The Liverpool Thread

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The quoted is really telling as to the PL season to date and the mad look of the table-

www.espn.co.uk

Explaining Liverpool and Chelsea's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad seasons

Liverpool narrowly missed out on a historic quadruple in 2021-22, while Chelsea won the Champions League just a year earlier. Now, they're both midtable and look terrible. What on earth happened?
www.espn.co.uk www.espn.co.uk

'..... That all seems as if it's playing a role, but a simpler explanation might be that both teams are running on fumes.

Over the past two years, Chelsea have played 122 competitive games -- more than any other team in Europe. (Liverpool are third with 117.) And since the start of last season, Liverpool lead the way with 92. Chelsea are second with 90, and then there's Manchester City (87), who haven't quite hit the same heights as previous seasons, followed by West Ham (85), the only Premier League team that might be having a more disappointing season than Liverpool or Chelsea. The other two English sides with 80-plus competitive matches on the ledger since the start of last season: Leicester City, who are two points clear of the relegation zone, and Tottenham, who have a worse goal differential than Liverpool despite having played two more matches.

How direct the cause is, I don't know, but most of the teams that are disappointing this season have played a ton of games over the past year and a half.

It seems to work in the opposite direction, too. Arsenal, who are currently 17 points ahead of their preseason Sporting Index projection, have played 71 competitive matches since the start of last season; both Liverpool and Chelsea have basically played an extra half-season of matches over the same period of time. Newcastle, who are 14 points ahead of their preseason projection, are even fresher. They've played just 64 games since the 2021-22 season began -- fewer matches than any team currently in the Premier League other than Aston Villa. (63).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Arsenal and Newcastle have been able to rely on a small core of players as they've risen up the table. The former have 10 players who have played at least 75% of the league minutes, and the latter have 11. Liverpool and Chelsea, meanwhile, have been fighting through injuries all season; just five guys for Liverpool and three for Chelsea have broken that same 75% mark. Soccer players typically get injured playing soccer games, and when you're playing more games, you're more likely to get injuries. .....'
 
Reason why you both struggle is because you don't have a midfield.
 
Pain. That is all. You can keep saying oh it's the midfield or that our players are injured. We've had worse injury crisis than this and still managed to haul the team up. Players don't become ***** overnight and drop off like this. It's clearly a combo of low confidence but more importantly the tactics being asked by Klopp and his team not fitting the players. I mean Gakpo a LW being asked to play ST and you have Nunez a ST being asked to play LW?. Im afraid we have the real fraud Pep as our assman...
 
dilakh2 said:
…I mean Gakpo a LW being asked to play ST…
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I appreciate you lot being the test guinea pigs for this “Gakpo can play CF” belief that has been making rounds among the united fan base for 6 months.

He’s always been a Marcus Rashford-lite player (said this several times) that can do a job at CF when your other options are injured but he’s not a permanent fixture in that position. In a way, I thank you lot for buying him now than have us buy him in the coming summer and assume that’s our CF signing.
 
No idea how you did not get at least 2 reds...

But in the end what a goal. Awarnes of the guy to take several touches in box and smack it with outside
 
iamauser said:
Being someone who loves all things Japan, he is such a good player (and criminally underrated on FM!). He has played this like almost every game I have seen him. Cracking player imo
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I didnt watch the game, but seen his goal. I will say again, so underrated on FM
 
Vanjagl said:
And their first goal was a gift from a ref.
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How? okey, Saw the handball stuff. Understand that it was hanball, but VAR cant do anything because the hanball rule states that they cant cancel the goal.
 
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Bujakaa92 said:
How? okey, Saw the handball stuff. Understand that it was hanball, but VAR cant do anything because the hanball rule states that they cant cancel the goal.
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Which is mental. If it wasn't for the handball, he wouldn't be able to control the ball and set up the counter-attack. I honestly fail to see the point of VAR except with some dubious offside situations.
 
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dilakh2 said:
..... Im afraid we have the real fraud Pep as our assman...
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Lijnders? Jesus mate, if you're seriously suggesting Jurgen is being influenced in his decision making, you've joined the ranks of the twitter unhinged.

Legend Incredible said:
I appreciate you lot being the test guinea pigs for this “Gakpo can play CF” belief that has been making rounds among the united fan base for 6 months.

He’s always been a Marcus Rashford-lite player (said this several times) that can do a job at CF when your other options are injured but he’s not a permanent fixture in that position. In a way, I thank you lot for buying him now than have us buy him in the coming summer and assume that’s our CF signing.
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ten Hag didn't make Gakpo his January priority to play him as a CF surely?

