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If the unthinkable happened and Rodgers was sacked.....


Bjornebye
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I don't think that any balanced view of Rodger's capabilities should be subject to the euphoria of any win, or the gloom of a defeat.

 

After Palace, Brendan showed a bounce back which pleased, and the same happened against Bournemouth. This is in sharp contrast with KK's final second half of the season when the trajectory continued south.

 

The January window will be pivotal. Will he be given money? If he is, will he at last spend wisely?

 

In Kenny's last half season didn't we beat Man United, Everton (x2), Chelsea and win a trophy? It may have been crap overall but It wasn't all terrible and prior to the other night the last 4 months were all terrible pretty much every game.

 

Hopefully we're coming out the other side of it now but Sunday is a big game. Beat Arsenal and I think we can build on it and get a bit of momentum. 

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After Palace, Brendan showed a bounce back which pleased, and the same happened against Bournemouth. This is in sharp contrast with KK's final second half of the season when the trajectory continued south.

 

By south, you mean south to Wembley?

 

Short memory old man.

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By south, you mean south to Wembley?

 

Short memory old man.

 

That half season was better than this half season.

 

 

Used to watch all of Rodgers press conferences up until 2/3 months ago, that is a very different man there in that one, not sure if that is a one off or not but that isn't the usual him at all.

 

Also thought he was bang on what he was saying about Sterling there.

 

There'll be a reason behind it. I'd like to think he's learnt to keep his mouth shut and give nothing away but it's not really in his nature. He likes to talk.

 

Got the air of Rafa's Newcastle press conference about it. 

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n Alexis Sanchez was a bitter disappointment20 December 2014 10:30 PMJames PearceReds still mourn losing out on Sanchez... but now Rodgers keen to stop him and Arsenal

 

Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez celebrates

 

Alexis Sanchez is the one who got away.

 

Five months have passed since Liverpool FCmissed out to Arsenal in the race to sign the gifted Chilean attacker.

 

But that passage of time has only served to underline what a shrewd acquisition he would have been.

 

“To not get him was obviously bitterly disappointing,” said Brendan Rodgers ahead of Sunday’s clash at Anfield when Liverpool’s backline will be tasked with trying to contain the prolific 26-year-old.

 

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“He’s a world class player with outstanding quality and even bigger work rate. He would have been perfect for us.

 

“He made his decision. The best option for him.”

 

Sanchez had been identified by Rodgers as the ideal replacement for Barcelona-bound Luis Suarez.

 

Liverpool met Barca’s £35million asking price and were hoping he would agree to be a makeweight in Suarez’s £75million transfer.

 

But despite the Reds’ thrilling title challenge, Sanchez snubbed them and signed for Arsenal instead.

 

The player’s representatives informed Liverpool that Sanchez’s wife would only agree to move from Spain to England if they were based in London.

 

It was a crushing blow magnified by the club’s subsequent struggles to land their other striking targets which culminated in Rodgers taking a £16million gamble on the misfiring Mario Balotelli.

 

Sanchez has flourished at the Emirates. He’s the Gunners’ top scorer with 14 goals in all competitions this term – the same tally as Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, Balotelli and Rickie Lambert put together.

 

His eye-catching displays have proved he would have been the perfect fit for Rodgers’ high-tempo style.

 

The manager believes with Sanchez on board Liverpool’s season so far would have panned out very differently.

 

“I think if you look at how I ask teams to play speed is critical,” Rodgers said. “Not just with the ball, but the intensity with the pressing.

 

“When Daniel Sturridge was injured in August I think everyone who knows football should hopefully be able to see that our game has become much deeper because of personnel.

 

“Sanchez was identified for us as someone who would have been a key signing and really just a roll on to what we had with Luis Suarez.

 

“So to not get him was obviously bitterly disappointing, but once he was gone that was it. We just had to focus on what we had.”

 

The problem for Rodgers has been that neither Balotelli nor Lambert are suited to that pressing game. Hence the need to play deeper and try to get results without the kind of “explosive” threat which blew Arsenal away on their previous visit to Anfield back in February.

