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First Team
After a good performance against Man City to win the Community Shield, optimism was rife amongst our support, particularly on the back of the heroic efforts of last season's attempt at an unprecedented Quadruple.
This season however, there was been something of a crash back down to Earth. Whether this is the beginning of a crisis, or the footballing equivalent of a mid-30s three-day hangover after a Stag-do remains to be seen. The Reds need to improve sooner-or-later and the hyper-competitive Nature of this League mean that it really does need to be "sooner".
We now enter the stage of the season where we won't have a week between matches. It can be argued though that our next three fixtures are relatively kind in one sense - with two Home matches followed by a trip to Goodison, we don't have to leave Liverpool.
We also play Bournemouth a day earlier than Newcastle have their respective feature, meaning that by the time we meet Newcastle on the Wednesday, we will have had an extra day's prep. Reds will be nervous about that match having seen the Magpies perform well against Man City, but we frankly can't afford to look past Bournemouth - it is scrap time.
The words "must-win" are used a lot, but we find ourselves 5 points off the Champion's League spots. That gap in itself wouldn't massively concern me normally, as it only takes a couple of wins to close a gap - but we have now performed poorly in 2 of our 3 matches. That's a concern.
Strangely, we had the best xG in the League from our opening 2 fixtures and more touches in the opposition box at Old Trafford since Kota records began, which makes for comforting reading (not really!) - but the stats don't reveal just how disjointed we have looked at times, or the seeming lethargy and can't -be-arsedness of certain individuals.
An injury-list thread is up which should help people with their selection.
Anfield's sacred power may be needed for a bit.
Absolutely ZERO chance that this is the line-up and set-up we will see by the way -
........................Alisson
Gomez.....Phillips......Van Dijk.....Robertson
..........Henderson..........Fabinho
Elliott.............Carvalho.........Diaz
.......................Salah...................
Your hobbies are rollerblading and you're also a bit of a rat-hound? Steel Wool
Sid knows he's crazy and he likes it. Balinkay
First Team
Alisson
Trent Gomez Van Dijk Tsimikas
Hendo Fabinho Elliott
Salah Carvalho Diaz
I'd drop Trent too but I feel Gomez is needed in the middle. I like Nat Phillips but I'm not sure he's suited to playing a high line. Elliott is in there by default as Milner is too old and I've had it with Keita. Firmino is a shadow of his former self and Carvalho naturally plays as a 10 so I'd like to see what he can do as a false 9
First Team
I've gone for 3 times Hendo in midfield as contrary to what most here think, it we had 3 of him, even now with age appearing to be catching him up, we'd be fairing far far better, reading of the game, positioning, pressing and counter pressing, switches, attempted balls over the top, top quality through balls at time and crossing from all 3 midfield positions, what the team was crying our for in its evolution back in 18-20
Better than Fab at No6 by a mile - By far our best option at RCM supporting and linking expertly with Trent and Mo and easily our best option for the LCM controller role Gini used to play we seemed to have abandoned to allow Robbo to play further forward again and develop the kind of link up with Diaz he and Mane used to enjoy supported and made possible by Gini
Far better passing that compliments all our other players strengths, the teams and systems strengths with switches, attempted balls over the top some quality through balls at times and crossing
The much maligned Trent stays in all day long for me, Trent, Mo and Hendo played brilliantly as a 3 on our right all last season, they shared great understanding and automation and made us better going forward and far more solid defensively through that, Elliott is nowhere near ready and his energetic enthusiasm running around a lot looking tidy enough but being a disaster in that role and as part of that 3 in his positioning, interchanging of positions and assisting Trent or covering him isn't something we can carry
I as ever remained astonished at comments during and after games, lots of praise for Elliott here while slating Hendo for one mistake, Elliott was absolutely nowhere near where he needed to be positionally to support Trent and Mo as they need to be at any stage of that game, Hendo was our best midfielder, of our limited chances and best opportunities to create them, they pretty much all cam from Hendo playing centre to left switches to release Diaz or Robbo in space, we had absolutely nothing come from any other player except the odd long diagonal from Virgil and even one from Gomez - Nothing from Milner, Nothing from Elliott and nothing from Fab when he was inexplicably brought on when we needed 2 goals
Alisson
Trent Phillips Van Dijk Robertson
Henderson Henderson Henderson
Salah Firmino Diaz
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
First Team
well You're a bit of a idiot aren't you.
#FSGOUT
we are liverpool football club, not fucking norwich.
First Team
Well 19 Hendo played the six last night and was awful.
I guess though it was Elliott fault another scapegoat to your list along with Gomez/Fab.
Lets not mention the awful touch that gave the ball to Martial who played it to Gashford.
Nat Phillips good one the guy got ripped by Zaha last week until Joe came on and shut that move down.
