CL and EL places

[Nineteenx]

Dear 19x
That is a ridiculous answer which includes a lot of chaff. Everyone has suffered from VAR over the season

Sorry, but you're talking absolute pundit like apologist bollocks about VAR

[Nineteenx]

Scientificred. Your last part is the thing that concerns me most.
The returning VvD and Hendo will no doubt make a huge difference but not enough to recover this complete slump. There seems a bit of a blasé attitude from some regarding this. Plus we are banking on a few players getting form back. The liklihood of everything falling back into place is not likely.

There needs to be a fresh approach in terms of the attack I think. The team has gone stale in some aspects, especially the attack and we can't go into next season thinking that the same approach will work again. We need squad bolstering and quite a bit of it. 3 very good additions minimum.

There has been a culmination of so many things that have resulted in this truly forgettable season for us. Players form, injuries, lack of change and ideas and possibly a lack of hunger.
It's got all of us scratching our heads, different theories from lack of investment to burnout etc. The reality is its probably a bit of everything and its just damn bad luck that they have all collided this season.

We were always going to have a dip, it was inevitable but anyone predicting this slump would have been laughed at.

I remain absolutely gobsmacked that 90% of the people here believe one of the issues is we've been trying to do the same things and they've stopped working, what fucking games have you lot been watching the past 4 seasons? A big part of the problem has been not playing to our strengths and trying to play differently and stopping doing things that worked, things that worked this season and playing players out of form and breaking down relationships and automation all over the pitch doing that.

I've also watched this side for the last 4 seasons and I have barely seen us attempt to play like we did in the last 3 seasons in any game this season, apart from the first few games and guess what, we were good in those games and won most of them.

I'd be straight up honest about it if we'd been trying to do what worked brilliantly for us and kept as much familiarity as possible in what we did and that had stopped working, but that's simply isn't what has been happening

And I did get laughed at for suggesting when the needless tinkering started we'd play players out of form and break down all the time forged relationships, mechanics and automation and be in trouble if we persisted with the tinkering.

A lot of comments on all of this in hindsight, I called it out, called it out very early, around 10 games in I think, got rubbished for it, but here we are, Tees is right about one thing, it won't just magically all slip back into place by asking the players to do what they did before.

[ianlfc]

It's Jessie Lingard. It's not the second coming of fucking Maradona.

Have a word.

This season is a complete anomaly in so many ways.

Very good mate. 😂😂😂

[Insidious]

Just a reminder (seeing as League places and the subsequent competition you qualify for are what the thread is about) that there are changes to the Europa League format next season.

- The number of teams in the group stage is reduced from 48 to 32 teams for 21/22.

- The number of teams participating in qualifying is also reduced significantly, so some of those sides are in the Conference thing and in terms of odds you might avoid a trip to Russia indirectly.

- The first round of the knockout phase also now involves ONLY the group stage runners-up and the Champions League third-placed teams from the group's that have dropped down. Europa League group winners directly advance to the round of 16.

So, hypothetically, if we are in the Europa League and we were to win our group (and went on to reach the Final) we would play NO more fixtures than if we saw out a full Champion's League campaign.

[Steveo]

Any view on next season should be taken after careful study of the below and establishing which glass is most apt.

[shminkyred]

Well, that's that settled, Chelsea to lose v City at the weekend and have another slip up, West Ham to crumble right at the death under the pressure and our lads to somehow miraculously win our last 5 and sneak into top four and Chelsea, just like us in Istanbul the last time the final was there, needing to win it to be in it, bum City

The Great Escape?

[shminkyred]

Any view on next season should be taken after careful study of the below and establishing which glass is most apt.

Optimistic Realist

[teesred]

I remain absolutely gobsmacked that 90% of the people here believe one of the issues is we've been trying to do the same things and they've stopped working, what fucking games have you lot been watching the past 4 seasons? A big part of the problem has been not playing to our strengths and trying to play differently and stopping doing things that worked, things that worked this season and playing players out of form and breaking down relationships and automation all over the pitch doing that.

I've also watched this side for the last 4 seasons and I have barely seen us attempt to play like we did in the last 3 seasons in any game this season, apart from the first few games and guess what, we were good in those games and won most of them.

I'd be straight up honest about it if we'd been trying to do what worked brilliantly for us and kept as much familiarity as possible in what we did and that had stopped working, but that's simply isn't what has been happening

And I did get laughed at for suggesting when the needless tinkering started we'd play players out of form and break down all the time forged relationships, mechanics and automation and be in trouble if we persisted with the tinkering.

A lot of comments on all of this in hindsight, I called it out, called it out very early, around 10 games in I think, got rubbished for it, but here we are, Tees is right about one thing, it won't just magically all slip back into place by asking the players to do what they did before.

So maybe the change in how we play as you see it was to combat the inevitable burnout? The breakdown in relationships on pitch forced on by injuries?
We surely couldn't carry on at that level with the squad we had?

[eggy81]

So maybe the change in how we play as you see it was to combat the inevitable burnout? The breakdown in relationships on pitch forced on by injuries?
We surely couldn't carry on at that level with the squad we had?

What he says is just a massive contradiction of himself. We were only good because of this autonomy that only we seem to need to be able to win which is only achievable by playing the same patterns over again with the same 13 or 14 players. Now we’re bad because we had to play some other players in certain positions losing that autonomy because of injuries to players in certain positions and couldn’t replace them with quality replacements. But if we had those quality replacements we wouldn’t need them because we can only do well with the initial 13 or 14 players. Complete nonsense.

[dicko1969]

Liverpool peaked
2018 to march 2020.

All players at their utmost level.
26yo to 28yo key.

Added to klopp magic and belief.

This season was completely the final year of the cycle.

The owners and Edwards in a situation of not being able just to ditch everyone.
Probably income from the non sale of Wilson grujic Shaqiri Origi was earmarked for a player or 2.

Add covid on top.

Liverpool are trying to buy key targets not just spunk away £20m+ on a quick fix.

The biggest mistake was relying on 3 CENTRE BACKS.
VVD having not missed any games + matip/gomez/fabinho. Looked enough.

Age caught up with the key players and intense 3 seasons before.
Injuries will happen after that to those key players.

I dont think klopp has burn out.
He has loyalty.
Which after 3 or 4years at such a level you dont just drop the players.

It will now take a season or 2 to reset the squad . And go again.

A few new midfielder
A new player or 2 up front.

Key players to come into the team.