Wednesday, 2 December 2015
Accepting The Inevitable - RAOTL Issue 217
This article first appeared in Issue 217 of Red All Over The Land
I am writing this during one of the turgid international “breaks” that we have become accustomed to. England were outclassed in a friendly by Spain. No one was surprised. No one on the red side of Liverpool cared.
Friday, 23 October 2015
Patience is a virtue
These are strange times. I'm writing this the morning after a disappointing 1 - 1 draw at Anfield against a 10 man Rubin Kazan.
The unparalleled hype around Klopp's arrival still hasn't died down. No one would have wanted his first game in charge at Anfield to end like last night did but despite the result, hope, support and togetherness still oozed from every emergency exit at Anfield last night. The final whistle was met with huge applause after what on the whole had been a decent atmosphere - especially considering what we have become accustomed to.
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
RAOTL Column - Klopp Mania
This article was written for Issue 216 of Red All Over The Land fanzine...
When I sat down to write my column for the issue of Red All Over The Land that you have in your hands there was only one possible subject on which I could out pen to paper, that was of course Jürgen Klopp. In the world of Liverpool Football Club there simply has not been any other news except that of the charismatic German who was appointed Liverpool manager in a whirlwind of excitement and press attention. He is the man 95% of Liverpool fans have wanted for some time – and it was impossible not to get caught up in the excitement. It felt like a fairy tale coming true.
I am assuming that by the time this issue has hit the streets Klopp will have undertaken his first game as Liverpool manager, away at Tottenham, and perhaps even his first Anfield appearance with a Europa League tie against Rubin Kazan. You can’t imagine that we won’t see a reaction from the squad in those first few games, and hopefully two wins, but nothing is ever straightforward in football and for all his charisma, managerial quality and track record there are no guarantees.
Except perhaps one that whatever happens in his tenure, it is going to be one hell of a journey.
Thousands upon thousands of words have been written and spoken about Klopp’s arrival at our “special club” and I don’t feel there is a huge amount I can add in my lowly little fanzine column that hasn’t already been said.
So I thought I’d embrace the excitement and mystery around the Klopp legend and think about the 15 things I’d like to see from him over the next 12 months, some football related, some very much not…
1. Be spotted on the K1 in the Krazyhouse thrashing around to Slipknot with an Orange VK in each hand.
2. Claim to not know who or what Everton is.
3. Run down the touchline towards the Kop after a late winner.
4. Visit the HJC shop.
5. Lead a rendition of Gary Macca in The Albert before The Derby.
6. Lead a rendition of Gary Macca in The Park, after The Derby.
7. Be spotted in The Lobster pot at 2am.
8. Be seen picking Jordan Rossiter up from school with the rest of the mums and dads.
9. Have Jager poured into his mouth whilst dancing to The Ramones at the bar in MOJO.
10. Be spotted watching a spot of cricket at Aigburth with Didi Hamann.
11. Drinking Pilsner out of The FA Cup after we’ve beaten Chelsea in the final.
12. Be pictured on top of Robbie Fowler’s shoulders at Ayre’s house at 4am.
13. Be seen buying a new gilet in Giancarlo Ricci on Bold Street.
14. Be spotted having a stein and a chilli dog in Salt Dog Slims.
15. Giving a Champion’s League press conference.
Tuesday, 22 September 2015
Guest Post: How a back three can save Brendan Rodgers' job
Since Brendan Rodgers became Liverpool manager we've only looked consistently solid defensively while playing a back three. In between the 2014/15 season-changing games against Manchester United, we conceded only 15 goals in 23 games in all competitions. The only other times we have looked solid defensively for more two games in succession came in the three consecutive 1-0 wins at the start of both this season and 2013/14. Both of these spells, however, were characterised by defending deep and in numbers, and making the clean sheet a priority. Balance was lacking. Our attacking play suffered. The manager's return to playing three at the back in the last two games gives me reason to believe he's not finished yet. He can still turn this around. Here's why.
Martin Skrtel
The big Slovakian has been the mainstay of every Liverpool defence under Brendan Rodgers, seldom finding himself out of the team for any great length of time. Skrtel has a very specific skill set. He is very good at certain aspects of defending, and absolutely abject at others. Those of you with decent memories will remember Rafa Benitez' ill-fated experiment with playing Skrtel as a right back against Sunderland a few years back. He was terrible. It's fair to say he is terrible whenever he finds himself being pulled into a fullback position from centre back too. Take him out of the centre and his positional sense abandons him, along with his confidence. His response when an opposition attacker is able to isolate him and dribble at him with pace is to back off so quickly and to such an extent that he drags the whole team deeper, and puts needless pressure on his goalkeeper. Brendan Rodgers' commitment to having both his fullbacks joining in with attacks has often left Skrtel in this position on the counter attack. This discomfort at 1v1 defending has always made Skrtel seem very unsuited to being a Brendan Rodgers centre back. For this reason I was surprised and disappointed when he was given a new contract in the summer.
