While we will continue to play safety first tatics as long as Houllier is still in charge. When I meant attacking, I do not mean playing like Keegan's Newcastle. Just because U see Pires, Bergkamp, Henry, Roosterhead pouring foreward doesn't mean Arsenal are going to ship in 4 goals every matches.
When its time to defend, by all means defend with stability and calmness.
When it is time to attack, please use some initiative and brains in attacks, Liverpool. Although we are becoming more attack minded in recent matches, I HOPE IT WILL IMPROVE. I do not want to see 1. Long Balls 2. Players getting the ball and making all the obvious passes. Risk will have to be taken.
And when I meant taking risk doesn't mean that we will compromise our defence. Its the other way round.
Just because we have a superb defence + Hamann, it allows more risks to be taken and as a result, we have more creative play with the knowledge that the backline will clear up most of the mistakes.
I am not so sure how is Houllier going to built a so called "Hardworking side" next season when Man U get their act together. Obviously Hardwork is very important. But it is just one of the factors to a Championship winning team. We can have a flair player like Cantona directing things or we can play like Blackburn, two wingers and two towering strikers in S and S. Even in Graham days, the full backs overlapped quite a bit to make the 4-4-2 system work.
Our style is based on neither. We have no playmaker. (Every counterattacking side I know of have a playmaker, Valencia - Aimar, Italy - Totti, Romania - Hagi). Counterattacking is a continental style, I have rarely seen English team use it, Apart from Man U and Arsenal. Arsenal have continental players so it doesn't matter. The problem with Liverpool so called counter attacking style is that, whenever the strikers get the ball, they just run straight at goal, that normal if the defenders are half witted like Phil Neville. Owen and Heskey would just run past them like knie to butter.
But if the opposition defence puts up a brick wall, the strikers should pass rite? But when would they try to make the intelligent pass to the onrushing midfielder on goal? Or do we have any onrushing midfielder on goal? I know Arsenal have, That Rooster head. Apart from Riise, I can't seem to think of any, and Riise is not the most intelligent runner in tight spaces either. And Anelka is not very passing friendly, he tries to shoot at impossible angles instead of being smart. Heskey is more of a supplier, that's fine with me, but obviously Houllier will soon entertain the ideas of making Heskey a "goal poacher"
Or When the midfielders gets the balls, they do not know what to do with it and just pass the ball around in circles. No one knows what to do with the ball. In a counter attacking team, every player knows his role, they attack in one coherent formation. Only Hamann is prolly good enough to play the counter attack on his own without any prompting, being trained at the Munich school of excellence. When Hamann gets the ball, he loves to put in those snap shot passes, so does Jari (If he plays). However nobody is running from midfield. And when someone does runs at goal, if it is Owen, it is fine, U can trust him to do something out of it. If it is Heskey, he will run with the ball cause a lot of touble but eventually he will deliver a poor ball. If it is Murphy and Berger, they will miscontrol the ball before anything is made of it. When Smicer gets the ball, he can be brilliant with it or just loses it altogether. And we can't trust Xavier and Carragher to overlapp.
Thus, half the time we would just launch the balls to the pace of Owen and Heskey. The other half the time, we just pass and pass and hope for a lucky break (E.g Owen's goal against Derby).
Why we won the treble last season?
If draws can get you through, why not?
So why we are still with a chance of winning the title?
Of the qualities needed to be consisnt and win the titles. Quality of players, defensive plan, atacking plan, flair and craft and luck, Man U lack the most important quality defence. Before you tell me that I am contradicting myself, I too value defence above all else. But a successful team must have the best sum to every qualities above. If giving up a little bit of being cautious means giving the flair and craft a huge addition, y not? Its all about balance.
The way we are playing, we are better suited to getting draws then anything else. Had a draw been 2.5 points, who am I to argue? But it isn't and to win, we must be positive when attacking without attacking ALL THE time and pushing 9 men into attack.
I do not doubt that we have the best tream of the season, even better then Man U and Arsenal. Until we fully utilize the playing staff ability, we are going to find ourself chasing the team with London and the team from Manchester with London fans. (look at Libero, he is from Kent, isn't he? Or was it Beefy?)
Who cares if Wenger or Houllier makes misakes in the transfer market, it is hardly going to upset the club finances, we can sign a million Jean Marc Ferris on Free Transfer and Wenger can sign a million Diawaras. As long as it is not going to break a hole in the bank, I do not care as long as the first 11 + 5 subs my manager fields every week is worthy of being fielded. Its their money not mine.
I am not sure what is Houllier trying to do if he buys Emerton. We already have Murphy, Emerton is not going to be a huge plus to the team. He might add a bit more solidity in defence without adding much to the attack, that is not what I want
Barmby is still on the bench kicking his heel. Duff is different, he will represent a huge improvement towards our problem of attack. If we are sacrificing a bit of Defensive solidity like Murphy for a huge improvement in attack like Duff, I am all for it. Of cos I expect Duff to track back and put some pressure on the opposition wingers, but I do not want to see him as the 2nd Right back or 2nd Left back.