 

Brendan Rodgers with Mamadou Sakho

 

“We brought in Balotelli who has had an opportunity to play in that role but that isn’t his game – the pressing,” Rodgers said.

 

“Big Rickie has come in and he was brought here for a reason and a purpose. He has great qualities but that isn’t what he does and when you don’t have that and can’t press high up the field then your starting position is much deeper, you become much deeper in the field and then it works the other way in transition.

 

“When you win the ball, you cannot than break at breakneck speed and flood forward like we did last year because we are not that explosive.”

 

It was Rodgers’ determination to recapture that threat that led to him employing Sterling in a central attacking role at Old Trafford last weekend.

 

A glut of missed chances coupled with some alarming defensive errors meant there was no reward as Liverpool were left to lick their wounds after a painful defeat.

 

But the Northern Irishman kept faith with Sterling as the focal point in a 3-4-2-1 system at Bournemouth on Wednesday night and it paid off.

 

The young England international scored twice and tormented the Championship leaders throughout. He offers Liverpool the kind of mobility in forward areas they simply haven’t had since Sturridge was sidelined.

 

“If you look at the team the other night against Bournemouth, you see the value of having that pace in the central area of the field,” Rodgers said.

 

“First of all it allows you to press and it means that your game can be much more aggressive.

 

“You press the ball in the high areas of the field and if you looked at us in the opening 20 minutes of games because of that pressure and suffocation of opponents we can get the ball back higher up the field.

 

“It gives you more chances of a goal, if you are winning it higher up the field, 25 to 30 metres from goal, you are going to create more chances.

 

“The types of players I have – technical players – they then have the skills to deal with the ball in tight areas.

 

“You watch the game the other night and see that profile of player in that position and see what it brings to the team against a really good side, who are super organised and could be getting promoted this year.

 

“They have an outstanding coach in young Eddie (Howe) so the preparation and organisation they would have put in to try and stop us would have been great.

 

“But when you have got the players playing in the way we want to work you can see the issues and the problems we can cause opponents.

 

“We had for probably the first time that ability to break forward with speed and on the counter attack. We haven’t had that.”

 

The midweek Capital One Cup triumph over Bournemouth may have gone some way to lifting the gloom following the Reds’ damaging Champions League exit and league defeat to United.

 

But Rodgers couldn’t hide his anger at some recent media coverage of the club.

 

“The other night a British coach playing 3-4-3 – he has probably thrown the team together, he hasn’t really thought about it, he has played seven midfield players,” he added.

 

“If it was a foreign coach it would probably have been a wonderful tactical idea of playing the game.

 

“Sterling playing through the middle, what is he doing? Or Markovic wide?

 

“The key for us trying to get the players in position who can make us effective.”

 

Claiming the scalp of Arsenal would at least generate some much needed festive cheer at Anfield where Liverpool have won just three of their eight home league matches this term.

 

“They have outstanding players but we will look to focus on ourselves,” Rodgers said.

 

“A win would be good for our confidence.”

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But Rodgers couldn’t hide his anger at some recent media coverage of the club.

 

“The other night a British coach playing 3-4-3 – he has probably thrown the team together, he hasn’t really thought about it, he has played seven midfield players,” he added.

 

“If it was a foreign coach it would probably have been a wonderful tactical idea of playing the game.

 

“Sterling playing through the middle, what is he doing? Or Markovic wide?

 

“The key for us trying to get the players in position who can make us effective.”

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Brendan Rodgers believes his new 3-4-3 formation will restore Liverpool’s potency but would have received more plaudits had it been devised by a foreign coach.

 

Liverpool brought their manager some much-needed respite with Wednesday’s Capital One Cup quarter-final win at Bournemouth when, with Raheem Sterling leading the attack for the second game in succession, their pace up front and counterattacking play represented a vast improvement on most performances this term. The approach is unlikely to change against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, when Mario Balotelli serves a one-match ban for breaching the Football Association’s social media rules by reposting a controversial image of Super Mario on Instagram.

