Liverpool 2016/17 - Performance and chat thread.

The way to beat us has been exposed by Swansea. Win a set piece around our goal and attack it. Or crosses from wide areas where you overrun in the penalty area.

The first option is relatively easy. Tell Rashford to speed it down to the corner flag and win a corner off the covering Lovren.

The second requires committing Pogba, Fellaini and Ibra to almost be parked in our box with Mata knocking in the crosses from wide. Don't get caught on the break though as Firmino and Coutinho will be parked there waiting for the breakaway.

The set piece situation has been there for moons.
 
Just bumping this so Liverpool related comments, as opposed to Klopp related comments, will be posted in the right thread.
 


I'b be fine with this as long as it's strictly a coaching role. I don't think he's good enough to play in the Premier League anymore though.
 
And not just any coaching role - no first team affairs until he proves himself.
 
Not a fan of ex-players walking into coaching roles simply because they used to play for the club. Should be based on merit.
 
Not sure how i feel about this - we've seen how ex legends, whether it be managers or players, being around a club can sometimes be an unnecessary distraction. I doubt, thru no fault of his own, there will be any chance of Gerrard being a coach at LFC and keeping a low profile. I would prefer he started somewhere else and came to us when he was more established but I'm sure he wants to learn from Klopp, which is also understandable.
 
Not sure how i feel about this - we've seen how ex legends, whether it be managers or players, being around a club can sometimes be an unnecessary distraction. I doubt, thru no fault of his own, there will be any chance of Gerrard being a coach at LFC and keeping a low profile. I would prefer he started somewhere else and came to us when he was more established but I'm sure he wants to learn from Klopp, which is also understandable.
I agree with this. I don't feel comfortable with a Gerrard return. We are doing absolutely fine without him. Gerrard is one of the best players ever at Liverpool, but he is not needed, and we shouldn't bring him back, just because he was a good player. We have moved on, and so should Gerrard do. No need to take the risk of him being there disrupts anything. Give him Owens ambassadeur role, if he wants to be a part of LFC again..
 
If Klopp offers him some sort of role it will be because he feels Gerrard can add something not just for sentimental reasons.
Hie presence on the training ground I would imagine would lift a lot of the younger players.
 
I would only be concerned if he was immediately involved in first team affairs. I don't want him disrupting the relationship with Klopp and his assistants buvac and krawietz.
I'm fine if he's involved with youth development but that just about it as far as I'm concerned.
 
Can I just post something about this on a general level? Kind of.

XYZ 'would make a great coach / manager' - top top player, club affiliation

how often does it work out?
how relevant is playing ability to coaching, really? - I suppose you might have to demonstrate / run through things as actions - up to the age of 55 anyway, :)
(how much of this is pure reputation - so they respect and don't do the dreaded disrespect, :nono:

I'll pick on Gerrard now though, does he really have the personality for the job with a load of cynical adults who won't fawn over his every word / deed.

And to contrast, I think Giggsy would be a much livelier personality & a happier camp but then you see the elephant in the room there too. And finally is it like the UK in the Lands of Forrin or are they more tolerant of a diversity of approach / language?

Anything I say here is of course destroyed if you say ''well.... English clubs are not really English clubs anymore'' so none of that applies.

If you can understand what my point might be at all, obviously. Not sure I do, tbh.
 
Klopp should avoid it happening anywhere near the 1st XI, anyway. The Speccy One has nothing to gain from it happening.
 


I'b be fine with this as long as it's strictly a coaching role. I don't think he's good enough to play in the Premier League anymore though.

Haven't there been talks of Gerrard having a role for a while now? I think he was touted as being a coach a few months back and said he hadn't heard anything from Klopp. He's a legend at your club, though -- more than likely a good move for Klopp to bring him into the fold in some capacity.
 
Haven't there been talks of Gerrard having a role for a while now? I think he was touted as being a coach a few months back and said he hadn't heard anything from Klopp. He's a legend at your club, though -- more than likely a good move for Klopp to bring him into the fold in some capacity.

It's been mentioned before yes, but seems a little more in it this time. I am sure Klopp wouldn't even consider it if he felt it would upset anything he had in place already.
The experience Gerrard has and his status as an ex-player would surely have a positive influence around the training ground, at whatever level he might be involved in.
 
The experience Gerrard has and his status as an ex-player would surely have a positive influence around the training ground, at whatever level he might be involved in.
And if you were to go through a bad spell, having Gerrard on the sidelines would afford Klopp a lot of good will. Similar to Giggs with us (for a while anyway).
 
As a player Gerrard was very instinctive in how he played. I never had him down as someone who could coach others for the simple reason he always seemed focused purely on his own game. I don't believe he ever thought, or read a game, the way someone like Carragher did, who I believe would make an excellent coach.

