Downturn in form since Rodgers link with Arsenal?

[shailen]

I think it was before that. After villa away where we were phenomenal we didn't play well against Everton and Watford but managed to get results, so our performance was overlooked.

 

We are going through a tricky period but with the way we've been playing this season I back us to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later. 

[erlee]

Let's see what Burnley brings.. if we don't score 3 points - something;s definitely afoot

[Col city fan]

I don’t know whether it’s this but there IS something else going on at the moment I suspect.

We have too many very good players being ‘off-form’ to be a coincidence. Yesterday, pretty much the same players who tore teams apart earlier this season, looked disjointed and out of confidence. Southampton battered us tbh.

As usual, the forum has started turning on players who, just a few weeks ago, were being hailed as ‘world-beaters’. 6 weeks ago, the general consensus was that Chilwell was the best LB in the division, now he’s being accused of being a ‘pub-player’.

Tielemans is going through the same thing, soon Soyuncu will be branded ‘a donkey’ etc.

Something isn’t right at the moment and it’s hard to believe it’s all about form.

Confidence just appears low and I wonder why

[Bezzanator89]

It would say a lot about BR if he allowed a link to another club change the way he currently manages ours. He signed a new contract, and yet the conspiracies continue. Yes, our form of late is nowhere near the standard where we made the record breaking winning run. A good proportion of our squad, which is relatively young and inexperienced at the top level, are either tired or out of form.

 

Call me a doom-monger but this was going to happen eventually. The festive season takes a toll on all teams, especially when ours are still in ALL available cup competitions and still second in the league (maybe third later, do us a favour today please Aston Villa). The best that we, as fans, can do is not overreact and hypothesise, or question the commitment and mentality of the players, and our management. It's a tricky patch, we will get out of it.

 

More to the point, am surprised this topic is still open. Any topic that calls BR's integrity into question, is one worth closing. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

[Always Next Year]

16 hours ago, Blue-fox said:

I was speaking to someone after the game walking out the ground, many grumbles understandably after watching that and he came up with something that I thought I might post on here as I found it an interesting thought. 
 

He reckons that the downturn in our form could be down to the Rodgers links he had with Arsenal as it coincides with us being miles off our best from Everton(when he was linked) to today. Said the players might have lost trust/ the edge that they had before that because he didn’t really put the matter to bed and strung it out? 

What a load of crap 🤡

[orangecity23]

2 hours ago, Col city fan said:

I don’t know whether it’s this but there IS something else going on at the moment I suspect.

We have too many very good players being ‘off-form’ to be a coincidence. Yesterday, pretty much the same players who tore teams apart earlier this season, looked disjointed and out of confidence. Southampton battered us tbh.

As usual, the forum has started turning on players who, just a few weeks ago, were being hailed as ‘world-beaters’. 6 weeks ago, the general consensus was that Chilwell was the best LB in the division, now he’s being accused of being a ‘pub-player’.

Tielemans is going through the same thing, soon Soyuncu will be branded ‘a donkey’ etc.

Something isn’t right at the moment and it’s hard to believe it’s all about form.

Confidence just appears low and I wonder why

Interesting points Col. If it is a confidence matter, then perhaps the problem is that this kind of thing needs to be fixed with extended time working on it at training - earlier in the season we were so good because you could see how well drilled the players were, everyone knew their job, our shape on and off the ball was excellent. Now however, we've been going through the winter period where games are happening every 3-4 days, so with days off after a game for recuperation, they aren't really getting an extended run of 3-4 days training to drill them out of bad habits that have been cropping up. The main thing that struck me about yesterday's performance was that it was so like a Puel game - and the big complaint about Puel from the players was that the training wasn't intense enough, and they were too flat starting matches as a result. So perhaps without being able to go through a proper week's training, they've started slipping back to the default Puel-type performances. Anyway, we have a week until the Burnley game, so hopefully they'll get it sorted and be back to normal by next Saturday, fingers crossed!

