AS sliding doors moments go, this week has been a pretty unfortunate one for Jürgen Klopp and his Liverpool team.
If they clear the corner against Sevilla and win 3-2, elation and praise follows. If Willian doesn’t mishit his attempted cross and The Reds win 1-0 against Chelsea, more elation, more praise, and deservedly so.
Neither of those things happen so therefore we can only surmise that Klopp is a fool who can’t manage a defence, can’t organise a midfield, picked all the wrong attackers, can’t manage in game and has stupid glasses. And his dog’s ugly and shit at fetch.
If I’d not seen the Chelsea game and avoided the score until checking the overwhelmingly negative reaction from fans afterwards, my first question would have been “who scored Chelsea’s seventh?” It was disappointing to lose a lead yet again, but the levels of outrage at such a result seemed a tad over the top.
Don’t get me wrong, I have concerns about what happened as well that I’ll address lower down the page, but I’ve been surprised by the overall exasperation that Liverpool could only pick up two measly draws against a team that hasn’t lost at home in over a year and the current Champions of England fresh off two 4-0 away wins in a week.
Of course the nature of them is the reason for that, though I’m not sure it’s fair for that to be the case. I was as close as anyone to drop kicking a pint glass through a window when Sevilla equalised, and my cat intelligently got well out of my way when Willian accidentally scored, but to draw any game you have to have done something wrong and something right. Either you score and concede, or you fail to score but keep a clean sheet.
Liverpool deserve some criticism for blowing two leads in a week, but equally were good enough to go 3-0 up in Seville, and to be 1-0 up against an in-form Chelsea with minutes to go. Credit where it’s due you would think, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The Reds are just shite for losing the leads.
There have also been numerous complaints that the subs came too late. Klopp has already given the reasons for the delay in getting Adam Lallana on, but many have questioned why Sadio Mane only came on in the 88th minute. Personally I thought it was pretty clear, he was resting on the bench in a “break glass in emergency” capacity, rather than to be this planned counter-attacking outlet when we were winning that people seemed to think was the role he should have played.
As soon as Liverpool went 1-0 up and Daniel Sturridge came off, the effervescent Mohamed Salah was the outlet. If the expectation was that Mane should have come on as well and also performed the same job, that’s one less player to be at the other end trying to defend or in the middle trying to win the ball back. You’re entirely reliant on being able to win the ball off them with fewer men and to launch it accurately for the fast lads, but there’s nothing to say that would have worked either.
Mane came on in the 88th minute because Chelsea scored in the 86th. Had they scored in the 73rd, I’m sure he’d have come on in the 75th. It seems incredibly hindsight-y to suggest not making that sub beforehand costs the hosts two points. Don’t get me wrong, it might have worked, but I’m never comfortable when the language around the discussion basically insinuates that it definitely would have, therefore the manager was wrong for thinking otherwise.
Personally, being 1-0 up, I didn’t see that there was any need to roll the dice in that way. It would have been a very risky move and had it not come off, it would have been just as easy for people to criticise the decision to bring on an attacking player rather than shut up shop. In fact it was exactly the criticism Klopp got in Seville. I may have been more persuaded that Roberto Firmino was the sub so he could occupy the defenders and press Cesc Fabregas, but equally that may not have worked either.
However, one thing Klopp didn’t do that I was jumping up and down like a cartoon in frustration at was going to three at the back earlier. He apparently wanted to just minutes before the equaliser, but once Salah scored and Chelsea brought more attack-minded players on, they started to dominate Liverpool, taking advantage of the huge gaps out wide.
Davide Zappacosta had his agoraphobia tested time and again as he was given the widest of open spaces on Liverpool’s left, with the impressive Alberto Moreno the only one trying to stop him from marauding up and down in front of the Kenny Dalglish Stand at will, while Marcos Alonso was one of the visitors’ more dangerous players down the other side.
I’m not a fan of the general approach many managers have when faced with three at the back, which is to match it immediately. It seems odd that people think 3-5-2 will cause more problems to a 4-2-3-1, for example, than vice versa. Have faith in your system and players. However, when you’re on the back foot and defending more often than not with a lead to hold on to, then it might be an idea to match them up if only to plug the gaps.
