Topic: Round Table - Liverpool (1) v Manchester United (2), March 22nd 2014

[nico 8]

People will dismiss this point out of hand because it's me who is posting it,  but all of those games bar 1 (the West Ham one) have coincided with Lucas's absence.  Personally I don't think that it's a coincidence that Coutinho suffers when he isn't receiving quick sharp balls in to feet behind the lines,  something that Lucas is very good at.  Unspectacular they may be,  but those vertical passes set the wheels in motion for much of our  good attacking play.  Without Lucas providing this service Coutinho gets less ball and ball in deeper areas.  I do certainly agree that Raheem needs to be further forward and him being played all over the place isn't helping the attacking dynamic.

Firstly -POP-thanks for your insightful contributions.
I wondered during the first half of the game whether Lucas ought to have come on to deal with high balls Fellaini was winning almost every time. He would ghost from the right and and have  a run on any  Liverpool player looking to deal with the ball. As you pointed out, our midfield was pushed to the right leaving a gap in the midfield. De Gea on several occasions would pump up the ball towards the right. It was a clear plan and tactic which we did not counter. Not only did we not win the first ball but the 2nd ball-knock down was also not won. I believe Lucas with his experience may have read and rectified the situation. My re-collection of the Lucas/Fellaini duel whilst he was at Everton was that Lucas seemed to do well against him??? Just a thought and observation at the time but have no stats to support this.
Also agree with this post about Lucas and his underrated ability to pass forward.

[Timbo's Goals]

Timbo talks utter bollocks shocker!!!

There's always gotta be some smart bastard who emerges with hard facts to shoot down half-baked theories

 

Cheers for that Loo Pan.

Good stuff.

Back to the drawing board it would seem.

 

[PhaseOfPlay]

At the same time, our shots on target per game and our goals per game has reduced since the return of Sturridge. We went from 2 goals per game from after United to Sturridge coming back, to 1.6 goals per game since his return. Similarly, we have gone from 6.5 shots on target per game to 5.3 shots on target per game, since we moved Sterling out of the forward spot. There isn't necessarily direct causation, but moving Sterling out of the forward position is clearly having an effect on our attack.

[redmark]

I agree. A system does need forging. Ultimately we want 1] namely a better collective with a proper clinical striker.

At the moment it seems to be a conundrum, though:-

2] a better collective without the striker

or

3] an inferior collective with the striker.

In my own mind there's no question that at the moment we don't appear to have a sufficiently fit, mobile and determined Sturridge to provide us with option 1]. Even with Sterling alongside I find it hard to see him at the level demanded right now to enable the collective to function with him in it as fluently as it was just a month ago without the striker.

Of the other two options in the light of where we are right now and where we want to try and attain by season's end I'd definitely opt for 2] even if it means chancing our arm without the real clinical finisher that Sturridge clearly is. Bearing in mind, of course, that Sturridge would still be an option from the bench.   

It felt to me that Sturridge was a touch sharper on Sunday. Not perhaps in his all-round work and fitness (which will probably not be resolved now without a good pre-season preparation), but in his touch, confidence and decision making in the area. The first time volley was great confidence and almost wonderful technique. The layoff to Lallana was great vision and perfectly weighted. The goal was signature Sturridge movement and a snapshot making a great keeper look laboured.

Sterling certainly (despite occasional wonderings about him becoming a world class wingback) needs to be higher up the pitch, freer in his movement putting fear into the minds of opposing defences; because he can certainly be a world class attacking player. The Coutinho-Sturridge relationship has enough proven potency to be encouraged over the remainder of the season. Lallana, and his slightly frustrating casualness when just about to move the ball allowing a defender to get a toe in, may be the one to miss out, unless (in Skrtel's absence, perhaps), there is a reversion to some 4231 which gets all three of those players into the critical areas around Sturridge.

Central midfield for me, remains the bigger long term question. In the dying days of Gerrard's reign (one he seems to have hastened, with his throwback to teenage petulance), not one of the cast of replacements is entirely, reassuringly, convincing. On the best days of each, they can look superb. Yet each can also look ponderous and plodding, against the unlikeliest opposition.

