SixCrazyMinutes - Liverpool FC Fans Forum

We need to men in black this season. It could have been a fairytale, but it wasn't.

Before we get into a summer of speculating what needs to change next season, let's flood the forum with positive vibes.

For me, Klopp made me love this club again. Everyone has different reasons they started and continue supporting Liverpool FC. For me, I started as my parents were scousers and my uncle ensured I was a red. However, I grew more and more attached to the club after my parents passed away as it felt like my only connection back to the city they came from.

The Klopp era has been superb. From doubters to believers.

I was at that 'famous' West Brom 2-2 where he made the team bow to the crowd. This gets mocked, but I remember just 1-2 weeks before, he was complaining that fans were leaving early and how could we expect the players to fight til the end if the fans wouldn't (which is ironic given the flat crowds at Anfield the past 2 months).

Anyway, we fought to the end in that game, and the crowd was electric, driven on by Klopp. For me that was the start of his intimate relationship with the kop.

My favourite moment - not even 100% sure. The weeks and months around winning the PL were great, but I can't help but feel cheated by the inability for fans and players to celebrate in style. However, it was such a great time of reliving the past, hearing from greats and feeling like that 'thing' a lot of us had never witnessed (this was the only title in my memory as I was 2 years old for the previous one).

The back to back CL final runs where we demolished everything and everyone around us, Roma, City, Barca, Munich. We were quite simply the best in the land.

Jurgen is the reason these happened, and the bar is very high for anyone to match his levels in my lifetime.

Not wishing to usurp Farky's 'How good is this team' post but this is slightly different so here's my take and below I've quoted Momo & Dee's posts on the same theme.

No need for a dissertation or OTT bashing, keep it simple with a qualifier if you wish. Remember too that who stays or goes will obviously depend a lot on the new manager (whoever it is) and that no matter who that ends up being there won't be a wholesale sell off / transfers in.

SELL / LET GO

Adrian
Thiago
Tsimikas - we need to replace Robbo who will then become the back up
Salah - take away the penalties and he's an average PL striker, but he's not giving us anything in regards to the team (defence, tackling etc.). Love him but time's up.
Matip
Gomez - with Bradders and a new LB and CB we won't need his versatility. Too technically limited.


ON THE FENCE (good offer - arrivederci)

Nunez - even my support is wavering, I thought he'd kick on but he's just not learning some of the basics that would elevate his return.
Endo - I'm torn here. I'm sure he'll stay for another season but with Badger fit and I would assume we'll buy another DM there's not going to be a lot term future.
Jota - so valuable / so injury prone. Sell if there is a good offer because his down time restricts our effectiveness and options.
Elliott - fluctuates between hot and cold. I'm not sure his deficiencies (lack of pace, tackling, ridiculously inconsistent) can be overcome. Give him one more season.
Gakpo - he's #5 in the attacking roster. Not sure he'll ever be higher.
Konate - injury prone and takes a while to get back but can be world class for spells. We won't sell him.

KEEP

Ali
Kelleher - though he may have other ideas what's best for LFC is we keep him as back up.
VvD - don't care what people say, he's still one of the best in the world and I'd keep him for another 2-3 seasons. CBs generally have a later sell buy date on the label.
Quansah
Robbo - he should be replaced as starting LB but kept as back up
Trent
Badger
Bradley
Macca
Jones
Gravenberch - young and talented. Needs direction.
Szobo - we've seen what he's capable of. A new manager / new season may see him return to his early season heights.
Diaz - as a winger he is excellent, he beats his man (and more) over and over, has endless energy and puts in a shift defensively too. I'm sure in a better functioning team he'll be even more effective.

INBOUND

New CB
New DM
New LB
New RW

Ok season is over. I'm 99% sure Arne Slot is our new manager (unless he flys to West Ham for 'talks'). SO, where would our current players fit in to his 4231, and where do we need reinforcements? Early days, but do we really want to talk about the 1-0 loss to West Ham, or the 2-2 draw with Tottenham?

Anyway, assuming no new additions/departures, I think we can play in a few ways


---------------------------Jota (Darwin)---------------------------

Gakpo (Diaz) ---------------Szoboszlai (Elliot)---------Salah (Elliott)

------------Mac Allister (Jones)---------Bacjectic (Endo)-------------

Robbo (Tsimi)---------Virgil---------Konate---------Trent


Or, against a harder opponent,

---------------------------Jota (Darwin)--------------------

Gakpo (Diaz)-----------Mac Allister (Elliot)---------Szoboszlai (Salah)

------------Gravenberch (Jones)---------Bacjectic (Endo)-------------

Robbo(Tsimi)---------Virgil---------Konate---------Trent


Or, if we're in YOLO mode,

---------------------------Jota (Darwin)---------------------------

Gakpo (Diaz) ---------------Szoboszlai (Elliot)---------Salah (Elliott)

------------Mac Allister (Jones)---------Gravenberch (Bacjectic)-------------

Robbo(Tsimi)---------Virgil---------Konate---------Trent


A few thoughts (given that I have quite limited football knowledge)
(1) We obviously need a LB and a RW, badly
(2) I don't think we need any more midfielders, unless they are world beaters
(3) The '10' position is very exciting because I think Szobo, Elliott and maybe even Carvalho will benefit. Szobo is not a midfielder and it was a sin to play him there.
(4) Can Gakpo play the ten??
(5) I don't think Diaz will stay - though I would prefer to use him on the right if he is willing/able. Would solve two problems if he does
(6) Central Midfielders seem to take a lot of responsibility in Slot's system. Time for Bacj, Gravy and Mac to really blossom.
(7) Whitherto, Darwin? Will we buy a new No. 9?

