Topic: PL: Liverpool 0 v 1 Brighton Alzate 55’

[lgvkarlos]

Calmed down a bit now (repairing TV remotes can be very therapeutic)

Reality is Klopp has plaited sawdust with the budget he's been given, problem is the sawdust has got so thin even he can't plait it anymore.

It's clear that the only teams that have had consistant success are the clubs that have continued to spend (Chelsea, City and Urd)

In reality without Klopp we would be in a similar situation as Spurs and Arsenal, both Wenger and Pochitino weren't backed when they could have pushed on.

FSG have done a fantastic job building up the club but that's exactly what's happened at Arsenal and Spurs, making the owners shit loads of money in the process. (with the value of their assets)

[Knickers]

They had a 6'6" left back. Milk turns quicker than him, but nobody tried to expose him.

Salah should have been torching him every opportunity he got.

[jckliew]

It's time for a switch up against the low block. We need a totally different approach. The shape and strategy need to change.

We have been sussed out by low block teams for a bit now. Unfortunately don't see any change to Klopp approach.
This, we have under performed against most of  the lower tiered teams for a while now.

My guess is Jota may have been able to help unlock more of these sort of teams. Unfortunately he played in a dead rubber and got injured.
Unfortunately we do not have a player like Lewandowsky who can hold up the ball and bring people and score too and with headers.

I think on the evidence of the performance of the squad this year, the Premier League title is far fetched now.

[Sarge]

Look at our actual squad if everyone’s fit.

Seriously, count everyone on our books, Ok Change Origi

The injuries we have is bizarrely being ignored countless times

I know, we have an injury crisis, crisis not a couple of lads injured.

Can i add, Joel has to be released in the Summer, top top player but sadly he is as reliable as Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson telling the truth.

[JordanTremenderson]

Our squad isn't perfect in certain positions.

If Trent gets injured, not convinced Neco is ready yet.

If we lose two of Salah, Mane & Jota, then we should have another player who has a similar skillset.  That player might not be at the same level.  But be able to offer similar things.  Shaqiri is nothing like that.  He won't run behind the opposition and be a big goal threat.  Origi can but I don't think many think he's good enough (or other clubs do, given we can't sell him).

Overally our squad is extremely strong I feel.  As strong as City's I think.  How would they defend without Dias, Stones, Laporte and Fernandhino?  They've probably got more attacking depth, but then again they have spent vastly more.  We have to improve gradually and every window we're getting stronger.  I don't think any club could have coped with our injury list personally.

[Redbonnie]

The title has gone for this year ... it went at goodison. We are in a hole and need to get behind Klopp and the lads and get our momentum back for the champions league and next season. We can blood the new CBs and play our way out of this. If it’s a fallow year best year to have one. No fans is awful and I can’t see any travel for champions league either. I am shifting my perspective and looking forward to seeing how Klopp and Co adapt. Can’t wait to get back in the ground and be part of the 12th man again.

[Doc Red]

Yes. We need a small rebuild in the summer.

Don't do it to yourself.
Unless we sell one of our forwards, we won't be splashing all out for one player, let alone a few.
Excuses such as "most of the budget has gone on renewing contracts", "it's COVID did ya know, no one has cash", "Klopp builds players doesn't buy ready made players", etc, will be trotted out.
The transfer committee will be forced to be creative with minimal budget and we'll all get told that summer of 2022 is when we'll splash out.
Rinse and repeat.

We've been unlucky with injuries. But then again, bar Van Dijk, all the other players unavailable for due to injuries this season have usually been unavailable due to injuries over the latter years. We can say that if Keita, Matip, AOC, and Gomez, were healthy this season we'd have been a different team, but we've been saying this about them for a few seasons now. It really is unbelievable that we went into a time condensed season , with little preparation allowed for it, yet with the same amount of matches to be played, and expected our squad filled with quality yet injury prone players, to be available for the season.

