Are the players a bunch of bottlers?

[FoxForceFive]

Yes, I do. The game against Crystal Palace in Rodgers' season, that was the worst collapse I've ever seen from a Liverpool team in terms of mentality. Absolutely shameful.

This current team isn't 'bottling' anything. It's struggling with its rhythm and the forwards are out of form. That isn't bottling it. People are buying into a cynical narrative created by the media. They're sounding like TalkSport listeners. And to focus on it after a DERBY game, at Goodison - the kind of fixture that we usually struggled with even in the days when we were actually winning titles - the kind of game in which we've often found difficult year in year out in recent years - is frankly disingenuous. What is happening is more about fan projection that club mentality.

Yep. Agree 100%.

A close mate text this morning, one of the most sane level headed people I know, to say "Feel so shit it's unreal. I can't believe 3 times we have been top at Christmas and fucked it up".

It's just a massive overreaction. 9 games to go & 1 point behind. It may not be in our hands, but it's so fucking close it's untrue & we still have a ridiculously good chance of winning this title.

It feels like our fans are just blindly following the media narrative, which is insane considering our club has always looked after ourselves & told the outside world, especially the media, to go fuck themselves if they don't agree.

 

[Rosco]

ibromurph has made several outstanding posts over the last two days. He's an in-form poster.

Can he play up front ?

 

[Mors]

Would that not be an issue too ?

Who doesn't know how to stop us at this stage ?

I'm not sure. Us not changing tactics etc was working fine up until january when we've fell off a cliff. Same for City, they don't change for the opposition, everyone knows exactly what they're going to do, but bar flukes, no one can stop them.

We were going great guns up until the city game, playing the same tactics every week, with pretty much the same players we've used since then, but now our form has gone to pot.

 

[manwithnoname]

I'm not sure. Us not changing tactics etc was working fine up until january when we've fell off a cliff. Same for City, they don't change for the opposition, everyone knows exactly what they're going to do, but bar flukes, no one can stop them.

We were going great guns up until the city game, playing the same tactics every week, with pretty much the same players we've used since then, but now our form has gone to pot.

That's because they can have players like Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, Sane, Stones, Jesus and Mahrez on the bench.

We brought on Adam Lallana, and actually started the game with Divock Origi playing left wing.

 

[kingjulian]

I'm thinking Klopp is desparately looking for some spark from midfield by trying Lallana , Keita, Wijnaldum etc in various roles...but so far all of them have fired blanks.

The cupboard is empty when it comes to creative midfielders...we are paying the price for not replacing Coutinho. AOC will take a few games to get up to speed as well....we can't afford to bed in players anymore as well. Unless Lallana comes on in a game we are winning and shows some kind of creative spark, he shouldn't be given minutes in a game we are chasing.

But can we win it? Yes we still can...

 

[Oncy]

I'm thinking Klopp is desparately looking for some spark from midfield by trying Lallana , Keita, Wijnaldum etc in various roles...but so far all of them have fired blanks.

The cupboard is empty when it comes to creative midfielders...we are paying the price for not replacing Coutinho. AOC will take a few games to get up to speed as well....we can't afford to bed in players anymore as well. Unless Lallana comes on in a game we are winning and shows some kind of creative spark, he shouldn't be given minutes in a game we are chasing.

But can we win it? Yes we still can...

Our whole midfield has scored 5 goals all season. Thats utter shit.

 

[Mors]

100% agree on the squad depth argument, theirs is ridiculous compared to ours. But, our first 11 was smashing whatever was put infront of us prior to january, regardless of that dodgy bench. We play city, 7pts clear, and all of a sudden our first 11 goes to pot with the same tactics and lineup.

 

[Jerry Laser]

How can they be bottlers....

we are still in the fuckin title race

 

[juniormember]

We went out of both domestic competitions in the early rounds when we had a 9 point lead at the top, so we could "focus on the league". Now we're 1pt behind City.

Great logic.

Had we gone and won those cup games we'd have been 20 points behind by now.

 

[Farkmaster]

I don't think we are bottling it at all, but I do think we are losing it.

I've had enough of being sanguine and philosophical about that though. Klopp is securing a very good team, and has always favored a longer term approach, and has taken some very good risks in the short term to develop the team we have now. So I should be more patient. But we are having issues with that balance of our squad that have been present for a year and a half.

I've been watching football long enough to know that some things fester while you have patience waiting for the next piece of the puzzle.

 

[Whaddapie]

Bollocks.

We've dropped four 'bad' points all season. City have won 16 of 17 matches on this run.

Just like last time, people are focusing on the wrong things, and listening to the idiots on the radio... We're not bottling anything. We're just not as deep as City and it's shown over the past two months - They're still champions, an outstanding team, and they were never going to wilt as we took a decent lead.

Not every dropped point equates to a bottle job.

 

[mark1975]

Had we gone and won those cup games we'd have been 20 points behind by now.

Considering we've just about got two fit centre backs, I don't think bold predictions about our fitness protection policy are really that helpful or meaningful. We also went away on two holidays to rest players up, yet came back looking lethargic and flat.

 

[Rafiagra]

City have Sane /Sterling / Mahrez they can rotate and any one of them will not be playing. We simply don’t have that luxury.

Sturridge should be that ace up our sleeve but he’s been a huge let down.

Our big problem is our midfield has offered fuck all. Instead we rely on our front 3 and that’s been found wanting this year. Out of them, typically only 1 has been having a good game and that’s not enough.

 

[Jerry Laser]

Those draws would've been losses in previous seasons..

We should take our hats off to Klopp seeing as this is so far our best ever PL season

 

[Dreambeliever]

Those draws would've been losses in previous seasons..

We should take our hats off to Klopp seeing as this is so far our best ever PL season

Let’s save that until we actually achieve that.

The flip side is that this is as weak as the big boys have been for a long time.

City apart, Utd lost their manager and were rubbish until a few weeks ago, Arsenal are by rebuild mode, Chelsea are all over the shop and even Spurs now look like falling back into a race for fourth. And then there is a huge gap to Wolves and Watford.

Based on our stability you could argue we should be easily in second.

If we fall away with a CL deep run like last season it won’t be as impressive as it first looks. Our football for the most part has been worse this season than last, just our results are better.

Big 2 months coming up for the squad starting today

 

[Y1]

If we don't have 3 points from Burnley at Anfield, then I will say we are bottlers and will not win the PL.

 

[Insignificance]

Let’s save that until we actually achieve that.

The flip side is that this is as weak as the big boys have been for a long time.

City apart, Utd lost their manager and were rubbish until a few weeks ago, Arsenal are by rebuild mode, Chelsea are all over the shop and even Spurs now look like falling back into a race for fourth. And then there is a huge gap to Wolves and Watford.

Based on our stability you could argue we should be easily in second.

If we fall away with a CL deep run like last season it won’t be as impressive as it first looks. Our football for the most part has been worse this season than last, just our results are better.

Big 2 months coming up for the squad starting today

Nah. Big boys better than usual. Not for many years English teams have been this strong in Europe. PL is competitive and that "big" teams loose points can just as well be that other teams are good.

Save your praise if you need further proof that Klopp has taken us places, but don't make lame excuses. Out football is worse than last season because the standard we set last season was amazing.