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Thread: Playing like Champions

  1. #11
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    We will never compete financially with City United and Chelsea. I don't get the obsession about how much other clubs are spending. I would have thought winning the big trophies without the need to try and outspend your rivals would be classed as a success. This squad is the best we have had for many a year, so i don't feel the need to disrupt it, apart from bringing the odd few in. It's not how much you spend, it's how you spend it that counts. Most of Klopp's buys have been a success, i trust him to keep it that way, whether he breaks the bank to get a player or he doesn't.
    If you're not sure what to do with the ball, just put it in the net, and we'll talk about the other options later... Bob Paisley.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by skyebo View Post
    We will never compete financially with City United and Chelsea. I don't get the obsession about how much other clubs are spending. I would have thought winning the big trophies without the need to try and outspend your rivals would be classed as a success. This squad is the best we have had for many a year, so i don't feel the need to disrupt it, apart from bringing the odd few in. It's not how much you spend, it's how you spend it that counts. Most of Klopp's buys have been a success, i trust him to keep it that way, whether he breaks the bank to get a player or he doesn't.
    Thats all very reasonable Skyebo, id just say that it would be wonderful to see Klopp given the same levels of investment as in the years before he arrived.
    This would mean hed have 123 million to spend now to merely match those 5 years pre-klopp.
    Given weve posted profits over recent seasons it would also leave us ffp compliant too.

    Not looking for man city or psg spending power, just looking for the club to provide the same level of investment as they provided to Br mostly and kenny.
    Given Klopps record, top4s, european finals and most importantly titles, it would seem reasonable that he should have the same level of investment in his squad as those years prior to his arrival.
    Income and profits have risen splendidly since.

  3. #13
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    @ skyebo - agree with your logic. But on one point.... Why should we never be able to compete financially with United? If we give up on that - surely that would just be pure defeatist...? I would hope they are precisely the target in our sights.

    @CC - Look at you eh - coming in here and making all that sense - it really isn’t cool.

    Totally agree with you BTW

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steveo View Post
    @ skyebo - agree with your logic. But on one point.... Why should we never be able to compete financially with United? If we give up on that - surely that would just be pure defeatist...? I would hope they are precisely the target in our sights.

    @CC - Look at you eh - coming in here and making all that sense - it really isn’t cool.

    Totally agree with you BTW
    Because they are much richer than we are, and always have been, even before the premier league was formed and sky pumped in all the money.
    If you're not sure what to do with the ball, just put it in the net, and we'll talk about the other options later... Bob Paisley.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by skyebo View Post
    Because they are much richer than we are, and always have been, even before the premier league was formed and sky pumped in all the money.
    Not sure they were much richer than us prior to Sky and the Division one/Premier League rebrand but I may well be wrong.

    Either way we must be able to catch them on that front as they did us with titles.?

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steveo View Post
    Not sure they were much richer than us prior to Sky and the Division one/Premier League rebrand but I may well be wrong.

    Either way we must be able to catch them on that front as they did us with titles.?
    Their getting CL football is a spanner in the works for that goal of ours. The last reviews by deloitte iirc had us and/or city potentially overtaking them in the next few seasons, CL football and unknown at that time for them.
    Later stages or lifting the CL is pivotal for us in overtaking them in terms of income.

  7. #17
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    What I find a little annoying is that there is plenty of room for improvement to evolve what we already do and I feel we should be working relentlessly as ever at that, rather than alter our style of play

    One of our greatest strengths is our press, there are several players who can get an awful lot better at it and that needs to be worked on

    I said last season I expected more goals from our full backs and that was a key area in which we could improve offensively, it did happen to a large degree albeit without the end product from our full backs, Robbo in particular on too many occassions, something which with practice and hard work will obviously improve.

    We can work on Robbo and Trent making those runs between the opposition full back and CB when Mane, Mo, Bobby or one of our midfielders get the ball wide stretching the opposition defence and finding their runs in those positions and they both need to work on their end product, we did this really well down our left last season with Robbo being released this way several times, but his finishing, final ball and decision making isn't yet where it needs to be, in truth he could and should have scored or assisted in excess of 10 goals from those positions.

    The other most urgent and obvious thing we can work on to improve hugely on what we do already is the switch balls, centre to left or right, right to left and left to right and balls over the top. Given how we play there is an incredible dearth of players in our squad with the ability to play these balls with the required level of quality. It is NOT a difficult technique to play these types of ball and as it is a technique issue then there is no legitimate reason with hard work and the continually striving for improvement and evolution from all our lads we shouldn't see a quantum leap of improvement in all our players ability to play these balls

    If we can do just those things, we will be a far more devastating and dangerous team than we already are
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nineteenx View Post
    I think there's been a bit of confusion among our players as to what this actually means, since winning the league there has been a lot of fannying around attempted fancy flicks that never seem to come off and an foul smelling air of complacency, they've not been playing like Champions at all.

