The midfield
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There are literally only a handful of games Hendo played at LCM alongside Fabinho and as far as I remember none were convincing. In our system you need to have great first touch and press resistance in that position and those are not Hendo’s best qualities. Even Milner would be preferable there.
Everyone agreed we needed a midfielder. Let’s hope it doesn’t end up being another season like the one with the defence going MIA.
Hopefully Elliot stakes his claim this season. He is the only justification for not buying someone really. Jones I see is as a squad player.
Hopefully Elliot stakes his claim this season. He is the only justification for not buying someone really. Jones I see is as a squad player.
If we have a fully fit squad I can see why Klopp would hesitate to buy a new MF cos it would surely mean someone would be left out.
You can’t leave out your captain who’s just had his contract renewed. Neither can you leave Thiago or Fabs out when they’re fit. Milner and Curtis are happy to play 2nd fiddle so that’s not a concern. But you can’t leave Harvs and Fabio out either when opportunity arises.
So that leaves Keita as the weakest link.
And this is where Klopp has to make a very tough decision. Continue to give him a chance to prove his worth ? Or time to move on and replace him ? And if you do, who are you going to replace him with ? If we get someone like Jude, who would u omit if Hendo, Fabs and Thiago are fit ? Will Jude be willing to part of a rotation system ?
You can’t leave out your captain who’s just had his contract renewed. Neither can you leave Thiago or Fabs out when they’re fit. Milner and Curtis are happy to play 2nd fiddle so that’s not a concern. But you can’t leave Harvs and Fabio out either when opportunity arises.
So that leaves Keita as the weakest link.
And this is where Klopp has to make a very tough decision. Continue to give him a chance to prove his worth ? Or time to move on and replace him ? And if you do, who are you going to replace him with ? If we get someone like Jude, who would u omit if Hendo, Fabs and Thiago are fit ? Will Jude be willing to part of a rotation system ?
[QUOTE="My_Blood_Bleeds_Red, post: 2156257, member: 646"]If we have a fully fit squad I can see why Klopp would hesitate to buy a new MF cos it would surely mean someone would be left out.
You can’t leave out your captain who’s just had his contract renewed. Neither can you leave Thiago or Fabs out when they’re fit. Milner and Curtis are happy to play 2nd fiddle so that’s not a concern. But you can’t leave Harvs and Fabio out either when opportunity arises.
So that leaves Keita as the weakest link.
And this is where Klopp has to make a very tough decision. Continue to give him a chance to prove his worth ? Or time to move on and replace him ? And if you do, who are you going to replace him with ? If we get someone like Jude, who would u omit if Hendo, Fabs and Thiago are fit ? Will Jude be willing to part of a rotation system ?[/QUOTE]
I said this before, Naby , Thiago, CJ cannot play a continuous run of games because they get injured. Hendo is old and will need to be rested here and there. So we have space for a MF. After all Klopp went for that French kid.
It's a case of can the club afford £40-£50m for MF now, with nothing to sell to off-set some of that cost?
You can’t leave out your captain who’s just had his contract renewed. Neither can you leave Thiago or Fabs out when they’re fit. Milner and Curtis are happy to play 2nd fiddle so that’s not a concern. But you can’t leave Harvs and Fabio out either when opportunity arises.
So that leaves Keita as the weakest link.
And this is where Klopp has to make a very tough decision. Continue to give him a chance to prove his worth ? Or time to move on and replace him ? And if you do, who are you going to replace him with ? If we get someone like Jude, who would u omit if Hendo, Fabs and Thiago are fit ? Will Jude be willing to part of a rotation system ?[/QUOTE]
I said this before, Naby , Thiago, CJ cannot play a continuous run of games because they get injured. Hendo is old and will need to be rested here and there. So we have space for a MF. After all Klopp went for that French kid.
It's a case of can the club afford £40-£50m for MF now, with nothing to sell to off-set some of that cost?
https://www.thisisanfield.com/2022/...e-5-talking-points-from-fulham-2-2-liverpool/
Mark Delgado
Liverpool started the new Premier League season in almost the worst way possible, drawing 2-2 at newly promoted Fulham and also losing Thiago to injury.
Note to the squad: Pepijn Lijnders‘ book is out now. Might be worth a read before kick-off in the next game, especially that big word on the front that some people call the title: INTENSITY.
