Brendan Rodgers Thread

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

I'm not sure if it has been posted already, but this is the first time I've heard him speak. I just felt myself have a little 'come on'. Officially glad the search for a manager is over and I think the owners have taken a calculated gamble that might well pay dividends over the next 5-10 years, maybe of the next 50.

 

Anyway:

 

BRENDAN Rodgers has described Swansea City and Liverpool as "two class acts" after quitting the Liberty to take over at Anfield.

 

And Rodgers has set himself the target of leading Liverpool back towards the top end of the Premier League over the next couple of seasons.

 

Rodgers will today be unveiled as the new Reds boss after agreeing a three-year deal on Merseyside.

 

And he believes that given time and cash to invest in the playing squad, he can steer the five-time European Cup winners forward.

 

"The challenge for me at Liverpool, as it was when I came to Swansea, is to prove myself to the people both on and off the field," Rodgers said. "I will do what I have always done, which is to be committed to improving the club. The club's success will be the most important thing and we'll see where we are in the next few years."

 

As Liverpool manager, Rodgers will have transfer funds at his disposal that he could only have dreamt of at Swansea.

 

He insisted that Liverpool's owners scrapped the idea of appointing a director of football before agreeing to succeed Kenny Dalglish (below), so the responsibility for signing new players will lie with him.

 

"The challenge is to keep improving the group," Rodgers added.

 

"It's about getting into the real world. It's a group that I think in a couple of years can be competitive at the top end, but I will need to spend a little bit of money and I will need time to work. I will need time to bring my identity into the team — I need time to impose my philosophy on the group.

 

"There are some wonderful players at Liverpool, but to bring all that into the team is going to take a wee bit of time.

 

"It's a job where I need to align the playing identity and style and success with the supporters, because the supporters at Liverpool are renowned."

 

Rodgers has not forgotten how his side were applauded by the natives after Swansea's impressive goalless draw at Anfield last November.

 

He added: "I said before that I liken the Liverpool supporters to the Swansea supporters because of their education in the game, and I said that long before any of this came about. That's a massive part of the draw for me. The two clubs are very similar in that they are both class acts.

 

"The supporters at both clubs are brilliant. They are very passionate about their clubs, they love their cities and they are very educated in football terms.

 

"I believe there's a similar feel going into Liverpool as there was when I came into Swansea."

[Elite]

Feeling good about it all to be honest, lets hope FSG back him with some dosh and we could be back on the up next season.

[Faustus]

A lad on my Facebook posted a link to this and thought it might interest a few on here. Fairly lengthy, but worth a read.

 

Brendan Rodgers’ Tactical Approach: How Liverpool adapt to Tiki-Taka? - The Kop Blog post - Liverpool FC

 

Brendan Rodgers’ Tactical Approach: How Liverpool adapt to Tiki-Taka?​

 

 

 

 

Brendan Rodgers is a man who has an appreciation of footballing perception and culture, regardless of its roots, a man who strives for perfection in the evolution of the game. The strategies of ‘Tiki-Taka’ and ‘totaal-voetbal’ form the basis of Brendan Rodgers’ modus operandi.

 

For Rodgers the season of 2011/12 will be regarded as the touchstone for 2012/13, this time however, he’ll be upgrading the apparatus of which he conducts his orchestra. In contrast, the season of 2011/12 for Liverpool Football Club was one to forget – a season of ‘comme ci, comme ça’. While Rodgers was masterminding world-class performances from a hamper of championship (or adequate premier league) players, Liverpool were staging average performances week in, week out with players of a different calibre. This article aims to reveal the ‘magic’ ingredients that Brendan Rodgers prepared his Swansea class of 2011/12 with.

