Topic: Rawk round table THFC 0-5 LFC

[woof]

Spurs had to up their tempo in the second half. You don't expect them to just fade away at home when they are 2-0 down. But that's OK because it meant Hendo could drop deeper and help out to soak the pressure. It could have been 3-0 before the red card as well so it's not just down to Paulinho's dismissal. There were 2 chances in the first half where you'd expect Suarez to score from a relatively easy chance but he didn't.

When you have 2 tenacious rats leading the forward line in Suarez and Hendo, that attitude and workrate will rub off on others.

[harryc]

Thanks for the analysis BoH very insightful and agree no reason we should fear any team.

[Fitzy.]

Suarez isn't just a nuisance to deal with as a lone striker, his very presence causes panic to the extent that the roaming attacking midfielders are able to swarm teh penalty area without being tracked properly. Opponents are so preoccupied with "where is Suarez and what is going to do to me now" that other attacking players can make runs into space. It's obviously more subtle than that but that is the additional impact Suarez has on defenders. We are such a potent attacking force and Rodgers is expoiting that with very ambitious starting XIs. On paper the team against Spurs could have looked a tad lightweight but he set them up so well and aggressively that it was Spurs who looked lightweight.

[ChaChaMooMoo]

PoP. You were right about Sterling. Something about him told me (and still does!) that he wasnt quite ready to make it yet. But he surely created a lot of problems for their both Naughton and Fryers. But is he really upto doing this week in week out?

The 2-0 break at HT was very optimal for us. It gave is the cushion to release our foots off the pedal and observe the way Spurs would react after the HT. The red card changed everything. After the red card, they were left with 1 Striker (Soldado), 3 wingers (Chadil, Townsend, Lennon)and 1 CAM (Holtby) and 4 defenders on the pitch. We were cautious enough not to allow them anywhere near to our goal but at the same time relentless in our attack, exploiting the huge gap between their forwards and defenders.

However one thing caught me out was how Sakho was playing under pressure. I think it was around the 84-88 minute. Sakho intercepts a pass from Holtby and has Townsend, Chadil charging at him and has his back turned at Soldado, who is on side, in front of Skrtel. If he loses the ball, it would have been a definite goal. Skrtel should have been a lot more cautious about his positioning. But nevertheless, despite the pressure, Sakho just passes it forwards to Allen, bypassing both Townsend and Chadil. As cool as f*ck. Definite coup for us.

There is a lot of discussion about whether Gerrard should come back into the team for us. This game was just an example about how Rodgers wants us to play. Midfield trio working hard to win the ball irrespective of the position of the ball on the pitch, hunting in packs and feeding the forwards while not forgetting their defensive responsibilities. I think AL 555 put it in a perspective that I read it again and again. An absolute beauty of a post.

Why would he be dropped when he hasn't been in the team for 5 or 6 weeks. Yesterday was for me the embodiment of how Rodgers wants to play the game. A mobile 1-2 midfield that squeezes the life out of teams wins the ball and then plays short, sharp passes around the opposition. We were a well drilled unit yesterday with everyone playing with intensity and energy. There were no passengers letting runners go, there was no periods of dropping off and letting the opposition dominate so we could have a breather.

Yesterday was the way we should play for me, we didn't have a playmaker or someone looking to dominate possession we had a team letting the ball do the work. It was like watching a five a side game on an eleven a side pitch. We overloaded the area the ball was in, every time we got the ball the player on the ball had three or four options and moved the ball quickly and sharply. That doesn't happen when you have keep knocking 60 or 70 yard passes to isolated players.

The chance at the end for Flanno summed it up for me, we kept the ball for fun, short sharp passing, moved Spurs around and opened them up. It was an absolute joy to watch. The thing is though that the move involved us keeping the ball for a couple of minutes with the ball going forwards and backwards and from side to side. Stick Gerrard in there and he would of looked for an assist every time he got on the ball.

The question for me is not whether we are better with Gerrard but whether Gerrard is capable of playing with intensity for 90 minutes and whether Gerrard is capable of becoming a cog in the red machine and not trying to drag the team into playing the way he wants to play.

