Ross doesnt believe he was a good signing for that fee, so he'll be doing his all to lay blame or make him look bad. Just watch if he has a poor game in the future.
Swans meltdown
- Thread starter rurikbird
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Ross doesnt believe he was a good signing for that fee, so he'll be doing his all to lay blame or make him look bad. Just watch if he has a poor game in the future.
Which must mean you think he made a mistake.
I understand how the mistake came to be, as do you but it was still a mistake. A mistake from a set piece, which was what he was brought in to help prevent.
He looks like a wonderful footballer at times, but that means fuck all if he gets assists for goals scored against us.
Its interesting - I recall, and I am sure a review of (pre) match threads will confirm it, that in the first few months of the season the line up announcements often gave rise to the comment that our bench looked a lot stronger than it has in years. Since then the only change has been Coutinho's departure & Lallana's return to fitness, but now the bench is "woeful".
Does one player leaving really have such an impact on the list of 7 names?
Does one player leaving really have such an impact on the list of 7 names?
The goal was unfortunate.
But Van Dijk (who had cleared every other corner), did make a poor header on that occasion.
Moreover, it wasn't really his ball to win. He only came onto it as Can/Firmino's pussied out of attacking it.
Also, as much as I like the young man, Gomez is at fault mainly. It was his man that scored. He half goes up for the ball with his eyes closed, and completely loses sight of it and his man (Mawson). Who scored.
But Van Dijk (who had cleared every other corner), did make a poor header on that occasion.
Moreover, it wasn't really his ball to win. He only came onto it as Can/Firmino's pussied out of attacking it.
Also, as much as I like the young man, Gomez is at fault mainly. It was his man that scored. He half goes up for the ball with his eyes closed, and completely loses sight of it and his man (Mawson). Who scored.
We have a stronger bench than last season. We have had Sturridge, Ox, Lovren/Klavan, Solanke, Gruijic, Can/Wijnaldum/Milner/Henderson and lately also Ings and Lallana available from the bench, I am not sure where this uninspiring bench comes from, as it is Natural that the starting XI is better than the sub VII, but having a load of Internationals ready to enter from the bench has pushed the Whole team in the right direction even if the subs so far haven't done too much for us when coming on.
I don't bother to talk about Coutinho. He is gone, and it is mixed feelings aropund that. Wish he was here, but as with Suarez he has a huge red stamp over his future so I Guess him doing well will be a sort of testimony to us as well. He wouldn't been on the bench anyway yesterday as he is injured.
The game yesterday was played on a rubbish Pitch, and somehow we didn't get Our energy level to a satisfactory level. We run too little and pressed not hard enough. Still I felt we were the far better team out there and should got something from this game. But it is PL and you will not get anything for free. You have to fight for every point, and having a good selection on the bench helps.
We're now looking at the bench with the benefit of hindsight too. At the start of the season we had hopes for Solanke (who has been relatively poor), Woodburn (who now can't get on the bench), Sturridge (poor and/or injured), Milner (who has declined), AOC (now in the team, replaced on the bench by Lallana who is struggling after injury), Gomez (who's now in the team), Grujic (who barely had a sniff and is now on loan).
Hopes were being held for each of those players, but things have since changed for various reasons. Practically all of our attacking options from the bench have become either known or ineffectual quantities. Whereas you enter a season with hope that one or two will provide something. Only really AOC has and to a lesser extent, Gomez.
TAA was a real positive, yet he can't get a game lately, despite Gomez's much discussed errors.
So to surmise, we now know where we are at and what we have and it's clear we need more. Losing Coutinho has exemplified that.
Hopes were being held for each of those players, but things have since changed for various reasons. Practically all of our attacking options from the bench have become either known or ineffectual quantities. Whereas you enter a season with hope that one or two will provide something. Only really AOC has and to a lesser extent, Gomez.
TAA was a real positive, yet he can't get a game lately, despite Gomez's much discussed errors.
So to surmise, we now know where we are at and what we have and it's clear we need more. Losing Coutinho has exemplified that.
Hello. Who wants some RAAAAAAAATINGS!?
