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Your line up away to Stoke..

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That it's even a debate whether Lovren should start is exasperating. It's crazy. At this point I'd have him behind Sakho, Toure, Ilori, and Gomez for that position. He's shit and doesn't even have the upside of the young players of making mistakes as part of a learning process. It's just a dead loss.
 
That it's even a debate whether Lovren should start is exasperating. It's crazy. At this point I'd have him behind Sakho, Toure, Ilori, and Gomez for that position. He's shit and doesn't even have the upside of the young players of making mistakes as part of a learning process. It's just a dead loss.
Couldn't agree more.

You can't put it down to loss of form, the lad can't even get the basic positioning right. He's facing the wrong way half the fucking time, & runs into the wrong areas.

Half the time he looks like he's never played in defence. It's almost laughable.
 
This is their current squad:
http://www.transfermarkt.com/stoke-city/startseite/verein/512

Someone said that Arnautovic was hurt in pre-season. I think we'll see this, assuming Krkic is still out:

Butland
Johnson Shawcross Muniesa Pieters
Adam Whelan
van Ginkel
Walters Diouf Afellay

Subs: Given, Wilson, Bardsley, Sidwell, Ireland, Joselu, Crouch

We lose a Brazilian for a month to one of Charlie Adam's reckless tackles.

I think Shawcross is out too.
 
I'm trying to establish an understanding as to what Rodgers is trying to achieve with that partnership that he can't with a Sakho/Skrtel partnership, even if I don't agree with it, and the best I can do is assume that Rodgers sees Skrtel and Sakho as too similar. I think he'd like a Hansen/Lawrenson style centre back pairing in terms of one player who does the last ditch sliding into tackle stuff and one who can carry the ball out of defence. I know none of our centre backs are up to the same standard of either Hansen or Lawrenson, but maybe Brendan feels that Lovren can bring the ball out of defence better than Sakho can.

Dunno. I think if he wants that sort of partnership then he should be telling Sakho and Ilori to work on a partnership within the reserves.


That might be true but it's bonkers as Lovren's distribution was dreadful all last season, compared to Sakho who despite looking cumbersome was absolutely superb and bring the ball out, his passing was often crisp and direct, whereas Lovren would bomb the ball 40 yards down the left wing to no one. It's sad, and one of my biggest peeves with Brendan, I'm convinced that this stupid decision is entirely down to some child like reasoning that Lovren looks more composed with the ball than the awkward looking Sakho, irrespective of their actual effectiveness.
 
That might be true but it's bonkers as Lovren's distribution was dreadful all last season, compared to Sakho who despite looking cumbersome was absolutely superb and bring the ball out, his passing was often crisp and direct, whereas Lovren would bomb the ball 40 yards down the left wing to no one. It's sad, and one of my biggest peeves with Brendan, I'm convinced that this stupid decision is entirely down to some child like reasoning that Lovren looks more composed with the ball than the awkward looking Sakho, irrespective of their actual effectiveness.


I agree, I think Sakho is a better defender in every aspect, including his distribution. It does seem, like others have said, that this is just a decision to personally vindicate his own judgement on transfers rather than anything else.
 
I agree, I think Sakho is a better defender in every aspect, including his distribution. It does seem, like others have said, that this is just a decision to personally vindicate his own judgement on transfers rather than anything else.

Not sure about that. Rodgers has been pretty quick to jettison signings attributed to him.

He may just think Lovren is the better player. Which is probably more concerning, to be frank.
 
I'm convinced that Rodgers feels he's been shackled and hampered by the transfer committee, and that but for them he'd have done a perfect job.

He's a fucking stubborn fool.
 
This committee vs Rodgers has been discussed re Moreno vs Gomez aswell.
I'd start Gomez instead of Moreno aswell though, which says a lot of Moreno.

Interesting to read that O'Driscoll was the one who pushed the hardest for us to sign Gomez.
 
This committee vs Rodgers has been discussed re Moreno vs Gomez aswell.
I'd start Gomez instead of Moreno aswell though, which says a lot of Moreno.

Interesting to read that O'Driscoll was the one who pushed the hardest for us to sign Gomez.


Well it was never going to have been Rodgers...
 
That it's even a debate whether Lovren should start is exasperating. It's crazy. At this point I'd have him behind Sakho, Toure, Ilori, and Gomez for that position. He's shit and doesn't even have the upside of the young players of making mistakes as part of a learning process. It's just a dead loss.
Yeah I really fucking hope Rodgers hand is played before the weekend and Lovren injures himself in training.
 