[gregorio]

Did anyone watch Utd warming up before the game?
It was fascinating. They had Carrick and Hernandez in the middle of the pitch receiving a ball the either feeding Fellani or Mata who would then lay the ball out wide to an on rushing Blind or Valencia. In one routine they would get to the byline and cross for Rooney to shoot and on the other Mata or Fellani would run inside and take the pass then shoot.

It was pretty clear what they were doing looking at passes behind the wingback and outside the centre back. In the match they didn't really use the byline one (apart from perhaps the pen) but the Hernandez ball to Mata for their first was pretty close to the pre match practice.

I have never seen a team so methodically test a move just before a game.

Yes, I tend to watch the away team warm up and noticed this as well. What impressed me was that they were doing much of it independent of the coaching staff. Full credit to Utd, they had a plan and they executed it well in the first half. I was struck by their confidence and composure - Van Gaal is slowly but surely making his mark -  but our crime was to allow them to impose this plan on the game. As others have said, we struggle to wrestle back control of a game if we start poorly.

I'd love to say that when we finish above Utd by +1 goal difference I will be replaying that penalty save by Mignolet on a loop, just 5 points & 13 goals to make up

[sattapaartridge]

 
Great OP Phase of Play.
 
It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Gerrard stayed on the pitch. It seemed in the first half, Henderson was trying to play long through passes into the channels and down the middle, but he didnt put any "float" on the balls. Gerrard is more than capable of playing long quality passes, but we didnt see anything from him. #RedCard
 
Nail on the head too, with Sturridge playing like a scared man, and still gets injured!!! It has been something that has pissed me off lately. He's slow upfront, but still keeps on the last man. His turn is a little more rigid and he barely takes a man for pace anymore.
 
The main thing they did is make Sterling and Can work hard.
 
Big positive for me was Mignolet saving a penalty, pity it wasnt a little more meaningful, but 2-1 scoreline doesnt look as bad as a 3-1 scoreline. But its the points difference that mattered.
 
Another trend I feel is, before a big game, I think we over-promote the game. Interviews, picture albums, media put us as firm favourites. Against Beskitas, lost. Against United, lost. Can our players adjust to being favourites in big games? Weight of expectation?
 
I told people around me, and I was laughed at, that I was shitting it for this home game. The ref will decide it. I'd take a draw before kick-off. Keeps us close with them having a harder run in.

[didi]

At the same time, our shots on target per game and our goals per game has reduced since the return of Sturridge. We went from 2 goals per game from after United to Sturridge coming back, to 1.6 goals per game since his return. Similarly, we have gone from 6.5 shots on target per game to 5.3 shots on target per game, since we moved Sterling out of the forward spot. There isn't necessarily direct causation, but moving Sterling out of the forward position is clearly having an effect on our attack.

are the players guilty of passing up reponsibility too?
they seem to shine in adversity but yet seem to shrink reponsibility when it matters
i feel players like Henderson, Allen come out of their zone when Gerrard is not in the side otherwise they play with in themselves when he is out on the pitch same as City game, no Sturridge and Sterling /countinho revelled alongside each other, Daniel comes back in, I know Sterling is shifted out of position but then Countinho seems to suffer

[PhaseOfPlay]

are the players guilty of passing up reponsibility too?
they seem to shine in adversity but yet seem to shrink reponsibility when it matters
i feel players like Henderson, Allen come out of their zone when Gerrard is not in the side otherwise they play with in themselves when he is out on the pitch same as City game, no Sturridge and Sterling /countinho revelled alongside each other, Daniel comes back in, I know Sterling is shifted out of position but then Countinho seems to suffer

The problem for me is that Sturridge, after an initial burst of adrenaline when he returned, has reverted to his actual physical level post-injury. So our attacking game slows down some, with Sterling shunted out wide, meaning we have no connection to the attack centrally. So to get the ball, when he gets isolated, he drops into midfield, centrally, and we lost any sense of width or depth. If we get the ball into him in the box, he's still dangerous, but there's too much of a disconnect up front when he is the lone forward. If we put Sterling up with him, our attack will probably get a shot in the arm from having more lateral mobility, leaving Sturridge to worry about getting into the box. This will mean dropping Lallana, but he is probably coming to the end of a cycle of decent form anyway, injury notwithstanding.