Suarez. He came, he scored, he conquered. He, time and again, rubs charcoal on faces of those fans who said we dont need a player who doesnt want to play for us. I dont see this brigade anymore. We are so lucky to have him. Flannagan. Absolutely made up. He has definitely stepped up this season. Sissokho and Enrique should definitely be worried about their long term future. Atleast one of them should be. Bad he didnt get his other goal.

But on the whole. Definitely a massive confidence boost before the tough run of games. If we are able to maintain the 2ppg that we have been doing so far, I dont see a reason why we cant qualify for the champions league. Definitely a strong contender.

[exiledinyorkshire]

excellent work POP as always.

I said before the game I would settle for a tin hats on backs to the wall cagey affair.

I didn't however see that kind of pressing game in us. There has been little indication of it so far. If we can play like that though on a consistent basis, its clearly the way to go.

I was most impressed with Sterlings contribution to the pressing game, he harried and held his gigantic opponents off and up extremely well on sunday, and the great thing was that as he did so he was joined by a team mate very quickly to really crank up the pressure.

Was a great game of modern football played by a Liverpool team.

Very happy with that.

[Hank Scorpio]

Superb that PoP.

One thing which did cross my mind during the game but I quickly forgot about in the euphoria of victory was Lucas quite noticeably dropping in between the 2 centrebacks.  PoP has referenced it above and added reasons.  It was definitely a more pronounced drop rather than filling the space.  Lucas was actually deeper than the 2 CB's at times.  I wonder if it was because he had 2 mobile players in front of him so wasn't so worried about dropping too deep.  It worked quite well but our pressing worked better so we didn't see it as often during the rest of the game.

[exiledinyorkshire]

Chacha,

I think everybody is missing the point about Suarez.

The way we are starting to play is massively enhanced by a player of the sheer brilliance (and it is bordering on autistic genius) that Suarez brings. But, and its a massive and inevitable but, if he goes or is banned for 15 games can we make it work without him. I know that Rodgers has said he has built a team around him, but has he?

Would that kind of team performance have yielded anything lkess than an handsome win if it had been strurridge and not Suarez up front on Sunday? I'd like to think it would have been just as emphatic.

Suraez has been different class this season, on a whole another level. But we are  not a one man team on this showing. And if and when the circus returns we should remember that.

I was happy for him to leave in the summer, I wanted him to go. He wasn't helping the overall project as much as he could have in my opinion. We survived a massive ban for biting an opponent, in fact we kicked on. He has come back as the cherry on top. Good, but if the cherry falls off what kind of cake is left beneath? I would argue its a well baked one. and we must always remember that the cake is the important part, not the icing or the cherry. A dog turd with frosting and a cherry on top looks nice after all.

[Hank Scorpio]

Agree.  I think we are building a structure for team play and for individuals to express themselves.  When you throw someone like Suarez in there, it goes to genius level.  But who would have thought the likes of Henderson, Sterling were capable of that level of performance.  That really was a step up.

Remember, we've scored more in an away game without Suarez.  6-0 Newcastle.

[BarryCrocker]

Actually thought the ref had a decent game.

Played some good advantage.
Didn't fall for Soldado's penalty claim
Got the red card right.
Could have sent Holtby off for his petulance.

[TheDarkKnight]

Do we think Henderson maybe feels unshackled by absence of Gerrard?

Perhaps. I mean Henderson has put in two or three genuinely top drawer performances for us prior to yesterday's, the best of which was in the 0-6 demolition of Newcastle at St James' Park last season but in terms of doing it in a game that isn't a dead rubber, instead in a game of huge significance at the home of a top four rival then yesterday's tops any of his previous displays in a red shirt. He tends to always do the basics right but yesterday he showed more weapons in his arsenal. His passing was top notch, at times Gerrard-esque, his goal was very well taken (although you could argue he should have scored before then), his awareness of what was around him was refreshingly brilliant and, as usual, he used space well with brilliant movement and was resemblant of a duracell bunny. How much his performance was down to Gerrard is hard to gauge, and it is only one game so it is too soon to do so. If he plays like this in our next three or four then it'll be a better question.

