Klopp’s achieved what Mourinho and Pep haven’t

Daniel Storey

Should be many more Mails to come, because nobody is doing any work this week except us…

 

Just another Mane Monday
So, Sky’s hype machine almost killed another of my Monday nights.

Turns out Mersey Monday was more Misery Monday for Everton, while it was just another Mané Monday for Liverpool.
Saminho (I’ll… just… get my… coat)

 

Happy with the win while playing badly
Delighted with the manner of that win. In a game of such importance, not strictly just because it was the derby but also heading into the busy festive period which for us culminates with Man City on New Year’s Eve, I think winning it in a scrappy 1-0 way is actually better than winning 4-0. Whilst the quality and entertainment are worse, the fact you can hang in there and grind is a great sign.

Barkley shouldn’t have finished the game. The tackle on Henderson was nasty and then the petulance to kick the ball away after conceding a soft free kick plus the push in Wijnaldum’s back when the ball was going off were all bookable offences. It might seem harsh but I think the derby got the better of him. If he doesn’t have the temperament to cope with this sort of game and actually be influential, will he ever rise to fulfill the potential he obviously has?

Nobody in Red really painted themselves in glory tonight but Firmino and Origi were particularly wasteful at times. Firmino still had a few moments of brilliance but his passes were intercepted at too many key moments and his decision making between the zones was not the best.

I don’t think we can get away with playing that badly too many times this season.
Minty, LFC
And some punchier conclusions than these
Is there a better feeling than getting a late winner against your rivals?

*In the first 20 minutes Everton dominated Liverpool. They flew into tackles and didn’t give Liverpool a moment. In short they geggenpressed the geggenpressers.

*Everton clearly were targeting the left hand side of the defence. Klavan and Milner were consistently harassed by Lukaku and Coleman in particular.

*As an Irishman I’m so happy we have Seamus Coleman. Outstanding from start to finish, what a clearance to deny the second goal.

*After the first 25 minutes, Everton understandably faltered. Mane starting to turn on the ball. Lallana as well. Origi started to make the runs down the channel and really held the ball up well.

*Lovren and Klavan had a lot of space to advance as Everton retreated and in an odd way, this is another area in which they miss Matip. He is not afraid to play one twos and go beyond. He’s a capable runner. Liverpool were forced to be patient and the rhythm was knocked out of them.

*I thought in saying that, Lovren and Klavan were excellent. Lukaku is a tough test for any defender and they coped admirably.

*Mignolet had little to do to be honest and that comes from an excellent defence.

*Milner quietly continues to impress from left back. His corners have improved as well!

*Firmino had an odd game. His passing was atrocious and yet he nearly brought about a wonderful goal from that corner. I’m saying that he should have scored earlier. He still looks off the pace but looked better when brought into the centre.

*Sturridge did exactly what a striker should do. He looked to get in behind and ran at the defence. Williams looked fairly uncomfortable as soon as he came on. I said it a few weeks back, that he was going to play an important role and I fully believe it.

*Mane has been a revelation. The speed is phenomenal. What a miss he is going to be in January.

*Barkley should’ve seen red. I’m sorry but that was a terrible tackle.

*This could be a huge result in the season, but only if Liverpool maintain the same intensity and endeavour against Stoke on the 27th.

*Finally, Merry Christmas guys. Hope you guys have a good one.
Miguel Sanchez, LFC, Eire (Standard Lucas cameo at the end)

 

It’s a derby win. Who cares how it looked?
I suspect this is going to come across as crowing but pffff to that.

We turned up at the Goodison cauldron and were subjected to a brutal kicking. Most teams would have wilted but not the mighty reds.

I think dealing with that first 20 minutes is the proudest I have been of the boys this year.

Full belief in the methods of Klopp, the players carried through his gameplan and got a vital 3 points.

Following a tight game against United and the collapse against Bournemouth this win clearly shows progress is being made.

Finding a way to win is what champions do apparently.

