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Liverpool v Manchester City - Match Thread

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Well how do you pick the bones out of that? I suggest with a fucking shovel. Bury the bones deep and start over. Thing is though - we’re in serious shit. No denying that.
 
Klopp likes to play his big time players in the big time games but he forgot that all our big time players are fucked from being played constantly for three years. The only thing he can do is select squad players instead but most of them are also playing shit and aren't good enough to begin with. Having said that his reluctance to play any of the 4 available centre backs is strange considering our midfield is utterly bereft of ideas, energy and attitude at the moment.
We're lurching from one bad result to another especially at Anfield and he needs to do something quick to sort it out or we'll be mid table come March never mind May.
 
Mate our attack virtually stood still today. They waited for Robbo and TAA to make runs up the wing yet the passes were there to be made from midfield if the runs had been made when we won turnover. Instead they stayed in front of the defenders and it ended up getting recycled ... as has been the case in recent matches too.

Honestly think if we can try a change in midfield with Hendo, it will make a massive difference to the front lot. There seems to be a huge amount of fear in the side now and that includes Klopp, since we have started winning that’s kind of expected I guess because as team focus on what has previously worked.

Often form like this doesn’t need whole sale changes, one or two tweaks can awaken the machine. Hope Klopp forgets about the lack of trust in the defense and freshens the midfield, get them to press and be braver. That will take pressure of Robbo and TAA, right now TAA seems to be the only playmaker. If not, bring Neco or Milner in RB and give couple of games for TAA in midfield just to get them going again.
 
On a more positive note, I didn’t watch the game, so the defeat wasn’t my fault and I didn’t have to sit through that shit-show.

Silver linings...
 
On a more positive note, I didn’t watch the game, so the defeat wasn’t my fault and I didn’t have to sit through that shit-show.

Silver linings...

You should have watched the game then and we probably would have won. It's on you.
 
You should have watched the game then and we probably would have won. It's on you.

Every other game I’ve watched since Christmas we’ve lost.

I don’t decide when the gods of fate flip their jinxyness.

I did wake up at 1-1 though... so you might be right - maybe I have to be asleep the entire game!!!!!
 
Every other game I’ve watched since Christmas we’ve lost.

I don’t decide when the gods of fate flip their jinxyness.

I did wake up at 1-1 though... so you might be right - maybe I have to be asleep the entire game!!!!!
Mate, we have all watched lots of games where we have lost recently.
🙁
 
outplayed

Its funny in retrospect because your title defence doesnt start the first day of the season, it starts your first game after you become champions. We rocked up to City after clinching the title last year in party mode and they wanted to make a statement. They pasted us, no big deal we're Champions right. Well in my view we relinquished the title tonight playing the same sloppy, lethargic football we did last July.

City are sharper, hungrier and better balanced than us. They will walk it from here. We are not champions anymore, we need to let that sink in so we can stop deluding ourselves, then we need to start rebuilding for 21/22.
 
Its funny in retrospect because your title defence doesnt start the first day of the season, it starts your first game after you become champions. We rocked up to City after clinching the title last year in party mode and they wanted to make a statement. They pasted us, no big deal we're Champions right. Well in my view we relinquished the title tonight playing the same sloppy, lethargic football we did last July.

City are sharper, hungrier and better balanced than us. They will walk it from here. We are not champions anymore, we need to let that sink in so we can stop deluding ourselves, then we need to start rebuilding for 21/22.

Did you actually see the game ? - after we equalized with the penalty they were pretty much pegged back and we had most of the ball until our goal-keeper screwed us up. That is what happened today, and if I was to pick a fault I would say that taking off Curtis was a mistake, he has energy to get past players etc. and we needed that. The first half was ours clearly, and we played a lot of good football in the game, it does not matter because ultimately the score-line shows we lost 1-4. But take-away the mistakes and all I can say is that we were pretty matched with them. It's a shame the way it turned out, real shame. We just got to pick ourselves up and move on, and am excited to see our new recruits in action at the back.
 
Did you actually see the game ? - after we equalized with the penalty they were pretty much pegged back and we had most of the ball until our goal-keeper screwed us up. That is what happened today, and if I was to pick a fault I would say that taking off Curtis was a mistake, he has energy to get past players etc. and we needed that. The first half was ours clearly, and we played a lot of good football in the game, it does not matter because ultimately the score-line shows we lost 1-4. But take-away the mistakes and all I can say is that we were pretty matched with them. It's a shame the way it turned out, real shame. We just got to pick ourselves up and move on, and am excited to see our new recruits in action at the back.
Indeed. it seems to have been forgotten it all went downhill from the substitutions. Thiago and Jones were right on it in controlling the midfield and pushing us forward, we were in the ascendancy at that time and it looked as if we could go on and win it. In the 68th minute Klopp made that double change and although Millie had some involvement (mainly on the left, meaning we had less bodies in the centre) Shaq. was literally invisible, not involved in defending or in attack.