Do we think Sterling is perhaps justbeginning to get it?

He's always had the ability, at the end of the day he is just a young lad with huge pressure that stems from the fact he plays for Liverpool and has been capped by England. People who put him down earlier in the year deserve any abuse that comes their way. He was poor against Hull, good against Norwich, very good against West Ham, exceptional yesterday. If he can keep that upward curve going then I won't complain! Mind you, nor will I complain if he has a nightmare against Cardiff or Man City because he's just a kid.

Do we wish we could play them like that every week...

Yes please.


One of the most pleasing aspects of yesterday for me and I'm sure many others was our relentless pressing in packs. Of course you can be successful playing many other ways but there is something really enjoyable about watching a perfect pressing plan get executed in front of your eyes. Like poetry in motion. Southampton are a team I've tried to watch as often as possible this season, I love how brave they are regardless of who or where they are playing and they press so well as a team. It's looked good for them and bar a couple of defeats lately in tough games has worked very well for them. With us having better players than them it looked even better seeing us do it yesterday. The great thing is it appears to be in Rodgers' plans to implement that style more consistently (as much as I love Stevie, he's not tailor made for it as he used to be) and we have young, fit and hungry players like Henderson, Allen and Sterling who are absolutely made for it too. Then there's Suarez who is the master of it due to his incredible fitness and anticipation. Anyway, great to see it yesterday, hope to see more of it in the next few weeks, especially in the home games. I know we worry about seeing ourselves pressed in to submission as it is has been our achilles heel at times but Southampton are one of very few teams with the ability to do it to us for a sustained period. I actually had Tottenham down as another that could and would press us after seeing some of their previous games this season, particularly their first half at Everton, but yesterday showed that perhaps the best way to respond to a pressing team against us is to press them ourselves. The fact is our players are better technically than those at Tottenham and Southampton in most key positions, so why not use it against them? Intrigued to see if we use it in the Man City game now on Boxing Day.

Following that dismal day to Hull and back, I was worried that we would struggle without Sturridge but we've scored 14 goals in three games! That disaster seems like it was a lot longer than two weeks ago. I criticised our away form after that, both performances and results on the road this season, but yesterday showed we can play just as well away as we can at Anfield and should give that belief and 'arrogance' if you like in our upcoming trips.

Also mentioned our inconsistency after the Hull match- we hadn't won two in a row since Sunderland and Crystal Palace, now we've strung together three on the bounce. Can make that four in succession if we beat Cardiff, God knows how long it's been since we last did that. Definitely didn't manage it in the last three seasons if memory serves. It shows the direction the team is going in, slowly gaining consistency. We've corrected our home woes of the last two years in 2013, and this win gives me confidence we can assert ourselves more in the away games from hereon in.

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable game to attend on Sunday that, given the significance, should help us to overcome a mental block which can only help us in the long term. Happy days.

[Timbo's Goals]

A real sense of good old fashioned Liverpudlian pride in watching that performance. Not to mention a huge dollop of ecstacy.

Some good analyses in here. I felt PoP's synopsis was bang on except I also feel the contribution of Sterling when it was still 0-0 deserves special mention. At that stage of the game he was an absolute menace to Spurs - as much off the ball than on it.

Apart from the joy of seeing a Liverpool team performing as well away from home as any in the past, I think there is an overriding quandry which many have alluded to but which is dominating my own reflections on what went on. It is whether it was just a coincidence that a performance of such quality came as Stevie was out of the side.

I've wondered for some time that with Brazil looming whether Stevie has fallen into a comfort zone of playing - instinctively as distinct from consciously - a conservation game. When you throw in the fact he's reached the remaining twilight years of his playing career, what you are left with is a footballer still incredibly gifted yet one who is instinctively unprepared and/or simply physically unable to fulfill the entire dynamic workload required of a central midfielder in todays game. Such a game may have worked in the days of Souness and later Molby and may still suffice in certain fixtures. Generally speaking, however, today's game requires a different more relentless dynamic. This has been most apparent when  he's partnered Lucas in a 4-4-2 - I think I'm right in saying against Southamptoon, Arsenal and Hull in particular.