Antonio Conte had made a tactical move, he needed to, and it felt like we should have responded in kind, if only to give them something else to think about. Klopp decided not to, which is not as some people seem to want to believe, a failure to react, more a refusal to. He thought sticking with things would work. It didn’t, but sometimes things you think might work on a football field don’t.
Moving on to Klopp’s decision to rotate. To play Sturridge, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner instead of Firmino, Mane and Gini Wijnaldum was a bold call against a rival. I was surprised he did so, but equally surprised at how little people think of the three that did start.
It’s interesting because I recall a significant number of people previously questioning why Sturridge hardly ever plays, and asking why Oxlade-Chamberlain wasn’t getting starts, and why Wijnaldum continued to play after a very, very poor season to date.
Was Klopp vindicated? We won’t know until we see how well Firmino and Mane in particular do assuming they now start at Stoke on Wednesday, but on Saturday Sturridge was poor, albeit he might have scored had it not been for the world class Cesar Azpilicueta being world class in blocking his shot when played in by Salah. Oxlade-Chamberlain was very good, created things, was one of the better passers and gets an assist on the goal. Milner was woeful, but it’s not as if Wijnaldum’s performances have been anything to write home about this season.
The manager is certainly not beyond criticism, no manager is, but it almost feels to me like people have told themselves that so much that they’ve talked themselves into trying to find things. When Liverpool don’t win a game, even a tough game, fans seem to be able to come up with 15-20 reasons as to why that all somehow link back to the manager. Joe Gomez was called for a foul throw in the first half, and I was expecting to see an article somewhere after the game criticising Klopp for not doing extensive throw-in training at Melwood.
Liverpool are embarking on a mad run of games over the next couple of months, and Klopp is clearly trying something new in terms of management of the period. The last two seasons have seen injuries aplenty, points dropped as a result and at least one season completely derailed. He obviously doesn’t want to take as many risks with fitness. We might not agree with everything he does, but I’m willing to let it play out a bit before deciding he’s doing it all wrong.
Let’s get into Stoke on Wednesday. Beat them up, take their points and silence the doubters. Then do the same to Brighton, Spartak Moscow, Everton and West Brom. Then before you know it the season’s actually looking pretty good.
The moments of frustration make the moments of elation taste that much sweeter.
Whether you doubt or believe, I’ve written a book that will be perfect for your Christmas. Kloppite: One Man’s Quest to turn Doubters into Believers looks at Jürgen Klopp’s first two seasons at Anfield, and his mission to try and finally bring the people what they really want. For every copy purchased, I will donate 10p to the “Bring Naby Keita to Liverpool in January Fund”.*
*Not an actual thing.
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Is your argument that you shouldn’t make a change until you concede?
The issue with the Chelsea game, like the 3-3 Sevilla and the Europa final Sevilla, is that everyone could see the goal coming with nothing done to address it. Changing Sturridge for a midfielder basically gave Chelsea the green light to attack us. We cannot afford to be so naïve.
Yeah it was bad luck but you create your own luck through the choices you make. Mane or Firmino may have helped the ball to stick the other end without relying on Salah all the time.
I feel sorry for Sturridge. He still deserves 90 mins.
yet Mane and Firmino could stick a stamp in the last 20-25 minutes against Sevilla.
Silly comment from KM1806 comparing what a tiring Mane and Firmino did in the last 20-25 mins of the Sevilla game to what a fresh Mane and/or Firmino could have done to provide an outlet in the Chelsea game for the last 15 mins.
This Chelsea game isn’t a one off. Klopp’s occasional lack of pro activity regarding in-game management has been obvious for a long while. Even in some tight games in which we have sneaked wins, his use of substitutions have been questionable.
If Klopp switches Sturridge for Mane or Firmino and we concede, then it would have been why can’t Klopp shut up shop? He cant win (which is the problem!)
Klopp isnt immune to criticism, it was odd for example he made the complaint about the subs when he had the personnel to switch to the 5 at the back system.
When all is said and done though we’ve only been denied a win against the champs by a fluke goal. They caused us less problems then last year and we probably just about shaded it. We beat Stoke and its not all that bad a week
Swapping Mane or Firmino into the game does not necessarily compromise our solidity. No one is saying Klopp should have taken out a midfielder for them. Just for him to put on Mane for one of the other 2 forward players in order to exploit the spaces behind Chelsea.