That's where the game tilted on its head and City took control (scoring just 5 and again 8 mins later, yes from Ali's errors but it's likely he wouldn't have been in those situations with Jones & Thiago on the pitch). It was far and away the worst set of substitutions I've ever seen Klopp make and I still can't reason out why he made them. Strengthen midfield to try and win it? Then put Kabak or Phillips into the back 4 and push Hendo or Fabs into midfield, but taking off two of our most influential players on the pitch ? WTF.
 
I think its important to not underestimate the difference Fabinho and Henderson will make to our midfield, if we could get Kabak bedded in alongside Fabinho and then introduce Davies or visa versa and have some passing range and defensive cover from Hendo & Fab I think our fortunes could largely swing around into our favour.
 
As the saying goes, sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. If this defeat will serve as anything, it will root out those that are up for the fight and those who are not. As we've said elsewhere, there's not a single reason for our capitulation, it's a combination of things, but yesterday should serve as a wake up call. We won the league, that's not "mission completed", as seems to be the case with some, it's about fighting for it again.

We aren't winning it this year, that much is obvious, we've had too many things go against us, it's a weird climate and I think we're suffering a bit of a hangover.

The league win itself, while triumphant and long overdue, when it did happen it was more of a relief than the ecstasy it should have been. There were no fans, we'd spent months fretting about whether one of our best ever seasons would be chalked off the board, so when we got over the line, I don't know about anyone else, but it was pretty much like a marathon winner collapsing to his knees just beyond the finish line, the sheer relief, mental exhaustion and emotion was just too much.

The motivation now should be to win it with the fans back, to get back to our scintillating best and have a proper celebration. There's no point celebrating last seasons win now, it's done, it's history. As predicted, it would be an embarrassment having a parade if we're currently faltering as a team.

I don't think winning it next season will be easy, it never is. There are a couple of areas of concern, we need to think long and hard about Bobby, Gini and the backline, Alisson has regular injuries, so we need a good understudy. Trent for me isn't a defender, we should buy a right back and either use him there in games where we feel we can get away with it, or push him into the inside right midfield position.

I wouldn't be surprised if Salah is the big departure that we've gotten away with for a couple of seasons. Like I said, many players probably feel it's "job done"; they won the CL, the FIFA Club Cup and the League. So they will either feel they've achieved their career target, or at least inclined to win a big league elsewhere. Our current form won't help our ability to keep the likes of Salah, put it that way. And let's face it, if there's a rebuild on the cards, it's FSG's prerogative.

Like I said though, now is the time to start looking ahead, not pinning our hopes on our best XI from last season, because a few of those players aren't the same players any more, Gomez and Matip should be out of our thoughts until the Summer, move on, try what we have and see where they are at and whether they are good enough. Get Phillips back in the side, the lad's done nothing wrong, push Hendo into midfield. Give Salah a stint in the middle and give someone else a go on the right, with Bobby on the bench. And please fuck off Origi, he's gone in the Summer, giving him minutes is an embarrassment to him and us, he's not good enough and he doesn't fit. Shaq and Ox are both there, give one of them a run, at least we will then know by the Summer who is deserving of a future here and who isn't (the sooner Jota is back, the better).

Klopp needs to trust his squad more. If he doesn't, then serious questions need to be asked about our transfer policy at the lower end and if there's any actual end goal in mind when we buy the likes of Shaqiri, Minamino, Tsimikas, etc. I love Klopp, but he's made some baffling decisions and outbursts this season, he can't moan about fixture scheduling, injuries etc, when he has players there on the bench he is refusing to use, while the likes of Origi are being afforded minutes and players like Jota are risked in meaningless games.
 
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Indeed. it seems to have been forgotten it all went downhill from the substitutions. Thiago and Jones were right on it in controlling the midfield and pushing us forward, we were in the ascendancy at that time and it looked as if we could go on and win it. In the 68th minute Klopp made that double change and although Millie had some involvement (mainly on the left, meaning we had less bodies in the centre) Shaq. was literally invisible, not involved in defending or in attack.

That's where the game tilted on its head and City took control (scoring just 5 and again 8 mins later, yes from Ali's errors but it's likely he wouldn't have been in those situations with Jones & Thiago on the pitch). It was far and away the worst set of substitutions I've ever seen Klopp make and I still can't reason out why he made them. Strengthen midfield to try and win it? Then put Kabak or Phillips into the back 4 and push Hendo or Fabs into midfield, but taking off two of our most influential players on the pitch ? WTF.

I agree on all those points - when he made those substitutions I really could not understand them at all, there was no reason and I totally agree on that point about if they had been on the pitch it is highly unlikely that Ali would have been put into that position. I keep replaying that thought in my head over and over again - why did he make those substitutions ? - have also noticed that since Jones was partially responsible for that goal against WBA - Klopp has kind of limited his time in games now, which I think is unfortunate - as I think he can do a full 90 mins. I also think the players themselves (the ones that were on the pitch after the subs came on) were a bit confused by those substitutions - because it suddenly changed their ability to retain possession. Complete fuck up.
 
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