Liverpool 2016/17 - Performance and chat thread.

legball said:
Same as Pep, Poch, and majority of modern football managers, how many managers stay beyond 3 seasons in a club?
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Klopp, happily. I expect Poch will stay longer unless he gets an offer from a bigger club.
 
Rafateria said:
Excellent team performance. Whenever we win well people always say it's 'because the opposition didn't play well', so this time let's give credit where it's due, Leicester didn't play well because we didn't let them.

Mignolet - 7 - he's really stepped up his game since Karius' arrival and he's not really let us down in any match this season.

Clyne - 6.5 - still doesn't look himself but this was much better.

Matip - 7.5 - clearly our best CB, calm, collected and almost always in control.

Lucas - 7 - that would have been 8 but for the brainfart because otherwise he had a damn good game.

Milner - 7 - covered Mahrez with aplomb and was always available and dangerous going forward.

Henderson - 8 - this is the Hendo of old, covered every blade of grass, good in possession and in covering and some excellent forward passing.

Wijnaldum - 6 - he looked better when Klopp had a word and pushed him forward, even getting an assist. However he still looks like a 'Plain Jane', I'm sure however that there's much more to come.

Lallana - 8 - the more I see of him playing centrally and deeper, the better he looks. His great feet enable him to keep the ball under pressure and with everything happening ahead of him he can look up and pick the right pass. He might not be the world's best tackler but his stamina and running enable him to harass and force the opposition to play.

Firmino - 8.5 - A superb cameo of everything he is good at. Great feet, keeping possession, playing others in, keeping calm under pressure and playmaking around the opposition box.

Mane - 8.5 - another great game; pace, defending back, another goal, another assist. He suits us perfectly and he already looks like he has a brilliant rapport with both Sturridge and especially Firmino.

Sturridge - 7.5 - he may not have scored but this was a superb team performance from him, constantly looking for, linking and finding his teammates and an assist. Should have scored though, two great chances, so loses a point for those misses.
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I am not as worried about our midfield at the moment.

I thought Wijnaldum was very good yesterday, you can't always judge him through the TV camera and watching him Live I think he had a good game.
He is very calm on the ball, and I thought complimented Henderson and Lallana very well.

Henderson looks a different player now he is over his injury and Lallana's new role suits him well and I expect a few goals from him.
With Can to come back, Grujic I think is a real talent & Stewart who never looks out of place - I think we look in decent shape.

I still think we need to get Karius in goal, Mignolet just has the knack of making everyone around him nervous.

Matip I really like and can see him playing every league game if fit. Looks calm and composed, and is decent in the air which we need if Lucas has to sometimes play alongside him. Thought Lucas, goal aside, was very good also yesterday.

Sturridge looked sharp, and Firmino just gets better and better. Mane also with his pace makes such a difference to the team.
 
Will be interesting to see Liverpool versus City in Anfield. Both teams play the pressing high.
 
Ruffian said:
Klopp, happily. I expect Poch will stay longer unless he gets an offer from a bigger club.
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So, of all the managers in Europe, you named only 1, which means staying 3 seasons isn't peculiar to Mourinho then, which was my point.
 
legball said:
So, of all the managers in Europe, you named only 1, which means staying 3 seasons isn't peculiar to Mourinho then, which was my point.
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There are many managers who stay a long time at one club, many managers who have long term plans. It is sack happy Presidents who skew the stats. As far as I know, it is only Pep and Mourinho who feel their best work can only be done over a short period of time.

Man Utd fans are prickly about this because you see a merry-go-round at many rich clubs where the pressure for success is very high. City, Chelsea and Madrid sack and hire with alacrity and the next seems no better than the last. Quality is maintained through monster transfer budgets, but there is no continuity of style to the team, no character to the club. You'd like Mourinho to stay with you until retirement, like the deluded girl who thinks she can change the serial adulterer because she is special.

It isn't managers who generally lack the ability to stick. It is owners, fans, media and sponsers who demand trophies both immediate and prolonged.
 
GaryLifo said:
Can we ban the use of the word 'Poch' on this forum.

For some reason it really annoys me.
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As long as we can also ban "feck." If you are going to swear do it properly. I find it hilarious that anyone could find the real word offensive and its substitute acceptable. Swearing is fine for me, abuse isn't.
 
