Ajax v Liverpool (CL Match Thread)

[Balinkay]

Yes, a break would do him good I think. Not sure how well Jota can replace him though. If anything, I'd like to see Jota on the left and Manè through the middle.

[Steveo]

Yes a switch of positions - doubtful Jota would be as effective in the middle as Mane can defo be. Nobody saying it is the perfect setup - but does 3 things. Gives Jota time to settle into the team gives Bobby a relief from the relentless physical pressure -"it's all on you Bobby" we have no other options - needs a rest.... and also gives him that different kind of pressure - pressure to get back to his best technical level - his body won't be able to sustain what he has done in the past for too long.

[Kev0909]

Not for me, Bobby's notched up 2 assists while apprently being shit and Jota's nowhere near up to speed with our press and counter press which it is more vital than ever it's as good as it can possibly be right now and Mane gifted the ball to the bitters for their equaliser trying a dumb ass no look flick with only 11 minutes left when all he had to do was make sure we kept the ball when he was last moved to cfwd for the last 15 minutes last time out in the league, so, no thank you very much

Woooooow one of them was a simple pass forward, which was the other?

Stunning stuff, he deserves to start for being able to pass the ball forward.

He also gives the ball away edge of our own box.... fantastic

needs a rest or something, needs competition to be frank

[vin]

Fair do’s... Personally I am a bit concerned that we didn’t manage to score ourselves.

Think we can ride the new rear guard setup provided we are scoring lots of goals with regularity - defences inevitably creek when front lines falter.

Really want to get Jota in the goals - looks like a fabulous threat.

Yes, Jota is looking lively. I'm glad that we don't have to throw new signings immediately into the XI. In previous (pre-Klopp) seasons we've had no choice. It becomes a bit sink or swim. I think Jota with his Prem experience looks ready to slot in for a spell. Bobby looks like he could do with a rotation.

In contrast, Minamino still looks like he needs some time. I don't think Minamino has been helped by joining during lockdown (i.e. video training) and having had to move etc. But I believe he will become a good player for us given time and patience.

[Kev0909]

Am I wrong or was firmino's only goal last season at anfield 2nd to last game of the season

What's that about? makes wij look good away

[CCTV]

Jesus wept, it was an entirely different league when Mane last played RFWD regularly was the 2016-2017 season Let's not mention all your meaningless stats on Gomez when i said how ridiculously well our defence had been protected in that run and other than winning foot races tolong balls through the channel he hadn't had any real defending to do, we have since seen in abundance how unfortunately accurate i was, sadly pretty much everytime Jurgen's picked a midfield that can't press like we did in that run or rather decided to fuck about with something that has seen our team reach incredible new heights to give a player we'd been far better without minutes

A bit like what you're advocating now tbh

So you agree we didn't play 4231 in our loss to city and agree with the formation presented on the club's website?
Where did you see it presented as a 4231 on the clubs website ?

How has the league changed so much since 16/17 that Mane could no longer play rwf?

Not sure its worthwhile going back to the Gomez debate as it was a matter of fact that the best pairing had been VVD & Gomez if you used clean sheets and goals conceded.
Gomez has had his injuries and yet to return to the level of form he displayed at that time. Not sure how this relates to the conversation at hand.

Must do your nut that Klopp rates Fabinho so highly

[CCTV]

Manè was absolutely boss on the right in his first season with us. We were scared shiteless when Salah came in that we'd move Sadio left and somehow make him worse.

Yup, he was the klopp transfer I was most sceptical of before arriving, needless to say it didn't take long to shit all over that doubt.
Matured into one heck of a player.

[Kev0909]

Roberto Firmino has 1 goal in his last 20 Premier League games. But he’s not a pure striker, he’s more of a defensive samba overlapping auxiliary trequaetista pseudo regista libero sweeper keeper bananenflanke introverted raumdeuter out and out stopper 12th man vianema center wing catenaccio mercurial left handed target offside trap type of player. ��

Loools

Apparently he had 4th most shots in league last season when he scored 9?

Imagine salah being out or mane for any period we'd be fucked for goals

[Nineteenx]

So you agree we didn't play 4231 in our loss to city and agree with the formation presented on the club's website?
Where did you see it presented as a 4231 on the clubs website ?

How has the league changed so much since 16/17 that Mane could no longer play rwf?

Not sure its worthwhile going back to the Gomez debate as it was a matter of fact that the best pairing had been VVD & Gomez if you used clean sheets and goals conceded.
Gomez has had his injuries and yet to return to the level of form he displayed at that time. Not sure how this relates to the conversation at hand.

Must do your nut that Klopp rates Fabinho so highly

If it aint broken don't fix it

If you know anything about the game and fully understand it, you simply don't move your best players from their best and most consistent positions

I'm finding a lot of the talk here right now pretty ridiculous to be honest, we're without Virgil and Allison and apparently the solution to making sure we cope with that as best we can isn't for all the players to work hard to make sure we do all the things our best 11 at their best do as well as possible and have as much continuity and familiarity in the team and rely on the relationships and understanding between as many of our best 11 as possible to help those coming in play as well as possible

Robbo has been excellent so far this season and looks to be taking his game to even higher levels, yet his relationship on the pitch with Mane, Mane's positions and the positions Mane drags opposition players into and how Mane presses and counter presses and defends with Robbo on that side is an absolutely key part of Robbo performing at his best and taking his game to those higher levels, but apparently the best way forward is to change the entire formation, and completely rip up our left side and all the understanding and team work and team bonds that have seen it become by far our strongest side in the past 2 seasons

The mind absolutely boggles, a football team is a living breathing organism, even moreso a team like ours whose strength is their collectively ability and playing as one.

If you move Mane you affect Robbo, you affect Gini, you affect Mo, you affect Mane, you affect the entire team, it's not FIFA or Championship Manager, which like you, rely solely on programmed stats and simply don't have the football understanding of the importance of player relationships and understanding and the incredible importance of that and how it facilitates each player performing at thieer best in a side with all the players combining as one

[Nineteenx]

Roberto Firmino has 1 goal in his last 20 Premier League games. But he’s not a pure striker, he’s more of a defensive samba overlapping auxiliary trequaetista pseudo regista libero sweeper keeper bananenflanke introverted raumdeuter out and out stopper 12th man vianema center wing catenaccio mercurial left handed target offside trap type of player. ��

Loools

Apparently he had 4th most shots in league last season when he scored 9?

Imagine salah being out or mane for any period we'd be fucked for goals

Yet his presence and his hard work facilitates Mane and Mo getting the amount of space and goals they do, winner in the WCC, winner in absolutely crucial games v Spurs and Wolves, got us in front on the evening v Atletico only for the subs that had to be made as a result of Jurgen's first leg selection balls up with players not fully fit to see it all go to shit

Edit: Hmmmm what happened last time Mane wasn't at LFWD for us, oh that's the one, our press went to complete shit and we got trounced 7-2 by an incredibly average Villa side WITH Virgil in the team