 

Rodgers, like Mourinho, is a footballing scholar and to further the similarity also employs strict strategy in his approach to the game. However, that’s where the similarities come to an end; each represents alternative ends of the spectrum in footballing theory:

 

“I like to control games. I like to be responsible for our own destiny. If you are better than your opponent with the ball you have a 79 per cent chance of winning the game…for me it is quite logical. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, if you don’t have the ball you can’t score.” (Rodgers 2012)

 

Maintaining possession, working the ball through various channels and quality of goal scoring opportunities (rather than quantity) are apropos of the Tiki-Taka school of football. To achieve the success found implementing Tiki-Taka football, not only are a particular set of players required but a template to enable the ever-flowing movement advocated by Spain, Barça and Swansea:

 

“My template for everything is organisation. With the ball you have to know the movement patterns, the rotation, the fluidity and positioning of the team. Then there’s our defensive organisation…so if it is not going well we have a default mechanism which makes us hard to beat and we can pass our way into the game again. Rest with the ball. Then we’ll build again.” (Rodgers 2012)

 

For Liverpool, a new set of fundamentals will need to be put into place; a move away from the over-reliance on direct football that maximizes the quantity of goal scoring opportunities and not quality - a degree of trust will need to be installed in the individual’s know-how and when to shoot or make the decision that the opportunity is only a half chance and not a sure thing. The approach works on the principles that ‘the whole is greater that then sum of its parts’:

 

“The strength of us is the team. Leo Messi has made it very difficult for players who think they are good players. He’s a real team player. He is ultimately the best player in the world and may go on to become the best ever. But he’s also a team player…If you have someone like Messi doing it then I’m sure my friend Nathan Dyer can do it. It is an easy sell.” (Rodgers 2012)

 

 

 

The Rodgers strategy

 

Brendan Rodgers, in early 2012, sketched out his strategy and explained his approach to the game for journalist Duncan White. First, he divided the pitch into eight zones and then plotted his formation. The division of zones is suggestive that each player when in possession should play a particular role, including the goal keeper and two centre backs:

 

“When we have the football everybody’s a player. The difference with us is that when we have the ball we play with 11 men, other teams play with 10 and a goalkeeper.” (Rodgers 2012)

 

The formation moves away from the given 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-5-1 etc way of thinking and towards a concept of zones within the playing field.

 

 

 

 

 

Zone 1 – ‘the sweeper goalkeeper’ – This specialised zone is expected to take charge of a much larger zone in Tiki-Taka football compared to the more direct approach. The emphasis is on the goalkeeper to play with the ball at his feet and play far more short threaded passes than usual. Characteristics in this role include: good stature, efficiency with balls in the air, bravery, agility and willingness to play on the deck without fear – the keeper is expected to act as a pressure relief for under pressure team mates. Given that Liverpool’s Reina received his education at Barcelona’s La Masia it will come as a natural for Reina to play the required role in zone 1.

 

Zone 2 - the ‘líbero’ – The players in zone 2 are (like the goalkeeper) expected to play a much larger role in ‘keep-ball’. They are too expected to act as pressure relief to a compact midfield as a way-out option. The two centre backs are expected to compliment one another: one technically brilliant and one with a powerful physical presence (see: Puyol-Pique). The more technical of the two is to act as a playmaker for changing the pace of the game – Ashley Williams made more long ball attempts than any other outfield player during 2011/12, mostly fast yet grounded balls played forward to feet. As a ‘líbero’ you have the whole picture in front of you – you are in a position to say pim let’s go this way, pim let’s go that way.

 

Zone 3 – the ‘volante de salida’ – This player must be particular good at playing his way out of trouble and yet still excellent at winning the ball back. Typical characteristics are the ability to read the game, act as an outlet for under-pressure team mates consistently and continually pass the ball within pressure:

 

“I get the ball, I pass, I get the ball, I pass, I get the ball, I pass.” (Xavier Hernandez 2011)

 

Xavi’s hypnotic approach to the game summarises the mindset for the player in this particular zone and like Leon Britton should boast a remarkably high pass completion rate – a 93.3% pass rate was widely acknowledged in January 2012.

