Elliott opens up about fear of joining Liverpool

[Nineteenx]

But we all pretty much can see he isn't a mid - he should be developing into more of a 10, but our dire situation means he cannot. This is the point. What do you suggest we do instead of Elliot? How well have we fared when he hasn't played? Remember he only played about 10 minutes v Wolves for the 3 nil loss and only 20 mins v Brighton with a similar defeat. He only got 9 mins in the loss to Arsenal too. It's not like we are stellar when he isn't there.

As I have said all season. It really doesn't mater where you look. We have tried so many lineups - strong - weak - mixed and the results are pretty much going the same way. A few decent wins followed by dreadful form.

Our best form of the season and the only time we won more than 2 games on the bounce was with Elliott in the side.. A 4 game winning streak v Spurs, Southampton, Villa and Leicester.. including our only consecutive away wins.

We shouldn't have fucked about with our brilliant in combination right side trio of last season at all, especially with Mane leaving and new lads coming in, it should have been left well alone as a source of stability, creativity and goals, that should have been obvious

[CCTV]

But we all pretty much can see he isn't a mid - he should be developing into more of a 10, but our dire situation means he cannot. This is the point. What do you suggest we do instead of Elliot? How well have we fared when he hasn't played? Remember he only played about 10 minutes v Wolves for the 3 nil loss and only 20 mins v Brighton with a similar defeat. He only got 9 mins in the loss to Arsenal too. It's not like we are stellar when he isn't there.

As I have said all season. It really doesn't mater where you look. We have tried so many lineups - strong - weak - mixed and the results are pretty much going the same way. A few decent wins followed by dreadful form.

Our best form of the season and the only time we won more than 2 games on the bounce was with Elliott in the side.. A 4 game winning streak v Spurs, Southampton, Villa and Leicester.. including our only consecutive away wins.

We should be playing 4231 this season

2 Alisson/Kelleher

7 Trent/Gomez Matip/Konate/Virgil Robbo/Tsimi

4 Hendo/Fab/Thiago/Milner*

6 Salah/Bobby/Gakpo/Jota/Diaz
...............Nunez/Jota*

*Milner the old dog essentially cover as the other 3 lads rotate in and out of the 2 starting spots.

*Jota appearing twice, in the 3 off a striker or a striker.

Playing this way would find better opportunities for squad/youth players Jones/Carvalho/Elliott in the 3 off a striker and
Bajcetic playing in the 6 position as part of a double pivot. Sadly out injured as he played too much too soon due to us playing a 3 man midfield continuously.

Klopps found ways to select Elliott far more than he was forced to select him.

Maybe he's like a young Hendo and eventually wins fans over, personally I don't see any clear role or use for him in 433. In 4231 he'd be more capable of filling in for Salah at ram/rw but in 433 he's not a suitable back up for Salah.

[CCTV]

We shouldn't have fucked about with our brilliant in combination right side trio of last season at all, especially with Mane leaving and new lads coming in, it should have been left well alone as a source of stability, creativity and goals, that should have been obvious

How can you ignore our right side tanking second half of last season. Salah lost his ability to score, Trents assists dried up and Hendo really got carried away thinking he could be a 10.
That was all second half of last season.

I'll slate Elliott on here at times, but it's hard to blame him for stuff that happened whilst he was out injured.

In the CL final as Real scored Hendo was nowhere to be seen as I recall.
And here you can go down and see the average positions for the CL final.
https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1635069/MatchReport/Europe-Champions-League-2021-2022-Liverpool-Real-Madrid

[CCTV]

It is a bit early for him to be doing such media, he's done very little so far.

Thiago v (Hendo & Elliot) combined - PL on basic defensive stats

Tackles - 2.9 v (0.8 + 0.8)
Intercepts - 1.3 v (0.6 + 0.5)
Fouls - 1.3 v (0.5 + 0.4)
Clearances - 0.8 v (0.4 + 0.3)
Dribbled past* - 0.4 v (0.4 + 0.9)
Blocks- 0.2 v (0.1 + 0)

Now on these defensive stats, I value fouls as a failed tackle - breaking up play.

The only stat Hendo&Elliot combined beat Thiago on... is getting dribbled past - that's a bad stat to win..

Without Thiago providing some steel in midfield... we have 2 pussies at rcm.

And here are the per game defensive stats for Thiago versus Hendo+Elliott combined.
It's a grim read for both Rcm's this year.

[darrenpotter]

And here are the per game defensive stats for Thiago versus Hendo+Elliott combined.
It's a grim read for both Rcm's this year.

Cctv is there any stats for percentage of attacks down the flanks and middle? It feels like our RHS gets targetted a lot more, which would make the stats you've shown even more sobering as if they are seeing increased attacks down this channel the stats should be higher due to increased exposure. This season has been a lamentable mess. Feels like the squad is unfit and out of condition in a big way. Our injury stats and running stats are backing it up as well.

[Nineteenx]

How can you ignore our right side tanking second half of last season. Salah lost his ability to score

In the CL final as Real scored Hendo was nowhere to be seen as I recall.

