

No proof to back any of this up. Just my opinion.

I'll weigh in on this. I do believe that we would have faired better in the league if we had played to the strengths of Lambert and/or Balotelli. However, it's much more complex than saying we should have just hit more long balls and crosses in to those two. It would have required a complete change in our approach to the game.

We had the meanest defense in the league a few seasons ago when Kenny was in charge. We've had a porous defense since BR took over. It isn't because our defenders suddenly turned to sh*t. It's because BR has us play with a high line, split center halves, and very little cover from midfield. Kenny had us defend deep and we were more well organized and disciplined. If we had played a more defensive approach (like we did while Kenny was here) and catered our attacking plan to suit the likes of Lambert and/or Balotelli, then I do think we would have done better. We may not have scored close to 100 goals like we managed last year, but I think we would have conceded far less and our goal difference and points tally would have been better. I also think some players like Markovic, Lallana, Moreno, Lucas, and Sterling would have benefited from more structure, organization, and more well defined patterns to our attacking play.

No proof to back any of this up. Just my opinion.

Good post Harry. The first paragraph is one where we agree on the bolded bit, of course we'd have had to completely change our patterns of play, but I think the pay off in terms of a few more goals (which I agree we would have scored) would not have been worth it when you look at how it impacted on us. Unlike yourself, I think we'd have finished lower in the league not higher, but I totally respect your opinion on it and fair enough.

The second paragraph is one of those ones where I cannot for the life of me understand why the Brendan haters don't spend more time along these lines. If I despised Brendan to the same extent that some on here do, I'd be in this territory all day long. What's the point of talking about teeth, birds, sons etc when you have this stuff to go with. The defence (or lack of it) is hard to defend, if you get my drift.

is he still a liverpool player?

However, it's much more complex than saying we should have just hit more long balls and crosses in to those two. It would have required a complete change in our approach to the game.

Personally, I don't think the changes would be as drastic. Overlapping full backs, inside forwards, Hendo acting as the box-box. Coutinho would still have runners, and our runners would have a a target man to play off from. I actually think it'd be a more balanced & structured team than what we have seen this season.