Hugh Jass said:
Will be interesting to see Liverpool versus City in Anfield. Both teams play the pressing high.
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I can't wait for that game but it's a while away on 31st December. It'll be interesting to see where both sides are at in the league when that game comes about.
 
Ruffian said:
There are many managers who stay a long time at one club, many managers who have long term plans. It is sack happy Presidents who skew the stats. As far as I know, it is only Pep and Mourinho who feel their best work can only be done over a short period of time.

Man Utd fans are prickly about this because you see a merry-go-round at many rich clubs where the pressure for success is very high. City, Chelsea and Madrid sack and hire with alacrity and the next seems no better than the last. Quality is maintained through monster transfer budgets, but there is no continuity of style to the team, no character to the club. You'd like Mourinho to stay with you until retirement, like the deluded girl who thinks she can change the serial adulterer because she is special.

It isn't managers who generally lack the ability to stick. It is owners, fans, media and sponsers who demand trophies both immediate and prolonged.
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This one is funny, if anything, I'm saying I don't expect Mourinho to stay more than 3 years ! Whether it's the manager that decides to leave (Guardiola at 2 clubs) or is sacked (the rest), whatever skews the stats is none of my business, the fact is, majority of managers do not stay beyond 3 yrs, period. If he stays for 3 yrs (which is what I expect anyway) and leaves/is sacked, then we'll hire someone else and move on. My original reply was to someone who insinuated we'll crumble if/when Mourinho leaves in 3 yrs, to which i responded that most managers leave within this time and the clubs move on and still achieve big things.
 
Ruffian said:
There are many managers who stay a long time at one club, many managers who have long term plans. It is sack happy Presidents who skew the stats. As far as I know, it is only Pep and Mourinho who feel their best work can only be done over a short period of time.

Man Utd fans are prickly about this because you see a merry-go-round at many rich clubs where the pressure for success is very high. City, Chelsea and Madrid sack and hire with alacrity and the next seems no better than the last. Quality is maintained through monster transfer budgets, but there is no continuity of style to the team, no character to the club. You'd like Mourinho to stay with you until retirement, like the deluded girl who thinks she can change the serial adulterer because she is special.

It isn't managers who generally lack the ability to stick. It is owners, fans, media and sponsers who demand trophies both immediate and prolonged.
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Of course Liverpool owners never sack managers, and the club's fans aren't deluded or demanding at all.

The 5 managers in 6 years with zero major trophies tells you that.

There's no difference in how you've been run and a club like Real Madrid or Chelsea. They've just got far more to show for it.
 
Ruffian said:
As long as we can also ban "feck." If you are going to swear do it properly. I find it hilarious that anyone could find the real word offensive and its substitute acceptable. Swearing is fine for me, abuse isn't.
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It's an autocorrect on the forum - basically anytime you see the word 'feck' then the poster has written the real word but the forum has changed it to that, I believe in order to satisfy advertisers or Google or something. It's the same with at least one other word that you'll have doubtless seen misspelled repeatedly on here because of this. It didn't used to be the case, but it's not even a tiny sacrifice compared to keeping this place running. But rest assured, if someone tells you to "feck-off", they're not trying to be gentle ;)

On the other point, I don't expect Mourinho to be with us for much longer than he's been with his other clubs. He's our best bet by far of getting somewhere near to where we were under Sir Alex, but it's not a sure thing at all.
 
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Antisocial said:
It's an autocorrect on the forum - basically anytime you see the word 'feck' then the poster has written the real word but the forum has changed it to that, I believe in order to satisfy advertisers or Google or something. It's the same with at least one other word that you'll have doubtless seen misspelled repeatedly on here because of this. It didn't use to be the case, but it's not even a tiny sacrifice compared to keeping this place running. But rest assured, if someone tells you to "feck-off", they're not trying to be gentle ;)

On the other point, I don't expect Mourinho to be with us for much longer than he's been with his other clubs. He's our best bet by far of getting somewhere near to where we were under Sir Alex, but it's not a sure thing at all.
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Ah, thanks for that :) I thought the writers of Father Ted had taken over the internet! It explains the ubiquity - feck feck feck feck feck feck - footy fans have never been famous for timidity..
 