However, during the three at the back spell last season, he was immense. Having a centre back either side of him meant he never got isolated 1v1. He was able to stay central except for sweeping up balls played in behind the other centre backs. Having two holding midfielders in front of him meant he rarely had to defend on the front foot. His propensity to back off became a strength rather than a liability when he was deployed as a sweeper. Furthermore, there was little onus on him to start attacks with incisive vertical passes: he was able to leave that to the more capable Can and Sakho.
Rodgers' ideal formation is clearly 4-3-3. His first blueprint for this season was to play this formation, and to mitigate Skrtel's (and Lovren's, who is also more comfortable in a low-lying, compact block) weaknesses by restricting his fullbacks' and central midfielders' attacking movements. This was more from the Mourinho or Pulis school of defending: ensuring the centre backs are rarely left isolated because if one full back gets forward the other stays back, and holding midfielders are constantly ensuring the centre backs don't have to step out of their defensive line. Unfortunately, this predictably detracted from the attacking side of our game. The three 1-0 wins at the start of the season were dull, lifeless affairs (a great 20 minutes at Arsenal aside) in which we rarely got enough players ahead of the ball or into the opposition penalty area.
The return to a back three for the Norwich game hopefully hints towards the manager acknowledging that he cannot maintain a good balance between attack and defence with Skrtel in a back four. If he is determined to play a back four in the long term then Skrtel cannot be part of it. A Gomez-Sakho partnership may well be the future of a Liverpool 4-3-3, but for now there are question marks about the youngster's readiness for such a prominent role. For now, keeping Skrtel in the team but playing to his strengths in a back three seems sensible.
Daniel Sturridge
I have found it quite bizarre just how many Liverpool fans seem to have written off the possibility of Sturridge playing a key role this season. Yes, he has had a year of injury problems, but the noises coming out of the club suggest that they are confident that his operation at the end of last season fixed the underlying problem. He is our best player when fully fit, bar none. We would have finished in the top four last season had it not been for his injury problems, and Rodgers would not be under nearly as much pressure now.
When Sturridge did play last season, it was as a lone striker (Tottenham away aside). He can certainly do a good job in this role, but I feel he is better with a partner. He does some excellent work dropping into the number 10 position, and drifting wide to isolate defenders. I believe it takes something away from his game to ask him to spend more time in the penalty area. The travails of Balotelli, Borini and Lambert meant there were no good options to partner him last season. That has now been rectified, and Benteke, Ings and Firmino could all prove brilliant foils for the prolific Brummie. Of course this has tactical implications too: Rodgers' preferred 4-3-3 is most likely to see Sturridge playing off a main striker in a wider position. The switch to a back three allows us to get our best player in his best position, playing to his strengths.
Alberto Moreno
One of the strangest decisions the club made in the transfer market, given Rodgers' aforementioned blueprint for the season, was not investing in a more defensively sound left back. Moreno is great going forward, has infectious energy and enthusiasm, but has looked a liability at the back. He is precisely the kind of full back that Skrtel and Lovren must have nightmares about: he ensures that the centre backs will be pulled out of position. The decision to start the season with Gomez at left back was certainly designed to help the centre backs, but may have had the added benefit of giving young Alberto a kick up the backside. He looked incredibly motivated against Norwich, and created more chances than anybody. He is a natural wing-back, and will no doubt be praying for the retention of the 3-5-2. If the manager reverts to a back four, he will have to choose between Moreno's defensive deficiencies, and Gomez's inability to go forward on the outside. Neither is the kind of option you expect a top-four club to have. Moreno as a wing back, if the Norwich performance is anything to go by, can be just that.
Emre Can
Surely no-one can doubt Can's potential. In a few years he will be a genuinely world-class player. Brendan Rodgers took a lot of stick last season for refusing to play Can in a central midfield role, but his performances there this season surely explain the thinking behind this. He has looked constantly positionally unsure both with and without the ball, not knowing when to press and when to hold his position, or when to make a forward run or when to drop off for a short pass to feet. Last season, like Skrtel, he was brilliant in the back three, before being exposed when deployed as a right back in a back four. His ability to carry the ball out of defence gives us an extra dimension, and he seems much more comfortable when he can see the whole game ahead of him. I remain of the opinion that this could be a long-term position for him, replicating the sort of job David Alaba does for Bayern Munich. Like Alaba, of course he has the tools to play in central midfield too. But for now let's continue to play him in the one role he has truly excelled in.