[fowlermagic]

To get the best out of Sturridge he does need Sterling closer to him and likewise to see the best of Sterling means stopping this wingback experiment with him. A three prong attack of Sturridge, Sterling with Coutinho behind them seems the logical path forward all season. Once all are fit they should be out there together as no one else has shown enough to start ahead of them week in week out. There is no way you can plan without starting Sturridge most days if fit, he might be lacking in match sharpness but that will come back.

[Robinred]

To get the best out of Sturridge he does need Sterling closer to him and likewise to see the best of Sterling means stopping this wingback experiment with him. A three prong attack of Sturridge, Sterling with Coutinho behind them seems the logical path forward all season. Once all are fit they should be out there together as no one else has shown enough to start ahead of them week in week out. There is no way you can plan without starting Sturridge most days if fit, he might be lacking in match sharpness but that will come back.

I don't believe Sterling is being played as a wing back as an experiment.

I believe he's being played there because a) Ibe is injured b) Lallana doesn't perform the role effectively c) ditto Markovic - at least of late d) Moreno is a young full back new to the role of w/b and prone to rashness and postional errors (which is why others have been tried there, and Sterling ended up there on Sunday).

I posted in the build up to the game that I thought they had stronger options on the flanks than us, and that they would target those areas. I truly wished I'd been wrong.

It seems likely to me that we will persist with this system only if Ibe is fit and Brendan shoehorns one of the other options for the left side into the lineup. Otherwise, we just might see a reversion to a back four; the more so since Martyn's ban, as the current system suits him down to the ground.

Another reason why Brendan might consider a reversion is a feeling that in our last two outings we've had opposition managers designing systems that exploit the very weaknesses discussed above.

[Timbo's Goals]

I think I need to be clear on where I am with all this. I think Sturridge is one hell of a player. I love him as a Reds player. Watching him at White hart lane just prior to his injury he gave an all action performance that troubled the life out of the Tottenham rearguard.  He led the attack like a master. He was a pure delight. Enthralling in all aspects save for actually sticking the ball in the net.

Right now, however, given his form since the injury with him at the point of our attack our attacking momentum seems not only to have stalled but to be reversing itself back to where it was prior to Brendan deploying Sterling at the head of the attack.

Now I've no statistics to back up what I'm saying. Just my own visual interpretation and - going by Loo Pan's data - a memory that might appear on the face of it to be a mite too selective and convenient in its lapses.   

But the fact remains is what I'm seeing now as I watch the games is a Sturridge who for the most part is scarcely causing opposition defences any problems whatsoever. Sure, I know he's popped in with a few choice finishes and many might claim he's simply being starved of the right delivery. But all in all each defence I've seen him up against seems to have coped with him without really seeming to have to break sweat.

Contrast that with the head of steam Sterling had built up when he was at the point of the attack. The lad is scarcely ever perfect in his performances and he really is no out and out striker but when the final whistle blew in most of those games when he led the attack the opposing defenders were relieved to see the back of the little pest. And certainly for a week on saturday at the Emirates [and for the games immediately following I guess] I honestly believe it is with him restored to that role that we stand our best chance of winkling out the three points we so desperately need to bring us back into something like contention. With Daniel there - and especially on his own - I just don't see it happening.

Hence my posts in this thread.   

[robgomm]

This will mean dropping Lallana, but he is probably coming to the end of a cycle of decent form anyway, injury notwithstanding.

Side issue and maybe taking you too literally but is form a genuine phenomenon for you? If so, how's it judged and measured?

[PhaseOfPlay]

Side issue and maybe taking you too literally but is form a genuine phenomenon for you? If so, how's it judged and measured?

It's a real phenomenon for me, but probably more accurately described as "being in the zone" or "being in sync with the team". It's not about the individual playing well, it's about networks and being on the same page as the other players in your unit. Sturridge right now, for example, isn't in sync with the team. Nor is Sterling, and for both of them, it comes down to reasons previously discussed. Lallana went through a short period where everything he did fit with what the other midfielders were doing, but now it's gone, and he's out of sync again. Lovren has never really been in sync, and Skrtel, Sakho and Can have been in sync for a while now, but Can looks like he's losing that connection right now. So "form" isn't really about individual performance for me, more than it is about organic networks where everybody flows with everyone else's movements. We had it to a high degree last season when we had an unchanged team that knew each other's movements. When a team is in "sync", and thus in "form", putting other players in who might not be at the same level can derail you a bit.