When its time to defend, by all means defend with stability and calmness.
When it is time to attack, please use some initiative and brains in attacks, Liverpool. Although we are becoming more attack minded in recent matches, I HOPE IT WILL IMPROVE. I do not want to see 1. Long Balls 2. Players getting the ball and making all the obvious passes. Risk will have to be taken.
And when I meant taking risk doesn't mean that we will compromise our defence. Its the other way round.
Just because we have a superb defence + Hamann, it allows more risks to be taken and as a result, we have more creative play with the knowledge that the backline will clear up most of the mistakes.
I am not so sure how is Houllier going to built a so called "Hardworking side" next season when Man U get their act together. Obviously Hardwork is very important. But it is just one of the factors to a Championship winning team. We can have a flair player like Cantona directing things or we can play like Blackburn, two wingers and two towering strikers in S and S. Even in Graham days, the full backs overlapped quite a bit to make the 4-4-2 system work.
Our style is based on neither. We have no playmaker. (Every counterattacking side I know of have a playmaker, Valencia - Aimar, Italy - Totti, Romania - Hagi). Counterattacking is a continental style, I have rarely seen English team use it, Apart from Man U and Arsenal. Arsenal have continental players so it doesn't matter. The problem with Liverpool so called counter attacking style is that, whenever the strikers get the ball, they just run straight at goal, that normal if the defenders are half witted like Phil Neville. Owen and Heskey would just run past them like knie to butter.
But if the opposition defence puts up a brick wall, the strikers should pass rite? But when would they try to make the intelligent pass to the onrushing midfielder on goal? Or do we have any onrushing midfielder on goal? I know Arsenal have, That Rooster head. Apart from Riise, I can't seem to think of any, and Riise is not the most intelligent runner in tight spaces either. And Anelka is not very passing friendly, he tries to shoot at impossible angles instead of being smart. Heskey is more of a supplier, that's fine with me, but obviously Houllier will soon entertain the ideas of making Heskey a "goal poacher"
Or When the midfielders gets the balls, they do not know what to do with it and just pass the ball around in circles. No one knows what to do with the ball. In a counter attacking team, every player knows his role, they attack in one coherent formation. Only Hamann is prolly good enough to play the counter attack on his own without any prompting, being trained at the Munich school of excellence. When Hamann gets the ball, he loves to put in those snap shot passes, so does Jari (If he plays). However nobody is running from midfield. And when someone does runs at goal, if it is Owen, it is fine, U can trust him to do something out of it. If it is Heskey, he will run with the ball cause a lot of touble but eventually he will deliver a poor ball. If it is Murphy and Berger, they will miscontrol the ball before anything is made of it. When Smicer gets the ball, he can be brilliant with it or just loses it altogether. And we can't trust Xavier and Carragher to overlapp.
Thus, half the time we would just launch the balls to the pace of Owen and Heskey. The other half the time, we just pass and pass and hope for a lucky break (E.g Owen's goal against Derby).
Why we won the treble last season?
If draws can get you through, why not?
So why we are still with a chance of winning the title?
Of the qualities needed to be consisnt and win the titles. Quality of players, defensive plan, atacking plan, flair and craft and luck, Man U lack the most important quality defence. Before you tell me that I am contradicting myself, I too value defence above all else. But a successful team must have the best sum to every qualities above. If giving up a little bit of being cautious means giving the flair and craft a huge addition, y not? Its all about balance.
The way we are playing, we are better suited to getting draws then anything else. Had a draw been 2.5 points, who am I to argue? But it isn't and to win, we must be positive when attacking without attacking ALL THE time and pushing 9 men into attack.
I do not doubt that we have the best tream of the season, even better then Man U and Arsenal. Until we fully utilize the playing staff ability, we are going to find ourself chasing the team with London and the team from Manchester with London fans. (look at Libero, he is from Kent, isn't he? Or was it Beefy?)
Who cares if Wenger or Houllier makes misakes in the transfer market, it is hardly going to upset the club finances, we can sign a million Jean Marc Ferris on Free Transfer and Wenger can sign a million Diawaras. As long as it is not going to break a hole in the bank, I do not care as long as the first 11 + 5 subs my manager fields every week is worthy of being fielded. Its their money not mine.
I am not sure what is Houllier trying to do if he buys Emerton. We already have Murphy, Emerton is not going to be a huge plus to the team. He might add a bit more solidity in defence without adding much to the attack, that is not what I want
Barmby is still on the bench kicking his heel. Duff is different, he will represent a huge improvement towards our problem of attack. If we are sacrificing a bit of Defensive solidity like Murphy for a huge improvement in attack like Duff, I am all for it. Of cos I expect Duff to track back and put some pressure on the opposition wingers, but I do not want to see him as the 2nd Right back or 2nd Left back.