We had no CBs on the bench anyway (another effect of not buying one in the summer), so rather than throwing in a Lallana who hadn’t played at all this season, a fresh Mane could have come in to give Chelsea something to worry about. We tried launching it to Salah who was outnumbered 1 to 3. Mane alongside him BEFORE 80mins would have caused them more trouble.
Instead we got pinned back with no consistent out ball. Their goal was predictably coming, fluke or not.
Quick to put the boot in? If this was Rodgers there’d be mass protests outside Melwood with pitchforks and bonfires. If anything, Klopp is getting far too easy a ride compared to past managers.
Yeh.. but its a football problem isn’t it?
Judged instantly. Without wanting to rehash everything thats gone, Rodgers was definately judged too quickly. In both instances. Hero to zero. The man was the fucking messiah for a few months. Imagine that.
The past should not be used as an example of how to act in the present unless it serves as a good example.
We didn’t beat Sevilla, though, and it wasn’t a one off which has resulted in knee-jerk reactions.
Defensive issues have been there since before Klopp arrived, midfield issues ( Henderson’s fitness, no specialist defensive mid ) are still apparent and impacting on other positions.
Hendo was knackered on Tuesday night and yet four days later he’s huffing and puffing without making a tackle and we make one substitution before the 89th minute. Klopp complains about the fixture list and then doesn’t utilise the bench properly, a bench which offers greater strength in depth than last season and yet still we see players given just a few minutes, even when we’re in a strong position in the match.
The criticism was there before a 4 match winning streak against inferior opponents and its returned because 4 match winning streaks fix only the superficial cracks.
Consistently failing to win games after holding a winning position has often been attributed to conceding goals which Klopp claims are unavoidable.
Klopp has his laces tied together by inept owners. Doesn’t have to handcuff himself by not using what’s available to him.
Thanks David – a voice of sanity at last (well, to go along Rob Guttman’s at least).
100% bang on. Like you said, Klopp isn’t above criticism but it seems like so many people are happy to put the boot in over two draws against very good sides. Can you imagine the shite he would have been dealt had he made 3 subs at half time in Spain and then blew a 3 goal lead or, as you say, thrown on an attacker against Chelsea and lost the game 2-1?
Lots of people on the message boards of these articles seem to be agreeing with you. Oddly, it seems to be the majority of TAW contributors that disagree.
Spot on Paddy and good article Dave. Feel so sorry for Jurgen for the way our so-called supporters are these days – everyone is so fucking impatient. I wish it was back to the days when only the odd moaning bastard could get a letter in the Pink instead of all these whoppers we get on social media and phone-ins. We’re so lucky to have him. I’ve watched the reds for well over 50 years and can honestly say the football this team play is some of the best to have ever graced Anfield. The guy is just like Shanks with his positivity and even his left-wing politics. I’d hate to see his enthusiasm dragged down by all the negative bastards we seem to have around nowadays. There was an interesting stat in the Mirror at the weekend that since Jurgen arrived in 2015 he’s taken more points (38) against the top six than any of the other media favourites have managed – Chelsea were next on 32. Give the man time and get behind him and the lads because if all this negativity gets to him I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually jibs us all off because we’re not the special supporters he was led to believe we were and who could blame him.
Nice one.
Mind, The Anfield Wrap gave some pretty scathing coverage of the Chelsea match, which was uncalled for.
Totally agree Paddy, but then Oh no, are we the problem for ‘accepting mediocrity’?
If we cut through the crap, Klopp’s current personnel burn out concerns stem from the well documented poor, as in lack of recruitment, in almost 18 months which is now biting him on the arse.
The more rounded picture which is again a bitter sweet revue of the season so far, is the inability of this team……no the manager, as the responsibility and accountability is for JK to ponder, further to taking and squandering the lead in 8 games so far this season. 5 alone in the League costing us a max. of 10 points, if won would rocket us into 2nd spot, a mere 2 points adrift of MC. Equally, not squandered the lead in the 3 UCL games would see us with max points gained and cruising into the KO games.
Maybe the answer is to just stop taking the lead then
Well written pal. I was shouting for the same subs as everyone else. I realised later those same players were on the pitch against Seville and therefore culpable for that draw (loss)!
Klopp biggest mistake was giving up at Man City. I’ve still not forgiven him for that but I wasn’t I didn’t over react.
