Why dont we play like that all the time?

[aws]

I don't think we've ever played continental football. We've tried to play a more structured, patient form of english football. When we get the blend right and play well we're almost unstoppable.

[JMARKH]

With Rafa having no game on the weekend, in fact with one and a half weeks to prepare for this match, you didn't expect Rafa to prepare and predict everything to the minutest detail? I was expecting a twatting, but I didn't expect 4-0, more like 2-0.

 

I dare say every one of our players was at his peak in terms of fitness, form and overall preparedness for this match

 

We only struggle in the league when we have too many games in succession. Look at the games we drew or lost. Look at the amount of games we were having at that period.

 

Why can't we do this every game in the league? Because its impossible for preparation and planning with only 3 days to prepare as normal. Also the breakneck speed we were playing at is impossible to do more than once a week.

 

Read what players who played for them used to say about Sacchi and Capello. It was impossible the physical demands on them that was demanded of them from those coaches. Rafa was the same with Valencia.

 

In the Premiership, there are even more matches then La Liga or Serie A. I am sure Rafa has toned down the physical requirements due to our league schedule, but on a one off game, this high pressure and possession game is beautiful to watch.

 

No doubt, a fully fit Torres and Gerrard was a major difference too, and the rest were fully up for it as well.

 

United seem to be coping on all fronts and they went to Japan or wherever it was for the World Club Championship. I don't like the tiredness excuse, the players must start believing in it the way it gets banded about so often by the manager.

[Kevin D]

I don't think it's unrealistic to expect us to start on the front-foot with a but of urgency and drive about our game; in fact not only is not unrealistic, it used to be a guarantee when teams came to Anfield.

 

Personally I don't accept the excuses offered , with the crowd being the most ridiculous in my opinion, because I've seen Rafa Benitez managed Liverpool teams attack the opposition from the off. It was the norm in the first two seasons , no it wasn't gung-ho, but the opposition were pinned back as our agressive high-tempo football eventually got the better of them.

[KopOut]

I don't think we've ever played continental football. We've tried to play a more structured, patient form of english football. When we get the blend right and play well we're almost unstoppable.

 

to me, English football is TOO structured and overpatient.

 

Very tricky..finding the differences, maybe we r suited to a match over two legs? Not many of those in the Prem lol

[Benitaur]

United seem to be coping on all fronts and they went to Japan or wherever it was for the World Club Championship. I don't like the tiredness excuse, the players must start believing in it the way it gets banded about so often by the manager.

 

There is absolutely no way for a champion marathon runner to win every race he/she races in twice a week every week. Even once a week its impossible. Finishing sure, winning no. Top football players these days cover 10+ km per game, especially our strikers and wingers.

 

United by and large have enough quality to rotate their match winners between Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo. Having Giggs and Scholes too doesn't hurt.

 

That being said, I don't know how Fergie keeps using Ronaldo every match at that level without breaking him down. Vitamin S perhaps?

[kopheart]

the real madrid tempo reminds me of the way we stuffed the mancs at home and i agree with some earlier posts about that style relates to the approach of the particular team were playing. Teams that believe they are more technically gifted and at least half believe that they can nick a win will give us more space to play, whereas those that play not to get beat sit back in numbers and so the play is condensed and scrappy.

 

Either style of play or tempo has brought us good results - we can potentially win regardless of whether a team sits back or attacks , or whther the team is Real / Man U or Stoke / Fulham.

 

THE reason why we draw and lose the matches we sgould have won is because our chances / conversion rate is low. We need more of a goal scoring threat, rather than a simply attacking threat. We need more players on the pitch who can convert the chances they recieve and by that I also mean crafting individual openings to score. i.e We have more potential goal scoring opportunities than the stats give us credit for - i.e if we had players who were more direct, confident and clinical around and in the penalty area we would score more goals and have more goal scoring opportunites. The wide men need to chip in more, even Masc creates chances for himself and is not afraid to go for it when a glimmer of an opportunity presents itself, albeit not the luck yet.

 

Raf should have gone in for Masc and Tevez - imagine how would be a nightmare team to play against. The THIS IS ANFIELD sign would begin to mark the fear factor once again.

 

Stick with Rafa the Jedi -

[stringvest]

You're not wrong, but last night wasn't "continental" football. It was more like Premiership football against a team who expected a European approach.

 

excellent point h

[stringvest]

I don't think we've ever played continental football. We've tried to play a more structured, patient form of english football. When we get the blend right and play well we're almost unstoppable.

 

nope. We played continental football in Europe all the way through the 70's and 80's. Seriously. We would look to take the sting out of the opposition, retain the ball, ensure the man in possession always had options, etc etc.

[iceman23]

Perhaps it has to do with playing an expansive vs compact game. Rafa likes his teams to be compact, his players never more than a few yards from each other as this is far safer and offers far more protection. United prefer an expansive approach where they prefer stretching play in order to create space and it therefore gives them a more attacking look. Their defence is solid and they have confidence that they will handle whatever teams throw at them.

 

Against Madrid we were expansive and it worked spectacularly. IMO we should only be compact AWAY against the TOP teams. I have enough confidence that our defence and TWO holding midfielders would be able to cope with whatever other teams have to throw at us. Getting our wide and forward players to stretch the game will make us concede a few more goals but IMO we will definitely score a whole lot more as well.

