Jurgen Klopp Sack Watch

@Rafateria Not buying this idea that Mane, Coutinho, Firmino, Salah, or even Suarez can be counted as big signings. They've turned out great for you, but they certainly weren't considered big signings when you actually signed them. For most, if not all, Liverpool was either a step up or at least a step sideways, and this was when you were finishing 8th for some of them. At the time, you weren't fighting off the likes of Real, Barca, PSG, Bayern, United, City or Chelsea for their signatures because none of them were interested enough.

Coutinho signed off the back of a loan to Espanyol because he couldn't establish himself at Inter. Firmino had essentially outgrown Hoffenheim, who had finished 8th in Bundesliga the season before you signed him. At the time you signed him, Mane was pretty much taking a step sideways, taking what I assume was a higher wage and the chance to work with Klopp. Suarez had outgrown the Dutch league, and was actually suspended for biting when you signed him. Salah had impressed at Roma, and is possibly the closest to a big signing of all of them, but even then, it was something of a step sideways, and you broke your transfer record to bring him in. I also don't remember there being any real competition to sign him.

The aforementioned players might have come good at Liverpool, but you've also got a list including Carroll, Downing, Borini, Aspas, Alberto, Markovic, Balotelli, Origi, Lambert, Benteke and Ings that were signed over the same time period, that cost as much (or more) than the ones that did come good, and they were almost, to a man, utter duds. Only two on that list are still at the club, and I can't see Ings lasting much longer, and last I heard Origi was hardly pulling up any trees at Wolfsburg.

In recent years you've also very publicly missed out on signing Alexis Sanchez and Thomas Lemar, from Barcelona and Monaco respectively.

There's obviously an element of not being able to pay the transfer fees that big signings command (whether that's down to FSG refusing to stump up for just one player or simply not having the funds), but I certainly think it's disingenuous to be claiming that Liverpool have successfully attracted any big signings to Anfield over the last few years, and probably not since Mascherano or Torres signed nearly ten years ago.
Sorry. This really deserves a better response but I'm just too damn busy at the moment to research and draft one. Nice post - agree with some but not all and your understanding of the term 'recent' differs greatly from mine :D
 
Liverpool needs 1-2 players that can control the pace of a game, maintain possession and protect a lead.

If United had won every game they led in this season, they´d have 43 instead of 41 points.
If Liverpool had won every game they led in this season, they´d have 42 instead of 34 points.
Chelsea actually won every game they led in this season. They are a perfect 38 of 38 points.
If Arsenal had won every game they led in this season, they´d have 36 instead of 33 points.
If Tottenham had won every game they led in this season, they´d have 36 instead of 31 points.

Chelsea especially are just so damn efficient.
 
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Why does everything have to say "Established 1892"
Is that when Johnno Red was a young man?
 
There's nothing wrong with our FB options. Gomez has had an outstanding season at RB so far.

I'd ditch Lovren and Klavan personally. I don't think either will ever be good enough.
Lovren caused a foul today outside the box(which wasn't a foul) in which I thought for sure would lead to goal. That's the way it's been with Lovren, every mistake seems to lead to a goal. Maybe his luck has changed for the better along with our defence. 600 odd minutes and quietly 3 goals conceded. Not too bad for a crap back four.
 
Lovren caused a foul today outside the box(which wasn't a foul) in which I thought for sure would lead to goal. That's the way it's been with Lovren, every mistake seems to lead to a goal. Maybe his luck has changed for the better along with our defence. 600 odd minutes and quietly 3 goals conceded. Not too bad for a crap back four.

Brighton, Bournemouth, Stoke, Everton, Spartak, West Brom are all shite.
 
There's nothing wrong with our FB options. Gomez has had an outstanding season at RB so far.

I'd ditch Lovren and Klavan personally. I don't think either will ever be good enough.
Compared to who?
 
Other RB’s in the league I guess. I think he’s had a very strong season, although I’d like to see him at CB.
Not sure I agree with outstanding at all, I'm not against giving Liverpool any credit but as a RB I'm not sure he'd get into any other team in the top 6 this season.
 
Coutinho & Salah are both showing an elite level, Firmino has quietly totted up 13 goals and Mane hasn't even really got going yet. I'm optimistic that we could cause some damage in the CL.

Brighton, Bournemouth, Stoke, Everton, Spartak, West Brom are all shite.

Those shite teams also make up more than 2/3rds of the league.
 