There’s been one or two TAW podcast regulars becoming hysterical on Twitter lately. But Nevin mind.
Well done David. Good to read a level headed and sensible view of the past two games.
Nice piece Dave, couldn’t agree more – there’s a bizarre feeling of deflation and finger-pointing after what was a deserved draw against probably the second best team in the league. Chelsea are a proper team and played like one.
I can of course understand people are frustrated at not winning games we have the possibility of winning, but it just feels this week as though performances are getting unfairly trashed because of that frustration.
And well done on some good contributions to the podcasts as well!
Firstly, I’ve said for a long time the criticism is worse because any time people doubt Klopp they get attacked by dickheads who think he’s some kind of god like figure who can’t do wrong. They antagonise. I saw it on all the social media sites this week. Someone makes a half hearted comment, they get attacked and they respond to try and get their point over. Then it escalates as it would when someone gets attacked for what they feel is a valid point.
But, look at the last minute Sevilla goal. Poor header. Look at the first 2 goals. Poor defending. Look at the culprits. Same old same old. Players who play for LFC are very good players. Players LFC need are very good players consistently. For a team sitting deep Willian had a lot of room. Also, we scored on 65 mins. Sitting deep and defending isn’t just being camped out in your penalty area until the next attack comes. You have to have an outlet. Chelsea had chances. Alonso should have scored. There were other chances too. The goal was coming. It’s fine saying take away the goals but equally you could say, give us a few more and we win it. It doesn’t work like that.
So, overall, I’m ok with the results. My mate was surprised about the changes pre-game. I told him about how knackered some of those were in Sevilla (surprised they didn’t come off). 1-1 isn’t the end of the world v Chelsea although for an hour or two after the game I was so gutted I wanted a scapegoat. Point being, we are where we are. We’ve got a number a players who aren’t good enough. But, if anyone responds with criticism of my views I’ll take them on and I’ll probably end up saying something I don’t mean in anger. It’s human nature in 2017 and the world of social media. People want to be able to express their views without being attacked by do gooders. They’re causing a lot of the criticism. If they let people vent a bit of frustration then the world would be a better place.
Fair comment.
I don’t think people have been quick to stick the boot into Klopp at all. He has been given an extended honeymoon period. He is still respected and loved by most fans and I think it is only a tiny minority who genuinely want him out.
David is making it look like the criticism is based on only those two games vs Seville and Chelsea. No it isn’t. It is based on frustration building about our inability to improve on the defence, our most glaring weakness, despite having the summer window to do so ( no CBs on the bench, yet again by the way. Another injury away from having only ONE fit CB in the squad. Good going ).
The frustration has also grown because we have now seen countless examples of Klopp’s lack of pro-activity in tight games when earlier subs are needed. His in-game management can certainly be improved upon. Even in tight games which we have won, there have often been questions about his use of subs. If we had sneaked the 1 nil over Chelsea, questions would still rightly have been asked. And no, its not because everyone who questions the manager’s decisions want him out. There is loyalty and then there is blind loyalty. He isn’t a god. Even gods are not perfect.
It is one eyed to say, “oh, if he put on Mane, and we lost etc”.. What if he put on a fresh Mane on 75mins when it was clear we needed an extra outlet to exploit the spaces as Chelsea pushed up. What if Mane had then helped score a killer 2nd goal?
Wouldn’t that have been the more likely outcome instead of putting him in at 88mins AFTER the damage had been done? Onwards to Stoke, for a cold wet Wednesday night.
“If they clear the corner against Sevilla and win 3-2, elation and praise follows. If Willian doesn’t mishit his attempted cross and The Reds win 1-0 against Chelsea, more elation, more praise, and deservedly so.”
If Klopp had hooked Moreno after his unnecessary yellow card or even after the first mistake that led to the first goal…
If Klopp had substituted in the 66th minute or the 70th minute with a fresh and raring to go Mane or Firmino…
If Klopp didn’t wait until the 89th minute to bring on Lallana who hasn’t played in ages and instead thrown on Solanke or other players 10 minutes before Willian (Conte’s third roll of the dice) showed up…
Who knows what the outcome could have been then.
To the ones who are negative, would Sevilla/Chelsea have scored drawn the game?
To the ones who are positive: Would Sevilla/Chelsea have not scored/drawn the game?