Conclusion
Last season was going completely tits-up before the switch to a back three. We suddenly started playing the high-tempo football that had characterised 2013/14, but with more defensive solidity. For 15 games, we were outstanding. Not just Brendan Rodgers post-match interview outstanding, but actually outstanding. The reversion to a back four after the defeat to United was baffling and took us backwards. While the recruitment of Nathaniel Clyne made a back four slightly more sensible this season, it still seemed the only way we could keep a clean sheet in this formation was by throwing numbers at the problem. Let's face it, a team in any formation has a good chance of a clean sheet if they sacrifice attacking intent and keep ten men behind the ball.
Clearly the change in formation will not solve all of our problems overnight. James Milner's form, Phillipe Coutinho's consistency, and Simon Mignolet's command of his area, for example, are equally issues which could define our season. But playing three at the back is the way to restore defensive solidity without sacrificing our attacking intent, and this could breed the confidence which solves other problems too. It's disappointing that it has taken this long for Rodgers to bring back the system which saved our season last year. If it can bring the best out of Skrtel, Sturridge, Moreno and Can, it may just save his job too.'
Martin Skrtel
The big Slovakian has been the mainstay of every Liverpool defence under Brendan Rodgers, seldom finding himself out of the team for any great length of time. Skrtel has a very specific skill set. He is very good at certain aspects of defending, and absolutely abject at others. Those of you with decent memories will remember Rafa Benitez' ill-fated experiment with playing Skrtel as a right back against Sunderland a few years back. He was terrible. It's fair to say he is terrible whenever he finds himself being pulled into a fullback position from centre back too. Take him out of the centre and his positional sense abandons him, along with his confidence. His response when an opposition attacker is able to isolate him and dribble at him with pace is to back off so quickly and to such an extent that he drags the whole team deeper, and puts needless pressure on his goalkeeper. Brendan Rodgers' commitment to having both his fullbacks joining in with attacks has often left Skrtel in this position on the counter attack. This discomfort at 1v1 defending has always made Skrtel seem very unsuited to being a Brendan Rodgers centre back. For this reason I was surprised and disappointed when he was given a new contract in the summer.
However, during the three at the back spell last season, he was immense. Having a centre back either side of him meant he never got isolated 1v1. He was able to stay central except for sweeping up balls played in behind the other centre backs. Having two holding midfielders in front of him meant he rarely had to defend on the front foot. His propensity to back off became a strength rather than a liability when he was deployed as a sweeper. Furthermore, there was little onus on him to start attacks with incisive vertical passes: he was able to leave that to the more capable Can and Sakho.
Rodgers' ideal formation is clearly 4-3-3. His first blueprint for this season was to play this formation, and to mitigate Skrtel's (and Lovren's, who is also more comfortable in a low-lying, compact block) weaknesses by restricting his fullbacks' and central midfielders' attacking movements. This was more from the Mourinho or Pulis school of defending: ensuring the centre backs are rarely left isolated because if one full back gets forward the other stays back, and holding midfielders are constantly ensuring the centre backs don't have to step out of their defensive line. Unfortunately, this predictably detracted from the attacking side of our game. The three 1-0 wins at the start of the season were dull, lifeless affairs (a great 20 minutes at Arsenal aside) in which we rarely got enough players ahead of the ball or into the opposition penalty area.
The return to a back three for the Norwich game hopefully hints towards the manager acknowledging that he cannot maintain a good balance between attack and defence with Skrtel in a back four. If he is determined to play a back four in the long term then Skrtel cannot be part of it. A Gomez-Sakho partnership may well be the future of a Liverpool 4-3-3, but for now there are question marks about the youngster's readiness for such a prominent role. For now, keeping Skrtel in the team but playing to his strengths in a back three seems sensible.
Daniel Sturridge
I have found it quite bizarre just how many Liverpool fans seem to have written off the possibility of Sturridge playing a key role this season. Yes, he has had a year of injury problems, but the noises coming out of the club suggest that they are confident that his operation at the end of last season fixed the underlying problem. He is our best player when fully fit, bar none. We would have finished in the top four last season had it not been for his injury problems, and Rodgers would not be under nearly as much pressure now.
