Holding Midfield: Have Liverpool gone backwards since last season?

[Holding Midfield]

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Liverpool have been in patchy form throughout this season. There have been games where Liverpool have looked absolutely dire (the recent Sunderland defeat and two months ago against Bolton come to mind) but there have also been matches where profligacy in front of goal have cost them, such as against Arsenal and Swansea.* However we only have to look back at the last few months of the previous season, when Liverpool were ending it in good form and it seemed a few summer signings were all the team needed to launch an assault at fourth place. The club seems to have gone backwards in terms of the way the team set out tactically. In the home match last season against Manchester United, Liverpool set out in a very fluid 4-4-1-1, with Steven Gerrard alongside Lucas Leiva in a deeper position with less forward runs, Raul Meireles and Maxi Rodriguez on the right and left flanks respectively and Luis Suarez playing in behind Dirk Kuyt. Kuyt played his lone role excellently, dragging defenders across the pitch with his movement to the flanks, as well as Maxi and Meireles having the license to come inside and combine with Suarez and Kuyt. Even [...]

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[LiverpoolCF]

No not really....
We lost Lucas, If you watch Liverpool games, there are most of the time big gaps in the midfield... mostly Lucas is our tank in the midfield. With Lucas and Spearing/Adam winning the midfield, Steven can focus on attacking.
But when we lost Lucas, Gerrard is mostly played as a deep lying player....Which I hate sooooo much cause I want him to Attack Attack and score screamers. Second, we are horrible finishers, sloppy defending(sometimes)....Even though we control the match most of time... LOL
The 8 match ban of Suarez was bull$%&!!!

I honestly think without Lucas operating in deep is our main weakness right now...Spearing is doing a good job of it, but doesnt have the strength like Lucas does.