[aws]

nope. We played continental football in Europe all the way through the 70's and 80's. Seriously. We would look to take the sting out of the opposition, retain the ball, ensure the man in possession always had options, etc etc.

 

I agree that's how we played but our definitions of "continental football" must be different. We succeeded because we blended aspects of the continental game with the best of the English game - we rarely played with the flair and artistry of the best continental sides but we combined skill with passion and workrate.

[Whelan]

In all fairness you can't compare a time when you could feasibly go through the season using 12-15 players with now.

It might explain why no new teams tend to come through, it was hard enough to build a team, now you have to build a squad of 20 players, who are all more or less top class.

Also look at the first goal, had that been Fulham, Stoke or West Ham they would have been defending on the edge of their own area, headed the ball away and off we go, Madrid for whatever reason decided to defend high up the pitch.

 

So I think we could play like that (or at least approaching it) every week if we played a team as open as Madrid every week.

[hamstrung]

to me, English football is TOO structured and overpatient.

 

Very tricky..finding the differences, maybe we r suited to a match over two legs? Not many of those in the Prem lol

 

Huh?

[stringvest]

Perhaps it has to do with playing an expansive vs compact game. Rafa likes his teams to be compact, his players never more than a few yards from each other as this is far safer and offers far more protection. United prefer an expansive approach where they prefer stretching play in order to create space and it therefore gives them a more attacking look. Their defence is solid and they have confidence that they will handle whatever teams throw at them.

 

Against Madrid we were expansive and it worked spectacularly. IMO we should only be compact AWAY against the TOP teams. I have enough confidence that our defence and TWO holding midfielders would be able to cope with whatever other teams have to throw at us. Getting our wide and forward players to stretch the game will make us concede a few more goals but IMO we will definitely score a whole lot more as well.

 

I agree with that. The problem is, when we play compact, we are too static - we don't provide the player in possession with too many options, we don't actually move as a unit, and we are predictable and lack a bit if guile.

[stringvest]

I agree that's how we played but our definitions of "continental football" must be different. We succeeded because we blended aspects of the continental game with the best of the English game - we rarely played with the flair and artistry of the best continental sides but we combined skill with passion and workrate.

 

I'm not sure I agree with that - we always had a at least a few artists in the team. We were generally more solid and a little less inspired on occasions, but we still had more individuals who could turn a game than we do now.

[The 5th Benitel]

You cant expect to play to the standard we showed against Real every week but the mad thing is the attacking attitude we employed. We took the game to them from the first minute and i haven't seen us do that all season.

 

In the league he always seems wary of the counter attack but is there really more of a threat of that from West Ham and Fulham than a team with players like Robben, Raul and Higuian?

[stringvest]

In the league he always seems wary of the counter attack but is there really more of a threat of that from West Ham and Fulham than a team with players like Robben, Raul and Higuian?

 

Rafaworld is a strange and dark place.

[Barrington Womble]

Another factor in last night's outcome, and a big one, is that very few Real Madrid players, would have visited Anfield to play football in their entire careers upto stepping out on that pitch. I can only think of Heinze? And he would only have experienced a league match..not a Euro Night. 50 odd yrs since Real played at Anfield?

That was a baptism of Fire.

 

They were lambs to the slaughter. The 12th man Principle doesn't come any stronger than THAT.

 

Cannavaro played for Juve in 2005 didn't he? Either way, I know the fans can make some difference, but these are seasoned international footballers, playing for the most famous name in world football - they have come across an intimidating atmospheres before. In Greece and Turkey, the noise is frightening and easily a match for anything we throw at teams.

[andymc]

some fuckin blue in work just tried to tell me that it was gerrard who told the team to play like that not rafa!!! I just looked at him astonished, I don't even know where to begin with that one!

[aws]

some fuckin blue in work just tried to tell me that it was gerrard who told the team to play like that not rafa!!! I just looked at him astonished, I don't even know where to begin with that one!

 

he probably got it from one of our own

[andymc]

or a taxi driver

[A_S]

That had nothing to do with it at all. They didn't even get the chance to play because from the very first minute they were pinned on the back foot on the edge of their own box.

 

There is no reason whatsoever why we can't start every single game with this approach. I can barely remember the last time we even hit the target in the first half hour of game at Anfield!

Starting games in that fashion not only puts games to bed early, but it bouys up the fans up and it gives the players confidence. We've often finished games like we started last night, but by then you're running on tired legs and it isn't even half as dangerous.

 

You're bound to get those who say "can't we just enjoy the moment" and that's cool. I'm enjoying the moment too, but you can still do that whilst asking some pertinent questions.

 

Maybe we need two managers; Rafa for Europe and A.N. Other for the league! Maybe we were just 10 years too early with Evans and Houllier!!!! arf arf!

 

I was thinking the exact same thing. Kinda like cricket, which has different squads for different forms of the game, sometimes totally different players as captains even. It's not the same thing exactly, I know, as the game itself that is being played is the same, it is just the circumstances of the league as opposed to the CL for example differ.

[Ian Sea]

Cannavaro played for Juve in 2005 didn't he? Either way, I know the fans can make some difference, but these are seasoned international footballers, playing for the most famous name in world football - they have come across an intimidating atmospheres before. In Greece and Turkey, the noise is frightening and easily a match for anything we throw at teams.

 

Not only did he play but he scored past Carson.