[wemmick]

For me the biggest problem with playing Sturridge right now has more to do with our passing from midfield to attack than his rusty form. Since he returned from injury he has received the ball way too much with his back facing toward goal. Just look at his goals from last season, and all his goals from this season. If he is going to spearhead our attack, he must receive the ball more often while he is bearing down on goal and not moving away from it. I don't know if that will improve with Sterling moving closer to him, and I'm genuinely interesting to know how Sterling would improve the types of passes Sturridge receives (PoP? Serbian?), but I think it doesn't make sense to start Sturridge if we can't play the ball into his feet while he is bearing down on goal.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/09aChdhKiSk?fs=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/09aChdhKiSk?fs=1</a>

[PhaseOfPlay]

For me the biggest problem with playing Sturridge right now has more to do with our passing from midfield to attack than his rusty form. Since he returned from injury he has received the ball way too much with his back facing toward goal. Just look at his goals from last season, and all his goals from this season. If he is going to spearhead our attack, he must receive the ball more often while he is bearing down on goal and not moving away from it. I don't know if that will improve with Sterling moving closer to him, and I'm genuinely interesting to know how Sterling would improve the types of passes Sturridge receives (Pop? Serbian?), but I think it doesn't make sense to start Sturridge if we can't play the ball into his feet while he is bearing down on goal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09aChdhKiSk

The same way it worked when he had Suarez up with him - someone who is mobile drags defenders away and creates space for him because the other defender can't track Sturridge effectively. It also means he has close support instantly, so he doesn't have to go hunting for the ball in midfield. Being the lone forward, and then being isolated, means he's starved of the ball, and in order to get touches, he has to drop in. But dropping in is a straight down the line run, so it's easy to mark and cover. With a second forward, that isn't the case, because of this movement pattern:



With a single forward, that movement is easier to mark because there is a spare defender. With two forwards, that isn't the case, because the other defender has to mark the second forward and isn't free. So Sturridge would only have to drop off a few yards. On top of that, if the second forward drags the second defender wide, then it's easier to play off the shoulder of the 1st defender:



As it is, the lone forward getting isolated because the two attacking mids get dragged into midfield means that our best striker is isolated and well marked, and only when we push up can we get him effectively into the game. His isolation more or less forces the midfielders to either pass to him with his back to goal while marked, or hold onto the ball for other options because he isn't a good one.

[wemmick]

I see, so Sterling would partially act as decoy to open space for Coutinho or Henderson to find Sturridge with a through-ball. Otherwise, Coutinho or Henderson would have to beat both CBs with a very high precision through-ball, cross or lob, or Sturridge would be would effectively marked out of the game. Got'cha. Would you say, then, that Lallana is really the one who should have been opening space for Sturridge? I'm not bashing Lallana, but between him and Coutinho, I think it would be Lallana's responsibility since he doesn't have Coutinho's vision or passing range. I'm actually surprised BR hasn't made the adjustment to 3-4-1-2 earlier. If it's so obvious to smart posters on RAWK, he surely saw this problem developing some matches ago. Why did he stick with the 3-4-2-1? What about Lallana's skill set necessitates blunting Sterling and Sturridge? Seems like a hugely unnecessary sacrifice. They could have made a world of difference in the Utd game.

[PhaseOfPlay]

I see, so Sterling would partially act as decoy to open space for Coutinho or Henderson to find Sturridge with a through-ball. Otherwise, Coutinho or Henderson would have to beat both CBs with a very high precision through-ball, cross or lob, or Sturridge is would effectively marked out of the game. Got'cha. Would you say, then, that Lallana is really the one who should have been opening space for Sturridge? I'm not bashing Lallana, but between him and Coutinho, I think it would be Lallana's responsibility since he doesn't have Coutinho's vision or passing range. I'm actually surprised BR hasn't made the adjustment to 3-4-1-2 earlier. If it's so obvious to smart posters on RAWK, he surely saw this problem developing some matches ago. Why did he stick with the 3-4-2-1? What about Lallana's skill set necessitates blunting Sterling and Sturridge? Seems like a hugely unnecessary sacrifice. They could have made a world of difference in the Utd game.

