THIS Liverpool side has to work harder than any I can remember to score a goal. The stint it has to put in just to see the ball go over the line is ridiculous. When did we get the last cheap one? Firmino scored a belter against Arsenal. It’s either unbelievable graft or a belter.
There is this thing I do when I see any Liverpool 11. It’s play “rank the likely scorers”. I saw this 11. I put Firmino first. The lad has yet to hit five in English football. Five. Second I have Milner. Third Henderson. Lallana fourth. He hasn’t scored in 10 hours of football. Emre Can fifth.
Fourth and fifth are sort of OK in a sense. I remember doing this under Benitez and my fourth or fifth would be Agger. My first though would be Fernando Torres. My second Steven Gerrard. My third Dirk Kuyt. They were good. But more than being good, they were goalscorers and between them they could score all the different types of goals.
They could score the blinders and the belters. They could score the team goals. But they could get you the cheap goal. The goal you don’t always deserve. The goal from nowhere.
I believe Roberto Firmino will have a season where he breaks 15 league goals for Liverpool. But when that happens he will regularly be third in the list of likely scorers from a first 11. Not steaming ahead in first place. Henderson will break 10. He needs to be fourth at best. At best.
Lads who make it happen or lads who get cheap ones. These lads are the lads. They are the business end. And this is the game of football. United have lads who you worry can do the business end but they can’t get there. You probably build them up far too much in your mind, inner chimp with his top off. But Liverpool have the footballers and are doing all the football better bar the football that matters. The back of the net football.
From my vantage point a million miles away De Gea does brilliantly from Lallana. From my vantage point first half Henderson should score. From my vantage point it should be 1-0 at half time. But it isn’t. And you understand why.
Second half is more even but the only true goalscorer on the pitch, the man who will end his career having scored more goals for Manchester United and more goals for England than any other to date, pops up and does the thing which puts the round thing into the rectangular thing. The only thing that matters.
It is the thing you need to keep working at. United buy loads of lads in the same five-year spell that they buy Rooney.
They buy sure things and gambles. They get in Henrik Larsson, Giuseppe Rossi, Diego Forlan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Louis Saha, Alan Smith all around plus or minus three years of Rooney.
They just keep getting them in.
Getting what they can when they can, cutting their losses when they have to. There is no magic bullet beyond committing to bullets. Beyond consistently rearming, changing the armaments, freshening.
One scores the winner today, another has been one of the best players of the last five years. Another is Forlan. Never worked. But brilliant. Alan Smith. Just never worked.
But you keep going. Keep plugging away. Adding these lads. Hunt the goals. Hunt the goalkeepers. Another Liverpool game, the same lesson. Better in the 70 yards between the boxes is great.
Being better in the two boxes is the thing that matters most.
That feels about be the 10th odd time I’ve watched us ‘outplay’ united an get turned over. Be arsed being born in the ‘premier league era’, mates.
Think we’ve got the mental block against the mancs Everton have got against us. If the blue noses break their anfield duck in Klopp’s first derby (whenever that is) I’m going skinny dipping in the Mersey
The money we’ve spent after Suarez an sterling left as well an we’re still toothless as ever. He had a good game generally but Sakho’s got to go big for big on Fellaini for their goal. Take no chances when everyone can see them getting a cheap goal at some point a mile away.
I’ve had all kinds of pints since the end of that game and it still stings. You can almost justify the snide Ferguson defeats (fucking John O’shea, Wes Brown and even Rio Ferdinand breaking deadlocks and shit, Tevez had a beaut of a deflected one at Anfield as well I recall… But they were winning leagues at least).
Getting ultimately had off by Van Gaal’s United two seasons on the bounce home and away will be seen as a humiliation 100 years from now I reckon. They’re that bad. Like, I’m certain Felliani is a much worse footballer than he was at Everton; and they fucking started him over Mata ffs. And we’ve found a way to be worse than them 4 consecutive games in a row. I’m absolutely bereft, Reds. Maybe I’m just drunk but it’s killing me.
Those lads that score the goals.
When United realise they might have one they think: We might win the league with this one.
