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Thread: Playing like Champions

  1. #1
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    Playing like Champions

    I think there's been a bit of confusion among our players as to what this actually means, since winning the league there has been a lot of fannying around attempted fancy flicks that never seem to come off and an foul smelling air of complacency, they've not been playing like Champions at all.

    To me playing like Champions means first and foremost playing with the same intensity, hunger, desire, work ethic and absolute beligerance in doing all those things and having an unshakable resolute determination that you will NOT be beaten and nothing less than a win in every single game is good enough.

    I feel it is incredibly important to not start with the fancy flicks, showboating, over playing and over complicating of things uneccessarily and to never lose sight of what made you Champions and look to improve on doing the things that made you Champions even better rather than trying to do different things.

    For me what made us Champions was first and foremost an incredible hunger and desire and work ethic, an attitude that we will never be beaten and no game or situation was ever lost or beyond being won and an absolutely incredible press, never ever letting the opposition having the ball easy and never ever having time on it when they did get possession.

    Play wise and why I don't like all the fancy flicks and over playing we've seen since we won the League, the press came first and foremost, we weren't and aren't an all singing all dancing expansive football side, but what we do is devastatingly effective.

    We test teams in every imaginable way, switch balls to release or find our full backs and forwards on either side of the pitch in space are an absolutely essential part of our game, to find those players of the quality they are in isolation, in space or in a position in which the LCM RCM LB or RB will quickly be in support of them so we can play a ball they can chest or head or lay off to one of those other players first time before making their runs in behind is so so important to our continued success.

    The other crucial part of our game in combination with our press is the constant runs in behind and playing those long balls over the top of opposition defences, even when they're camping on their 18 yard line and playing them to such a level of quality that we either find the forwards run or the ball is so near perfect the defender can only half clear it and we win any second balls and quickly form and attack form there or quickly work it to one of our full backs to put an early ball into the box with the oppositions line slightly disturbed and our forwards able to take positions to make their second runs escaping their markers attentions while their focus is on where the half cleared ball will go.

    For me together with our set pieces and Trent's right to left switches to find Robbo making runs in advance of our midfield and forwards at times (Robbo needs to start returning that favour at times) they are all the things that made us Champions and I feel it is incredibly important we do not lose sight of that
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  2. #2
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    Agree to a point. The charity game was sloppy in the first half, second to everything and like you say smacked of complacency and too many players basicallyn not being on it. Hopefully it changes come the first game. If complacency is there it will be a wake up call very early on.

  3. #3
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    I think I saw the fancy flicks as you put it through a different lens.

    The typical crosses from wide weren't yielding results, so more centralised and channel-oriented give-and-goes were being attempted to try and create via a different outlet.

    Could very well be wrong but that's how I perceived it.

  4. #4
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    I think we have to blame Klopp and the owners tbh.

    This group has achieved alot and aims to win more titles.
    A sense of stagnation likely underlines the boredom within the group and as a result they are trying these flicks n shit to bring a new dimension to our attack in the absence of some shiny new attackers and challenges.
    Should be practising 4231 with Mbappe and developing an understanding with his new colleagues.

    Pity the lads tbh, done so much for the club and now the club dont seem to be matching their ambition and drive to succeed.
    These lads have gone to the proverbial well so often, fought for every point, ran the hard miles etc etc
    and now they see edwards and co sitting on their arses, feet up and doddling. Klopp needs to get into these offices and run the riot act and get edwards and co back in shape and on top of their game.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by CCTV View Post
    I think we have to blame Klopp and the owners tbh.

    This group has achieved alot and aims to win more titles.
    A sense of stagnation likely underlines the boredom within the group and as a result they are trying these flicks n shit to bring a new dimension to our attack in the absence of some shiny new attackers and challenges.
    Should be practising 4231 with Mbappe and developing an understanding with his new colleagues.

    Pity the lads tbh, done so much for the club and now the club dont seem to be matching their ambition and drive to succeed.
    These lads have gone to the proverbial well so often, fought for every point, ran the hard miles etc etc
    and now they see edwards and co sitting on their arses, feet up and doddling. Klopp needs to get into these offices and run the riot act and get edwards and co back in shape and on top of their game.
    +1

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by CCTV View Post
    I think we have to blame Klopp and the owners tbh.

    This group has achieved alot and aims to win more titles.
    A sense of stagnation likely underlines the boredom within the group and as a result they are trying these flicks n shit to bring a new dimension to our attack in the absence of some shiny new attackers and challenges.
    Should be practising 4231 with Mbappe and developing an understanding with his new colleagues.

    Pity the lads tbh, done so much for the club and now the club dont seem to be matching their ambition and drive to succeed.
    These lads have gone to the proverbial well so often, fought for every point, ran the hard miles etc etc
    and now they see edwards and co sitting on their arses, feet up and doddling. Klopp needs to get into these offices and run the riot act and get edwards and co back in shape and on top of their game.
    Agree with this.

    Klopp is not going to make any waves though because he will have been well aware of the job before he took it and does love trying to compete against all odds. Probably listens to Phil Collins a lot.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steveo View Post
    Agree with this.

    Klopp is not going to make any waves though because he will have been well aware of the job before he took it and does love trying to compete against all odds. Probably listens to Phil Collins a lot.
    Haha. I wonder what his favourite Phil Collins album. Would be?
    My guess would be......"but seriously".

  8. #8
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    This smacks of a similar situation to that when we failed to spot and take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves when the big tv and marketing money came into the game. When an opportunity presents itself you should always take full advantage of it, especially when you can be sure that some of your competitors certainly would/will.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steveo View Post
    Agree with this.

    Klopp is not going to make any waves though because he will have been well aware of the job before he took it and does love trying to compete against all odds. Probably listens to Phil Collins a lot.
    There are no waves to make

    Klopp is in his 5th summer window and has not had the same level of investment (net spend) in his squad as in the 5 seasons before he arrived.

    By my estimates (using transfermarkt) he would have to net spend £123.13 million to break even with the 11/12 to 15/16 era of net spend.

    Net spend totals:

    The Klopp years -2016/17 to 20/21 season
    £72.61 million

    The Pre-Klopp era -11/12 to 15/16
    £195.74

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by teesred View Post
    Haha. I wonder what his favourite Phil Collins album. Would be?
    My guess would be......"but seriously".
    Could be tees.... It always felt like a dodgy album name to me ‘But Seriously’ just one ‘t’ away from a world of trouble back the late 1980’s..

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