I've said before that Lallana has made good runs off Lambert for Southampton, and it's like he left those runs in his locker at Southampton, because he doesn't seem to have brought them with him to Liverpool. We saw a bit of it in the Swansea game when he was switched with Sterling, and made that one run off Sturridge for the weak shot. But he is one who should be getting beyond Sturridge and moving about him, rather than Coutinho. Sterling does it naturally as he likes to work the channels. It's not a question of Sturridge as an individual either. Suarez had the same problem with Carroll as his partner because Carroll didn't play in forward areas well at all, so Suarez was often isolated, but had the opposite problem in that he was creating space but nobody was using it. Then when he was suspended, it was a case of nobody creating space and Carroll being isolated. There's a reason why lone forward systems either have two wingers either side of them, or a second striker behind them. We're playing with a lone forward system with 6 midfielders behind him - and our problem is that when we have the mobile forward, we lack a natural striker, but when we have the natural striker, we move the mobile forward into wide midfield. The only solution I can see would be to put them together, and let them play off each other.

[wemmick]

I've said before that Lallana has made good runs off Lambert for Southampton, and it's like he left those runs in his locker at Southampton, because he doesn't seem to have brought them with him to Liverpool. We saw a bit of it in the Swansea game when he was switched with Sterling, and made that one run off Sturridge for the weak shot. But he is one who should be getting beyond Sturridge and moving about him, rather than Coutinho. Sterling does it naturally as he likes to work the channels. It's not a question of Sturridge as an individual either. Suarez had the same problem with Carroll as his partner because Carroll didn't play in forward areas well at all, so Suarez was often isolated, but had the opposite problem in that he was creating space but nobody was using it. Then when he was suspended, it was a case of nobody creating space and Carroll being isolated. There's a reason why lone forward systems either have two wingers either side of them, or a second striker behind them. We're playing with a lone forward system with 6 midfielders behind him - and our problem is that when we have the mobile forward, we lack a natural striker, but when we have the natural striker, we move the mobile forward into wide midfield. The only solution I can see would be to put them together, and let them play off each other.

Sounds reasonable to me.      

[Fordy]

I see, so Sterling would partially act as decoy to open space for Coutinho or Henderson to find Sturridge with a through-ball. Otherwise, Coutinho or Henderson would have to beat both CBs with a very high precision through-ball, cross or lob, or Sturridge would be would effectively marked out of the game. Got'cha. Would you say, then, that Lallana is really the one who should have been opening space for Sturridge? I'm not bashing Lallana, but between him and Coutinho, I think it would be Lallana's responsibility since he doesn't have Coutinho's vision or passing range. I'm actually surprised BR hasn't made the adjustment to 3-4-1-2 earlier. If it's so obvious to smart posters on RAWK, he surely saw this problem developing some matches ago. Why did he stick with the 3-4-2-1? What about Lallana's skill set necessitates blunting Sterling and Sturridge? Seems like a hugely unnecessary sacrifice. They could have made a world of difference in the Utd game.

3-4-1-2 is what we should of gone with since Sturridge came back and the forward himself was calling for it by saying how he and Mario could work. Sturridge was dropping so many hints that he wanted a forward along side him.

Sturridge has struggled since coming back and slows down play at times. He will be back but we need to see how we can help him.

[PhaseOfPlay]

3-4-1-2 is what we should of gone with since Sturridge came back and the forward himself was calling for it by saying how he and Mario could work. Sturridge was dropping so many hints that he wanted a forward along side him.

Sturridge has struggled since coming back and slows down play at times. He will be back but we need to see how we can help him.

Hopefully the international break will give Rodgers the time to think about it and work on it before Arsenal.

[Mutton Geoff]

3-4-1-2 is what we should of gone with since Sturridge came back and the forward himself was calling for it by saying how he and Mario could work. Sturridge was dropping so many hints that he wanted a forward along side him.

Sturridge has struggled since coming back and slows down play at times. He will be back but we need to see how we can help him.

So serious questions Fordy  you play Mario from the start who drops out then?

Also second part you play Mario from the start do you think he is on the pitch all game or seeing Red by halftime?

The game was fine margins the problem wasn't Sturridge on his own it was Moreno having a mare of a game, and also Lallana is the other side of the post with his shot we may not be having this conversation at all because De Gea had given it up by then.

[goalrushatgoodison]

Great OP POP 

Question for you - A lot is being made of Swansea's first half performance at the Vetch Field (or whatever their ground is nowadays)  been the blueprint for Van Gaal's tactics on Sunday. But I thought that he set up very similar to how he had against Spurs 24 hours before that Swansea game?

