Neil Atkinson is joined by John Gibbons, Paul Johnson, Daniel Austin, Johnny Milburn and Craig Hannan in the immediate aftermath of Liverpool’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Everton.
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I don’t have any problem with the team selection after seeing the game because we dominated and created enough to win, and win comfortably. I totally disagree that Klopp should’ve rested players against Spartak because that was the biggest game we’ve had since the EL final. It looks easy now when we’ve won by seven but out of the two games, for me that one was much more important. We didn’t take the good chances we had today and then Lovren gives the ref a decision to make – for the record I’m with Atko’, it was a very soft pen, the second in a week given against us, ridiculous.
Agreed James.
There is no room to slate the manager or any players atleast until 75min. Sam allardyce football is cowardly. No players no matter how good can get through 10 players defending the penalty area. City only scored set peices against united and suffered a similar problem tonight. The manager cannot bank on coutinho scoring from 30 yards today. Mane made a misjudgement in my opinion and was unlucky with the shot.
I think theyve done the best they can given the circumstances that the other team refuse to play. They have a world player who can deliver a dangerous cross and lovren is right to get tight to his man in the penalth area, clearly no push massive slice of luck of the ref. As soft as henderson v brighton and nobody blamed hendo for that. We drew the battle but it is clear that we will finish much higher in the league they are terrible. Too embarrassed to show us how bad they are. YNWA.
I think the most pertinent point is the one made about rotation and how Klopp almost seems to have learnt too much from last year. Not enough last season, too much this time perhaps? Maybe next year will be the sweet spot. In his defence I would suggest that Chelsea went strong both on Wednesday and yesterday and definitely looked off the pace against West Ham (who played incredibly similar to how everton played today) and suffered a defeat for it. Manchester City on the other hand quite happily suffered a defeat and rested key players allowing them valuable recovery time to be ready for the Manchester derby. Of course they where already through to the last 16, whereas us and Chelsea weren’t. His selections this week could be seen as more fallout from the Sevilla away fixture and how even back then it was clear (as you guys all stated) that Klopp had a definite plan in mind for this period of fixtures.
Klopp is trying to stay ahead of the Christmas period and keep us fresh as possible. For us as fans the derby isn’t the game to do it, but for him it’s a game on Sunday after a game on Wednesday, and it’s a game on Sunday preceding a game on Wednesday. So from Wednesday to Wednesday it’s three games in a week. An argument can be made that he’s got his priorities and his implementation (and his substitutions) wrong in his attempt to save legs but his overall idea is the correct one. Sometimes I still feel even now that as a manager so acclimatised to German football with its winter break and 34 fixtures he still isn’t 100% jacked in to the matrix of this league. He’s getting there though, I don’t doubt that.
Let’s just smash those dogs of war blues in the cup as well ay.
The current narrative is that Klopp is rotating too much. We’ve lost twice all season and have won 5 and drawn 2 in the last 7 league games.
We beat Maribor 7-0 and make hardly any changes for the next game against Spurs (including all the big hitters). How does that turn out?
Football fans in general are becoming so certain – win and we’re the best team in the world, lose (or in our case draw) and the manager picked the wrong team, this player isn’t good enough etc.
God it’s depressing.
Couldn’t agree more, Paddy. Football fans are so fickle these days.
Sam takes them for a Chinese and they have chips…. that cheered me up
I did a full belly laugh at that myself.
This was a good show. Shame we can’t buzz off Salah’s goal more given the result, because it’s world class big game turning stuff. We should recognize how much he’s improved under Klopp. Chat around rotation is inevitable, but doesn’t really account for the result. The chances to win easily were there & players have to accept responsibility. Incidentally, Phil Neville’s reedy wheedling voice did US match commentary & even he thought it was never a penalty.