 

Zone 4 – the wing backs – the players in this zone will need to be prepared to work particularly hard up and down the wing; both defensively and in more advanced positions. It is important to note that crosses will now be made from the by-line rather than from deep – within zone G (8). Liverpool currently boasts a number of players who can fulfil this role – Johnson, Kelly, Enrique.

 

Zone 5 – the box to box creative midfielders – flair, the ability to change the pace of the game within a second, the decision of when to do so and an all round technical ability are required to fulfil the roles in zone 5. Zone 5 players are expected to continually find space amongst the ‘traffic’ and complete the triangles in possession. The players should not constantly look to create the spectacular but are expected to simply knit the possession and keep the ball more often than not. Steven Gerrard is one player who may have to adapt to fit within this role and play keep ball rather than looking to create often – however will no doubt still act as a catalyst to change the game.

 

Zone 6 – the inside forwards – Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Sinclair, Dyer et al. all represent the highly creative, technically gifted and unpredictable player expected to fulfil the requirements of this zone. Luis Suarez is one player who could walk into the Barcelona model and will no doubt give Liverpool with much of the answers in this zone.

 

Zone 7 - the linking target man – This player is expected to be technically gifted when assessing his first touch, link up play and off ball movement. Carroll may well represent a target man, whether he adapts to act as a target man in this model is a question yet to be asked of him. While Carroll possesses world-class aerial ability, questions may be asked of his ability on the deck as well as his off ball movement. However, towards the end of the 2011/2012 season Carroll showed glimpses of being an extremely hardworking forward and may well find much success in this role. Anyone lucky enough to watch Fabio Borini will know that he was a huge loss to Swansea this past year, despite the success of Danny Graham.

 

Zone G (8) – the goal scoring opportunity and assist zone – this zone is vastly important zone to understand. The quality of chances cannot be stressed enough. Liverpool has, over the past five years, been noted for creating chance after chance without scoring. The players who break into this zone should be extremely good at making the decision as to whether a goal scoring opportunity is available or to turn back and play the ball back into the organism of Tiki-Taka. Barcelona however, highlighted the danger in over relying on this concept as their play became slower and more predictable as the game went on against Chelsea in the Champions League 2011/12. For situations like this, just maybe Steven Gerrard will recreate the brilliance he showed against Olympiakos (2004) and West Ham (2006). However, a balance between the Tiki-Taka patience and Gerrard’s direct play will be reworked under Rodgers without a doubt. As a general rule, one goal should be scored to every nine shots.

 

En Assemble - The formation laid out sets about moving forward as a team and defending as a unit too. The team are expected, rather poetically, to move back and forth much like turquoise waves crashing onto shore:

 

“You win the ball back when there are thirty metres to their goal not eighty” (Guardiola 2009)

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Whether or not Rodgers’ methodology is a success at Liverpool is the question. However, the success may come down to the amount of control Rodgers is offered over the club structure: from the academy to the first team. Liverpool have kept no secrets in their approach to managers and directors this summer but all roads point to one single conceptual view of football – that of Barcelona and La Masia; the hope of becoming a successful club in perpetuity.

 

The variable of ‘time’ presents Liverpool with the biggest challenge. Tiki-Taka football simply does not transpire from one single season of transitional change – just ask A.S. Roma and Luis Enrique of 2011/12. Swansea were already a technically gifted side and good in possession long before Brendan Rodgers, both P.Sousa and R.Martinez provided the club with the foundations. The core of the Swansea side has been with the club for many years; Tiki-Taka has become the club’s tradition.

 

However, Liverpool needs change – the club needs to move away from the over reliance on two or three individuals and a move away from the many, many wasted chances over the years. Progress and longevity are the goals of Liverpool & Brendan Rodgers and it is this collaboration of ideologies that may well lead Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool back to the glory years of yesteryear, a glimpse of futuristic realistic success.

 

Liverpool needs to restructure from the ground up and no man is better suited to become Liverpool’s very own Pep Guardiola than Brendan Rodgers. Liverpool fans should expect the unexpected. But then again, what’s new here? Liverpool were 3 nil down at the Atatürk Stadium when half time came in 2005.

