Swansea Post Match - just feck off
- Thread starter Frogfish
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While I agree with you about not complaining about the atmosphere: 21 January 'POST CHRISTMAS'??????
Well you know what I mean. January blues, early kick off against relegation fodder when everyone turns up expecting a comfortable 2 or 3nil win. It never makes for a decent atmosphere.
Maybe the ponderous sideways football we played in the first half had the biggest impact on the atmosphere. I sit in the middle of the kop and we're usually standing up and sitting down again by the minutes but by half time I hadn't stood up once. There just wasn't anything to get excited about.
Once we got the first goal the atmosphere was great until we equalised and the team went back to sideways football again. The lack of urgency in the team on the day was quite troubling.
Once we got the first goal the atmosphere was great until we equalised and the team went back to sideways football again. The lack of urgency in the team on the day was quite troubling.
It feels as though this team needs to play at an exceptionally intense level of application to perform well on a regular basis, whereas its rivals just need to buy reinforcements. It looks utterly shagged out. This is in a season when we're supposed to have an advantage because of fewer games. What happens next season? They say a cynic is what an optimist calls a realist. Well I've been called a cynic for a week or two, but I saw this coming. We need to strengthen this squad to stay challenging for the top four.
When everyone is available the first team is good enough to challenge as they showed in the first 3 or 4 months of the season but the problem is that below the first team the squad players aren't good enough.
The goalkeepers aren't amongst the best in the league and there's not too much between them anyway. both seem prone to mistakes. I hope manninger is there just to carry the bibs.
The cover for the full back positions is also quite weak and a lot of posters mentioned this in pre season but neither position was strengthened. Moreno is and never will be good enough whereas Alexander arnold looks promising but I'm not sure he's ready to play there every week.
The centre half back ups are also a bit ropey. Klavan has been directly responsible for a few goals now and the difference between him playing and when Matip is available is distinct. Hard to judge Gomez as he'd been out for so long but he's still very inexperienced at this level and Lucas does his best but is very susceptible to pace. The other reserve centre half is Sakho but it doesn't look like he'll play for us again.
In midfield we are even weaker as when the trio of Henderson Wijnaldum and Lallana don't play together the replacements have been average at best. Can can be infuriatingly dopey at times and his lack of pace (as well as Lucas when he plays in midfield) expose us to counter attack all too frequently. Stewart hasn't got the passing range and Grujic has either been injured or not trusted by Klopp all season. Ejaria couldn't impose himself on Plymouth and Brannagan looks to have stagnated.
Up front Sturridge is a shadow of his former self , Origi had a good spell earlier in the season but can look horribly wooden at times and sadly Ings has has terrible luck with injuries and I'd doubt if he'll ever play a meaningful role with us. Woodburn, Wilson and Ojo look like good young players but they are yet to be trusted to play in league games ( for more than a cameo or two) and even then sometimes played out of their natural positions.
The squad seems to be short of some quality back up in vital positions and it seems strange that we haven't done more to solve this. The big threats to a possible top four place now that the title is surely gone are the two Manchester clubs and both have stronger squads than us I believe. I don't know if Klopp's being too trusting in the squad players and doesn't want to bring anyone else in or perhaps there aren't any funds available. That Shiny new stand isn't going to pay for itself is it (well actually it is eventually) , but making a profit in the summer transfer window and doing so at the moment in this one means that all that lovely money from the premier league is paying off a rather large chunk of what the Main stand cost. But i'm trying not to be cynical.
The goalkeepers aren't amongst the best in the league and there's not too much between them anyway. both seem prone to mistakes. I hope manninger is there just to carry the bibs.
The cover for the full back positions is also quite weak and a lot of posters mentioned this in pre season but neither position was strengthened. Moreno is and never will be good enough whereas Alexander arnold looks promising but I'm not sure he's ready to play there every week.
