The Midfield

[JockStrap]

You're asking me to explain why I back a system and a manager that won the league?

Do you want to re-think that question before we go on?

[Nineteenx]

Well you back a 4231 that doesn’t work now but not the 433 that won the league
So explain why you rate this system that doesn’t work

You see practically every goal we scored last season Jota is in a false 9 and both wide forwards are ahead of him, and the midfield is frequently in a 3 as a flat 3 of a one sitting and two 8’s that’s not a 4231 that was the players naturally going into a 433 they’d played for 9 years

The goals reel shows it very clearly

[JockStrap]

It has been proven to you many times by several posters that we played mostly 4231 last season.

If you can't even get the basics right then there's no debate to be had.

Slot won the league with 4231 last season. I have no reason to doubt him nor the system he has chosen. It hasn't worked as well this season but that's for different reasons. I'll happily share those at another time but for now, it's back to my challenge. I can't give away too many secrets

[jozza800]

Aye, but as I've said, what we're playing this season is as different from last as last season was to Klopp's last season.

Formation is the same as last year, system within the shape isn't.

[JockStrap]

Aye, but as I've said, what we're playing this season is as different from last as last season was to Klopp's last season.

Formation is the same as last year, system within the shape isn't.

Correct.

I'm not dismissing any of your other points. I just believe they are happening for various other reasons.

[Ravo19]

Here's an idea for those who think they know better than the LFC manager.

Come on here before the next 3 matches and explain how the formation is wrong and what problems it will cause us during the game. Once the lineup is out, post those thoughts in the pre-match thread. We have 3 games in a week. Let's see who turns up and how accurate they are.

If you don't do it before the game then don't turn up like little yapping know-it-alls during or after the game.

Better people than me (klopp for one)have stated the 2 man midfield is to exposed,with a 3 man midfield it puts an extra midfielder in (3 being more than 2).i have also said other clubs have made the 4 2 3 1 work and adding a top DM could make it work but until then it is on slot to adapt.
What you fail to realise is that for 99% of us its about liverpoolfc,we want to see us winning games,winning trophies.
After a bad 1st half under klopp we would see him running down tunnel and knew he would try ti sort it,slot would win most of us over by trying to change things.
Fact is football is more on the side of the players if winning they get more than 80% of the praise if losing the fans turn to the manager to sort it,its not the players who get sacked.

[JockStrap]

Better people than me (klopp for one)have stated the 2 man midfield is to exposed,with a 3 man midfield it puts an extra midfielder in (3 being more than 2).i have also said other clubs have made the 4 2 3 1 work and adding a top DM could make it work but until then it is on slot to adapt.
What you fail to realise is that for 99% of us its about liverpoolfc,we want to see us winning games,winning trophies.
After a bad 1st half under klopp we would see him running down tunnel and knew he would try ti sort it,slot would win most of us over by trying to change things.
Fact is football is more on the side of the players if winning they get more than 80% of the praise if losing the fans turn to the manager to sort it,its not the players who get sacked.

Ahem

How about he won the league with it last season. That good enough?

I have plenty more but I think that's game over for you.

[Ravo19]

Ahem

And this season its not working but why change it?
If slot is a good a manager as you say why hasnt he tried to change things,this isnt a blip,we are in march and he is still pushing his 4 2 3 1 other managers have worked us out.
Its not personal against slot,we just want to see more from him and he will win the majority of us over me included.

[RedMagic]

There are numerous issues with our midfield. It lacks almost everything that is needed for a team that wants to consistently challenge for, never mind win top honours.

Our midfield lacks energy, control, composure, solidity and protection for the defence, spacial awareness, creativity, and cohesion. There isn't one positive attribute that you can point to and say that our midfield definitely provides that particular thing. Individually it is also difficult to point to any of our midfielders and say that any of them conclusively provide one or more noticeably positive attributes to the team. Maybe Szoboszlai's ability to take a set piece, his versatility and his work-rate?

We also have very little in reserve to call upon when our usual first choice midfielders are missing or underperforming. I've yet again come across a few Reds 'glazing' Curtis Jones after a couple of decent, but not great games. How many times are we going to have this kind of glazing for a couple of decent games followed by a fair few poor games before people finally realise that Jones is not the answer to our midfield woes. The fact that some are yet again heaping an excessive amount of praise on Jones is a great indication of how substandard our midfield actually is.

Our midfield needs a big overhaul. The only midfielder we have who is justifying their place in a team that wants to win the like of the PL and CL is Szoboszlai.

[Nineteenx]

It all thr goals and in the hour long feature in Gravenberch it clearly shows last season wasn’t 4231, the Gravenberch feature showed a 3 man midfield constantly, both Szobo and Macca move from RCM & LCM to 10 at times and they dropped back into a 3 a lot too

The wide forwards were in advance of Jota whatever it was supposed to be the footage and analysis showed they naturally assumed 433 a lot of the time

Our focus also remained on releasing the wide forwards and supporting full backs

We also made the triangles on either side and our press and counter press was very good except for when we tried the overpassing