They are playing very well at the moment but, in most league title campaigns, there is a period when form dips and you resort to winning ugly (typically in the final third of the season) - think Leicester last year or Chelsea the year before. Assuming Liverpool go through such a patch, I am not convinced they are defensively strong enough to still get results if their attacking form drops.
What if Liverpool win the league this year?
- Thread starter Alex Styles
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They are playing very well at the moment but, in most league title campaigns, there is a period when form dips and you resort to winning ugly (typically in the final third of the season) - think Leicester last year or Chelsea the year before. Assuming Liverpool go through such a patch, I am not convinced they are defensively strong enough to still get results if their attacking form drops.
if they do they do.....
lets just focus on our own team
they will win it eventually and it might prompt us to actually get our ass into gear
lets just focus on our own team
they will win it eventually and it might prompt us to actually get our ass into gear
They won't win the league. All champions at least have semi-capable defences. Liverpool are still a calamity at the back and it'll cost them.
Ok, but that's not fatigue it's just how momentum can build and fade as the season progresses.
Interestingly, discussing whether Liverpool can win a tight 1-0 is a total unknown and an odd one in that it's an angle to find a negative. Winning games by clear margins but conceding is being narrated by some as a sign of potential weakness. Scoring goals so freely is seen as playing with abandon rather than secure discipline. If Liverpool were winning 1-0 every week the line would be "you can't rely on small leads every week". The thing you're not doing become central to the naysayers' analysis.
What's more, Liverpool aren't playing particularly helter-skelter kamikaze football with endless chances at both ends. Possession is very dominant and controlled. Even on Sunday, Watford had a 10 minute attacking flurry at 5-0 down and scored a goal. Yet this goal has fed a point of view that Liverpool can't be trusted defensively. If it had been 1-0 at the time Liverpool would probably have looked a lot more secure with the game less open.
Look at the United game as an example of rigidity and discipline. United had 1 chance in that game. It was a very close game that saw defences on top. Klopp set his team up with unusual caution because of the nature of opponent. But he's not going to do the same against Hull, is he?
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I'd be happy enough, Klopp hasn't spent a lot and has implemented a damn entertaining style.
I wouldn't mind if any of the top 6 teams won truthfully, they've all got their different strengths and factors that make them entertaining. Though I'd prefer another Leicester-esque champion (probably too late for Swansea this season
).
I kind of disagree, if Lovren doesn't revert to his old self and Milner keeps impressing as a LB, I don't think their defense is that much worse than the other contenders. Matip is a good player and was so before he joined, and Clyne is a solid RB. Nowhere near an amazing back 4, but not calamitous imo either.
I wouldn't mind if any of the top 6 teams won truthfully, they've all got their different strengths and factors that make them entertaining. Though I'd prefer another Leicester-esque champion (probably too late for Swansea this season
).I kind of disagree, if Lovren doesn't revert to his old self and Milner keeps impressing as a LB, I don't think their defense is that much worse than the other contenders. Matip is a good player and was so before he joined, and Clyne is a solid RB. Nowhere near an amazing back 4, but not calamitous imo either.
Chelsea or City will win it -- Liverpool are great going forward but their defence is leaky (everyone knows it). If they only manage to score one goal, or two goals, that won't be enough to win a lot of games when they seem to concede as a matter of formality.
City, eh? All those clean sheets.
Still a better defence than Liverpool.
On paper probably, but from what I've seen they've been more of a mess at the back than us. We're similar in that we can dominate games and still manage to concede a goal out of nothing. We're probably weaker from set pieces whereas Cities mistakes seem to occur in open play. There's not much to separate the two sides defensively in my opinion.
Nope Brexit, Trump, Liverpool makes sense. The year of the racists
Oh please do behave you divvie.
Nice
If they win, not only will we give them a guard of honour next year both home and away, but we'll celebrate their success by hoisting a large commemorative banner over the Stretford End. We're all in this league together... we win AND lose together!
Exactly - what fatigue, and why is this mythical thing going to kick in after Christmas?
Nope Brexit, Trump, Liverpool makes sense. The year of the racists
Stop behaving like a child.
I'll be like....'oh noooooo, bloody hell' - but then hope Jose knocks them off their perch next season. There are a lot or more worrying things in the world at the moment than using too much head space getting depressed about football!!
Don't be surprised that people treat you like a bell when you act like one.
Wonder if he'll twig that not long after he leaves, liverpool becomes a serious title contender
I will be emigrating to Canada. 
Every title winning team is built on a solid defence and liverpools is one of the worst in the league, no chance they'll win it
I kind of agree with this. We need to up our defensive play substantially to even have a shot. League is a marathon, there is a long way to go. But after the start we have had, missing Top 4 would be a huge disappointment.
They way I see it currently - City and Chelsea for the Top 2 spots. With Us and Arsenal favorites for 3rd and 4th, closely followed by Spurs and United over the season.
Mane, Firmino and Coutinho are all in top form, especially Coutinho. The cnut is in the form of his life
We need to do better defensively but it's not one of the worst in the league. There are 11 teams who have so far conceded more.
Besides we score more goals than anyone else also, every team outside the top 4 have scored around half the goals we have and some we have scored nearly 3 times as many.
The sooner Madrid sack Zidane and Klopp fecks off there with Coutinho, the better.
Not everyone but in general yes they have a reasonably solid defensive record. However it should be noted that the average goals conceded per match for a PL title winning team is 0.97 and goals scored is 2.25 (we are currently 2.73).
Note however that Liverpool have only been able to play an unchanged back 5 once this season, just once. Also it should be noted that this team is evolving and our best back 5 didn't play in the opening two games (only 2 of them did, Clyne and Lovren - and even then on his weaker RCB side) and in fact in less than half our games so far. Since then Liverpool's defence has notably improved (9 goals conceded in the last 9 games - so bang on that title winning average). The 'leaky defence theory' is clearly overblown though a key is keeping our best defenders fit.
This hasn't even considered our attack and using the whole season stats (not just last 9 games) we are still on for a +55 GD (close to an average PL title winning level, United won it in 2013 with just +43), Leicester had +32 last season and Chelsea +41 the season before.
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Luckily 2016 will piss off in 6 weeks time and everything will go back to normal, hopefully.
Yup. How many times have we heard the same thing since Suarez started being good, about how they can just outscore everyone instead? Doesn't happen, won't happen. They'll finish top 4, Coutinho will feck off to Barca, and normal service will be resumed.
Surely normal service would be getting Rodgers back?
#BringBackRafa
Don't worry, Hazard will be gone soon too.
Who is better right now? Coutinho or Hazard? I would say Hazard. So why would Barca/Real settle for second best?
Because you can't always get what you want.
I could see Hazard at Bayern or maybe PSG. Although the fee would be huge. In today's market he would probably cost at least £100m.
Yet more comments on him leaving at some point....zzzzzz
Don't care who is better - all I know is Coutinho is a gem who plays for LFC, along with his mates Lucas & Firmino.
Hazard would be okay for our bench like.
Don't care who is better - all I know is Coutinho is a gem who plays for LFC, along with his mates Lucas & Firmino.
Hazard would be okay for our bench like.