Topic: FT Sunderland 2 vs Liverpool 2 (Sturridge 19', Defoe pen 25' 84' Mane 71')

[Eeyore]

Kennett has now said on his time line that there are actually 2 different providers for this data - he uses the same one as Sky so is sticking with the season low running vs Sunderland

Klopp also described Sunderland as the most defensive team he had ever played earlier in the season. A game against a team who parks the bus is always going to produce lower running data than an open game that ends up end to end.

[n00bert]

You know, I was just thinking about fixture congestion and tiredness of players and how that can often times affect performance and decision making.

I wonder if the same can be said about referees - in that while Taylor is a shithouse ref, the fact that he reffed the Leceister vs West Ham game two days before mightn't have helped.

Yes, I'm still fuming about that decision to the point I'm now trying to find excuses for Anthony Taylor. Fuck me.

[Giono]

Yeah I thought that discussion on the anfield wrap was a lot of horse shit to be honest
Klopp picks the team not the players. If a top level player has got to this stage of their career and doesn't understand the marginal gains / losses that fatigue is responsible for then that's on them.
 The idea that you pick senior players for every league game in case you offend them is moronic - whatever Klopp said about it in public there's no chance he's picking the team like that

It was kind of a tough call but not really - picking teams is what the manager does. If he'd made more changes everyone would have understood why.
My guess is he went with the settled team because a) he puts a big emphasis on players being in rhythm and b) he doesn't trust the alternatives - there's a big drop off beyond our first team

I hope you are right.

But one fear I can't shake is that he played our starters from Man City because of Henderson's injury. He could have replaced Henderson with Lucas/Stewart for one match with Can starting ahead of him with Gini/Lallana.

My fear is he started Can as the deepest midfielder with Gini and Lallana and the regular wingbacks, despite fatigue and despite having decent alternatives, because he is thinking that Henderson may be in-and-out of the line-up with a similar foot injury for the rest of the season...and Can may have to play quite a few matches in that set-up with those players in the future. And perhaps it was a test of Can to see if maybe a replacement for Hendo will be needed to be bought in January.

I hope I'm wrong and Klopp was just trying to prove to himself that his players' fitness was at a sufficient level before resting players on Sunday.

[El Lobo]

I hope you are right.

But my fear is that he played our starters from Man City because of Henderson's injury. He could have replaced Henderson with Lucas/Stewart for one match with Can starting ahead of him with Gini/Lallana.

But my fear is he started Can as the deepest midfielder with Gini and Lallana and the regular wingbacks, despite fatigue and despite having decent alternatives, because he is thinking that Henderson may be in-and-out of the line-up with a similar foot injury for the rest of the season...and Can may have to play quite a few matches in that set-up with those players in the future. And perhaps it was a test of Can to see if maybe a replacement for Hendo will be needed to be bought in January.

I hope I'm wrong and Klopp was just trying to prove to himself that his players' fitness was at a sufficient level before resting players on Sunday.

Wishful thinking mate, Hendo will be fine 

[Yiannis]

The Chelsea result this morning just makes the result against Sunderland a bigger kick in the guts. Fuckin' Anthony Taylor and his never-a-freekick-but-giving-one-anyway arse. Should be 3 points behind, not five. Spewing. They say these decisions even themselves out through the season, let's see how true that is.

Well the result vs Sunderland was an unfortunate one. We wanted the win of course and we were pissed that we didn't get it. But after seeing the Chelsea result, I'm better. Yes I would have loved us to be 3 points away from them but it's still one point gained. Could have been 8, you know?

[Giono]

You know, I was just thinking about fixture congestion and tiredness of players and how that can often times affect performance and decision making.

I wonder if the same can be said about referees - in that while Taylor is a shithouse ref, the fact that he reffed the Leceister vs West Ham game two days before mightn't have helped.

Yes, I'm still fuming about that decision to the point I'm now trying to find excuses for Anthony Taylor. Fuck me.

Agree. Ref tiredness has to be a factor.

Modern Ref's have to follow a match played by the best athletes the world has to offer, yet refs must be English. The modern game is played at blistering pace with slow behemoth forwards a thing of the past and with 11 active players on each side including sweeper-keepers.

Ice hockey has responded to the same modern challenges by adding a second referee (ice hockey has always had two linesmen like footy) in the late 90s. The added bonus with 4 on-field officials is you can have older more-experienced refs with longer careers as they have less ground to cover in a match.

[SP]

The older more experienced refs kissed Fergie's arse. Do we want them back?

[Giono]

The older more experienced refs kissed Fergie's arse. Do we want them back?

They get buried along with their Pharaoh.

[n00bert]

The older more experienced refs kissed Fergie's arse. Do we want them back?

Howard Webb II: The New Nightmare

[n00bert]

Agree. Ref tiredness has to be a factor.

Modern Ref's have to follow a match played by the best athletes the world has to offer, yet refs must be English. The modern game is played at blistering pace with slow behemoth forwards a thing of the past and with 11 active players on each side including sweeper-keepers.

Ice hockey has responded to the same modern challenges by adding a second referee (ice hockey has always had two linesmen like footy) in the late 90s. The added bonus with 4 on-field officials is you can have older more-experienced refs with longer careers as they have less ground to cover in a match.

I was wondering why they wouldn't just get someone who was 4th official on Saturday to ref the game and Taylor could have been by the sidelines holding up 5 minutes as opposed to the 2 indicated.

Onward and upward though, Cup this weekend and let's smack those smarmy Mancs.

[TepidT2O]

Played several games over Christmas...

And we've closed the gap at the top..

Not too bad on the whole.