Pre Match Man City (H) - Sun 15:45

[mwake]

So Michael Oliver has all expenses paid business trip to Abu Dhabi. I see no conflict of interest :/

Michael Oliver's recent trip to UAE revealed — same ref who didn't send Kovacic off twice

There was even more referee controversy in the Premier League at the weekend during Arsenal's clash against Manchester City.The Gunners managed to secure a 1–0 win despite match official Michael Oliver refusing to send Mateo Kovacic off for an obvious case of a second booking.

tribuna.com

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/Gunners/comments/173nl86/michael_oliver_who_refused_to_send_mateo_kovacic/

 

[Squiggles]

The last time Gakpo impressed anyone:

The Queen was still alive and had just contracted COVID.
Putins marketing goons were working on what to call his upcoming invasion of Ukraine
Chris Rock was writing lines to wreck Will Smith.

 

[Farkmaster]

The last time Gakpo impressed anyone:

The Queen was still alive and had just contracted COVID.
Putins marketing goons were working on what to call his upcoming invasion of Ukraine
Chris Rock was writing lines to wreck Will Smith.

It was a simpler time, a more natural time, when no one had cell phones, and... oh, wait, it was less than a year ago.

 

[Halmeister]

He is shit though.

That period when he was playing well seems more like the anomaly now. Not the poor form.

 

[Woland]

He currently fits into the side as if he won the chance to play in a lottery

 

[singlerider]

I don't think he's necessarily shit, he's just playing like absolute dogshit at the mo.

Some of the qualities we've seen from him in the past are a surprising ability to hang onto the ball even when he's surrounded by players and seemingly on the verge of falling over, and he's got a pretty decent shot on him from outside the box.

I'd say I've not seen a player for us since Sturridge that can get as much power with so little backswing, and quite a few of his goals seem to be snapshots from the edge of the box.

At first I thought he might be the closest thing we'd got to a new Bobby - someone that could maybe play the false 9 role, but I don't think he has the vision, the ability to read the game, the cuteness of pass or the understanding with those around him to do that.

What he can do (when not playing like dogshit) is receive the ball with back to goal and then carry it and get off a shot. It's just not working for him at the minute. None of it. And he doesn't contribute enough defensively, offer pace and threat on the counter, or bring others into the game enough to justify a place. His confidence looks shot to shit, and once he's over the concussion, Danns should be ahead of him in the pecking order

 

[Dreambeliever]

Thurs.. you mean that scuffed shot that went in against the mighty Sparta. Yeah, that's kind of his level in terms of end product.

He’s scored in our last three league home games. Every league game has been must win since we lost to Arsenal.

Don’t forget he actually scored in this game, it was Nunez who strayed offside but Diaz didn’t know that at the time.

 

[Farkmaster]

He is shit though.

That period when he was playing well seems more like the anomaly now. Not the poor form.

Both periods are short. He's not been here long. He helped us immensely in a position that no longer exists, then he found himself way down the pecking order, then he was shit.

*Shrug*

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

So does anyone still think he's miles better than Ngog or Babel ? *grin*

 

[Farkmaster]

So does anyone still think he's miles better than Ngog or Babel ? *grin*

Yep. He is.

 

[Farkmaster]

The thing is, and you're all going to have to really digest this one, players aren't either shit or boss. This isn't a colosseum. We don't have to put our thumbs down or up.

It would be great if gakpo could join the party. It's pretty insane to me how many have. Itd be even nicer if people hadn't been hobbled left and right

One of his frequently played positions is taken by someone who can't do any more than him in the box, but is a true winger who has more about him defensively and as an outlet. The position he played last year no longer exists, and when he does sub in that position it totally alters how our attack functions through no fault of his own.

I think gakpo has a lot to offer. Whether he can show it, we will see. I think it's fucking silly to describe him as shit.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

Nah. He's poo. Soz.

(unless proven otherwise)

 

[Farkmaster]

Nah. He's poo. Soz.

(unless proven otherwise)

Quantum footballers.

 

[rurikbird]

The thing is, and you're all going to have to really digest this one, players aren't either shit or boss. This isn't a colosseum. We don't have to put our thumbs down or up.

