Boro v. Liverpool [R]

Last year...Liverpool had three up front under GH.
You think I'd have remembered something like that.

 

We desperately need Kewell to step up for a month. He has been lazy for too long.

 

That's what it definitely seemed like. We slaughtered the Skunks in the second half but somehow only managed to score the one goal. Le Tallec was playing on the right wing right in front of us and he was absolutely superb. The atmosphere was superb.

 

If anyone cares, Middlesbrough should line up:

---------------------Schwarzer---------------------

McMahon-------Riggot-------Southgate----Queudrue

Parlour---------Boateng-------Zenden-------Downing

---------------Hasselbaink-------Viduka-------------

There is talk of Reiziger coming back in for McMahon but i doubt he will be fit enough for saturday. (might get on the bench but i doubt that too.)

Subs most likely:
Nash
Cooper
Morrison
Job
Doriva

 

Hmmm... thr thought of Neil Mellor up against Southgate makes me weep.

 

whats the difference between that line up and the one that played in anfield for the carling cup????is the back four the same????and doesnt parlour play in the middle of the park?

 

I would not be surprised to see Steven Gerrard in the hole or even playing as a withdrawn forward. He is not likely to have the stamina to play box-to-box and Rafa has used him almost as a forward in several games this season. His early season goal scoring was excellent and our best chances against 'Boro might come as the result of "forechecking"/pressuring their somewhat mediocre (on the ball) backline. I hope that Garcia is very effective in holding the ball and controlling possession between midfield and the final third.

Harry still doesn't have any acceleration or change of pace because of his achillies injury. The ability to change speeds over the ball is what he principally uses to unbalance a defender. When he doesn't have that change of pace, he is necessarily going to be a pedestrian winger (pardon the pun). On the other hand, he is still far more composed at holding the ball than Riise, who is a very simple, direct player. Riise is good in the attack against a team that we have a chance to dominate, because he has a lot of power, pace and his shot can lead to rebounds and second chance shots. But in a game like this where our inexperienced attacking options are going to require us to generate lots of chances (and limit 'Boro's chances) to get a good result, we need to have better holding players on the wings.

Didi and Xabi are going to play big roles as well. Both are composed on the ball and their passing is going to be critical. I am more comfortable with them in center mid than a StevieG who is easing back, as he is more aggressive and direct in his passing - but his effectiveness as a passer will be greatly minimized if his touch is rusty.

In the end, I think I would like to see Florient Sinama-Pongelle playing as a single striker in front of StevieG. I would have him cheat towards the right side (with Garcia under-lapping into the center of the field behind him) and play from counter-attacking depth at times, so that together they can try to cross up Quadrere, etc and force the 'Boro backline to win the ball from them in the box. It could be unsettling to 'Boro to have no static forward in front, yet having to face two speedy forwards who are dangerous with the ball at their feet. Boateng becomes a lot less effective when he begins diving in on his tackles. Doriva or Parlour will not be able to get much done on the ball if they are constantly chasing our wide midfielders as they break through and battling Xabi and Didi.

Harry and StevieG can make secondary runs into the box after Garcia and Flo and try to score off of their lay-backs and crosses. Perhaps Flo can get back in the habit of causing defenders to hack him down, as he won a bunch of penalties when he first emerged last season.

I would also like to see Didi and Xabi alternating on a few secondary runs to try to get a header or a quick drive on target, so that 'Boro doesn't just get in the habit of collapsing their defense around Flo and Garcia. Riise should also get forward and force Downing to run hard and play defense so that he doesn't get on song.

Josemi could have his hands full with Zenden - he will need to be careful, as will Riise. But again, forcing 'Boro's wing players to play all over the field may be the best way to prevent them dominating us in the attacking end. It would be great to see us getting Arsenal-type possession and starving JFH and Viduka of service for long periods of the match (both being prone to getting disinterested).

Liverpool will have to be very active switching the ball around and holding possession, trying to draw out the 'Boro defense by keeping our attacking players playing high, then trying to burst past their line with quick entries and dribbling runs. If we struggle to have any meaningful possession in the attacking third, we might have to consider putting on Mellor and allowing Flo to play off him more. But I honestly think that 'Boro would have a tougher time defending against a lot of forwards who are swirling around on the edge of the box without organizing around out-and-out striker.

First Key - Dominate possession and starve 'Boro's attacking players (including Downing) of Service

Second Key - force Southgate and Riggott to play high and away from their goal, then beat them for pace moving through the center of the field.

Third Key - generate chances from deeper positions with lay-backs and secondary runs so that 'Boro's midfield is forced deep in their zone to defend when the backline collapses around our "forwards".

Things to avoid:

1. Long, low-percentage passes to players unlikely to win/hold the ball

2. Over-reliance on counterattacking in favor of holding possession and playing to the strengths of our creative/composed players in midfield (where our personnel has the greatest advantage in quality relative to 'Boro)

3. Bunkering of any sort, given Boro's great ability to undermine that type of defense, given the strength of JFH, Viduka and Downing at overmatching defenders over time.

 

LSC - Well thought out. That's why we pay you the big bucks.

Erm . . .

 

First, take Josemi out of the lineup. Second, watch as his side is suddenly no longer a problem on defense. Third, put Rowan up asap.

 

It's a page late, but better late than never:




I am petrified.

 

Out of curiosity, how can you get them to play high and away from their goal if you're going to dominate possession? The two aren't compatible. Having a lot of possession will naturally push Boro defenders deeper into their own end.