Ruffian said:
Ah, thanks for that :) I thought the writers of Father Ted had taken over the internet! It explains the ubiquity - feck feck feck feck feck feck - footy fans have never been famous for timidity..
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:lol:
 
Team vs. Chelsea, Friday 16th Sept.

No need to hang about if they are fit. These lads have all played in big games before, they are not newbies. Therefore why take a risk on a Ming FU (even though he's not been too bad so far this season) if a better keeper is available ? Tough on Wijnaldum but I think we need Can's strength.

Can't change that Top 4 and Sturridge needs to be playing .... chances will be harder to come by, than at home to Leicester, and he can make & score one out of nothing .. and he really seems to be getting back to looking like his best, sprinting and harrying and he looks to be forming a good understanding with Mane especially.

........................ Karius

Clyne ..... Matip ..... Lovren ...... Milner

................ Can
................................. Henderson

.......................Lallana

Mane ............. Sturridge ............. Firmino

Subs from : Mignolet, Moreno, Sakho, Ragnar, Stewart, Lucas, Grujic, Wijnaldum, Coutinho, Origi, Ings
 
Frogie SLAMS Klopp in UEFA technical report!:

Independent said:
Sir Alex Ferguson has criticised Liverpool’s all-out pressing game, stating in a new Uefa technical report that Jurgen Klopp’s defeat in last season’s Europa League final came because they had no energy left by the second half

Ferguson, one of Uefa’s technical experts in the report analysing the 2016/17 Champions League and Europa League competitions, has offered rich praise of Klopp’s potential to restore Liverpool since he arrived at the club last October.

In the technical report, he praised Liverpool for knocking Sevilla out of their stride in the first half of last season’s final in Basel, which they lost 3-1. But he said that they were incapable of sustaining their intense pressure. “In the second half Liverpool had no energy, they could not get to the ball,” he said. “The space in midfield became bigger. I never had a team who could press a ball all season.” Liverpool led after 35 minutes in Switzerland, through Daniel Sturridge, but lost to second half goals from Kevin Gameiro and Coke.
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More:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...failed-them-europa-league-final-a7244046.html
 
Thoughtful reaction on that article from 'lfcdave' in the comments section:
Can't Alex ferguson just shut his big fat mouth after all he's retired now best thing all round bullying whiskey snout muppet
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To be honest I think it's a fair point, However I also think that then we didn't have enough quality in depth to be able to rotate enough of the 1st team to be able to give them some rest every now and then, and although it may be argued against I do think we are a lot stronger and fitter now as well as not being in Europe so fewer games. Only time will tell
 
He's hardly slammed Klopp either. He's praised the first half performance but offered his opinion on why it didn't result in a victory over 90 minutes.

Typical tabloid shite.
 
Man, I expect better from the Independent, when did they start doing bait-y headlines?
 
GaryLifo said:
He's hardly slammed Klopp either. He's praised the first half performance but offered his opinion on why it didn't result in a victory over 90 minutes.

Typical tabloid shite.
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Agreed, and also we should take all Ferguson assessments of other managers with a huge truckload of salt*.

*The Chosen One
 
Haven't looked forward to a domestic game this much in ages for some reason.

Chelsea have scored in each of their last nine games, there's little to no chance we keep a clean sheet tonight. I just hope Karius gets his first start and Chelsea give it a real go right from the start.
 
That Telegraph article did a right detailed number on our (Klopp's) tactics. If Conte has done the same then he'll know how we love drawing CBs out of position regularly.

I wouldn't be surprised if he goes with Ivanovic, Luis and Cahill - three at the back. Force us to go wide and cross the ball in. I would do that. A bit negative but it is Conte who loves his defensive football.
 
pocco said:
We play these next month. We seriously need to get some sort of game plan together quickly because they beat us 9 times out of 10 on current form.
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At the moment they are far better than we are. We need to make big improvements. If we played them tonight, I think they'd easily beat us.
 
Looking forward to tonight's game. Both teams have looked dangerous going forward. Chelsea obviously have the better team but on our day I think we can outplay any team in the league.

