Rodgers has shown a willingness to adapt to succeed, while Martinez continues with a style which isn't working
Modern management. One second untouchable,
astute tacticians who can do no wrong. The next, clueless, tactically naïve and
out of their depth. The life of a manager in the biggest league in the world. Rodgers and Martinez have been regarded as the future of management; young, ambitious and
seeking to play a form of the game seen as progressive and 'modern, both value
the “Barcelona- style” of football. As the two look to come together this weekend, is there a case to say Martinez looks rigid while Rodgers looks to be the progressive.
For Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez their careers seem intertwined and so too their reputations. Both
men profited hugely from their time in Swansea, earning reputations for their
expansive possession based style. It helped the club reach the Premier League
and took these two managers to higher places.
Both would be interviewed for the
job at Liverpool. Martinez, seemingly the first choice rejected the offer and
opted to stay at Wigan. An FA Cup followed, yet too did a relegation. Still it
was enough for Bill Kenwright to think this was the coach who could take
Everton forward, both in terms of style and league position (Martinez
apparently securing the job by telling Kenwright he would take Everton to the
Champions League).
Rodgers would profit from Martinez’s refusal to accept the
Liverpool job and would step in to the role with huge expectation and pressure.
This was Liverpool. And while they had not been challenging the league for a
few years, there was expectation to do so. Rodgers struggled somewhat in that
first season at Anfield. The play was too slow, possession too high and the
result was often a draw. However the acquisitions of Daniel Sturridge and
Phillipe Coutinho in January 2013 would prove to be master-strokes from Rodgers and Liverpool’s
style and results would see a big upturn. A 7th place finish was
underwhelming yet there were signs of progress being made.
That following
season those signs became a reality with Liverpool becoming genuine title
contenders. What had changed? Well it appeared that Rodgers had learnt and
adapted from the slower style of play the year before and sought to embrace a
higher tempo, more vertical style game. Quick transitions and ruthless
finishing became the norm for Liverpool and in many games the contest was
seemingly over after 20 minutes. Liverpool were more dynamic, quicker and
effective in their play.
Contrast this to Everton who were now under the
leadership of Roberto Martinez. This was a whole new culture of football for a
club who had experienced a decade under David Moyes, where the style was less
risk, more cautious and more direct. At first the Everton fans weren’t sure yet
then results started clicking and the fans and media began fawning over Roberto
Martinez. Everton now looked fresh, modern and dynamic. This was seemingly the style of
football which would take Everton to new levels. It seemed his promise would
come true.
And yet, as we arrive in the present the success of last season for
both managers has almost been forgotten. Both have experienced a difficult
season so far. However, while Brendan Rodgers appears to have found a new way
of playing, Roberto Martinez appears stuck in his ideas and beliefs.
Learning, adaptation, evolving
It was inevitable that Liverpool would struggle this season.
To lose a forward in Suarez, arguably in the top three of forwards in world
football last season, was never going to be easy to replace. £80m was at least
a softener for the loss yet the use of that money did leave some scratching
their heads. They didn’t do enough to convince Alexis to join them (Wenger
travelled all the way to Rio to convince him) and didn’t use the Suarez deal
effectively to put Alexis or even Pedro as part of it. Other options didn’t materialise
and so in came Mario Balotelli and Ricky Lambert. How very underwhelming. It was
okay though because they still had Sturridge and Sterling, and then came
Sturridge’s four month lay-off. A crisis ensued. Liverpool were never going to
be able to compete without Suarez and Sturridge in the side.
Credit must be given to
Brendan Rodgers, who went through a difficult time during Sturridge’s injury
and experimented to find a solution. Balotelli didn’t work and that gamble has
proven a failure. Lambert hasn’t looked the level required. Instead it has been
Raheem Sterling who has stepped up to play as centre forward, and has done very
well in the role. He has added more to his game and is looking like the kind of
playmaking forward Mario Gotze did at Dortmund (that is very big compliment).
Sterling looks capable of leading the line, of stretching the play and also to drop deep and run with the
ball. Sterling's overall play has excelled in Sturridge’s absence, however Liverpool haven’t always
been ruthless with their finishing. A goalscorer has been missed.
