Hansen's take on the weekend

[Guest Kev]

Telegraph

 

Benitez must act to halt alarming fall from grace

 

By Alan Hansen

Last Updated: 10:57pm BST 22/10/2006

 

Eleven points off the pace and with the big three slipping ever further away, it looks all over as early as October for Liverpool's pursuit of the Premiership. And when you think that the season began with many tipping them to run Chelsea closest, that is a truly sobering thought.

 

They may yet produce the kind of unbeaten run that they put together towards the end of last season but those kinds of statistics are a long way from the reality Liverpool face now. After five away games in which they have gained one point and scored one goal, they look badly in need of a strategy.

 

If you want to consider yourself one of the country's top clubs, you cannot continue to keep looking to a single player for inspiration. However great a footballer Steven Gerrard is, that is too much pressure to heap on one man's shoulders, especially when he is not performing well.

 

I have always maintained that Gerrard's best position is in the centre of midfield, driving forward; but he can play wide on the right, he can play as a holding midfielder or as a right back. He would probably play in goal if you asked him to. But for one man to shoulder so much responsibility for the way a club of Liverpool's size perform is impossible.

 

Analysing Liverpool, you see problems throughout the side and it is up to Rafa Benitez to sort them out. The manager is the man who took the plaudits when Liverpool won the Champions League and the FA Cup and it is up to him to take decisive action when things are not going well.

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There is plenty for him to consider. His goalkeeper, Jose Reina, produced one world-class save from Louis Saha but recently he has made many errors of judgement and he seems very uncertain when coming off his line.

 

There are serious problems with the back four. My views on Liverpool's rotation policy are very clear: the time to rotate players is generally when you are winning, but the one area you should be very wary of rotating is your defence.

 

The game may have changed since I played it, but what is still true is that the centre-backs do less running and more talking to each other than any other players on the pitch. It is an absolutely crucial area that depends on understanding and reading your partner's game. As a manager, you would be looking to play the same back four 20 times on the trot, not split them up.

 

Up front, Liverpool's weaknesses were glaring. At Old Trafford yesterday, they created one chance – Dirk Kuyt's header – and they passed the ball so poorly that you never expected another. You can talk about lack of pace or lack of height or lack of anything in Liverpool's attack but not since Michael Owen have they had a player capable of scoring 20 Premiership goals in a season. At Old Trafford there was no passing, no cohesion and no threat.

 

Whereas Chelsea and Manchester United spend £30 million on a player and even Arsenal can and do pay big money, Liverpool spend between £4 million and £9 million on transfers. That gets you 'maybe' players, footballers who could do a job but who would be dangerous to rely on in a crisis.

 

The fact that there is talk of new investment in the club from Dubai is welcome, but it is irrelevant to what is happening on the pitch now. When Old Trafford holds 75,000 and Anfield can accommodate 44,000, it is obvious that Liverpool are operating under a huge disadvantage. David Moores has been a great chairman of Liverpool and if he feels the need to sell the club, he should be supported and I would back him if he decides to stay.

 

However, there are factors other than finance that separate Manchester United and Liverpool. Yesterday so much of United's play revolved around Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, men who are immersed in the club. Their enthusiasm for football and for Manchester United has not diminished more than a dozen years after they made their debuts at Old Trafford. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United each have sides who you can see going on 14-match unbeaten runs.

 

Liverpool, in contrast, would struggle to get through three unbeaten games in their present form and seem to have slipped back to the pattern of Benitez's first season, when Liverpool were excellent in Europe but could not win away from Anfield in the Premiership. Back then they looked too fragile, while now their away record suggests they are not good enough.

 

Benitez might argue that Liverpool are nearly there, especially when at Anfield, but in the context of what they need to achieve in the Premiership, nearly could mean a million miles.

Edited October 23, 2006 by Kev

[12twelve]

I really hate this 'Gerrard in the middle' campaign. It's screwing our captain's head (then again he should've be so easily influenced. But we all know what an insecure boy he is)

 

Of course Gerrard can playing in the center. If he had Roy Keane playing behind him of course he can!

 

We can't afford him doing it because our other options in central midfield are Alonso and Sissoko, neither player are 'all-round' enough to cover for Gerrard. It's a team game!! Before he can clone a Momo and put Xabi's brain in him. Gerrard will have to make do playing on the flanks. And why not? Nedved and Zidane were the best midfield players in the last 10 years, few would argue that. And they both played on the flanks which allowed them to roam free and attack!

