Topic: Xherdan Shaqiri - Sponsored by The Cube

[RideTheWalrus]

Played well once Salah and Firmino came on. Before that offered nothing, bloody unlucky with that freekick.

[Gods_Left_Boot]

Peach of a free kick, but pretty anonymous otherwise. Often came picking up the ball way too deep first half (did that also in the last few minutes at City) and that paired with the lack of movement up front and general lack of accurate passing meant that we really couldnt build anything at all.

It's like he needs to play with top class players, otherwise he sort of reverts to bad habits and really hurts the shape of the team if he feels that he has to be the fulcrum of our play.

[Phil M]

Peach of a free kick, but pretty anonymous otherwise. Often came picking up the ball way too deep first half (did that also in the last few minutes at City) and that paired with the lack of movement up front and general lack of accurate passing meant that we really couldnt build anything at all.

Who was going to pass the ball to his feet if he didn't drop deep to receive it? He's an intelligent player, he was trying to make things happen as much as he could.

To say he was anonymous is really wide of the mark.

He was also involved in the build up to Origi's goal.

[Shaved Crossbar]

Who was going to pass the ball to his feet if he didn't drop deep to receive it?

Almost as if the lad blatantly ignored the fact that Camacho and Hoever opted to go long almost every time after the first 10 minutes.

[Phil M]

Almost as if the lad blatantly ignored the fact that Camacho and Hoever opted to go long almost every time after the first 10 minutes.

Yeah, I'd like to see Camacho's average position first half, he was mad keen to get up the pitch.
 I'm surprised given he was close to the bench that he wasn't being instructed to stay deeper. Especially to help Hoever when he came on.

[Kansti]

I know he’s been a heck of a bargain and has been doing a lot of good lately. I don’t know if it’s just me, but does anyone find his first touch or control abit shite? Ball is constantly stuck beneath his feet, and this happens even when he is playing well. Really unlucky for the free kick

[redmark]

Almost as if the lad blatantly ignored the fact that Camacho and Hoever opted to go long almost every time after the first 10 minutes.

Most of Hoever's passes were on the ground and vertical in central/inside right areas (just watched his every touch video). Shaqiri's off the ball movement was disappointing, I thought. He was a 'senior' player out there last night and had an opportunity to demand the ball more and impose himself on the game, but didn't really take it.

[Tony19:6]

Played well once Salah and Firmino came on. Before that offered nothing, bloody unlucky with that freekick.

Pretty much what I thought.

He plays better with better players around him.

[nico 8]

Pretty much what I thought.

He plays better with better players around him.

A bit like Gini.

[CHOPPER]

Very annoying. His worst performance for us and looked like he didn't want to be out there until other senior players came on the pitch. He played like he had been punished and was made to play with the youth team.



Probably our worst performer last night considering his usual performances.

[JC the Messiah]

Will he be available on Saturday after going "missing" at Wolves...?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/46799358

[Tony19:6]

A bit like Gini.

Isnt it past your bedtime?

[newterp]

Will he be available on Saturday after going "missing" at Wolves...?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/46799358

Haha I didn’t realize how desperate the media is to see him not do well.

[Hymer Red]

Will he be available on Saturday after going "missing" at Wolves...?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/46799358

Fuckin magic our boss 

[RainbowFlick]

I know he’s been a heck of a bargain and has been doing a lot of good lately. I don’t know if it’s just me, but does anyone find his first touch or control abit shite? Ball is constantly stuck beneath his feet, and this happens even when he is playing well. Really unlucky for the free kick

He's a bit like Mane I think. They both sometimes can lose track of the ball but not Lukaku levels of worrying.

[Keith Lard]

He's a bit like Mane I think. They both sometimes can lose track of the ball but not Lukaku levels of worrying.

Agree. No need to worry one jot about Shaqiri’s ball control. That’s one of his many strengths, but we all have off moments.

As the season wears on, it becomes clear how vital a signing he has been. Same for Our other 3 main summer arrivals. He Gave the squad a vital quality upgrade in the summer that we needed to be competing at the sharp end of the best competitions. I am really excited for the next stage of development in this young squad and other summer additions we will make (bit to derail the topic).

[The Naby Keita fan club]

No love for this lad? Tthought he did great defesnove job and Klopp will love this. Then goals will come. Shaqiri is going to finish the season in great fashion. No doubt

[latortuga]

No love for this lad? Tthought he did great defesnove job and Klopp will love this. Then goals will come. Shaqiri is going to finish the season in great fashion. No doubt

He has to find a way to be more effective on the road, which is partly his fault, partly the teams adaptation to him.  Putting in a shift on the defensive side of the ball is the bare minimum under Klopp. 

 

[AmanShah21]

A bit poor against Brighton. I feel that he is multiple times more effective coming off the bench against tired legs where he can be an absolute mayhem. Really needs to up his defensive side cause Klopp was fuming yesterday. Hopefully Keita gets a game against Palace.

[PhaseOfPlay]

He has to find a way to be more effective on the road, which is partly his fault, partly the teams adaptation to him.  Putting in a shift on the defensive side of the ball is the bare minimum under Klopp. 

 

A bit poor against Brighton. I feel that he is multiple times more effective coming off the bench against tired legs where he can be an absolute mayhem. Really needs to up his defensive side cause Klopp was fuming yesterday. Hopefully Keita gets a game against Palace.

We had 70% of the ball though. What "defending" was he supposed to do?