I'm not going to talk about Coutinho. I'm just going to concentrate on the performances, but a quick summary would be: we played very poorly, Swansea played well, and we didn't really deserve anything. To beat the Champions-elect in a thrilling 4-3 game and then lose the next game to the team at the bottom of the league is, sadly, not a massive surprise.
It seems as if this is the new Liverpool Way under Klopp, given how many times we've seen similar results under him: Swansea twice, Palace twice, Bournemouth, Leicester, Newcastle, West Ham, Burnley...all performances notable for the lack of energy, inspiration and....well, anything at all.
Karius (6) Made one save, let one in. That was about it, really
Gomez (4) One or two impressive recoveries, showing his pace and strength, but a lack of quality in his passing, mistimed tackles, and the now standard horrible mistake as he left the space and time for a dangerous cross that led to the corners and goal.
Matip (6) Occasionally not very calm at all, with some rash challenges and inept shooting. Brought the ball out well at times, but offered little as an attacking threat.
VVD (6) Shanked a few clearances and didn't get enough on his header which led to their goal. Some nice passing and one or two headed chances, but not as his best overall.
Robertson (5) Ordinary. He was given a very tough time by Dyer's pace and trickery, and look less than composed in attack and defence. One or two decent crosses into the box, but another who disappointed on the night.
Can (4) Started OK, but deteriorated as the game went on. Couldn't exert any dominance or even control, and often slowed down play with heavy touches and slow decision-making.
Wijnaldum (3) Classic Shithouse Ghost away display. Looked almost terrified at times to make a forward pass, or even run with the ball. Truly fucking abysmal.
Chamberlain (4) Ran around a lot without doing anything of any value. A couple of decent deliveries was about the sum total of his efforts.
Salah (5) A rare off-game, he ran into their players time and again, and couldn't find time or space. One free-kick effort saved, and another volley ballooned into the stands.
Mane (4) Tried to find space with some clever movement, but every time he had the ball he lost it. Wasted two chances and couldn't beat his man. Poor.
Firmino (4) Plenty of effort and running around. Fuck all else.
I'm not going to talk about Coutinho. I'm just going to concentrate on the performances, but a quick summary would be: we played very poorly, Swansea played well, and we didn't really deserve anything. To beat the Champions-elect in a thrilling 4-3 game and then lose the next game to the team at the bottom of the league is, sadly, not a massive surprise.
It seems as if this is the new Liverpool Way under Klopp, given how many times we've seen similar results under him: Swansea twice, Palace twice, Bournemouth, Leicester, Newcastle, West Ham, Burnley...all performances notable for the lack of energy, inspiration and....well, anything at all.
Karius (6) Made one save, let one in. That was about it, really
Gomez (4) One or two impressive recoveries, showing his pace and strength, but a lack of quality in his passing, mistimed tackles, and the now standard horrible mistake as he left the space and time for a dangerous cross that led to the corners and goal.
Matip (6) Occasionally not very calm at all, with some rash challenges and inept shooting. Brought the ball out well at times, but offered little as an attacking threat.
VVD (6) Shanked a few clearances and didn't get enough on his header which led to their goal. Some nice passing and one or two headed chances, but not as his best overall.
Robertson (5) Ordinary. He was given a very tough time by Dyer's pace and trickery, and look less than composed in attack and defence. One or two decent crosses into the box, but another who disappointed on the night.
Can (4) Started OK, but deteriorated as the game went on. Couldn't exert any dominance or even control, and often slowed down play with heavy touches and slow decision-making.
Wijnaldum (3) Classic Shithouse Ghost away display. Looked almost terrified at times to make a forward pass, or even run with the ball. Truly fucking abysmal.
Chamberlain (4) Ran around a lot without doing anything of any value. A couple of decent deliveries was about the sum total of his efforts.
Salah (5) A rare off-game, he ran into their players time and again, and couldn't find time or space. One free-kick effort saved, and another volley ballooned into the stands.
Mane (4) Tried to find space with some clever movement, but every time he had the ball he lost it. Wasted two chances and couldn't beat his man. Poor.
Firmino (4) Plenty of effort and running around. Fuck all else.
On a positive note, VVD could have had a goal and two assists in this game. His balls to Salah & Firmino were both top notch, especially the one to Mo. It annoyed me that Matip was the one being given more freedom to go forward but it was nice to see at least one of them doing so more often.
