Liverpool formation this year?

As i said in earlier post Rafa may be forced to play 1 striker up front this season to fit Alonso Gerrard and Momo in the starting 11 because the signs are he wants speedy on the left and Pennant on the right.
I am not a fan of this 1 up front because Crouch has to play with one of our goal getters, Fowler Bellamy or new signing whoever it turns out to be.

So how do we fit all these great players into the team, 3-5-2 is the most likely but our new boy central defenders do not seem up to the job yet.

 Paletta and Agger are still learning, especially Paletta he made schoolboy mistakes in the pre-season games, i have no doubht that he will be great but he needs more time to adjust to the english game and Agger looks good but his ability is still pretty unknown.
Any thoughts about what formation and preferred starting 11 Rafa will pick ?

its got to be 4-4-2 we need two strikers up front and definitely four at the back, then rotate in central midfield, its the only way.    

So who in midfield do you leave out?

Rafa does not have a preferred formation. It changes from game to game (even during it) depending on what he regards will be the most effective against the oppositions strengths & weaknesses.

No point in this day and age saying we should go 4-4-2 (for example) for the season as it becomes all too predictable the oppo will know what to expect.

Must be a nightmare for opposing managers to know wow to setup as they won't have a clue what he's going to play next.

I've no problems with it as if during a game things aren't going to plan, he at least admits his error and change it immediately.

Rafa does not have a preferred formation. It changes from game to game (even during it) depending on what he regards will be the most effective against the oppositions strengths & weaknesses.

No point in this day and age saying we should go 4-4-2 (for example) for the season as it becomes all too predictable the oppo will know what to expect.

Must be a nightmare for opposing managers to know wow to setup as they won't have a clue what he's going to play next.

I've no problems with it as if during a game things aren't going to plan, he at least admits his error and change it immediately.

Agreed, but i was only suggesting that formation when we have to play that way.  I totally agree with you, Rafa's the Man !!    

Any formation will do, so long as we win and we win well. Rafa likes and has quite rightly gone for speed in new signings, so expect atleast any two from Gonzales, Bellamy, Pennant, Aurelio, Garcia and Kewell (when fit) to start in any match. I also suspect Crouch won't start as many times as he did last year.

Reina

Finnan  Agger  Carragher  Aurelio

Pennant   Alonso/Sissoko  Speedy

                   Gerrard

          Fowler          Bellamy

Subs: Dudek, Hyypia, Riise, Luis Garcia, Kewell, Zenden, Crouch

Reina

Finnan  Agger  Carragher  Aurelio

Pennant   Alonso/Sissoko  Speedy

                   Gerrard

          Fowler          Bellamy

Subs: Dudek, Hyypia, Riise, Luis Garcia, Kewell, Zenden, Crouch

4-3-1-2  

I think its time we got rid of the 4-4-2 formation.It's just not working for us as the past few games have shown.
We have a quality striker in Torres but the other striker(anyone of the other 3) is nowhere near his quality and neither do they look like a "partnership" up front.
From what i've seen in the past few matches,the 2nd striker is giving the ball away far too easily (Voronin is the biggest culprit).

Rafa needs to shake things up a bit imo.Go for a 4-3-3 with 2 wingers (proper natural wingers not putting Kuyt,Voronin in those positions),2 of either Babel,Kewell,Yossi or Pennant.Gerrard and Mascherano had a very ordinary game today,so i think we need Alonso's creativity in the center.Something like the formation Chelsea played a few seasons back (Robben and Joe Cole were the wingers if i remember correctly).

Another option is to play 4-4-1-1 with Gerrard in the AM/supporting striker role to give us more men in the midfield and try to control the flow of the game.Gerrard and Torres look like they have better understanding than Torres and any of the other strikers.

Anyone else agree?

the 4-4-1-1 with gerrard attacking mid/ supporting striker role is the formation usually used in europe

dont think we need to change the formation, think we really just need, another quality striker, how many times do we see kuyt and vorion in midifield not supporting torres, it like we are playing 4-5-1.

I say we stop playing with respect for utter sh*t teams.

Start a 4-3-3 for games like this, and as I posted in another thread:

                        Reina
Finnan - Carragher - Agger/Skretl - Aurelio

        Gerrard - Mascherano - Alonso

                        Kuyt

             Torres    -   Babel


Let's start with the back four.

- Finnan is still our only choice for the right back.

- Carragher is a given. Even though he isn't the best passer of the ball, he has still proved his worth, time and time again with crucial tackles and with his passion for The club.

- Agger when fit is a given partner to Carra. World class in the air and marking/tackling. Most of all we need him for the calm/easy passes that opens up our midfield players. I can't comment on Skrtle as I haven't seen him yet.

- Gerrard is a given in our midfield even though he hasn't really stood out for a few games, he is still the best damn midfielder in the world. We just need him with the passion back.

- Mascherano has really proved himself as the DM we need. He somehow plays precisely as I want a Liverpool DM to play.

- Alonso can open up any defense in the world with his through balls. His eye for the game and his powerful shot needs to get fit again.