He was accommodated both times by opposition who seemed to be expecting a barrage of long balls and ceded space in front of them as  a consequence. However I didn't see anything at Anfield that suggested he was copying Swansea.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Great OP POP 

Question for you - A lot is being made of Swansea's first half performance at the Vetch Field (or whatever their ground is nowadays)  been the blueprint for Van Gaal's tactics on Sunday. But I thought that he set up very similar to how he had against Spurs 24 hours before that Swansea game?

He was accommodated both times by opposition who seemed to be expecting a barrage of long balls and ceded space in front of them as  a consequence. However I didn't see anything at Anfield that suggested he was copying Swansea.

I still say it's hard to tell, because we didn't cause them enough problems to pressure test their tactics. They played 101 long balls in the game, so they clearly targeted long passes, but no more than they have in previous games. I don't think it was necessarily related to our Swansea game. I think it's easy to think that because Neville said it on telly. But for me, we didn't put them under any pressure in the first half to test their strategy. If we'd done that, I think the game would have been a hell of a lot different than it was. But you give me a game against any team that doesn't want to tackle, and my team will look like Barcelona without trying.

[Fordy]

So serious questions Fordy  you play Mario from the start who drops out then?

Also second part you play Mario from the start do you think he is on the pitch all game or seeing Red by halftime?

The game was fine margins the problem wasn't Sturridge on his own it was Moreno having a mare of a game, and also Lallana is the other side of the post with his shot we may not be having this conversation at all because De Gea had given it up by then.

No Sturridge wanted to play along side Mario. I would just move Sterling up top myself

I thought Mario added some balls myself. Said it before we're a very nice team at times.

[goalrushatgoodison]

I still say it's hard to tell, because we didn't cause them enough problems to pressure test their tactics. They played 101 long balls in the game, so they clearly targeted long passes, but no more than they have in previous games. I don't think it was necessarily related to our Swansea game. I think it's easy to think that because Neville said it on telly. But for me, we didn't put them under any pressure in the first half to test their strategy. If we'd done that, I think the game would have been a hell of a lot different than it was. But you give me a game against any team that doesn't want to tackle, and my team will look like Barcelona without trying.

Have to say I am surprised at that stat - really surprised. I didn't think that they played near as many long balls as they had been earlier in the season. I'm thinking I have a different idea as to what constitutes a long ball (I endured Jack Charlton for ten years) than what the stats men do because 101 sounds mad!!

I thought that like against Spurs their build up was much slower specifically, as you also point out, because they weren't been pressed in either game. I thought that Spurs didn't press them because they expected them to launch it long anyway. Having seen United exploit the space that was afforded them in that Spurs match  I expected Rodgers to start on the front foot. I was wrong!

[Mutton Geoff]

No Sturridge wanted to play again side Mario. I would just move Sterling up top myself

I thought Mario added some balls myself. Said it before we're a very nice team at times.

Sturridge and a better than recently Stirling would work for me Fordy as well.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Have to say I am surprised at that stat - really surprised. I didn't think that they played near as many long balls as they had been earlier in the season. I'm thinking I have a different idea as to what constitutes a long ball (I endured Jack Charlton for ten years) than what the stats men do because 101 sounds mad!!

I thought that like against Spurs their build up was much slower specifically, as you also point out, because they weren't been pressed in either game. I thought that Spurs didn't press them because they expected them to launch it long anyway. Having seen United exploit the space that was afforded them I expected Rodgers to start on the front foot. I was wrong!

Yeah it was probably a combination of direct long balls and crossfield passes, especially across the back of the field.

Edit - Here are the passes. A lot of diagonal and crossfield passes from what I can see:

[007.lankyguy]

Well they did do quite a bit of moving the ball to one side, inviting pressure, then switching it to the other more open side.

[goalrushatgoodison]

Yeah it was probably a combination of direct long balls and crossfield passes, especially across the back of the field.

Edit - Here are the passes. A lot of diagonal and crossfield passes from what I can see:

Thanks for that though I will have to take your word for it as to what it means.

