JÜRGEN Klopp’s team selection for Saturday’s match versus Wolves was much discussed this weekend, with Gary Lineker’s tweet providing the springboard for much of the debate.
I’ll defend The FA Cup with the best of them; some of my most enjoyable moments as a Red have been in the competition: beating Everton in 1986, the unlikely Michael Owen-led late comeback in Cardiff in ’01, Stevie’s wonder strike versus West Ham in ’06.
On the other side of the coin, when the lows of loving Liverpool are raked over, FA Cup final defeats to Manchester United in 1996 and Chelsea in 2012 are definitely among them.
Did we all bounce out of Wembley after an Andy Carroll-led comeback proved to be too little too late in the most recent of our final defeats and say, ‘Ah well, it’s only the FA Cup’. Of course not.
Did Saturday hurt? Of course it did.
Don't get Klopp playing his reserves with no European football. Shows a lack of knowledge of the depth in English football and respect.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 28, 2017
Liverpool have won only one trophy of any description since that last taste of FA Cup glory on May 13, 2006 – the League Cup in 2012.
From a sporting point of view, as a pick me up for fans, from the perspective of the club having a reputation for winning things, the famous Bill Shankly mantra of the club “existing to win trophies” – for all of those reasons Liverpool winning The FA Cup this season would have been fantastic.
A day out with your mates, a Liverpool side lifting silver, a homecoming for the kids to enjoy back on Merseyside…you don’t get that finishing fourth in the Premier League.
Whatever you make of the competition these days, there was also a strong argument to start with a more senior side just to end Liverpool’s dry January and get some blood pumping for Tuesday.
When wondering about the why and wherefores though, there hasn’t been much reference to another potential influence on why Klopp chose to make nine changes for Saturday’s game — what his bosses at Liverpool think of the competition.
Klopp has played young sides from the start in the competition, making 11 changes for his first taste of The FA Cup away at Exeter last season.
Back then, as a man new to England and new to the club and yet to understand all the nuances of the job, what influenced his decision-making?
Perhaps how little it is valued by the Boston bean-counters versus the fans’ perception.
In May 2012, following the sacking of Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool manager, club chief executive Ian Ayre spoke to The Liverpool Echo, with a section reported as follows:
“It was revenue streams which ultimately proved Dalglish’s undoing. Despite winning the Carling Cup and reaching the FA Cup final, the Reds’ failure to finish in the top four in the Premier League meant the club missed out on a potential windfall of around £40million from Champions League qualification.”
Further, and in direct quotes from Ayre in the same article: “Winning the FA Cup wouldn’t have made any difference – it was never about an individual result. It was always about taking a review of the season in full.
“The Carling Cup and The FA Cup don’t generate the revenue and the success that is needed to keep investing. If you want to be successful, you have got to keep investing. People don’t want to hear that football is a business. They want to see us put lots of money into the football team and win lots of trophies and games.
“But you have got to have both. You have got to have continued progress in the league. If you don’t do well in the league and you don’t get into the Champions League, you are writing cheques from your own pocket, aren’t you? That is not a sustainable way going forward.”
Fifty-two-thousand-plus at Anfield on Saturday seemed to value The FA Cup even if the boardroom don’t.
What say you Gary Lineker now? Is it all Klopp’s fault? Or is there a slightly bigger problem to contend with beyond the Liverpool manager’s team selection?
Classic Castles Claptrap
THOSE of you familiar with Duncan Castles may wonder how he continues to post on Twitter given how far up the backside of Jose Mourinho he seems to reside.
However, he came out for air on Sunday, not only to heap praise on his precious Portuguese pal, but also to fire shots in the direction of Jürgen Klopp (again).
Note to Jurgen Klopp: How to knock a Championship club out of the FA Cup at home with a weakened starting XI. #MNUWIG #LIVWOL
— Duncan Castles (@DuncanCastles) January 29, 2017
What the egg-headed shit spouter seems to be wilfully ignoring here is that while both Klopp and Mourinho made nine changes to the teams that competed in the League Cup semi-finals in midweek, the Manchester United manager was able to call upon rested players including:
- £27.5m Marouane Fellaini, capped 75 times by Belgium
- £37.1m Juan Mata, capped 42 times by Spain
- £25.6m Wayne Rooney, the club’s and England’s record goalscorer with 118 caps for his country.
Alongside them were £26.3m Henrikh Mkhitaryan (61 caps for Armenia), the 15 times capped for France Anthony Martial (£36m plus add ons that could lead to a £60m fee in total) and ‘cheapo’ £6.5m Bastian Schweinsteiger (121 caps and World Cup winner for Germany).
https://twitter.com/Andrew_Heaton/status/825778454352232454
Klopp, meanwhile, called on uncapped Connor Randall, who had three Premier League, two FA Cup and two League Cup appearances on his CV alongside 17-year-old Ben Woodburn (four first-team appearances before Saturday), 19-year-old Ovie Ejaria (seven first-team appearances) and 19-year-old Joe Gomez (12 appearances for Liverpool prior to Wolves).
