Another defeat after a decent performance, Liverpool lost out to Real Madrid 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu last night. This was the third straight loss in the UEFA Champions League group stage, something that the club had never achieved before, not a record to be proud off. Truth be told, this was a much changed team with the likes of Emre Can, Fabio Borini, Lucas Leiva and Kolo Toure starting with most of the first team players resting, the weak Liverpool side did show much more of a fighting spirit than the last time when the clubs met which Madrid won 3-0 at Anfield.
Struggling in Europe, struggling in the Premier League, Brendan Rodgers has a tough task at hand and people are already pointing out that the loss of Luis Suarez is akin to the Gareth Bale sale that Tottenham did a few seasons back. Rodgers believes in this team and has missed Daniel Sturridge upfront for the majority of the season, bringing him back to the starting 11 will make a massive difference.
Liverpool has lost 4 times in the league already in the first 10 games, last season they only lost 2 games in the first 10. They have lost thrice in the Champions League and qualification for the next round is still in their hands, it still is a tall task. Here are 3 things that Brendan Rodgers can do to save Liverpool’s season
1: Mix up the formations/tactics: Last season Rodgers was constantly mixing up the team formation which not only kept opponents guessing but also provided a change in attacking impetus when needed. Liverpool played various formations including 3-5-2, 4-3-3 and a 4-1-2-1-2, a diamond which worked really well during the end of the season. This year Rodgers has been rigid on playing a lone striker up front for most games and that has not worked well with Mario Balotelli since he does not have the same movement as a Suarez or Sturridge. Since the swashbuckling style of play is not working anyway, Liverpool should try other tactics like possession gameplay which can lead to less errors.
2: Trust his signings: Rodgers has spent big to rebuild the team after the departure of Suarez. His insistence of getting more cover for the all the positions since Liverpool would be playing more games due to their participation in the UEFA Champions League, however Rodgers doesn’t seem to trust the new boys starting. Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic, Emre Can and Rickie Lambert can’t get a look into the team even when the team isn’t doing well. The game against Madrid showed that some players are willing to step up; it is time for Rodgers to put faith in his signings.
3: Get a defensive coach: Liverpool have the same problems as they had last season regarding the defense. They concede a lot of goals and that was probably the reason why they lost the league title last season. Even with the signings of Lovren, Manquillo and Moreno, the defense still looks as shaky as it was earlier. Brendan Rodgers has stated that Liverpool don’t need a defensive coach, Liverpool do need some defensive coaching.