Since this forum is full of people who know best...

[Carradona]

Reina

 

Masch

Carra

Greek

Insua

 

Maxi

Lucas

Gerrard

Yossi

 

Kuyt

Torres

 

 

As for tactics: Stay compact and control the game.

 

Bound to work.

[RedKnight]

Reina

 

Kelly (he is fit now right?)

Carra

Agger (he is fit now right?)

Insua

 

Riera

Gerrard

Mascherano

Maxi

 

Aquilani

 

Torres

[RyanLFC]

No-one said that you weren't. I'm not denying you your right to an opinion, I'm asking you to back your opinion up.

 

Right, fair enough.

 

Reina

 

Johnson

Carragher

The Greek

Insua - even though he isn't good enough, need Aurelio back a.s.a.p.

 

Benayoun

Gerrard

Masch

Riera/Babel - thought Babel actually made a difference last night.

 

Torres

Kuyt

 

"If any single one of you show the same attitude you did against Wigan I'm going to sub you and let you rot in the reserves, be confident, express yourselves and attack."

[dirty_sanchez]

Fair enough.

 

I probably should have included a lot more detail.

 

Difficult finding the balance between being a facetious myopic twat and a boring droning cunt.

 

I do feel though that Benitez probably is too detailed, meticulous, and certainly concerned with the opposition. Especially in games at home against shit teams. Its simply not necessary at times.

 

If only we could play teams much better than us (on paper, spending, quality etc) every week.

 

I agree with what you said about Rafa, but a lot of people above have said "tell the players to go out there and beat the other team because they're rubbish" or "tell player x to support the striker" as if those are things that the players are somehow not doing on purpose. It's like saying to Vidic "don't let Torres completely sodomise you all over the park". I think people are underestimating how difficult it is to manage a football team and really simplifying how easy it would be to solve out team's problems.

[Wig]

Instead of carrying on this thread, why don't you all go away, have a season of footy manger and post where you ended up at the end?

[dirty_sanchez]

Reina

 

Masch

Carra

Greek

Insua

 

Maxi

Lucas

Gerrard

Yossi

 

Kuyt

Torres

 

 

As for tactics: Stay compact and control the game.

 

Bound to work.

 

Thish boy hash poshibilities for shure no?

[Delmar]

I'd play:

 

Reina

Mascherano Kelly Agger Johnson

Lucas

Babel Pacheco Aquilani Benayoun

Torres

 

The result is irrelevant, the main thing is to keep the ball on the ground, and move, and move and move. The four attacking midfielders are allowed to change positions as they please, Johnson especially encouraged to attack. The defense to play a high line, borderline offside tactics. And we'd press high up as well, from the start, this week would be spent practicing moving as a unit.

[Faustus]

I'd see if the King was up for coming out of retirement.

[Guest LFD]

I'd pick this team:

 

 

-----------------------------Reina-----------------------------------

 

Johnson---------The Greek---------------Agger-----------------Insua

 

Benayoun-----------Gerrard------------Mascherano--------------Babel

 

----------------------------Aquilani----------------------------------

 

----------------------------Torres-----------------------------------

 

That is the defensive shape.

 

However when in possession the idea is for Gerrard to get forward, Aquilani to get close to Torres and Babel / Benayoun encouraged to attack the full backs.

 

I don't want to see Gerrard going back to his headless chicken days under Houiller where he left us exposed defensively at times. However I do want him to feel he can go forward at the right times and Aquilani needs to be aware as he might have to cover if this occurs.

 

Johnson would be encouraged to get forward, as he has the ability to beat opposition full backs and get assists.

 

Everyone will be aware that this is a new manager therefore they'll have an extra spring in their step knowing they need to impress and have an opportunity to be a big player under the new management.

 

The side will be encoruaged to pass on the floor, however mix it up at times with the odd long ball, however this should be an alternative not frequent (hence Carragher's exclusion).

 

They will be told to show intent to win games from the first whistle and flexible in possession, inter changing the odd time and encouraged to move.

 

Defensively I would go back to man to man marking as I think players are more comfortable under this system and it is easier to show who is accountable for mistakes at set plays.

 

In the summer I would sell Kuyt, Riera, Aurelio and Degan definitelty. Depending on how the players do under the new system and approach I would decide on Babel and Aquilani's future.

 

The priority in the summer would be a left back, another striker and ideally a top wide player.

[The 5th Benitel]

Reina

 

Johnson

Carra or Agger

The Greek

Aurelio but if he's injured Insua although i would ensure that in future i was never left having to choose between the two of them. Aurelio is made of glass and Insua is nowhere near good enough yet.

 

Yossi

Mascherano

Gerrard

Maxi/Babel depending on who looked best in training. Maxi has been poor but haven't seen enough of Babel to know he isn't playing the same way.

 

Aquilani

 

Torres

 

 

Gerrard and Aquilani could be interchangable. Kuyt would be dropped purely because of his recent run of form and i'm sure that would be the case at any other top side. I'd have Pacheco on the bench to come on behind the forward towards the end of the game. I'd tell all the midfielders bar Mascherano that, while they shouldn't go gung ho, their main focus should be on attacking. Mascher would have no need to be any closer than 30 yards to their goal as his job is cover when our attacking players go forward. Encourage Johnson to push on and credit him with the sense to do it at the right times.

