The top 4 teams here could have been rightly assumed even before seeing this table.
Shocking to see United at the bottom.
Shocking to see United at the bottom.
Liverpool 2016/17 - Performance and chat thread.
- Thread starter Parry Gallister
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Football isn't played on paper mate.
Besides, Matip Lallana Coutinho Mane and Firmino have all looked anything but mediocre so far. Even Henderson seems to be back to his best form.
It wasn't a dig. That's my point, the manager is getting the team to perform as much better than its sum of parts and raising their individual levels as a result. Individually, that's not a very impressive squad but as a team and due to the way the manager has them playing, they look great.
Yeah that's a fair assessment, agree with that. However, you have to remember it took Klopp some time to adjust things as well and we already looked great against top teams last year. I want us to dominate for 90min against smaller teams, that's why I'm really looking forward to Hull this weekend which will provide us a very different task than the ones we've already faced this season bar Burnley.
I think you should be concerned about your recent performances but not overreact either. You have a lot of new players and Mourinho has the track record to back up his decisions. He'll get it right and get the team playing sooner or later, you can only hope he turns a corner fast enough.
Ofcourse it took you time, expected too because his style is very different to what you were used to. But, the most important thing is that you could see the change within a month. Were you pressing brilliantly? Nope. Were you attacking brilliantly? Nope. But, you could see the change in approach, that gives the fans hope and with time, players get better at doing what's expected of them as they get used to the system. How Klopp deals with smaller teams who don't mind you having 70% of the ball and challenge you to break them down will be very interesting. It's a problem he faced at Dortmund too.
As far as we're concerned, I'm not too concerned about the actual results. It's the way we setup and the way we play that I want to see change. We don't setup in a way to get the best out of our players which is quite stupid given what we pay to acquire them. As long as he changes things around so that we atleast perform better and makes the obvious call which has been starting at us for years now, I'll be more than happy. I've always said we've won enough under the great man for me not to be worried about a few dry years. What I do want though is to see some progress being made. Time would be required, absolutely and Mourinho will get that here, that's a given with us. But, he needs to show what made him a top manager, get a system going which is best suited to his players and be ruthless with over the hill players living on their name.
For me it's Karius then a back four of Clyne, Lovren, Matip and Milner. The midfield three is Henderson, Wijnaldum and Lallana for now. Can has to try and force his way back in but the midfield three we have has done well so far.What would be the starting 11 this season?
Is Sakho still blacklisted*?
* not a pun
After that it's picking three from Mane, Firmino, Coutinho and Sturridge. I'd say Mane and Firmino should play every game when fit so it's a choice between Coutinho and Sturridge for the other position.
Disgraceful from us.The top 4 teams here could have been rightly assumed even before seeing this table.
Shocking to see United at the bottom.
Its really annoying.
Good article on Henderson. His performances this season have been well underrated so far
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...enderson-evolved-into-jurgen-klopps-ideal-no6
No player in the league has played more successful passes than Henderson this season or enjoyed more touches for his team. Only Idrissa Gueye has crunched into more tackles and only George Boyd has beaten him for distance covered.
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...enderson-evolved-into-jurgen-klopps-ideal-no6
No player in the league has played more successful passes than Henderson this season or enjoyed more touches for his team. Only Idrissa Gueye has crunched into more tackles and only George Boyd has beaten him for distance covered.
Henderson is like the best shittest player ever, and that is a compliment, believe it or not.
After our last two performances Can has a struggle to get back into the first team, which is mad to say considering we were all fretting when he got injured on International duty. Could be an exciting season.
I know Henderson gets a lot of stick but I've always rated him as a player who, at least, tries to look for the forward pass and tries to find the net once he sees the 18-yard line.
Obviously he needs more goals, but the modern-day midfielder seems to have been instructed to do so much running, harrying and chasing that perhaps we'll never see the goal tallies in a season we had from the likes of Gerrard, Scholes and Lampard etc...
Obviously he needs more goals, but the modern-day midfielder seems to have been instructed to do so much running, harrying and chasing that perhaps we'll never see the goal tallies in a season we had from the likes of Gerrard, Scholes and Lampard etc...
What a pile of crap. You just here others and repeat. Sturridge is not an average player, neither is Firmino or Coutinho and am pretty sure Mane and Matip will prove themselves to be far more than average players.
The point is, Liverpool will finish 2nd, but they do not have the league's 2nd best squad
Sorry mate was meant to insert the above quote before.
I agree our squad isn't the greatest but also think it's far better than most believe.
When posters say ''mediocrity'' they don't mean the word in a literal sense, like you would for Crystal Palace etc, they mean a group of players who punch above their weight.
Your squad is good, with bags of verve and adventure in attack and an assortment of solid performers backing them up, for me it does not touch Arsenal's side for instance in raw talent, yet your lot are tactically more advanced with a better manager
Read my post that follows it to understand what I meant. It wasn't a dig, neither do I mean you have a bang average squad. What I mean is, the quality of your football isn't what you'd expect from these players normally. It shows how the manager is the most critical man at the club. Klopp is getting every inch and more out of these players and is using a system that gets the absolute best put of them making the final product much greater than the simple sum of the parts.
Unless ofcourse you believe this is the quality of football one should expect from this set of players in which case you should have a look around at other clubs with better players on paper who aren't playing nearly as well or even look at how the players that were already there were performing before Klopp came in.
I do apologise mate and stand corrected. I quoted after I read the first post when I admittingly should have read through to the end first.
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How did Karius do tonight?
That's how I view it too.