- Kuyt has proved himself as a hardworking player who does everything for Liverpool but score. I think he would be incredible as an attacking midfielder/forward. Not scoring, but getting those balls through to the strikers.

- Torres. What more can I say? The thing he did today resembled what Gerrard used to do for us. He took matters in to his own hands and scored the equalizer.

- Babel. Please, Rafa, let him start as an attacker a few times. Kuyt has proved that he is willing to work for the team but hasn't scored. Babel has proved that he is quick, can beat his man and that he can score. My strongest argument, though, is that Babels favorite position is as a striker.

My point being that if we can't beat boro with a worldclass lineup, something besides the odd rotation of a player is needed.
I'd rather play an attacking formation with the players intent on scoring and loosing the odd game rather than playing a
4-4-2 with the focus being the defense.
YNWA. Get in!

The formation is an irrelevancy. It changes from game to game. The key is WHAT PLAYERS make up the formation and WHO plays WHERE.

Babel on the left? FORGET IT.

Babel on the right? FORGET IT.

Crouch left at home in Merseyside? FORGET IT.

Voronin anywhere within 20 miles of the team bus?? FORGET IT.

Formation: Unimportant.

Who plays: Important.

Who Plays Where: Massive.

Rafa has lost the plot. Play with crouch and torres with 2 natural wingers like kewell benayon or pennant. Stick with when for few games and then change again.rafa has tried everything else.wat is so wrong wit crouch when other 2 so called strikers are absolute worthless

Rafa has lost the plot. Play with crouch and torres with 2 natural wingers like kewell benayon or pennant. Stick with when for few games and then change again.rafa has tried everything else.wat is so wrong wit crouch when other 2 so called strikers are absolute worthless

WHat Rafa has done to Peter this season has been wrong and uncalled for. Peter Crouch NOT IN THE SQUAD. Thats wrong and perverse. Peter has been a decent trier for us and was our leading League Scorer last year and he gets rewarded by being dumped at home while the likes of Voronin are brought on a day trip to Boro. Thats wrong.

I think babel should start up front with torres because kuyt and voronin just dont trouble opposing defences,they do not have the pace or strenght to get at defenders and move them around and create space for others and it all becomes predictable and methodical.

I would feel insulted to see Voro wear an LFC shirt again after Saturday's performance - which was an embarrasment to the shirt, to the team, to the club and to himself.

Voro get your head (and pony-tail) together and get out!

Furthermore... where are the SG in the middle merchants now... ALL our biggest results have been with SG playing right/libero...

Formation 2nd half of season

4-4-2

My first XI would be:

             Pepe

Alvaro Carra Agger Aurelio

StevieG Xabi Masch Babel

        Torres Crouchy

Subs: Charly, Yossi, Lucas, Zhar, Skrtel

A squad without Voro would do me.

A squad without Voro would do me.

Best thing Voro could do is cut that pony-tail off (give the hair to Parry to stick-on instead of the current pube-clumps)... and hope his luck turns.

I would feel insulted to see Voro wear an LFC shirt again after Saturday's performance - which was an embarrasment to the shirt, to the team, to the club and to himself.

Voro get your head (and pony-tail) together and get out!

Furthermore... where are the SG in the middle merchants now... ALL our biggest results have been with SG playing right/libero...




Formation 2nd half of season

4-4-2

My first XI would be:

             Pepe

Alvaro Carra Agger Aurelio

StevieG Xabi Masch Babel

        Torres Crouchy

Subs: Charly, Yossi, Lucas, Zhar, Skrtel

Its a good line up but I dont agree with you having gerrard on the right, he is much better in the centre

Its a good line up but I dont agree with you having gerrard on the right, he is much better in the centre

So we drop one our few world class players (XA or JM) for SG to play down the middle ??

...when SG has proved to be quite briliant as a wing/libero (all our finals... and many winning key games).

So we drop one our few world class players (XA or JM) for SG to play down the middle ??

...when SG has proved to be quite briliant as a wing/libero (all our finals... and many winning key games).

to be honest i would rather drop one of them because they are both better at defensive roles than attaccking and if gerrard is on the right then it means he has less freedom, everyone knows gerrard is better through the middle becuase it allows him to dictate the game adn burst through the middle. if hes on the right then he is restricted because it means that he can only really get up and down the line and he cant drift inside because it would enable the oppostition to eexpose  us down that wing

to be honest I would rather drop one of them because they are both better at defensive roles than attaccking and if gerrard is on the right then it means he has less freedom, everyone knows gerrard is better through the middle becuase it allows him to dictate the game adn burst through the middle. if hes on the right then he is restricted because it means that he can only really get up and down the line and he cant drift inside because it would enable the oppostition to eexpose  us down that wing

That may be true (middle vs wing) but as this is a team sport and team (that we've got) VERY often (in very key games and proven) does better with him on the wing... well wing it would be for me at least... and Rafa too if given the choice and no ultra-media-backlash.

This is NOT Gerrard Athletic we support - it's LIVERPOOL F.C.