When Liverpool realise they might have one they think: We could get shitloads of dollars for this one.
Torres. Carrol. Suarez. Sterling. Gerrard.
FSG have a wonderful record of getting rid of goalscorers without a proven replacement. Fucking wonderful record.
Brendan Rodgers. Jurgen Klopp. Bill Shankly. Alex Ferguson. Doesn’t matter. Football team needs a guy who can score the goals. Its so simple that the clever guys might overlook it.
Whoever the manager. You need someone who can score the goals.
And don’t blame Lallana. His never been responsible for recruitment.
Mata and De Gea were the difference today. Imagine us with De Gea between the posts….Can’t fault the effort but Neil’s right, we simply don’t have the quality at either end. Jurgen may be a great coach but he isn’t the Messiah. We need upgrades on the pitch. We need better players. Compare the players we’ve lost to those we’ve brought in. On second thoughts….
Buy one striker now and one in the summer, bring back Markovic and this team looks different, it’s about the same if not better that the 13/14 team but it just lacks two fast No 9s. Every game is being played with one hand tied behind their backs. We can survive at the back and in midfield we just need two fast no 9s. It’s heartbreaking to watch because they all can play but they need a focal point up front. You can’t expect worldies every game. A cross and a striker beating the defender at the near post is a bread and butter goal and we never score it because we don’t have a player that makes that run. Only consolation is the Mancs are shit and have as many problems as we do but it still hurts.
plus a new keeper please. Let this keeper keep his “best clean sheets in 2015” title and retire or give away for free. This guy does not give any confidence to our team. MU keeper won them the points today. although the goal was not directly his fault, still he was on the ground already. maybe he wrong footed himself?
One reason I don’t want a new keeper in the summer is because it will be a distraction. The year after yes, but when we get a new keeper I want a 30 mil top draw keeper, not another value for money mid table experiment. I want Lfc to start signing 2 world class players each year, we have good young squad players and now we need some worldies. I don’t want mass changes, just two worldies a year and the first two need to be classic Liverpool no 9s or a no9 and a no 7
ideally yes, world class 9 & 7 in addition to a world class 1. Realistically though, even with Klopp drawing powers, I am not sure if any world class players would come to a mid table team without CL football. (be team mate of some ‘very’ average players?)
Almost like catch22, once Klopp guides the team to CL position, we would start to attract top talent, but without top talent how will we ever get there?
But it’s not all doom and gloom though. Klopp and his assistants have done twice. I truly believe they will do it again here. We have a worldie coach at least.
Sums it all up. Can’t see many of these lads being around next year. The look on Jurgen’s face at the end was chilling to me. I hope we can keep him long enough to see a real Klopp team. How much “talent” was on the pitch today, taking into account the cost of both teams. The thought of having to go through another rebuilding period numbs me. I like Henderson, he’s a great lad, but we can’t wait for him to turn into Gerrard, ain’t gonna happen. Throwing on Caulker up front was embarrassing, seeing Sturridge in his fancy duds rather than on the bench made me grimace, and Joe Allen’s agent must be putting in overtime.Having seen both side play each other since the late ‘sixties, there was only one lad on the pitch who truly understood the nature of the occasion. The only scouser. We have the cups I guess, though I can’t see the kids getting to play Exeter now, as we are now a cup team.
If this team were all scouse and with same amount of talent Liverpool woulda won 5-0.
well said
I’ve said this before and I’m gonna say it again, if we’re gonna play with a front 3 then there needs to be goals in all 3. They should all be hitting double figures over the season with the central striker hitting 15-20.
Lallana gives you zero end product in the final 3rd. He may have a future as a midfielder but I’m not sure.
Same with Milner.
We are now a team of midfielders who don’t really score.
We have very little cutting edge in the final third and that needs to change ASAP.
Ibe in the future may be a player for the front 3 but not at the min.
We NEED guys who put the ball in the net, you know, the actual point of football.
Agree whole hartedly
We have four strikers and only one fit and he cant start at home !
