Match Ratings
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Alisson 9
Trent 7
Matip 7.5
Virg 8
Tsimikas 8
Hendo 7
Keita 7
Elliott 7.5
Mane 7 - +1 for the goal
Jota 7 - Same as Mane
Mo 8
We were far from our best, quite sloppy especially playing out from our own half…gave too many chances which if we were playing a half decent side would’ve conceded 1 or 2
Trent 7
Matip 7.5
Virg 8
Tsimikas 8
Hendo 7
Keita 7
Elliott 7.5
Mane 7 - +1 for the goal
Jota 7 - Same as Mane
Mo 8
We were far from our best, quite sloppy especially playing out from our own half…gave too many chances which if we were playing a half decent side would’ve conceded 1 or 2
Midfield felt a little light - felt like we lost a lot of the second balls and they were able to bypass our midfield too easily.
Probably more of a reflection of Fabinho not playing and his importance.
In an attacking sense - TAA, Harvey & Mo looked good as an attacking unit.
Despite Tsimikas getting an assist and putting in a good shift - the Left didn’t quite get as well - Mane still feels a bit off form and Kieta did nothing of note, while being “tidy”.
It feels like Klopp tweaked how the midfield sets up for this sort of game - with one sitting in front of the centre backs and 2 pushing forward into the channels just inside the full backs - which gives us overload options out wide, but could leave us exposed through the middle.
Maybe I just haven’t watched enough of our games properly towards the end of last season - but it feels like an attempt to come up with a way to break down teams that sit deep and make it hard for us.
Mane & Jotta were interchanging quite a bit - and at times it felt Jotta was coming very deep when he was in the central position.
Probably more of a reflection of Fabinho not playing and his importance.
In an attacking sense - TAA, Harvey & Mo looked good as an attacking unit.
Despite Tsimikas getting an assist and putting in a good shift - the Left didn’t quite get as well - Mane still feels a bit off form and Kieta did nothing of note, while being “tidy”.
It feels like Klopp tweaked how the midfield sets up for this sort of game - with one sitting in front of the centre backs and 2 pushing forward into the channels just inside the full backs - which gives us overload options out wide, but could leave us exposed through the middle.
Maybe I just haven’t watched enough of our games properly towards the end of last season - but it feels like an attempt to come up with a way to break down teams that sit deep and make it hard for us.
Mane & Jotta were interchanging quite a bit - and at times it felt Jotta was coming very deep when he was in the central position.
This apart from Matip who should have gotten a 9.
What this game showed was that we only have Fab as a proper holding mid who gives us the assurance we need in midfielld. Right now I think Fab plus Hendo/Keita are our ONLY holding workmen combo.
If Klopp insists on having Mids that only do recycling and ball recovery then we need cover for Fab. But seriously we paid fucking 50M+ for keita I expect a lot fucking more than him doing Gini immitations.
Also when Klopp took off Keita and replaced him with Thiago, thought we were terrible. I never feel comfortable having him (Thiago) as support for Hendo or Fab as the other workmen Midfielder.
I mentioned this before the game. They adjusted a bit, with Hendo and Keita shoring it up defensively and also the team being more compact.
Elliott looked tidy, but he didn't have much impact defensively, which leaves quite a bit of space for the the other two to cover.
Agreed, he gave away free kicks and got caught out, he prefers playing further up the pitch.
He’s more than a sound backup. I wish we had similar quality backup for the right hand side.
With milner and fab unavailable he picked the only midfield he could, what with thiago being a lazy piece of shit who clearly prefers watching football than playing it
Becker 9
TAA 8
Matip 8
VVD 8
The Greek 8
Keita 6
Henderson 7
Elliot 8
Mane 7
Jota 7
Salah 7
TAA 8
Matip 8
VVD 8
The Greek 8
Keita 6
Henderson 7
Elliot 8
Mane 7
Jota 7
Salah 7
Reposting from the match thread:
Alisson 7.5 – aerially dominant, except that one chance that somehow wasn't called a foul. But otherwise his calmness and control of the penalty area and beyond didn't give Burnely any flicker of a hope and when they did shoot on goal he saved excellently. He looks sharp and determined at the start of this season.
Trent 7.5 MOTM – made several important defensive interventions and his lovely dink for Mane was the standout moment of joga bonito of the afternoon.
