Captain

[dicko1969]

I'm rather similar. Bit snobbish about the fa cup, if we win it great if not I'm not bothered.

The league will be enough. But we've a great opportunity to retain our cl title.

What's pissed me off was our performance and post match reaction v Atletico. Today should right that as it was a case of so many errors and poor patterns.

Milner and Henderson not here
I blame VVD and Klopp
Lovren captain 100%

[dicko1969]

I'm not losing my head, I warned about changing the midfield and bringing Fabinho straight back in when fit because the team had evolved in his absence and he doesn't have the distribution Hendo had provided and he doesn't facilitate our midfield 3 rotating positions throughout games to make us more fluid and he doesn't play right across the line across the entire width of the pitch.

From what I have seen and it really stunned me, Henderson is our undisputed No6 by a considerable distance, Fabinho's for games like City or Barca and other teams who are going to have more of the ball and try and pass you to death as a high destroyer, in today's game it was like how teams have played against City's full backs this season when Fabinho had the ball, nobody bothering to press them, like, ok you have it, what are you going to do with it? In games in which we're going to dominate the ball or have most of it, we need a No6 who can pass the damned thing more than 10 yards

Agreed... chop and change
But we have to
Injuries
Suspensions
Rotation

Fabinho back is not the same pre injury

But that's football. Form and confidence

Tbh Lallana made things happen today
That the other 3 midfielders didn't do

Oh ps ffs keita

[CCTV]

Milner and Henderson not here
I blame VVD and Klopp
Lovren captain 100%

Milner off the bench would have been a great option. Often steadied the ship even when Hendo started in some of our previous games. Lallana did well but you can always rely on Milner to make an impact and crunchy an opponent.

Tbh Virgil has his part in 2 of their goals, bit lazy on the first though not all on him and on the second he's playing ref while the pacey sarr gets in behind him.

Lovren not great not the worst.

Think our 2 8s played a massive role in our poor build up play today and lately our 8s have been poor in the system.
Front 3 poor too.

[Nineteenx]

Fabinho back is not the same pre injury

Yes, but Henderson at No6 was miles better than Fabinho at his best at No6, that's the point, football changes, players work hard to improve, Henderson raised himself well above the levels of anything Fabinho has ever produced at No6.

Here is 'Fabinho dominating everyone'



How many instances in Fabinho dominating everyone are him sprinting back to tackle a player who he has allowed to break our press or counter press? How often did any player at all break our press or counter press in his absence? Hardly ever at all

[CCTV]

Why is it? For 2 months he'd been orchestrating the press and counter press and the midfield had been more fluid and rotating positions to cover each other to conserve energy, be more fluid and stop each other having to make numerous long sprints during games to get back, because the press and counter press were rarely ever broken and if a player was furthest forward pressing, another player was deeper covering that area, so they made the odd sprint over a much shorter distance. 2 months your body gets used to playing a certain way, Henderson for all the ground he covered rarely had to hit a full sprint at any time in that 2 months

Then. enter Fabinho, no midfield rotation, players positions in midfield more definitely fixed, Fabinho isn't a true Dm and doesn't play right across the line and he is the most guilty of allowing our press and counter press to be broken, so suddenly, because he's not covering the space behind them, LCM and RCM are making more full on sprints a game over a longer distance

He'd had a busy schedule, then a break and Atletico away was always going to be a heavy load.

I disagree with your views on Fabinho/Gomez, think our 8s have been an issue tactically, but if you really see it that way, why were you so opposed to resting Hendo given your rationalisations?

[Nineteenx]

He'd had a busy schedule, then a break and Atletico away was always going to be a heavy load.

I disagree with your views on Fabinho/Gomez, think our 8s have been an issue tactically, but if you really see it that way, why were you so opposed to resting Hendo given your rationalisations?