As someone has already said. I'd be OK with him teaching the kids but that's about it.
 
It's been mentioned before yes, but seems a little more in it this time. I am sure Klopp wouldn't even consider it if he felt it would upset anything he had in place already.
The experience Gerrard has and his status as an ex-player would surely have a positive influence around the training ground, at whatever level he might be involved in.
I think it would benefit Henderson massively. Gerrard was captain from 2003 (?) to 2015 and in that time experienced pretty much everything as a Liverpool player. Henderson's still fairly inexperienced as a captain so having Gerrard around might be useful for someone who hasn't played at the same level yet.

I hope it's a low key thing if he does come back though. I hate the idea of a media circus all because Gerrard has come back to Liverpool.
 
I think it would benefit Henderson massively. Gerrard was captain from 2003 (?) to 2015 and in that time experienced pretty much everything as a Liverpool player. Henderson's still fairly inexperienced as a captain so having Gerrard around might be useful for someone who hasn't played at the same level yet.

I hope it's a low key thing if he does come back though. I hate the idea of a media circus all because Gerrard has come back to Liverpool.

I would totally agree with that, actually. Mentoring rather than coaching I might call it.
 
My intial instinctive feeling on this Gerrard thing.

Don't bring him back .

We've moved on. I remember Shanks was told not to go to Melwood anymore by the club. Players use to still call him boss and just didn't feel right.
 
Imagine they were ahead by like, 8 points come January and then bring Stevie G back to get in on all the glory and finally get his Premier League medal.... Only to have it all come crashing down on them by the end of the season.

That would be a total Liverpool thing to happen.
 
As a player Gerrard was very instinctive in how he played. I never had him down as someone who could coach others for the simple reason he always seemed focused purely on his own game. I don't believe he ever thought, or read a game, the way someone like Carragher did, who I believe would make an excellent coach.

As someone has already said. I'd be OK with him teaching the kids but that's about it.
This. In fact, I'd rather he doesn't come back for a coaching role but acts as an ambassador instead of Owen.

As for Carragher, Gerrard said in his first biography that Carragher always was a student of the game and knew pretty much everything about football. However, Neville's punditry is also fine imo but he's failed to make it as a coach. I'd love to see Carra coach a lower tier side but unfortunately I think he's very happy with his gig at Sky for now.
 
The overt skepticism around Gerrard's return is a bit OTT. His role, which doesn't exist yet, hasn't even been defined. I don't think he'll be Klopp's right-hand man. I don't think he'll have strategic influence over the direction of the club. I would imagine he will get some minor coaching role which will likely support his badges which I assume he's going for.

Clubs all over Europe support former players by employing them in a range of roles. English clubs appear less keen, which is no good thing. Gerrard deserves a role, given his immense contribution.
 
The overt skepticism around Gerrard's return is a bit OTT. His role, which doesn't exist yet, hasn't even been defined. I don't think he'll be Klopp's right-hand man. I don't think he'll have strategic influence over the direction of the club. I would imagine he will get some minor coaching role which will likely support his badges which I assume he's going for.

Clubs all over Europe support former players by employing them in a range of roles. English clubs appear less keen, which is no good thing. Gerrard deserves a role, given his immense contribution.
I'm not saying he doesn't, I just hope it's out of the spotlight where he can work at his coaching at his own pace, like Vieira did at City for example. Sadly, Gerrard being back at Liverpool will create a lot of hype and he won't be able to do his work without a lot of interest from the press.
 
I'm not saying he doesn't, I just hope it's out of the spotlight where he can work at his coaching at his own pace, like Vieira did at City for example. Sadly, Gerrard being back at Liverpool will create a lot of hype and he won't be able to do his work without a lot of interest from the press.
His appointment will create press interest but that won't sustain. Him coaching at the club is ostensibly quite boring beyond the initial headline.

In addition, the key here is that Klopp is the bigger character in terms of managerial expertise and experience. There's no danger of in-house complications, I suspect.
 
Performance as a player shouldn't mean automatic entry into coaching staff.

I'll trust Klopp's decision making on this though.
Of course it shouldn't. But his contribution as a player should mean an automatic role at the club in the right context and at the right time. If he's going for his badges then we can support that. I just can't see an issue with it - Klopp isn't going to act against the interests of the team.
 
Early days, but is it safe to say that as of now, Liverpool had the best transfer window in England? Might have overpaid a bit for Mane, but him, Matip, Karius and Wijnaldum have all integrated into Klopp's vision of Liverpool and are instantly key players to their team.
 
