KopTalk.com Forums Football Liverpool FC Forum Team to play tomorrow

I'd personally go all out attack as I think these guys will try and park the bus. Plus, I really want to see Alberto given a proper run out. Don't know what he's done to not get a game, especially behind Aspas. I'd also drop Gerrard due to lack of form, think he needs a kick up the arse personally.

-------------Migs

Hendo----Toure----Agger/Sakho--Enrique

-------------Lucas

------Sterling----Alberto

Moses------Sturridge----Suarez

Would put Allen in for Sterling is he's fit.

Come on BR, what the flip happened to tiki taka?

Sterling as a CM is a terrible idea.

I disagree - he needs to learn the role yes, but playing exceptionally skillful players in the middle is the future for a team wanting to play 4-2-3-1 tiki taka possession football, no matter how small they are!

In my world, we are so good at keeping the ball that the opposition end up parked on their 18 yard box the whole time. Having someone who closes down well, but isn't necessarily a good defender is enough. Just look at Xavi and Iniesta. Sterling is the closest thing we currently have to Iniesta, he's just off form at the moment. He hasn't been helped by the the way he's being sent on either to retrieve a game or sure things up in place of Aspas. He needs to start a few and remind everyone how good he is.

Also, did you see him play ACM against Scotland U21s? I know it wasn't the sternest test, but he bossed the game, was outstanding. Better than Will Hughes who a lot of people rate as a young CM...

I like sterling a lot, but comparing him to Iniesta is excessive. first off, he's a wide man. he's a pacy dribbler who does his best work on the flanks. His vision and passing are nowhere near what they would need to be. He may have played CM in a U21 match, but that's not the same thing.

Second, he's not really been up to scratch in the prem this year so far, and now you want him to replace Gerrard? That's a recipe for disaster. If it goes wrong (and it probably would) the stick he and the manager would get would be insurmountable. It's just not going to happen.

Ultimately you're right in that it won't happen and comparing him to Iniesta is of course excessive, but it's this kind of mentality that means we'll never play like Barcelona. If we had a 18 year old Iniesta in our youth set-up, his skills set would make him wide-man, his size would be considered too small, and he wouldn't get a game 'cos he'd be a "risk" or a "luxury player".

Did you know that in that in the first 5 games of last season (or something like that, i can't remember the stats now), Sterling had made the most successful tackles in our team and had the highest pass completion in the attacking third? He's better than I think many people realise. If he was playing for Barca he wouldn't look out of place. Gerrard - with his second-rate ability to close down and his need for a hollywood ball in every 10 passes - would. Just my opinion though.

I hope Alberto gets a run out. We need some spark in the middle. Agger and Toure to start at the back due to their experience an the fact they are leaders and talk a lot. The new defenders still are a little shy in communicating.

Martin Kelly can add some dimension to the right side with his overlapping runs. I rate Martin very highly indeed. He also has a "superman" hair cut. I hear Stan Lee is is barber.

I haven't accused him of being lightweight or a luxury player. He's put on some muscle, and he's always been very tough. He's a great talent, but his skill set doesn't fit a CM role.

We aren't Barcelona. We have a similar philosophy, BR has never claimed to be copying them. This is his own way to play. Also, if you think Sterling is better than Gerrard, we're just going to have to disagree. His past 2 or 3 games have been lackluster, but he was exceptional last year and he's a vital part of the system.

In reply to 3 points i've highlighted:
1. In what ways? I think he's perfectly suited to it.
2. But would you like us to play like Barca? It might take a while to get their, and some proper balls, but i would!
3. I didn't say he was better per se, just better suited to a tiki taka-based game. Sterling is certainly not as direct and effective in terms of chances created and scored, and his passing over 10 yards is not as good and i've never seen him do a diving block on the line as I have SG. My point is that in a proper possession-based system (ie Barca and how I would like us to play) a player doesn't need these qualities. Iniesta (sorry for another perhaps inappropriate comparison) scores very few, can be frustratingly ineffective, and i've never seen him hit a pass over 20 yards or do a diving block on the line, but he's still one of the best CMs in the world.

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one

Sure I'd like us to play like Barcelona. Or Bayern. Or Dortmund. Or any way that would make us win. But all the tiki taka talk at the beginning of last season was overblown and simplistic. It is a possession-based system, and yes he did study under Del Bosque, but he also studied under Morinho. Possession doesn't mean we are necessarily rying to be barca, nor should we be. There's more to it than that.

Possession itself doesn't win matches. We saw this constantly last year; we would boss possession but lose to a team that hit us on the break or draw to a team that parked the bus. Villa did this to Cit and Arsenal this year. Towards the end of last year, we had a more dynamic, fluid game that was an effective hybrid of a possession game and a more direct brand of football that had possession, but also a long threat and a more direct running threat in players like Sturridge and Suarez. This is less like Barca than it is like Bayern, and personally, I prefer that. Our two stars (Suarez and Gerrard) are not exactly congruous to a Barca type system. Suarez COULD fit, but he would have to adjust his game and be a lot less direct. If we can play the way we were from January to May, I'll be very happy.

As for sterling, he's not a creative passer the way Gerrard or Coutinho or even Allen and Henderson are. Maybe that will improve, but he doesn't have the composure or the vision. If you want us to play a more Barca style, Allen would be a much better fit. But a deep lying play maker that likes a tasty long ball works in that kind of system as well. Look at Alonso in Spain.