The Soccer Blog: Gerrard and Agger Fit, More on Rafa, and Other Thursday Notes

Thursday, 23 December 2010

Gerrard and Agger Fit, More on Rafa, and Other Thursday Notes

By: Noel | December 23rd, 2010
Something Different

It’s a hat. Look at it. Look. At. It.

Yippee ki yay, it’s almost time for uncomfortable conversations with in-laws or morosely sitting and wishing you had in-laws to have uncomfortable conversations with. Either way, the liquor companies win. And meanwhile nobody knows what the hell is going on with the Boxing Day match against the Seasiders, stuck as they are by the blustery North Sea or Black Sea or Salton Sea or whatever. Usually being by a large body of water moderates temperatures at least slightly. Unless you’re right up next to a cold current, which won’t be the case for England until the Gulf Stream reverses one of these years and everybody’s playing their footie beneath the frozen dykes along the Meresy as a son waits for his father to save him from the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Right, where was I? Chrsitmas? Blackpool match still a coin-flip? Drunken holiday stream-of-consciousness rambling? Bruce Willis set to star in the summer flopbuster of 2012? Wait, no, they already made that one, and he wasn’t in it. Whatever, it still sucked. And now for something completely different…

* Because Rafa equals hits (and people yelling at me in amusingly idiotic fashion), let’s start with a bit of this: “Rafa Benitez may not have conquered, but he continues to divide.” It’s a good headline, I suppose, though it could use five or six exclamation marks to really drive things home. But anyhow, the article: Over in The Telegraph, Rory Smith looks at Rafa’s continuing legacy amongst Liverpool supporters even as his nascent empire is falling apart around his ears in Milan, and though some of the passages seem tailored to draw a reaction from one side or the other, on the whole it’s an interesting diversion. And also RAFA RAFA RAFA RAFA RAFA!!!!!

That, though, is Benitez: few managers, few characters in football divide more than the Spaniard. He is, to some, the winner of the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, two Spanish titles, the FA Cup and, most recently, the Club World Cup, the first manager to win major trophies with sides from Europe’s three big leagues. He is a tactical innovator, adept at maximising minimal resources to maximum effect. He produces sides – Valencia and the Liverpool of 2009, most notably – who play powerful, quick, effective football. He is warm and personable, possessed of a common touch.

Damn right, Rory! Preach it, brother! Wooo!!!!!

To others, he is cold and calculating, a Macchiavellian plotter of almost compulsive belligerence. He is never happier than when he is at war with someone, something. He alienates players, chooses baffling systems, tinkers persistently. He thinks he is cleverer than he is, he is evasive and arrogant. His sides are stultifying, his success down to the spending of vast amounts of money he had at Anfield or the incompetence of others, as at Valencia. 2010, his annus horribilis, in which he lost two jobs – one by text, one by email – was simply the year his luck ran out.

You wrong-headed bastard! I’m blocking your Twitter!

* Meanwhile, on the front that concerns the players–the players front, if you will, certainly not to be confused with the rather unsavoury player’s front or, somewhat confusingly, the players’ front–it appears as though both Gerrard and Agger will be fit to return against Blackpool. If there’s a match against Blackpool. Which we still don’t know if there will be or not. And it doesn’t seem likely that Agger will return in any case, really, does it? I mean, quite an extended lay-off plus being out of favour with the manager when he got injured plus at best sub-par conditions assuming the match is played at all, but… right, I’m rambling again. Nevermind.

* So, the next few days will be busy for most. But still, one imagines you might have a spell of downtime–or just damn-well need a spell of down time, however you can manage to get it–and if that’s the case, then the LFCTV interview and Q&A session with John Henry and Tom Werner from last week has been released as a free podcast on the official site.

I know, free. I always do like the sound of that, and there you were having missed it when it first ran and you were always curious but it just seemed like too much trouble to track down the details or clips or whatever. But then you’re probably saying: Podcasts a week after the fact? What is this, 2006? And where the hell does that leave you, Noel, with just your antiquated little tappety-tappety-tap-tap over there on the keyboard? Eh, where’s that leave you, you smug bastard?