I think you can rest easy that wouldn't have been the case mate. And he's not playing as a CF mate for the record. Just centrally. Not that I agree with Jurgen, as Harvey on the left is just proper weird, but I can see what he's trying to do to solidify the middle with Gakpo dropping in deep ala Bobby. He had another really promising outing today doing that.
 
Well that was a long and frustrating day. Leaving the house at half 5 in the AM and not getting back until pushing midnight, all on the back of bowing out of the cup defence in a game they deserved at least a draw from, just adds to that frustration.

But, unlike the absolute shitshow in the league down there, there were more positives to build on after last weeks lil' forward steps against Wolves and Chelsea to encourage you that this is slowly turning the right way again.

That was a proper smash and grab from Brighton that L'pool can feel really hard done to. Yeah, it was self-inflicted madness in injury time that cost the game. But for the first 80 or so (Or until Fabinho came on and continued his utter mess of a season with an absolutely disgraceful, and totally unnecessary challenge he should have walked for), they largely set the tempo and were largely in control of a really good game of cup-tie football against a really good Brighton side. Only to be outdone by a cruel deflection when they deserved to go in 1 up at the break. And then the aforementioned self-inflicted madness for what was an excellent winning goal from the best player on the park. Utterly frustrating as they deserve to still be in the hat for the 5th round draw. But football can be a humbler and you don't always get what your efforts deserve.

The recent solidity being forged from selecting the same XI lead to a team that looked well set-up, setting the tempo and controlling the game for the most part. By no means great and lacking in an attacking output. But 100% improved from two weeks ago down there with lessons learned. Small wins. Small steps forward. It's what this season has become as they slowly start to resemble a smart football side again.

Thought everyone bar Mo was decent and a lot better. Klopp's subs left some ? marks. Not least taking off Trent and leaving Milner against a really talented winger. And the Fabinho change just undid all the good work of the previous 80 or so minutes with a mad last 10 where all the hard work out of position went to pot which culminated in the very avoidable winner.

Really disappointing and frustrating to not be looking at a home replay still in the hat that their efforts today deserved from what was, the ending aside, a really enjoyable cup tie.

But all in all, another little step forward from the rock bottom disgrace the last time down at Brighton.

Today we were on the receiving end of hard lines. It happens. That's football.

Just take more little steps forward into a complete 90 next weekend and beat Wolves.

Up the disappointed, but encouraged, Reds. FTT!!!!!
 
Scouseinthehouse said:
Lijnders? Jesus mate, if you're seriously suggesting Jurgen is being influenced in his decision making, you've joined the ranks of the twitter unhinged.



ten Hag didn't make Gakpo his January priority to play him as a CF surely?

I think you can rest easy that wouldn't have been the case mate. And he's not playing as a CF mate for the record. Just centrally. Not that I agree with Jurgen, as Harvey on the left is just proper weird, but I can see what he's trying to do to solidify the middle with Gakpo dropping in deep ala Bobby. He had another really promising outing today doing that.
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Usually I'd avoid the rambling of twitter but there is some good blogs that detail the play style especially the kind of football Lijnders promotes. He clearly has a massive influence over the side as we've seen our style evolve over the past two years. Right now if I was Klopp I'd take an ear out of Fergie book and move him on and get someone else with fresh ideas in. It's clearly a tactical issue now because I refuse to buy into the same players have lost all their ability over night.
 
Naturally, He’s an assistant manager. But mate, if you honestly believe that Jurgen isn’t doing/ trying what Jurgen wants, then you’ve both gone well down that rabbit hole and the manager may as well leave the football club.

Of all the mad conspiracy theories this season, the Lijnders one, from him seemingly having more of an ego to bring out a sanctioned book rather than coaching the team, to him signing players and determining who play's/ what we do on the pitch et al, has been one of the maddest.
 
Scouseinthehouse said:
ten Hag didn't make Gakpo his January priority to play him as a CF surely?

I think you can rest easy that wouldn't have been the case mate. And he's not playing as a CF mate for the record. Just centrally. Not that I agree with Jurgen, as Harvey on the left is just proper weird, but I can see what he's trying to do to solidify the middle with Gakpo dropping in deep ala Bobby. He had another really promising outing today doing that.
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Most of his promising plays have come when he drifted towards the left with a few deft touches. He drops deep however, he makes the most obvious pass possible. If defenders go tight on him, he just passes it back to your defender or lose the ball.

One thing I loved about Firmino is (or rather was) his ability to do something completely unorthodox that catches defenders by surprise. Even when he dropped deep, he timed it so intelligently to drag a defender with him, creating space for Salah/Mane to run into. His hold up play was also top class as well.


Could you coach this into Gakpo? Sure. He is 23 after all but I doubt he hits the heights Firmino once did in that aspect.
 
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