LFWD in Mane's absence

[Nineteenx]

What are anyone else's thoughts on this, for me personally everytime we have been without Mane, whoever the opposition is, we have been absolutely shite and not in any kind of rhythm whenever Jurgen has fielded a player there who doesn't make the runs in behind looking to be played in or to open up the space for Robbo and to link with Robbo, be that Origi (far too many times) Jota twice or Shaq tonight

The only player we have who has facilitated us playing as we usually do in Mane's absence in all the games and of all the players Jurgen has played there has been Oxlade, he showed that last season scoring 3 in 3 in Mane's absence, made the runs, linked with Robbo, did everything Mane usually does, not to the same level, but did the most important part in keeping our balance and ways to stretch teams and facilitated us playing as we usually do when at our best

I do NOT understand why we didn't play him there tonight, why he didn't come on there as a sub at least when we hadn't had a single run in behind or smart link up and move with Robbo all game, I just don't get it, every time Jurgen does it I go into Agent Smith mode "Why Mr Anderson, why, why WHY, WHY do you persist?"

it's never fucking worked with any of those other players, why not give Ox a start when he's the only player who's made it work

[miller0863]

Neto or Barnes in the summer

[ianlfc]

WTF is LFWD ? left forward wide ?

[LEGS]

Neto or Barnes in the summer

Yep mentioned those two earlier both excellent young players.

[justme]

But will they be able to break down low blocks?? its ok when you get space to run into off the back of the opposition when they push on in full back areas. But when teams play with basically 2 full backs. ie their wide players play so deep they may as well play fullback.
Thats when WE struggle. I doubt many teams play low block against Wolves for instance.

[jr81]

WTF is LFWD ? left forward wide ?
I'll throw one put there as a cheap and 3rd choice resort. What ye think of taking a chance dámarai gray from Leicester. Out of contract and on a free. He had lots of potential, quick and direct. Not sure what has gone wrong for him though.

[jr81]

I'll throw one put there as a cheap and 3rd choice resort. What ye think of taking a chance dámarai gray from Leicester. Out of contract and on a free. He had lots of potential, quick and direct. Not sure what has gone wrong for him though.

Scratch that, already sold to leverkusen.

[Nineteenx]

But will they be able to break down low blocks?? its ok when you get space to run into off the back of the opposition when they push on in full back areas. But when teams play with basically 2 full backs. ie their wide players play so deep they may as well play fullback.
Thats when WE struggle. I doubt many teams play low block against Wolves for instance.

You can at least stretch them wide and have the forwards work between their full back and CB and try to have at least one midfielder joining bobby and have balance with attacks and variation coming from both sides and try and work triangles with that to release the forward or full back wide or through the channel

We broke down low blocks consistently last season through doing those things and winning second balls from trying to go over the top

We should try a fair few direct balls dropping just over the defence first half, have the analysis team detail where the opposition are clearing to or who and tweak off that to win second balls second half

[boom-klopp]

kabak brings the ball out a lot and i think that’s the next evolution of this team.

gomez tried but he can’t get past the halfway line before having a nose bleed and passing sideways.

having a fast cb like kabak who is not afraid to break the opposition lines with runs into their half totally upsets the opposition’s shape bringing the whole front line into play and in crucially space.

klopp engineered a masterstroke for 2 seasons with the full backs, but our personnel is now different with thiago and jota.

firmino’s days are numbered and he was ready to be phased out if not for jota’s injury.

we will see a new version of this liverpool team IF we can get the two new cb’s to settle in and the three of thiago, hendo and fab, this season.

firmino has to go though. he isn’t fit for purpose anymore. i wouldn’t even have him as a 10 in that three in the middle as he is probably the sloppiest player in this team alongside mane.

[Nineteenx]

Mane and Bobby are both class, Virgil and Matip both successfully drive the ball forward, both play excellent diagonals to the opposite flank and balls over the top, we have the 2 best CBs in the league, both out for the season a huge difference is our collective press not being as good through missing players too, we can no longer squeeze teams until the pips come out

[dicko1969]

kabak brings the ball out a lot and i think that’s the next evolution of this team.

gomez tried but he can’t get past the halfway line before having a nose bleed and passing sideways.

having a fast cb like kabak who is not afraid to break the opposition lines with runs into their half totally upsets the opposition’s shape bringing the whole front line into play and in crucially space.

klopp engineered a masterstroke for 2 seasons with the full backs, but our personnel is now different with thiago and jota.

firmino’s days are numbered and he was ready to be phased out if not for jota’s injury.

we will see a new version of this liverpool team IF we can get the two new cb’s to settle in and the three of thiago, hendo and fab, this season.

firmino has to go though. he isn’t fit for purpose anymore. i wouldn’t even have him as a 10 in that three in the middle as he is probably the sloppiest player in this team alongside mane.

