Roy Hodgson has only nine victories from his past 73 away matches in the Premier League, a sequence that stretches across six seasons and three clubs – Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and now Liverpool.
I don't have the data at hand, regarding goals scored and conceded in those away game. BUT, I bet Roy's teams were not hammered often when away from home. They were, for the most, close games I imagine. Just like against Spurs, and our other away games, we were competitive and there was very little in it. But the end result is always the same - Roy's team rarely wins away from home.
Roy admits that his approach is the same, both home and away. He say: "There is certainly no difference in the way we approach the games. We don't have a home approach and away approach. We want to do the same things with the ball and without the ball home and away. You can't deny that at Anfield the crowd is an advantage and that it spurs people on. Also, you can't deny that decisions go in your favour more when you are at home. That is a fact of life."
THUS, my conclusion is that it is down to tactics. A top manager can change things around, at crucial moments in games. I suspect that Roy is weak in this department. And any changes he does make, are belated ones.....long after the horse has bolted. A top manager (e.g. Benitez or Mourinho) is proactive.......Roy seems to be reactive (and even them waits too long to take action).
I would be keen to see, across his career, when he brings on subs (and what types of changes he makes with the substitutions).
