International Break

[Nineteenx]

Good luck finding a successful team that sets up to play to the strengths of a right back.

Invariably that will be a team devoid of the required talent.

Hmmm let's see, set up to play to the strengths of our full backs and forwards, both full backs supported to play higher by our much maligned midfield, won, The Champions League, The Premier League, The World Club Cup

Yes that team was devoid of the required talent, yet we've never played to anywhere near the levels we did in that 15 game run in 19-20 since, not even close

I see your point

It was never hard to grasp, rather than the traditional stereotypical, status quo midfielders everyone here constantly bemoaned the absence of, we used our midfielders differently to most other sides and our full backs were our additional attackers rather than our midfielders

We've continued playing to Trent's strengths until this season, oh hang on, we're sitting in 6th (SIXTH) 7 points of the top four with just 12 games left, again, I see your point

W

[Nineteenx]

Salahs number, goal-or-Assist pet minutes stats, are largely the same as last years.
Trents are down massively and his attitude has stunk over large patches since January 2022.

Let's see last season in the Premier League

23 Goals
13 assists
18 big chances created
41 crosses

This season

11 Goals - TWELVE fewer so far having played 9 fewer games so far
7 Assists - SIX fewer
10 Big chances created - EIGHT fewer
18 Crosses - TWENTY THREE fewer

Pretty much every single stats of Salah's is half of what he produced last season and he's currently played THREE QUARTERS of the number of games he played last season, you're talking bollocks, his numbers are nowhere near his numbers of last season

Look at Trent's stats

Last season

Assists - 12
Passes - 2155
Passes per match - 67.34
Big chances created - 18
Crosses - 273
Cross accuracy - 30%
Through balls - 17
Accurate long balls - 203

This season (in only six fewer games)

Assists - 2 TWO down 10 on last season
Passes - 1476 down almost 600 on last season
Passes per match - 56.77 Down 11 a game
Big chances created - 16 actually up per game on last season given his significantly more limited opportunities to create
Crosses - 181 Down NINETY TWO on last season
Cross accuracy - 28% Practically the same as last season
Through balls - 11 Down SIX on last season
Accurate long balls - 121 Down 82 on last season

Stats in isolation can be and frequently are used to skew the reality of what has been happening, the stats of both Mo and Trent comprehensively demonstrate that NEITHER have been receiving as much of the ball and crucially, neither have been receiving it in the areas both produce their highest output for the team in

Elliott has been playing in the space and areas of both ALL fucking season, ALL FUCKING SEASON for fucks fucking cunting sake

So let's have a look at his stats in the next post to see if his presence at RCM has made up for the shortfall of both and what Henderson contributed from that position last season

[Nineteenx]

Ok, because of Elliott's persistent inclusion at RCM we are currently down the following numbers on Mo and Trent's stats, unless these can be made up in SIX games to match the number of games they played last season

14 goals
17 assists
10 big chances created
110 crosses
6 through balls
82 accurate long balls

Now let's add Henderson's stats at RCM from last season to those figures to get an even clearer picture of the incredible damage Elliott's continued inclusion at RCM has done to the team's overall performance this season

Goals 2
Assists 5
Big chances created 6
Crosses 56
Through balls 9
Accurate long balls 98

And lets add those totals and examine how much of those drastically lower numbers Elliott's inclusion has made up, so at present we're these amounts down

16 goals
22 assists
16 big chances created
166 crosses
15 through balls
180 accurate long balls

Elliot stats

1 goals so we're currently 15 FIFTEEN goals down on last season's contribution from our right side
2 assists so we're currently 20 down on
7 big chances created so we're currently 9 down on last season's contribution from our right side
31 crosses so we're currently 135 down on last season's contribution from our right side
5 through balls so we're currently 10 down on last season's contribution from our right side
37 accurate long balls so we're currently 153 down on last season's contribution from our right side

That is a fucking huge drop in numbers across our entire right side that was the fulcrum of how competitive we were last season, and LOOK, just fucking LOOK at those numbers, the drop in crosses and successful long balls, how the FUCK do you think a drop off of that magnitude affects, Diaz, Jota, Bobby, Nunez, Robbo and Tsimikas on our left too, our right side was the main supply for our left side for all of the past 5 seasons