Agree with most
But you dont just dump players.
Klopp is loyal to his players that have given him everything over 5years.
You dont just shit on them and throw in the bin.
Evidently the front 3 have given goals assists and trophies.
And soon they will be revised.
But give it 18 months
A new front line will emerge.
And we go again.
Also in midfield too.
Defence and GK is fine for another 4 or 5 years.

[teesred]

Mane and Bobby are both class, Virgil and Matip both successfully drive the ball forward, both play excellent diagonals to the opposite flank and balls over the top, we have the 2 best CBs in the league, both out for the season a huge difference is our collective press not being as good through missing players too, we can no longer squeeze teams until the pips come out

Personally I think Bobby has passed his peak. Weve had the same personnel for nearly 3 years thats a long time and one if the reasons we've been sussed out a bit.
We need to change things up and his role and current performance level are the obvious ones to point to.

[justme]

Firmino is class apart from being a non scoring centre forward.

[jozza800]

Dont think there is anything wrong with the personell to be honest. They just need to play quicker and with more intensity. Move the ball quicker when the gaps are there. We've become so pedestrian, it's like watching peak Rodgers at the moment. I honestly feel like i've been watching the same game on repeat for most of the season.

Thiago and Gini should not be playing in the same side, especially against the bus parkers. Gini especially, he doesnt release the ball quick enough and his first thought is safety.

I do think our priorities for the summer should be a striker and a fast winger.

[LEGS]

Dont think there is anything wrong with the personell to be honest. They just need to play quicker and with more intensity. Move the ball quicker when the gaps are there. We've become so pedestrian, it's like watching peak Rodgers at the moment. I honestly feel like i've been watching the same game on repeat for most of the season.

Thiago and Gini should not be playing in the same side, especially against the bus parkers. Gini especially, he doesnt release the ball quick enough and his first thought is safety.

I do think our priorities for the summer should be a striker and a fast winger.

Totally agree we need to play quicker instead we are like City but we dont have the players to do it.

The short season and injuries have stopped us playing a quicker tempo.

Hopefully next season is normal with fans with players getting a proper pre season.

[Kev0909]

Totally agree we need to play quicker instead we are like City but we dont have the players to do it.

The short season and injuries have stopped us playing a quicker tempo.

Hopefully next season is normal with fans with players getting a proper pre season.

let's hoep we make top4

will be us or chelsea if they win tonight

they've not shown what they can do yet either

[teesred]

Firmino is class apart from being a non scoring centre forward.

He is class. I just think the player he was isnt there anymore. Hes getting older and hes hard a few years hard slog at LFC. We need to change what and how we are doing things.
You said on the match thread we need a different option in the middle, agree with that. The forward line have been together a long time, I've said that for a good portion of this season and Carragher was talking about it recently saying most forward lines have maybe 2 seasons max before someone new arrives.
We have to evolve into something different and maybe that was going to start this season but has been stopped in its tracks. We cant carry on doing the same and being the same and expect to stay where we are.

[Nineteenx]

Dont think there is anything wrong with the personell to be honest. They just need to play quicker and with more intensity. Move the ball quicker when the gaps are there. We've become so pedestrian, it's like watching peak Rodgers at the moment. I honestly feel like i've been watching the same game on repeat for most of the season.

Thiago and Gini should not be playing in the same side, especially against the bus parkers. Gini especially, he doesnt release the ball quick enough and his first thought is safety.

I do think our priorities for the summer should be a striker and a fast winger.

I completely agree, it's more the lack of consistency of personnel and formation and those who are missing, we've not been able to play our best 11 in a single game this season, which was to be a season of evolution and change and you need the 2 who were bought largely for those purposes playing with the other 9 or 10 best players regularly for that evolution to take place

I think we did try to play more like UAE FC and look to pass through teams and ditched the more direct stuff and that was a huge mistake and played a lot of players out of form and broke down several playing relationships and interactions that were really important to us. Ironically, this at a time when they've been making significant strides this season to play more like we have the last 2 at times.