It might be our identity in the assistant’s eyes, but it wasn’t at Craven Cottage – for the opening 15 minutes it looked more like a bunch of lads had begrudgingly got themselves down to the local park to play a Sunday League game after a particularly heavy night before.
Lethargic off the ball, sloppy in possession, not at all combative in one-on-one challenges; this was as bad as anything we could have expected on the opening day.
It would have made for a tough game against anyone in the Premier League, but against a newly promoted side with both players and home crowd massively up for it, it made for poor viewing indeed.
There were no shortage of underperformers in the first half and there wouldn’t have been many surprised faces had Jurgen Klopp opted to make one or two of his five subs at the break.
Chief among the problems with that sluggish start and poor impact on the game was the Reds’ lack of competitiveness in central midfield.
Fabinho was nowhere near his ball-winning best, Thiago was more aggressive but unable to find his range with longer switched passes and the less said about Jordan Henderson‘s first half the better.
It had the knock-on effect of meaning very little build-up play getting through to the attacking third, no real support to Salah and Co when longer balls from the back reached them, and above all else no protection for the full-backs as the home team kept countering the channels.
Thiago‘s injury after the restart sped up Jurgen Klopp‘s plans, perhaps, but there should be no doubt that changes would have been coming soon enough anyway. By the hour mark the midfield was all-change from the start, including Hendo going into the six role, and the alterations were badly needed.
Curtis Jones injured, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injured. Naby Keita ill. Now add Thiagoto that from the group in the centre of the park.
That big group of eight Klopp noted at the start of the season is already down by half, one league game into the campaign.
Naturally some injuries will last longer than others and some have to be expected and accepted all the way through the season.
But given the Ibou Konate injury has seemingly affected Klopp’s defensive plans in the transfer market – Nat Phillips now potentially not leaving as a result – we’ll await and see if injuries in midfield have the reverse effect, forcing a reconsideration in whether to bring another face in.
It’s worth noting, after where they featured in pre-season, that Harvey Elliott did come into the team as a No8, but Fabio Carvalho was used in the forward line.
Curtis Jones injured, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injured. Naby Keita ill. Now add Thiagoto that from the group in the centre of the park.
That big group of eight Klopp noted at the start of the season is already down by half, one league game into the campaign.
Naturally some injuries will last longer than others and some have to be expected and accepted all the way through the season.
But given the Ibou Konate injury has seemingly affected Klopp’s defensive plans in the transfer market – Nat Phillips now potentially not leaving as a result – we’ll await and see if injuries in midfield have the reverse effect, forcing a reconsideration in whether to bring another face in.
It’s worth noting, after where they featured in pre-season, that Harvey Elliott did come into the team as a No8, but Fabio Carvalho was used in the forward line.
Two sides to this point: firstly Darwin Nunez‘s excellent individual showing after coming off the bench, but also the fact that his presence helped Mohamed Salah be far more involved in the game too.
Bobby Firmino did not, it’s fair to say, have a good game. He was hooked early in the second period, though Darwin’s first opportunity actually saw him spurn a shooting chance and mess up the pass too – a big chance missed.
The next two were mirrors of each other though: one backheel from a Salah cross which was saved, then one backheel from a Salah cross which went in, equaliser achieved.
He almost claimed an assist with a knockdown for Luis Diaz straight after, but then did manage one for the 2-2 equaliser, getting a touch back to Salah who rolled in from close range.
The early link-up signs between the two are good, though there’s lots to work on elsewhere.
Wow, day one and we talk about losing ground? Sadly it’s the relentless truth of the Premier League – you have to aim for about 95 points to be in with a shout of the title and even that isn’t enough.
That means you can drop around 19 points for the entire league season, and we’re already up to two, or just over 10 per cent.
Put that way it shows the horrible need to win, win, win if you want to lift the title. Of course, it isn’t terminal.
The opening day is a tough one to navigate and there are 37 matches to rectify matters later – and this side more than most have shown an ability to bounce back after setbacks and go on amazing winning runs.
It’ll have to act as an early reminder as to the standards needed though, and set us straight back onto the winning path.
Mark Delgado
Liverpool started the new Premier League season in almost the worst way possible, drawing 2-2 at newly promoted Fulham and also losing Thiago to injury.