Matip 7.5 – looked as elegant and in control as ever, hoovering up loose balls and through balls in Fabinho-esque fashion. As long as he's fit, he will start all the important games alongside Van Dijk, methinks.
Van Dijk 7 – probably still some way off 100%, but already showing how much we've missed him. There would be no 2nd goal without his trademark cross-field pass and he’s won all the key headers.
Tsimikas 7 – untroubled defensively, peach of an assist for Jota and proved his fighting spirit to the fans after winning that ridiculous physical tussle seconds after injuring his shoulder. I'm genuinely looking forward to see him play more this season, well done Kostas!
Henderson 6.5 – kept things ticking over in midfield, but no stand-out moments.
Keita 6.5 – pretty much same as Hendo, only a bit further up field. He seems to be well on the way to transforming into a Gini clone in the way he plays; let's hope his fitness follows suit. Got a big hug from Klopp after the substitution.
Elliott 7 – lively and sharp with a few misplaced passes and a few really nice ones, such as the "assist" for the disallowed goal. It's interesting to think about how he compares to Shaq, Curtis or Ox in that advanced 3rd midfielder role; so far it's too early to tell, but starting, playing well and playing the full 90 is a big milestone for him.
Salah 7 – very unlucky not to get on the scoresheet, denied by a tiny offside and a stupendous goal-line block by McNeal. Sharp and switched-on throughout, started to get a bit greedy by the end.
Jota 7 – His predatory instincts and occasional shithousery make defenders' lives uncomfortable and he seems to do a better job in being a focal point and in the interplay with Salah and Mane compared to last season. It will be interesting to see if Klopp continues to use him in that role once everyone gets fully up to speed, but at least for now having 2 forwards in Jota and Salah with real cutting edge about them is really, really helpful: this game and the Norwich game might have panned out completely differently without his early goals that were scored against the run of play.
Mane 6 – Super wasteful with his chances today and didn't create anything for others; that's not the Mane we need and love. Still getting on the end of plenty of chances, so it seems like only a small adjustment or a sudden burst of confidence and he'll be back; let's hope this goal will do that.
Subs:
Firmino 6 – for a playmaker, his passing wasn't great and scuffed his only scoring chance. For now, deservedly on the bench behind Jota.
Thiago 6 – lost concentration for one moment, otherwise OK
Gomez n/a
Klopp 7.5 – I like how he changed his mind on the subs and held Firmino and Thiago back for 15 minutes as we just started building momentum around 60 minutes and the subs would have disrupted the flow.
Alisson 7.5 – aerially dominant, except that one chance that somehow wasn't called a foul. But otherwise his calmness and control of the penalty area and beyond didn't give Burnely any flicker of a hope and when they did shoot on goal he saved excellently. He looks sharp and determined at the start of this season.
Trent 7.5 MOTM – made several important defensive interventions and his lovely dink for Mane was the standout moment of joga bonito of the afternoon.
Matip 7.5 – looked as elegant and in control as ever, hoovering up loose balls and through balls in Fabinho-esque fashion. As long as he's fit, he will start all the important games alongside Van Dijk, methinks.
Van Dijk 7 – probably still some way off 100%, but already showing how much we've missed him. There would be no 2nd goal without his trademark cross-field pass and he’s won all the key headers.
Tsimikas 7 – untroubled defensively, peach of an assist for Jota and proved his fighting spirit to the fans after winning that ridiculous physical tussle seconds after injuring his shoulder. I'm genuinely looking forward to see him play more this season, well done Kostas!
Henderson 6.5 – kept things ticking over in midfield, but no stand-out moments.
Keita 6.5 – pretty much same as Hendo, only a bit further up field. He seems to be well on the way to transforming into a Gini clone in the way he plays; let's hope his fitness follows suit. Got a big hug from Klopp after the substitution.
Elliott 7 – lively and sharp with a few misplaced passes and a few really nice ones, such as the "assist" for the disallowed goal. It's interesting to think about how he compares to Shaq, Curtis or Ox in that advanced 3rd midfielder role; so far it's too early to tell, but starting, playing well and playing the full 90 is a big milestone for him.
Salah 7 – very unlucky not to get on the scoresheet, denied by a tiny offside and a stupendous goal-line block by McNeal. Sharp and switched-on throughout, started to get a bit greedy by the end.