 It looks like the opening credits for Dads Army to me

[PhaseOfPlay]

This was the disappointing thing for me:



The difference between our number of tackles in the first half, and theirs. It's also interesting that they had the same amount of attempted tackles in our half of the field alone as we did on the entire pitch in the first half. If you let a team outwork you like that, you're going to find it hard to get into a rhythm of any sort, and you're begging to be scored against.

[redbyrdz]

Yeah it was probably a combination of direct long balls and crossfield passes, especially across the back of the field.

Edit - Here are the passes. A lot of diagonal and crossfield passes from what I can see:

Found it interesting that they actually practised that during their warm-up. They spread out across their half of the pitch and send long balls all over, finishing with a shot on goal. We played attackers vs defenders on a mini pitch (as always). Showed the two different approaches really clearly, with the difference that they just continued doing the same after kick-off. We never got to do our game, because we were chasing shadows for most of the first half.

[Sangria]

Yeah it was probably a combination of direct long balls and crossfield passes, especially across the back of the field.

Edit - Here are the passes. A lot of diagonal and crossfield passes from what I can see:

It makes you wonder about that suggestion I made before the game, and whether it might have stopped that particular game plan.

[itsgunnabebarnes!]

Sturridge for me is isolated, I'm not sure he's a total out and out striker. Last year Suarez's movement and being in close proximity to Daniel meant he was in tip top form. He's the Lone Ranger now without anyone really near him.

[goalrushatgoodison]

This was the disappointing thing for me:



The difference between our number of tackles in the first half, and theirs. It's also interesting that they had the same amount of attempted tackles in our half of the field alone as we did on the entire pitch in the first half. If you let a team outwork you like that, you're going to find it hard to get into a rhythm of any sort, and you're begging to be scored against.

Absolutely. The old maxim that you have to earn the right to play is looked on a bit as a tired cliche in the modern world of tactically obsessed football fans.

But it's as true as ever. The one common denominator in all successful teams is that when they don't have the ball they work their socks off to get it back!

[OOS]

No Sturridge wanted to play along side Mario. I would just move Sterling up top myself

I thought Mario added some balls myself. Said it before we're a very nice team at times.

He adds zero goal threat though.

[TheBestSideDrew]

This was the disappointing thing for me:



The difference between our number of tackles in the first half, and theirs. It's also interesting that they had the same amount of attempted tackles in our half of the field alone as we did on the entire pitch in the first half. If you let a team outwork you like that, you're going to find it hard to get into a rhythm of any sort, and you're begging to be scored against.

Wow - very telling. Could you tell me what the red/green X's mean please?

Thanks.

[rocco]

It's more than just a reflection of just one game , since Sturridges return goals scored and shots on target are down about 20% .
Moving Sterling to RWB is having a negative effect we need Sterling up front close to Sturridge and Coutinho pulling the strings behind .
Sturridge as a alone striker just doesn't work just far to isolated sooner we get Sterling even Ballotelli or Borini beside him the better .
Sturridge dropping deep just makes it so easy for teams , we need him in the box with defenders worrying about the likes of sterling running at them and one of our Cm pushing on , this will create the room Sturridge needs , also with the Cm supporting gets Coutinho also more space to pull the strings .
Rodgers needs to change something that's for sure as we have looked to be struggling the last 2/3 games .
Really thought after the first Half V Swansea we would have went with Stevie at Utd and put Sterling up front with Danny .
Even went with Glen and risked Lucas just to get experience on the pitch v Utd .

[PhaseOfPlay]

Wow - very telling. Could you tell me what the red/green X's mean please?

Thanks.

Successful (green X) and unsuccessful (red X) tackles

[TheBestSideDrew]

Successful (green X) and unsuccessful (red X) tackles

Ah, thought that was it - thanks.

[exiledinyorkshire]

I still say it's hard to tell, because we didn't cause them enough problems to pressure test their tactics. They played 101 long balls in the game, so they clearly targeted long passes, but no more than they have in previous games. I don't think it was necessarily related to our Swansea game. I think it's easy to think that because Neville said it on telly. But for me, we didn't put them under any pressure in the first half to test their strategy. If we'd done that, I think the game would have been a hell of a lot different than it was. But you give me a game against any team that doesn't want to tackle, and my team will look like Barcelona without trying.

True dat. Any team can play a neat passing game if you let them. I do think that Utd kept the ball well, but I think we gave up the press after the opening 5 minutes of not getting close to them. And that for me was Sturridge doing it half arsed.