When Sturridge did play last season, it was as a lone striker (Tottenham away aside). He can certainly do a good job in this role, but I feel he is better with a partner. He does some excellent work dropping into the number 10 position, and drifting wide to isolate defenders. I believe it takes something away from his game to ask him to spend more time in the penalty area. The travails of Balotelli, Borini and Lambert meant there were no good options to partner him last season. That has now been rectified, and Benteke, Ings and Firmino could all prove brilliant foils for the prolific Brummie. Of course this has tactical implications too: Rodgers' preferred 4-3-3 is most likely to see Sturridge playing off a main striker in a wider position. The switch to a back three allows us to get our best player in his best position, playing to his strengths.
Alberto Moreno
One of the strangest decisions the club made in the transfer market, given Rodgers' aforementioned blueprint for the season, was not investing in a more defensively sound left back. Moreno is great going forward, has infectious energy and enthusiasm, but has looked a liability at the back. He is precisely the kind of full back that Skrtel and Lovren must have nightmares about: he ensures that the centre backs will be pulled out of position. The decision to start the season with Gomez at left back was certainly designed to help the centre backs, but may have had the added benefit of giving young Alberto a kick up the backside. He looked incredibly motivated against Norwich, and created more chances than anybody. He is a natural wing-back, and will no doubt be praying for the retention of the 3-5-2. If the manager reverts to a back four, he will have to choose between Moreno's defensive deficiencies, and Gomez's inability to go forward on the outside. Neither is the kind of option you expect a top-four club to have. Moreno as a wing back, if the Norwich performance is anything to go by, can be just that.
Emre Can
Surely no-one can doubt Can's potential. In a few years he will be a genuinely world-class player. Brendan Rodgers took a lot of stick last season for refusing to play Can in a central midfield role, but his performances there this season surely explain the thinking behind this. He has looked constantly positionally unsure both with and without the ball, not knowing when to press and when to hold his position, or when to make a forward run or when to drop off for a short pass to feet. Last season, like Skrtel, he was brilliant in the back three, before being exposed when deployed as a right back in a back four. His ability to carry the ball out of defence gives us an extra dimension, and he seems much more comfortable when he can see the whole game ahead of him. I remain of the opinion that this could be a long-term position for him, replicating the sort of job David Alaba does for Bayern Munich. Like Alaba, of course he has the tools to play in central midfield too. But for now let's continue to play him in the one role he has truly excelled in.
Conclusion
Last season was going completely tits-up before the switch to a back three. We suddenly started playing the high-tempo football that had characterised 2013/14, but with more defensive solidity. For 15 games, we were outstanding. Not just Brendan Rodgers post-match interview outstanding, but actually outstanding. The reversion to a back four after the defeat to United was baffling and took us backwards. While the recruitment of Nathaniel Clyne made a back four slightly more sensible this season, it still seemed the only way we could keep a clean sheet in this formation was by throwing numbers at the problem. Let's face it, a team in any formation has a good chance of a clean sheet if they sacrifice attacking intent and keep ten men behind the ball.
Clearly the change in formation will not solve all of our problems overnight. James Milner's form, Phillipe Coutinho's consistency, and Simon Mignolet's command of his area, for example, are equally issues which could define our season. But playing three at the back is the way to restore defensive solidity without sacrificing our attacking intent, and this could breed the confidence which solves other problems too. It's disappointing that it has taken this long for Rodgers to bring back the system which saved our season last year. If it can bring the best out of Skrtel, Sturridge, Moreno and Can, it may just save his job too.'
Thursday, 17 September 2015
Brendan Rodgers and my inner turmoil
You hear the phrases "his head's gone" or "he's mentally scrambled" a lot in sport and when it comes to Liverpool and specifically Brendan Rodgers... my head's gone. I don't know what to think.
In truth I've probably been suffering an inner turmoil when it comes to the manager since we started last season so poorly and somehow ended up having to play Rickie Lambert or Balotelli upfront on their own.
Since then I've had a near daily mental struggle with myself over whether I have faith in Rodgers... whether I genuinely think we are going to improve... whether or not the players we've bought are actually any good. It's tiring. I wish I could just relax and enjoy it.
But let's face it, so far this season it's not been enjoyable. Supporting Liverpool seems to have become engulfed in tension, negativity and worry. A constant, painful yearning to be successful again, a bitter jealousy at seeing the likes of Man City gracing the biggest stages in Europe and an ongoing sadness about not being able to compete with Chelsea. A horrible fear that Man Utd will pull away from us again.
The start to this season was unspectacular but there was some hope. We were grinding out results... "players would take time to gel" was a sensible observation. Only two defeats later and that hope appears to have completely evaporated. Is that just the idiotically knee jerk nature of modern football? Should we be patient? In a few games time when we've won 5 on the bounce it'll all be smiles again? Or are the underlying concerns about Rodgers and our future founded?
