Discuss Pellegrini...

[sam-caddick]

He's a bit boring - can't really empathise with him much? Anyone agree. I know he is supposed to be nicer than Mancini but the fans certainly don't like him as much yet???

I loved Mancini but he got loved more than the players at times here in my opinion and it should be the team that gets the majority of the fans love.

 

[mcfcphil]

When you have the creativity of Silva and Nasri, the drive of Yaya (prior to the injury of course) and Fernandinho too, not adding the drive, dependability and no nonsense approach of Milner in a game such as this is frankly ridiculous.

I have a real problem at times with Pellegrini's seeming insouciance. He is clearly a manager who likes to play good attacking football, but there are times whether we like it or not, a pragmatic approach is required and today called for Milner from the off with Navas on the bench.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's the cider but I'm fucking fuming with Pellers today.

Genuine question, but how would picking Milner have stopped any of Liverpool's goals? One was a set piece and two came from our left side.

He wouldnt have lost the 50-50 ball in the middle of the pitch that led to their first.
Three 50-50 balls lost in the build up - two from clichy and one from navas.

 

[gungho-tactics]

I think Pellegrini reacted really well today and his changes made the difference, after a pretty poor start. The only criticism of him today would be Navas starting ahead of Milner, although that's easy to say with hindsight.

Personally, I haven't enjoyed us playing with 1 striker. I know it's been forced on us to some extent, but I think we played much better football when we were playing 2 strikers earlier in the season. And let's face it, that's the way that Pellegrini has naturally set his teams up throughout his career. It's kinda assumed that having an extra man in midfield helps you dominate the game, but I'm not sure that's necessarily the case, based on our games this season. A lot of teams have done well against us by harassing our midfield and giving us no time on the ball. Giving teams two world class strikers to worry about seems to create more space for our midfielders to play in. Currently, we're not getting the ball into the opposition's box anywhere near as easily as we were earlier in the season. And I can't be the only one to notice how many long balls we've been playing lately. We're still scoring goals, so maybe I'm talking bollocks, but I think we haven't played as well as when we had 2 strikers.

We are playing with two strikers at the moment. Dzeko and Silva.

People think that our formation is rigid. It isn't rigid. It is total football. Players can take up different positions. Our fullbacks can become wingers. Our defenders can become midfielders. How many times have you seen Kompany and Demichelis in midfield. The strikers can help out in midfield or drift wide and play as wingers.

 

[Anonymous]

When you have the creativity of Silva and Nasri, the drive of Yaya (prior to the injury of course) and Fernandinho too, not adding the drive, dependability and no nonsense approach of Milner in a game such as this is frankly ridiculous.

I have a real problem at times with Pellegrini's seeming insouciance. He is clearly a manager who likes to play good attacking football, but there are times whether we like it or not, a pragmatic approach is required and today called for Milner from the off with Navas on the bench.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's the cider but I'm fucking fuming with Pellers today.

Genuine question, but how would picking Milner have stopped any of Liverpool's goals? One was a set piece and two came from our left side.

Their first goal - the ball that got to Suarez was actually from a lightweight Navas challenge. Now, I'm not gonna say from that Navas caused their first as that would be quite silly and the defence should have done a lot better. Their second from the corner - Navas stood in no man's land, not picking up anyone. Again, would be hugely trite to blame Navas for the goal as, again, Vinnie gets done. Picking Milner might not have altered the outcomes there one iota. However, maybe it would - we'll never know.

What I'm driving at though is before the game surely you look at what the opposition are likely to do, how they are likely to try and boss midfield etc. At that point, I would have expected a thought process - "ok, Milner can give us some additional solidity in the game today that Navas won't. Too much of a risk to play Navas from the off, I'll keep him on the bench in case we need to attack tired legs in the last 20 mins" or something along those lines.

We looked an absolute different proposition when he came on, we pushed them back into their half, pretty much back to their box. Imagine if we'd managed to exert that kind of authority from the outset?

It seemed a no brainer to me?

 

[Marvin]

I think Pellegrini reacted really well today and his changes made the difference, after a pretty poor start. The only criticism of him today would be Navas starting ahead of Milner, although that's easy to say with hindsight.

Personally, I haven't enjoyed us playing with 1 striker. I know it's been forced on us to some extent, but I think we played much better football when we were playing 2 strikers earlier in the season. And let's face it, that's the way that Pellegrini has naturally set his teams up throughout his career. It's kinda assumed that having an extra man in midfield helps you dominate the game, but I'm not sure that's necessarily the case, based on our games this season. A lot of teams have done well against us by harassing our midfield and giving us no time on the ball. Giving teams two world class strikers to worry about seems to create more space for our midfielders to play in. Currently, we're not getting the ball into the opposition's box anywhere near as easily as we were earlier in the season. And I can't be the only one to notice how many long balls we've been playing lately. We're still scoring goals, so maybe I'm talking bollocks, but I think we haven't played as well as when we had 2 strikers.

We are playing with two strikers at the moment. Dzeko and Silva.

People think that our formation is rigid. It isn't rigid. It is total football. Players can take up different positions. Our fullbacks can become wingers. Our defenders can become midfielders. How many times have you seen Kompany and Demichelis in midfield. Our strikers can help out in midfield or drift wide etc.

Agree to an extent but I think our set-up has changed since Aguero went out of the side. Aguero and Negredo were playing as out and out strikers whereas Silva floats around

 

[I'm With Stupid]

I think Pellegrini reacted really well today and his changes made the difference, after a pretty poor start. The only criticism of him today would be Navas starting ahead of Milner, although that's easy to say with hindsight.

