I actually think our recent debacle has come down to something really simple:
Rafa's been figured out.
it doesn't matter if we're playing Inter Milan or Birmingham City, Rafa's tactics are always the same. He uses the same players the same way, and now we're getting figured out by other teams
just being quick, these are basic roles that our players have had all season without any sort of change
Torres - lone striker, always looking for the ball, our only real goal threat this season - cut him out and we have no X factor
Gerrard - dictates the play, goal threat in his own right, but this season he's been doing so much work in the midfield it's been difficult for him to get forward, and when he does , we're missing the stevie special, he is the heart of our team, if Gerrard is off in a match, it's a big blow for us
Kuyt - holds the ball up, plays down the wing, always looking for the cross before taking a player on - but very predictable, Dirk Kuyt will never do something that surprises you, he just does the basics really well
Benayoun - crafty, very crafty, he had the unpredictability to make defenders think more than they have to, but he never tries to get forward in the box himself, and he never shoots. benayoun 8 out of 10 times, wont shoot, he'll pass even if blasting the ball is his best option
Johnson - pushes up on the wing, cuts inside when close to the box, he's not afraid to beat players and you wish more of our squad had that confidence, another player that doesn't shoot nearly as much as he should
this is our attack. Torres, Gerrard, Benayoun, Kuyt, and Johnson. when building up our attack these are the players that have the ball in the final third, but every time we build towards goal i feel like i'm watching a replay of what just happened 5 or 10 minutes before
i'm saying that we look the same all the time, there's no diversity, opposing managers know exactly what liverpool are going to do before we even step out on the pitch, and it's catching up to us. we've played the same way against Arsenal, Fiorentina, Birmingham, Blackburn, Everton, there's no diversity
personally, i think Rafa's more of a stubborn git then we all believe. I think he's a man that's really stuck in his ways, because up until now he's be successful overall with what he's done. i mean, we all hate fergie, but i have to admit, the man is anything but predictable and i think that fact adds to united's winning form over the last nearly 20 years now.
what does everyone think? are we the same? are we predictable? every game i feel like i'm watching a replay of the last game.
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