Really straight forward answers to both and things i have comprehensively covered several times

Salah's levels dropped off hugely because he wasn't given the new contract he had demanded, he was trying to ensure he protected himself from injury (including in the Champions League final when he otherwise had to score) so he could potentially move in the summer if he didn't get what he wanted One player of the 3 doing this effects the others, really obvious basic team game stuff

The other is symptomatic of what you see every match thread and elsewhere from those who have never liked the captain, there's been a lot of it coming Trent's way too

The Real goal came down our left, through poor positional errors and play from Thiago, then Fab, and officials letting the goal stand even though Benzema effectively dummied it, letting it go mm's from his toe and was offside

At the point Thiago fucked up, then Fab had a rush of blood leaving Casemiro, Hendo was where he should have been as RCM blocking any pass from Casemiro to Vinicius, it all happened incredibly quickly down our left/left of centre, it's actually ridiculous to suggest the RCM on the opposite side could have got anywhere near to it

And what you did there is a perfect example of the blaming of players by those who don't like them for fuck ups by their favourites

Trent got bucket loads of abuse in the City match thread for goals i said and analysis on all broadcasters later concurred were down to really poor errors from Fab, other players getting blamed for goals coming from Fab fuck ups has been going on here since he joined

[Steveo]

Hendo was pointing CC… Do pay attention.

off course the goal was all Thiago’s fault. We should all know that by now..

As for the captain… well somebody needs to point out his win record in any team v any team featuring Modric.

[Steveo]

The fact is - and few who were born, raised and played in Blighty seem to have noticed.

Casemiro, Luka, Carvajal and Valverde - via Ancelotti brutally expose our flaw.

Casemiro plays the ball to Luka… A quality player receives the ball and is pressed by Robbo.. he runs towards his own goal - only to sucker in 2-3 Liverpool players orchestrated in the press…plays the ball 180 degrees to Carvajal’s feet. As he receives he is pressed by a few more Reds, who he takes out beautifully with a swift clever short pass to Valverde on the wing. We are now heavily overloaded out on our left.

Hendo and Trent unaware. Hendo stays in no man’s land near center circle as far away from the play AND any potential player in space as possible. Real now suck us in on that flank as we fail to spot the play…

Hendo and Trent blissfully unaware of what is happening….

Simple ball across to Vinicius who can barely miss almost unopposed.


The commentary says it all as he realises how clever th play is.

“quite an effective passage of play there from Real Madrid”

yes - having quality players makes things like this look easy.



Seen from this vantage point it is even more telling.

Or watch it from the posh cameras.

https://youtu.be/9ZUK2o-ka5c

it’s a simple game..

At no point does Modric - Casemiro - or Carvajal play a safe backwards ball. Watch it again and again and again. Then ask: which midfielders we have can play that game?

Then you kinda get to another answer - the answer as to WHY we should all be thankful for meeting Spurs in the 2019 final. Thankful again for that early penalty. I just don’t see us winning a single CL under Klopp with the midfield we have had on his watch, but for that fortune.

[Nineteenx]

What a load of revisionist nonsense

Thiago get caught ahead of Modric, leaving Modric of all players clear in loads of space

Robbo goes to close Modric down

The part where it is made all too easy for them is, Fabinho leaves his man (ooh this is already sounding very familiar) so that leaves Casemiro in acres of space in the centre for Modric to pick out with ease, this also rendering Robbo's press on Modric ineffective as it gives him such an easy ball, which in turn allows Casemiro to release Valverde in behind Robbo, when Robbo was blocking the line for Modric to do that, Virgil comes across beause Fabinho's allowed Robbo to be taken out of the game, Konate who was mostly defending against Vinicius has to come across because Virgil has and Trent because Konate has, Benzema is offside and lets the ball run, he can't be said to not be interfering, but that's officials and Real for you

The stats for the final, possession, number of chances, all of them don't tell your version of events either, and you know that because I posted them a few weeks back when we were talking about this

They cut through us because we had 1 midfielder out of position, our No6 had a rush of blood and left his man, if Fabinho just stays with Casemiro in that passage of play, the goal almost certainly doesn't happen, like in so many other Fab rushes of blood incidents

It's 14 seconds from Thiago letting the ball go to Modric easy caught out of position to them scoring, an example of the kind of direct when it is on to play that way play that we used to be the world's best at, similarly to all 4 of City's goal in their recent game against us and most we've conceded this season

I know it's Modric, but Robbo was pressing him and Thiago was desperately trying to get back after him, but if Fab stays with Casemiro they probably stop him between the pair of them and they don't score

Real managed just 4 shots all game and only 2 on target, 45% possession, just for clarity as it's not the first tiem Steveo's tried to rewrite what happened in this game, he had them completely dominating us and possession at least twice I can remember

[Nineteenx]

Then you kinda get to another answer - the answer as to WHY we should all be thankful for meeting Spurs in the 2019 final. .

You were one of the ones shitting it that we had Spurs not Ajax and pissing your pants they'd beat us as I recall