Note to the squad: Pepijn Lijnders‘ book is out now. Might be worth a read before kick-off in the next game, especially that big word on the front that some people call the title: INTENSITY.
It might be our identity in the assistant’s eyes, but it wasn’t at Craven Cottage – for the opening 15 minutes it looked more like a bunch of lads had begrudgingly got themselves down to the local park to play a Sunday League game after a particularly heavy night before.
Lethargic off the ball, sloppy in possession, not at all combative in one-on-one challenges; this was as bad as anything we could have expected on the opening day.
It would have made for a tough game against anyone in the Premier League, but against a newly promoted side with both players and home crowd massively up for it, it made for poor viewing indeed.
There were no shortage of underperformers in the first half and there wouldn’t have been many surprised faces had Jurgen Klopp opted to make one or two of his five subs at the break.
Chief among the problems with that sluggish start and poor impact on the game was the Reds’ lack of competitiveness in central midfield.
Fabinho was nowhere near his ball-winning best, Thiago was more aggressive but unable to find his range with longer switched passes and the less said about Jordan Henderson‘s first half the better.
It had the knock-on effect of meaning very little build-up play getting through to the attacking third, no real support to Salah and Co when longer balls from the back reached them, and above all else no protection for the full-backs as the home team kept countering the channels.
Thiago‘s injury after the restart sped up Jurgen Klopp‘s plans, perhaps, but there should be no doubt that changes would have been coming soon enough anyway. By the hour mark the midfield was all-change from the start, including Hendo going into the six role, and the alterations were badly needed.
Curtis Jones injured, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injured. Naby Keita ill. Now add Thiagoto that from the group in the centre of the park.
That big group of eight Klopp noted at the start of the season is already down by half, one league game into the campaign.
Naturally some injuries will last longer than others and some have to be expected and accepted all the way through the season.
But given the Ibou Konate injury has seemingly affected Klopp’s defensive plans in the transfer market – Nat Phillips now potentially not leaving as a result – we’ll await and see if injuries in midfield have the reverse effect, forcing a reconsideration in whether to bring another face in.
It’s worth noting, after where they featured in pre-season, that Harvey Elliott did come into the team as a No8, but Fabio Carvalho was used in the forward line.
Curtis Jones injured, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injured. Naby Keita ill. Now add Thiagoto that from the group in the centre of the park.
That big group of eight Klopp noted at the start of the season is already down by half, one league game into the campaign.
Naturally some injuries will last longer than others and some have to be expected and accepted all the way through the season.
But given the Ibou Konate injury has seemingly affected Klopp’s defensive plans in the transfer market – Nat Phillips now potentially not leaving as a result – we’ll await and see if injuries in midfield have the reverse effect, forcing a reconsideration in whether to bring another face in.
It’s worth noting, after where they featured in pre-season, that Harvey Elliott did come into the team as a No8, but Fabio Carvalho was used in the forward line.
Two sides to this point: firstly Darwin Nunez‘s excellent individual showing after coming off the bench, but also the fact that his presence helped Mohamed Salah be far more involved in the game too.
Bobby Firmino did not, it’s fair to say, have a good game. He was hooked early in the second period, though Darwin’s first opportunity actually saw him spurn a shooting chance and mess up the pass too – a big chance missed.
The next two were mirrors of each other though: one backheel from a Salah cross which was saved, then one backheel from a Salah cross which went in, equaliser achieved.
He almost claimed an assist with a knockdown for Luis Diaz straight after, but then did manage one for the 2-2 equaliser, getting a touch back to Salah who rolled in from close range.
The early link-up signs between the two are good, though there’s lots to work on elsewhere.
Wow, day one and we talk about losing ground? Sadly it’s the relentless truth of the Premier League – you have to aim for about 95 points to be in with a shout of the title and even that isn’t enough.
That means you can drop around 19 points for the entire league season, and we’re already up to two, or just over 10 per cent.
Put that way it shows the horrible need to win, win, win if you want to lift the title. Of course, it isn’t terminal.
The opening day is a tough one to navigate and there are 37 matches to rectify matters later – and this side more than most have shown an ability to bounce back after setbacks and go on amazing winning runs.
It’ll have to act as an early reminder as to the standards needed though, and set us straight back onto the winning path.
We need Keita back to play LCM. Its not ideal and he wont be fit for a long period of time but we need him back until Jones is fit again. Hendo and Carvalho wont work at LCM.
