Do you understand Gio's style of play?

wilso10

wilso10

Well-Known Member
Because I don't and haven't done for months now.

Under Gerrard, with Beale clearly being a big influence, our style of play was quite obvious in that he wanted width from his full backs with two inverted forwards in a 4-3-3 formation. Morelos role under SG was also slightly different in that he preferred him dropping deeper at times and the inverted forwards would have some freedom to play wide and central. This caused chaos for opposing defenders.

When it comes to Gio's formations and tactics I don't see a clear identity. Sometimes it's 4-2-3-1, others it's 4-3-3 and I'm sure I've even seen 4-4-1 at times. Our pressing is all over the place and haphazard and when we're in possession up the pitch we look lost at times.

Is it just me?
 
I think at first it was just about getting results but it hasn't evolved into anything recognisable.

We were led to believe he played with width but we don't appear to get forward in wide areas often. I don't see a formation - he constantly tinkers with midfield and plays a penalty box striker up front on his own with no support.
 
The fact we are discussing this shows that there is no style. It’s the most frustrating part, if we knew what he was trying to do we might be able to get behind it.

We don’t seem to have an attacking pattern of play, you look at our team and struggle to see where the goals come from.

Its certainly not set pieces under Gio.
 
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I said it early in his tenure that I couldn't see it vs Gerrard. He seemed to be getting results based on countering the opposition tactics rather than having a defined way that his team wanted to play.
 
What is set out and what the players carry out can be two different things.

To all intents and purposes, it looked like a 4 - 3 - 3 to start but during the half it was more like 4 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 1.

There was very little ball retention other than at the back which is the only reason we got to an average of 4 passes. Colak, Wright and Tillman not only hardly touched the ball when they did they gave it away. Compare that to the Ajax players in similar positions.
 
wilso10 said:
Because I don't and haven't done for months now.

Under Gerrard, with Beale clearly being a big influence, our style of play was quite obvious in that he wanted width from his full backs with two inverted forwards in a 4-3-3 formation. Morelos role under SG was also slightly different in that he preferred him dropping deeper at times and the inverted forwards would have some freedom to play wide and central. This caused chaos for opposing defenders.

When it comes to Gio's formations and tactics I don't see a clear identity. Sometimes it's 4-2-3-1, others it's 4-3-3 and I'm sure I've even seen 4-4-1 at times. Our pressing is all over the place and haphazard and when we're in possession up the pitch we look lost at times.

Is it just me?
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It’s not just you.

I’m baffled by his tactics and selections and had this very conversation with a relative who plays the game for a living.

His insight was fairly telling and damning.

He could not discern any pattern of play or movement that the players could follow.

I hold my hands up and was fairly happy with Gio getting the job, but even I’ve run out of patience after the 2 spineless, amateur, couldn’t care less performances this last few days.

I thought getting a summer transfer widow and getting his own players in would take us up a level.

Sadly not, and I cannot see where a spark to reignite our badly misfiring team will come from.
 
His style of play is baffling, very, very defensive. The problem is that we have a couple of so called centre half’s playing just now who are pathetic.
 
With the best part of a year in post there is not a hint of a style being developed and that we will harvest any benefit in good time.

If there were tangible signs of improvement the right thing would be to show a little patience.

There's not, that is how it is difficult to further back him.
 
4-3-3 just invites good teams to overrun your fullbacks. In the champions league we need to go 3-5-2 or 4-5-1 and domestically 3-4-1-2.

We have only ever looked good in the last few years when we have pressed teams. We now no longer attempt to press
 
His tactics are generally terrible to watch. You can guarantee that against Aberdeen on Saturday he’ll start out with lundstram and jack sitting with Kamara sitting in front of them, or some variation of that. We will then go into half time having barely created anything and Gio will make changes like probably bringing tillman on and we’ll look more creative in the second half. It’s pretty much rinse and repeat for any big away game and it’s dreadful to watch.

