Does Pep need to be more pragmatic away from home in Europe?

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Peps tactics and style of play is utterly fantastic and has given us all so much joy this season with unprecedented success.

If sticking to it means we lose the odd and it is the odd game then so be it and no way should he or us change because of the odd result.

His style and tactics saw us thump them 5-0 at home and i see no reason why that cant be repeated next week and if it is then this thread will be rightfully redundant.

That was a very even game that we happened to take a 1-0 lead in, and in which having had Mané sent off, they then also sacrificed Salah (not yet in his pomp at that stage of the season) as part of a damage limitation exercise at half time. Once that failed after the 3rd goal went in, they took Firmino off as well and played the last 25 minutes with 20 year old Dominic Solanke up top on his own. I’d say that is a pretty compelling reason why it won’t be repeated next week.

As to not adapting to any opponent ever, it’s pure folly. It may only be one game, but try telling that to our owners. They desperately want to win the Champions League and when you get to the business end of that competition, you’ll find that pretty much every team left in it will pose a massive threat. Simply continuing to play your own way with no regard to how the opposition might benefit from your set up, is naive at best and probably explains why several years have passed since Pep last won it

 

[Sir peace frog]

That was a very even game that we happened to take a 1-0 lead in, and in which having had Mané sent off, they then also sacrificed Salah (not yet in his pomp at that stage of the season) as part of a damage limitation exercise at half time. Once that failed after the 3rd goal went in, they took Firmino off as well and played the last 25 minutes with 20 year old Dominic Solanke up top on his own. I’d say that is a pretty compelling reason why it won’t be repeated next week.

As to not adapting to any opponent ever, it’s pure folly. It may only be one game, but try telling that to our owners. They desperately want to win the Champions League and when you get to the business end of that competition, you’ll find that pretty much every team left in it will pose a massive threat. Simply continuing to play your own way with no regard to how the opposition might benefit from your set up, is naive at best and probably explains why several years have passed since Pep last won it

barca and madrid change their oh no they fucking don't,they stick to what they are good at.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

You really are missing his point pal.

We did try a plan B, we did change tactics, we did try to be pragmatic - it just didn’t work.

No. We made a feeble attempt at being pragmatic, which was neither one thing nor the other.

 

[blueinsa]

Exactly, if the way we play sees us only losing 1 game in the league , why change and risk losing more for the sake of 3 points at Anfield. Just do what we do but do it better.

The first week he arrived he told us how it would be and he made it clear that now and then, we would lose because of it but in the end, it would bring success and a league and cup double this year breaking every record out there in the process tells me he wasn't wrong.

Yes we lost last night but we can more than overturn the deficit at home and do it his way.

he wont change and he shouldn't change.

 

[aguerrrroooooooooooo]

And we are 16 points clear, so those 3 points are no more important than 3 points against any other team. Its only because last night was a cup game, and we aren't even out yet. The answer is to keep the ball better and the players to learn to keep the ball under pressure better, but nobody does it as well as Liverpool in the premier league so the players don't come across it that much.

Read the thread title mate, I'm not saying we should play this way in the league but simply that we should consider being cautious away from home in the champions league.
Also there's little to no chance we go through next week and even if by some miracle we were to turn it around then it wouldn't take away the issues that have been stated in this thread

 

[Silvas' left eyebrow]

I didn’t think the tactics were that bad last night. The only change I would have made was to sit deep and counter for the first 20 minutes whilst the Liverpool euphoria blew over for a bit.

I can sort of understood why Gundogan was picked yet either way it doesn’t make up for that fact that he just didn’t perform regardless.

I said last night the psychology of team was just not there last night. Maybe the pressure of us playing a team at least 16 points behind us in the league and proving that by beating them was just too much. This was the reason I didn’t want an English team. The pressure to prove we are so far ahead of them in pretty much two one off games was maybe just too much.

I knew when Pep mentioned his dissatisfaction with the the bus situation in the pre-match interview that we were making excuses. This idea that Pep and some of the players were not affected is nonsense because if it was the case many of them would not have been quite overly vocal about it.

I am just gutted more at the euphoria from red scouse fans . Last nights result just reinforces that they are the best team in England and still a power house in Europe (all in their minds not everyone else's) it's too much to take. Was tripping over Liverpool shirts while in supermarket tonight . I haven't seen one for weeks !

 

[aguerrrroooooooooooo]

I am just gutted more at the euphoria from red scouse fans . Last nights result just reinforces that they are the best team in England and still a power house in Europe (all in their minds not everyone else's) it's too much to take. Was tripping over Liverpool shirts while in supermarket tonight . I haven't seen one for weeks !

Wouldn't worry too much mate, we'll win 2 trophies while they will likely end up with nothing

 

[blueparrot]

Read the thread title mate, I'm not saying we should play this way in the league but simply that we should consider being cautious away from home in the champions league.
Also there's little to no chance we go through next week and even if by some miracle we were to turn it around then it wouldn't take away the issues that have been stated in this thread

OK , thread title, Pep will try different things but pragmatic no he won't. So if we find a way of winning the champions leqgue in the next 3 years if he signs an extension , great, if not so be it Im happy with winning leagues. I think we'll win it before he leaves though and I haven't written us off

 

[Brendan110_0]

You must have been watching a different game to me. We hit umpteen long diagonals to Sane yesterday. Alas it turned out to be Gael Clichy in a comedy Leroy Sane wig, cos he just ran back up the touch line towards Laporte every time he received the ball!

No one on the other side though, that was the problem in my view, we made it too predictable.

 

[Silvas' left eyebrow]

Wouldn't worry too much mate, we'll win 2 trophies while they will likely end up with nothing

Wouldn't worry too much mate, we'll win 2 trophies while they will likely end up with nothing

Light in the dark.