The contrast of that Lucas/Gerrard midfield pairing with the all dancing, all singing, bite the arse off anything that moves three man midfield performance of Allen, Lucas and henderson we witnessed on Sunday was stark. And sobering. The sharpness and all action marauding at White hart lane highlighted just how static and laboured a lot of our midfield play has been in the likes of the games I've mentioned. How the vulnerability to opponents mobility taking them beyond our midfield and onto our back line was replaced with a biting resolve to stem the flow of the opposition attack at source. Such relentless pressing would seem beyond Stevie now and to be honest I'm not sure if it's ever been a major strength of his anyroad.

And yet, of course, Stevie is still a major asset. Still our captain. Still capable of contributions beyond the ability of others. And I don't simply mean Coutinho's corner kicks. The point is perhaps now is the time when Brendan can utilise Stevie [when he returns to fitness] to unleash his captain as an added lethal weapon. perhaps as an additional roving marauding impact substitute up front to complement the attack. The substitute angle would afford Stevie the chance to conserve energy for Brazil and enable his clinical finishing ability, currently way way under employed, to be fully harnessed. Stevie may not be happy to have his midfield role taken away and certainly wouldn't be happy as a sub. But maybe that's how he can best serve the team for the rest of his career. The team always comes first.

Then, of course, there's always the possibility of the club's finest ever right back actually playing there....

        

[cowtownred]

^^

Excellent points.

And the last one is especially thought provoking...

[The 5th Benitle]

I still don't understand why when Kelly plays, he plays RB and Johnson plays LB but when Flanno plays, he plays LB? Would love a technical explanation from one of our experts. Was delighted for Flanno who deserved that goal and is a real asset to have in the squad.

Anyone?

[robgomm]

I'm no expert but I doubt it's a strategy. When he was in the team at right back Flanno wasn't as big a factor if I recall rightly, so the decision was made to shunt Johnson to left-back. Now Flanno is doing great and Kelly came on for him the other day, presumably so as not to take off Johnson who was still needed.

[Hank Scorpio]

   

I think it's a big decision with regards to Gerrard.  I thought back when Rodgers took over he actually shirked that responsibility.  At the time I thought are you really going to build a midfield around a 32/33 year old?  I know he is Stevie Gerrard but still.  Rodgers probably wanted Sahin to be a little more involved in midfield but there was the looming shadow of Gerrard.  Sahin didn't exactly apply himself.  So we had Gerrard with a clearly injury impacted Lucas. 

Maybe I was unfair on Rodgers back then and maybe his approach is more subtle.  Gerrard has quality written all over his game.  Quality which others, no matter the legs, simply don't have.  He can score and create.  When you are picking a team, that is exactly what you want, and it's exactly what you don't want to be facing.  It's an obvious asset and rather than worrying about his legs over 90 minutes you put him in and you could be 2-0 up by HT.  Therefore, the cost/benefit is in favour of Gerrard and you avoid a political minefield by leaving him out. 

I say subtle because I think Rodgers is letting Gerrard play himself out.  It's becoming more and more obvious that Gerrard cannot play the physical role in midfield.  And when your side goes out and wins 5-0 at Spurs by dominating midfield it is a clear demonstration of what could be without Gerrard.  Gerrard will always be the last to admit he cannot do it anymore.  Great players are like that.  It's what took them to the top and kept them there.  Don't expect Gerrard to just walk away from what is effectively his life's work.  But I think Rodgers will leave it up to him.  He's playing him into a corner.  Maybe we won't see it this season but next year may be the one where Gerrard takes a backseat.

[DanA]

Anyone?

Let not forget for every hour on the pitch Rodgers has probably seen them for five off it and that's for the regulars. It's likely as simple as Flanno looks good as a LB while Kelly doesn't. It might be argued too that Kelly is working through a mental battle as much as a physical one in regards to his knee and the last thing he needs is to be put in an unfamiliar position.

