Has Brendan Rodgers snapped at Liverpool?

[Tyrion TannisterGlobal Superstar]

Another night of football, another massive cock up for Liverpool. As, becoming increasing more common, another 'well our posession and passing were better than theirs' excuse. It's becoming nearly as common as our own Malky's 'individual errors' card, and that's saying something.

He did a good job at Swansea, he brought in a great ethos that, while hard to say, is definetely effective. He made them hit well beyond their weight, and no doubt Liverpools owners hoped he could do the same with their rapidly declining team. Instead, he seems o of gone from being a fan of a high posession game, to being absolutely obsessed with passing. He's brought in player after player that is considered a 'safe' passer of the ball, yet brought in only substandard strikers and also not enough of them, displayed by their current crisis. All parts of Liverpools squad beyond their midfield are falling apart, and the midfield don't even know what they're doing apart from simply sharing the ball amongst them far too much. It's like he's not a football fan and nobody at coaching school actually told him you have to score goals to win games. It doesn't matter if you get your whole team to start growing wings and the whole game is played midair with beautiful volley passing if at the end of it you have still lost 2-0.

He needs to realise that the level of passing he demands, and smugly shoves in everyone's faces, is irrelevant without other parts of the game also working. Barcelona also suffer from a shaky defence, but they key different between them and Liverpool is they have te finest striker in the world up front, and two excellent game changers in Iniesta and Xavi. Liverpool have a great striker in Suarez, but he's not in the same league as Messi nor is the quality of his supply as good either. Excluding Gerrard, they lack that man that can provide chance after chance, is confident to deliver a game changing long ball. At the moment, the team are playing too scared and are desperate to keep that pass percentage up, thus the constant pointless safe passing.

I feel Rodgers is cracking under pressure I really do. Every game he gets critisicism he fights back with passing statistics, and the problems then simply get worse next game.

[RhysGlobal Superstar]

Liverpool has long been a poisoned chalice.
my predicition is that we will see them down in the championship within five years.

[Arkay DubyaGlobal Superstar]

My oh my, could you imagine it? Cardiff City up in the Premiership while Liverpool languish in the Chumpionship. Half of South Wales would go into meltdown.

[RhysGlobal Superstar]

My oh my, could you imagine it? Cardiff City up in the Premiership while Liverpool languish in the Chumpionship. Half of South Wales would go into meltdown.

[G-sterClub Legend]

He inherited a very poor squad. Take Suarez/Gerrard out and it could be a relegation battle.
They SHOULD have lost the League Cup final last season too.

[Tyrion TannisterGlobal Superstar]

Poor squad, completely agree. But I feel he's trying to force them to play a method they're not capable of doing just yet. He's brought in as many players as possible but over half the squad still isn't comfortable playing high posession football, and it shows. You have to adapt your tactics to your squad if you want to succeed. Plans need to be slowly implemented over time as you acquire the players for them, not forced in from day one. That's where I think he's making a bad situation worse.

[The TonkerNational Legend]

My oh my, could you imagine it? Cardiff City up in the Premiership while Liverpool languish in the Chumpionship. Half of South Wales would go into meltdown.

Interestingly, prior to last season's Carling Cup Final, the previous meetings between City and Liverpool were in the old 2nd division between 1957 and 1960 - before City gained promotion to the first division. In those 3 seasons, Cardiff won 5 games to Liverpool's 1, including a 6-1 home win (December 1957) and a 4-0 away win (December 1959).

City finished 2nd and were promoted in 1959-60, 8 points ahead of Liverpool in 3rd. Liverpool also finished 3rd the following season, then went up as champions in 1961-62, the same season that City were relegated again (along with Chelsea).

[Arkay DubyaGlobal Superstar]

Nice stats!

This was sadly before Liverpool gained such a "loyal" following in the South Wales area though

[The TonkerNational Legend]

Sorry, I was forgetting there was also a 2-1 win for Liverpool in the 2007/08 League Cup.

[KamuzaInternational Call-Up]

When Brendan took charge at Swansea they had playing thier keep-ball style for four seasons. Sousa had made them overcautious and rogers took the brakes off a little bit. He's got to build an entire team at Liverpool. If the owners are patient, I think he'll come good but he needs seven or eight new players at least.

[Arkay DubyaGlobal Superstar]

Quite. Martinez did most of the ground work there.

[JBClub Legend]

Martinez - very attacking expansive play but dodgy at the back
Sousa - Sorted out the defensive issues but no penetration
Rodgers - found the balance between defence and attack by bringing back a good passer (Britton), technical ability (Gylfi, Borini) and pace (Sinclair)

The problem is Rodgers did not start that plan. He came in at stage 3 and finished it so it is still up in the air as if he can do the first two stages himself up to a level where he can implement the third and final phase again.

I don't think he'll get the time to be honest. Rodgers would do good at LFC but I reckon they would be at least 2-3 season loitering around 12-15th in the table before bouncing back once the younger players got older together as a team.

I think he'll be cut loose by then.

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