Sooner he’s gone the better, the difference in quality from Gerrard as manager to Gio is stark. With Gerrard you knew the system, we would dominate the game either through his shape or through possessing the ball, but we would never lose control of league games. That was one thing Gerrard always wanted his teams to do. With Gio the only thing I can see he wants his teams is to pass along the back 4.
 
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ForGodForCountryForever said:
Horseshoe Football.
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It's like football combined with the tactics of kabaddi

uuxwzqgagbynk3nr1nzi
 
I think last season he stuck with Gerard’s tactics and only tweaked them a bit and brought us some success , this season I think we are getting his brand of football but have no idea what that is he also got rid of 3 big physical players in Aribo, Bassey and Balllagon but hasn’t properly replaced them
 
You wonder what they work on in training. We looked absolutely petrified in the last two games when we were met with a more intense press than we face elsewhere and the players who are normally good on the ball, crumbled and gave away possession.

Some of that might just be a lack of confidence but surely to fcuk we're doing possession drills to cope with these pressing tactics.

Don't get me started on our own press, looks like it's up to the players when they do and don't press.
 
One thing I’d say in the players defence it must be baffling being set up for corners in a way we constantly lose goals
 
Work the ball across the park to get the opponent out of position then play a long cross field pass to a winger.

Problem is we don't do it anywhere near quick enough. Whether that is down to design or the players aren't good enough who knows. We then don't get anybody close to the player who gets on the ball and they tend to have about 3 players round them and we need to go backwards.

The Borna "goal" last night is an example of what it's supposed to achieve.

In general it's pish though
 
I understand the theory of it, covered above, but I don't understand why he can't fathom that it doesn't necessarily work in all situations.
 
Also the wingers being so wide means that we are far too open in the middle of the park and if anybody does manage to get a tackle in or clear a ball then none of the players are close enough to pick up a 2nd ball maintain possession. Plus a striker that can't hold onto the ball at all so we can't get up the park.

Its basically the tactic he played at Parkhead in February. It's a shambles.
 
Called the horseshoe apparently


Up one Wing play it back then along the back 4 and up the other wing

Was famous for it at a Feyenoord
 
I'll be honest I didn't really enjoy the style of play of Gerrard either. Don't like this 4-3-3 it's boring. I know everybody is playing it but it's ok if you're Liverpool with class in the wide positions but we are/have been struggling with our wide men or lack of for a while. Give me a 3-5-2 anytime, or any system that deploys two strikers. Morelos when fit and Colak playing off each, Alfie dropping deep to link up the play. Cue the text book managers quoting the flaws in the 3-5-2. Football goes in trends and teams tend to all follow what's in at that time. All systems have strengths and weaknesses. Thing is we have a striker who can hold the ball up and cause defenders, and we're not just talking SPFL defenders big problems, and we have another who is a class finisher. Why not build a team round that striking partnership?
 
We're a possession-based build up team. We play a high press at moments in the game based on certain triggers.

The Ross County game is probably the best example we have of what it should look like when it works well. The problem comes with players making wrong decisions at the wrong time which leads to us heading backwards instead of forwards or running into trouble instead of creating chances to shoot. The team not pressing as a unit is also what leads to teams being able to pass through us. There's a system we're trying to play but the players aren't doing it. It might be because it's new for some of them and they're still getting used to it, it might be because they're just not good enough, or it might be that they don't trust Gio. Whatever it is, there is a distinct style that Gio is looking for, but it's just not happening consistently on the pitch.

Football Stewart covers this stuff really well - his Patreon is something like £2 a month and he does video analysis of every game we play. It's helped me understand this kind of stuff a lot better than I would have otherwise and it's interesting to see exactly what is going wrong. I'd say watch his videos to get the full picture but from his analysis of our Euro games and some domestic games, I've learned:
- Borna passes back too often when there's a better pass open ahead of him
- central mid drops to collect and passes back instead of turning and driving too often (Davis did this a few times vs Celtic)
- team doesn't press together and leaves an opposition man free to receive a pass and leaves us exposed
- midfield don't track runners well enough (Lundstram especially bad this season)
- Jack and Davis aren't quick enough/fit enough to keep up with the game
 
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