The centre half back ups are also a bit ropey. Klavan has been directly responsible for a few goals now and the difference between him playing and when Matip is available is distinct. Hard to judge Gomez as he'd been out for so long but he's still very inexperienced at this level and Lucas does his best but is very susceptible to pace. The other reserve centre half is Sakho but it doesn't look like he'll play for us again.
In midfield we are even weaker as when the trio of Henderson Wijnaldum and Lallana don't play together the replacements have been average at best. Can can be infuriatingly dopey at times and his lack of pace (as well as Lucas when he plays in midfield) expose us to counter attack all too frequently. Stewart hasn't got the passing range and Grujic has either been injured or not trusted by Klopp all season. Ejaria couldn't impose himself on Plymouth and Brannagan looks to have stagnated.
Up front Sturridge is a shadow of his former self , Origi had a good spell earlier in the season but can look horribly wooden at times and sadly Ings has has terrible luck with injuries and I'd doubt if he'll ever play a meaningful role with us. Woodburn, Wilson and Ojo look like good young players but they are yet to be trusted to play in league games ( for more than a cameo or two) and even then sometimes played out of their natural positions.
The squad seems to be short of some quality back up in vital positions and it seems strange that we haven't done more to solve this. The big threats to a possible top four place now that the title is surely gone are the two Manchester clubs and both have stronger squads than us I believe. I don't know if Klopp's being too trusting in the squad players and doesn't want to bring anyone else in or perhaps there aren't any funds available. That Shiny new stand isn't going to pay for itself is it (well actually it is eventually) , but making a profit in the summer transfer window and doing so at the moment in this one means that all that lovely money from the premier league is paying off a rather large chunk of what the Main stand cost. But i'm trying not to be cynical.
It could well be that but then why not try for some loan signings if he doesn't want to buy for the sake of it. Or even bring Markovic back for six months rather than sending him to Hull. He may be have been hopeless over in Portugal but it's not like he gave him much of a chance here anyway and in the absence of Mane he's at least got a bit of pace in him and maybe an eye for goal. Can't be much worse than playing a striker in that position or a slow midfielder.
The squad is crying out for reinforcements and it doesn't look like we'll get any and I don't much care what the reason is really. I'm just disappointed that it hasn't happened (so far).
I also stated this in another discussion here. I feel we have to play much harder than our rivals to win a game. The underlying reason is that there is not a single player in our first team that can take the game to the opposition thus calming the pressure on rest of the team. We really to add but you caanot argue with Klopps reasoning as to why he has not signed anyone.
Anyone else think that three in midfield are just WAAAAY too similar? All good players for sure, but as a triumverate it did not work. All the same pedestrian, unimaginative, one-paced, zero-threat dirge. None of them amazing on the ball, none of them going to break a line or crash a game open.
I get they didn't individually have great games, but we seem to continually have far too many jack-of-all-trade-master-of-none midfielders that play roles, rather than excel in positions.
I get they didn't individually have great games, but we seem to continually have far too many jack-of-all-trade-master-of-none midfielders that play roles, rather than excel in positions.
Yeah, which is why I'd move Lallana back into the midfield three as soon as Mane is back. If not sooner.
Yeh but what we lose from not having Lallana up front we more than make up with having him where he is much more effective.
The options of Origi and Sturridge themselves are fairly uninspiring at the min. Origi is reminding me more and more of Emile Heskey at his worst.
Maybe we should sign someone else.
Yep, our best spell came when Lallana was absolutely bossing it in the midfield three, I guess the reason it works so well is because in those harder games we effectively have four very good attackers against stubborn defences. Christ I can't wait until Mane is back.
I think we'll see exactly that against Southampton, with Matip in for Klavan, and Lallana's spot in the front three taken up by Origi or Sturridge.
Not sure who would be dropped, but I suspect most people would like it to be Can.
Sorry, this is the wrong thread for this. Maybe we should start a new one for the semi-final second leg.
Probably we should, but yes, 100% thats how we should line up.
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