It would be great if gakpo could join the party. It's pretty insane to me how many have. Itd be even nicer if people hadn't been hobbled left and right

One of his frequently played positions is taken by someone who can't do any more than him in the box, but is a true winger who has more about him defensively and as an outlet. The position he played last year no longer exists, and when he does sub in that position it totally alters how our attack functions through no fault of his own.

I think gakpo has a lot to offer. Whether he can show it, we will see. I think it's fucking silly to describe him as shit.

Good post.

After last season, Klopp had a choice: build the attack around Gakpo in his false 9 position or build around a “proper” #9 in Nunez. One offered more control and the other was more chaotic. Even though Darwin was used sparingly in the first few weeks of the season, I had a feeling Klopp is preparing to build around him, with the new hybrid RB role used to supplement the midfield numbers that were one man short compared to the system with a false 9. He also started moving Gakpo around, trying him at #8 etc, which was a bad sign for the player.

Klopp was probably right to bet on Darwin, even though early in the season we suffered in several games where he didn’t convert numerous chances. Having a false 9 made less sence with Diaz not quite matching Mane’s production on the left and the good understanding between Mo and Darwin probably sealed the deal. As his preferred position was being phased out, Gakpo did fairly well filling in wherever required, but eventually his confidence understandably took a hit. Klopp is better than 99% of managers in making even bit part players feel valued as part of the team, but in this case even he could not mask the reality of the situation. Gradually a pecking order emerged and Gakpo was at the bottom.

Cody seems like a pretty positive character and definitely not like someone who would be bitter and blame others for his struggles - but as the season enters the final stretch it’s hard to see how he can turn it around. He will hope that a new manager next season will see his qualities as key to his system - if not, he might have to move elsewhere.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

Quantum footballers.

He better get cracking then.

 

[tombrown]

Shall we go through the list of players this forum declared as utter dogshite, only to now be lauded as the best, again?

Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Mac Allister, Jones, Elliott, Nunez ... can even add Virgil, Trent & Salah to that list.

Enjoy the humble pie when Gakpo starts banging them in, during our run in & wins us the title.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

View: https://x.com/optajoe/status/1766889004031463519?s=46&t=Cgm43jK1vFsb763Kn6jr8w

Not sure what to make of this. We should’ve won.

 

[Frogfish]

Really nice analysis :


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

 

[Brizzle]

He doesn’t play like someone who’s:

- role in the team is on the line when Klopp leaves
- has the chance to get in the starting line up with injuries in the squad
- got a chance to win the league and gets 20 mins to cause havoc

He too often plays too deep. Walks around conserving energy. Kills our pressing machine.

When he does get chances in the box his panics. On the edge of the box his instinct is to pop it in a bottom corner. In the box he wastes times thinking what he will do. Strikers need instincts, he either doesn’t have them or doesn’t trust them.

I don’t want someone in our team who doesn’t do the minimum and give 100% effort, or doesn’t have real quality. Danns should be ahead of him in our pecking order off the bench from this stage.

Gakpo & Gravy will both be sold in the summer IMO.

 

[Fabio]

He doesn’t play like someone who’s:

- role in the team is on the line when Klopp leaves
- has the chance to get in the starting line up with injuries in the squad
- got a chance to win the league and gets 20 mins to cause havoc

He too often plays too deep. Walks around conserving energy. Kills our pressing machine.

When he does get chances in the box his panics. On the edge of the box his instinct is to pop it in a bottom corner. In the box he wastes times thinking what he will do. Strikers need instincts, he either doesn’t have them or doesn’t trust them.

I don’t want someone in our team who doesn’t do the minimum and give 100% effort, or doesn’t have real quality. Danns should be ahead of him in our pecking order off the bench from this stage.

Gakpo & Gravy will both be sold in the summer IMO.

Gravy I'm willing to give more time to. He started languid and shite, but just before the injury he started to give a lot more.

Shall we go through the list of players this forum declared as utter dogshite, only to now be lauded as the best, again?

Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Mac Allister, Jones, Elliott, Nunez ... can even add Virgil, Trent & Salah to that list.

Enjoy the humble pie when Gakpo starts banging them in, during our run in & wins us the title.

Im more than used to eating humble pie, so I hope he does. It's just very difficult to see this far in

 

[Tinto]

If Xabi is like the other Spanish managers and wants to control games, I think he might like Cody.

 

[the count]

View: https://youtu.be/JAmmT8S7pQM

 

[doctor_mac]

Really nice analysis :


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

Yeah, this guy is great.

 

[Hansern]

View: https://x.com/442oons/status/1767509133350015054?s=20

 

[Fabio]

Really nice analysis :


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

That's brilliant analysis. It annoys me so much that this kind of thing is resigned to YouTube or twitch. This is exactly what post match punditry should be. Intelligent, thought provoking, engaging, free from bias.

 

[peterhague]

I don't think he's necessarily shit, he's just playing like absolute dogshit at the mo.

Some of the qualities we've seen from him in the past are a surprising ability to hang onto the ball even when he's surrounded by players and seemingly on the verge of falling over, and he's got a pretty decent shot on him from outside the box.

I'd say I've not seen a player for us since Sturridge that can get as much power with so little backswing, and quite a few of his goals seem to be snapshots from the edge of the box.

At first I thought he might be the closest thing we'd got to a new Bobby - someone that could maybe play the false 9 role, but I don't think he has the vision, the ability to read the game, the cuteness of pass or the understanding with those around him to do that.

What he can do (when not playing like dogshit) is receive the ball with back to goal and then carry it and get off a shot. It's just not working for him at the minute. None of it. And he doesn't contribute enough defensively, offer pace and threat on the counter, or bring others into the game enough to justify a place. His confidence looks shot to shit, and once he's over the concussion, Danns should be ahead of him in the pecking order

I've been through the process of trying to see his qualities and how you might exploit them effectively, but it's pointless. He's shit.

If you're very good at like 2 random things (basically shooting from mid range and dribbling in a straight line having turned your man) and shit at everything else, then you're just shit. He's obviously good enough for the Dutch league, and obviously not good enough for the PL. I don't know what his ceiling is, but I'm pretty sure it's lower than we need, even for a squad player.

 

[doctor_mac]

View: https://x.com/markgoldbridge/status/1767451242303815989?s=20

 

[singlerider]

I've been through the process of trying to see his qualities and how you might exploit them effectively, but it's pointless. He's shit.

If you're very good at like 2 random things (basically shooting from mid range and dribbling in a straight line having turned your man) and shit at everything else, then you're just shit. He's obviously good enough for the Dutch league, and obviously not good enough for the PL. I don't know what his ceiling is, but I'm pretty sure it's lower than we need, even for a squad player.

It might be semantics, but I think there's a difference between "not good enough" (to start for a title-challenging team) and "shit"

I think when he's on form and playing with confidence, he's maybe at the level of Tsimikas? Not good enough to be a starter, not gonna be your first option, but can do a job as a squaddie.

Clearly you think otherwise, but I guess for me it's that he offers (or at least can offer) something slightly different to our other forwards, and therefore - when on form - has some value to the team

 

[Fabio]

View: https://twitter.com/joel_archie/status/1767273184036884495?t=U6ITkMV0zjjGz031OdLnuw&s=19

 

[peterhague]

It might be semantics, but I think there's a difference between "not good enough" (to start for a title-challenging team) and "shit"

I think when he's on form and playing with confidence, he's maybe at the level of Tsimikas? Not good enough to be a starter, not gonna be your first option, but can do a job as a squaddie.

Clearly you think otherwise, but I guess for me it's that he offers (or at least can offer) something slightly different to our other forwards, and therefore - when on form - has some value to the team

Yeah but what exactly are the scenarios where his two or three really good attributes are gonna shine? I can't think of any that occur on a predictable basis. So for me he's no more likely to be not shit as an option than as a starter.

I'd like to be wrong but imo his level is more like a decent Italian or German club than the top of the PL. I wouldn't be sorry to see him moved on this summer.