Sunday, 13 September 2015

Carra Hits Out at Buck Rodgers


Brendan Rodgers attracted stinging criticism from two Liverpool legends on Saturday night, following his side's 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.

Liverpool begain the game with Danny Ings stationed on the far right, a decision which puzzled Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.

Benteke scored a stunning goal, but it was not enough for Liverpool

"There was not enough help for Benteke," he said. "I don’t understand what the point was in playing Danny Ings in that wide position. He didn't give the support to Benteke.

"You think about how many strikers Liverpool have on the books and they have no wide players. They've only got Jordon Ibe. Firmino is not a wide player and Coutinho played there last week and he's not a wide player.

Carragher also took issue with Rodgers's choice of formation, pointing out that he has switched from the setup which propelled Liverpool to the brink of the Premier League title in 2012/13.

"I don't understand this obsession with playing 4-3-3," Carragher said. "Brendan Rodgers came to the club wanting to play 4-3-3 and it didn't work.

"The great season they had was with two strikers and how they got them into the team is down to the manager. They've got a lot of strikers, no wide players, and he continues to play 4-3-3."

Liverpool slipped to ninth in the nascent Premier League table after Saturday's defeat, and have looked far from convincing all season.

Their last victory was at home to Bournemouth on 17 August, and they've since lost to United, West Ham, and drawn away at Arsenal.

Former Liverpool manager and midfielder Graeme Souness says Rodgers is guilty of playing players out of position.

"The first thing you have to do with players is make them feel comfortable in positions they're playing in,"

"Firmino doesn't want to be out there. On the other side Ings doesn't want to be there. Right away they've got an excuse: 'This is not my position, I'm not used to it'.

"Ings spent most of that half running towards his own goal. He would class himself as a striker, he doesn't want to be doing that. What Firmino is I'm not quite sure, we might see that as the season pans out.

"You've got square pegs in round holes and it just doesn't work. You have to make people feel they are playing in positions they are happy to play in and Liverpool haven't got that right now.


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