[B0151?]

Anyone?

In fairness it's not like Kelly and Johnson switched when he came on last week, he came on at LB too. Brendan has clearly decided he wants Johnson on that right, for what reason I'm not sure. If Kelly was to come into the team now I think it would be on the left, think it's more about keeping Johnson in a settled position than Kelly or Flanno right now. Perhaps along the lines of not disrupting two flanks when you only need to do one.

The fact Flanno might have done a solid enough job at LB in training shouldn't be forgotten too. Think he's been vindicated in this decision regardless.

[ChaChaMooMoo]

Anyone?

Maybe because there is a difference between a "Full Back" and a "CB, but playing FB".

[Caffeine]

That is definitely the first time I've ever seen Lucas Leiva taking a corner.

[DanA]

I think this game is definitely food for thought for Rodgers regarding our midfield. I wouldn't call it "proof" as some have suggested but there is enough evidence to suggest the pressing absent Gerrard was a real asset and should be explored further. To date Rodgers has been quite dogmatic in his team selection in central midfield (partly due to Allen's injury) but if the Allen/Lucas partnership proves as fruitful as it did against Tottenham over the next few games we might see Rodgers be a bit more creative in his use of Gerrard. For me that has the potential to be a real positive as I still see Gerrard as a game changer and if we can maintain or improve midfield performances will freeing up Gerrard for another role (winger, supersub, even fullback?) then why not.

[na fir dearg]

Anyone?

Id love to see Kelly start at RB against Cardiff

[Draex]

I think this game is definitely food for thought for Rodgers regarding our midfield. I wouldn't call it "proof" as some have suggested but there is enough evidence to suggest the pressing absent Gerrard was a real asset and should be explored further. To date Rodgers has been quite dogmatic in his team selection in central midfield (partly due to Allen's injury) but if the Allen/Lucas partnership proves as fruitful as it did against Tottenham over the next few games we might see Rodgers be a bit more creative in his use of Gerrard. For me that has the potential to be a real positive as I still see Gerrard as a game changer and if we can maintain or improve midfield performances will freeing up Gerrard for another role (winger, supersub, even fullback?) then why not.

It was also evident v's West Ham, Allen and Lucas work perfectly as a pair. It's then a case of Henderson or Gerrard ahead of him, but my starting 2 in the center would be Lucas and Allen first.

[redk84]

That feeling, at the end of the game...will go down as a high point of this season (hopefully one of many)

Jesus christ we were sublime to watch. From the first minute to the last we looked in control, our pressing and work with the ball was as good as ive seen from us in recent times.
That was a template away performance...

In their own back yard we were bossing it, never let them get a foothold and actually took advantage of our dominance (should have scored more too!)

The midfield trio worked as a team, hendo drove the ball well from midfield....allen distributed quickly and efficiently and lucas worked tirelessly screening the back four. Sakho and skrtel looked assured for the most part and flano, well, that kid has recently shown what hard work and the right mentality can do. Was made up with him for his goal....

And sterling also, came out the blocks like a rabbit on crack and deserved his goal.

Coutinho is just magic and Suarez well....what a player.

Top performance redmen. Remind yourselves of that performance whenever u think ur up against it...

[didi]

did anyone think we got away with Solado's shoulder on Mignolet ?
cant help thinking 1. what a silly pass for Sakho to make in the first place and 2. how slow was Mignolet trying to get to the ball he must have had a couple of yards on Solado and he doesint appear the quickest either.
Again Glen Johnson is strolling through games and seems to think he only has to turn up, sloppy time and time again.
otherwise the midfeild up we were a complete and utter joy, the best ive seen us under Brendan. Remember thinking to myself during the spell in the scond half against West Ham when they couldint get out of their own half that this was exactly what Brendan meant about death by football and again from the off we were right at it, can understand when he rates Allen so highly cause in his last 3 games his been an integral part to our pressing.