The other seven in the Liverpool starting line up boasted much more experience (although it’s worth remembering Divock Origi is only 21) but it’s clear Mourinho has greater experience and greater strength in depth to call upon to keep things fresh. That being the case, perhaps old Dunc should be wondering why Liverpool still lead United in the league table.
Elsewhere, Chelsea also made nine changes for their FA Cup tie with Brentford. A line up of Begovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta, Pedro, Fabregas, Chalobah, Ake, Willian, Batshuayi and Loftus-Cheek is depressingly strong for a second string but that aside it’s clear Antonio Conte and Klopp have similar ideas about fresh legs for Tuesday just — like the comparison with Mourinho — significantly different resources to call upon.
Piss-taking aside, there is a serious point to be had here. What is a realistic expectation of Klopp in three competitions when the squad is so much shorter on quality and experience when held up against rivals?
We know the profile of signings FSG prefer by now, and we’ve heard Klopp say he values development over buying time and again. But he’s also said he would buy the ‘right’ players. Are Liverpool then – ninth in the recently published Deloitte Money League and likely to be charged a premium accordingly – offering the ‘right’ money for players? Mahmoud Dahoud, Christian Pulisic, Julian Brandt, Julian Draxler are among the list of credible links that haven’t happened.
Klopp says it’s a case of clubs simply not selling for any price, and a glance at the transfer window business done so far offers credence for this. At the time of writing, Arsenal’s only signing is a kid from Hednesford Town. Chelsea have recallled Nathan Ake, sold Oscar for £52m, Patrick Bamford for £6m and shipped out another nine on loan. Man City’s only signing is Gabriel Jesus. Manchester United, like Liverpool, haven’t done any incoming business. They have, however, flogged Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay. Spurs, too, have done nothing so far.
There is the argument that Liverpool’s need is greater. There is the worry that Liverpool will always be behind the curve. When resources look as stretched as they have been, doubts will undoubtedly grow as to how true Klopp’s statements are.
Show Me The Mane
SOME fairly damning statistics about Sadio Mane were doing the rounds just about the same time he missed a penalty for Senegal and was booked on the next flight back to Liverpool.
According to the BBC, Liverpool have won 15 out of 21 games with Mane but only three out of 10 without him. They lost five out of 10 without him and only one out of 21 when he was in the side.
Given Klopp’s style of football, the lack of pace in the squad, and the fact Mane’s involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations was no surprise, it’s another head scratcher as to why Liverpool haven’t recruited (or can’t recruit) someone with similar assets to compete/act as a backup to Mane.
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FSG are going to walk away with hundreds of millions of pounds/dollars of profit when they finally sell up. They are presiding over one of our most unsuccessful periods since the 1950s. Yet they avoid the spotlight like the skilled PR campaigners they are.
The Premier League has never been more awash with cash. Yet when was the last time a new Liverpool manager went his first 3 transfer windows with a negative net spend?
The truth is there for anyone to see. A weak squad through lack of required investment.
Maybe John Barnes and Gerrard should still be playing to keep you happy .
How do young talent ever make it if not given a chance ?
Today’s Liverpool fans are the same as MC and Chelsea ,just waste millions on the best and bugger the academy .
Barnes and Gerrard have retired, mate.
Need to read properly , I said ” SHOULD be” to make you happy
I read properly. They’re still retired. Why would retired players playing make anyone happy?
Gibbo wants Carragher to get 10 minutes tomorrow night…..
With regard to all of this bleating and whining about Liverpool playing a weakened
team it seems appropriate to point out that Wolves fielded six players who are not first choice players including a 20 year old goalkeeper with one first team appearance to his name and who did not have a shot to save for 60 minutes.
A couple of points here..
You can’t seriously be suggesting that FSG are influencing team selection are you? That’s ludicrous surely. Maybe I am niave, but I simply cannot see it as anything other than Klopp juggling what he has and selecting a side that should have beaten a side 17th in the Championship
Man City’s only signing is Gabriel Jesus – he was signed in the summer mate.
Is our need greater? Right now, looking at the table, everyone has a need to get one rung further up the ladder, but no-one is doing it. And this idea that we simply chuck another 5m on to get Brandt or Pulisic is silly – both are at sides where a CL run will dwarf that cash and can happily keep their assets until the summer.
A couple of points here..
I’m suggesting that if the club as a whole cares little for The FA Cup that will permeate down.
Jesus deal was done in the summer but he is classed a January signing as he is only eligible now, mate.
I’d like to think Klopp is big enough to have his own opinions on the FA Cup and not be influenced in any way by what FSG think. But in the middle of this patch we are in – we go 75-80% full strength or more against Wolves it’ll be the stick to beat them with if we lose to Chelsea no matter how that game plays out.