Doubt any of us can be arsed. Fuck it.

Ali

Trent
Quansah
Van dijk
Gomez

Clark
Elliott
Gravy

Diaz
Danns
Gakpo

I feel like for almost the entirety of this season I've been wondering whether this team is actually good. I was fairly sure it wasn't good enough to win a title, and that has proven true unfortunately, but there's a massive amount of space underneath that threshold, and I'm still uncertain as to how to plot this team.

I suppose that's not that surprising. This team is in the beginning of a long overdue overhaul, and we bought three midfield players, all of whom have done ok to well, but their stories can also point in different directions. Macca for instance is brilliant, but has played most of the season out of position. Endo is great, but is a very good backup, or needs very good backup, as he can't play two games a week. Szobo has obvious talent but has underperformed and is ill disciplined tactically.

Yes, we've fallen apart toward the end of the season, with our performances looking quite leggy, but there's nothing new about us conceding dumb simple chances, nor being able to control a game, that's been the case for much of the season. The only thing that has changed is we have zero air of inevitability, and less energy about us anymore. That's a reversion to the norm.

The other thing that changed was Klopp announcing he is leaving. I don't think it really changed the team that much, perhaps it gave some extra motivation. I think it just made the fans hell bent on the idea that this team needed to win something, and therefore pushed a fanbase that was thinking "hey, this team might be on to something, but there's quite a few glaring issues" on to the realm of "we're going to do it lads." We weren't going to do it. Good teams don't play poorly in every single game for stretches of time, but then gut out results. Good teams don't allow lots of easy chances and rely upon poor finishing. Good teams do take their chances, but when our team was good we had forwards that missed many chances, but our chance creation and oppressive control of the game just ground plenty of teams down.

On the tactical ends, the late Klopp experiments into inverting our right fullback are never going to finish... I still find the attempts just as unpersuasive as I always have. Trent wandering around hitting long balls with low tactical discipline, sitting on top of players who are no slouches for an outlet ball, just isn't fundamentally solid play. It's the sort of thing a mid table does with a single attacking idea they have. It's easily neutralized, and it's fundamentally flawed. Our best overall play happened with kids, but it also happened with us NOT playing this system. We used VVD to hit the outball, or any number of other players who played quite compact in midfield and had far better structure. I've no idea whether we could work a more traditional system in occasionally with Trent, because our best player in that position by a mile, isn't willing/instructed to use the width of the pitch anymore. We still deal with his defensive inattention, but now it's like he's absolved of it. We get LESS attacking output from him.

While we have spent far less time doing what we want to in games of late, we've almost never turned in professional performances for 90 minutes, from the beginning of the season until now. We've gritted our way through, and inevitably our luck has run out, with our finishing.

We're going to talk about how shit our forwards are all summer, I'd imagine, and I'm fine with that, because our old team, the one that was better, had a lot of its flaws masked by the fact that it had some razors up front, with two speedy outlets and one connector. Goals cleanse all sorts of sins. It's worth remembering though, that that team also had two much better fullbacks to use the acres of space those players created. It had a more sound midfield.

I'm much more concerned about what is wrong with this team all around. I know that the mantra is that pressing is the most creative play, but we do need to be able to build up without hitting long balls. We are so vulnerable against such utterly primitive teams, and look like we aren't positionally sound. I can just as easily imagine this team entirely falling apart, as I can it keeping what it has and building on the flaws. That's not doom mongering, it's just that the old guard of this team is on the decline, and now the captain is off. The collective questions around this team are individual ones as well, on many players. A little less belief this season and we get results like the previous season. Which is more reflective? What is the trajectory? I've really no fucking clue.

View: https://twitter.com/Andrew_Heaton/status/1782845171543015792

"Courtesy of Premier League Productions, Liverpool number 1 Alisson Becker sits down with childhood role model and mentor, Cláudio Taffarel, Liverpool's esteemed goalkeeping coach. They delve into the intricacies of what it truly means to be a professional goalkeeper, sharing insights, experiences, and invaluable advice."


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLk6mjDxCSw


View: https://twitter.com/MoSalahBR/status/1782809057151033553

This is Ronaldo's all time XI. I think its top heavy (they'll play as 4-2-4) and unbalanced

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/egKMxtFyi1A

Dave OCKOP reporting we are interviewing/have interviewed Gary O’Neil for the vacant manager role.

View: https://x.com/alexmiller73/status/1782737278705549770

View: https://twitter.com/LFCTransferRoom/status/1782434123325243590

Need more information on him, @King Binny