What would have happened if there was 5 more minutes in both games? Or if this was a cup final?
The impression I got from both games is that the momentum swung in both Chelsea and Sevilla’s favor because of Klopp’s inability to substitute in a timely manner. My instincts said substitute, but I’m a spectator.
Klopp’s instinct said….
You’re right, it’s all supposition and counter factual theorising. We could have gone to three at the back, brought Lallana and Mane on earlier……and conceded two goals….or scored two. This for me, is why I prefer the bigger picture. Klopp has made us competitive again, we’re doing well so far in the CL. The bottom line is that Klopp will sometimes frustrate us because he’s an idealist. Those footballing ideals have made him successful and we all knew about them when he arrived.
I’m in the camp of having a balance where consistency in performance by both manager and team is needed for a sustained return to the top, if, you want to try and do it without the oil/whatever easy money is claimed to be other teams’ reason for success.
You are right about Jurgen being an idealist, but this is also not Jurgen’s first time at the helm, where say back at Dortmund, nobody really knew what he could offer.
Today, Man City for example, knows the potential of Jurgen and his past tactics, and decides to outspend on manager and players because they fear him.
It sounds or looks good for the interim for us. Long term, those teams and managers can improve too, and will not always yield to idealistic approach.
There’s also so much romantic notions that can be had before it becomes a broken record. Consistency with a level head needs to prevail, whichever approach you take and there can be different approaches by the same manager, as we are in a dog fight with 5 other top teams with managers and players who may also be thinking this way.
So to counter these teams Jurgen, I think, should balance out the approach, where for example in these past two games (and in others especially at home field advantage) we saw he had the chance to be ruthless, instead it ended up with him, the team and the fans being brought back down to earth, because of the little things not the bigger picture, that fans often see from their armchair perspective.
I don’t care who the opposition is at Anfield I look for us to beat them even at their best or our worst, lucky or no lucky rib of the green. Chelsea are a very good side but they have their weak points and they were exposed and we did nothing is how it looked. As with Sevilla.
Some managers are great strategists and can think well on their feet.
I am still waiting to see if Jurgen is one of them.
As for the bigger picture, progress is not just about building stadium extensions, buying quality players, qualifying for CL or getting the team to play attractive football, the manager also needs to adapt and improve.
A lot to ask, but he is the one getting paid big bucks for supervising a group of men kicking a round object every week.
So I for one, expect nothing less.
Good post.
Excellent article, completely agree. Yes, it’s frustrating that we didn’t win both games but a point away at Sevilla, and the same exact score at home against the champions (a very good side, the closest to City in terms of quality in the league for me) are both Good results and ones that most would have taken beforehand. The selection on Saturday can hardly have been that bad considering we were 5 mins’ from victory. Klopp is idealistic, are people only now suddenly realising this? We ALL knew this when he came in. He’s made us a very competitive side, we’re top of our CL group for crying out loud, a competition we’ve been a stranger to for years. Our last six games we’ve won 4 and drawn 2, scoring 17 and conceding 5. Things are not that bad at all.
I meant ‘same exact score against the champion’ as last season.
Don’t think anyone denies in the bigger picture Klopp has improved us. Plus, I don’t like this world where disappointments are met with reasonable looks at the bigger picture. Robots are becoming more like us everyday. I pray we don’t lose emotion too. They’ll be no need for us in no time. We did draw 1-1 at Anfield last season and guess who gifted them a goal again. Same culprit. We can go on forever being pleased about our inevitable progress. At some point it’d be nice to address our deficiencies so we can beat Chelsea at Anfield.