I think we needed to keep our direct play and add more playing through ability over time

I think it has all got to Jurgen a little, the injuries and the VAR and the VAR has definitely affected our form and confidence having robbed us of 9 points, despite our recent form, we'd actually still be top but for that.

Trying to play through teams and ditching the direct stuff without our best players and ever being able to field a consistent line up for a run of games all season was a catastrophic error in my opinion, we shouldn't have been ditching it at all, but adding ability to play through teams to it gradually over time.

Some really curious decisions from Jurgen in selections also, last night and Burnley being prime examples, our left side has been our most potent for a long time, yet through his selections in some games against park the bus sides he has nullified it himself and allowed them to play even narrower and focus on stopping attacks from our right and because everything is coming from the right, and he has made it easy from them to play far narrower, they get set and comfortable in a pattern of defending all too easily because the pattern of the attacks isn't changing and is entirely predictable.

Whenever he plays a player who doesn't make runs in behind and play on the line mixing it up between playing wide or between the RB and RCB at LFWD we're always incredibly predictable and poor and struggle to score, it's been that way for 3 seasons, fielding any player there who doesn't do those things and constantly comes short, like Origi, Shaq or Jota just completely nullifies Robbo and Gini and our entire left side and our midfield through a lack of options and runners, yet he's done it so many times and it's never fucking worked, I don't get that he can't see it, again, it's never worked

[justme]

He is class. I just think the player he was isnt there anymore. Hes getting older and hes hard a few years hard slog at LFC. We need to change what and how we are doing things.
You said on the match thread we need a different option in the middle, agree with that. The forward line have been together a long time, I've said that for a good portion of this season and Carragher was talking about it recently saying most forward lines have maybe 2 seasons max before someone new arrives.
We have to evolve into something different and maybe that was going to start this season but has been stopped in its tracks. We cant carry on doing the same and being the same and expect to stay where we are.

I have never been 100% a fan of Firmino..he has glimpses of excellency. But over all. ive never been a massive admirer of his.

[CCTV]

Mane got the balloon door vote from Messi last time round iirc. Always a hard player to replace as hes nearly as profilic as Salah, more clinical and does a fair bit more of the ball running, tackling and intercepting too - even overtaken Bobby on that metric for some time.

A terribly hard player to replace as hes the complete package of our front 3. His goal return this season has been poorer though.

Origi a good shout from our squad and the other night I was hoping Klopp would put Bobby on the left wing, Salah top and Shaq right. Another option would have been to play 4231 again salah top, Bobby 10, Shaq right and Milner left, with 2 6s.

[skyebo]

We should be beating the likes of Brighton no matter what formation is used. It's those bad results against the smaller teams that have cost us. A draw is no good to us against City, even a win and they still have a game in hand. It's very much theirs to lose now, they were always our biggest threat to retaining the title, i was never worried about Man U.

[Nineteenx]

We should be beating the likes of Brighton no matter what formation is used. It's those bad results against the smaller teams that have cost us. A draw is no good to us against City, even a win and they still have a game in hand. It's very much theirs to lose now, they were always our biggest threat to retaining the title, i was never worried about Man U.

We were robbed of 9 points in 4 games by VAR you've got to be the only person here who point blank refuses to acknowledge the application of VAR this season has been corrupt as fuck and we've been hit harder than any side and by a distance

[dicko1969]

The VVD injury
The mane offside... 2 points lost
The brighton pen away ... 2 points lost

Then all the injuries/ covid to key players

After confidence got hit
Teams 2 banks of 5.
Not scoring.
Then finally the home record gone.
Not only that... 2 home games lost.

Bottom 6
Played 7
Won 1
Drew 4
Lost 2

7 points from 18.

Boom goes the league title.

Man city 100% now

[teesred]

We were robbed of 9 points in 4 games by VAR you've got to be the only person here who point blank refuses to acknowledge the application of VAR this season has been corrupt as fuck and we've been hit harder than any side and by a distance

Where in that post has he denied that? Since Palace we haven't been done over by VAR. Weve done ourselves over with a mixture of laziness,poor form and lack of ability to break down a wall.
Everything hes said there is right.
We've had injuries but lets not forget we weren't exactly setting the world on fire before them even with Virgil in the team. We haven't won more than 3 league games in a row all season.