[Lofty Ambitions]

https://twitter.com/XS_11official/status/1086337069499273216

#10yrchallenge ⚽️❤️

[jillcwhomever]

He was on LFC Tonight, it was so interesting hearing from him. He's looking forward to going back to Bayern Munich, he also said how vocal Milner was but also that a lot of the players were. Another interesting titbit was the players all tend to have their own rooms now, they don't seem to share them. He had shared one with Robbo once though, as he said he just slept all the time but he would have preferred talking to him. 

 People have this idea of Xherdan, but he came across as a real professional, someone who knows what its like to win things. He impressed me with the way he came across.

[Kansti]

I like him more as an impact sub.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

I like him more as an impact sub.

In certain matches yes, I agree. In certain matches you want him to start but i certainly hope he comes off the bench against West Ham as I like to see go with a 3 man midfield and revert to our previous set up

[JackWard33]

Becoming difficult to justify starting him at the moment.

(from @ SimonBrundish)

0.47 expected assists in last 8 games
0.12 expected assists across his last 4 games with 1 shot ??!!!
 
8 forward passes vs Leicester

[Sharado]

Becoming difficult to justify starting him at the moment.

(from @ SimonBrundish)

0.47 expected assists in last 8 games
0.12 expected assists across his last 4 games with 1 shot ??!!!
 
8 forward passes vs Leicester

Blimey. Definitely needs time out. I thought it was a bit weird we didn't take a few more punts against leicster to be honest, we were just passing in front of them and I can't think of any long shots we took really other than robertson's atrocious volley.

For what it's worth I thought Shaq was far less use to us than Keita the other night, but this thread doesn't quite read like a transcription of conversations in bedlam at the turn of the 20th century and the keita one does.

[harryc]

He is much better as a impact player from the bench.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Becoming difficult to justify starting him at the moment.

(from @ SimonBrundish)

0.47 expected assists in last 8 games
0.12 expected assists across his last 4 games with 1 shot ??!!!
 
8 forward passes vs Leicester

Fck me thats horrid, worse than I thought.

He def needs to step it up

[Dench57]

For what it's worth I thought Shaq was far less use to us than Keita the other night, but this thread doesn't quite read like a transcription of conversations in bedlam at the turn of the 20th century and the keita one does.

Probably because he cost £40m less than Keita and we all knew what we were getting with Shaq.

[Djozer]

Becoming difficult to justify starting him at the moment.

(from @ SimonBrundish)

0.47 expected assists in last 8 games
0.12 expected assists across his last 4 games with 1 shot ??!!!
 
8 forward passes vs Leicester

He hasn't been great recently, to be fair. I still feel that he gives us something that we don't really have otherwise in central midfield, but I sort of agree with others that he may be a better impact player than starter.

[JackWard33]

Probably because he cost £40m less than Keita and we all knew what we were getting with Shaq.

Did we? What’s his best position?

Not trying to be snide I genuinely don’t know - and at the moment we’re choosing to change our shape in no small part to get him on the pitch

[Dench57]

Did we? What’s his best position?

Not trying to be snide I genuinely don’t know - and at the moment we’re choosing to change our shape in no small part to get him on the pitch

I don't mean in terms of position, just purely in terms of quality/ability.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Did we? What’s his best position?

Not trying to be snide I genuinely don’t know - and at the moment we’re choosing to change our shape in no small part to get him on the pitch

We're changing our shape because Klopp is a 4231 man and has played that shape the majority of his career

[LallanaInPyjamas]

We're changing our shape because Klopp is a 4231 man and has played that shape the majority of his career

This coupled with him wanting Salah more centrally without the responsibility of tracking back. I would say this has been justified given that Salah's goalscoring record is significantly better through the middle than out wide this season (although part of this is also down to the difference in quality of opponent).

Seems somewhat disingenuous to say we're playing 4-2-3-1 in order to get Shaqiri on the pitch when he's often chosen Keita on the other side ahead of him.

[JackWard33]

We're changing our shape because Klopp is a 4231 man and has played that shape the majority of his career

Well sure but we don’t have many ways to play it without Shaqiri on the pitch - in most elevens without him we play 433
Anyway that’s not really the point - it’s his efficacy I’m worried about regardless of shape

[Bobinhood]

He's off the boil a bit but hopefully will get back on it soon, overall hes done well.

[KingKolo]

Seems somewhat disingenuous to say we're playing 4-2-3-1 in order to get Shaqiri on the pitch when he's often chosen Keita on the other side ahead of him.

100%

Seems to me like a big part of the 4-2-3-1 is finding a way to set up against all the low block teams, and it happens to play to Shaqiri's strengths a bit more than a 4-3-3.

Becoming difficult to justify starting him at the moment.

Yeah he was absolute bollocks against Leicester.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Well sure but we don’t have many ways to play it without Shaqiri on the pitch - in most elevens without him we play 433
Anyway that’s not really the point - it’s his efficacy I’m worried about regardless of shape

It's a formation, it can be played any amount of ways, though. Just like our 433 is not actually  433 most of the time.

His recent lack of efficacy is down to the player, not the formation. He's playing a role that suits his skill set, he's just playing within himself too much.

[Yevgeny]

Don't know what's happened to him the last month. Before that, it looked like he'd create a goal opportunity every time he touched the ball. He's lost that spark and we need him to locate it promptly. He was a passenger against Leicester.

[Bjornar]

He was a passenger against Leicester.

To be fair, I can´t imagine Coutinho doing any better on that pitch. And Shaqiri´s role in the squad is to be the closest we have to a Coutinho replacement, I think.