Brendan Rodgers says that his team are unrecognisable from the one that finished second last season in the Barclays Premier League.
The Liverpool manager admits that a combination of injuries to key players like Joe Allen and Daniel Sturridge and the problem of integrating new signings has resulted in an identity crisis.
“It’s hard for the supporters and I understand that,” Rodgers said. “It must be so difficult at the moment to see a team that for 18 months has been so fluent and dynamic. Now they probably look and see a team with maybe no resemblance to that in many ways. I understand that and there is no one more frustrated than myself.
“We look at our game, which is based a lot on possession, but we’re also a big threat in transition when we’ve won the ball back and we’re on the break. We don’t look a threat on the break at the moment. We could argue that we don’t even play in transition. We’re getting no one in behind, no one breaking lines.
In his first season in charge, Rodgers preached the philosophy of death-by-football. He soon found out that he needs to find the right system that will bring the best out of his players.
Keeping his core philosophy of possession based football in tact, Liverpool were ruthless on the counterattack and would swarm all over opponents through rapid pressing.
This season, not only Liverpool look sluggish but at the same time that free flowing, attacking football and flair is missing from their game. More and more crosses are coming into the box, as they look to take advantage of Balotelli’s aerial threat.
Liverpool attempt to utilise the flanks while creativity from central midfield has disappeared completely. Rodgers must find a way to rediscovering the methods that earned Liverpool so much success last season.
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