 

Not that I don't agree with you but perhaps pull your strikers back to help with possesion and have your runners coming from a deep position?

 

I am thinking about how you link between the forwards and midfield. And how directly/quickly you push the ball forward. Generally we drive forward pretty quick or eschew linking entirely by making a long entry pass to a striker as he moves into the attacking third.

Rather than have an out-and-out striker moving into the box and providing a reference point for the rest of the offense (and defense), I am suggesting that Liverpool employ less direct build-up play than usual (esp when Gerrard is playing). Eventually you are going to get into the attacking third with most of your players, but to get there I think we should employ a more technical, short passing scheme that switches play across the midfield and serves the ball on the ground to withdrawn attackers and advancing midfielders who begin their runs from behind the ball/in deeper positions.

I don't think we will be able to hold possession if we are trying to force the ball in to Neil Mellor and Florient Sinama-Pongelle when they are being marked by Southgate, Riggott, et al. And even though FSP is very fast, I don't think that a counterattack - which necessarily creates a big gap between our forward(s) and midfield is going to generate many chances.

Liverpool finally has a fair number of players who can attack defenders with the ball at their feet and have the touch to make medium-range, weighted passes to launch guys making runs from deeper-lying positions - Garcia, Kewell (inhibited by ankle), Gerrard to a lesser extent, Alonso, FSP, etc. 'Boro's defense doesn't want to see these guys moving towards them with the ball, so they will have to step up to play them earlier. As this happens, we can draw fouls, flood one side with players and create an overbalance situation or play keep-away by switching the ball around.

Hopefully we can bunch up a number of players in a deeper position, then as they break - Garcia, Xabi and Gerrard can release one or more of them with quick diagonal passes. This type of system will hopefully force 'Boro to gamble and play the ball or move up into a trapping style defense. That might make it tougher for us to hold possession, but it should open up room behind their defense (which our quick players can exploit) and hopefully occupy their midfielders in a deep enough position that it disrupts their linking play.

 

Sure, but ALT was by no means a physical, target kind of player. You could use StevieG playing higher than he usually does to do the same thing. I also like the pressure that he could put on the defense in a higher position. Think of Alan Smith and the role he plays between Ruud Van Nistelrooy and the ManUtd midfield or when he played somewhat withdrawn with Leeds and chased the ball all over the attacking third.

I am not sure that Mellor has the skills as a linking player to mix well with our offensive-minded midfielders and they are going to need to be very involved if we want to generate a lot of chances.

 

So in other words, you're suggesting a more "total football" approach up top - i.e. the front six are mostly interchangeable. That's fine, and it worked for Argentina in the Olympics. But they dominated possession, and had the opposition pinned back constantly. In the face of a team that wants to use a short passing game and retain possession, pushing up on defense is nothing short of suicidal.
I really don't think the two are possible. If you're looking to catch Boro playing defenders up, you have to give them possession.
Now, there are various ways of doing that - you don't have to bunker in, you can adopt more of a, if I'm permitted to use a tackleball reference here, bend but don't break approach. I.e., begin harrying them with forwards as soon as they cross the halfway line with the ball, and upon winning it use the central man to spray balls out wide or deeper in the center rather than running forward. But you can't keep possession that way. A passing possession game will by necessity force the opposition to sit deeper.

The only way this might work is if you go back and forth constantly, but that's going to create a lot of long balls, and likely chances for Boro. And given Boro's strike force, I'd be more worried about them converting their chances.

 

Earlier this past summer, I watched ManU play David Bellion into uselessness, but whether it was SAF or Bellion himself who was the culprit, I know not. My point is that you must use the tool the way it works, not press it into service other than how it was designed. I cannot see FSP effective as a lone striker. He simply does not have the strength to burrow his way thru effective backline opposition. I doubt that Benitez has been able to construct an attack cobbling this ragtag assemblage together at the last minute. As much as I hate making such a concession, I strongly advocate playing for the point rather for the full three.

 

I understand what you are saying. I guess it is up to 'Boro regarding how they want to play it. If we build fairly slowly, their midfielders will have the chance to get back and harry our midfielders/forwards - which will allow the defense to wait back a bit and try to cut-off passing lanes when the ball goes in. At the same time, the defense would have to be careful that they don't ball watch, because if a midfielder screws up - you are suddenly looking at Luis Garcia or FSP coming at you at pace with the ball at his feet and open space between you and him. Plus, it makes it tough on goalkeepers (if the attacker lays the ball off), because he is mostly screened.

Some teams defend the scheme I am talking about by using a man-marker (either midfielder or defender) on the lynch-pin/creative playmaker to try to disrupt the service. But if 'Pool did what I am talking about, it would probably be difficult to single a particular guy out.

 

Not that I doubt ANY of you guys BUT I'm going to wait and see what Rafa does...

Sorry about Rowen but super elf to the rescue....once more.

 

---
and while this is true, it remains to be seen how Benitez will navigate this leaky barge at the Riverside. good that the skipper will be suited up; good that there are midfield options abounding, but how to put the orb behind Schwartzer?

Naow that's a poser, innit?

 

yeah,and thats the reason why i think risse should play,because there arent much players in the team who can actually score every game ,besides gerrard and garcia,and its asking to much that only those 2 can get us all the goals!!hope kewell takes up the responsability rafa is going to give him,and i really do belive that kewell can get in form ,but he just needs a couple of goals under his belt!!!

 

C'mon. With that attitude, why have a message board.