Yeah FairPlay, I was fuming over the weekend but looking at the Chelsea game in particular I can’t get too angry about it when we would’ve won but for a fluke. Of course it’s a fans right to criticise the manager but there’s been a ridiculous (in my opinion) amount of vitriol directed his way. People say he’s had an ‘extended honeymoon period’, why is that then? Because he’s doing a very good job. I don’t like all this ‘I’ve been supporting the Reds since/ going to the game since… so my opinion is more important nonsense ’. It’s exclusive and superior. I’ve supported Liverpool longer than I care to remember, only getting to Anfield twice a year unfortunately but I just cannot get on board with this ridiculous criticism of fans ‘accepting mediocrity’. What are we supposed to do? Become angry idiots? Go on a protest march? :)
I think some perspective is needed. Anyone saying Klopp needs to go is mental. He’s not above criticism though and we all invest so much of our time and energy into LFC we’re bound to feel the highs and lows. Every Liverpool fan was desperate for us to beat Chelsea and their equaliser was a hammer blow. People are gonna look for reasons to blame. We always look for a scapegoat. Do you expect people to walk out of Anfield after another equaliser near the end of a game and say ‘Yay, we drew with the reigning champions’? It’s not gonna happen. We’re passionate if nothing else. So, as I said above, when you get someone attacking you when you’re hurting from the result it’s gonna lead to a backlash. It’s human nature. People are entitled to be disappointed. It wears off with the next win. What we don’t need is fans attacking us for our views in the aftermath of a defeat. It just inflames the situation and makes it into something it perhaps wasn’t underneath the initial disappointment.
Regarding the accepting mediocrity, our defense is nowhere near the level of the other top sides around Europe. In the summer when we didn’t strengthen it we saw fans saying they were ok with it because they wouldn’t dare criticise. Now, we’re seeing points lost as a result and we get more excuses. We need to strengthen. It’s perfectly clear. Anyone who denies that is accepting mediocrity in my opinion. Admitting it would be the first step to rectifying it. It would exert pressure that the fans are not happy about our obvious weaknesses.
Robin, so it only applies to fans who criticise then? In your reply you go to the last, desperate refuge of the charlatan, the ‘accepting mediocrity’ rubbish. As if somehow, being angry all the time is more valid. Somehow your post absolutely and spectacularly misses this point. You are entitled to your opinion of course, just try not to fall into the trap of believing that opinion should be uniform.
It’s quite simple to me, if you accept our defence doesn’t need improving because Klopp didn’t improve it then yes, you’re accepting mediocrity. If you’re not happy it’s because you don’t accept it and you think we should have better.
We need to address the fans who confess their satisfaction with a home draw to ANY opposition!!?? Before 2010 I was going the Match On and off from 1975 and never did I speak to or know any fan who was happy with not winning a home game regardless of the opposition. Show me a Liverpool fan who accepts not winning at home before a ball is kicked and I’ll say they do not go the game. We may mellow and philosophically accept defeat 2 or 3 hours after the final whistle and several pints later, but never before the game.
My feelings on Saturday where average for the 1st half as Chelsea are a very good side and I thought it was clear they came to Win. I accepted the Tean selection with slightly raised eyebrows, expecting Klopp to really go for the jugular on 60 minutes. If he’d have done that and drawn the game then fair enough to JK. The bit that I fail to understand is if Jurgen is happy that we can currently hold out 1-0 to any team, never mind to a team of Chelsea’s quality, is that not JK being very naive, in denial and/or dillusional?
Also I’d like to add my say that LFC fans and we’ve through since the 90’s I believe we are entitled and almost qualified to give our honest and level headed opinion, thats what’s made this Club unique in this Country, the 2005 success in Istanbul is proof of that, when Chelsea with their owners £billions and winning the EFL on numerous occasions have only won 1 European Cup, and Man City ditto to Owners £Billions and success with EPL have been nowhere near a Euro Final never mind winning the thing, and then there’s Arsenal who are a total European embarrassment and laughing stock.
No. Klopp needs to get real and get back to being Klopp or he’s shit his pants. As a big fan of JK or Benitez or Kenny, you can go through footballing history and name the greatest managers whoever lived and they all have 1 thing in common…… when they stop being and doing what brought them previous success then they all became fucked. To use one of Klopp’s paraphrases, that’s the way it is. Klopp needs to harness the energy of the crowd and use it as a barometer to where we are. Don’t fight it don’t be afraid of it but use it as a guiding light to where and what he needs to be. Because the Match going fans are never wrong. Some definitely need to wind in their necks, take a long hard look in the mirror and question their behaviour, but are we ever wrong in what we truly believe. I say no nay never!!
When Klopp joined The Anfield Wrap did a podcast with Stefan Buczko where he said you won’t see the benefits of his work until three years has gone by.
https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2015/10/taw-special-who-is-jurgen-klopp/
Two years so far people.
In short, LFC fans have no middle ground. They are constantly polarized in their opinion.