[zimmie4444]

I'm sick of hearing about Gerrard. Sick of hearing his apologists and his detractors. He's a good player, the captain, but he's PART of a team that is underperforming, for all kinds of reasons. He's played in the middle this term in certain games and been poor, throwing him in there is not the automatic cure to all our, and his, ailments.

[Cooldude]

 

If you want to consider yourself one of the country's top clubs, you cannot continue to keep looking to a single player for inspiration. However great a footballer Steven Gerrard is, that is too much pressure to heap on one man's shoulders, especially when he is not performing well.

 

 

Stop reading right about there, an absolute load of steaming horses***

[Beardsley]

Alan Hansen has some valid points, but generally he shoots in all directions with this article.

 

But, Rafa MUST sort out:

 

* The lack of a playing pattern. We have no movement, and it seems to me we lack a general plan for our way of playing

* Stop the rotation until we'll get a settled team

* Let players who performs well play. Why Gonzalez was taken off last night beats me?

* Keep it simple. Now, we have too many players trying flick-ons resulting in us loosing the ball after two seconds in possession

* Use players in their best positions. Pennant as a left wing? Don't think so...

* Have a long, serious talk with the skipper. He looks so f*cking gloomy these days, not performing anywhere near to his standards, not leading by example and generally not motivating his teammates. Even though he's not playing in his favorite position, he is the captain of Liverpool FC. He should act like one and do his best, not try to emulate Fat Frank. Double standards because he's not playing in his best position? Maybe, but then again he IS the captain and so I expect more from him than from his teammates.

[Rimbeux]

I really hate this 'Gerrard in the middle' campaign. It's screwing our captain's head (then again he should've be so easily influenced. But we all know what an insecure boy he is)

 

Of course Gerrard can playing in the center. If he had Roy Keane playing behind him of course he can!

 

We can't afford him doing it because our other options in central midfield are Alonso and Sissoko, neither player are 'all-round' enough to cover for Gerrard. It's a team game!! Before he can clone a Momo and put Xabi's brain in him. Gerrard will have to make do playing on the flanks. And why not? Nedved and Zidane were the best midfield players in the last 10 years, few would argue that. And they both played on the flanks which allowed them to roam free and attack!

 

 

Gerrard is not a Nedved or Zidane type player, nothing like, you make him out to be some fancy dan who is too lightweight/lazy/attacking to play central midfield

 

 

Does anyone ever wonder how combinations such as Fabregas/Gilberto or Scholes/Carrick manage fine defensively in a 442 or similar?

Edited October 23, 2006 by Rimbeux

[lawrie]

Of course Gerrard can playing in the center. If he had Roy Keane playing behind him of course he can!

 

We can't afford him doing it because our other options in central midfield are Alonso and Sissoko, neither player are 'all-round' enough to cover for Gerrard.

 

Perhaps you're implying that Rafa was negligent to spend £16 million on two players who it would seem cannot play alongside one of the best central midfielders in Europe??

[Chili Palmer]

Perhaps you're implying that Rafa was negligent to spend £16 million on two players who it would seem cannot play alongside one of the best central midfielders in Europe??

 

IMO gerrard is NOT one of the best central midfielders in the world, he could be, if he had a better work ethic, I know we joke about Scholes invisable man act, but I would wager that he got through twice as much work as Gerrard did yesterday.

[DazzlaJ]

IMO gerrard is NOT one of the best central midfielders in the world, he could be, if he had a better work ethic, I know we joke about Scholes invisable man act, but I would wager that he got through twice as much work as Gerrard did yesterday.

 

Central midfielders generally do.

[lawrie]

Gerrard's work ethic has been curbed by a manager who has asked him to moderate his all action style to conserve energy - granted this was a pretty pointless exercise yesterday given that he didnt make any telling forward runs

[Bailo]

Does anyone ever wonder how combinations such as Fabregas/Gilberto or Scholes/Carrick manage fine defensively in a 442 or similar?

Very good question, I can't fathom how we were bullied yesterday by Scholes and Giggs of all people.

[Rimbeux]

Very good question, I can't fathom how we were bullied yesterday by Scholes and Giggs of all people.

 

Is suppose it's about mindset, if you have the oppo more fearful of what you can do to them, it keeps a lot hidden. Arsenal for example should be bullied off the park in midfield, and sometimes are, but much of the time they can put sides on the back foot and render them no threat as an attacking force as they're too busy defending.

[Cooldude]

Does anyone ever wonder how combinations such as Fabregas/Gilberto or Scholes/Carrick manage fine defensively in a 442 or similar?