A look at further stats on passing shows a significant drop in the number of passes, 10-15% for most of our players players except Thiago up around 15%, going back to trying to play with a designated playmaker being a huge part of our issue in addition to Elliott, all those missing accurate long balls and crosses are us missing our other players contributing to making the play

These stats all paint an absolutely Crystal clear picture of the sources of our problems this season and why we have been so desperately below par, and they're down to decisions made by the manager and not to a lack of FSG buying a midfielder

Steveo doesn't like this I know, and will no doubt be along with numerous pages trying to move away from the comprehensive evidence of all these stats and muddy the waters, no doubt throwing in a Partridge youtube or two along the way as he always does, these stats don't lie, the evidence of our incredible drop off this season is incontrovertible

These stats don't even include through balls from Mo, because they're not shown in Premier League stats

[CCTV]

Salah
22/23 Played 39 Scored 22 Assisted 11 - GoalOrAssist per 100.7 minutes
21/22 Played 51 Scored 31 Assisted 17 - GoalOrAssist per 83.7 minutes

Salahs number haven't dropped that much - especially if you consider results and the drop in the teams performance levels.

Trent
22/23 Played 36 Scored 3 Assisted 3 - GoalOrAssist per 464.2 minutes
21/22 Played 47 Scored 2 Assisted 19 - GoalOrAssist per 201.6 minutes

That's a far bigger drop in productivity.
If you look at last season for Trent from January 2022: it's even worse.
1 assist in CL (May v Villareal)
4 assist in PL (2 in January, 1 in March & April)
1 assist in FA cup (February 6th)
2 assist in EFL (January v Arsenal)

4 in January, 1 Assist per month thereafter.

Trents issues have very little to do with Elliot. Although Elliot at Rcm in 433 I've critiqued loads this season.

Robbo
22/23 Played 32 Scored 0 Assisted 9 - GoalOrAssist per 279.6 minutes
21/22 Played 47 Scored 3 Assisted 15 - GoalOrAssist per 222.4 minutes

From January 2022 to seasons end:
2 CL Assists, 2 PL Goals & 5 Assists, 2 FA Cup assists

Since new years 2022
Robbo: 2 Goals & 18 assists
Trent: 3 goals & 11 assists

I'm gonna guess that Trent has been culpable for more goals, just a hunch.
Since January 2022 till today Robbo remains the better defender (as Trents defending has declined) and has become the better producer of goals & assists.

Posted that before^^ just a few edits.

Tbf to our right side in the first half of the 21/22 season, they were on fire. However, even allowing for teams doing evermore to shut down our right side, for me the start of its issues began with Henderson.
Fancying himself as an attacker, deviating from his pivotal role as our rcm. HendoZZ
Not a Hendo/keano!!

[Steveo]

It's pointless talking to someone that says 'we did it all wrong last season' when it suits one agenda and then brings up last seasons numbers to pit against this season - to serve another.

It's like this season we aren't trying to cope post Mane, we haven't suffered the worst injuries in the league (by a distance) AND we aren't trying to integrate a new front line..

All of this is suddenly irrelevant. NOPE it's all just Klopp's fault for not playing to Trents strengths.. This is the new MO.
We all no it's baloney... but will have to endure

[Nineteenx]

Salah
22/23 Played 39 Scored 22 Assisted 11 - GoalOrAssist per 100.7 minute

Let me stop you there, goals and assists are generally easier to come by in the Champions League and cups against the lesser sides, that's why I focused solely on Prem stats, because it gives a much truer picture

I'm really not interested in goals or assists against lesser opposition of weakened teams, cheap goals or assists

[Nineteenx]

Since January 2022 till today Robbo remains the better defender (as Trents defending has declined)

It's actually improved, statistically better tackle success, better in duels, better in one v ones, better in aerial battles this season compared to last

[Nineteenx]

Salah
22/23 Played 39 Scored 22 Assisted 11 - GoalOrAssist per 100.7 minutes
21/22 Played 51 Scored 31 Assisted 17 - GoalOrAssist per 83.7 minutes

Salahs number haven't dropped that much - especially if you consider results and the drop in the teams performance levels.

Trent
22/23 Played 36 Scored 3 Assisted 3 - GoalOrAssist per 464.2 minutes
21/22 Played 47 Scored 2 Assisted 19 - GoalOrAssist per 201.6 minutes

That's a far bigger drop in productivity.
If you look at last season for Trent from January 2022: it's even worse.
1 assist in CL (May v Villareal)
4 assist in PL (2 in January, 1 in March & April)
1 assist in FA cup (February 6th)
2 assist in EFL (January v Arsenal)

4 in January, 1 Assist per month thereafter.