[steveeastend]

 
I still don't understand why when Kelly plays, he plays RB and Johnson plays LB but when Flanno plays, he plays LB? Would love a technical explanation from one of our experts. Was delighted for Flanno who deserved that goal and is a real asset to have in the squad.

You have to watch training sessions on a regular basis in order to be able to answer that question. Probably Flanno simply has a better passing to offer with his left foot compared to Kelly who is probably right footed only. There are huge differences between players in this respect and it does make a massive difference where and if a player is played. Maybe Flanno has been brought up as a full back only which makes him more comfortable playing on the other side compared to Kelly who is more of a converted center back moved to the right. There could be a lot of good reasons which become pretty clear when watching training and knowing the players on a daily basis.

Skrtels place is pretty much nailed on exactly because of that IMO. There is a reason why he covered for Johnson all game with Lucas moving back to the center.

[PhaseOfPlay]

did anyone think we got away with Solado's shoulder on Mignolet ?
cant help thinking 1. what a silly pass for Sakho to make in the first place and 2. how slow was Mignolet trying to get to the ball he must have had a couple of yards on Solado and he doesint appear the quickest either.
Again Glen Johnson is strolling through games and seems to think he only has to turn up, sloppy time and time again.
otherwise the midfeild up we were a complete and utter joy, the best ive seen us under Brendan. Remember thinking to myself during the spell in the scond half against West Ham when they couldint get out of their own half that this was exactly what Brendan meant about death by football and again from the off we were right at it, can understand when he rates Allen so highly cause in his last 3 games his been an integral part to our pressing.

It was a shoulder into the back with the ball not in playable distance. Mignolet's control was poor, but it was a bad pass from Sakho - a long looping ball that was more fitting as a cross than a back pass (a cross that Mignolet couldn't take with his hands). Mignolet was certainly slow, but I don't think that was ever supposed to be a part of his game (sprinting). That one was all on Sakho and his inexplicable choice of pass.

[killer-heels]

Mignolet did look like he was looking for it, he had a look back to see where Soldado was.

[Hank Scorpio]

I was tearing my hair out at that stage.  Just gone 2-0 up and we do something like that.  I feel we got away with it in the end but they were completely avoidable errors so close to HT.  I think it shows we are still a little immature as a team.

[robgomm]

Soldado knocked him in the back and cost himself a goal. It wasn't shoulder to shoulder, it wasn't a fair challenge. It was a bloody stupid challenge.

[ElstonGunn]

Anyone?

I'm of course no expert, but I think it makes sense when you consider their respective attacking games. As someone said in his thread, Flanno is a pass and move fullback. His value with the ball is a good first touch, accurate passing inside, and occasionally good movement into goal scoring areas. His game with the ball is basically about keeping possession. He's not someone you really want bursting down the wing and sending in a cross anyway, so he doesn't lose much on the left.

Kelly, on the other hand, has a completely different attacking game. He doesn't have Flanno's touch, agility or short passing. What he does have, though, is a good cross and very very powerful running. Think of that run vs. Everton. When the guy gets a head of steam, watch out. But if he makes that run, then has to check back onto his right side, there was barely any point of it in the first place. So he loses most of his value with the ball when you put him on the left.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Anyone?

There's a lot more turning involved for a right-sided player playing on the left. Plus at left back he would be pushing off his right leg more often when turning to defend against a winger or overlapping fullback. So in terms of his recovery, I could see the club wanting to keep him off that side to reduce the risk of recurring the injury.

[Sangria]

Maybe because there is a difference between a "Full Back" and a "CB, but playing FB".

Correct. Kelly is a trained CB who's adapted to an FB role, but Flanagan is a boner fide FB, the type whose foundations you can erect a pass and move game on. He's perhaps not been so adventurous going forward in the past, but as we saw, he's clearly been working hard on his attacking game, and there is more in tent in his shorts and long distance supporting runs.

