29 Apr 2015 09:52:49
When the cameraman went to Balotelli icing his swollen foot after being taken off last night did anyone notice the commentator say that oh Liverpool will be short of options up front now with Sturridge out and if Balotelli is out.
Well does anybody not notice that Lambert and Borini are there and have been looking for matches all season. Both signed by Rodgers.
He's only playing one up top so I still don't see how we could be short of options. Whether or not those options are good enough is a different matter. I for one would have given Borini a lot more chances this season and I still think signing Lambert was a good idea.
29 Apr 2015 10:30:16
I'd rather Colin pascoe play up front than mario, his movement would be better
29 Apr 2015 10:37:15
Totally agree. Borini got dropped after a decent game against Madrid and hasn't featured much since. Lambert got dropped after scoring. To get strikers some confidence you actually need to give them a run in the team, not replace them with midfielders.
29 Apr 2015 11:28:54
Balotelli's style never suited Rodgers best and most successful tactics, the high pressing game. Borini suits this down to the ground and he should have got more games.
Lambert doesn't suit that style but he did play in a similar system last season at Southampton and at the price paid for him I think he was a good idea for a different option, mainly as backup and coming off the bench.
Can playing defence drove me mad as well last night, it's clear Hull targeted him and attacked his side in the first half (playing RB) but he was having some succuess going forward. The "attacking" substitution taking off Lovren and bringing on Markovic was a terrible idea. Can was shackled even more going in to CB and then Markovic playing RB in a back four is just a bad idea.
Man City brought on defensive midfielders for strikers last season and moved Yaya Toure further up the pitch. On paper it may come across as defensive but it worked a treat from an attacking point of view.
29 Apr 2015 12:22:19
Swishcleaner why is it any different for Balotelli? All I've seen this season from Lambert was a clueless striker most of the time. And Borini is simply far from good enough. The same goes for Balotelli but he poses much more threat than the 2.
29 Apr 2015 13:48:33
Lambert hasn't looked great but when he scored he was dropped. The one time he deserved a game and a run and BR blew it. Borini plays a high pressing game so up top with a second striker at least we could have won the ball back higher up the field and forced errors. Again, when he had his best game he was dropped immediately after. Balo is more talented than both but doesn't suit our style ( pressing game) or playing as a lone striker. His confidence is also shot but in his sub appearances he's looked decent. Unfortunately I didn't see the last two games when balo started so not sure how he's done lately.
29 Apr 2015 14:46:18
I'm not arguing about tactics. I'm arguing about the players per se. Lambert is not good, Borini is not good, Balotelli is not good. Out of the three the most dangerous is Balotelli. I can also argue that when Sturridge was fit Balotelli showed his true self, but wasn't used as much as partner to Sturridge.
Borini or Lambert with the style we play(one striker), would have most of the time have the same, if not worst, result as using Balotelli. Borini after all those years isn't a Liverpool level(not even as a sub) striker. He can only press. Our mistake was that we didn't push for his sale when Sunderland wanted to keep him.
29 Apr 2015 19:59:15
And who bought these "poor" strikers you all speak of? Yeah, that would be the same guy who keeps moaning that he needs a top striker YET when he had a chance to get them like rem or Bony (who are NOT top strikers BUT wwould do a lot better than the guys mentioned YET BR said NO to them), he choked and did not. The manager is at fault here for the upteenth time and nobody else because the players did not sign themselves. Somebody bought them and allowed them in and the manager should not be allowed the benefit of the doubt here. Remember the quote, "No player will come in here that the manager doesn`t want'. Yeah, that would be the same guy bitching about how Balo was not his choice. BR should save his doublespeak for those who care and for his many apologists because for those of us who argue based on facts, he`s wasting his time.
30 Apr 2015 07:36:25
And this is our difference. He didn't bought or oversaw the transfer of Balotelli, because they throw this to him without wanting(according to Macca and who will I believe you or Macca?). He wanted someone better than Balotelli and they gave him Balotelli. So who is the criminal here? BR or the club aka transfer committee aka the owners?
Also who rejected Remy BR? Or the club aka transfer comittee aka the owners? Bony would have been better but he would have cost much more without offering that much. Instead of throwing their all to buy a strong name of a striker they were playing around. And this is not just BR's fault as he can't do whatever he wants.
BR bought Lambert as a cover 3rd striker. He was not bought to play week in week out and he is not a bad striker if you have others who score consistently and he doesn't have the burden to take us out of the mud every week.
I said repeatedly BR made mistakes, but I'm not throwing it all out to him without looking at the big picture or the behind the scenes just like you people do.
{Ed001's Note - Rodgers rejected all the other options so got stuck with having to take Balotelli. At the end of the day he could have had Remy or Bony, he chose not to go for either.}