 

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Rodgers was angered by criticism of Sterling’s finishing in the 3-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday and did not hide his annoyance at recent coverage of his team during an abrupt press conference on Friday. “I find it incredible the stick the kid has received,” said the Liverpool manager, who later accused one national newspaper of “trying to kill us”. Rodgers was also aggrieved at the reaction to a tactical switch that he believes can make Liverpool effective once again.

 

He explained: “When you have got the players to play in the way we want to work you can see the issues and the problems we can cause opponents. We had that ability to break forward with speed and on the counterattack for probably the first time [this season]. That was clear. That tactical element is critical to how we work.

 

“The other night it was a British coach playing 3-4-3 so he has probably thrown the team together. ‘He has played seven midfielders?’ If it was a foreign coach it would probably have been seen as a wonderful tactical idea of playing the game. ‘Sterling playing through the middle – what is he doing? [Lazar] Markovic out wide?’ But that is the key for us – trying to get the players in position who can make us effective.”

 

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Rodgers believes Liverpool’s transition to life without Luis Suárez would have been much smoother – even considering the long-term absence of Daniel Sturridge – had Alexis Sánchez arrived at Anfield as part of the deal that took the Uruguay international to Barcelona. Sánchez was Liverpool’s first-choice target to replace Suárez in the summer but they lost out to Arsenal, with the Chile international’s preference for London one reason for their thwarted pursuit.

 

Asked if he felt Sánchez took the comfortable option by joining Arsenal, Rodgers responded: “It doesn’t matter. He made his decision, the best option for him.” As for whether the forward took the best football option available, the Liverpoolmanager said: “He will probably give you that answer in 20 years.”

 

As for the impact Sánchez would have had on Liverpool’s troubled campaign, Rodgers added: “He was someone we identified who would be perfect for us. He not only has outstanding quality but an even bigger work rate. If you look at how I ask the team to play it is critical, not just with the ball but the intensity with the pressing.

 

“When Daniel was injured in August I think everyone who knows football should hopefully have been able to see that our game has become much deeper because of personnel [available]. He [sánchez] was identified for us as someone who would have been a key signing and really just a roll-on to what we had with Luis Suárez. So to not get him was obviously bitterly disappointing but once he was gone that was it, we just had to focus on what we had.”

 

Liverpool’s high-pressing game destroyed Arsenal at Anfield last season, when Rodgers’ team swept into a four-goal lead in 20 minutes against the then Premier League leaders en route to a 5-1 victory. The Liverpool manager believes an attack comprising Sterling, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho can exert similar pressure on Arsène Wenger’s team despite the home side’s struggle to recreate last season’s form.

 

“If you look at the team the other night against Bournemouth it had that pace in the central area of the field,” said Rodgers. “That allows you to press and it means your game can be much more aggressive. It gives you more chances of a goal if you are winning the ball higher up the field.”

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‘The other night (at Bournemouth) a British coach playing 3-4-3? People could think he has probably thrown the team together, he has played seven midfielders. If it was a foreign coach? It would probably have been a wonderful tactical idea.’

There was then a shake of the head.


 
He's definetly feeling it
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The manager believes with Sanchez on board Liverpool’s season so far would have panned out very differently.

 

“I think if you look at how I ask teams to play speed is critical,” Rodgers said. “Not just with the ball, but the intensity with the pressing.

 

“When Daniel Sturridge was injured in August I think everyone who knows football should hopefully be able to see that our game has become much deeper because of personnel.

 

“Sanchez was identified for us as someone who would have been a key signing and really just a roll on to what we had with Luis Suarez.

 

“So to not get him was obviously bitterly disappointing, but once he was gone that was it. We just had to focus on what we had.”

 

The problem for Rodgers has been that neither Balotelli nor Lambert are suited to that pressing game. Hence the need to play deeper and try to get results without the kind of “explosive” threat which blew Arsenal away on their previous visit to Anfield back in February.

 

“We brought in Balotelli who has had an opportunity to play in that role but that isn’t his game – the pressing,” Rodgers said.

 

“Big Rickie has come in and he was brought here for a reason and a purpose. He has great qualities but that isn’t what he does and when you don’t have that and can’t press high up the field then your starting position is much deeper, you become much deeper in the field and then it works the other way in transition.