Jota 7 – His predatory instincts and occasional shithousery make defenders' lives uncomfortable and he seems to do a better job in being a focal point and in the interplay with Salah and Mane compared to last season. It will be interesting to see if Klopp continues to use him in that role once everyone gets fully up to speed, but at least for now having 2 forwards in Jota and Salah with real cutting edge about them is really, really helpful: this game and the Norwich game might have panned out completely differently without his early goals that were scored against the run of play.
Mane 6 – Super wasteful with his chances today and didn't create anything for others; that's not the Mane we need and love. Still getting on the end of plenty of chances, so it seems like only a small adjustment or a sudden burst of confidence and he'll be back; let's hope this goal will do that.
Subs:
Firmino 6 – for a playmaker, his passing wasn't great and scuffed his only scoring chance. For now, deservedly on the bench behind Jota.
Thiago 6 – lost concentration for one moment, otherwise OK
Gomez n/a
Klopp 7.5 – I like how he changed his mind on the subs and held Firmino and Thiago back for 15 minutes as we just started building momentum around 60 minutes and the subs would have disrupted the flow.
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Usual dirty shithouse tactics from Burnley, with our boys getting forearms to the back of the head all day and then seeing their players go down under the slightest contact. Seriously, fuck those cunts. We were professional but largely unspectacular, a few nice moments and cute little interplays, but we were far from our bombastic best, yet still managed to win 2-0. Burnley only really had a couple of little spells where they put us under sustained pressure, but nonetheless still managed to carve out a few dangerous chances - their physicality as always proving a bit of a handful.
Alisson - 8.5:
Made several decent saves and I would say won us the game as he kept them from getting a foothold at crucial times that might've taken the wind out of our sails and perked them up a bit. Had a relatively busy day at the office and a couple of slight iffy moments but was largely excellent. MOTM.
Trent - 7.5:
Had a shocking first 15-20 minutes defensively and looked all over the place. Grew into the game and obviously provided a lovely assist, probably should've had more than one on another day. I felt he kinda got caught out a bit by the physical battle at times, but improved defensively after a very shakey start.
Matip - 8:
Calm and composed, didn't seem too bothered by the rough approach from Burnley, a very solid display. Please stay fit.
Virg - 8:
Still not back to his best, yet still imperious in defence and marshalled the rest of the back four well. It's good to have that long diagonal cross-field ball back (among other things!)
Kostas - 8:
Combative and committed, he put dangerous looking balls into box all game - whether from set pieces or open play - and looked pretty sharp all game. A very reassuring performance, if he can play like this every week then we don't have to worry if Robbo gets injured or needs a rest.
Harvey - 7:
Very promising showing, he was dynamic, drew their players in for fouls and showed a lot of maturity for one so young. Tracked back a bit, but offered much more going forward as you would expect, he never hid and the Trent-Harvey-Mo trio looks to have a lot of potential. Final ball was a bit lacking at times, but had a couple of excellent passes to Mo that really deserved a goal - the disallowed one I particularly liked as he bypassed the easy option to Trent which would have played him into trouble (or at least traffic) and threaded a lovely ball through that got put in the back of the net. He also popped up on the other side when we broke and whipped in a lovely cross which could easily have been a goal. And obviously a nice 'assist to the assist'. A lovely little full league debut.
Hendo - 6.5:
More progressive and expansive in his passing than Naby, quicker and better use of the ball - but not a great performance. He can do a job at DM if Fabs isn't available, but that's the only time I want to see him there; the way the Burnley player just slipped past him for their disallowed goal was terrible. He did okay, but nothing more than that.
Keita - 6:
Didn't really impose himself on the game, he was just kind of...there. Kept it short and simple, didn't give the ball away too much, didn't win it back too much, didn't really do anything of note - his 'assist to the assist' was decidedly meh. He wasn't shit is probably the most effusive praise I could lavish on him, I'm actually struggling to really remember much about his game.
Mo - 7:
Deserved a goal and looked the most consistently dangerous of the front 3, kinda surprised he didn't score tbh and he probably should've.
