I want to kick a magpie (post match thread Newcastle away)

[Frogfish]

I've not really read any of the post match stuff in the media or on here.

We played well in patches again and as usual, the players who look like they give a fuck are the same ones (Henderson, Robbo, Milner), while Salah looks his usual "only happy when he scores" self.

Klopp is a brilliant manager, he's won everything and deserves the trust of everyone, but the niggling criticism I've always had of him is that he doesn't change things within games quickly enough. Phillips was struggling throughout the game and he should probably have changed it at half time. Any problems we had stemmed from his nervousness and not being very good on the ball, the one on one was laughably bad. As loathed as I was pre-match to see Henderson at the back, the way the game panned out it would have been common sense to take Phillips off at half time and push Henderson into the backline, or bring Gini on to do the same.

We then have Thiago and Shaqiri sat there on the bench in a game that was screaming out for that kind of creativity. Granted, we created clear chances that we fluffed, so maybe a different attacker would have been an option too - personally I thought Firmino was back to being gash and it would have made sense to take him off, push Salah central and bring on Shaqiri wide right, as he would have wandered centrally and fed other players.

Returning to my point about Klopp, regardless of whether we are top, the last two games were ample opportunity to create a gap at the top, with tougher games ahead of us. It's not petty or spoiled fan stuff, it's blatantly fucking obvious. We'll rue these dropped points if we slip up at Southampton and other sides capitalise with their games in hand. It's great that we're back in the mix, especially given the torrid injuries we've had, but some decisions this season have been frustrating - a sluggish willingness to try to change approach and that ridiculous away game in the CL where we shot ourselves in the foot by playing first team players unnecessarily. If we'd had Jota available of late, I'd wager he'd have been the difference between draws and wins. It was an idiotic decision, regardless of what success Klopp has had, and it just made his moaning over scheduling look ridiculous. As does refusing to utilise the depth of his talented squad.

Triple A post.

 

[mom]

4 of the bottom 6.

1-1 A Brighton
1-1 H WBA
1-1 A Fulham
0-0 A Newcastle

Yeh it’s hard to put a positive spin on that. Points dropped however you spin it, but, early days and all that...

 

[ibromurph]

Watching Thiago play is a joy. Our threat went up immediately after his introduction with pinpoint switches of play and excellent passing between the lines, which he wraps in with pace.

He really should be our number 6 (in a 4-3-3), sitting in front of the defence, but right now I don't think he has the fitness to cover when the FBs go forward. I'd also worry that playing him there, with Phillips at the back, would mean we'd be left too exposed.

What he does have though is the vision and technical execution to switch play effortlessly and find that vertical pass between the lines.

Gini, Milner and Henderson just go sideways too often, it really is too predictable and easy to defend. They also, don't show enough bravery or trust in their teammates taking the ball under pressure. Thiago does. And it also doesn't take him 3 or 4 touches to control the ball (as it does sometimes with Hendo).

I think our best team, right now would involve Thiago and Henderson playing in a 2 together. With someone like Jones or Keita (or Shaq/Minamino) as an AM.

Long term, it might be Fabinho and Thiago in the 2 DM roles, with Jota/Bobby as the AM.

 

[Bradley]

It's all down to fatigue. Too many players having to many minutes.

In some circumstances that's on Klopp (Jota), in others it's just the way things have unfolded.

 

[gkmacca]

Oh for christ's sake stop moaning about Jota. No one expected those opponents to suddenly go around the pitch trying to injure as many players as possible. We were lucky we had any players left on the pitch after that. Outside of computer games, shit happens. Maybe they should release or 'drop' a game called 'Shit Happens'. It might help prepare people for the vicissitudes of real life.

 

[Fabio]

Oh for christ's sake stop moaning about Jota. No one expected those opponents to suddenly go around the pitch trying to injure as many players as possible. We were lucky we had any players left on the pitch after that. Outside of computer games, shit happens. Maybe they should release or 'drop' a game called 'Shit Happens'. It might help prepare people for the vicissitudes of real life.

Why shouldn't we moan about Jota? Arguably our most in form attacker when klopp played him in a dead rubber.

Injuries are shit and random, but that doesnt mean we can't be irritated when our most important players are played for no valid reason

 

[HC]

Thiago instantly made us look better.

Unlike hendo,Jones or milner he was able to instantly offer passes and was prepared to pass the ball forward

Fabinho is ultimately Going to be boss wherever he plays , he's smart and can kick a ball and isn't exactly a slouch , he's most definitely our best fit Cb and in all honesty id prefer him play alongside vvd then Joe Gomez when all are fit , we do miss his presence in the middle of the park but if we didn't have him at CB right now we would almost certainly be doing worse than we are

 

[bluebell]

We are missing the ariel threat of our defenders. As much I criticize Matip, he was a threat in the opposition box.
We need a defender and LB. We'll have to play the U23 for the FA cup

 

[moron]

You really don't need to play at being the club apologist. They've got a whole media dept. who are far better at it than you. You seem to be all over the forum trying to put out fires.

If I were debating with a Manc or Bluenose then my tone would be different but in this forum we can at least be honest.

If you think we can continue to draw multiple games against bottom 6 teams (4/5 so far, the only win being 2-1 H Sheff Utd, we haven't played Burnley yet) and win the PL you are deluded. It's like giving City or United a 5 point head start.
This team are that good they may be capable of overcoming that in a normal season ... but possibly not with the fixture congestion and without VvD, Matip & Gomez for large parts of the season.

@Frogfish - beautiful

 

[moron]

Well at least we have Thiago back. Almost everything he does is meaningful, and his forward or diagonal passes come from situations where you’re certain all our other midfielders would go sideways.
And his leap. Didn’t notice it before but I don’t think he lost a single header. He probably jumps as high as Mane.
Felt shite about the result but have decided that creaming about Thiago will see me through to the next game. What a player.

Thiago's football skills allow him to be the equivalent of people who are very incisive with speech where there is no small talk and no waste, and every word spoken is meaningful and to the point. I just hope he stays fit.

 

[bluebell]

We are missing the ariel threat of our defenders. As much I criticize Matip, he was a threat in the opposition box.

 

[Whaddapie]

The only reason we are top is because everyone else has been hopeless.

Maybe so. And also irrelevant. You can also claim, equally correctly, that the only reason it's even close is because we've been decimated by injuries AND a bit rubbish recently.

Bottom line: We're top because, as we speak, we're the best team out there. The reasons for that are many.

 

[tombrown]

We are missing the ariel threat of our defenders. As much I criticize Matip, he was a threat in the opposition box.

You can say that, again!