 

“…and Milan now, playing football out of this world…”

 

Clive Tyldsley’s voice echoed. The rest…

 

…tú sabes (you already know)

[piscinin]

Before I read any further is the rest of the article just complete and utter bollocks as the above?

 

haha! Brilliant. That reads like something I'd write.

[Guest TK-421]

Rodgers' words are uninspiring.

[CWD82]

Rodgers' words are uninspiring.

 

It's painful to watch an eternal optimist like yourself reduced to such pessimism. Do you envisage a scenario where you're onboard the Rodgers project?

[Guest TK-421]

It's painful to watch an eternal optimist like yourself reduced to such pessimism. Do you envisage a scenario where you're onboard the Rodgers project?

 

One where the gamble pays off and we fly up the league.

[JMARKH]

Swansea City v Reading: Brendan Rodgers' Barcelona model is more than a passing phase - Telegraph

 

Brendan Rodgers’ team have a fundamentalist belief in passing the ball to each other, something of a heresy in this frenetic division. Swansea's high-Spanish style has taken them to within a game of the Premier League: they face an in-form Reading at Wembley on Monday in the Championship play-off final, a match with its own hyperbolic billing: the £94 million game.

 

Rodgers, 38, winces a little at the comparison but in explaining what he calls his “ideology”, Barcelona are a key formative model. “I think it was the South Wales press that came up with that one,” Rodgers said of the ‘Swanselona’ tag.

“It was after a number of our games in which we’d made a lot of passes. Obviously you can’t even begin to make a comparison with them, but it does give our players confidence.

 

“We analyse passes that we make and that is one of our key performance indicators. Nine times out of 10, if we make a certain number of passes we will win the game. It means that we have control and our game is based around control and domination. We want to dominate with the ball.”

So how many passes does it take to win a game? “We average 526 passes per game and our average share of possession is 61 percent,” Rodgers said.

 

“The players have showed great courage. You have to be brave to play that way. That’s why I’ve been such an avid admirer of Barcelona for years. It is much more difficult to coach a team to win that way than it is to coach a team to win by hitting it long. Much more difficult.”

 

His commitment to an expansive playing style has deep roots, dating back to his youth. “I was brought up in a traditional British way, 4-4-2 and kick the ball up the pitch,” he said.

“Whenever I was playing as a youth international with Northern Ireland we would play Spain, France, Switzerland and the like. And we were always chasing the ball. In my mind, even at that young age, I remember thinking ‘I’d rather play in that team than this team’.”

 

He had had a trial at Manchester United as a boy but after a short spell as a professional at Reading realised, at 20, he was not good enough to make it as a player. So he started learning to coach.

 

“I wanted to be the best I possibly could,” he said. “I had a great education coming through the English FA, did courses with the Scottish FA but I also went out and travelled.

“I went to Spain, to Barcelona, Sevilla and Valencia. These are the best schools of football in the world, how they develop players. Then I spent time in Holland.

That was the ideology of football that I liked. I educated myself, watching, studying and learning. I knew my basic principles but because I had stopped playing early I had the time to go and learn from the very best. And the model was always Spain.”

In Swansea, he found a club receptive to his Iberian ideas. Under Roberto Martinez, they had developed a reputation for playing expansive, passing football and even had a smattering of Spanish players in the squad.

 

What Rodgers has done is underpin that with an intense pressing game modelled on Barcelona. Serene on the surface but working hard beneath — no need to hammer home that analogy.

 

“My idea coming into this club was to play very attractive attacking football but always with tactical discipline,” he said. “People see the possession and they see the penetration, the imagination and the creativity, but we’ve had 23 clean sheets this year. So in nearly 50 per cent of our games we haven’t conceded a goal.

 

“The example of the Barcelona model was a great influence and inspiration to me. When I was at the Chelsea academy, that was how my players would play, with that high, aggressive press, combined with the ability to keep the ball.