Trents issues have very little to do with Elliot. Although Elliot at Rcm in 433 I've critiqued loads this season.

Robbo
22/23 Played 32 Scored 0 Assisted 9 - GoalOrAssist per 279.6 minutes
21/22 Played 47 Scored 3 Assisted 15 - GoalOrAssist per 222.4 minutes

From January 2022 to seasons end:
2 CL Assists, 2 PL Goals & 5 Assists, 2 FA Cup assists

Since new years 2022
Robbo: 2 Goals & 18 assists
Trent: 3 goals & 11 assists

I'm gonna guess that Trent has been culpable for more goals, just a hunch.
Since January 2022 till today Robbo remains the better defender (as Trents defending has declined) and has become the better producer of goals & assists.

Posted that before^^ just a few edits.

Tbf to our right side in the first half of the 21/22 season, they were on fire. However, even allowing for teams doing evermore to shut down our right side, for me the start of its issues began with Henderson

Tbf it was far more productive and creative last season than this, massively so, it was the main plus point of last season, the part of the team that was still more direct and played the balls in behind, switches, medium to long diagonals and crosses that led to the majority of our goals, the element of our team that wasn't overplaying, the triangle between Mo, Trent and Hendo, I'm hopeful we sign Stach so he can then provide that as he has the right attributes and skill sets to

People consistently wildly under estimate the value of what players do without the ball, and in truth I don't think you ever appreciated or wanted to appreciate how cleverly, consistently and expertly that trio manipulated the space between them to create the time and space for one of them to put a telling delivery into the box or to the opposite flank to open the opposition up

[Nineteenx]

It's pointless talking to someone that says 'we did it all wrong last season'

I didn't say that, I said at numerous points throughout last season in too many games that we were overplaying too much at times and playing in front of the opposition too much at times and losing the runs in behind and not playing the balls to connect those runs when they were on too much of the time and that if we continued that way, we would land in trouble, if you want an accurate version of my persistent complaints from last season, our right side trio of Mo, Trent and Hendo were the exception to that more often than not and the ones who opened the opposition up through being direct

I've been consistent in saying all of that, not what you are saying I said or was saying

[Nineteenx]

Passes per match

And on a point of information especially for Steveo almost all the players higher passes per game of 21-22 are at pretty much the 21-22 levels pre designated playmaker of 22/23 for 2018-2021, quite a few a little higher for 20-21 showing how the whole squad pulled together and contributed more to the playmaking to get us to third spot

Trent 22/23 56.77 21/22 67.34

Robbo 22/23 51.00 21/22 66.48

Virgil 22/23 78.18 21/22 77.82

Matip 22/23 59.91 21/22 74.81

Konate 22/23 62.00 21/22 68.18

Thiago 22/23 69.36 21/22 59.92

Fabinho 22/23 47.17 21/22 53.17

Henderson 22/23 43.91 21/22 61.63

Elliott 22/23 32.50 21/22 40.17

Bajcetic 22/23 23.00

Milner 22/23 23.05 21/22 29.25

Salah 22/23 26.23 21/22 30.83

So, in a nutshell Thiago's passes per match operating as a designated playmaker this season went up around 15%, Virgil's went up marginally staying around his usual amount, everyone else's are down 10-15% or more on last season and/or others from 2018 onwards, despite our amount of possession averaging 59.7% per game It averaging 59/6% in 2021/22 59.6% in 2020/21 and 63.9% in 2019/20 and 62.3% in 2018/19 this very clearly portrays that Thiago as a designated playmaker has been an issue for us this season, he has not been including our other important creators in that or spreading the playmaking throughout the team as it was when the team functioned at its best

These stats simply don't lie, they show he is dominating the ball and making of the play to the detriment of the team and almost every other player bar Virgil, lessening the contributions of all of them while failing to create himself, Alisson having more assists and passes before the assist than Thiago has managed thus far this season he lacks the required quality of certain types of passes and just doesn't make sure all our players are included in the play or found in the positions from which they benefit the team most by contributing to making the play and creating from, the principal function any playmaker is supposed to perform

Yet according to Steveo, "He makes us tick"