we know that but its a good sport winding up the Scousers by telling that they are a one man team ;-)
Jurgen Klopp Sack Watch
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
Calling them a one man team is stretching it - but generally, Liverpool's biggest problem over the last 25 years has been that the gap between their best and worst players have been HUGE. They have always had 2-3 players of tremendous quality (Fowler, Owen, Suarez, Gerrard, Alonso etc) - but more often than not, these players had to carry the team.
Best defence is a good offence. Mane does that from the front tbh. It was seen against Bournemouth when he went off at 3-1 up. After that, Liverpool struggled keeping the ball up top, and being an actual threat which allowed Bournemouth back into the game and to attack Liverpools defence,which is not really that good. (helped the Keeper wasnt making saves I think he should have).
If I was a defender id rather not defend against a trio of Mane/Coutinho/Firmino than against slower players (even if their finishing is better).
If I was a defender id rather not defend against a trio of Mane/Coutinho/Firmino than against slower players (even if their finishing is better).
He really doesn't like Klopp .. he guns for him whenever he feels an opportunity is there to do so and is quiet the rest of the time. Hang on ... do you think he is a RC member
He's had a go at both Moyes and LVG before too.
Matip, Studge (form), Coutinho, Mane would have a decent case for being major losses to them, tbf.
as a comparison Klavan, Ings, Can, Wijnaldum you're not going to miss quite as much are you?
then you even have the straight swap of Hendo with a Hendo who is carrying an injury
Lovren plays less well when Matip isn't there, Klavan is only a good honest pro, Ings injured, Studge gone crap, Firmino most badly affected by the English wind it would seem...
as a comparison Klavan, Ings, Can, Wijnaldum you're not going to miss quite as much are you?
then you even have the straight swap of Hendo with a Hendo who is carrying an injury
Lovren plays less well when Matip isn't there, Klavan is only a good honest pro, Ings injured, Studge gone crap, Firmino most badly affected by the English wind it would seem...
urm...it was meant tongue in cheek
If it's not a fitness issue, there is one other possibilty you didn't mention and that's the opposition working out a good strategy to counter your style. Mainly, going more direct to beat the initial press, sit deep and counter and to force you wide and make you cross the ball in, where you don't really have a big man to cause problems.
Southampton did this brilliantly over the 2 legs.
I rate Redmond. He'll end up going to a bigger club in a few years time. Still just 22.
Me too. In fact if we'd have bought Redmond this window not only would we have not missed Mane so much but Redmond wouldn't have caused us to lose the LC semis ! I should be a manager, dead easy this game.
Yes I thought Southampton did really well, defensively sound (even if the luck ran their way in this tie) and excellent on the break, as they have done in all of our matches against them this season.
Whilst what you say is a possibility I don't believe that managers are that stupid that they need half a season to work out what a good counter-strategy is before implementing it, and then have other managers copy them. Football's not that easy, it's still 11 vs 11 and the fact is that without our first XI fit and firing we simply don't have enough depth to cover them .... injuries having been far more damaging to us than they would be to a much larger and stronger squad, such as Chelsea's or United's.
Seems you know absolutely nothing about gegen-pressing and it's implementation at Liverpool. I suggest you look up what the German lads from Dortmund / Bayern etc. have said right here in the Liverpool threads on RC before you embarrass yourself any more.
We are already challenging! How far that goes remains to be seen but we won't not challenge just because you don't want to see it happen, deny it and then do the three monkeys thing instead
What a difference a month makes...
Just wanted to pull this back and see if any of those quoted still stand by what they said just over a month ago?
If not, are any of you able to see that the United fans back then weren't taking the piss, or suffering 'cognitive dissonance', as I had put to me above. We were talking truthfully to you, and I think we were right.
Genuine question - are any scousers still bullish about even finishing top 4, let alone winning the league?
I think the smart thing to do is wait another month. See how we're getting on when Mane is back and we're playing one game a week again. The injuries and absentees combined with the congested fixture list over this period has hurt us. Again I'm not saying that as an excuse but more to point out that it could be a factor.
If we're still struggling when Mane is back then I'll buy into the idea that Klopp's approach to the season was the wrong one.
Fair enough, Klopper, and just to add, you weren't one of the ones being brash a month ago.
But don't you see that "wait 'til Mané gets back" tells such a story on it's own...?
I like Mané as a player, he's been exciting since his Saints days. But that sentence says a lot. It's Mané ffs.
If it's come to that then Klopp has failed to set this team up to compete with longevity over a season, and that was what lots of us were saying.
I only really say it because our win ratio with him is far greater than it has been without him.
I agree though that a Klopp should have planned better for this. We've taken a serious hit this month, and all because of a lack of planning to deal with our one player with pace being away.
Do you think his training might be too much as well? As in, too much running?
Klopp, and in turn, the fans (who should know better), are constantly referencing the number of games, but if you do get top 4, next season you'll have CL and an even busier Xmas time (the fixtures are crazy next Xmas) and I honestly think he needs to change his approach, but I'm not sure he will.
He seems almost personally insulted by the number of games, despite not having CL or EL...
I still stand by what I said yes - we won't be more or less exhausted than other teams in the top six, especially since we don't have to cope with Europe. We're just going through a bad spell, and it doesn't happen that one of our most influencial players is at the AFCON for a significant period of time.