If it’s a win: we’re brilliant. One mistake and we deserve to be relegated.
I just hope FSG don’t give in. Klopp needs 5 years to build something very good.
BTW, that was one hell of an article. 11/10. The best I’ve ever read here.
To be fair though, I think you’re describing fans in general. :)
There’s always Antoninus Pulis (of the Puliii). :)
To be fair we all know and knew what we were getting in terms of Klopp set up and the primary issue that a flexible / prsssing multiple AM causes two problems – 1) No traditional outlet CF who can hold up the ball with body strength and 2) The style requires extra squad depth because of energy drain over sustained period.
Tottenham have adapted to both with a) Kane and b) larger squad and are currently OUR benchmark. And yet they still have some very odd result anomalies. I guess that’s just ‘the game’ variance which is why EPL > La Liga
I do think some are too quick to put the boot in but for different reasons. To clarify, when I say “put the boot in” I mean it in terms of unreasonable criticism. Fair criticism is not putting the boot in.
Some put the boot in because of the climate football currently finds itself in. Rather than assess the problem, they simply blame the figurehead immediately. Much of it stems from the 24/7 Sky Sports-style coverage this sport of ours receives, with its ceasless references to managers being “under pressure” or “one loss away from the sack.” It conditions people to assume that a struggling team is always the fault of the manager, never the players. A quick look at Everton’s post-Koeman woes can at least skew this notion somewhat.
Others do it because they like to be seen as daring and transgressive. They want to be seen as ‘unafraid’ to criticise a popular and well respected manager like Klopp because it makes them stand out.
As I said earlier, putting the boot in is the preserve of unreasonable people. None of this is to say there aren’t genuine areas in which Klopp can and should be criticised, I expect even by his own admission.
Wow, reasoned argument (are you sure you’re a Red?). Excellent post.
Have I wandered into the Echo comments section by mistake. Honestly, some of the posts on here. People actually using the (patented 1997) “Any fan who disagrees with my angry rant is accepting of mediocrity”. Burn the witch, burn her. Apparently, believing the manager is actually doing a decent job and defending that position is now ‘being a dickhead and attacking those poor, thin-skinned souls who want to rant and rave’. Sense of proportion’s all round please, actually, can you make those doubles? Peace. :)
Hyperbole much? Cool down buddy.
Thanks Dave.
Always good.
Great article. Too many football fans are thick as pig shit. “BAAAAW why can’t we win everything all the time every week!”
The seventies and eighties we dominated a league of mostly British and Irish players with the odd johnny foreigner. Fast forward thirty years and ALL the best players from ALL the countries on earth are playing in a handful of leagues, one of which is ours. Additionally, the world population has almost doubled. Which means almost twice as many class footballers. Even more, the levels of understanding of fitness and diet is far and away more advanced than it was then.
So not only is the pool of talent in this league vastly more competitive than it ever was when we dominated, you also have even the most otherwise average players built like fitness machines, and the league is full of them.
Then you have had anywhere between 1 and 5 teams spending a lot more than us year on year since Roman Abramovic turned footy upside down.
The stupid fans expect our players never to make a mistake, and don’t seem to realise that there are eleven players on another team who are in many cases world class and are trying just as hard to get the three points as we are.
Idiots among fans of Arsenal, Utd, City, Tottenham, Chelsea and us, all expect to win the league and that their managers should all get the boot if not, with utter disbelief and outrage whenever we dare to drop points
The reality is that if you consistently spend about the 4th or 5th highest in the league and you finish 4th or 5th, you havent done bad, and that a scuffed shot or a bad refereeing decision can cost or earn you the title, and can cost you your job or earn you managerial accolades.
Even if he did get all the big decisions right, he finally bought a keeper to replace the admirable but not good enough Belgian and the L’oreal catwalk Twitter show pony, there would still be teams with as good or better players than us.
Look at us this season, considering all the wealth and competition around us, we have only been beaten by Man City and Tottenham (and leicester in the mickey mouse cup ), and had Mane not mistimed the karate kick we might have ended up being level in that game.
Now know this: all your bullshit angry outrage only puts more pressure on the team and makes them perform worse. So until our league position ends up being well below where it should according to our level of spending, then get behind the team and enjoy the mind blowingly brilliant attacking football Klopp normally has us playing, even if a few go in at the other end.