[Kopfkino]

2 hours ago, Col city fan said:

I don’t know whether it’s this but there IS something else going on at the moment I suspect.

We have too many very good players being ‘off-form’ to be a coincidence. Yesterday, pretty much the same players who tore teams apart earlier this season, looked disjointed and out of confidence. Southampton battered us tbh.

As usual, the forum has started turning on players who, just a few weeks ago, were being hailed as ‘world-beaters’. 6 weeks ago, the general consensus was that Chilwell was the best LB in the division, now he’s being accused of being a ‘pub-player’.

Tielemans is going through the same thing, soon Soyuncu will be branded ‘a donkey’ etc.

Something isn’t right at the moment and it’s hard to believe it’s all about form.

Confidence just appears low and I wonder why

 

Confidence is low because this team got two complete footballing lessons by superior teams within the same week. Probably doesn't help that in the same 8 day period they threw away a 2 goal lead at Everton too (even if we did get through). Confidence was probably still high when we went to Man City but we were taken apart. When you're on a high after winning x games in a row, being second in the league, and being talked up by everyone it must be incredibly hard to have 2 games where you're completely outclassed and could get nothing going. It's gotta be something about it being a much harder landing the higher you fall from. 

 

And it came at the worst time in the season. Players are tired and players aren't 100% fit. There's little time working on the training pitch at this time of year. It takes time to properly drill players into consistently churning out performances no matter what. It's easier when you can work with them for a week between games but at this time of year you're relying on them to keep doing it without reminder. But that takes time and signings for a manager. It took Klopp a couple of seasons to get consistency and full belief into Liverpool and Guardiola needed a season and plenty of money to get Man City right. 

 

I think playing dross like West Ham and Newcastle meant we could get away with it and we would probably have got away with it had we played Bournemouth yesterday. But we played one of the worst teams we could because they're in such good form and had all the motivation they could ever need. 

 

I expect in a week's time we'll see the value of a week off after a tough period and some of the analysis of the factors involved will look a little over thought. 

[Chrysalis]

We were never going to carry on winning every game, we not Liverpool, so inevitably someone was going to bring this up.

 

Essentially analysing our good spell, you can argue Rodgers is a manager who thrives on building confidence in his team, his teams thrive on confidence.  

 

We also in that good run had some good fortune. 

 

Not long after he put the Arsenal link to bed, we had the consecutive games vs Man City and Liverpool, traditionally he has been weak in games against tough opponents.  But perhaps we seeing another weakness as well in that he reacts late to problems such as taking an eternity to not start Tielemans, taking too long to drop Barnes, and we will probably see the same with Chilwell.  Note the three names are all young, he seems to favour younger players, and taking into consideration our team's weaknesses you can understand why we have started to lose form.

 

So in short I think this is nothing to do with it, except "one" thing.

 

The fact the manager got linked away, may have put ideas into player's heads about doing the same thing, and the rumours of Maddison and Chilwell having their heads turned, could bear "some" relation to this.

 

But its all speculation end of the day.

 

We have an absolute key player now out injured, Other key players off form.  and have been found out, other teams have discovered if they close us down, we cannot play around it, Rodgers needs to figure a new way for us to play.

Edited 12 January 2020 by Chrysalis

[Chrysalis]

3 hours ago, Col city fan said:

I don’t know whether it’s this but there IS something else going on at the moment I suspect.

We have too many very good players being ‘off-form’ to be a coincidence. Yesterday, pretty much the same players who tore teams apart earlier this season, looked disjointed and out of confidence. Southampton battered us tbh.

As usual, the forum has started turning on players who, just a few weeks ago, were being hailed as ‘world-beaters’. 6 weeks ago, the general consensus was that Chilwell was the best LB in the division, now he’s being accused of being a ‘pub-player’.

Tielemans is going through the same thing, soon Soyuncu will be branded ‘a donkey’ etc.

Something isn’t right at the moment and it’s hard to believe it’s all about form.

