Bottom line is that a team/squad with talent, over a prolonged period, will perform better than a team which needs to be ‘at it’ for every single game. We don’t have the required depth of talent and Klopp is doing the best with what he has - we have been exceptional in retaining intensity, but it is impossible to keep it going season after season, especially when major trophies have been won (there is a difference in motivation between winners and serial winners).
FSG invested on the basis of financial fair play rules being enforced, but they probably realise now that the rules are nonsense - Man City funded by a country, Chelsea by an oligarch and at the height of a global pandemic and no crowds, Real Madrid can somehow able to undertake a £500m stadium facelift (a bit of government support no doubt).
Hence I think FSG will be at a cross roads now - they need to decide to either invest and challenge for the top honours now, or just accept that we battle to get into the top 4 every season and perhaps the odd cup along the way. I suspect they will do some light investment and hope we can turn coal into diamonds on the transfer front.
If we genuinely want to be in the elite of football we need to move to having 2 quality players for each position - but that is far easier to say than do - commercially you have to pay high salaries to keep a quality player in the squad and perhaps not playing.
This transfer window coming up will give us a good steer on what we will be challenging for over the next few years - of course with VVD back we’ll be stronger, but we cannot have a whole club performance across a season dictated to by the absence or not of one player - that is madness.
In terms of immediate thoughts on the game :
1) I was proud of Phillips and Kabak - they did what they could given their experience and ability- not fair for them to be judged in any other way.
2) Naby was an unusual shambles - he didn’t want to run or make himself available and for the 2nd goal couldn’t even be bothered to put pressure on the midfielder who played the ball. I’ve not see that with him before. Don’t be surprised if we don’t see him again as a starter, if LFC can offload him for £40m or so they will (I suspect)
3) Salah put more effort in closing down than I have seen in years, I hope it was for the right reasons than a pseudo audition to Zindane imho.
4) Trent defending was worse than it has been in a while, hopefully he can learn to keep his concentration as his attacking play is immense - maybe there is a case to be made to put someone like Trent into the right hand side of midfield
5) Gini did what he could - always puts in 100%
Be nice to have a clear out of some of the deadwood in the squad and instead have a bench of individuals who can actually change a game...