And even when we do bring in transfer signings, we do it on the transfer deadline day.
I think FSG have just written off the season, they're gambling that Klopp and the squad are capable of keeping themselvess top 4. That's a good enough outcome from a financial standpoint, why spend more cash in the hope that we go up a few places.

[Robinred]

It’s natural, but wrong, to create a post match narrative based on a result that despite their excellent game plan, flattered Brighton.

If that match had finished 1-0 to Liverpool (Mo’s early, glorious chance the obvious opening), on balance, people would be taking about a narrow, but deserved and hard fought win - the old ‘3 points, move on’ scenario.

Small margins and a slice of luck, too often the beautiful game comes down to these.

[lukeb1981]

Big difference between City and everyone this year is they went out and spent a fortune coming into the season, they can play shite like everyone but can pull a 50 million player off the bench to help the cause or he can rotate their defence with 50 million players , look at us tonight , origi , Shaq and ox combined they cost 40 odd  million . No body is having a great season but city have that bit extra to get them through, they had 500 million sitting on the bench the other day , we are scraping 4 million together to get a few loan players in .

[rushyman]

I know, we have an injury crisis, crisis not a couple of lads injured.

Can i add, Joel has to be released in the Summer, top top player but sadly he is as reliable as Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson telling the truth.

No keep him

He’ll not want to move and would be happy playing 2nd fiddle I think because he won’t be going anywhere similar or be playing regularly anyway. He knows it now probably

He’s an excellent option to fill in for any main CB we get with Virg

[Sarge]

Big difference between City and everyone this year is they went out and spent a fortune coming into the season, they can play shite like everyone but can pull a 50 million player off the bench to help the cause or he can rotate their defence with 50 million players , look at us tonight , origi , Shaq and ox combined they cost 40 odd  million . No body is having a great season but city have that bit extra to get them through, they had 500 million sitting on the bench the other day , we are scraping 4 million together to get a few loan players in .

I get that i really do, but lets us not forget, we are actually a very very good side. We have had injuries (i have said it and i will say it again) but we lack a little in one or two positions not in general.

Too simplistic by me but if VVD and Jota stay fit, we are in a different palce this season. Pound for pound and i mean fiscially we dont match city, player for player we do.

Well bar that little bit of debth in the squad.

[lgvkarlos]

Big difference between City and everyone this year is they went out and spent a fortune coming into the season, they can play shite like everyone but can pull a 50 million player off the bench to help the cause or he can rotate their defence with 50 million players , look at us tonight , origi , Shaq and ox combined they cost 40 odd  million . No body is having a great season but city have that bit extra to get them through, they had 500 million sitting on the bench the other day , we are scraping 4 million together to get a few loan players in .

Utd and Everton also spent shit loads and are having good seasons(for them anyway)

We went 2 windows barely spending a penny, then buy Jota, Tsimikas and Thiago. But got rid of Lallana, Clyne, Hoever, Brewster and Lovren. So the expenditure wouldn't have been that much.

[Sarge]

No keep him

He’ll not want to move and would be happy playing 2nd fiddle I think because he won’t be going anywhere similar or be playing regularly anyway. He knows it now probably

He’s an excellent option to fill in for any main CB we get with Virg

Yeah very fair points but, well you know.

'Injuries'

Disclaimer: Joel has never let us down 'when' available.

[rushyman]

Big difference between City and everyone this year is they went out and spent a fortune coming into the season, they can play shite like everyone but can pull a 50 million player off the bench to help the cause or he can rotate their defence with 50 million players , look at us tonight , origi , Shaq and ox combined they cost 40 odd  million . No body is having a great season but city have that bit extra to get them through, they had 500 million sitting on the bench the other day , we are scraping 4 million together to get a few loan players in .

And United

But That’s not what we or FSG are. We either expect them to suddenly start dragging Ł70m for a player or we understand that’s how it is.

