06 Oct 2025 23:32:01
Eddie001. You've said recently that the slow build up tactic of passing it between the centre backs is to bait the opposition into breaking ranks and finding a gap to penetrate. Question: if you can see this, surely opposition managers can see this too and simply brief their team not to. Time for a change in tactics now, no?
{Ed001's Note - I would say so. I always think fast movement is best as it drags players out of position and doesn't give them time to cover. You don't need players to move fast, the ball should be doing the work. It was always the same when we struggled against low blocks under Klopp, we would move the ball too slowly then as well. That just allows the opposition time to adjust. A bit like crossing early is more dangerous than peeing about doing a Peter Beagrie before crossing it. Possession is only as good as what you do with it.}
07 Oct 2025 00:42:13
my 11 year old made an observation during the Chelsea game. He said that when the defenders are passing the ball sideways inside our own half and then they launch a long ball forward that we lost, it takes Wirtz out of the game. I thought that was quite an astute observation as we'd be more effective working the ball forward and then camping in the opposition half.
at times we had the ball kind of in no man's land about 10-15 yards our side of half way going side to side and then not being ebal to move the ball to put pressure around the box.
07 Oct 2025 02:30:15
Thanks for the reply, Ed. You’re right. Speed is the solution. A few games of rock and roll instead of the symphony would be nice.
Low block teams are so well drilled not to do the exact thing this slow build up expects. They’re not going to move out the way and let us pass through them.
If you’re going to play possession based football look at Barcelona from the tikitaka days. Their team was always on the move. After every pass their players moved into space with triangles to allow the guy with the ball three options for a pass.
I hated that tikataka football. It was slow and ponderous and boring. But we’re miles away even from that.
07 Oct 2025 06:25:39
Liverpool don’t usually launch the ball forward tho, unless it’s maybe at the feet of our new keeper.
07 Oct 2025 07:08:36
Trent is going to win the Balon d’Or.
07 Oct 2025 07:32:22
We just need to change the mindset of constantly giving the ball to salah all the time, wirtz is left moving around and being bypassed just so salah gets the ball.
Reminds me of spurs where everything went through Kane, got to use wirtz more that’s why he was bought.
07 Oct 2025 08:11:36
The beauty of moving the ball fast is players are reacting and not thinking. They lose their shape and often lose their heads too.
Why do coaches overcomplicate every part of what is essentially a simple game.
07 Oct 2025 09:37:34
ED001 Peter Beagrie. not heard that name for a while . remember him beating his man several times with ease bfr attempting a cross . n then he'd try n beat himself bfr crossing it.
{Ed001's Note - used to drive me mad and so many ex-pros that played with him have moaned to me about not knowing when he would cross so they would end up not making a run at the right time.}
07 Oct 2025 09:46:40
In pre-season we played patches of one-touch football where the movement of the players was great and really exciting to watch. There were triangles of players all over the pitch and there was always an option for a quick pass. I have not seen anything like that since the season started.
We started the season ok going forward but losing all those 2-0 leads seems to have massively knocked the confidence (even though we found a way to win in the end) . These last couple of games we have again started ok but then conceded a needless goal and it has destroyed our confidence. Even then, against Palace and Chelsea we found a way back into the game but the team was set up so attacking that you will always be vulnerable at the back. It's risk/ reward. The opening 5 games it went for us but in the last couple of games it has gone against us. that's football and Slots crazy team setups late in games have won us more points than they have lost us so far.
07 Oct 2025 12:24:14
Ed01, moving the ball quickly (and effective set pieces) is the best way to break down a low block. No new ground broken in your comment. Well, except for bringing Peter Beegrie back from the stone age. Now that, was a blast from the past.
07 Oct 2025 12:43:23
In the chelsea game we had the ball nearly lost it in our pen area managed to pass our way out of danger passed it through midfield then it was passed out to MO who instead of taking on the full back turned towards his own goal passed it to a midfielder who passed it to slobz who passed to our keeper who then booted up the park which was won by chelsea player and they were on the attack . This happened several times so what play book is that out of . YNWA.