I was opposed to Fabinho coming back in at all, until we played a Barca, City or Bayern, why can you not recognise the next level playmaking, pressing and counter pressing and evolution of the team in Fabinho's absence, far too many people on Fabinho's dick wildly overrating him because he wasn't Henderson, Henderson pissed all over anything Fabinho had ever produced at No6, period

[CCTV]

I was opposed to Fabinho coming back in at all, until we played a Barca, City or Bayern, why can you not recognise the next level playmaking, pressing and counter pressing and evolution of the team in Fabinho's absence, far too many people on Fabinho's dick wildly overrating him because he wasn't Henderson, Henderson pissed all over anything Fabinho had ever produced at No6, period

Imo our best midfield is Fabinho plays 6 and Hendo rcm. It worked well beforehand in many games.

Your saying that with Fabinho at 6 you see all these disasters and are blaming Fabinho at 6 for Hendos injury as he has to make many more sprints.
Yet you were opposed to resting Hendo v Norwich and having him primed for Atletico when you say he has such a heavier workload. Doesnt make much sense what you're suggesting.

I wanted to rest Hendo v Norwich as he was our in form midfielder and vital he was fresh and able to play 90 mins in madrid.
Fab back from injury, Gini not at the same level of form as Hendo and our other 8s not in great form either.

For me a lot of our problems stem from our 8s presently, not playing enough football through the middle when we have possession.

[Nineteenx]

Imo our best midfield is Fabinho plays 6 and Hendo rcm. It worked well beforehand in many games.

Your saying that with Fabinho at 6 you see all these disasters and are blaming Fabinho at 6 for Hendos injury as he has to make many more sprints.
Yet you were opposed to resting Hendo v Norwich and having him primed for Atletico when you say he has such a heavier workload. Doesnt make much sense what you're suggesting.

I wanted to rest Hendo v Norwich as he was our in form midfielder and vital he was fresh and able to play 90 mins in madrid.
Fab back from injury, Gini not at the same level of form as Hendo and our other 8s not in great form either.

For me a lot of our problems stem from our 8s presently, not playing enough football through the middle when we have possession.

Hendo's workload and in particular in full on sprints is greater as a No8 with Fabinho at No6 than when he's playing No6 himself, because when he plays No6 he orchestrated the press better, we have the rotation of the 3 midfielders covering each others positions during games so none of them have to make huge sprints and all of them get to conserve more energy.

Prior to Fabinho's injury our best midfield was with Fabinho at No6 and Hendo at No8 RCM but Hendo changed all that with his performances at No6 and how they complimented the team and pushed us to higher levels than we had ever played with Fabinho at No6.

It's football, things change, players work really fucking hard to develop and improve, a player picks up and injury, another player who's been working really hard and understands the strengths and weaknesses of all the other players and the system comes in for them and plays well above the level they have ever performed there, it happens all the time in football, the trick is to recognise and accept it has happened and continue evolving and developing and not to go backwards

Players can't be picked on the merits of what they did last season or on the merits of what they did prior to being out for 2 months if a player has come in and out performed what they have done

If we have a game v City, Barca, Bayern then Fabinho at No6 high destroyer yes, in most games, for the vastly superior benefits of the distribution and playmaking from No6 and orchestrating a far superior press and counter press and the rotation of the midfield 3 during the game so it's less easy to set up to try and counter press off any of them against sides sitting back looking to counter when we're going to have most of the ball Henderson all day long every single day of the week

[Steveo]

Steveo I think the first time I have agreed with you in 12 years 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Everyone sees the light eventually my friend..

[Nineteenx]

Each to their own anyway, there are numerous examples of injuries to players thought of as key players or regular starters being injured and in their absence managers inadvertently stumbling upon their best side, it's happened a fair bit in the history of the game. Player comes in and delivers POTY form consistently and drive the entire team to higher levels, you take him out? Each to their own, not for me

A bit of an extreme case, but let's take the case of Gareth Bale, was bought by Spurs as a LB, was consistently shit, I think they lost every game he played in at LB, I think Niko Kranjčar got injured and they were short of cover in that area so Redknapp threw Bale in, he played out of his skin and delivered performances no-one had ever expected, Redknapp kept him in as a result of those performances and the rest is history