Its a typical lacklustre performance away from home after a massive game at home.
The problem is playing huge games at Anfield with possibly the best atmosphere of the season gets the players on a high.... now I am glad they can get up for these games and can perform to an excellent standard, as some players shy away in that kind of cauldron atmosphere. But to do that when it is possibly the hardest game of the season and follow it up with a poor performance against bottom of the table is unforgiveable.
I dont care if Klopp comes out saying the players are tired etc... they had a week to prepare for this game and will have known Swansea would be defensive and try to hold out.
It was glaringly obvious we needed more width and a plan B yesterday, the 433 does not work when teams sit back and pack in tightly, there is no space to play through them.... Why we didnt switch to a 442 with Ox and Mane as wingers I dont know... we also need a proper centre forward to play in the alternative style.
Im fed up of watching us play an Arsenal tippy tappy BS style when it was clear for 60 mins the tactics needed altering.
The problem is playing huge games at Anfield with possibly the best atmosphere of the season gets the players on a high.... now I am glad they can get up for these games and can perform to an excellent standard, as some players shy away in that kind of cauldron atmosphere. But to do that when it is possibly the hardest game of the season and follow it up with a poor performance against bottom of the table is unforgiveable.
I dont care if Klopp comes out saying the players are tired etc... they had a week to prepare for this game and will have known Swansea would be defensive and try to hold out.
It was glaringly obvious we needed more width and a plan B yesterday, the 433 does not work when teams sit back and pack in tightly, there is no space to play through them.... Why we didnt switch to a 442 with Ox and Mane as wingers I dont know... we also need a proper centre forward to play in the alternative style.
Im fed up of watching us play an Arsenal tippy tappy BS style when it was clear for 60 mins the tactics needed altering.
Good points.
Why don't the players figure this out on the pitch in real time or do they have to be instructed to change?
His statistical analysis of the forum suggested that posters were going missing, with an 83% probability that a poster who shall remain nameless, but who will be referred to using this unbreakable cypher– Da**e* was 'weeding' out forumites at the end of a sharp blade. And then he disappeared himself.
In the last month or so we've dropped points at home against Everton and West Brom, were unlucky not to beat Chelsea, beat Citeh and got beat by Swansea. Scraped wins against Burnley and Leicester, so I don't really think the standard of the opposition is the issue.
We're just unpredictable and often a bit crap. One of the few probs I have with Klopp is his unlikeness to change it when it ain't working. Gini should have been sold at half time and Lallana brought on. TAA for Gomez. Little things like that might have made the difference.
We're just unpredictable and often a bit crap. One of the few probs I have with Klopp is his unlikeness to change it when it ain't working. Gini should have been sold at half time and Lallana brought on. TAA for Gomez. Little things like that might have made the difference.
If it's not working at least try to change it.
I'm not sure why someone doesnt use a bit of nous....
Maybe they arent allowed and Klopp thinks eventually we will break them down.... but surely by 60 / 65 mins with about 1 shot on target and countless times where the ball through the eye of needle was cut out you need to say "right lets change the tactics here".
We have the players to play with 2 wingers.... just maybe not a decent CF who can score a headed goal...
It's not a meltdown to lose a game like this.
We rode our luck at times during this run, sometimes looking unconvincing, sometimes looking great, and generally looking better when we played open teams or forced the game to be open by scoring.
I don't think we're better than we are, so I'm not surprised when we drop points like this. Our midfield has been unconvincing in games like this, all season. Coutinho makes our team better, but there's also just something to be said for the percentages. You aren't always going to play well. If you have some match winners in the side, they are more likely to do something. They won't always, but the more people on the pitch that can create, the more likely you'll break a game like this open. We've never had a problem with an open game.
We rode our luck at times during this run, sometimes looking unconvincing, sometimes looking great, and generally looking better when we played open teams or forced the game to be open by scoring.
I don't think we're better than we are, so I'm not surprised when we drop points like this. Our midfield has been unconvincing in games like this, all season. Coutinho makes our team better, but there's also just something to be said for the percentages. You aren't always going to play well. If you have some match winners in the side, they are more likely to do something. They won't always, but the more people on the pitch that can create, the more likely you'll break a game like this open. We've never had a problem with an open game.