But it is what
Rodgers has done with his tactics is what has impressed me most. Now I have no confirmation
of this, but I believe that Rodgers has read Pep Confidential, the new book documenting Guardiola’s first season
at Bayern. It is no criticism to Rodgers, I would expect him to get an insight
into one of the best coaches in world football, to see how he sought not only
to win but to enhance Bayern’s style of play. Rodgers loved Barcelona, and it only makes sense to gauge what Guardiola was seeking to do several years on. What you take from the book is Guardiola’s desire to get the best out of
Phillip Lahm in the centre of midfield, to use wing backs more effectively and
to embrace a back three. His formation? A 3-4-2-1. What has Rodgers used in
recent weeks, this exact formation. And it has worked.
Liverpool outplayed
Arsenal for fun using this system yet a lack of clinical finishing meant they
had to scrape a 2-2 draw. The signs however showed how good this system worked.
Sterling played at the top, with Lallana and Coutinho behind in the two
attacking midfielder roles. Against Chelsea in the league cup Gerrard played in
this higher role and the use of these two players pulled and dragged Chelsea’s
midfield, notably Matic all over the place, creating huge gaps for others to
fill. Look at Sterling’s goal in the first leg and Coutinho’s chance in the
second leg. It caused havoc for Chelsea’s ‘balance’.
The key for me has been
the re-introduction of Lucas Leiva and the move to a double pivot in midfield. The four in midfield looks a box with two DM's and two AM's. When Gerrard has played as a single pivot Liverpool look open defensively as he
can’t cover enough ground and lacks the positional discipline to really excel
in this role. In a double pivot either Henderson or Gerrard look more secure
with Lucas next to them. And Liverpool appear defensively more secure with him
there. Add in the removal of Lovren from the back three and the decision to use
Emre Can deeper has helped Liverpool’s ability to build out and break lines
while actually making them look more secure defensively.
Rodgers has impressed
with a tactical innovation, moving to a back three (achieved much better what van Gaal has done at
United) and showed good decision making with the removal and addition of certain
players. With the return of Daniel Sturridge Liverpool now have the forward
they have required to turn the creation of quality chances into goals.
Sturridge is ruthless, his movement is excellent and importantly he has
creators in Coutinho (whose vision is just wonderful), Sterling and to an
extent Lallana. When Rodgers came to Liverpool the style was slow, too
horizontal, possession lacked purpose and chances were limited. He has adapted
this style to be much quicker moving the ball while being more direct (short
and sharp combinations over longer direct balls) in their vertical movements.
It was this style change which alterted Liverpool’s results and form last season.
Now lets compare this to Everton.
A rigid style built on ideas rather than practicality
Romelu Lukaku has said “The players were asking about going
more direct. We all said to the manager, ‘Can we play a bit more direct
sometimes?’ We have a style of play where we keep the ball a lot.” He believes that
the team needs to “play to my strengths more…For me that makes it easier,
because when I am one v one, running on a defender, that gives me a better
chance.”
Martinez’s response “You win games by being very good at
what you do. Changing only brings doubts.”
This is the problem at Everton. Martinez has a style in his
head which he seems incapable of adapting or changing. He believes in possession
to dominate games. Yet Everton and his system has been found out somewhat. Last
season there appeared to be more incision and quality in the attacking play yet
it does appear that teams (with the quality of analysis all Premier League
sides have at their disposal) have simply figured out Martinez’s tactics.
The irony is Martinez is a "no-risk coach", in contrast to what Moyes was
accused guilty of being, however the contrast is that while Moyes was no-risk
in his defensive half, and a little more free in the attacking half to create
chances, Martinez is the opposite. He wants players to be confident with the
ball in defence yet make great decisions in the final third. The problem, the most goals conceded from individual errors in the league and a lack of chances being created in attack.
The problem is
that as other teams have worked out Everton’s style those decisions become
harder because players cannot give up possession ‘easily’. It has meant Everton
have a top 5 percentage of successful passes in their own half yet are 11th
and 10th respectively when it comes to shots taken and chances
created (compare this to Moyes who was 4th in these stats in
2012/13.
It is fascinating because while Martinez is keen to stick to his
philosophy, it is clear that the team is suffering for his stubbornness.
