T
the_khl
Guest
This may be a bit premature but I'm just utterly and completely amazed by the overall style of play we've witnessed of late. It's almost like we're spectators to a Liverpool-team that are somehow re-inventing tactics and overall approach in the game of football. I don't think I've ever seen anything reminiscent the general tempo and the sheer energy-level of our games. Not in the same scale at least.
As we kick-off and the game unfolds it takes us less than five seconds to close the opponent down - around their own penaltyarea mind. And this is more or less the scenario for the full 90 minutes. The energy-level never seems to drop when Liverpool is beeing one part of a match these days and it's as breathtaking to witness for us the fans as it has got to be for the players involved. We are talking iron-lungs here and stamina beyond incredible.
Every player on the pitch is quite litterally runnning their socks of, attacking and closing-down at every given opportunity, and though it's often as high paced as I've ever seen a football match unfold it's not hampering the overall quality of play in my opinion. Which is just downright amazing. A player like Kuyt is no Henry or Giggs in terms of class but he's bringing something else to the table. Sheer gut and the attitude of a workaholic always ready to get himself stuck in. The team in itself it the real star though when it comes to Liverpool these days. Torres, Gerrard, Alonso, Masher etc. are all great footballers, top of the pops even, but it's the team-spirit and the willingness to work for eachother that is the real star on Merseyside these days.
In the early nineties Barcelona was re-inventing football, making way to artists like Laudrup, Stoichkov and Romario, taking football to a whole other level of entertainment after years on dominated by German and Italian defensivemindedness. Suddenly it was a completely new experience to be watching football as the Catalan's exquisite style of football unfolded before our eyes.
In the late nineties and early twenties a new approach appeared. The one of Sir Alex Fergusons Manchester United with the likes of Schmeichel, Keane, Giggs, Beckham, Cantona, Yorke and Cole. Even the most stylish of players, e.g. Beckham, wasn't affraid to get stuck in and whenever needed United turned on the heat. Maybe not for the entire match but enough to win the game. High pace and a few brilliant individuals made them the best team in the world at the time. No matter how many goals they conceeded back then you always felt they had another gear if needed. And they had.
Then came Wenger's Arsenal along and they somehow refined United's approach a bit as they managed to keep the ball moving in an even higher tempo than seen before, adding probably even more flair to the table with the likes of Henry, Bergkamp, Pires and Vieira than what United had done at the time.
We are not playing like the Barca, United or Arsenal of old mind. Not even the free-flowing Valencia-team during Rafa's tenure is comparable to our current style of play.
There's a uniqueness surrounding our way of play these day and I can't think of any team in the past that's coming close to what we're witnessing these days.
We are attacking as an unit and closing-down in a way never seen before. So breath-takingly unreal to watch and nothing I've ever seen comes close. 90 minutes of full throttle, that's the new Liverpool way.
It's not like we're all sitting on the edge of our seats anticipating a Messi-masterpiece or a Henry-esque finish after a run of 3 razor-sharp direct passes. We are not waiting for us to turn up the heat only when needed as United has done so brilliantly before us.
We are sitting like when on needles waiting for the ref to get the game started as we then know we'll witness a hurricane of movements, pressure, attacks and tackles untill the opposition has at least conceeded a handful of goals. Just ask the likes of Real, Villa, Chelsea, United or Arsenal.
(We are evidenlty still learning how to balance the tide so we're not also conceeding four goals but we'll get there I'm sure).
Bottomline is, we are the new shit.
In a few years everyone wants to approach the game the way we do it. And Rafa will most probably be looked back upon with the same respect and awe as the managers before him that also managed to take the game to a new level. Not only because he re-invented the attacking style of football but also because he brought home what we all crave so dearly.
No. 19.
As we kick-off and the game unfolds it takes us less than five seconds to close the opponent down - around their own penaltyarea mind. And this is more or less the scenario for the full 90 minutes. The energy-level never seems to drop when Liverpool is beeing one part of a match these days and it's as breathtaking to witness for us the fans as it has got to be for the players involved. We are talking iron-lungs here and stamina beyond incredible.
Every player on the pitch is quite litterally runnning their socks of, attacking and closing-down at every given opportunity, and though it's often as high paced as I've ever seen a football match unfold it's not hampering the overall quality of play in my opinion. Which is just downright amazing. A player like Kuyt is no Henry or Giggs in terms of class but he's bringing something else to the table. Sheer gut and the attitude of a workaholic always ready to get himself stuck in. The team in itself it the real star though when it comes to Liverpool these days. Torres, Gerrard, Alonso, Masher etc. are all great footballers, top of the pops even, but it's the team-spirit and the willingness to work for eachother that is the real star on Merseyside these days.
In the early nineties Barcelona was re-inventing football, making way to artists like Laudrup, Stoichkov and Romario, taking football to a whole other level of entertainment after years on dominated by German and Italian defensivemindedness. Suddenly it was a completely new experience to be watching football as the Catalan's exquisite style of football unfolded before our eyes.
In the late nineties and early twenties a new approach appeared. The one of Sir Alex Fergusons Manchester United with the likes of Schmeichel, Keane, Giggs, Beckham, Cantona, Yorke and Cole. Even the most stylish of players, e.g. Beckham, wasn't affraid to get stuck in and whenever needed United turned on the heat. Maybe not for the entire match but enough to win the game. High pace and a few brilliant individuals made them the best team in the world at the time. No matter how many goals they conceeded back then you always felt they had another gear if needed. And they had.
Then came Wenger's Arsenal along and they somehow refined United's approach a bit as they managed to keep the ball moving in an even higher tempo than seen before, adding probably even more flair to the table with the likes of Henry, Bergkamp, Pires and Vieira than what United had done at the time.
We are not playing like the Barca, United or Arsenal of old mind. Not even the free-flowing Valencia-team during Rafa's tenure is comparable to our current style of play.
There's a uniqueness surrounding our way of play these day and I can't think of any team in the past that's coming close to what we're witnessing these days.
We are attacking as an unit and closing-down in a way never seen before. So breath-takingly unreal to watch and nothing I've ever seen comes close. 90 minutes of full throttle, that's the new Liverpool way.
It's not like we're all sitting on the edge of our seats anticipating a Messi-masterpiece or a Henry-esque finish after a run of 3 razor-sharp direct passes. We are not waiting for us to turn up the heat only when needed as United has done so brilliantly before us.
We are sitting like when on needles waiting for the ref to get the game started as we then know we'll witness a hurricane of movements, pressure, attacks and tackles untill the opposition has at least conceeded a handful of goals. Just ask the likes of Real, Villa, Chelsea, United or Arsenal.
(We are evidenlty still learning how to balance the tide so we're not also conceeding four goals but we'll get there I'm sure).
Bottomline is, we are the new shit.
In a few years everyone wants to approach the game the way we do it. And Rafa will most probably be looked back upon with the same respect and awe as the managers before him that also managed to take the game to a new level. Not only because he re-invented the attacking style of football but also because he brought home what we all crave so dearly.
No. 19.