Is Coutinho okay to play the weekend? Did he feature in the Helsinki game? I can't remember.

I'd play Clyne, Skrtel, Sakho and Gomez at the back.
Henderson, Lucas and Milner,
Coutinho, Benteke, then one of Lallana, Ibe, Frimino, Lazar.
 
This committee vs Rodgers has been discussed re Moreno vs Gomez aswell.
I'd start Gomez instead of Moreno aswell though, which says a lot of Moreno.

Interesting to read that O'Driscoll was the one who pushed the hardest for us to sign Gomez.
Well may maybe it's O'Driscoll who had forced a rethink about Lovren too?
 
Well may maybe it's O'Driscoll who had forced a rethink about Lovren too?


Could be mate. He's the one brought in with the responsibility and focus of organizing the team I believe.
Will be interesting to see if there is any difference to our approach away to Stoke.
 
4-4-2 Diamond

Mignolet
Clyne
Skrtel
Sakho
Gomez
Can
Henderson
Milner
Coutinho
Benteke
Firmino

100% our best team in my opinion and we play so much better with 442 diamond instead of 433 or the stupid 343
 
Is Coutinho okay to play the weekend? Did he feature in the Helsinki game? I can't remember.

I'd play Clyne, Skrtel, Sakho and Gomez at the back.
Henderson, Lucas and Milner,
Coutinho, Benteke, then one of Lallana, Ibe, Frimino, Lazar.
He scored in the Helsinki game!
 
A lot of people are posting this as their front 6:

Henderson-Milner-Coutinho
Ibe-Benteke-Lallana

Do they envisage a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1?

I don't see either working. Rodgers has never been a 4-2-3-1 guy, and Lallana doesn't have the pace to be an effective wing-forward.

If it's a 4-3-3, I don't see it working either. The 4-3-3 is primarily about the inverted triangle. Difficult to see Henderson-Milner-Coutinho working an inverted triangle - who's going to sit? Then there's also the issue of Benteke playing effectively as a pivot. He just doesn't have the technical ability to be a pivot.
 
I think it'll be more along the lines of:

-----------Hendo--Milner---------------
--Ibe---------Coutinho------Lallana--
---------------Benteke------------------
 
I'm being anal about this because I think it's absolutely critical we figure out the way we want to play as early as possible this season.

The last thing I want is Rodgers taking 15 games to figure out what formation he wants to play. Top 4 will have gone by then.

I'm very certain the best possible use of the current squad is a 4-4-2 diamond.
 
I'm being anal about this because I think it's absolutely critical we figure out the way we want to play as early as possible this season.

The last thing I want is Rodgers taking 15 games to figure out what formation he wants to play. Top 4 will have gone by then.

I'm very certain the best possible use of the current squad is a 4-4-2 diamond.

If Firmino is fit then that's what it'll be I reckon:

----------------Can---------------
-----Hendo----------Milner-----
-------------Coutinho------------
-------Firmino--Benteke-------
 
I think it'll be more along the lines of:

-----------Hendo--Milner---------------
--Ibe---------Coutinho------Lallana--
---------------Benteke------------------

That's a Rafa/Mourinho style 4-2-3-1. I'm not saying I don't like the formation - it's proven to be very successful. I just don't see Rodgers or the present personnel having success with it.

A 4-2-3-1 is about patience, soaking up the pressure, sitting back, and hitting occasionally on the counter - the compete opposite of how Rodgers has always played. The CM pairing of Hendo and Milner are just not the sort who can play that way either. They're both high energy, pressing midfielders.


Re: Lallana as a wing-forward - I think everyone would agree that he's best in a floaty central attacking midfield position than as a wing-forward like Hazard or Bale.

The only one who the 4-2-3-1 suits ideally is Ibe, I think. He'd be an excellent wing-forward.

Benteke could also be good in it actually, provided the rest of the front 6 is attuned to it.
 
Mignolet
Clyne
Skrtel
Lovren
Gomez (81)
playerOut.png

Henderson
Coutinho (81)
playerOut.png

Milner
Ibe
Lallana
Ings

This was the line up against HJK. If Rodgers used that game as his final preparation, which is likely, the only change I can see is Benteke will start instead of Ings.
Firmino isnt fit yet, neither is Can and Rogders wont make any changes to the defence. Sad but true re Sakho.
Cant see him starting Lucas either.

The big question is how we set up the midfield.
Looks like a 4-3-3 imho.
 
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