[stara]

The take-home lesson from this game is that Liverpool shouldn’t fear any other team in the league. The football the team is capable of is more than enough to trouble even the biggest squads. Only 11 players can play at any one time, and what Liverpool’s first 11 might sometimes lack in player-for-player quality, it makes up for in togetherness, tactics, and mobility. The celebrations after the goals yesterday, and after each half ended, showed a team that believes in the talent of the collective, rather than the number of its parts. Sometimes, that is enough to make up for any “quality” deficit in individual player match-ups. We’ll see more about that in the next three games.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/huokfPgsZok" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/huokfPgsZok</a>

Brings "Miracle on ice" to my mind. Hope our kids can replicate it on the grass.

About the Sunday's match. I keep watching it over and over again. Brilliant team effort.

[Tsar Kastik]

Correct. Kelly is a trained CB who's adapted to an FB role, but Flanagan is a boner fide FB, the type whose foundations you can erect a pass and move game on. He's perhaps not been so adventurous going forward in the past, but as we saw, he's clearly been working hard on his attacking game, and there is more in tent in his shorts and long distance supporting runs.

[Chakan]

Correct. Kelly is a trained CB who's adapted to an FB role, but Flanagan is a boner fide FB, the type whose foundations you can erect a pass and move game on. He's perhaps not been so adventurous going forward in the past, but as we saw, he's clearly been working hard on his attacking game, and there is more in tent in his shorts and long distance supporting runs.

hahah nicely done.

[mrantarctica]

excellent analysis as always PoP

We have a stretch of 3 games in 7 days at the turn of the new year with City, Chelsea and Hull, before our Cup game. It would be hard not to see Kelly getting a run at RB for at least one or more of those games. I wouldn't mind seeing him against Cardiff. A few good performances from him, and with Flano being in pretty good form, might just give Johnson the kick up the backside he needs to up his game.

[scropper]

Correct. Kelly is a trained CB who's adapted to an FB role, but Flanagan is a boner fide FB, the type whose foundations you can erect a pass and move game on. He's perhaps not been so adventurous going forward in the past, but as we saw, he's clearly been working hard on his attacking game, and there is more in tent in his shorts and long distance supporting runs.

I see what you did there...

[GrkStav]

In "Being Liverpool", BR is heard and seen talking to Flano one-on-one and effectively telling him that he's a 'limited' or 'old-fashioned' full-back, not one who should be 'bombing downfield' with abandon but, instead, one who plays within himself.

“Your strength is your reading of the game, so stay behind the ball… you’re not the one bombing on…you’re the boy that stays behind, serves the ball simple, gets organized from behind, gets possession.”


Either Flano has "proved him wrong" and BR has happily accommodated him, or BR (et al) managed to turn Flano into a 'Lahm-lite', or both.

PoP's proposed explanation of why Flano is preferred at LB vs Kelly while Johnson stays at RB was, to me, the most plausible.

[PhaseOfPlay]

In "Being Liverpool", BR is heard and seen talking to Flano one-on-one and effectively telling him that he's a 'limited' or 'old-fashioned' full-back, not one who should be 'bombing downfield' with abandon but, instead, one who plays within himself.

“Your strength is your reading of the game, so stay behind the ball… you’re not the one bombing on…you’re the boy that stays behind, serves the ball simple, gets organized from behind, gets possession.”


Either Flano has "proved him wrong" and BR has happily accommodated him, or BR (et al) managed to turn Flano into a 'Lahm-lite', or both.

PoP's proposed explanation of why Flano is preferred at LB vs Kelly while Johnson stays at RB was, to me, the most plausible.

Flanagan has held the most conservative position of either of our fullbacks, though, in the games that he's played. So he hasn't done anything against what Rodgers was talking about. Johnson is the "bombing on" fullback, in that he pushes forward and stays there. Flanagan plays like a traditional fullback, choosing his moments to go forward, but generally sitting off in midfield helping to add numbers to the central defenders if needed.

[Durlmints]

Just got back home after a few days. Didn't even come on here after the match, and that in itself tells me how much of a result this one was.

What to add?

Allen was at his best since his start to last season.
Sterling was too.
We looked fresher and more energetic with Henderson and Allen constantly pressing.
Will be interesting to see how that midfield three copes with the absence of Gerrard.