We will never do anything without guys who put the ball in the net
cant beleive we arnt looking for another now, DS clearly never to be trusted , ings out for season and he is relatively unproven , same with origi and Klopp doesnt want ben. so for gods sake buy one who will score !!!
when the line up came out, I was surprised to see solid midfielders in the team ~ Lucas, Can, Hendo, Milner, Lallana, and Firmino to certain extent.
Then I look at the names on the bench, and…I fully understood Klopp’s selection….He had no other options (and playing Benteke would just destroy our passing and movement; and would frustrate Klopp, 40k fans in the stadium, and millions around the world).
Just having Sturridge, Origi, or Ings would have won 2-0… (ok…2-2…because our defence and keeper would give away 2 soft goals anyway)
All heat and no light.
Plenty of effort. No lack of commitment. Players definitely up for it. Can’t argue with any of that.
But we sadly lack where it matters….in front of goal. A natural goalscorer. A Rushie, a Fowler or, dare I say it, a Sturridge.
But not a Caulker.
It must be getting really tiring writing these Match Reviews. Same old nemesis, lack of goals, Neil banging on the importance of putting the round thing in the square thing and why don’t we make our life easier.
I have consider buying a subscription, but I believe all I would hear is Neil talking about goals, and I can’t blame him.
If we sign Vardy, I definitely will.
Can looked good, especially when leaving Smalling for dead over 5 yards. Lucas too, really liked the way he sneakily stuck the nut on Fellaini. That was no accidental clash of heads.
Apart from the Can chance, I never felt we looked like scoring and their goal seemed inevitable. If Rooney didn’t put that one away, they would have still scored before the final whistle.
That’s our league season over and Klopp’s found a way to lose another vital league game. I don’t care if our players aren’t quite up to the mark, I want to see Klopp find way to win in games like this. Win because he’s just a right clever bastard. Then he can buy the players we need to be a genuine force again.
Otherwise, he’s just another manager and not much different from the rest. I’m just not that impressed yet. Klopp’s best performances seem to come in press conferences, rather than games.
Klopp ‘found a way’ to lose today did he? I look forward to hearing of how he instructed Henderson to drag it wide at the end of that lovely move, or how he has been working in training with Firmino on how to let the back-tracking defender nick the ball away from you when through on goal.
Come on, I get that people like to be contrarian. In this case, everybody is in agreement that Klopp is a class appointment and will see us right, so criticising him is the action a contrarian would take, but you must surely see where our problems lie?
Not sure that saying not impressed so far by Klopp is contrarian. That is I think a natural reaction to still being mired firmly in mid table and a league record currently worse than BR this season.
I had expectations of a top 4 challenge that aren’t being met, so I’m disappointed in what I see so far too.
Many thought we could go on and challenge for the title at some points this season, have to think they’re less impressed now also.
It’s still very early days, but I look at the league table, we are 9th and I’m not impressed. If that makes me a contrarian then LFCs standards and expectations have fallen further and faster than I’d thought.
A few weeks ago, Neil was talking about ‘a title that was going here’. Now top 4 looks out of reach, without any of the other contenders really stringing together a fantastic run of results.
We are barely winning 1 league game in 3. That is just really bad, for a club of our size and stature, new manager or not. Well over half the season is over and Palace, Stoke, West Ham and Leicester are all above us. Watford are 2 points behind, with a game in hand.
F***ing Watford!
It’s been horrific at times but I don’t think we can feel surprised really. We knew what this lot were capable of turning in as we saw it all too often last season. The only people saying the corner had been turned after Chelsea, City etc were the fans. Klopp said all along those results weren’t true reflections of where we’re at.
The sheer look of exasperation on Klopp’s face when he has to physically talk players through the game tells you a lot about what he really thinks of these, but he is far too astute to think that he can do a great deal about it just yet. A full pre-season with a squad at least partly of his choosing will be captivating.
I think that is a little harsh. Klopp is trying to find a way to win: playing Firmino, etc. But the lack of goals in the team, as brilliantly stated in this article, is the issue.
Of course, the goals are sitting in the treatment room. Sadly, Ings would have thrived in this set-up.
Yes, Benteke should have come on earlier, but even then, I’m not convinced we score. The issue is in the backup department, again as said in this article. And there too few goals in Milner, Ibe, Lallana.