And we still won the league and champions league

It’s pretty mental when you think about it. We’ve completely embarrassed them both

[JordanTremenderson]

I think FSG have just written off the season, they're gambling that Klopp and the squad are capable of keeping themselvess top 4. That's a good enough outcome from a financial standpoint, why spend more cash in the hope that we go up a few places.

Oh come on. 

This squad will get Top Four.  We've had dreadful luck this season (injuries and ref calls earlier in the season). 

FSG have nothing to do with this. No club can spend cash at the moment, that's why they haven't.  We've lost a third of our income and are rightly being prudent.

This squad will get Top Four, I still think we'll come second.

[rushyman]

Yeah very fair points but, well you know.

'Injuries'

Disclaimer: Joel has never let us down 'when' available.

Never

The lads class and has been better than Virgil in a few games

[lgvkarlos]

I get that i really do, but lets us not forget, we are actually a very very good side. We have had injuries (i have said it and i will say it again) but we lack a little in one or two positions not in general.

Too simplistic by me but if VVD and Jota stay fit, we are in a different palce this season. Pound for pound and i mean fiscially we dont match city, player for player we do.

Well bar that little bit of debth in the squad.

This Squad of players has been full tilt for 4/5 years, we've never had a strong enough bench that Klopp trusted.

The best teams constantly freshen up their squads with top players, look at the difference Jota made. The three windows where we barely spent a penny have come back to haunt us.

Because of the lack of depth and the nature of Klopp's play, I think we've literally hit the preverbial wall.

[Sarge]

Never

The lads class and has been better than Virgil in a few games

Something will give.

VVD
Matip
Gomez
Kabal (Loan to buy)
Davies
Philips
Williams

[lgvkarlos]

Never

The lads class and has been better than Virgil in a few games

An absolutely brilliant player, should never be a squad that only has 3 CB's

[Red_Rich]

Not sure why Brighton got so much credit for playing football and attacking... I felt like they did very little before their scrappy goal. It was all men behind the ball.

I thought we lacked any imagination. We played into their hands every time. They defended excellently though, in fairness.

Worthy of the 3 points. Well done to them. With a bit of quality up front, they could do better.

Can you believe Macmanaman called it a 'great goal' ?!

[rushyman]

We now have 3 fit young CB’s that we know can play a bit. Rhys goose maybe cooked now as far as game time goes this season but he’s there aswell

They must be used

[rushyman]

Can you believe Macmanaman called it a 'great goal' ?!

I can

He’s a high calibrie anti aircraft heat seeking mass destruction weapon

[Sarge]

Can you believe Macmanaman called it a 'great goal' ?!

Yes, i can, he is a prick.

[lgvkarlos]

Can you believe Macmanaman called it a 'great goal' ?!

Won of my favourite players when he was hear, but the worst commentator ever.
Both he and Robbie were Everton fans growing up, the difference is Robbie became a Liverpool fan clearly Mcmanaman didn't .

[rushyman]

Won of my favourite players when he was hear, but the worst commentator ever.
Both he and Robbie were Everton fans growing up, the difference is Robbie became a Liverpool fan clearly Mcmanaman didn't .

I’m Not sure that’s true you know he dues enjoy us winning in the studio etc

I just think he chats an extraordinary amount of bollocks. Sometimes silence is best for a few seconds, someone needs to tell him

[GreatEx]

We have been sussed out by low block teams for a bit now. Unfortunately don't see any change to Klopp approach.
This, we have under performed against most of  the lower tiered teams for a while now.

This is the thing that's angering me right now. Against West Ham we changed the way we played in the second half, Jurgen explained it in detail in his post-match remarks. It worked fantastically. Against the bottom sides, we seem to be trotting out the exact same tactics and exact same performance levels every week, with  shocking results. West Brom, Fulham, Newcastle, Southampton, Burnley, Brighton. The last six games against bottom half opposition have yielded 3 draws and 3 losses, ONE goal for, 4 goals against. It is absolutely appalling, and it is the same every week. Surely it is time to do something unpredictable, something different?

