The sending off made no difference

[Hampshirefox]

We were second best before Perez went off and seemed totally clueless.
Rodgers regularly says we moved the ball too slowly as an excuse yet was happy to watch Cags and Amartey send us to sleep with their ridiculous first half game of ping pong.
Was that really part of his plan or just plain dumb? I really don't understand it.

 

[What?]

Worked OK at Liverpool

 

[essingtonblue]

We were second best before Perez went off and seemed totally clueless.
Rodgers regularly says we moved the ball too slowly as an excuse yet was happy to watch Cags and Amartey send us to sleep with their ridiculous first half game of ping pong.
Was that really part of his plan or just plain dumb? I really don't understand it.

Exactly this.
If he wasn’t happy with the pace why wasn’t he seen bollocking them indicating he wanted things to move quicker.

 

[ClaphamFox]

We were second best before Perez went off and seemed totally clueless.
Rodgers regularly says we moved the ball too slowly as an excuse yet was happy to watch Cags and Amartey send us to sleep with their ridiculous first half game of ping pong.
Was that really part of his plan or just plain dumb? I really don't understand it.

I assume the plan was to draw West Ham onto us and exploit the spaces that would then appear. Unfortunately Moyes had anticipated we would do this and instructed his players to let us fanny about with it at the back and only attack the ball when we tried to move further forwards, thereby creating spaces for THEM to attack. Our plan failed; theirs worked.

 

[bnet]

just been told that first half was a league record for back passing ! It really gets on my tits, its fine if the plan works but it generally doesn't, then we go (sometimes) to a back 3, which also doesn't work. Pace wins football matches.

 

[Oadlad]

Clapham is about right and the first post, I think, to view the game tactically.
As I saw it, Rodgers was again outwitted by Moyes.
We dominated possession in the first quarter and this gave the impression of control and comfort.
But WH were running things by ceding the middle third, looking comfortable at the back suffocating our little triangle. trusting to rapid breakouts.
This was because they correctly identified the lack of pace in our (makeshift) central defence.
As it happened it was a sloppy pass by JV which had our whole defence wrongfooted, too high and facing their own goal, gift one.
An ill advised rollout put Perez in trouble and sent off, gift two. Then Cags hears a call from KS and doesn't bother to check it, gift three, two from this magic playing out from the back.
No amount of 'leadership' or preplanning can deal with this level of individual error (and two from DA in the Wolves game).
The first two changed the game.
Before the ko I was thinking the game would be tight but you can't be this sloppy against top opposition. Particularly opposition which is more physically powerful in many areas.
Any positives? Most teams are not as good as West Ham.

 

[essingtonblue]

I assume the plan was to draw West Ham onto us and exploit the spaces that would then appear. Unfortunately Moyes had anticipated we would do this and instructed his players to let us fanny about with it at the back and only attack the ball when we tried to move further forwards, thereby creating spaces for THEM to attack. Our plan failed; theirs worked.

But yesterday’s game went the exact same way as the previous 2 West Ham clashes where we lost 3-2 & 3-0.
If Rodgers did tell them to play the way they played then it’s insane. To tactically set up the exact same way you did when they mullered us twice already???
What’s that “to continue to do the same thing & expect different results “ saying.

 

[ClaphamFox]

But yesterday’s game went the exact same way as the previous 2 West Ham clashes where we lost 3-2 & 3-0.
If Rodgers did tell them to play the way they played then it’s insane. To tactically set up the exact same way you did when they mullered us twice already???
What’s that “to continue to do the same thing & expect different results “ saying.

I totally agree. West Ham have clearly sussed us but Rodgers didn’t try anything different. The players looked like they expected to lose, which shows they didn’t have any faith in the tactics/formation either.