Kinda makes me chuckle when people complained about our boring defensive football under RAFA.
I absolutely detest with a passion the way we play without the ball. The default when the opposition has the ball is to drop 10 yards, let them knock it around as much as they please, until faced with enough pressure whereby we have to then make tackles. It's a deplorable way for this club to set up with that much respect to any opposition.
It's no difference in any shape or form at the moment to how Hodgson had us set up without the ball. Drop deep, retain a nice neat line of 4 or 5, and make yourself really hard to break down. I'm certainly not arguing its not effective if you don't want to concede any goals, but hear me out.
Some of you may recall a UEFA Cup game against Utrecht last year at home? It was sickening to watch, their back 4 pass it around in complete and utter comfort, like fucking tourists in complete luxury.
And this is where I draw comparisons with previous managers. Under Rafa, yes we were hard to beat at our best. Yes we were solid, but there was a distinct difference in our approach to pressing the opposition. Without the ball we didn't sit off and concede huge areas of the pitch, we pressed "as a unit" , with players squeezing their "zones". It forces mistakes, it's sets a tempo, it says we will controll this game and you won't be comfortable doing what the fuck you like, especially at Anfield. It's no coincidence his Valencia team was called the Crushing Machine.
Now don't get me wrong. We had our off days back then, who didn't. But you saw a style of play, a character to the team, a consistent Liverpool you knew what was on the packet every week.
But I don't see it with this side. I don't see pro-active players. I see a passive team, one that will allow teams lots of possession. We have saw it too many times at Anfield this season. Norwich , Swansea, Sunderland, Blackburn enjoying large periods of possession. These are teams who are begging for that type of treatment, to be squeezed into making mistakes, to make this sure this isn't a cosy fucking day out for them, for them to be scared to play us.
And that's what I want from my Liverpool side, especially at home. High Tempo from the off , squeezing space, pressuring , quick
passing, good movement. When you play small teams with that mentality they will eventually crumble, they will lose their confidence, hoof balls out and lose their concentration.
Going back to today's game. It was the total opposite and it's heartbreaking to watch. They had two pensioners in midfield who had the space offered to them to do whatever they liked. Paul Scholes is an absolute liability when harried into quick passes and so is Giggs, but our tactics to drop deep screw it all up.
I just hope we change this as it fuckin grates on me. If you give teams written invitations to come on to you and do what the fuck they like. Even a dog shit Man Utd will make you pay for it, as will all the other shit teams we allow to do it.