Let’s leave sharpening the quills and daggers until another day and leave JK to finish his 1st full season with his own squad. And alas see how and to what sum he is supported in the summer transfer market. By my uneducated reckoning it should be $100m+ for essential investment in 2 world class players :-
a classy dominant incisive CM and a mobile predatory Striker.
This article should have been written after the Barcelona and Mainz pre-seasons, where we beat a full strength Barcelona team 4-0 and lose to Mainz 0-4. :) It highlighted what has become normal for LFC in that we can beat a top team and lose to one that isn’t. (Case and point coming up with Chelsea and then Hull.)
As much as I would like us to see win an FA cup, I had to try and understand the current situation of where we are in the league and what we have in terms of player situations. Yeah in hindsight I can see we have no depth when injuries, foreign tournaments, disciplinary issues, fatigue and drop in form come in to play. Jurgen did know what winter in PL is like, since he had one here already, so that for me is a red flag.
Not planning well for more games has been one of the reasons, but I don’t think it is FSG’s fault as the article seems to insinuate. Jurgen is also not working with a squad that is entirely his and has overachieved unexpectedly. There are still players from the Daglish and Rodgers managerial days. These players are bang average compared to the gems Suarez and Gerard were. Maybe it’s a one shot in a thousand/million to repeat.
I don’t know if Jurgen put out a team to play in the FA cup to try and win the match, but the positive for me is that maybe it was to give himself, the academy and Gerard a chance see what they have to work with. They should have still done the job against the Wolves, but couldn’t for obvious reasons that will not have them at LFC by the summer. This isn’t Jurgen’s fault or FSG’s fault. The players are rubbish and like he once alluded, they make wrong decisions at the right time, and expose their weaknesses. There’s only so many time you can take a donkey to the river, etc.
Also as I have commented before, I get the impression that Jurgen isn’t up for managing egos that come with star players. Conte seems like he knows what he needs to do when handed an entire squad full of egotistical mercenaries (maybe Pep and Maureen do too). For all his heavy metal stuff, Jurgen might be a softer individual than his imposing 6-foot plus frame suggests — too much hugging and joking maybe.
Anyways I’m more interested in seeing whether Jurgen is learning form his mistakes and can be less stubborn than what Dortmund fans have claimed he has been that saw his reign decline (along with his players being sold off).
For me now, the Chelsea game isn’t as important as the Hull game. Chelsea have ended our season before and look likely to do so again. We might squeak through, but losing to Hull will end up damaging our top 4 hopes, nevermind the title.
There are 8 more games against the bottom 14 sides vs 4 games against the top 6 sides. Top 4 is the priority as Ayre outlined as “football is a business”, just like the art, film, music and other fields we may have some romantic attachment to.
CL simply brings in much more money — the FA Cup is but a mickey mouse tournament for practice (at least to me it is in 2017), unless it achieves CL level of money.
Like JCinSecretHarbour posted above — all of us keyboard warriors need to put away the quills and (plastic) daggers, and give the manager a chance to complete one season, and perhaps a whole season in which he has all the players that he has bought and worked with.
I have seen so many mistakes recently by our manager Jurgen Klopp, that im starting to doubt his tactical and positional awarness of players on the pitch. How can he play players like Randall, Ejaria and Gomez in an FA Cup 4th round match that could be the only Cup we have a chance of winning this season, and yet there seems a total lack of respect and tradition of this great Cup in the English game. We as Liverpool Football Club need to take every and all competitions seriously and try and win something for Gods sake! He is too energetic and happy in his press conferences, needs to be serious and see the previous mistakes made by the team and make changes, but think about each opponent separately we cant make the excuse that were playing Chelsea on Tuesday to then not play a good team against Wolves in the Cup, surely by now Klopp has seen or heard that shocks happen in this tournament, yet he was so naive and unprepared that it hurt on saturday. Lets go back to the Southampton game in the EFL Cup Semi Final 2nd leg, that selection was wrong again, he should have had 2 strikers up front and gone for it in the 1st half, instead it was all sideways and backwards passing which did nothing to get us back in the tie, and then he apologises after the match, dont bloody apologise try to do your job better by learning how to play and defeat teams who wish to park the bus at Anfield, 1 disaster after another this last month has pretty much put paid to any faint hopes of a title charge, even if we defeat Chelsea I dont see them making many more mistakes and losing games from now until the seasons end. He made the same errors at Dortmund in his final season and at the end of the first part of the league they were down in the relegation zone? 2nd half of the season they improved but still finished only 6th because of there poor start to the campaign. Anyway I hope he is able to turn it around and get us at least a Champions League place or even better maybe a late title surge, I seriously doubt that will happen but this is football, you never know. Come on you mighty Reds. YNWA.