[stockdam]

Can you believe Macmanaman called it a 'great goal' ?!

Good cross (that we made no attempt to block), good header (TAA didn’t challenge) but a lucky scrappy shot that could have gone anywhere.

Compare that to Firmino’s deflected shot that just went wide. On another day Firmino’s would have gone in and we would have won a scrappy game. Every team that wins the league has several scrappy games where they get a bit of luck. Tonight we didn’t get any luck but then again we didn’t really do much to deserve it.

I did laugh when their keeper messed up and the ball luckily broke to one of their players. The commentator said that they deserved a bit of luck......I’m not sure what Brighton did to deserve any luck as all they really did was defend.

[GreatEx]

we've literally hit the preverbial wall.

Oh man, my inner pedant is dying here

[lgvkarlos]

We now have 3 fit young CB’s that we know can play a bit. Rhys goose maybe cooked now as far as game time goes this season but he’s there aswell

They must be used

Neither of the new recruits have really shown they can play at the top level, one is young and neither has played in the Prem.
It's not beyond the realms of possiblity that they could take months to get up to the level required.

It's going to take more sawdust plaiting from Klopp and some luck for them to hit the ground running.

[lgvkarlos]

I’m Not sure that’s true you know he dues enjoy us winning in the studio etc

I just think he chats an extraordinary amount of bollocks. Sometimes silence is best for a few seconds, someone needs to tell him

Never heard him gushing about us like Robbie.

[HeartAndSoul]

This is the thing that's angering me right now. Against West Ham we changed the way we played in the second half, Jurgen explained it in detail in his post-match remarks. It worked fantastically. Against the bottom sides, we seem to be trotting out the exact same tactics and exact same performance levels every week, with  shocking results. West Brom, Fulham, Newcastle, Southampton, Burnley, Brighton. The last six games against bottom half opposition have yielded 3 draws and 3 losses, ONE goal for, 4 goals against. It is absolutely appalling, and it is the same every week. Surely it is time to do something unpredictable, something different?

We need some midfield runners against these teams but our 3 centre mid seems to be tasked with covering the full backs and not being ahead of the ball.

It's also not helped that both our full backs are starting much much deeper than they usually would if we had pace in our central defenders. We either need to take the risks by pushing both Trent and Robertson further forward again- our central defenders will probably be left with more 1v1 defending or we have to get the 2 8s to join the attack and make runs ahead of the ball to pull defenders which creates spaces for our front 3

[lgvkarlos]

Oh man, my inner pedant is dying here

😁

[Gaz75]

Let's put our hands up and say maybe we are not good enough to win the league this season. I could be wrong and I hope I am but our results just are not title winning material. So what are we left with?. Jurgen Klopp, a great squad of players and an ability to win anything when we get things right. We don't know why things aren't clicking but that's not just football, that's life. I can only speak for myself and say that I waited most of my life to see us achieve what this team has achieved in the last couple of seasons,and I don't care if we don't dominate for a few years because this team gave us what we asked for. I hope after this fucked up year is done the players and staff can re group and get back to their best. It may not happen but so what let's do what we have been doing all our lives and support the players and instead of expecting to win every game, let's hope we can do it again and enjoy it all the more.

[Sheer Magnetism]

The team has simply lost its focus for the most part. It felt like there was a collective exhale once we went out of the Champions League last season, and most of the games since then (though by no means all) have felt like watching practice matches. First because of complacency and now because of mental exhaustion and ultimately discouragement. Neat passing with no conviction, not enough runs off the ball, passes continually being over or underhit, and now barely anyone getting a shot off. It just doesn't feel like the energy's there.

Having said that, I think it's a real pity Minamino was sent on loan. I'd have loved to see Thiago next to Hendo, Fabinho or Keita in a midfield two, with four pushed up. I expect that's what we'll go to if and when Jota and Mane are fit, but those minutes are piling up for a lot of players and having him as an option for that interplay at the front would have been useful.