Think he is doing the right thing by rotating players as he is cautious about fatigue injuries from january. They had dip in form last year around same time so its good from a management point of view. The thing is, i dont see them finishing higher than 3rd and for champions league unless they keep getting favourable draws they wont win it, although i think klopp on his day can get tactics absolutely spot on and win a tie in a single match.

Key for them is that Salah doesnt get injured and Coutinho stays beyond january, Without these two, they may fall , with them they will reach a good level and move forward, probably finish 3rd and even in semi final of champions league.
 
Not sure I agree with outstanding at all, I'm not against giving Liverpool any credit but as a RB I'm not sure he'd get into any other team in the top 6 this season.
He’s had a better season than Bellerin and whoever Spurs play at RB. Walker’s been a bit of a mixed bag hasn’t he? And I’m not sure Chelsea have a settled option there.
 
Liverpool needs 1-2 players that can control the pace of a game, maintain possession and protect a lead.

If United had won every game they led in this season, they´d have 43 instead of 41 points.
If Liverpool had won every game they led in this season, they´d have 42 instead of 34 points.
Chelsea actually won every game they led in this season. They are a perfect 38 of 38 points.
If Arsenal had won every game they led in this season, they´d have 36 instead of 33 points.
If Tottenham had won every game they led in this season, they´d have 36 instead of 31 points.

Chelsea especially are just so damn efficient.

I think there is a temporary solution to it atleast for now if they stop their fooking stupid lets beat them 5-0 attitude.

Was watching the game yesterday and even at 3-0 up they were trying or should say dying for that 4th goal unnecessarily. In that process gave away the ball in numerous occasions. And this has happened time and time again.
 
Not sure I agree with outstanding at all, I'm not against giving Liverpool any credit but as a RB I'm not sure he'd get into any other team in the top 6 this season.

Over the course of the season, he's probably not been outstanding. He started out a bit shaky and has since then been gradually and steadily improving with every month - The level he is at right now is as good as you'd want from a defensive fullback - Pretty good on the ball too.
 
He’s had a better season than Bellerin and whoever Spurs play at RB. Walker’s been a bit of a mixed bag hasn’t he? And I’m not sure Chelsea have a settled option there.
Yeah he's definitely had a better season than Bellerin and I don't actually know who Chelsea play at RB anymore, but I don't think he's better than Trippier/Aurier at Spurs and I think Walker is still probably the best RB in the league on his day, even this season he's still been pretty good.
Over the course of the season, he's probably not been outstanding. He started out a bit shaky and has since then been gradually and steadily improving with every month - The level he is at right now is as good as you'd want from a defensive fullback - Pretty good on the ball too.
Yeah that's a fair enough statement, didn't realise he was only 20 too, what's up with Clyne this season for Gomez to be playing at RB is he injured?
 
Yeah that's a fair enough statement, didn't realise he was only 20 too, what's up with Clyne this season for Gomez to be playing at RB is he injured?

Been out since start of pre-season and is out till february at the least. Don't think we'll see much of him this season, except for the odd appearance at the tail end.
 
Been out since start of pre-season and is out till february at the least. Don't think we'll see much of him this season, except for the odd appearance at the tail end.
Ah that sounds quite serious, hope he recovers well. I suppose the silver lining is a youngster gaining a lot of valuable game time.
 
Coutinho & Salah are both showing an elite level, Firmino has quietly totted up 13 goals and Mane hasn't even really got going yet. I'm optimistic that we could cause some damage in the CL.



Those shite teams also make up more than 2/3rds of the league.

You played sevilla and gave up a 3 goal lead. The defence is still shite.
 
Yeah he's definitely had a better season than Bellerin and I don't actually know who Chelsea play at RB anymore, but I don't think he's better than Trippier/Aurier at Spurs and I think Walker is still probably the best RB in the league on his day, even this season he's still been pretty good.
I thought Aurier was a bit of a lose cannon at Spurs? I think Walker is better than Gomez but Gomez has had a good enough season to speak about them in the same bracket at the moment.

I think Valencia is the league’s best RB.
 
Some stats re. Keita and how he is so far ahead of our current midfield. Wasn't he player of the year in Germany last season ? I forget. Some people here have said he's not been as good as last season, and has had some disciplinary issues which have reduced his playing time, well that's their opinion and one has to wonder how much they've actually seen of him because he's stil high amongst the top players in the BL and he's still been mightily impressive.

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Keita will make them even better in their attack and likely, he will play alongside Henderson and not replace him. If they sign one top defender, I think they can give other top clubs a run for their money.
 
