Poor midfield recruitment model

[ianlfc]

Another stat from the Leicester game.
The Fabulous one made 7 interceptions during the game. More than any other player in a single game this season.
Not bad for a so called poor midfield recruitment.

[Nineteenx]

Another stat from the Leicester game.
The Fabulous one made 7 interceptions during the game. More than any other player in a single game this season.
Not bad for a so called poor midfield recruitment.

But again, as Jurgen also alluded to in his post match press conference, because our press and counter press was and remains absolutely nowhere near our 19-20 levels those interceptions were only necessary because of that and our letting them having too much of the ball, the stats you and CCTV praise Fabinho for are only necessary for Fab to accumulate because the press and counter press is nowhere near our 19-20 levels with him in the side

CCTV posted a raft of meaningless stats about how Gomez was world class when our press and counter press was so brilliant he had nothing to do except be first to the long hopeful balls we reduced our opponents to, and it's very clear to see how that turned out, you lot need to check the stats for those games, our CBs were almost entirely redundant in so many of them

[Nineteenx]

Another stat from the Leicester game.
The Fabulous one made 7 interceptions during the game. More than any other player in a single game this season.
Not bad for a so called poor midfield recruitment.

Pretty simply if you let them have the ball and your press and counter press isn't nearly good enough, you will need you CM making interceptions, if you don't let them have the ball or play our at all through your press and counter press being at the absolutely incredible near perfection every game levels it was in Fabs absence in 19-20, you won't

So, another meaningless stat

[CCTV]

Again completely pointless stats though The need for a player like Fab to rack up those kind of stats only occurs through Fab being at No6, when Hendo was at No6 in the period I am referring to, we pressed and counter pressed absolutely expertly, almost perfectly as a team and had no need whatsoever or the situations happening in game for any player to rack up those stats - Apples and apples

Hendo gets beaten for tackles & intercepts by more than Fab alone. Same with headers.

Whether at 6 or 8 we have lads who you'd expect to get more tackles and intercepts per game than him routinely enough.

[Nineteenx]

So the obvious question to conclude the Fab debate, argument and counter arguments, if we have the personnel to play our system at it's very highest levels do we need a midfielder who will put in loads of tackles and make loads of interceptions who isn't necessarily great at playing the manager's system or with the ball?

No (In a word)

You're welcome and it really is that cut and dried and simple

[Nineteenx]

Hendo gets beaten for tackles & intercepts by more than Fab alone. Same with headers.

Whether at 6 or 8 we have lads who you'd expect to get more tackles and intercepts per game than him routinely enough.

No, if our system is played at the levels we saw in 19-20 there is precious little need for tackles or interceptions, the opposition are smothered, unable to play out, forced to lump it long and not able to get any constructive play going that would require such actions

As far as playing Jurgen's system goes, we are absolutely nowhere fucking near the levels we played it at in 19-20, our ability to do that stopped when Fab was brought back in in 2020 in the second half of the season and we have got nowhere near those phenomenal and incredible levels of almost perfection at playing the system since

[Nineteenx]

This is ANOTHER status quo issue in all honesty, you all have in your heads this idea of what a midfielder does and MUST do to be a worthy midfielder that you have built up and set your own parameters as being necessary for decades of watching football

Jurgen arrives with a system of play, that if played correctly means your midfielders are supporting both your full backs to do the attacking, assisting and goalscoring you'd usually expect from an attacking midfield

And that if played correctly and as expertly as it was in Fab's absence in 19-20, will have precious little need for the mids to make numerous interceptions and tackles

It is so engrained in your self formed status quo over several decades, that the truth is most of you have always struggled to get your head around Jurgen's system and the midfielders role in it

[CCTV]

But again, as Jurgen also alluded to in his post match press conference, because our press and counter press was and remains absolutely nowhere near our 19-20 levels those interceptions were only necessary because of that and our letting them having too much of the ball, the stats you and CCTV praise Fabinho for are only necessary for Fab to accumulate because the press and counter press is nowhere near our 19-20 levels with him in the side

CCTV posted a raft of meaningless stats about how Gomez was world class when our press and counter press was so brilliant he had nothing to do except be first to the long hopeful balls we reduced our opponents to, and it's very clear to see how that turned out, you lot need to check the stats for those games, our CBs were almost entirely redundant in so many of them

When hendo makes less tackles and intercepts its class with you and our teams press.
When Gomez made less tackles and intercepts its nothing to do.

Matip making more tackles and intercepts- you claimed proof positive of superiority.
Fab making more tackles and intercepts his and the presses fault

Gomez can't assist us like Hendo, and Fab making tackles and intercepts can't assist us like Matip

I rated Matip highly before his arrival.
I rated Gomez highly when he played and he had a better partnership back then with Virgil imo. Injuries and that form hasn't returned, years later.

I've posted about how Matip is our highest ranked centre back on whoscored and in the pl tots to date for this year.
I'll post, by the same algorithm, that Hendo is behind both Fab & Thiago in the PL this year.

I don't have a love/hate relationship with these players. They're reds and I want them to succeed.
The way you go on you'd be disappointed if we won a title, and it granted Fab a stay of execution.

[Taksin]

Then what I said, is obviously what will happen.

You never know?

I think it's possible they could use debt for cash flow to complete the squad building they have planned (over a transfer window) but a real issue now is the wage bill. Think of how much they will have to be paying TAA if he completes his career here. Our squad is actually becoming too valuable.

One of the developments from FSG has been to increase global income, which is the only way we can have a squad with an increasing wage bill - in gross terms as the percentage is already too high.

As for this summer, we could conceivably spend £100 million on Bellingham if we sold Keita, Origi and Gomez.. that kind of thing

But imagine what Bellingham's wages would be after ten years at Anfield - unsustainable probably because he'd be starting so high

[teesred]

I do agree with the notion that Bellingham fits as an LFC player. However, it will take a record bid to buy him and does anyone seriously see us doing that?
I'm not sure, I'd definitely sway towards no than yes. The other factor to consider is will BVB sell both and Haaland? Haaland is nailed on to leave, selling both would be a bold move.