 

Arsenal's attacking play pins sides back and they would be scared s***less about holding a high line defensively, too. The same with Man Utd, which means they take a tremandous amount of pressure off their own defences in the first place

 

Teams consistently hold a very high line against us both at Anfield and at their home games knowing we rarely committ man forward to do anything

[fred milne]

If you want to consider yourself one of the country's top clubs, you cannot continue to keep looking to a single player for inspiration.

That's a daft statement from Hansen, unless he doesn't count Arsenal as a top club.

[Bootle Buck]

I'm getting sick and tired of Where Stevie's best position is. He can play anywhere and has stated he doesn't mind. The problem is he is way off the sort of form needed from him right now. I personally think the lad is probably burned out from 3 years of non-stop footy and the pressures of club and country.

[Ostrich Man]

That's a daft statement from Hansen, unless he doesn't count Arsenal as a top club.

theyve fabregas now......

 

 

 

though it is a daft statement.

[beejay]

Alan Hansen has some valid points, but generally he shoots in all directions with this article.

 

But, Rafa MUST sort out:

 

* The lack of a playing pattern. We have no movement, and it seems to me we lack a general plan for our way of playing

* Stop the rotation until we'll get a settled team

* Let players who performs well play. Why Gonzalez was taken off last night beats me?

* Keep it simple. Now, we have too many players trying flick-ons resulting in us loosing the ball after two seconds in possession

* Use players in their best positions. Pennant as a left wing? Don't think so...

* Have a long, serious talk with the skipper. He looks so f*cking gloomy these days, not performing anywhere near to his standards, not leading by example and generally not motivating his teammates. Even though he's not playing in his favorite position, he is the captain of Liverpool FC. He should act like one and do his best, not try to emulate Fat Frank. Double standards because he's not playing in his best position? Maybe, but then again he IS the captain and so I expect more from him than from his teammates.

 

This should be cut out and mailed to rafa on behalf of all liverpool fans. The first point in particular - the lack of movement to support a team mate in possession was truly dreadful both yesterday and midweek. It makes someone like alonso look hopeless but when he has no-one showing for the ball no wonder his radar is off.

[Andy @ Allerton]

This should be cut out and mailed to rafa on behalf of all liverpool fans. The first point in particular - the lack of movement to support a team mate in possession was truly dreadful both yesterday and midweek. It makes someone like alonso look hopeless but when he has no-one showing for the ball no wonder his radar is off.

 

I'm sure the average Liverpool fan that cuts n' pastes that and mails it to Rafa knows FAR more about managing a football team and more about tactics and what he's trying to do than Rafa..

 

 

[StevieC]

theyve fabregas now......

though it is a daft statement.

 

 

Great player but he's no one man team.

 

I can't quite get my head around this bit:

 

David Moores has been a great chairman of Liverpool and if he feels the need to sell the club, he should be supported and I would back him if he decides to stay.

 

What exactly is he saying there?

[beejay]

I'm sure the average Liverpool fan that cuts n' pastes that and mails it to Rafa knows FAR more about managing a football team and more about tactics and what he's trying to do than Rafa..

 

I meant figuratively not literally, pedant.

 

What part of P Neal's post do you disagree with?

[_00_deathscar]

As someone on here famously said, it's surprising that the double-league winning, European and UEFA Cup winning and FA Cup winning person, who quite clearly knows nothing, ends up managing teams, where-as the average forumite/fan and pundits that know FAR BETTER than the aforementioned multi-cup winning person, end up delivering newspaper and milk on the streets or in the TV studios generally speaking utter b******s.

[Guest Scot]

I love Mondays. Most weeks Hansen is hauled out as evidence of a Red who went bad and Pleat as a know-nothing curb-crawling Mr Punch.

 

Today they're both geniuses.

[RP]

As someone on here famously said, it's surprising that the double-league winning, European and UEFA Cup winning and FA Cup winning person, who quite clearly knows nothing, ends up managing teams, where-as the average forumite/fan and pundits that know FAR BETTER than the aforementioned multi-cup winning person, end up delivering newspaper and milk on the streets or in the TV studios generally speaking utter b******s.

 

 

It's called football. Fans have opinions.

[Kite]

Telegraph

 

If you want to consider yourself one of the country's top clubs, you cannot continue to keep looking to a single player for inspiration. However great a footballer Steven Gerrard is, that is too much pressure to heap on one man's shoulders, especially when he is not performing well.

 

What on earth is Hansen on about here - which season's match was he watching? If we have become too dependant on anyone, it's Alonso, who, as it happens, potently, hasn't recovered last season's early form at all. Couple that with the astonishing lack of effort being presently shown by Gerrard and we've struggled.