    To me playing like Champions means first and foremost playing with the same intensity, hunger, desire, work ethic and absolute beligerance in doing all those things and having an unshakable resolute determination that you will NOT be beaten and nothing less than a win in every single game is good enough.

    I feel it is incredibly important to not start with the fancy flicks, showboating, over playing and over complicating of things uneccessarily and to never lose sight of what made you Champions and look to improve on doing the things that made you Champions even better rather than trying to do different things.

    For me what made us Champions was first and foremost an incredible hunger and desire and work ethic, an attitude that we will never be beaten and no game or situation was ever lost or beyond being won and an absolutely incredible press, never ever letting the opposition having the ball easy and never ever having time on it when they did get possession.

    Play wise and why I don't like all the fancy flicks and over playing we've seen since we won the League, the press came first and foremost, we weren't and aren't an all singing all dancing expansive football side, but what we do is devastatingly effective.

    We test teams in every imaginable way, switch balls to release or find our full backs and forwards on either side of the pitch in space are an absolutely essential part of our game, to find those players of the quality they are in isolation, in space or in a position in which the LCM RCM LB or RB will quickly be in support of them so we can play a ball they can chest or head or lay off to one of those other players first time before making their runs in behind is so so important to our continued success.

    The other crucial part of our game in combination with our press is the constant runs in behind and playing those long balls over the top of opposition defences, even when they're camping on their 18 yard line and playing them to such a level of quality that we either find the forwards run or the ball is so near perfect the defender can only half clear it and we win any second balls and quickly form and attack form there or quickly work it to one of our full backs to put an early ball into the box with the oppositions line slightly disturbed and our forwards able to take positions to make their second runs escaping their markers attentions while their focus is on where the half cleared ball will go.

    For me together with our set pieces and Trent's right to left switches to find Robbo making runs in advance of our midfield and forwards at times (Robbo needs to start returning that favour at times) they are all the things that made us Champions and I feel it is incredibly important we do not lose sight of that
    Bump
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by skyebo View Post
    We will never compete financially with City United and Chelsea. I don't get the obsession about how much other clubs are spending. I would have thought winning the big trophies without the need to try and outspend your rivals would be classed as a success. This squad is the best we have had for many a year, so i don't feel the need to disrupt it, apart from bringing the odd few in. It's not how much you spend, it's how you spend it that counts. Most of Klopp's buys have been a success, i trust him to keep it that way, whether he breaks the bank to get a player or he doesn't.
    Quite true but why do we need to judge ourselves on the ability to spend what others are spending it makes no sense its what you buy for the money and what you get for it from the signing as you say.
    Look at 2 of the teams we've played this season 1st Leeds no way should we have beaten them we had to sink to penalties to do it.
    Then today we are steamrolled by another club that just survived the drop by 1 point.Did either of these teams say we should be spending like ManU ManC or Chelsea no they are minnows and deal with players we and the top teams wouldn't be bothered with yet they have produced teams that can play at the same level as the big teams possibly because their managers have built "Teams".
    Tottenham we laughed at on here because of Mourinho yet with their tight budget they seem to have made a few good signings enough to put 6 past ManU.
    Too early in the season yet to make predictions myself i'm glad we were beaten if we had to be and early in the season to be able to adjust not by 7 but to be quite honest although we won the League last season it became a borefest and from what's happening in the 1st few weeks this season i don't believe there's going to be an out an out runaway Champion it's looking like a very competitive league this time around which makes for more exciting games......Just my opinion !
    Last edited by fagin; 5th October 2020 at 02:45 AM.

  10. #20
    Scapegoats
    Gomez won the league and Bobby won us a world club and Adrian a super cup.

    But there were 11 players +3 subs out there today.

    Summed up as Sloppy and complacent.

    Getting found out after 2 to 3 years playing high octane football.

    The high line is such a risk that teams are getting 4 or 5 big chances.

    Alisson saved us x2 v Arsenal.
    Adrian too v Villa.

    This team is on its 4th year of a cycle more or less.

    97 points 99 points , 2 champions league finals. It has peaked now expect a downturn in performances and results.

    Luckily only 3 points for a win but a big hit for the GD.

    Alisson Mané Thiago Matip and Henderson back soon hopefully.

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