Hopefully Thiago is back quickly as well.
Need another midfielder signed. Who could be a good fit for us?
Hopefully Thiago is back quickly as well.
Need another midfielder signed. Who could be a good fit for us?
I said this before, Naby , Thiago, CJ cannot play a continuous run of games because they get injured. Hendo is old and will need to be rested here and there. So we have space for a MF. After all Klopp went for that French kid.
It's a case of can the club afford £40-£50m for MF now, with nothing to sell to off-set some of that cost?[/QUOTE]
He wanted to sign sone “French kid” that’s marked as a generational talent - along with a Bellingham who’s the same.
Thsts what we’re doing - trying to sign the absolute best we can.
We play with a midfield of 3 - and we have 8 midfielders to fill thos positions - so even with a few injuries, we should be able to cope.
I’m not sure we need to panic just yet and I truly have no idea whether there’s an easy short term fix out there or whether any of the players we likely want are available.
In all likelihood - Kieta will be recovered from COVID or whatever he has by the Palace game and Jones back in a few week too - I’m confident Fabinho, Henderson, Milner & Harvey are enough for a couple of weeks - then we have enough to rotate and cope without Thiago & Ox - it’s effectively what we did last year.
Bajcetic can play in the league cup, Carvalho might be able to drop into midfield.
Keita and Thiago both played 40 games last season. The problem is that they’re most likely injured at the same time.
Looking at how energetic our attack looks after being reshuffled with new signings its obvious that we should have gotten one new midfielder as well.
Its not panic stations yet, but the old guard in midfield could get run over if they all start together and we face a unfaverouble set up.
Looking at how energetic our attack looks after being reshuffled with new signings its obvious that we should have gotten one new midfielder as well.
Its not panic stations yet, but the old guard in midfield could get run over if they all start together and we face a unfaverouble set up.
How many games from the start do you know? Appearances alone can be very misleading. Pair of them break down too regularly. Both nothing more than luxury players in my view. Keita isn't very good either.
Thielemans? A cheeky bid for Gavi?
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Tielemans is attainable, and would be a decent pick up.
We would still need someone who could run past people and shoot from distance though.
Nunes?
I know nothing about that player.
He wanted to sign sone “French kid” that’s marked as a generational talent - along with a Bellingham who’s the same.
Thsts what we’re doing - trying to sign the absolute best we can.
We play with a midfield of 3 - and we have 8 midfielders to fill thos positions - so even with a few injuries, we should be able to cope.
I’m not sure we need to panic just yet and I truly have no idea whether there’s an easy short term fix out there or whether any of the players we likely want are available.
In all likelihood - Kieta will be recovered from COVID or whatever he has by the Palace game and Jones back in a few week too - I’m confident Fabinho, Henderson, Milner & Harvey are enough for a couple of weeks - then we have enough to rotate and cope without Thiago & Ox - it’s effectively what we did last year.
Bajcetic can play in the league cup, Carvalho might be able to drop into midfield.[/QUOTE]
With Naby, if its not Covid, its something else, may be like loss of smell. You even said we need an upgrade on Naby.
You're willing to wait for that upgrade, in the form of Jude in the summer. Others want a reinforcement now.
and that’s fine - and I’m all for bringing in the right player, if they’re available, but not just “anyone” because it’s a waste of time, effort and resources.
I know nothing about Nunes other than someone mentioned him on Twitter and he’s suddenly the best thing since sliced bread and we’ll face certain relegation if we don’t sign him.
Tielemans is a more known quantity and ticks certain criteria - not least he’s attainable, youngish and won’t cost a fortune due to his contract - but enough people have expressed doubt as to whether he’s worth signing for a question to be raised.
When Klopp says he can't sign another midfielder because he already has 9 midfielders he's not being entirely honest about the situation. Of his 9 midfielders
1 of them is a 36 year old veteran who can play limited minutes
3 are kids who are on the fringes but have never been starters
1 is a total write off due to several career limiting injuries
1 blows hot and cold missing large parts of the season with constant niggling injuries
That leaves the core of 3
Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho who will be asked to carry the fight for the majority of the season. We are almost certainly going to see each one of them miss a chunk of games with injury. Henderson in particular is starting to look like a guy with alot of mileage on his legs. On paper we seem well stocked and capable of rotating and sharing the load but once you scratch the surface it's clear that just 1 week into the season we have a very soft underbelly.