First Team
That was a bad touch, but 2 other players were also terrible after that, you see the obvious difference here, and how you're guilty of it, you're blaming Phillips for Fab's error, all Fab had to do was hold Eze up, not charge in like a bull in a China shop, that goal was down to Fab, once he got done so easily by and needlessly by Eze and Phillips had followed Virgil's line, he had no chance because Fab made the ball for Eze easyOriginally Posted by LEGS
Hendo made a very bad error with a very poor touch, but Virgil would have stopped Martial after that, he was close enough, Gomez could have seen the pass was coming and taken half a step
Hendo found and release Diaz and Robbo in time and space to put balls in or take the defender on 5 or 6 times last night, that was more than any of our other players combined managed, we got ripped down our right, remind me Legs, as you lot are awfully good at this, if Hendo's playing on our right, and he fails to adequately support Trent or press and counter press as disastrously as Elliott did, wouldn't you all say he was in some way culpable? You know God damned well you all would
You've at least highlighted the wonderful contradiction on here that what you accuse me of is actually what all of you persistently do, you cannot wait to bash our captain and to attach blame to him for any mistake of mishap, but when Fab does it, when it simply isn't in anyway reasonable to blame say Phillips and Virgil as at the point Fab needlessly let Eze have a free pass he left both high and dry, you try and apportion the blame for his endless fuck ups on some other player or players, so thanks for that
I know and you know, that in LFCOnline world, Fab being the most guilty of the 3 for letting Rashford breeze past him like he wasn't even there for a potential late third, you lot would have had it as either of the other players fault or both of theirs but absolutely not Fab's if hed scored, all day long, it's what you do, it's what you've been doing since the Atletico Champions League disaster when our full backs and forwards were all making the runs theyd been making with Hendo at No6 and Fab couldn't connect a single one of them
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
First Team
Eze did Fab correct good piece of skill I can appreciate it, its a split second decision a player makes.
You will do anything to blame Fab but last night Hendo doesnt make that error it isnt a problem for Gomez/Van Djik thats my point.
If we play a high line you dont play Nat over Gomez im not arguing with you about it as its clear as day who the better CB is out the two.
To be clear I support ALL our players but if one has a bad game I will say so I dont have favourites.
Last night Milner/Hendo were poor but on Saturday they might have a stormer thats the game.
First Team
No you lot will do anything not to correctly apportion blame to Fab and blame anyone but Fab, even against Burnley or when he gave away a stupid albeit soft penalty against Sheff UTD trying to leave one on their lad, plenty here were trying to blame someone else
I won't solely blame any player if a position is recoverable, it was a terrible touch by Hendo, it was recoverable by Virgil and Gomez it was also offside, the one v Palace wasn't recoverable after Fab got needlessly done by Eze, plenty of time I will say a goal started from say Fab's error but was recoverable by other players, normally including Fab himself if that's the case
The role of our RCM, as I understand it, as it has been since the back end of the 18-19 season requires dropping in at times to support trent getting forward more, supporting Trent defensively, taking the wide LFWD role at time and always effective pressing and counter pressing - Maybe you all see it differently, but in my view of the role, can any person here honestly say that Elliott didn't comprehensively failed to do any of those things and was more the cause of them cutting through us at will on our right than Trent or any other player as such
Can any of you honestly say that had Hendo been playing RCM and failed so comprehensively in all the duties of that role over his entire time on the pitch and remained on the pitch, you wouldn't have had an awful low to say about it?
You can say you wouldn't be we all know that would be a lie, and you're again highlighting it by slating Hendo and milner when for not remotely fulfilling the duties of our RCM Elliott was the worse played on the pitch, but you make no mention of him, running around looking neat and tidy but not doing your job obviously does it for you Legs
Last edited by Nineteenx; 23rd August 2022 at 11:55 AM.
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
Koala tea
In Klopps 433
Alisson
Milner Gomez VVD Robbo
Hendo Fab Carvalho
Salah Firmino Diaz
Gone for this lineup as we can easily augment our attacking shape with these personnel. 4231/442
I'd have subbed Trent after the 39th minute last night.
I didn't pick him to start v manu
Elliot drops out, and Carvalho comes into midfield on the left.
I didn't pick Elliot to start v manu either. And on the right !!
A block 6, and a hungry pack of 4 fighting for their lives.
First Team
I'd also say in defence of Hendo, who did release Diaz and Robbo in time and space to put a quality ball in, or attack their defender more times thatn the rest of the side combined released anyone, he was greatly hindered by the very simple fact, even fuckwit Neville made a few times in commentary, there were no, zip, zero runs in behind, when he's the player who can connect them from No6, go look at his assists last season and 19-20
Then we go back to WHY, why were there no runs in behind? Too much overplaying, tappy crappy, too much Thiago trying to dominate the ball at LCM who can't connect them and Fab at No6 who can't connect them, football's a simple game, it you don't play midfielder who can connect our players runs in behind or at least make a good attempt at doing so, they're going to stop making them and keep looking for the ball to feet, and in not making them, they stop making the space for our full backs to arrive in time and space into
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
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