Confidence just appears low and I wonder why

Funny enough so many people on here seem to think its all about confidence.

 

I mean confidence is clearly important, its a big reason why promoted teams are favourites for relegation, as they wont be as confident as established teams, but I dont think thats the explanation for our problems.

[fuchsntf]

18 hours ago, kyleolly said:

He’s lost the dressing room

So have the players,they seem to find the oppos,alot easier..

[fuchsntf]

8 hours ago, Col city fan said:

I don’t know whether it’s this but there IS something else going on at the moment I suspect.

We have too many very good players being ‘off-form’ to be a coincidence. Yesterday, pretty much the same players who tore teams apart earlier this season, looked disjointed and out of confidence. Southampton battered us tbh.

As usual, the forum has started turning on players who, just a few weeks ago, were being hailed as ‘world-beaters’. 6 weeks ago, the general consensus was that Chilwell was the best LB in the division, now he’s being accused of being a ‘pub-player’.

Tielemans is going through the same thing, soon Soyuncu will be branded ‘a donkey’ etc.

Something isn’t right at the moment and it’s hard to believe it’s all about form.

Confidence just appears low and I wonder why

I would say it the simple Problem of form...For this Full group of players und manager,Plus the various learn processes,its the First full season...!!

L'pool + Klopp,Man.City + Pep, with more Financial and immediate spread out Quality cache,took

more than One season to get their Acts together.

 

Even with our title Now behind us, this is the First Time we are mixing it With the Big Boys at this level,looking to create something more solid...our best( & the leagues best) and exceptional DM is out injured...We have had a Bad a 5/out of 6 game indifferent run,while still  Making our Mark in all National-competitions...The team,the squad,is Not yet quite there..No wonder really..!!   We have Not yet in this excellent season seen,all 11-14 players have Top or Good Rythme  or Collective performances...We have Upped our "potential" to an higher level,that this forum could only Dream about...

Its Not just wanting 'it', club,squad,Manager und Yes fans have also got to earn it.!!! Young pretenders,& whippersnappers,can Grab hold of that potential...with the still obvious twists and turns, but  can we!!! at the end....still hold it!!!! To create that new era.

We have Really  only started "our journey".

Annoyance,und frustrations are Part of it...Sometimes Its like going to Skeggy or Ingoldmells,the Bloody tide,can Take   along Time to come in..!! 

Edited 12 January 2020 by fuchsntf

[LinekersLugs]

This is like a thread the sun newspaper would start ! 
 

bottom line is 

 

1) the squad is NOT deep 

2) chilwell and Maddison are looking to leave , their heads are turned 

3) teams have worked out that if they keep us narrow and pressed wide we struggle 

4) we are massively over achieving and last 6 results is about where we really are 

 

 

we need to spend 50-80m this window and get that champions league sorted ! If we do that we will keep Rodgers and we can truly bed ourselves in the top 6 for next few years 

 

now we will find out how good a coach Brendan is , and I have total faith in him 

[Hammo]

It’s more a case of other teams/managers starting to identify and target our weaknesses. Southampton for example did a job on us yesterday.

 

Rodgers has done brilliantly so far but he is facing new challenges now - no Ndidi, several players de-energised and out of form, nothing from the wings etc etc. He needs to show what he is made of and justify that lucrative new contract in the next few weeks because it will be a crying shame if we fail to finish in the top four.

[st albans fox]

50 minutes ago, LinekersLugs said:

This is like a thread the sun newspaper would start ! 
 

bottom line is 

 

1) the squad is NOT deep 

2) chilwell and Maddison are looking to leave , their heads are turned 

3) teams have worked out that if they keep us narrow and pressed wide we struggle 

4) we are massively over achieving and last 6 results is about where we really are 

 

 

we need to spend 50-80m this window and get that champions league sorted ! If we do that we will keep Rodgers and we can truly bed ourselves in the top 6 for next few years 

 

now we will find out how good a coach Brendan is , and I have total faith in him 

Depends how well we spend it ! 