I can’t see any of them playing there first-choice if Coutino, Sturridge, Ings, Origi are fit.
Today hurts, but barring goals this team is taking shape. (I’m still of opinion Mig needs to be replaced, mind.)
Spot on, DaleG. I believe too that this team is slowly taking shape under Klopp. (as I posted above, there was no one else on the bench that Klopp Klopp could have started today’s match)… if we had one of Sturridge, Origi or Ings today, we would have scored 2 at least.
What a load of ballix son. Catch yourselves on as you go out the window.
As painful as it currently is were all going to have to calm down. In 6 weeks we’ll have Origi back but my main hope is the current lack of news around Sturridge.
The club must have some kind of rehabilitation plan he’s following,when he’s back we’ll start winning games. He turns us from a club to a spear.
Was anyone really surprised by today, its obvious how to beat us, don’t try and play football against us, we’ll bludgeon the ball over the line with constant pressure. Come, sit, go long,we’ve got no way to combat it, without focal point we have nothing to break through a packed defence.
Until we can sharpen the club, we’ll keep on suffering like today.
”In 6 weeks, we’ll have Origi back”
Jesus wept.
Where’s the match review like?
Roughly 2/3-3/4 of the Match Reviews Since Suarez left could be the following: Liverpool Dominate, Lack Cutting Edge, Punished on Set Piece.
Bloody disheartening to see nearly every other week. Doesn’t help that it was that t**t blue nose that scored.
Unrelated, Firmino needs a swift kick in the arse about playing until the final whistle, Benteke has to impress in leaps and bounds for the remainder of the season in my mind, and can we all stop pretending Lallana is anything but baggage at this point?
Mig: a good shot stopper (the truth is: we could have let Benteke in goal today and result would have been the same.no saves to make, one shot one goal)
Lallana: runs a lot. “covered lots of space” or as BR likes to say “he dominated the space” :).
But positive point is that Klopp will fix it. and with addition of “3-4” players, we will be alright.
If FSG are not going to buy quality, and keep viewing kids as investment vehicles, we are going to be average mid table dross for as long as they own us
If this summer is the same as last, its time FSG did one.
Spot on Neil. I’ve seen people blaming Mignolet and the defence for today. My argument to them is: what’s the point?
We know we’re shit at set pieces and were likely to concede from one at one point. Paul Tomkins has done an excellent piece on the fact that we’re basically a very small team. We concede at set pieces, it’s a trait of this Liverpool side and probably will be for some time to come, at least until we can level it up with a couple of grocks of our own and a keeper who’s not scared of his own shadow.
We know all that and yet say in an alternate universe the Fellaini header hits the bar, goes over and it finishes 0-0. What good is 0-0 to us? Can we spend 0-0 in the bank? Will it move us up the table? Will it worry teams who’ve yet to come to Anfield?
Of course it won’t. Shite defending/keeping or no, the fact is that Rooney’s goal should have been a mere consolation or nerve-jangler; 2-1 or 3-1. We had control of the game, we passed and pressed fine, we weren’t at the level of midweek but created enough. But then it all comes down to goalscorers and we don’t have one. United do.
It’s a painful lesson to learn but in these last 18 Suarezless months this Liverpool team’s looked like some sort of hideous conceptual prog rock project; people sat around stroking their chins and pretending to enjoy the noise, but it has no balls. It has no end product.
It has to end now. Sign someone, promote a kid, throw bloody Joe Allen up there, I don’t know. I’m not the answers man. All I know is we’ve endured a year and a half of watching a team with no goalscorer in it. It’s cost one manager his job and is threatening to wreck all our heads on a daily basis. It needs sorting. Even Mignolet and the tepid defence will feel less of a headache if we’ve something to celebrate the other end.
Please, someone, give us our goals back.
I was chatting to my mate during the match about lack of height in our outfield players.
We only had 2 6ftrs. Sakho and Can who is just 6ft.
Is it a coincidence that we concede so many from corners and crosses??
I thought Caulker was gonna play today for that very reason although Kolo did well.
Grujic been bought too so I guess Klopp recognises there’s a height issue.