Jota - 7:
Decent. Made a nuisance of himself and he seems to have good spatial awareness to make dangerous runs and get into goalscoring positions. Would have like to see him get a bit more into the game and on the ball and making those mazy runs where he turns the defenders inside and out, but that could be partly down to playing more centrally rather than out wide. Fuck knows how we didn't get a penalty when the Burnley player decided to bundle him over in the box, what was that about?
Mane - 6:
Wasteful. 'Proper Mane' would have had 3 or 4, but he's still operating at that level a few steps down where his first touch lets him down, or he scuffs his shot, or it's right at the keeper instead of in the corner. He's looking sharper than last year, and he (finally!) took his goal well, but I worry that he might never get back to pre-Covid levels. He'll still be a very good player, but not that devastating weapon that tears defences apart.
Bobby - 6:
Can't really remember him doing anything.
Thiago - 4.5:
Came on and promptly started giving the ball away in dangerous places, no intensity, far too casual
Alisson - 8.5:
Made several decent saves and I would say won us the game as he kept them from getting a foothold at crucial times that might've taken the wind out of our sails and perked them up a bit. Had a relatively busy day at the office and a couple of slight iffy moments but was largely excellent. MOTM.
Trent - 7.5:
Had a shocking first 15-20 minutes defensively and looked all over the place. Grew into the game and obviously provided a lovely assist, probably should've had more than one on another day. I felt he kinda got caught out a bit by the physical battle at times, but improved defensively after a very shakey start.
Matip - 8:
Calm and composed, didn't seem too bothered by the rough approach from Burnley, a very solid display. Please stay fit.
Virg - 8:
Still not back to his best, yet still imperious in defence and marshalled the rest of the back four well. It's good to have that long diagonal cross-field ball back (among other things!)
Kostas - 8:
Combative and committed, he put dangerous looking balls into box all game - whether from set pieces or open play - and looked pretty sharp all game. A very reassuring performance, if he can play like this every week then we don't have to worry if Robbo gets injured or needs a rest.
Harvey - 7:
Very promising showing, he was dynamic, drew their players in for fouls and showed a lot of maturity for one so young. Tracked back a bit, but offered much more going forward as you would expect, he never hid and the Trent-Harvey-Mo trio looks to have a lot of potential. Final ball was a bit lacking at times, but had a couple of excellent passes to Mo that really deserved a goal - the disallowed one I particularly liked as he bypassed the easy option to Trent which would have played him into trouble (or at least traffic) and threaded a lovely ball through that got put in the back of the net. He also popped up on the other side when we broke and whipped in a lovely cross which could easily have been a goal. And obviously a nice 'assist to the assist'. A lovely little full league debut.
Hendo - 6.5:
More progressive and expansive in his passing than Naby, quicker and better use of the ball - but not a great performance. He can do a job at DM if Fabs isn't available, but that's the only time I want to see him there; the way the Burnley player just slipped past him for their disallowed goal was terrible. He did okay, but nothing more than that.
Keita - 6:
Didn't really impose himself on the game, he was just kind of...there. Kept it short and simple, didn't give the ball away too much, didn't win it back too much, didn't really do anything of note - his 'assist to the assist' was decidedly meh. He wasn't shit is probably the most effusive praise I could lavish on him, I'm actually struggling to really remember much about his game.
Mo - 7:
Deserved a goal and looked the most consistently dangerous of the front 3, kinda surprised he didn't score tbh and he probably should've.
Jota - 7:
Decent. Made a nuisance of himself and he seems to have good spatial awareness to make dangerous runs and get into goalscoring positions. Would have like to see him get a bit more into the game and on the ball and making those mazy runs where he turns the defenders inside and out, but that could be partly down to playing more centrally rather than out wide. Fuck knows how we didn't get a penalty when the Burnley player decided to bundle him over in the box, what was that about?
Mane - 6:
Wasteful. 'Proper Mane' would have had 3 or 4, but he's still operating at that level a few steps down where his first touch lets him down, or he scuffs his shot, or it's right at the keeper instead of in the corner. He's looking sharper than last year, and he (finally!) took his goal well, but I worry that he might never get back to pre-Covid levels. He'll still be a very good player, but not that devastating weapon that tears defences apart.
Bobby - 6:
Can't really remember him doing anything.
Thiago - 4.5:
Came on and promptly started giving the ball away in dangerous places, no intensity, far too casual
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