Personally, I haven't enjoyed us playing with 1 striker. I know it's been forced on us to some extent, but I think we played much better football when we were playing 2 strikers earlier in the season. And let's face it, that's the way that Pellegrini has naturally set his teams up throughout his career. It's kinda assumed that having an extra man in midfield helps you dominate the game, but I'm not sure that's necessarily the case, based on our games this season. A lot of teams have done well against us by harassing our midfield and giving us no time on the ball. Giving teams two world class strikers to worry about seems to create more space for our midfielders to play in. Currently, we're not getting the ball into the opposition's box anywhere near as easily as we were earlier in the season. And I can't be the only one to notice how many long balls we've been playing lately. We're still scoring goals, so maybe I'm talking bollocks, but I think we haven't played as well as when we had 2 strikers.

I thought we played some great attacking football today, but like you I prefer when we play 2 strikers. But you answered your own point, we don't play two strikers at the moment because of injury to Aguero.

I know, but Jovetic has been available in a few games yet not started.

 

[Ray78]

Both Mancini and Pellegrini never seemed to trust Milner in the big matches and if I had the professional experience and know-how then I could explain the reason why, As for our current manager he has the second season to try us win us a second Premier League title. He has earned the right to do that and there is no reason why he cannot achieve that imho.

 

[gungho-tactics]

I think Pellegrini reacted really well today and his changes made the difference, after a pretty poor start. The only criticism of him today would be Navas starting ahead of Milner, although that's easy to say with hindsight.

Personally, I haven't enjoyed us playing with 1 striker. I know it's been forced on us to some extent, but I think we played much better football when we were playing 2 strikers earlier in the season. And let's face it, that's the way that Pellegrini has naturally set his teams up throughout his career. It's kinda assumed that having an extra man in midfield helps you dominate the game, but I'm not sure that's necessarily the case, based on our games this season. A lot of teams have done well against us by harassing our midfield and giving us no time on the ball. Giving teams two world class strikers to worry about seems to create more space for our midfielders to play in. Currently, we're not getting the ball into the opposition's box anywhere near as easily as we were earlier in the season. And I can't be the only one to notice how many long balls we've been playing lately. We're still scoring goals, so maybe I'm talking bollocks, but I think we haven't played as well as when we had 2 strikers.

We are playing with two strikers at the moment. Dzeko and Silva.

People think that our formation is rigid. It isn't rigid. It is total football. Players can take up different positions. Our fullbacks can become wingers. Our defenders can become midfielders. How many times have you seen Kompany and Demichelis in midfield. Our strikers can help out in midfield or drift wide etc.

Agree to an extent but I think our set-up has changed since Aguero went out of the side. Aguero and Negredo were playing as out and out strikers whereas Silva floats around

I don't agree with that, Aguero and Negredo weren't strikers that just stood there but they were involved with the rest of the team. Silva simply links up better with the wingers and the midfield because technically he is superb.

 

[Anonymous]

When you have the creativity of Silva and Nasri, the drive of Yaya (prior to the injury of course) and Fernandinho too, not adding the drive, dependability and no nonsense approach of Milner in a game such as this is frankly ridiculous.

I have a real problem at times with Pellegrini's seeming insouciance. He is clearly a manager who likes to play good attacking football, but there are times whether we like it or not, a pragmatic approach is required and today called for Milner from the off with Navas on the bench.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's the cider but I'm fucking fuming with Pellers today.

Genuine question, but how would picking Milner have stopped any of Liverpool's goals? One was a set piece and two came from our left side.

Their first goal - the ball that got to Suarez was actually from a lightweight Navas challenge. Now, I'm not gonna say from that Navas caused their first as that would be quite silly and the defence should have done a lot better. Their second from the corner - Navas stood in no man's land, not picking up anyone. Again, would be hugely trite to blame Navas for the goal as, again, Vinnie gets done. Picking Milner might not have altered the outcomes there one iota. However, maybe it would - we'll never know.

What I'm driving at though is before the game surely you look at what the opposition are likely to do, how they are likely to try and boss midfield etc. At that point, I would have expected a thought process - "ok, Milner can give us some additional solidity in the game today that Navas won't. Too much of a risk to play Navas from the off, I'll keep him on the bench in case we need to attack tired legs in the last 20 mins" or something along those lines.

We looked an absolute different proposition when he came on, we pushed them back into their half, pretty much back to their box. Imagine if we'd managed to exert that kind of authority from the outset?

It seemed a no brainer to me?

Henderson Gerrard Coutinho and Sterling vs Yaya Dinho Navas and Nasri doesn't look to me like any kind of mismatch requiring any kind of additional solidity. Personally I would've considered Milner because him and Silva time and time again link up superbly in attack, but the fact the manager went with Navas for me was fair enough. He was more dangerous than Nasri in the first half.

I think if you watch the game back in a few days you'll see how unlucky we were. Two stone wall pens not given, Vinny making two mistakes because he wasn't 100%. It's football.

 

[gungho-tactics]

Ultimately we lost because of mistakes by Kompany.

I'm more concerned about the lack of protection for the back four. Yaya Toure has been exposed this season for not providing that protecting. Under Mancini we defended deep so this weakness of his wasn't known. But now it is known by all of us and it is time that Pellgrini gave Javi Garcia a permanent place in the first team. I've had enough of watching our back four being terrorized this season, they've had way too much work to do.

Pellegrini has my full backing, but if he perseveres with Toure I can no longer support him afraid.