Rodgers was accused of this stubbornness a few years ago, yet his adaptation to
playing more direct almost brought him the title and certainly brought out the
best in players like Suarez and Sturridge. Arsene Wenger has evidently learned
that too much possession does not always mean success and his Arsenal side appear
more inclined to allow the opposition to have possession and are looking to
play quicker and more direct when they win the ball. It is no surprise they
look a better side and have got some great results recently. So is possession
important?
As I said in my book Universality
“Recently we have started to see that sides are willing to
allow the opposition to have possession of the ball. This means we are starting
to see games where possession statistics mean little. The context of the game
cannot be explained in ‘who had more of the ball’ because both sides are not
seeking to have possession. What has become more important, especially in the
higher echelons of the game, is creating and converting chances. Ultimately
possession doesn’t count for much unless you finish your chances. Of course if
you have more possession this, statistically, increases your chances of scoring
as you have more opportunities; however, we are really talking about the quality
of chances created here.”
So the importance is creating
and converting chances. Everton’s problem is that they don’t create enough
and the ones they do create aren’t always great chances. The problem seems that
Martinez has spent £28m on a forward who is not using correctly. The best
coaches either bring in players to suit their style or adapt to suit the needs
of their players. Lukaku, while perhaps being guilty of not working hard enough
to create space, is not being utilised well enough. It is like Diego Costa in
that Spain side. He wants quick balls feeding through to him with space to run
into, he doesn’t want to be waiting for 20 passes while the opposition get set
up in a block.
Now of course Everton’s problem is also there inability to
keep clean sheets. They have conceded 34 goals this season, they only conceded
39 in the whole of last season! Compare
that to the best defence in the league Southampton, who have conceded 17 goals,
and you see the problem. Failure to scores added to a tendency to concede leads
to a lack of points.
The problems here are clear; Europa League football, a competition Martinez is keen to succeed in, does show to take it out on a team. And in fairness to Everton they have done well in this competition so far. As well as this an ageing defence comprising
of players like Distin, Howard (Howard’s injury hasn’t helped also, with Joel
Robles stepping in ) and Jagielka in their mid-30’s allied with Gareth Barry
ahead of them have certainly shown their age this season. Like something from Cocoon their youthful exuberance and
energy last season seems to have worn off and they are now showing their age.
Added to this is the loss of their influential and energetic midfielder James
McCarthy who has experienced an injury hit season. This has really affected the
balance and energy in Everton’s midfield. And while Besic has energy, he is
more of a holder than McCarthy. Thus Everton have lacked a midfielder to break
from deep. More has been expected of Barkley also yet one of his only good
games came against the lacklustre QPR at home. It just seems it’s not clicking
for Everton and Martinez on both sides of the ball.
Also, I believe Martinez hasn't sought to adapt his tactics to suit the needs of his players, notably Coleman and Baines. He utilises them as wing backs yet continues to play with a back four, meaning they have to track back often. Last season Barry would drop in to make a three yet it seems Everton have become too vulnerable and are lacking balance when the wing backs push high. It has also meant the attacking forwards are told to come inside, which closes gaps centrally. It has led to congestion up top and a defence which is too open. A move to a back three would make sense yet perhaps with Lennon coming in Martinez will ask Coleman to stay deeper and allow Lennon to provide the width. Either way it is clear Martinez needs to change his formation.
Good coaching means always learning and adapting
In his time at Liverpool Rodgers has shown a willingness and need to learn and adapt. Yet it does seem Martinez seems
unwilling to. This is a concern. He didn’t change while at Wigan and while this
can be said to be a reason why Wigan avoided relegation for so long it must concern Everton fans that Wigan were always fighting relegation (look at Stoke and West Ham under Pulis and Allardyce to see that every season doesn't need to be a relegation threatened season).
The Premier League includes
different teams with different strengths and weaknesses, a good coach prepares
his side to exploit those weaknesses. Just look at Mourinho’s tactics, which
vary each game based on the opponent. Perhaps Martinez should have read Pep
Confidential also, because while Pep is lauded for his style of play, he
prepares and alters the tactics and style every game in order to defeat the
opposition. He argues against possession for possession sake and states how his
only intention is to win, seeking to find the best solution for this to occur
every game.
Rodgers is clearly learning the importance of adaptation, whereas
Martinez will suffer if he continues to stay rigid to a system and style which
just isn’t working. As Albert Einstein once said “In an inherently changing world, any species unable to adapt
is also doomed.” Take note Roberto.
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