It's not just morons on twitter who want Rodgers gone... genuinely passionate and intelligent supporters are starting to lose faith. I still don't know if I'm one of them. I'm worried I might be.
I think my desire to back Rodgers, be patient and give things time to develop comes more from my nature as a fan. I love Liverpool FC and I've always found it difficult to criticise any manager or player who is doing their best for the club (apart from Hodgson obviously.) I never wanted Houllier gone, I certainly didn't want Rafa out and I think I genuinely want Rodgers to succeed, but only because I want Liverpool to succeed... not because I have any particular loyalty to Rodgers.
If you offered me Klopp tomorrow I'd probably bite your hand off and I suppose that says it all.
There is no guarantee Klopp would do any better, but it's hard to resist his allure, he feels like he'd fit.
Rodgers is starting to feel like an unwelcome guest at an already crap party.
But I'm the sort of guy who still talks to them, out of pity. I don't want to have to pity the manager of Liverpool FC.
While Rodgers is manager I will get behind him and more importantly the team. But oh please, please for the love of God let's win a few games and score a few goals. Then everything will feel better.
I can't take much more of this.
Sunday, 30 August 2015
Liverpool 0 West Ham 3 - Reaction
Having let the dust settle on yesterday's result and my first trip to Anfield this season, I was going to sit down and reflect on the game having given it 24 hours.
Then I heard that Dejan Lovren has received death threats and I thought... fuck this. It's only football. You gang of cunts.
The anthropology of the modern football fan is hugely depressing and increasingly so of my beloved Liverpool Football Club.
I even saw someone suggest that him closing his Instagram account due to the threats simply underlined his lack of steel. Christ.
So I'm going to close the laptop and go and do something else. In a bit.
Then I heard that Dejan Lovren has received death threats and I thought... fuck this. It's only football. You gang of cunts.
The anthropology of the modern football fan is hugely depressing and increasingly so of my beloved Liverpool Football Club.
I even saw someone suggest that him closing his Instagram account due to the threats simply underlined his lack of steel. Christ.
So I'm going to close the laptop and go and do something else. In a bit.
Friday, 28 August 2015
Why we should be positive about the Europa League
There is a collective agreement that the number of games a side has to play in the competition, coupled with some of the travelling incurred can take a real toll on the squad and seriously effect the team's performance in the domestic league or cup competitions. There are many Liverpool fans that would share that view and see the Europa as nothing but a distraction and something we should treat as such by fielding a youth side.
However, I'd beg to differ. Sat watching the draw today I couldn't help feel excited. European football, of any level, is what Liverpool Football Club is all about. And as a supporter, especially one of who has yet to get to a proper european away game there is something exhilirating about watching the draw as exoctic and unknown names appear next to some of Europe's finest and forgotten. Some of the best nights of my life have been at European nights at Anfield and that includes UEFA Cup games as much as our famous Champion's League run. Being there when Houllier returned to the dugout against Roma; seeing Gerrard dispatch Napoli after their Ultras caused a lot of needle around the city; watching us nearly claw back a heavy aggregate deficit against Zenit amongst one of the best atmospheres there has been in recent years; as well as watching some of the more obscure European sides come to Anfield including Olimpija Ljubljana, Gomel and Anji.
But it's not just my romanticism as a supporter that I think gives us reason to be positive about the Europa League, there are football reasons too. For a start we are Liverpool Football Club and we should look to start every competition with the aim of winning it. I don't want to live in a world where finishing 4th is considered winning something; we want silverware, it's what we live for as a club. Add to that the fact that Rodgers is yet to win any and you would think he would like to take it seriously. Finally there is the added benefit of the winners qualifying for the Champion's League of course.
Now I understand the argument that we don't want to compromise our league campaign and that challenging for the title and subsequently champion's league qualification is our absolute priority but as a manager of the club the size of Liverpool Rodgers and his team will have to get used to managing a squad that can compete on multiple fronts in a variety of competitions.
Something else which I think is worth remembering as well is that Rodgers and his staff are still extremely inexperienced in Europe. We saw that from our Champion's League campaign last year. If we are going to get back into the big time next year then Rodgers could do with gaining some vital experience during the Europa campaign this year. There are some big sides in the competition that he can pit his wits against - even if he does it with a so called "B Team."
So we'll see, but I for one hope that we approach the Europa League looking to win it - if that means rotation, so be it, it's a modern skill that needs to be mastered by the manager. The age old cliche is true, winning breeds winning.
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