Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

Genuinely though, because you see it a lot from fans demanding a different formation. So you must have one in mind that will work if you think it?

 

The style of play has to change not the formation. To be honest I think the manager needs changed.

 

Been thinking about this a lot recently.

We really need to move to a 4231 to get the best out of the likes of cal mac, Engels and Nygren.

Cal mac and Engels more central would mean less emphasis on going through cal mac and would have Engels in a more central area avoiding him getting lost out in wide areas.

Nygren as the central attacking midfielder with tounekti on the left and Maeda on the right (until jan) with kelechi up top. Again feel we'd get the best out of Nygren in a more cental role just off the no9. In our current midfield 3, the 2 players outwith cal mac occupy wide areas too often and we create next to nothing through the middle, this means the one striker has to drop short leaving nothing in the box a lot of the time. Drop Nygren in the hole and our striker can stay forward.

 

We absolutely should have moved to a 4-2-3-1 in the summer.

 

He’s done here. Time to part ways in the summer. His tactics are so rigid. No plan B. Sticking with the same players who have been * for most of the season. Point scoring over the board by ostracising players that “weren’t his signings..” I don’t think it matters what players are brought in. It’s down to the style of play. We are so stale and boring and have been for a long time.

 

He changed tactics last night.

 

The formation is a bit of red herring for me.

Its how we are trying to play withing the formation thats not working.

We have too much possession with no intent.

The tempo of the play needs to pick up. We need to move the ball forward more quickly. If that means we lose the ball more, then so be it. Work on being effective at winning back. A lot of chances are created by forcing opponents into mistakes and winning the ball off them when they are not in position to defend. Thats where space opens it.

We have 70-80% possession in games trying to break down teams that have sussed out and keep us passing the ball backwards and sideways.

Work on set peices. They are no longer out of fashion in football - they are coming back in fashion even at top teams.

 

I genuinely think the players are totally confused, we have a lot of quality players that seem to be played out of position and think they are confused as to what is the game plan, no point having the vast majority of possession but don’t score goals, what happened to running at players , shooting and improvising, we really have lost our way and we really need a clear the air meeting so the players and management are on the same wave length.

 

I thought so as well at first but i dont think its the case. Its basically the same squad as we had vs Bayern minus Jota and Kuhn. Tounekti has been a good Jota replacement so far.

McGregor was aging 6 months ago as well. The problem is bigger than this unfortunately.

I think the players that have been here for a few years simply dont put in the work anymore. They dont have the natural hunger and needs gone.

 

Minus Jota, Kühn, Taylor, Idah and AJ. That's a huge amount of attacking power lost, mate.

Now add to that the fact that McGregor and especially Schmeichel have clearly declined since last season (in Schmeichel's case, really badly), our best player from last season has his head already out the door because the board lied to him and our record signing (who whatever people think, played a huge role last season) is pretty much frozen out for reasons unknown to us.

In exchange, we've brought in Tounekti (fair enough), a half-fit Iheanacho and a bunch of players who aren't good enough to make the first team and we still haven't replaced Kyogo.

It's mental what they've done to us.

 

Some team he will have to his disposal in january when Tounekti, Iheanacho and Balikwisha is gone to AFCON

 

Brendan never plays Balikwisha now for some reason, so he won't be missed I suppose

 

Im surprised we haven't tried it either.

It probably suits all our midfielders, Bernardo and Engels you'd say for sure thats probably their best positions playing in a 2 man deeper midfield, then McGregor and Hatate could play there too. Balikwisha and Nygren are number 10 types so would suit them.

It would also suit our full-backs, to play the more old school run up the wing on the outside style of play which Johnston and Tierney do well with 2 midfielders deeper who can cover them at times.

It would also replace the Taylor role of having 2 people in midfield when playing out from the back without a full-back needing to be involved.

 

How we build from defence to midfield definitely needs reworked given McGregor's decline. As much as Taylor had many, many flaws, his ability on the ball and inverting did offer something when building up and made McGregor less exposed.

 

Why does he keep putting Dane Murray on in crucial European games? I don't see much improvement from 2021 - he's way too error prone.

 

It didn’t change the style of play though did it?

 

Now first off don't take this post as some big defense of Brendan Rodgers. Just like against Kairat again Rodgers has to take part of the blame for how flat and lifeless we were last night for large spells. But also just like Kairat for me the focus remains squarely on Lawwell, Nicholson, McKay and Desmond they need to go first. Rodgers should be doing better but they are the reason we are as bad as we are right now. You simply cannot gut a team of so many of its attacking players and expect it not to have a big impact and thats on the board. So again yes Rodgers needs to get his act together but for me there can be no distraction that it is the board and Desmond who need to go because this is about the long term future of the club not what happened last night.

 

We are in a bit of mini crisis, whether we acknowledge it or not.

We have a manager who appears to have checked out, in dispute with the Board, and cold shouldering signings who weren't his own. We don't look like we could buy a goal just now, trailing in the League, and papped out the Champions League by a bunch of journeymen from Kairat. Five goal less draws this year alone, and Schemeichel and McGregor are past it, and a midfield that is a disjointed assortment of 8's, as @henriks tongue has said before. Team spirit probably rock bottom, and a bunch of players probably queuing up to leave in January. We have two choices as far as I can see, either continue with a manager who may not give a toss anymore as he is on the road out anyway, and at loggerheads with the Board or pay him off now, and get someone of quality in now, to try and salvage our season.

We are there for the taking.

 

He's going nowhere, has earned the right to make this season a success. He'll go after the season is done one way or another..

He has to change something as its not working.. but we're still unbeaten domestically even if it has been a difficult watch..

This board would only put in a caretaker in any case.

 

I've seen this story before, and so have you.

We've seen it with Lenny, Strachan, Mowbray, and Delia, last season blues.
It's only going to end one way if he struggles on against all the odds. In tears.
As it stands, I would take my chances with a caretaker boss for a few months, until we get someone else in.