Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

I’m hoping he does something different against Atalanta. I’m not expecting to beat them but we really need to avoid another cricket score being added to the growing portfolio.

As mentioned by others, it’s strange how we changed our approach from the Chelsea/City/Hun games.

 

I get why everyone is saying we should set up more defensively after we've just been beat 7-1. But just a couple of points - Dortmund's weakness is in their defence and their strength is their attack so why sit back and not attack their weak(ish) defence while allowing them to attack us at will with their strong attacking players when our weakness is also in defence. If we'd set up defensively I think we could have still lost heavily the only difference being we wouldn't have scored or created any chances - see Scotland v Germany (though they did get a lucky OG).
The only team to give us a game this season albeit against a weakened team was Falkirk who were applauded for coming out and attacking us unlike all the SPL teams who had been hammered when they played defensively (like everyone wants us to do).
AV didn't necessarily get a result against Bayern by playing defensively - they have players of a near similar level to Bayern so there's not that gulf in quality - it's possible they'd have won by more if they'd attacked them.
For the record, I do think we should try playing more defensively against Atalanta simply because we've got to try something different.

 

I think there are definitely things that are on Rodgers, such as the general approach and selecting Taylor and Bernardo (I might give him a pass on Bernardo, as no one saw that coming; but the utter mismatch between Taylor and his winger was entirely predictable); but on the whole, I think much of what went wrong was out of his control.

Most obviously, our best defender was missing for a match where we had to defend the majority of the time. We would still have got a tanking with CCV playing, but perhaps not quite the same score.

We lost 2 goals due to uncharacteristic individual errors from Daizen. I don't see how Rodgers can legislate for that.

I can't bring myself to watch the game back and I'm happy to be corrected by anyone who has done so if I'm wrong; but according to my memory, the main reason we were so open in central midfield was Bernardo showing no positional discipline. In particular, I seem to remember him snapping into presses that weren't viable quite a few times. If that isn't wrong, then it seems like Bernardo wasn't following Rodgers' instructions. I think the fact that he got taken off so early suggests I'm on the right track with that.

Engels and Kuhn just hid. Again, I don't think that's on Rodgers. In Engels' case, I think that can happen with such a young player. In Kuhn's case, he's 24 so no excuse. His ambition of being a German international seems like a joke after that. Forrest might not be as fast as he once was, but at least he'd have been braver.

Finally, at least one of their goals (the deflection off of Trusty from a ridiculous angle) and arguably 2 (the one that threaded the needle through 2 pairs of legs right into the bottom corner) were sheer luck. The xG for this game suggest 5-2 not 7-1.

So not Rodgers' finest hour to be sure; but I think more of the responsibility lies with the players IMHO.

 

Still backing Brendan, in the cold light of day we got a doing off a good team. Players and tactics weren’t on it, and we suffered the consequences. So far this season we have been excellent, including Bratislava, so it’s a sore one but hopefully that’s the only battering we get. The thing for me is I appreciate the desire to play our game and have a go, but there seems to be a bit of a reluctance to be pragmatic. As though it’s a negative when it’s the opposite. I expect some tweaks for Atalanta and a bit more shape/harder to break down, but if we play the same way, I would be having big concerns about any European success with Rodgers. Which is tough as I do think he’s a great manager and domestically is pretty untouchable.

 

There’s sitting camped in your own box, and then there’s being a very good counter attacking team. They are two different things. Leicester won a premier league playing counter attacking football. We’ve got the players in the attacking areas to play that way. Against the likes of Dortmund and Atalanta away, it’s absolutely the way we should be looking to approach it in my opinion. Not having a naturally defensive minded midfielder is still killing us though. Someone who can naturally see the danger. We’ve nobody who can, which added to the fact one pass was taking our whole midfield out the game on Tuesday.

 

Nope, which is what annoyed me and most others.

I don't think anybody is/was asking him to play defensive, but Dortmund had another 3 clear cut chances after going 2-1 up, at that point he should have realised it wasn't working.

 

I think that is the nub of it. We still don't have that natural defensive midfielder who can snuff out danger before it begins in the midfield, ideally two, if the other is either injured or suspended.

A defensive midfielder of some stature and an electrifying, pacy left winger would be my two top targets in the January Transfer Window.

 

While I agree with you that we should set up to counter, the Leicester team you mentioned had a world class DM in Kante and another decent one in Drinkwater whereas we don't have any player in the same mould as either - as you said. The other thing they had was two rock solid, physically imposing centre halves and full backs who could get up and down. We only really have that on our right side (when CCV is fit).

Either way our defence needed/needs protection and they got * all of it with the way we set up Tuesday.

 

I know what you're saying and I probably do agree mostly but sometimes you can start off trying to play counter-attacking football but if you give all the momentum to a good attacking team like Dortmund they end up pinning you in and once they've done that it's only a matter of time until they score (probably a few). We'd need to make sure we pressed them around the half-way line or just inside their half and didn't fall back into our defensive 3rd which might be hard to do, that we always had an out ball and when we broke we were willing to quickly commit enough players forward to put them under pressure.
The other issue as you say is that we don't have a decent imposing defensive midfielder.

 

That whole team were brilliant, we don’t have a player like Mahrez either who can turn a game from nothing.

just looked back at their squad for that season; Tom Lawrence was there! But played 0 games. He definitely says he’s won the English prem to people

 

We are three players (feel like we say this every year) from a side being able to take a game and possibly (with a touch of realism) bake to take a result in a game like Tuesday night.

A left back that's on a par with AJ and another CB on a par with CCV isn't out of our reach.
Then add that DM player.
It doesn't need to be a brute force unit like Wanyama (although I'd not say no), but just someone able to do the defensive support work for these games. Come other games comfortable enough to step forward.

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Spot on with regards to Bernardo. But was he carrying out Rodgers instructions cause he pressed high all first half and caused us all sorts of problems.

 

Never wanted him and his ego back. Still dont. Once a rat always a rat. I turn every interview with him off.HH

 

I don't think he can have been following instructions, because (a) it was stupid and (b) he got taken off so early.
I can't imagine he will play today and I'd be in favour, personally, of not letting him even make the bench as a punishment (although I doubt Rodgers will do that).

 

Great changes. Fair play Rodgers

 

Subs made a difference

 

What a riddy of a post.

 

If that was the case why did either the captain or our bench not have a word. As you say, it was stupid, surely someone's got to rein him in.
Anyway, time will tell. Let's see what happens v atalanta

 

What a HHelmet.