Bit too early for Karius, he's had some nervy performances so far. Not too different from De Gea's start, so I hope the end result will be close to him. :P
 
Early days, but is it safe to say that as of now, Liverpool had the best transfer window in England? Might have overpaid a bit for Mane, but him, Matip, Karius and Wijnaldum have all integrated into Klopp's vision of Liverpool and are instantly key players to their team.
Still waiting on Karius.

Matip and Wijnaldum have been excellent and I think exceeded expectations of the optimistic fans, nevermind neutrals.

Wijnaldum in particular is turning out to be a really cultured and savvy midfielder. I expected him to struggle more with the deeper role than he has, but he seems to always know what to do, always solving problems and finding positive solutions for his teammates. Think we would have played a far more composed game against you if he had played.

Mane I think has been about par for expectations. He's been good, but also getting some extra plaudits simply for what his type of player brings to the side. I am still hoping for another gear in him.

Also worth mentioning - the non signing of a left back. Milner has been a revelation there and really strengthens the first XI now.
 
Not an excellent window for me. The big plus is Klopp.

He can make crap player very good and since they don't have any distraction from Europe they can get the benefit

With another manager they wouls struggle to get 7th, but Klopp is the main man.
 
Feck knows why we bothered to sign any players then, when Klopp could have done the same with Kevin Stewart, markovic and Jon Flanagan.
 
Early days, but is it safe to say that as of now, Liverpool had the best transfer window in England? Might have overpaid a bit for Mane, but him, Matip, Karius and Wijnaldum have all integrated into Klopp's vision of Liverpool and are instantly key players to their team.

It is too early to say, though a nice a question given the majority on here thought we had a crap window (Mane aside).

Not sure on Karius yet , Wijnaldum has been excellent in a role many (me included) didn't think he would play, Matip could be the signing of the season on a free, and Mane has added pace and goals - he is a class act.

Possibly the biggest overall impact for me has been the overall squad balance, Klopp got good money for so many players deemed surplus to his requirements, hence we ended up with a negative net spend and I really believe we are set for more stable future windows which can only help after some of the failed transfers of the past.

@B20 is spot on about Milner - people still say we should have signed a left back, but if Klopp doesn't see one out there at a price he wants to pay then it's best to be cautious.
 
Last edited:
Milner has really surprised me. I hope he's happy there because he is playing well there.
 
Milner has really surprised me. I hope he's happy there because he is playing well there.
I think he's surprised all of us tbh. He looks like he's been playing there for years. He's a top professional who will play anywhere for the club and getting him in at LB was a great piece of management. I'd still like a proper left back next summer but it's certainly not a priority anymore
 
Milner has really surprised me. I hope he's happy there because he is playing well there.

I think he is getting more joy out of playing in this role than your average fullback role:

“It is a bit irrelevant to speak to someone who has played there in the past as the way that this manager plays is very different to a left-back say five years ago.

“A lot of time in this team you are like a winger and on the front foot.

“So I could speak to other left backs but the way this manager wants his full-backs to play is completely different to how other managers want them to play.”

He is also frequently the player with the most touches and passes in our games. He may be positioned as leftback, but his role is often that of deeplying playmaker.

As far as I am concerned, the spot is his for as long as his legs can keep him going.
 
I think he is getting more joy out of playing in this role than your average fullback role:

“It is a bit irrelevant to speak to someone who has played there in the past as the way that this manager plays is very different to a left-back say five years ago.

“A lot of time in this team you are like a winger and on the front foot.

“So I could speak to other left backs but the way this manager wants his full-backs to play is completely different to how other managers want them to play.”

He is also frequently the player with the most touches and passes in our games. He may be positioned as leftback, but his role is often that of deeplying playmaker.

As far as I am concerned, the spot is his for as long as his legs can keep him going.

..and although he "lost" the armband, he´s still taking penalties, which is a clear sign of trust, responsibility and status. I still remember the 2009 U21 finals against Germany. All the Germans that became stars, even the bench, and the only English player that stood out to me was Milner.
 
So it looks like Sakho is finished at Liverpool. Seems like the drug test thing ruined him. I thought he did alright playing under Klopp last season alongside Lovren.

 
So it looks like Sakho is finished at Liverpool. Seems like the drug test thing ruined him. I thought he did alright playing under Klopp last season alongside Lovren.



I wonder exactly what happened with that positive test and what's gone on behind the scenes.

He's had the Schweinsteiger treatment although the press have ignored it being Klopp as opposed to Mourinho.

Not a great player but still young and as you said he did seem to be improving. On drugs or not he was very good against us.
 
As a player Gerrard was very instinctive in how he played. I never had him down as someone who could coach others for the simple reason he always seemed focused purely on his own game. I don't believe he ever thought, or read a game, the way someone like Carragher did, who I believe would make an excellent coach.

He could always be used in some form of motivational capacity. "We don't let this slip!"