Match Thread : Toulouse v Liverpool

[teesred]

MacAllister is starting to concern me, another poor performance and not in his 6 role either. Thought he was just as bad as Tsimikas in the first half

Agree. Our midfield isn't as effective as we were thinking. We got carried away a bit which is the fickle nature of football support I guess.
I still think it's lacking something, a dominant player.

[miller0863]

We are absolutely desperate for a proper 6.
It is so easy for teams to get through to our back line, even if you’re Luton or 14th in a second rate league.

Very concerning

[Nineteenx]

It was like that with Fab even supported by a far superior collective press

Again and again and again and again and again we constantly have too many players making runs into space and we try and overplay far too often, then when we lose it we have 3 or 4 players charge to where the ball is, because they were all making runs and none were picking up, giving the opposition player an easy outball time and time again

City copied a lot of what made us so much better than them in 19-20, they often only have a couple of players making runs, only 1 quite often and the others picking up defending while attacking because they're also well positioned to make a run off their player, to stop a counter or quickly go and regain possession

We don't mix it up enough as we were earlier in the season with runs in behind we try to connect with medium to longer balls and switches, which doing regularly sporadically affords you a bit more room to play

And bar a couple of decent longer balls as game Trent's creating fuck all and needs to get back to arring wide right and inside right advanced creating movement and space and chances or chances to create with crosses through balls and switches

He's in an absolute nothing CM position in which he's not picking up defending while attacking and not well positioned toi join the attack and we've got a massive Trent shaped hole advanced wide or inside right that needs a player advancing into it to support Mo and Szlobo

Kelleher looks to have dropped off hugely this season too, doesn't look as hungry, focused or even half the keeper he looked in 21-22

[Insidious]

As piss-poor as last night was, I'd be a lot more annoyed with it if our typical XI had put that performance out.

Huge believer in chemistry and muscle memory - Nineteenx often refers to "automation" which sums it up well.

A big thing for me when we play a mish-mash side is relationships on the pitch and how well developed they are - not how well the players get on in the dressing room obviously, but how often they play together. So for example -

- How often does Tsimikas play left of Quansah?
- How often does Diaz play with Mac Allister playing further up than the 6?
- How often does Doak play right of Gakpo?
- How often does Doak play ahead of Gomez?
- How often does Endo play sat in front of Quansah, with Mac and Elliott ahead of him?
- How often does Elliott play in a midfield where Mac Allister isn't the 6?
- How often does Gakpo play up top without Salah?

Just a few examples of things that aren't typical to our set-up and of course the more there are, the more disjointed things will be.

No excuses - we absolutely should have been better and Klopp should rightly bollock some people - but a disjointed side like that playing against a side that were desperate to succeed and gave everything where we barely reached second gear was always going to be difficult.

Thankfully we have the cushion of two more group games so should get the points to qualify - and knowing we have that cushion and how important the Brentford match is meant it was a good opportunity to rotate - we should have been much better though, which is disappointing.

[Steveo]

Yes - Klopp should “bollock” the cigar smoking wrinkled dick himself - sir John of W Henry’Shire

[justme]

I dunno whos gonna play in midfield on Sunday if Jones ain't fit.. Macca is banned. Endo will probably start and Szoboszlai.
can't think of anyone else. I'd be loathed to start Elliot.. Guess we could go in with Gakpo and Jota.. in 2 false 9s. but who knows. we'll see

[justme]

Forgot about Gravenberch, but looked on the premier league injury tracker. seems he may not be available until after the international break.

[BOBPAISLEYFAN]

To be absolutely serious , right now I would swop Klopp for BOBPAISLEYFAN.

No you wouldn’t lol!! …. Klopp is a genius, and he has returned to Anfield a level of football on a par with my two heroes …. Bill and Bob…

I am just old school and grew up with Shankly and Bob Paisley so I was spoilt rotten, so my perspective is slightly skewed and I look at football through a different prism, when football was a mans game… and intrinsically honest.

In todays game simulation and cheating appears to be acceptable, rather than winning on merit, and in Klopps defence I think he is cut from the same cloth, but I do think he sometimes emphasises too much on not giving away free kicks and it gets lost in translation…. so we end up being weak defensively.

However, there are one or two of our established stars, namely Trent, Salah and Van Dyjk who demonstrate an attitude that borders on arrogance, which is all good when things are going well but it doesn’t translate well when things are going bad. Unfortunately this malaise can spread like wildfire through the squad if you are not careful.

It frustrates the life out of me but hey ho maybe thats just me

[Steveo]

Yep - With F$G's penny pinching and minus mircle worker Klopp - you can forget us winning anything major in this era.



Yea... Thanks... and you're welcome

[southernboy]

Even when VvD plays, we lack leadership. There’s not one single player dishing out the occasional bollocking or words of encouragement.