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Liverpool Football Club Thread

glb

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Chewylegs

Chewylegs

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28 minutes ago, Gabe said:

I said a few weeks ago that I wonder if he would have the stomach for rebuilding a team (well, doing a lot of reconstructive work, at least) in the Summer, and that I could certainly understand if he wanted to go home (something he's always been up-front about doing at some point) - and that was when we were still in third in the table!

 

It's been a weird few months, for sure. I like to think he still has the hunger and desire to prove something next season, but I wonder a) how many of the current team will still be part of that project and b) can he motivate them to push on - can he instil the necessary hunger for title winners to go and want, nay, need to win it again, as Ferguson did so well down the M62?

 

As much as I totally disagree with Pockets' "they don't give a shit" in the main thread, I do think something in the coaching hasn't quite right for a little while now, and I feel like Klopp is as puzzled as the rest of us but doesn't have the ideas to change it at the moment (due to personnel available and the form of the players). The rest of this season should be quite exciting and a real battle for as high a finish as we can get, yet I'm just full of such apathy at the moment due to how the team are playing. It's quite sad really.

You aren't the only one but I do think this whole idea that Klopp might go because of this bad season or his mum dying is a bit daft.  He's the manager of one of the biggest clubs in the world, he's not going to walk away unless he gets s crazy offer from a club he'd want to manage IMO.  We've got some players to get rid of and some players to bring in but if we had a fit squad this season really would be much different.  Idiot pundits bring up De Bruyne being out for about 8 games as to a reason why Liverpool shouldn't moan (look where City are, they coped etc etc) but our injury list is a genuine excuse.  Think back to the beginning of the season when Jota and Thiago came in, two areas we thought would bring us a bit more quality off the bench....then it all went a bit wrong :blink:

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Gabe

Gabe

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1 minute ago, Chewylegs said:

You aren't the only one but I do think this whole idea that Klopp might go because of this bad season or his mum dying is a bit daft.

I don't think he'll go because he has genuine affection for the fans and I believe he will want to give them more good times. But if he did, I wouldn't be shocked (unlike when Kenny left the first time, for example) and there are reasons - both inside and outside of football - that we could look at and throw conjecture at as to why, rather than it being out of the blue (and yes, I know Kenny had been heavy under the burden of Hillsborough but, if I recall, that only really came out after he'd gone).

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glb

glb

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7 minutes ago, Chewylegs said:

Put it this way, I wouldn't be starting him every game if everyone was fit.


This is much of our issue in a nutshell. He shouldn’t even be starting every game, even given how great he can be. Thiago was a player brought in to add another dimension to our play. A lovely dash of glitter on an already dazzling side. I think he’s played in a first choice / strongest XI once (Everton away).

 

Ideally he’d have been rotated, part of any three from Henderson, Gini, Fabinho, Keita and Milner (the latter purely as a squad cover) Curtis Jones probably wasn’t expected to play more than a dozen games last summer. He’s made 29 appearances and counting this season (and admittedly is one of the few positives)

 

Of course injuries happen, and usually bring a dip in form when they do, but I genuinely can’t remember an entire unit of the side being removed for a prolonged period, let alone for a season. Players occasionally play out of position to cover, or like Milner can slot in when necessary, but this season has been madness. As Chewylegs mentions, even City couldn’t cope with one CB missing, let alone three. Kabak and Phillips look okay, but they’re papering over cracks without a first choice midfield to better protect them. No one marshalls the team like Van Dijk, not even Henderson. It’s hard to see on TV but our number 4 pretty much dictates defence and midfield, not to mention his influence off the field as any number of Athletic articles will attest.

 

Tonight was the 19th CB pairing of the season, in a side that was already a bit wobbly before all three senior CBs got season-ending injuries. And that’s buggered up the midfield, in turn ruining the shape of the rest of the side.
 

The system Klopp prefers just doesn’t have the components, which leads to the another issue: reduced coaching time. There just isn’t the scope available to implement new ideas into a side that has skidded completely off course. Not having a plan B is proving critical, but in all honesty, how many teams do? And how many of those could still pull off an alternative style with half their squad missing?

 

I know this all sounds like excuses, and I’m sure our thread’s Plymouth Brethren or lurking United fans are rolling their eyes at such. But none of the last few months (year) is normal, added to the fact the players are rattling around in empty stadiums with health concerns about their own families and that’s before we even get to the recent tragedies that have befallen the manager and goalkeeper. I was frustrated earlier tonight but right now I’m impressed they’re even in seventh.

 

I think Klopp can manage a turnaround in normal circumstances, and I hope he sees out his contract, or at least next season, to attempt to do so. I imagine no Champions League means no marquee signing, but who had massive expectations about Firmino, Mane, Salah, Robertson, Gomez or Gini before they arrived?

 

TL:DR - some overlong waffle about a shitstorm of circumstances from a tired 40-something whose CBD hasn’t kicked in yet.

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glb

glb

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I know issues aren’t exclusive to us, e.g. Leicester deserve huge credit for managing similar injuries to this point, but on reflection after the usual post-loss frustrations dissipated, I don’t think any other side would be any better placed than we are right now in the exact same circumstances.

 

Anyway, no one else got injured last night. Yay! Maybe, just maybe, Fabinho will get to be a midfielder again on the weekend.

 

And hopefully we can find a budget version of Mbappe in the summer ;)

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Oh Danny Boy

Oh Danny Boy

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I’m not sure how popular this will be but I wouldn’t be adverse to seeing one of Salah/Mane leave if it brings £80m-£100m in. I think we need a major rebuild in the summer. 
 

I think the current circumstances has made it much more harder to try and create a plan b. The centre of defence and midfield had been destroyed all season, what can anyone do? Usually teams would start playing more pragmatic but without any experienced centre half’s that’s not an option. It’s literally the core of the team gone, I don’t think you can create a plan b for that. 

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glb

glb

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1 minute ago, dizogg said:

Tbh it’s nice to see them ringing in the changes. Our performances have been dreary most weeks anyway, I’d rather see us try something a little bit different even if we end up losing.


Completely agree. Actually looking forward to the game because the changes might mean something different to the dreary last few months of home games.

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