Not sure that was really a factor today – we had 4 lads jumping with Fellaini. And no-one sitting on Rooney.
That smacks of a back line who panicked, and I don’t think any amount of coaching can remedy that.
Stick a goalscorer at the other end – we win this 3 or 4.
Perhaps if we had a 6’4 player jumping with Feliani then maybe he wouldn’t have won the header and we would have cleared the initial danger.
Sakho is big enough and strong enough not to be outmuscled in the air by fellaini. Add Can(?) and Kolo into that mix – more than enough to do the job.
Saw a stat on Sky, in 2 games they’ve had 4 shots on target against us and guess what, they’ve scored 4 goals
So much for that ‘brilliant shot stopper’ we’ve got in goal!
Again Neil your mantra of goals, goals, goals rings true with a team of Flatter-to-deceive(erers) – Lallana, or WTF are you there for – Benteke. Good players no doubt but not good enough. That extra fraction of nous, guile and skulduggery. We completely lack that. Been listening to the latest “What We Call History” and that 87-88 team although they added a lot of silk the players also had that ability to get a result. This was added to the team of already hard bastard-champions they joined. We lack that and in spades. No consistency.
On a separate note although originally from Ireland but today I watched from Buenos Aires and explained to my girlfriend and her mate post-losing to utd how you guys (and many of the fellow reds who comment afterwards) act as my coping mechanism after a loss like this.
I know I don’t feel so alone. As much as “When the reds win we all win” absolutely rings true, when the reds lose I need you guys more than ever.
Keep up the great work.
Thanks
Cormac
Brendan was fired and the team is now doing worse than when he was in charge so my question is what was the point? You change to improve and when the improvement does not happen you have to question why? So far nobody is asking that question.
There is an elephant in the room and nobody has the balls to point it out. We have blamed everything and anything for the current malaise except the obvious. Klopp is in charge, he was hired to make this team better, after 4 months in charge is this team better? There has to come a time when someone somewhere has the kahunas to point it out to the Juergenmeister that the buck stops with him, this is his team and his mandate is to make this team play and do better than they were doing before he came along. I know some people will start jumping up and down with froth in their mouths but if the problem of us not playing well was the players then the owners would have kept Brendan and fired the players. Asking Klopp to be accountable is not the same as saying he is no good and asking him to go, just like when one’s mistakes are pointed out to them at work does no mean they are being fired.
Klopp has to ask himself whether what he is asking of this team is what will win us football games. Everyone might admire the gengen pressing and the Lallanas and co running around non-stop like duracell powered rabbits but if at the end of the day we have nothing to show for it then all the running was in vain. As Neil pointed out the team that went out against the Mancs had zero goals in them and zero is what we got. Football is about goals which is why you sometimes need the likes of Maxi Rodriguez, Chicharito and co, players who dont seem to do anything at all except do what everyone else is tuning in to see, goals being scored. Benteke might not be worth 32.5m, yes he might not gengen press enough but like it or not, he is the closest we have to a goalscorer and incidentally and ironically he is our top scorer as well. So Jurgen has to ask himself is gengen pressing more important than scoring and maybe winning games. I used to laugh whenever Big Sam would throw Christopher Samba foward to try and get goals whenever Blackburn were losing, to me it was a sign that the manager had run out of ideas and become desperate, now we are that team ourselves. Sad!
Players are merely chess pieces and Jurgen is the Grand master and the buck starts and stops with him.
He accepts the buck stops with him. This isn’t his team: Caulker aside, he hasn’t signed a single player.
Fine, he has to accept some responsibility. But this club sold a player who scored bazillions of goals and never replaced him. That’s not his fault.
Hi Mel,
There are inherent weaknesses in this group of players and to some degree it doesnt matter who manages them.
If Lucas leaves Rooney and Ibe doesnt follow Mata at what point is that a managers fault?
Klopp was never going to make an instant impact especially coming in when the pattern was already set. We do have some good players but as a group they simply are not good enough.
Its the players that need to start taking responsibility for their own decisions…..I could go on and on but like you I suspect, we have just lost to the mancs and we shouldnt have done….and its being going on for ages and we all feel despondent.