I know we're going to concede a goal at some point so I'll just have to hope we out score them.
 
impressed with Lallana in tonight's game; majestic performance in where it hurts, :(

(seriously though, really good I thought)
 
montpelier said:
impressed with Lallana in tonight's game; majestic performance in where it hurts, :(

(seriously though, really good I thought)
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His performances have taken on another dimension under Klopp. Along with his positional shift which probably plays a major part in the transformation. He's been excellent to superb all season so far.
 
They look very good. Bad thing is, there is now no Gerrard to feck it up for them.
I doubt we will win the league so I just hope City keep winning.
I'd rather drink piss than eat shit.
 
Klopp's comments on our goalkeeping situation if anyone is interested:

On his expectations of Karius, Klopp continued: “In the moment when we signed him, you can imagine we thought ‘he’s not too bad’ and that’s how it is. He was a really, really, really strong Bundesliga goalkeeper.

“That means a lot. Germany is a goalkeeper country - we have no issue with goalkeepers. I would say at the moment that the best goalkeeper in the world plays at Bayern Munich, and he’s German. We always have good ones, maybe not the best in the world, but always good ones. That’s the kind of mentality we have, we like this job. Kids like to wear the gloves.

“It’s a sign if at this age you are already a goalkeeper in the Bundesliga. I saw his way, from a very, very bad start at Mainz when nobody really wanted him, to an outstanding goalkeeper. That’s what I was interested in. I spoke to him, then took him, that’s what we got - he’s a really good goalkeeper.

“The thing we want to have is two really, really strong goalkeepers and I think that’s what we’ve got. OK, he [Karius] had an advantage in the pre-season, but he couldn’t use it because of the injury.

“Simon [Mignolet] came exactly in this moment back from the national team and did a brilliant job. I don’t want to make a big battle of these two goalkeepers, why should I?

“Goalkeepers need to feel secure. You cannot play your whole life as a goalkeeper without conceding goals… but you need a manager who will say ‘you can stay’ and increase their confidence. That’s the same with all players. It’s not about saying ‘today him, and today him’, it’s about watching the players.

“The pressure on them is big enough - I don’t have to make any more. They have to do their best and if, at the end, I have a feeling for something then I will change or not.

“But it’s not because we paid money for Loris and didn’t pay money last year for Simon and that makes the decision.

“It’s about what I see in training and what I see in training is two very, very good goalkeepers and another very good goalkeeper [Danny Ward] who we gave on loan to Huddersfield. So the business is done, hopefully, and we don’t have to talk about this position. Now the boys have to perform.”

Klopp was also quizzed on whether Mignolet will return to his starting line-up for Saturday’s Premier League game against Hull City at Anfield.

“Where’s my possibility to answer that? If I say ‘yes’, what would this mean for Loris? If I say ‘no’, what would this mean for Simon?” the manager replied.

“Maybe the question makes sense, but the answer wouldn’t make sense. No number one. In this moment there is no decision to make, it’s only about performing and how good you are.

“For the other players it’s the same. I don’t say ‘OK, for the next 15 months, he’s our centre-half’ or whatever. It’s about improvement, how much can you, the player, help the team?”
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Karius will start tomorrow if nothing goes wrong. I think Klopp definitely signed him as his #1 goalkeeper and wants to start him but is waiting for the right time - like he says himself, of course competition is always a good thing but goalkeepers do need a bit of security and confidence. I give it another month before the switch will made, hopefully not longer than that.
 
Yeah those guarded comments are great. Basically telling Mig to keep up the form but essentially saying Karius is the main man.

I hope our Bundesliga goalie works out as well as our BL defender.
 
What would be the starting 11 this season?

Is Sakho still blacklisted*?


* not a pun :D
 
I think it reads something like Karius as keeper, with a back of Clyne, Matip, Lovren, and Milner. Henderson and Wijnaldum in midfield, Lallana sitting further ahead, and forward options of Firmino, Mane and Coutinho. I'm a bit unsure of Sturridge's place these days.
 
Wooly Red said:
I think it reads something like Karius as keeper, with a back of Clyne, Matip, Lovren, and Milner. Henderson and Wijnaldum in midfield, Lallana sitting further ahead, and forward options of Firmino, Mane and Coutinho. I'm a bit unsure of Sturridge's place these days.
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Mediocrity all over the pitch and yet they play brilliant football.
 
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