 

Above all remember that each and everyone of them would expect to take their opponents place if they signed to Pompey. They are the superior players so take the game to them and let them worry about how to stop us.

 

If nothing else that should mean there is more than one shot on target in each half.

[dirty_sanchez]

Sorry, you don't get to plan for the summer. The club will be in administration by then.

[Kevin D]

It's all to do with the general approach that we adopt to games, as opposed to specific tactics, for me.

 

We're just lame.

 

Are we capable of playing 4-3-2-1 anymore?

[ZonkoVille77]

Any formation that doesn't include Kuyt in the starting line up would be a good starting point. He can come on for the last 15 - 20 and tire out the already tired defenders.

 

Interchange between Gerrard and Aquilani with Masch protecting the back four and I think you'd put it up to most teams, as long as there are allowed express themselves and have a go.

[Monster Masch]

----------------Reina---------------

 

Johnson----Carra----Agger----Insua

 

---------------Mascherano----------

 

--------Gerrard-------Aquilani--------

 

------Yossi----------------Babel------

 

-----------------Torres---------------

 

You don't worry about Portsmouth. They're bottom of the league for a fucking reason, because they're turd.

 

Exact team I was coming on here to post.

[Captain]

I'd pick this team:

 

 

-----------------------------Reina-----------------------------------

 

Johnson---------The Greek---------------Agger-----------------Insua

 

Benayoun-----------Gerrard------------Mascherano--------------Babel

 

----------------------------Aquilani----------------------------------

 

----------------------------Torres-----------------------------------

 

That is the defensive shape.

 

Too much space between the players.

 

On a serious note, people are actually posting that players like Babel, Kuyt, Lucas, Aquilani and Insua should be part of the team to lift us.

 

I really don't know where to start.

[PaulMcC]

Hit Gerrard a slap and tell him to put some effort in.

[Hoddy]

Hit Gerrard a slap and tell him to put some effort in.

 

No you can't do that, because Gerrard used to win us some matches - so you have to cut him some slack (even though he's been cutting his own for a large portion of the season)!

[razor]

Makes you wonder what a manager is for! The kitman could deliver those tactical instructions.

 

It's what Paisley would have said. "Don't worry about Dougie Do'ins, you're better than them."

[Paulie Dangerously]

I'd play John Barnes' rap from "world in motion" and let his word inspire him

[shaunstrudwick]

----------------Reina---------------

 

Johnson----Carra----Agger----Insua

 

---------------Mascherano----------

 

--------Gerrard-------Aquilani--------

 

------Yossi----------------Babel------

 

-----------------Torres---------------

Those same players have shown themselves incapable of passing 10 yards to each other, why is that going to change all of a sudden just because you tell them pompey are turd?

 

the team above has played together this season before?

 

really i must have missed that

 

i would pick that team as well - and just attack them from the first to final whistle

[shaunstrudwick]

No you can't do that, because Gerrard used to win us some matches - so you have to cut him some slack (even though he's been cutting his own for a large portion of the season)!

 

with Rafa gone Gerrard would be a completely different cat imo

[sir roger]

Reina

 

Johnson

Carra

Agger

Insua

 

Masch

 

Babel

Aquilani

Gerrard

Riera

 

Torres

 

I don't think the personnel is the main point , it's the pointing out that Pompey are rubbish & that we are capable of battering them & this is what is expected.

 

It is also pointing out that you will be livid if a single cross goes into the Pompey box without at least 3 Reds players in the box trying to get on the end of it.

 

It is also pointing out that you do not ever want to see Torres receive a ball without a Reds player within 15 yards of him.

 

It is also pointing out to the full backs that the default option for them is to be overlapping whenever their wide player has the ball.

 

In a nutshell it is a totally positive attitude that is required.

[shaunstrudwick]

In a nutshell it is a totally positive attitude that is required.

 

football is a pretty easy game - Rafa massively over complicates it cos he treats every fucking team the same way as he would playing Barcelona or some other elite powerhouse

 

its f-u-c-k-i-n-g P-o-r-t-s-m-o-u-t-h

 

bottom of the league

 

don't let them settle and just get at them - high tempo pass and move

 

they will come to defend no doubt but even so we should just be confident in our own ability and remember that we are LFC!

[dirty_sanchez]

football is a pretty easy game - Rafa massively over complicates it cos he treats every fucking team the same way as he would playing Barcelona or some other elite powerhouse

 

its f-u-c-k-i-n-g P-o-r-t-s-m-o-u-t-h

 

bottom of the league

 

don't let them settle and just get at them - high tempo pass and move

 

they will come to defend no doubt but even so we should just be confident in our own ability and remember that we are LFC!

 

Yeah, it's really THAT simple.

[JohnnyH]

football is a pretty easy game - Rafa massively over complicates it cos he treats every fucking team the same way as he would playing Barcelona or some other elite powerhouse

 

its f-u-c-k-i-n-g P-o-r-t-s-m-o-u-t-h

 

bottom of the league

 

don't let them settle and just get at them - high tempo pass and move

 

they will come to defend no doubt but even so we should just be confident in our own ability and remember that we are LFC![/QUOTE]

 

I really hate that line. I can't begin to tell you how much I hate it. It means nothing and has no relevance unless just thrown in as a plattitude at the end of a technical discussion and as the players stand up and clap their hands and shout at each other when going on the pitch.