I just think that Klopp is not even the issue here. Its been 4 months not 4 seasons and it just is not realistic to ask him to sort it out in that period. The issue is the players and how many of those will be with us in 4 seasons time?
I am almost speechless after today’s result. There is nothing to say that We all of us have not said before about this team, these defeats. But perhaps this is a new strand, that is there is no doubt for me Klopp’s selections are getting our team beaten. That is all
Yeah… well, that’s just like… your opinion, man.
Don’t judge Klopp with this inherited squad. He’s doing all he can to integrate his ideas to the current crop of players.
I’m not saying that Klopp is above reproach as he have admitted his mistake in the Watford game but let’s give him time to sort out the deficiencies in the current team.
There is glaring weaknesses in the team from the game yesterday which has been highlighted by other posters and other Liverpool blogs and I trust Klopp to remedy the situation given time.
How many transfer windows needed I’m not sure but for me I’m willing to wait. We already have the World Class Manager in Klopp and with the right personnel who knows, we might get our perch back. :)
#doubterstobelievers
You’ve also got to cut the players some slack in adapting to klopps new ideas – that works both way surely.
End of the day, we did more than enough to beat that lot yesterday bar sticking it in the net. We’ve played some really good stuff between the penalty areas so its not a wholesale change that’s needed – just someone to stick it in the goal. whether that means we buy or wait for the injured lads to come back is up to the club I guess.
Brendan has now burst into print, confirming that none of it is his fault. A cynic might say none of his desired targets came to us because they didn’t fancy playing left back…
Let’s just be glad we have a manager who doesn’t feel the need to talk the team up when they’ve performed poorly or speak in dreadful soundbites. Klopp’s his own man, Brendan, who did some great work, let’s not forget, always sounded as though he’d swallowed a PR manual.
BR started talking again immediately 100-day ‘black out’ period is over (covered in the contract for the sack and compensation).
With all due respect to BR, hope he learns to bite more than bark in his future jobs.
Cynic? More like amnesiac fan.
Rodgers only started tweaking the positions (with the exception of Sterling played at RB to get more attackers when we were chasing a game) after Balotelli replaced Suarez and made all of our strengths – Gerrard’s diagonals, Coutinho’s through balls, Sterling making space in the box, etc. – completely redundant.
Had the money spent on Balotelli, Origi, and Markovic gone to securing Reus or Sanchez with an offer that our rivals were unwilling to match, we wouldn’t be in this position. We could have picked up were we left off in 13/14 with everyone pulling in the same direction, rather than the subsequent dysfunction which continues to this day.
Origi will come out alright. He will be out long term start. (I shall remind you this next season, Walter :)
*he will be our long term star.
Not much to say after that, played well but lacked a cutting edge upfront. If I was critical Klopp should have made changes 10 mins sooner as before their goal you could see the energy levels dropping. Looks like Manu factored this into thier game to press late as they did so in the first half. Was a bit reactive instead of proactive.
Shouldn’t have mattered, as we should have been a goal or two up by then. Rooneys strike no more than a consolation.
We really need a proper A grade striker be it Higuin, Benzema or Aubameyang. If we continue to try and be cute and smart in the transfer market with recruitment we will continue to struggle. Not every player needs to be a galactico but in key areas like up front and in goal you need star quality.
Firstly I agree with Neil’s match review all in all.
Secondly Jürgen Klopp will take us forward, no doubt about that, he just needs time, money and the right players.
having said that I didn’t agree with his team selection especially as Fellani started, and he should have played Caulker from the start to counter that aerial threat.
Sadly it was the usual case of should’ve, would’ve and could’ve against Man U, lots of huffing and puffing but not enough to blow them back up the East Lancs with nothing but a hot bath and a cup of tea to take back with them.
The whole point of the beautiful game is getting the ball in the onion sack, simples!!!!, and it’s simply not enough to be great in the middle, it’s at both ends where it really counts.
Unfortunately we just don’t have the quality players in these two areas to do this and this at present and this has to be clearly laid at the feet of Brendan Rodgers despite what he puts in print.