1 of them is a 36 year old veteran who can play limited minutes
3 are kids who are on the fringes but have never been starters
1 is a total write off due to several career limiting injuries
1 blows hot and cold missing large parts of the season with constant niggling injuries
That leaves the core of 3
Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho who will be asked to carry the fight for the majority of the season. We are almost certainly going to see each one of them miss a chunk of games with injury. Henderson in particular is starting to look like a guy with alot of mileage on his legs. On paper we seem well stocked and capable of rotating and sharing the load but once you scratch the surface it's clear that just 1 week into the season we have a very soft underbelly.
Is Tieleman's in your view better than Naby and has more legs than Hendo? I's say so. I think it boils down to cash, we don't have it, we are saving up for Jude
TIA Quote : Fabinho was nowhere near his ball-winning best, Thiago was more aggressive but unable to find his range with longer switched passes and the less said about Jordan Henderson‘s first half the better.
Yeah that about summed it up. Thiago was OK bar his long range passing being way off. Hendo was utter shite for much of the game and Fabs was nowhere like his normal self.
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In reality these are the slots and the players we have for them (injured in Red) :
LCM : Thiago / Jones / Keita / Carvalho
DM : Fabs / Hendo / Milner
RCM : Hendo / Elliott / Milner / Keita / Ox
Despite the whinging on here from the usual suspects we actually have an excellent starting three, when on form (yes we do, last season unequivocally tells us that). Elliott is showing how good he is so RCM is covered. LCM could be fine bar this unusual injury crisis and DM is covered although a better sub than Hendo / Milner would be appreciated (Morton may be the long term hopeful I guess). And we also have Bajčetić who wouldn't look out of place in some games.
Without an injury crisis I can see why the club weren't keen on a midfielder this season (assuming a top notch player is penciled in for next Summer). That said another midfielder now would give us greater squad depth, options and security but they would have to be class and a long term addition that can compete for a starting spot, not another Phillips just brought in to add a warm body (even though he turned out way better than anyone expected).
Yeah that about summed it up. Thiago was OK bar his long range passing being way off. Hendo was utter shite for much of the game and Fabs was nowhere like his normal self.
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In reality these are the slots and the players we have for them (injured in Red) :
LCM : Thiago / Jones / Keita / Carvalho
DM : Fabs / Hendo / Milner
RCM : Hendo / Elliott / Milner / Keita / Ox
Despite the whinging on here from the usual suspects we actually have an excellent starting three, when on form (yes we do, last season unequivocally tells us that). Elliott is showing how good he is so RCM is covered. LCM could be fine bar this unusual injury crisis and DM is covered although a better sub than Hendo / Milner would be appreciated (Morton may be the long term hopeful I guess). And we also have Bajčetić who wouldn't look out of place in some games.
Without an injury crisis I can see why the club weren't keen on a midfielder this season (assuming a top notch player is penciled in for next Summer). That said another midfielder now would give us greater squad depth, options and security but they would have to be class and a long term addition that can compete for a starting spot, not another Phillips just brought in to add a warm body (even though he turned out way better than anyone expected).
Extra subs this season plus the weird timetable with the World Cup, you’d think it’s the perfect time to have an extra body in midfield.
We’ve obviously got our target(s) that can’t be bought right now but the ages of our midfielders should have been a massive cause for concern, do we even have a 22-27 year old midfielder? They’re all declining or not ready yet.
We’ve obviously got our target(s) that can’t be bought right now but the ages of our midfielders should have been a massive cause for concern, do we even have a 22-27 year old midfielder? They’re all declining or not ready yet.
I grant you the injury record-- I see a month long layoff for a hamstring injury last season-- but not sh1teness. He was also available a lot more frequently than he was injured, though. I was under the impression that he was constantly injured from the comments.
However, no way is he worse than those ones who started yesterday and that is going to be a recurring theme this season if Klopp does shake a few head. Bastards routinely failed to look after the ball when in possession or win it back out of possession.
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He's much worse than the midfielders that started yesterday, and the midfielders on the bench. Christ, ox is better than him.
Not sure but to underline the importance of Thiago, we win 88 % of games with him and 62% without him.
Should definetly look for a similar type player.
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