Well, in light of that last bit where you got all pissy with me when I was just trying to be helpful, I’m almost tempted to consider thinking about not including a clip with today’s news roundup, but since I already had the embedding code cut out and all that, I suppose you can have it anyhow. So here, have a helpful little guide on how not to be seen by those you might rather wish to avoid over the next couple of days. Bloody ingrates…

Some Related Liverpool Posts:Daniel Agger, Dani Pacheco, and Other Friday NotesRoy Blames Squad, Rafa on NESV’s Radar, and Other Tuesday NotesThursday MiscellanySteve Gerrard, Agent Fees, and Rambling IncoherenciesTorres’ Form, Year End Polls, and Other Friday Notes

Category: Team News

Tags: Blackpool, Daniel Agger, I Can't Feel My Face, John Henry, Rafa Benitez, Steven Gerrard, Team News, Through the Looking Glass
« Looking Back at 2010 on the Liverpool Offside | Home | RedLiverbirdFCHow Dare you make such a crack about the omniscient Bruce Willis??!??!??!???!??Holloway for President!Right, then. Blackpool. Besides the fact that most of Boxing Day should be spent trying to recruit Ian Holloway as our new manager, our current manager need not look for a post-Holiday sale to buy a clue.

Why? Because here's a few. Simple as they may seem, we must remember, this is Blackpool, not Real Madrid. Seeing as how we beat the latter lot 4-0 before it really, really, really should not be all that difficult.

First off, 4-2-3-1. Reina, Aurelio, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Meireles, Lucas, Cole, Gerrard, Rodriguez, Torres.

Subs: Jones, Kelly, Kyrgiakos, Konchesky, Jovanovic, Babel, Kuyt.

Tactics Moving Forward: From the back, look to the flanks and get Meireles on the ball if possible. With Aurelio and Johnson bombing forward, and Cole and Rodriguez moving inside and Agger's ability to dribble up the pitch our options should remain fluent and open at all times. So what if teams maybe figured out Gerrard and Torres? Lest we forget, Cole and Rodriguez are more than capable of scoring and after all are full-fledged internationals. No hoofing please.

Tactics For Defending: Instruct the front four - Cole, Gerrard, Rodriguez and Torres - to press high-up the pitch. Run your balls off. Don't give them a second and don't worry because the Portugese and the Brazilian are right behind you.

Special Cases

Joe Cole - Instead of Dirk Kuyt? Why? Because fuck it, let Cole have a go. Blackpool like an open game and let's see what Joe-Joe is capable of and Dirk needs a rest. The Dutchman's only on the bench this time around because his grin is distracting to other teams.

Fabio Aurelio - You haven't scored from a free kick in, like, forever. Please do.

Rotation - Throughout the game - Maxi, Gerrard and Cole - mix it up in the middle of the park. Switch positions. Be confusing. Be creative for the Love of Pepe. All three are able to play behind the striker and moving them about throughout the match might be the key to unlocking the front four's oh-so-obvious-but-currently-non-existent threat.

Raul Meireles - Seriously though, this guy is great. Switch positions with Gerrard every so often. A bit closer and Raul is bound to nail a belter every now and then. Furthermore, Gerrard is as equally effective as one of the defensive midfielders - the one who goes box-to-box, that is. His surging runs from deep have been missing of late so let's try that out.

Steven Gerrard - You haven't scored from a free kick in, like, forever. Please do.

Substitutions

Milan Jovanovic for Fernando Torres (65') - Because if 'Nando hasn't bagged a hat-trick by now, he probably isn't going to. Also because this Serbian chap can actually play, but he's a striker not a winger (Roy, repeat this 3 times).

Ryan Babel for Joe Cole (66') Because if Joe-Joe hasn't bagged a hat-trick by now, he probably isn't going to. And most-likely didn't. But hopefully, he had an influence on the game. But if he didn't, here's some pace to run at tired legs. Also, please continue switching positions with Gerrard and Rodriguez (because everybody wants to play behind the striker and you, Sir Babel, are no goddamn different).

Paul Konchesky for Maxi Rodriguez (78') Because by all rites we should be up by about 5-0. But just in case we're 1-0 up and hanging on for dearest life, Paul can't hurt. At least, he can't hurt as long as Aurelio is still on the pitch. I know, his mum upset everyone and right now you're thinking 'Fuck That Guy!' but just think - he might get injured!

Oh, and don't get confused Roy - just tell Babel and Gerrard to spread out right and Aurelio to move up the pitch a tad.

Not to worry, Roy, it's still a 4-2-3-1. No need to get fiesty, now.

If (and that's a big fucking IF mind you) we still end up pooching this match while using my supremely tactical (play the same style as before, except better) and mind-bogglingly creative (move around the pitch and stuff!) game plan - just move right along to Plan B.

Get Martin Skrtel to put on his yule time baklava and kidnap Mr. Holloway. We'll bleach the jerseys orange and Ian won't know the difference come New Years. And to all a good night.
JakeSo.. you like Rafa?NoelWell, not in an intimate sense.blog comments powered by Disqus