 

“When you win the ball, you cannot than break at breakneck speed and flood forward like we did last year because we are not that explosive.”

 

I tried to get a player who would have suited the style of my team. But when he went elsewhere, I signed a striker who doesn't suit the style of my team at all.

 

The evil Committee must have made poor Brendan do it. Despite all of his previous pronouncements about having the first and last say in transfers. One way or another, he signed a fat new contract knowing how we go about our transfer activities.

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“So to not get him was obviously bitterly disappointing, but once he was gone that was it. We just had to focus on what we had.”

 

 

So we couldn't identify any other suitable targets? Really? None of you had alternatives?

 

 

 

“We brought in Balotelli who has had an opportunity to play in that role but that isn’t his game – the pressing,” Rodgers said.

 

 

So instead you bought a player you knew didn't fit, played him there anyway, and then were surprised he didn't fit? Am I really reading this? Are you really saying it?

 

 

 

 

But Rodgers couldn’t hide his anger at some recent media coverage of the club.

 

“The other night a British coach playing 3-4-3 – he has probably thrown the team together, he hasn’t really thought about it, he has played seven midfield players,” he added.

 

“If it was a foreign coach it would probably have been a wonderful tactical idea of playing the game.

 

 

Hang on, you're throwing a tantrum because your self-perceived genius isn't getting the recognition you think it deserves? You're throwing a wobbly in the prezzer because of your ego? Are you for fucking real?

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I tried to get a player who would have suited the style of my team. But when he went elsewhere, I signed a striker who doesn't suit the style of my team at all.

 

The evil Committee must have made poor Brendan do it. Despite all of his previous pronouncements about having the first and last say in transfers. One way or another, he signed a fat new contract knowing how we go about our transfer activities.

 

That's the point. The time to bitch and insist on having more say was when they wanted his signature which makes me believe that he's just passing the buck. 

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So we couldn't identify any other suitable targets? Really? None of you had alternatives?

 

 

 

 

 

So instead you bought a player you knew didn't fit, played him there anyway, and then were surprised he didn't fit? Am I really reading this? Are you really saying it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hang on, you're throwing a tantrum because your self-perceived genius isn't getting the recognition you think it deserves? You're throwing a wobbly in the prezzer because of your ego? Are you for fucking real?

 

We beat a Championship side (should have conceded 3 btw) and he's throwing his toys out of the pram. He's lost the plot.

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Why didn't he just leave it at the 4 minute press conference? It would have sent the messsage he was pissed off at the media without going out, buying bullets, stripping and cleaning their guns, and then loading their fucking guns for them.

 

Not to mention we'd have enjoyed them getting short shrift.

 

But this?

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but why sign another target man in balotelli when we ve already lambert? why not sign another quick forward who wants to run in behind?

 

why take so long to realise sterling can play there and we can fo back to playing the way we play best?

 

Exactly.

 

The gross incompetence that led to us ending up with Balotelli is unforgivable, i hope people get fired over this, they fully deserve to.

 

What Rodgers has said there is pure face palm material, what i still don't get is why Rodgers didn't insist on a pacey tricky forward(s) capable of going past players? that was the main ingrediant of last seasons 'success', if Suarez was such a certainty to be off in the summer then there was plenty of time to identify multiple targets that fitted that profile of player, it still boils my piss thinking about this stuff.

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Always with the Sanchez wanted London thing. When 2/3 broadsheets reported the main reason he went for arsenal was Wenger going to meet him and convince him. Its laughable how much people have bought the whole "London" line.

 

We just didn't get our act together. And I don't blame Rodgers solely for that. Its a total collective failing from top to bottom as far as our transfers go

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Why didn't he just leave it at the 4 minute press conference? It would have sent the messsage he was pissed off at the media without going out, buying bullets, stripping and cleaning their guns, and then loading their fucking guns for them.

 

Not to mention we'd have enjoyed them getting short shrift.

 

But this?

 

Because the press conference is split in two. There's the video press conference essentially for LFC.tv and other media outlets then there is what's called the 'written press conference' for the papers.

 

I dont know if its obligatory but I suspect it is seeing as all PL clubs \ managers do it.

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