This is a realistic view and so we shouldn't overplay the occasional loss for the reasons explained. It is however frustrating that we persist with tactics in-game when a change of personnel or tactic might yield better results.
It's just Liverpool being Liverpool. Christmas god knows when we played to a crap draw at home to go top of the league under Rafa, and it's one of the only times I've ever heard the kop boo the side off. We'd just gone fucking top, but we were all expecting Torres and co to batter a shit West Ham. I can't remember it being any other way since the very early 90s. We have these results, it's a twat but it's just how we are.
EDIT: 10 years and a few weeks ago. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7748435.stm
EDIT: 10 years and a few weeks ago. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7748435.stm
I feel more and more that they may as well break the league in two, leaving the top ten, with the best squads, to play football against each other, and the rest to relax a bit among themselves and maybe even start to play a bit instead of spending about a third of their fixtures trying to block out the big boys. Because for all of their doughtiness in doing it well enough to sometimes nick a win, it just ISN'T tactical genius, it's blatantly obvious that no team finds it easy to play against a massed defence. It's fine for a one-off cup game of minnows against the big fish, but there aren't supposed to be any minnows in this glorious league of ours. And it makes for the most arid, boring, frustrating football for all except fans of these 'little' teams, who don't really play for anything other than another year of the big money. Great for accountants but lousy for everyone else. Christ, some of these teams make the Wimbledon of old seem like footballing purists - at least they attacked. If the Premier League was really the best league in the world, you'd have the majority of games being entertaining contests, not so many of them seeming like a continuous loop of the same deadly dull match. No, they're not doing anything wrong, they don't play for you and you can praise them for their effort and discipline, but in terms of the league as a whole they're turning it into an anti-spectator sport. Frankly, whoever the teams are, I don't ever want to watch another game like that, I've seen way too many and it's not big and it's not clever.
The Premier League in 2017 was second only to La Liga for average number of goals scored per game
Don't let the mindless youths mislead you, not all goals are scored equal.
1. Not enough creativity out of midfield or the wide areas. Throw a blanket over Chamberlain, Wijnaldum, Can really. The don't create openings through clever passing movements, or engineer openings through passing. Anything they ever do create is through a surging run - which was impossible against a blanker 10 man defence. Lallana should have been brought on much earlier or started.
2. Full backs playing much too deep. Took Robertson and Gomez until the 70th minute to get high enough up the pitch.
3. In games like this - and we see plenty of them - you have to convert the one or two good chances you get. Mane takes a better touch in the first half when it was lobbed over the top to him, Salah doesn't sky the volley, Ings buries his half chance, Firmino/Lallana dont' fuck it up at the end. All good chances. You don't get 15 of them in games like this ever, so you have to take them from the few you get.
4. We were unlucky with the goal. If you're blaming Van Dijk for that, you're winding people up or you don't know anything about football.
And that's it.
2. Full backs playing much too deep. Took Robertson and Gomez until the 70th minute to get high enough up the pitch.
3. In games like this - and we see plenty of them - you have to convert the one or two good chances you get. Mane takes a better touch in the first half when it was lobbed over the top to him, Salah doesn't sky the volley, Ings buries his half chance, Firmino/Lallana dont' fuck it up at the end. All good chances. You don't get 15 of them in games like this ever, so you have to take them from the few you get.
4. We were unlucky with the goal. If you're blaming Van Dijk for that, you're winding people up or you don't know anything about football.
And that's it.
Even if we’d didn’t sell Coutinho then he’d still not play in the Swansea game because he’s injured. So we’d lost anyway.
Isn’t that the real moot point?
We had the "luxury" of benching Mane when he was not in form. Now we don't. Big drop in quality when one of Salah, Mane, and Firmino is rested which we will have to do with the CL games. I am not saying we would have won yesterday's game with Coutinho. I also applaud Klopp's philosophy of only buying a player if he is convinced of them.
This season we have a decent shot at a trophy - FA or and a shot at the CL. Not so confident of that now. Couple of injuries and we are looking at a real fight for qualifying for top 4. Seems like an unnecessary risk to take.
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