"That’s something that we’ve then been able to roll out to here and defensively we play with high pressure and high aggression. Everyone knows their function within the system. It is like an orchestra, if one of them isn’t doing it, you don’t hit the right note.”

Rodgers always wanted to be a conductor but was happy to take his time getting there. After working his way up to become Reading’s academy manager, Rodgers was signed by Chelsea to run the youth team in 2004, something of a culture shock.

“I was 14 years at Reading but I knew it was time to go. I’d only been at Chelsea a week when I got a call from my brother. He asked if I’d seen who was linked with my new job. It was Jean-Pierre Papin.”

Rodgers impressed Jose Mourinho and he was promoted two years later to running the reserve team.

 

The patronage of the Portuguese helped accelerate Rodgers’ career but, now that he is a manager in his own right (having been in charge at Watford and Reading), it makes him feel a bit claustrophobic.

 

Even his touchline dash after the play-off semi-final win over Nottingham Forest was taken as an homage.

“I’ve heard all this rubbish about the Mourinho touchline dash... it’s just instinct,” he said. “I’m not sure how long the protege stuff will go on for. I’m proud that he saw something in me, but we’re totally different. He’s one of the most charismatic characters in the world; I’m just a rough Irishman who’s trying to carve out a career as a young

manager.

 

‘‘I’ve always had to do it the hard way anyway and there’s no doubt that if I get to the Premier League people will say it’s him who’s got me there.

"I hope over time, and I’m not being disrespectful to him, I’ll be seen as my own man and someone who has achieved on his own merit.”

 

Reading welcome back old friend

Reading manager Brian McDermott will hardly be surprised by his rival’s methods this afternoon — he and Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers go back a long way.

McDermott joined Reading as chief scout in 2000 when Rodgers was working with the academy. Under Steve Coppell, McDermott was promoted to reserve team manager and when Rodgers returned to the club in 2009, after his time with Chelsea and Watford, the pair worked together for the 195 days Rodgers was in charge.

 

McDermott has impressed since succeeding Rodgers, with FA Cup wins over five Premier League teams, including Liverpool and Everton, in two seasons. This season, with 26-goal striker Shane Long to the fore, Reading have lost only once in the league since Feb 12.

“I’ve never had any problems with Brendan; he is a good manager,” said Reading chairman John Madejski. “It didn’t work out for him at Reading, but we always knew it would work out for him somewhere.

[RedRazor]

If they start giving points for bullshit we will win the Prem for the next ten years.

 

Bet the yanks loved this stuff - the secret formula for football success and only they have it. Muaahhhahaha.

 

Oh hang on, its all over the internet.....

[TheHowieLama]

One where the gamble pays off and we fly up the league.

 

You are placing a short on change, history does not show that to pay off.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

When it's all said and done Rodgers wasn't my first choice but I am pleased with his appointment and the more I think about it, the more I like it. I like his philosophy and I have read a number of very interesting articles about him and the way he approaches the game. And above all, I saw Swansea pass us off the park twice last year. I'm not saying he's the perfect appointment but you know what, I have got a good feeling about him.

 

 

He speaks well and has an aura and a presence about him, a journalist described him as "amicable but terrifying." This sounds great to me. He'll be under a lot of pressure and a lot of scrutiny, but I'll be up at 10am tomorrow morning to watch his unveiling. It's been an extremely stressful few weeks and I'm just glad it's done now. I can finally get back to worrying about transfer targets instead of worrying which screw up the Americans will come up with next.

[WaltonRed]

Reboot for us all

 

Lets get behind him

[dirk grout]

Reboot for us all

 

Lets get behind him

 

I mean no offense when I say this, but it does annoy the fuck out of me when people like me get criticised for saying that this is a shite decision. Of course we're gonna support him. I've have never booed anyone or anything, I'll leave that to the morons in our number. I support the team on the pitch, come matchday I couldn't give a fuck who's stood on the touchline but I'll be damned if I'm not allowed to speak up when I think we've appointed the wrong man.