I always said we weren't going to win the league, but top four should still be the aim, yes. Although we haven't shown it lately, I think we're a better team (not as individuals, really as a team) than United and City at the moment, probably Arsenal as well. I can't recall that I ever said top four was a certainty for us, which it obviously isn't. I think nobody bar Chelsea is garanteed a top four spot at the moment.
Re: possibly having to cope with Europe next year, I think (or hope, at least) that Klopp knows very well that our squad is way too thin at the moment. If we want to rest our first XI, we basically have to play our U23s + Lucas which is pretty poor. I'd say adding depth to the squad should be a priority in the summer alongside signing two or three players who're ready to improe our first XI (CB, CDM, ST).
Seems like this guy's raison d'être is to continually criticise various clubs over their training methods.
Manchester City
Real Madrid
Manchester United
Do you think that Klopp will have enough financial backing to improve the squad the way the fans would like to see?
I personally don't think Klopp will be able to buy 3 "stars" who'd walk in to your starting 11 right away. He might be able to add one ST but I'd have to guess that you'll most likely to have to rely on bargain buys who may or may not work out (which in turn wouldn't improve your squad leaps and bounds)
Perhaps you're right. But maybe it's not manager's being stupid so much as them being stubborn. Refusing to bend their style of play to counter you until suddenly it gets to the point where they have to admit 'ok these guys will steamroller us if we continue to play our way or try and force our style on them.' Whether that's playing out from the back or trying to push an aggressive off-side trap or only playing with one sitting midfielder etc etc.
Even Pep, the most celebrated manager in the league can see how poor the likes of Clichy and Stones have been but refuses to budge from his way of playing. No way Pep is stupid. Stubborn though?
It's not just you, Chelsea are having the same treatment lately. Some have tried changing their formation completely, matching Chelsea's 352. Teams 2nd part of last season began to sit back against Leicester, which made Vardy's goals dry up & stopped those deadly counters, but Leicester managed to get over the line with a lot of 1-0's.
Southampton absolutely battered you for all but around 20 minutes of the second leg.
If they'd been 6 nil up on aggregate going into the second half at Anfield you couldn't have complained.
The only team who rode their luck was Liverpool. Southampton were just a much better side.
brilliantThey will beat Wolverhampton today and all is well again.
Big slump recently, but I'm not all doom and gloom. Think we'll improve vastly over the next month.
Vastly, eh?
Mane doesn't have the height to be a good goalkeeper. He's not that great a defender either tbh.
Yes. We've played nine games this month, straight after a packed festive schedule with an injury riddled side.
Conversely, we have three games scheduled for February (four if we win today) - with the same again in March, and will shortly have a fully fit first team again.
The season comes in peaks and troughs. We will pick up again. Top four is realistic and would be a great improvement on last season.
Normally what happens with players when they run out steam is that their intensity levels drop, legs keep on moving but the intensity goes. That is bad news for Liverpool as their game is based on it.
Second is half arsed tracking of players, when you get tired you pick your runs they don't come instinctively. When that happens people get ahead of you. Southampton and Swansea both scored goals due to this (Gylfi Sigurdsson goal is a prime example).
Other things happen first touch, shooting, passing all gets heavier if you are tired, Lallana looks really off his game now coincidence?
So the amount of running often goes up but the point and purpose goes down.. Little like what we see with Klopps Hoof troops..
Has this Verheijen guy been in any job since he's been assistant manager for Wales?
This is spot on plus if teams go 1 up Liverpool kamikaze mode to get a goal back and it does work but when it doesn't then they can find themselves a few down to teams you would not expect to be.
Southampton have uncovered the blueprint to beat them, everyone else take note.
3 straight games without scoring against the team you've raided players worth £100m from in 3 years is quite spectacular.
Klopp bought Mane, Wijnaldum and Matip in last summer and they're all first team regulars. There is nothing to suggest the funds won't be available to bring in another 3 first team regulars this coming summer. I think Klopp will reckon that'll be enough, as he'll definitely want to promote some of the youth players to the regular squad.
I'd like to see some statistics which support your claim that the amount of running goes up but the purpose goes down........I'd suggest that normally the running goes down with the performance, but am happy to be proved wrong.
Nice dig at the end of your otherwise reasoned response btw.
Fair enough, I hope not though!
Don't know if this helps but the point is that homo sapiens is a endurance runner not built for speed and the load it brings to our body..
The speed and power drops but the endurance doesnt...
Here is a read on that matter.. But just a point nothing more...
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/why-am-i-so-tired
Liverpool 1:2 Wolves (FA Cup)
Damn you Wolverhampton for playing long! Damn you!
No European football and can't even make an effort in the FA Cup because he's so desperate for top four.
Embarrassing stuff.
Embarrassing stuff.
Exposed when his teams have to dictate the game.
Why do Klopp rest players today? Saving them for Champions League? Europa League? League Cup? Yes, Chelsea on tuesday but seriously they will have enough rest during what's left of the season.
It's an absolute joke, they've played less than anyone in the top 6 this season (except Chelsea) and he can't even make an affort today.
The desperation for top 4 is insane.
If they are out after today they will play no games at all for 16(!) days in febuary and one game in 23 days. Weird to choose such a poor team but the rest of the big teams and Wolves say thanks.