West Ham match thread

[Ian Sea]

We've rotated in the last few games.

 

Riise in for Aurelio, Arbeloa in for Hyypia.

 

I don't think anyone wants the same 11 players every single game but a more settled line up with only 2 or 3 changes would be better than changing 4 or more. In my opinion of course.

[RedinSweden]

Thats not Pako is it.

 

It doesn't really look like Pako, but I can't work out who it is. It doesn't look like any of the staff on here

 

Liverpoolfc.tv: First Team Players And Staff

[DJLJ]

It doesn't really look like Pako, but I can't work out who it is. It doesn't look like any of the staff on here

 

Liverpoolfc.tv: First Team Players And Staff

 

Its this guy.

 

Liverpoolfc.tv: Profile

[Shifty]

It doesn't really look like Pako, but I can't work out who it is. It doesn't look like any of the staff on here

 

Liverpoolfc.tv: First Team Players And Staff

 

This guy with a shaved head, would be my guess.

 

[coop]

Some fucker has photoshopped Pako for a laugh on that photo.

[RedinSweden]

Its this guy.

 

Liverpoolfc.tv: Profile

 

ahhh, yes. I'd be a shit PI.

[Karl_b]

He does look like a younger Pako though.

[aws]

Rafa's a sly, old bastard - fooling the players with a stand-in Pako.

[RoboRiise]

If that is indeed the case, then it's fucking stupid because it makes no sense.

 

There's no point in being fresh for the second half of the year if you're miles behind in the league.

 

The league will always be the priority, and Rafa keeps taying that himself.

 

I agree with that completely.

 

Rotation would be more likely to work if the Prem didn't have such a small margin for error these days, also if our fringe players were sufficiently good that we won the games that we brought them in for.

 

There isn't any point in being fresh for the second half of the year if you're miles behind in the league (if the league is what you're going for) it's self-evident. The paradox is that you're right because Rafa does says the league is his priority, whilst I'm right in saying that he rested key players earlier in the season to keep them fresh.

 

I can't reconcile the two positions myself, at least not with the current squad, but I'm not Rafa and I think that in his own mind, rightly or wrongly, he can.

 

The emphasis on discussing how we controlled the game, the role of luck and the number of chances we created following games that we rotated the squad for earlier in the season is obviously about keeping or getting the squad's confidence up and supporting his players, but I'm also sure that he believes it and doesn't think we lost those points because he rotated the squad, or at least that it wasn't the only, or even the main reason.

 

That's why I don't think he'll change his ways next season, nor do I think he's started playing the "big names" more regularly now just as a response to the league situation - I think that this point of the season, ten games left in the Prem and in the CL knockout stages was always likely to be the time that he looked to his big hitters regularly, especially with us out of the FA Cup.

 

I don't have a huge problem with squad rotation as a concept; although the end result may be the same, I think Rafa's mistake this season was his expectations of some the players that he picked compared with the performances that he got. Like I said, the end result might be the same (a draw usually) but a few of us made that mistake this season.

 

Teams can rotate their squad and continue winning, there's no fault with the method itself, but we couldn't rotate this squad that much and do it. Whether Rafa will think the same way next season and whether he'll be right this time if he does may depend on who we sign in the summer, but even if we do somehow manage to sign two or three world class players in the summer, I'm sure that until Christmas the back four will remain fairly stable whilst the midfield and attack will be manned on a revolving door basis.

 

Of course, I might be talking out of my hoop. It's all opinion.

[BROCK]

I don't know if it's been mentioned or not, but I'm, sure I saw the West Ham fans clapping Torres off last night when he got subbed... Credit to them for showing some Liverpool-esque class (even if their team was miles away on the pitch)