Oh and Storey, it might be dirty, brutal and appalling to watch but a derby win IS a derby win. Deserve does not come into it. (MC – I used literally none of those three words to describe it).
H, (red sky at night Klopp delight)

 

Klopp has improved the group like Mourinho and Guardiola haven’t
Two names: Mane and Matip. They are the only two players that Klopp has bought who are starters in a team that he took over from an under-performing Rogers. Two people; yes you can substitute Wini for Can but essentially Mane and Matip are the only two people who are first-teamers.

Jose Mourinho states he needs transfer windows to shape his team as does Pep Guardiola, and the apologists for them in the press argue that currently Man U and City are not their current managers team. I counter with the fact that nine out of 11 players for Liverpool are not Klopp’s players, but he has coached them, moulded them and trained them into a team that is second in the league. I agree he has had an extra six months but aren’t Pep and Jose the two greatest managers currently around? He has taken on the Kop and won, twice. He has improved every player in the team, Sturridge aside.

But what is most impressive is that his style of play always seems to get Liverpool on top in games. Pep, Jose and more impressively in the last 11 games Conte have all had to change their formation, either through injuries, poor form or a lack of competent players. Klopp’s style is played the same way with different players and more often than not we eventually take control of the games. Yesterday, Everton were well on top for the first 30mins. But by the end of the game Liverpool had over 65% of the possession, more passes, shots, attacking % and chances. So how much possession did we have from 31-90mins as Everton bossed that first half hour.

The excellent Guardian podcast yesterday said that Arsene makes a change after 70mins regardless of the situation. But in nearly every game I have seen this year (Burnley aside) at 70mins we are in control, so what is it about Klopp’s style of play that overpowers all other teams?

I am looking forward to the upcoming games against City and the return against Chelsea to see if they change their style to match us, or we to match them or we have two teams with two styles going toe-to-toe.

A very happy Liverpool fan
Ian H

 

An Everton fan on Ross Barkley
I like Ross Barkley. He’s a local lad, he scores the occasional screamer, he tries his best. But the game last night, especially that horrorshow challenge on Henderson, really hammered home the reason he is never going to be the great some have hyped him up to be: he’s quite dumb.

I’m not having a go at the lad, I just reckon his upper limit is defined by his cognitive capacities rather than anything he can improve. Rats can’t solve a maze with a pattern solution based on prime numbers; humans can’t perceive that time is not the linear flow of universal unravelling but a mere quirk of subjective consciousness; Ross Barkley can’t play the sensible through ball when he could dribble in a circle instead.

And yet he is talented, impressively athletic, capable of brilliant dribbles to burst through a defence. He gets in the right places in attack and works at his best with Lukaku when striding forward and playing simple one-twos to open up a back line. This is what makes him such a frustrating player. As a no.10 he’s too dim to create. He’s too rash and incapable of reading the game to play in the middle of the park. He’s not without his talents, but his lack of nous makes him a tough player to fit into a side. Here’s hoping someone smarter than me works out what to do with him.

Oh and another thing: can we please sign a replacement for middle age’s Gareth Barry? When energetic pressing is the preferred tactic of the times watching him stomp around, always seconds behind the pace, clattering into yellow cards is just undignified.
Tim (Given up the hope of ever winning another derby) EFC, Liverpool

 

Aren’t Liverpool the perfect fit for Payet?
Talking about players that fit a particular team this transfer window, why is Liverpool not considering Payet?

He is 29 so is rather short term solution while still possessing the ability Liverpool need right now for a title push. He is also capable of replacing both Mane and an injured Coutinho as he has the directness and guile of the two players respectively. He also looks not interested in West Ham as of late, so will the prospect a title challenge get him back to his best?

And finally, Liverpool is crying for a set piece taker and he has the ability. The only problem might be his fee but anyone know his contract situation at West Ham?
Ily, Nigeria

 

The January transfer window: Manchester United
I love a good transfer game, so here’s my assessment of United’s requirements this new year:

Outgoing:
Fellaini – I don’t care how much Mourinho trusts him, the collective rest of us don’t. At all. There’s just no good reason for him to still be in our squad at this point; he’s not good enough at any one thing to warrant his inclusion over others. I fully expect him to stay though.