Liverpool have some quality players, but plenty who are good players but not great, or talented players with certain weaknesses. They compensate for that though by buying into the system and wholeheartedly following instructions. For example Lallana has always been talented but he's looking brilliant this season and a big part of that is the squad cohesion and the tactical blueprint.
That's how I view it too.
Liverpool have some quality players, but plenty who are good players but not great, or talented players with certain weaknesses. They compensate for that though by buying into the system and wholeheartedly following instructions. For example Lallana has always been talented but he's looking brilliant this season and a big part of that is the squad cohesion and the tactical blueprint.
Agreed on this.
What makes football so brilliant is that teams are so often much more or much less than the sum of their individual parts. In Liverpool's case the parts are not poor by any means but they are not truly top quality yet the team still could be.
Solid but didn't have a lot to do to be honest.
Our goalies have a habit of trying to play from the deep on the floor too much, probably what Klopp wants them to do. Sometimes he should have just cleared his lines, but Mignolet does the same.
That was a dominant and comfortable performance, and several players got a rest too.
The one's that came in like Klavan, Grujic and Origi slotted in nicely and it was nice to see Ings, Can and Ejaria get some time too.
It was pretty much damage limitation for Derby. Must admit I thought it would be tougher than that.
Karius had one moment where he raced 25 meters off his line to win a sliding tackle and nip a one on one in the bud. I have never seen mignolet do anything like that. Great stuff.
The way we played in the first half was never going to let them make it tough for us. We were just way too good for them to cope.
Nothing comfy about our performance. We played with plenty of intensity.
Comfy in the sense for us supporters. No heart attacks!
That's why they often say 11 world class players do not necessarily mean a world class team.
Recent events in football have shown that it's not all about money or having the best players. Portugal, Leicester, Spurs, Athletico etc..
Even United winning the FA Cup...
A bit of jam always helps & everyone loves a plucky underdog succeeding against the odds.
We're going well at the moment playing some really good football and our defence is improving too boot. The Burnley defeat aside I wouldn't have dreamt we would have got much out of arsenal, spurs or Chelsea. Really tough start, in fact I can't remember a harder start to a season.
We have a run to Christmas now that on paper looks doable and should result in us staying in the race.(I hesitate with that statement) We get to Xmas in the top three then I will start to dream but until then I'll keep my mouth shut.
I am certain though that we will have setbacks but I'm happy with the progress we have made under Jurgen. Really enjoying our football too.
I'm absolutely amazed in the transformation of lallana to name just one. He's a completely different player. Happy to admit I thought he wasn't good enough and he would be sold in the summer. Fickle fans for ye
We have a run to Christmas now that on paper looks doable and should result in us staying in the race.(I hesitate with that statement) We get to Xmas in the top three then I will start to dream but until then I'll keep my mouth shut.
I am certain though that we will have setbacks but I'm happy with the progress we have made under Jurgen. Really enjoying our football too.
I'm absolutely amazed in the transformation of lallana to name just one. He's a completely different player. Happy to admit I thought he wasn't good enough and he would be sold in the summer. Fickle fans for ye
But if you increase the sample size it shows its about money and who invests it better.
England: ManUtd, Chelsea, City won the league before Leicester
Spain: Madrid, Barca won it every year except 1.
Italy: Juventus are the biggest spenders and they won the league for 5 years
Germany: Bayern
France: PSG
Champions league: Madrid, Barca, Madrid, Bayern. All the teams that spent lot of money.
Not sure what Spurs example is meant for, they haven't achieved anything. If finishing in top 4 is then yes they are good example.
No European football is a blessing for them. Easy to say now but I thought even before the season started that they'll be god viewing. They have a lot of what I call 'hot steppers' in the top 3rd of the pitch.
It's 24 goals in 8 games so we can't really complain. Matip, Mane and Wijnaldum have settled into the side really well and the football's been great to watch. We've got a tough game against Swansea next but if we're on our game I think we'll beat them.
Lallana's been our player of the season so far for me.
Lallana's been our player of the season so far for me.
So much for us supposedly struggling to break down the so-called lesser teams. I seriously doubt there'd have been any change to the scoreline even had Hull kept all 11 players on the pitch.
Sexy football.
Sexy football.
You'll be great this season, usually that would be enough to win the title
Thankfully, City look even better
Did they miss some players against Burnley? They seem to have turned it around after that match.
They were lucky to play Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea when they were all at their weakest, can't take the points off them now though. They'll be challenging all season I think.
He's always been very good technically and has a great work rate, but now he's added productivity and developed a great relationship with Mane, Coutinho, Firmino etc he looks great, lovely to watch too
Still a long way to go one way or another. We could get stronger, or the wheels could fall off anytime soon. Think this is the first time since we last won the league 26 years ago that we actually look like a strong side as opposed to just being a decent team that relies on one or two star players. How many times in the past have we had people like Fowler, McManaman, Gerrard, Owen, Torres, Suarez, etc pull us out of the mire when things were not going to plan out there on the pitch ? This time last year we were suicidal at the prospect of Sturridge picking up another injury such was our reliance on him. Now we don't even really care if he's in the team, on the bench, or is unfit to play. A lot of credit for this obviously has to go to Klopp. & to think he's only been manager for just under a year.
Top 4 was our only realistic aim this year. City look like they'll pick up points whenever, or wherever, they play at the moment. Still, strange things happen in football, that's what keeps us coming back for more no matter what.
I thought Chelsea were unbeaten with 4 wins and a draw before they played Liverpool?
For what it's worth I'll give praise for the football being played by them now, but everything is still going perfect, wait til the injuries mount up.