Keita will make them even better in their attack and likely, he will play alongside Henderson and not replace him. If they sign one top defender, I think they can give other top clubs a run for their money.
He also has outstanding defensive stats for a midfielder - something we are in dire need of with our putty like midfielders.
 
With VVD heavily linked with City, should they get him who would be Liverpool’s alternatives at CB?
 
Liverpool will really struggle to replace what Coutinho gives them. I don't see performances dropping off as much as when Suarez left, but wouldn't be surprised if they go through a phase of lots of dropped points whilst they transition again.

Keita may help add a bit more dynamism from a deeper position, but Coutinho he is not.
 
Liverpool will really struggle to replace what Coutinho gives them. I don't see performances dropping off as much as when Suarez left, but wouldn't be surprised if they go through a phase of lots of dropped points whilst they transition again.

Keita may help add a bit more dynamism from a deeper position, but Coutinho he is not.
Probably less than most people think. He's missed 8 PL matches this season (if you include just 13 mins vs. Everton) so that's virtually half of our PL games. He was less than influential in draws against Newcastle, Chelsea and United and the defeat to Spurs (though that was mainly down to Lovren castrating us). Of ocurse he's currently in top form but that shouldn't be taken as representative of his whole season so far. I'm not for one moment saying we won't miss him of course but that I would think that Keita and / or say for example Aubameyang, could easily balance out his loss by bringing other strengths or compensating for current weaknesses. To put it another way, he's not been anywhere close to being as influential as Salah.
 
Liverpool will really struggle to replace what Coutinho gives them. I don't see performances dropping off as much as when Suarez left, but wouldn't be surprised if they go through a phase of lots of dropped points whilst they transition again.

Keita may help add a bit more dynamism from a deeper position, but Coutinho he is not.

I'm hopeful that Klopp will spend the Coutinho money better than Rodgers did the Suarez money. But he will be very difficult to replace instantly unless we get lucky and discover a hidden gem. Without him we will lack those moments of jaw dropping brilliance but as you say may be more dynamic and possibly a bit more resilient in midfield. Having said that I'd still much rather keep him - the constant cycle of losing our top players over the years makes it even harder to achieve any success.
 
Probably less than most people think. He's missed 8 PL matches this season (if you include just 13 mins vs. Everton) so that's virtually half of our PL games. He was less than influential in draws against Newcastle, Chelsea and United and the defeat to Spurs (though that was mainly down to Lovren castrating us). Of ocurse he's currently in top form but that shouldn't be taken as representative of his whole season so far. I'm not for one moment saying we won't miss him of course but that I would think that Keita and / or say for example Aubameyang, could easily balance out his loss by bringing other strengths or compensating for current weaknesses. To put it another way, he's not been anywhere close to being as influential as Salah.

Colour me unconvinced. I think you're massively downplaying his importance to the team. He knits everything together and basically runs midfield on his own given the lack of quality elsewhere there. Salah doesn't operate in a vacuum either.
 
Keita and Lallana should do a good job together of replacing Coutinho, and that's without even getting into the transfer money.

They'll need a DM more than anything. Aubameyang would be a huge coup too
 
Keita and Lallana should do a good job together of replacing Coutinho, and that's without even getting into the transfer money.

They'll need a DM more than anything. Aubameyang would be a huge coup too

Sorry to break it to you but you won't be able to field 12 players just because one of the big nasty teams buys Countinho from you.
 
Sorry to break it to you but you won't be able to field 12 players just because one of the big nasty teams buys Countinho from you.
I'm not sure why you are using the 2nd person 'you' with Giorno. He's a Real Madrid supporter.

As for 12 players .. you seem to have not followed the replacement possibilities clearly. Something like the below (sorry about the Auba assumption, just an example) :

......................... Aubameyang

Mane ..................................................... Salah

.......................... Firmino (or Lallana)

............. Keita ........................... Henderson (hopefully replaced for a more defence-minded CM)

Effectively replacing Coutinho with Auba and a new CM partnership of Keita + 1, with VVD or another CB coming into the backline would possibly even strengthen the attack, infinitely improve the midfield and see an improved backline. That's only 3 players in addition to Keita, I'd expect at least that much to be done in two transfer windows, knowing Coutinho will be on his way to RM after the WC.
 
It was just a facetious comment and I don't know the allegiances of everyone on here.

To the serious issue, the problem with replacing a top, top player like Coutinho with two players is the drop in quality. That can't be avoided and we've seen time and again, for example Spurs/Bale, Liverpool/Suarez and Everton/Lukaku.
 