I think Jürgen has squeezed the very last ounces of quality from most of the “squad” of players he has been saddled with such as Adam Lallana and James Milner to name but two.
A number of these mid table team players simply have to go this summer or we will be in deep s*it and it’s time now to bring the youngsters on as they are the future.
First on my list for the exit would be Simon Migniolet followed closely by Daniel Sturridge who lets face it is more or less finished, 26 and permanently injured, or so he would have us and the medical team at LFC believe,more like a sprained wallet and swollen bank balance, lets face it, he’s laughing all the way to the bank.
Goals pay the rent and Sturridge hasn’t paid his share for a good while now
That’s why Chelsea got shut of him, couldn’t get the games out of him.
Third on the list would be Adam Lallana followed closely by James Milner as they again are mid table players at best and really not fit to wear the red shirt,
Fourth place has effectively gone now so if I was Jürgen I would throw the kids in a few at a time, a) to give the senior player a rest and b) to see what they can do.
For a start I’d rest Migniolet, Moreno and Lallana and bring in Danny Ward, Brad Smith and Sheyi Ojo
Anyway, just the thoughts of a disgruntled fan who knows we should and could be a lot better than we are.
Agree. Ship out Mig asap. But I would sign better players and keep Lallana and Milner as Squad players.
Ward and Culker can’t play against Exeter because they were not registered yet before St James Park kick off.
Agree with Michael If we are playing with front three, then all the three players must be able to score goals. Just take a look at Barcelona their front three all score goals.
We dont have one decent 20 goals a season striker. What happened to Liverpool? we lost Torres we had Suarez now he’s gone the whole team is just not structured enough. This is what happens when you put a committee in charge of a club transfers you end up getting too many cooks and not a really great dish.
Dont know who was in charge of the transfers, but they really have to get their head examined. The whole point of both Carrol and Balotelli being shipped out was they dont fit into the Liverpool philosophy, then if we are following that line of thought then who told them that Benteke is the answer to all their problems, another name same type of player. If you notice over the last decade we never did well with a traditional no9, the club always did well when they had quick mobile strikers.
This team is just not organised, too many players doing too many similar things, its amazing how after when we lost Mascherano no one in the club thought to replace him same goes for Hyypia and Carragher. Skrtel is just a player who keeps having second season in a club where he’s spent too much time. Lallana, Lucas, Benteke, Milner all simply have to go, the recruitment process has left the club completely unstructured. Kloop has a big task in hand.
Its amazing how the club never really has a succession planning for players.
Exactly, most people have nailed the obvious.
No goals always leaves us vulnerable and give the opposition the oxygen of hope. We are always (as anyone would be) susceptible to a set piece. It is also the reason most players are shagged out. They are trying too hard, trying to find that bit of magic, its not happening. Either buy a proper goalscorer or lets try something different, but that is difficult as Brendan bought lots of players who play in the same role.
Why was Mingolet going down?? Stands up and Rooney has less of the goal to hit. Wasnt just his fault but wasnt this a criticism last year?
Idiots having a go at Klopp need to have a word with themselves. Yes, he should have used subs earlier e.g. they bring on Mata we trump them with Benteke giving them something different to worry about before they can get set. Can only think Caulker is Jurgen try to play ‘English’ football, he’ll learn.
I thought the mighty reds played very well. I was watching with a Man Utd supporter who shouted more and more as the match went on. We battered them.
Three things.
1. I hope Klopp sees the same things that I do. I know he is a world class manager and I am only a fan. I hope he agrees with me about the players that need to be shipped out – the players that are not good enough, If the manager and I come to an agreement on these players the season would not be a waste.
Lallana – an English Premier League player – has the experience now of also playing for Liverpool. He is not good enough. An attacking midfielder that does not score, assist, pass, tackle or defend is not good enough. Sure his Cryuff turns are pleasing on the eye, but he needs to go. HE DOES NOT PROVIDE A NET CONTRIBUTION TO THE TEAM. It was worth taking a gamble on him but I think we have the answer now.