Depay – I’m sorry, Memphis, but it just hasn’t worked out. He’s at the back of a pretty long queue for a starting spot, seemingly behind Rooney, Martial, Lingard, Rashford, Mkhitaryan and Mata, so it’s not like he’s getting a game any time soon. He just needs to move on for the good of his career – probably to Everton, given that Koeman tried to sign him when he left PSV.

Schneiderlin – I would of course rather see him stay and play, but if we’re not going to do that (or even name him on the bench most of the time) then why keep him on the books? He’s too good to be the 5th or 6th choice central midfielder.

Schweinsteiger – I would of course rather see him stay and play, but…

Incoming:
Fosu-Mensah – OK, I know he is already our player, but I would like to see him afforded more opportunities in the league at the expense of Fellaini. I don’t believe there’s anything to be gained from sticking Fellaini on to see out games (given his propensity for point-costing mistakes), so why not give his opportunities to a promising player who has way more to gain from the experience?

Victor Lindelof – I have seen him play a fair few times and he seems like a player with really good potential. In stats terms, he has good WhoScored ratings for aerial duels, interceptions and clearances (averages of 2, 1.5 and 4.2 per game respectively), and is “very strong” at passing. He is versatile too, being able to play at centre-back and right-back, which are both areas where we are a bit shaky in my opinion. Granted, he’s not the as complete a player as someone like van Dijk, but I would rather us pay more for a 22 year old with great prospects, than a reported £15m for Fonte, or £40m – £50m for van Dijk. I do like van Dijk but I can’t see us going for that one – Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Chelsea or Spurs would all be more likely destinations if you ask me.

Julian Draxler – I’m only about 10% serious with this one. I have a sneaking suspicion that Martial is going to be moved on in the summer, and Depay’s number is almost certainly up, so in a Football Manager type world it makes a degree of sense. He’s on the market and is undoubtedly a talented player, so why not? I don’t see Rashford as an option for left side, Lingard is only a squad player, Mata is better in the middle and Mkhitaryan is better on the right, so he would fit in and improve us. It does sound like he’s probably off to PSG himself though, so I don’t think there’s much chance of it happening, but you never know.

In truth I don’t expect an awful lot to happen. I would say that the most likely deals are Schneiderlin and Depay leaving, but I would be very surprised if we replaced either of them, considering how little involvement they’ve had so far. Bailly leaving for the ACN might slightly increase the chances of us recruiting another defender, but I would only really expect that if we picked up an injury in that position.
Ted, Manchester

 

A really sad Norwich fan, which made us feel glum
Well as we approach the annual festive period of reflection and introspection, and with some breathing space this week ahead of the deluge of holiday fixtures, please indulge a forlorn canary in wallowing in some seasonal self-pity.

Seven defeats in nine games, the grand total of two points won all season against teams in the top half of the table, 34 goals conceded. But the stats don’t tell half the story. A disjointed, disinterested group of players boasting considerable Premier League experience and a healthy pile of international caps; led by a clueless manager, in turn employed by an out of touch, hopelessly naïve board (albeit one which could hold its own in a kitchen or on a celebrity ballroom dancefloor).

The club offered nothing but a pleased-to-be-here mentality to the Premier League, sleepwalking to relegation to no one’s surprise or disappointment, at least outside of Norfolk. And so back in the Championship, where save for a few flat track bully-style wins against the division’s whipping boys, we have been abysmal. Truly pathetic.

The buck, as (nearly) always, stops with the manager, who seems incapable of instilling any discernible game plan, tactics, motivation or belief in the team. The malaise around the club is palpable, the fans seemingly bored into a stupor by the week after week of misery, punctuated by the occasional false dawn.

I know, I know, I know ….there are plenty out there far worse off than us (Merry Christmas all you Ipswich Town fans out there!!). But right now it is pretty shit being a Norwich fan, this year can’t come to an end soon enough. Brexit, Trump, cool people dying aside, anyone else had a really shit 2016?

Bah humbug.
Richard, NCFC, London