[xerxes]

I mean no offense when I say this, but it does annoy the fuck out of me when people like me get criticised for saying that this is a shite decision. Of course we're gonna support him. I've have never booed anyone or anything, I'll leave that to the morons in our number. I support the team on the pitch, come matchday I couldn't give a fuck who's stood on the touchline but I'll be damned if I'm not allowed to speak up when I think we've appointed the wrong man.

 

Fair comment Dirk.

 

For me, it could work brilliantly, or be a disaster - but it won't be more shite than last years league performance.

[Russ Atmosphere]

[VladimirIlyich]

Supporters here are desperate to get back in the Champions League - is that your own aim?

 

It's an aim for every manager at a top club. That's the holy grail, but also, in time, we want to be challenging for the title. For me, and it's not going to be straight away because that's not realistic, winning the title is something we want to achieve. It's not just aiming for fourth place. The Champions League is fantastic and that's where this club wants to be. It's going to be a process and ultimately, hopefully, that will take us up towards the top of the league and challenging. That's where this club belongs.

 

I'm really glad to hear him say this and fuck off that shite about finishing 4th as a success.

[Jairzinho]

Fair comment Dirk.

 

For me, it could work brilliantly, or be a disaster - but it won't be more shite than last years league performance.

 

Absolutely this. I expect 10-15 points more than last season.

[Lee909]

 

Absolutely this. I expect 10-15 points more than last season.

 

Not much of a ask that,for me Kenny would have got that next season.How many pens were missed?,must be close to 10pts in pens alone.

[Kennys_spell]

Rodgers' words are uninspiring.

 

Damn - is that three points dropped before we start then?

 

Rodgers OUT!!!

 

GERRRIIIMMMMMOOOUUSSSSEEEEE!!!!!!!!

[Kennys_spell]

I mean no offense when I say this, but it does annoy the fuck out of me when people like me get criticised for saying that this is a shite decision. Of course we're gonna support him. I've have never booed anyone or anything, I'll leave that to the morons in our number. I support the team on the pitch, come matchday I couldn't give a fuck who's stood on the touchline but I'll be damned if I'm not allowed to speak up when I think we've appointed the wrong man.

 

Thats perfectly acceptable but on the other hand, you have to accept the right of those reading your opinion that don't agree with it to voice their opinion.

 

It's the internet - there are many different, contrasting opinions.

 

No?

[Jairzinho]

Not much of a ask that,for me Kenny would have got that next season.How many pens were missed?,must be close to 10pts in pens alone.

 

He might have done, he might not have done. How many different players took penalties last season? Can't have helped.

 

Maybe we'll be 20 points better off this year, who knows.

 

I think he'll sell some of the shit, and buy some good players to fit a coherent philosophy. I wasn't really factoring in luck. I'm not for one minute going to pretend it evens itself out over a season, it clearly doesn't. But then neither does it mask what was a terrible league campaign last season.

[fowler9]

quite impressed by that opening interview having never really taken notice of how he speaks with the media before, lets hope he can back up his words

[xerxes]

Not much of an ask that (!0-15pts),for me Kenny would have got that next season.How many pens were missed?,must be close to 10pts in pens alone.

 

Well why didn't he get it last season then?

 

It has nothing to do with luck over a whole season, you make your own luck.

 

It is as basic as inputs and outputs. At some point in a season if the outputs are wrong, you change your inputs.

 

Kenny gave the players their excuses, "nothing to do with them, great performances, great effort, just bad luck". As a result Kenny didnt change what he was doing, the players didnt change what they were doing - and surprise surprise, the luck didnt change either.

 

I can GUARANTEE that Rodgers will not be saying to them "As you were lads- our luck will change soon enough"

[Guest TK-421]

I can GUARANTEE that Rodgers will not be saying to them "As you were lads- our luck will change soon enough"

 

So do you think Rodgers is an improvement on Kenny Dalglish?

[billypilgrimnz]

So do you think Rodgers is an improvement on Kenny Dalglish?

 

Let's talk a year from now. That question now has no answer.