The international break fucked us over. Studge, Allen and Can out.
That said we're trying to integrate 3 new defenders. That will take time.
For all the talk of doing a Spurs, we've not done ourselves to many favours by changing to much to quickly.
There are 33 games left and it's September, so I'm not worried yet.
Get Valdes in and bench Ming. He hasn't stepped up at all and is not up to it ATM.
Rodgers also need to go for a settled back 4.
Can't for the love of God understand why we didn't fuck Lucas out on loan and improve that area.
Gerrard is in decline fast and behind him there is no one
I don't think the international break is any excuse. We've coped with that in the past, and with the odd injury that comes from it in the past.
I also really don't get the focus on Mignolet. Do people REALLY think he's the main problem? That degree of disorganisation, lack of discipline and naivete amongst the back four would make any keeper look bad and cause them to concede plenty of goals. Yes, Mignolet has to improve, but I don't see him as the most urgent problem defensively by a long way. Put any keeper you like behind that back four and, believe me, they'll look poor.
Gerrard, it pains to me say, is finished unless he's moved up the pitch and proves he still has a bit to offer in the attacking part of the game. Personally I'd tell him to try to show Coutinho what he should be doing in this side. Just tell him to give it his all until he's in need of a rest. No in and out 'nursing'; a serious job, at maximum intensity, rewarded with a break when it's been earned. But his current role is surely over. He can't do it and other teams know exactly what to do to exacerbate the problem.
And Rodgers needs to simplify his management. Yes, there are more competitions this season, but you cope with that, initially, by finding form, not by refreshing mediocrity. He's getting way ahead of himself. Revert to a stable, settled side and don't mess around with it until fatigue is spotted, rather than anticipated. He's so over-eager to anticipate fatigue and reshuffle he's confusing himself and making the team incoherent. First get the side settled, coherent and confident, then you can risk tinkering with it.
Finally, up top: when Sturridge is in, it's okay, it'll improve, but when he's out, you have to change tack. Balotteli is not mobile enough to suit the system. Lambert is more mobile than some seem to think, and much, much, smarter, but he, too, is not going to suit the system (and, frankly, it's an insult to him to promote Borini above him). So if they're the alternatives, until we can get another striker in, we need to adapt to them, and quickly. Otherwise they'll be passengers on the pitch.