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

I thought he put the Arsenal rumours down quite robustly actually 

[TonyN11]

22 hours ago, Blue-fox said:

I was speaking to someone after the game walking out the ground, many grumbles understandably after watching that and he came up with something that I thought I might post on here as I found it an interesting thought. 
 

He reckons that the downturn in our form could be down to the Rodgers links he had with Arsenal as it coincides with us being miles off our best from Everton(when he was linked) to today. Said the players might have lost trust/ the edge that they had before that because he didn’t really put the matter to bed and strung it out? 

And did you tell someone that they were talking b0!!ocks?

[TonyN11]

21 hours ago, kyleolly said:

He’s lost the dressing room

This one, yes

 

[Raj]

£180k a week probably does see a decrease in motivation!!!!

Rodgers played an absolute blinder on that one....well done to him and his agent!!!

Edited 12 January 2020 by Raj

[LinekersLugs]

Should have let him go an re-hired Nigel 

[koop.]

On 11/01/2020 at 20:30, Blue-fox said:

I was speaking to someone after the game walking out the ground, many grumbles understandably after watching that and he came up with something that I thought I might post on here as I found it an interesting thought. 
 

He reckons that the downturn in our form could be down to the Rodgers links he had with Arsenal as it coincides with us being miles off our best from Everton(when he was linked) to today. Said the players might have lost trust/ the edge that they had before that because he didn’t really put the matter to bed and strung it out? 

I reckon that guy chats shit 

[Gamble92]

I don't think this is a factor in the sense you're maybe getting at. But -

 

We cant overlook the fact this is the time of year the agents start getting in the ears and other issues off the pitch start to become a distraction. I dont doubt players like Maddison are already weighing up the next step to United etc.

 

I also think the reassessment of our goal is a big one too. The players would have undoubtedly had title ambitions, no matter what was downplayed. Now its very much a top 4 effort and they all need to come together and realise how big that still is.

[cruzFOX]

When our owners targeted the club to be a top 4 or 6 team within a certain timeframe no one anticipated we’d actually finish 1st and win the title. Now we have raced to the top of the league playing attractive footy and been showered by all kinds of praise I think it’s had an effect on the collective psychology of the players. Especially after getting brutalized by city and Liverpool. Our team has shown it’s fragile. Now is the time for them to show if their all just flukes or the real McCoy. If they continue to show their weakness I guarantee Burnley will beat us which will be embarrassing and do nothing for their confidence. Try need to win and win ugly if they have to and bring that back the KP so they can build on it and get the home fans back on side happy as Larry. 

[Ashley]

On 14/01/2020 at 02:06, cruzFOX said:

When our owners targeted the club to be a top 4 or 6 team within a certain timeframe no one anticipated we’d actually finish 1st and win the title. Now we have raced to the top of the league playing attractive footy and been showered by all kinds of praise I think it’s had an effect on the collective psychology of the players. Especially after getting brutalized by city and Liverpool. Our team has shown it’s fragile. Now is the time for them to show if their all just flukes or the real McCoy. If they continue to show their weakness I guarantee Burnley will beat us which will be embarrassing and do nothing for their confidence. Try need to win and win ugly if they have to and bring that back the KP so they can build on it and get the home fans back on side happy as Larry. 

 

I dont believe the praise has effected the team. 

 

What people need to realise is. Bar Schmeichel, Evans and Vardy the team is full of kids we will have some bad/average performances from time to time. Brendan has done wonders in the 11 months or so hes been here. 

 

Keep them all together that team wins the Premier League within 2 potentially 3 years. 

 

However can we keep them all for that long? We need to be in Europe every single season from now to then.

 

If we do keep everyone together the above happens 100%

[Glorious Leicester Fan]

Correlation is not causation. Rather than linking BR and Arsenal, a combination of the festive fixtures and a relatively small squad may be a more appropriate place to start explaining our so called ‘downturn’.