Mignolet – Rodgers ditched Reina for the Sunderland goalkeeper. Massive error. Rank the keepers in the league and see for yourself where he would be in the order. Not even in the European places, maybe mid table. He does not inspire confidence. He makes errors. Dudek, Clemence, Grobs are all better. He needs to own the penalty area and come for crosses. Peter Schmeichel was very reluctant to criticise him but suggested he can’t get better.
For now, let’s not talk about the other players.
2. Arsenal. Although they try and play like Barcelona and are respected for their quick passing style, they have Giroud as their main man. He is good in the air. He scores from crosses and can hold up the ball. I am not saying Benteke is as good but I wish our team would adapt to his preferences. Our players should know by now what he likes and what he does or can’t do. In the match, about 65 mins in our team started crossing the ball into the penalty area out of desperation – that was when Benteke should have come on.
3. Injuries To Strikers. That has killed our season. We don’t have a STRIKER. It’s bad luck or Klopp’s training methods. I believe once this is fixed, next season we will be a great team.
We can’t adapt to Benteke with our current squad. He needs players running beyond him and we don’t have them. Giroud has the likes of Ramsey, Walcott, Sanchez ready to break the line, we have Jordan Henderson. The squad is hopelessly unbalanced, small and one-paced. Our one world-class player is sadly almost always injured. You can’t rely solely on your centre-forward for goals.
Yep. I agree you can’t rely on your strikers all the time – but I wish we would try and adapt to Benteke for this season at least.
I know Benny does not move but in many games I see him try and make runs whilst Ibe or Lallana just mess around and don’t cross. I think early crosses would benefit Benteke. Milner, Hendo and Can seem to understand you don’t need to beat your man 2-3 times before crossing the ball.
I don’t understand why our Midfielders keep shooting from far out or from impossible angles. Especially when other team mates are coming up behind them in better positions to score.
The players need to be cool and carve out better chances not just shoot every time a half-chance comes up.
Yesterday I was thinking it would be better to replace Lallana with Allen and freeing Hendo to see what he could do as an attacking midfielder. Lallana damages the team in every game I have seen.
About time for Brad Smith to get a few games under his belt for the first XI, we need another player who can cross a ball and defend better than Moreno, who frankly flatters to deceive too often, like Lallana.
It wasn’t a total shambles of a performance, but it was a shambles of a result. We need bigger players, and we need to play a bit more direct, and for goodness sake Klopp needs to spend even more time we don’t have on defending set pieces, it’s a laughing stock right now.
This Shane Long for £8m thing, that’s surely got to be a joke? The thing that will depress me is that if this isn’t a joke and is a genuine bid by whoever (transfer committee, who’s actually identified him?) then the club is the joke and will be until they employ people from footballing backgrounds who know how to run a football club and recruit adequate talent not based on OPTA stats.
As a supporter for 35 years, I can honestly say I have never felt so distanced from the current squad and Manager….yet to see anything to convince me Klopp has the nous to battle through a full league programme and come out top of the pile. Lallana??? Please explain, Milner cannot see “the” pass”. The rest Lord help us… Not sure if the Shane Long rumour is a piss-take but this must be another committee decision as I’d be surprised Klopp has seen him play much, as St Mary’s certainly haven’t….the most galling of all this is that any of our near miss sides from 96, 02, 09 and 14 would probably walk this League such is the poor standard of sides from top to bottom…
Without a rich sugar daddy, kiss goodbye to any title wins……
If we can’t adapt to Benteke as a striker, put him at centre-back. Our current fit centre-backs can’t defend and never score from set-pieces either. This would enable us to make the throw-the-big-daft-lad-up-front change without making any substitutions, should the game require this, as someone else could drop in at centre-back if we were chasing the game.
As for the players, in general, they all looked good for other sides before we signed them. They were usually the best players in a mid-table side. Why are they now, collectively, still a mid-table side and all looking awful individually? I want to see Klopp show his mettle in the face of adversity. After that, he can demand big money to spend.
If our squad was at a club like Newcastle or West Brom and the manager had been sacked after the first 2 months of the season, someone like Mark Hughes, Big Sam or Pulis would come in and start getting results by hook or by crook. I want to see Klopp show that he can fight in an alley, as well as Madison Square Garden.