[rushyman]

Neither of the new recruits have really shown they can play at the top level, one is young and neither has played in the Prem.
It's not beyond the realms of possiblity that they could take months to get up to the level required.

It's going to take more sawdust plaiting from Klopp and some luck for them to hit the ground running.

We genuinely do not have months.

In the vast majority of games they will be enough if we have Hendo Amd fab in mid

[deFacto please, you bastards]

One thing I'd like to see Klopp try, [not in the big matches but against sides like Brighton] is now play the new CB's together. It's a risk as they've never played together before and they are integrating into our side half way into the season, but having Henderson and Fabinho back in midfield allows us so much more flexibility, particularly as we can't properly rotate the midfield if they are playing at the back.

[rushyman]

One thing I'd like to see Klopp try, [not in the big matches but against sides like Brighton] is now play the new CB's together. It's a risk as they've never played together before and they are integrating into our side half way into the season, but having Henderson and Fabinho back in midfield allows us so much more flexibility, particularly as we can't properly rotate the midfield if they are playing at the back.

I have mentioned this once or twice 😂

Get it trending

#hendoandfabbackinmid

[idontknow]

There's not much difference between players in the premier League.
We talk about pace, passing, skills etc, but that's not really it.
The best players are those who respond positively to pressure.
And pressure in football, in sport, are crowds.
50,000 people in the last 15 minutes of that game urging us, howling at them, the game is different.
We pick players who respond to that crowd.

To put it another way, pick your best live bands, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, and put it on Zoom, are they as good? Could Chuck Berry be Chuck Berry on Zoom?
Centre Court, Wimbledon, take out the crowd, and do the same players win.

Without crowds football looks like practice matches. The extra bit just isn't there.

What's boxing like without a crowd? All those great fights don't happen. Not because the boxers are less good without a great. But because atmosphere is a real phenomenon, and the talents that respond to that phenomenon become those sportsmen we are in awe of, it's them we call legendary.

Without crowds you buy a whole different set of players.

[GreatEx]

One thing I'd like to see Klopp try, [not in the big matches but against sides like Brighton] is now play the new CB's together. It's a risk as they've never played together before and they are integrating into our side half way into the season, but having Henderson and Fabinho back in midfield allows us so much more flexibility, particularly as we can't properly rotate the midfield if they are playing at the back.

Agreed. We forfeited the luxury of time by not getting new defenders on Jan 1st, which would have given them a few weeks watching Fabinho (and, for one game anyway, Matip). No option now but to throw at least one of them into the fray in the next game, and hope that whatever disadvantages unfamiliarity bring are cancelled out by the benefits of having at least one of our two best midfielders playing in midfield (yes, Hendo is better than Thiago, you heard me!).

[rushyman]

There's not much difference between players in the premier League.
We talk about pace, passing, skills etc, but that's not really it.
The best players are those who respond positively to pressure.
And pressure in football, in sport, are crowds.
50,000 people in the last 15 minutes of that game urging us, howling at them, the game is different.
We pick players who respond to that crowd.

To put it another way, pick your best live bands, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, and put it on Zoom, are they as good? Could Chuck Berry be Chuck Berry on Zoom?
Centre Court, Wimbledon, take out the crowd, and do the same players win.

Without crowds football looks like practice matches. The extra bit just isn't there.

What's boxing like without a crowd? All those great fights don't happen. Not because the boxers are less good without a great. But because atmosphere is a real phenomenon, and the talents that respond to that phenomenon become those sportsmen we are in awe of, it's them we call legendary.

Without crowds you buy a whole different set of players.

Very true.

Also might sound mad but defences can be more organised because, simply put, they can hear each other

How many winners have we got where the full back couldnt hear his centre half screaming at him thatvsomeones over there shoulder or to stay in a certain position etc