Effectively replacing Coutinho with Auba and a new CM partnership of Keita + 1, with VVD or another CB coming into the backline would possibly even strengthen the attack, infinitely improve the midfield and see an improved backline. That's only 3 players in addition to Keita, I'd expect at least that much to be done in two transfer windows, knowing Coutinho will be on his way to RM after the WC.

I don't think your issues defensively can be solved by simply bringing in a better defender. The issue is the style of play you employ. It regularly leaves your defenders exposed to the point where one individual error will frequently lead to a goal scoring opportunity. All of the other top teams set out so that there is some form of system for covering in the event of an error. It's obviously not 100% effective, but it does work and means that a defender can make a mistake without it being an almost guaranteed chance for the other team to score. There are teams with worse individual defenders across their back lines that have similar defensive records, and make fewer defensive errors. United often seem error prone at the back, but our system allows for that and provide cover.

Your attack can be absolutely devastating, but it is so at the expense of defensive solidity. Until Klopp addresses the fundamental flaws in his system, I can only see your defensive woes improving marginally with new signings, whoever they are.
 
I don't think your issues defensively can be solved by simply bringing in a better defender. The issue is the style of play you employ. It regularly leaves your defenders exposed to the point where one individual error will frequently lead to a goal scoring opportunity. All of the other top teams set out so that there is some form of system for covering in the event of an error. It's obviously not 100% effective, but it does work and means that a defender can make a mistake without it being an almost guaranteed chance for the other team to score. There are teams with worse individual defenders across their back lines that have similar defensive records, and make fewer defensive errors. United often seem error prone at the back, but our system allows for that and provide cover.

Your attack can be absolutely devastating, but it is so at the expense of defensive solidity. Until Klopp addresses the fundamental flaws in his system, I can only see your defensive woes improving marginally with new signings, whoever they are.
Whilst I agree with your premise per se there are two issues with that assessments, or should I more accurately say that perhaps they address the concerns you raise ?

The first is that we are never going to have as solid a defence as say United or Burnley but then neither of those teams have our attack and that is a cornerstone of our system. I'd go as far as saying that it's nigh on impossible to have both, that would be the perfect team and no one has come close to that (even the great Barca side of a few seasons ago relied on almost total possession and devastating attack to protect their goal, as opposed to total defensive solidity). Our defence isn't as poor as most make it out to be, only 3 goals shipped at home (same as United) indicates that not all is rotten in the garden.

The second is the train of thought that it is actually our weak midfield (as far as defensive cover is concerned) that is the greater weakness in the team which piles unnecessary pressure on the defence. Adding Keita (who has an outstanding record in assisting his defence) and improving on Henderson with a more defence-minded CM would add a lot of steel, cover and an increased and more effective midfield contribution, also a better CB than Lovren, less prone to individual errors and with better organisational skills, would again mean we would be less likely to ship unnecessary goals or be susceptible to meltdowns (Watford, City, Spurs, Sevilla). This could turn defeats into draws and draws (such as Watford, Everton or Sevilla) into wins because those are/were fine lines.
 
It was just a facetious comment and I don't know the allegiances of everyone on here.

To the serious issue, the problem with replacing a top, top player like Coutinho with two players is the drop in quality. That can't be avoided and we've seen time and again, for example Spurs/Bale, Liverpool/Suarez and Everton/Lukaku.

Swapping Torres for Suarez/Caroll turned out to be a net positive.
 
How is losing Coutinho and signing Keita along with another CB going to help them beat West Brom at home?
 
How is losing Coutinho and signing Keita along with another CB going to help them beat West Brom at home?

It's going to help avoid 3-3 draws against the likes of Watford. Throwing away leads is a far bigger problem for us than taking the lead.
 
It's going to help avoid 3-3 draws against the likes of Watford. Throwing away leads is a far bigger problem for us than taking the lead.

I mean if you could defend better as a team and perhaps have a genuine DM in there maybe.
 
For a few years now I've noticed people on the internet say "Liverpool just need X and Y and they'll be challenging "next year" etc.

The reality is they need to hold on to the the likes of Salah, Mane AND Coutinho whilst bringing in two defenders, a goal keeper, another midfielder and a striker.

Ain't happening.
 
For a few years now I've noticed people on the internet say "Liverpool just need X and Y and they'll be challenging "next year" etc.

The reality is they need to hold on to the the likes of Salah, Mane AND Coutinho whilst bringing in two defenders, a goal keeper, another midfielder and a striker.

Ain't happening.
A defender and another midfielder would be a strong step,whilst keeping hold of what we got.