Five Liverpool sales could’ve solved this ‘sh*t sandwich’ as Klopp loses final motivational tool
Will the Liverpool players cost Jurgen Klopp his job at Anfield? One contributor names five players the German should’ve sold in the summer. Plus more reaction to their loss to Leeds…
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Jurgen Klopp
Poor Jurgen. How much he must hate that the players he has refuse to try and fight. How much he must hate that both Curtis and Millie were covering the Leeds winger but still allowed the cross to come in. That Virgil decided not to get close to the man but rather hope that he can block the shot by turning his body. Quite fitting his terrible defending is responsible for the home streak ending.
That he has only Millie, Curtis and Hendo to bring on mainly due to injuries but also a little due to FSG.
That Fabinho, Trent and Virgil look 1/10th the players they actually are.
That unfortunately the only likely solution to this mess will be that he has to walk at the end of the season. One of the greatest coaches of last 30 years has to leave because his players refuse to reset their mentality and refuse to run.
A complete shambles. I can only pray for a miracle cup run in Europe, otherwise we prepare from now for next season.
Sid, LFC, London
How do you even dissect that sh*t sandwich?
Gomez cost us against Forest but if he then starts today and costs us again the blame for that only falls on Klopp. Philips was an absolute soldier two seasons ago and sits on the bench whilst Gomez has now chucked six points away for us. He can’t maintain focus long enough to play central defence for a top club so why we persist is starting to puzzle me. He’s got lots of talent on the ball but can’t concentrate and therefore can’t be trusted.
Klopp is too loyal to the same non performers week in week out and the performances lack coherence and energy – today we got outran by Leeds by more than 11km; it’s the equivalent of an extra player’s work. We beat Ajax but could’ve conceded in the first half hour which would’ve changed that game entirely. The weird thing is that now we have lost our unbeaten record at Anfield there’s really little else left to motivate and get this lot going. They’re going to cost him his job the way things are churning right now.
It’s time to drastically change things. Play a 4-4-2, chuck Gomez into the sea, give Bajcetic a chance in midfield or just about anything else. Expecting this to suddenly click and start working is unlikely and heads will roll if this is all they think they can do.
…
I would also love to know what happened to Klopp. He basically shunned Daniel Sturridge because he was never available and yet somehow we have a team that includes Keita, Oxlade Chamberlain, Thiago, Matip and Gomez.
Don’t get me wrong, Matip and Thiago in particular are top players but what happened to the cut throat nature. Could we really not have sold these players to have got in someone more reliable?
Maybe he’s just gone too soft for a team that won it all. Maybe he thought they’d never stop running. Maybe he can’t see that they’ve all checked out.
Minty, LFC
Liverpool v Leeds… a bit of a basketball affair. end to end sfuff, both defences open, both strike forces profligate. Twats will say that Leeds deserved it despite the fact that Liverpool could quite easily have won it in which case different twats would have said Liverpool deserved it.
Since Michael Oliver failed to give a penalty for Liverpool against Arsenal when the ball was crossed onto Gabriels’s outstretched arm he’s since given a penalty to Fulham against Villa last weekend and a fee kick to Leeds in a dangerous position against Harvey Elliot this weekend for identical infractions.
Football eh?
James Outram, Wirral
View from Leeds…
What a win. We grafted, kept our cool and took the winning chance. The whole team are heroes.
On another day, Liverpool would have pushed on and got the win. But they didn’t cos we worked our bollocks off.
Onwards and upwards!!
Tom
The Mighty Toon
Newcastle’s defense was immense today. Even when Villa clicked – and they were often threatening in the first half — the back four calmly dealt with every situation but one, and blocked a ton of shots thanks to excellent positioning, while Pope came up big the one time he had to. Villa ended with no shots on target. (That’s probably a good thing for Unai Emery, btw. Virtually anything would represent an improvement.) Trippier in particular played superbly going forward while never leaving the defense uncovered.
Based on that performance, Callum Wilson surely put himself into the World Cup squad? His pressing was vicious, and the cool header and penalty will have done no harm. Almiron is scoring worldies casually now, and I think he’s playing at least as well as he ever did in Atlanta — against far more imposing opposition, bless the lad. Joelinton, of course, remains Joelinton; he worked his knackers off.
Sean Longstaff did everything but score; whisper it, but he’s becoming a very effective box-to-boxer. Bruno had a relatively quiet game, being continually closed down by at least two midfielders. Imo, the increasing attention he’s getting from Premier League teams hoping to disrupt him has allowed Joe Willock some freedom; Joe’s becoming a big part of our game in possession. I credit Howe, who seems to have instructed Willock well. He’s surely a lock for Manager of the Month, and Miggy has to be a contender for Player.
Look, I’m not getting ahead of myself. Form comes and goes, and surely we won’t be challenging for the league. But there were a lot of 8s and 9s in my match ratings today, and I’m almost overwhelmingly excited about my club. Like, late-1995 excited. I find myself grinning on the regular and seizing any excuse to bring them up in conversation. It’s a kind of magical time: so much possibility, almost entirely without expectation. At this particular moment, I guess I’d be disappointed if we missed out on Europe, but even that would feel temporary. (And we could qualify for the CL!) Certainly, the squad are playing without any anxiety at all.
Sarah Winterburn’s piece on NUFC earlier this week might speak to this issue. In it, she basically said that the club had purchased a floor, and I think that’s an apt characterization; certainly, it ties a neat bow around my own feelings. I don’t have the same fears I used to, even if I do have some nagging new ones. I wonder whether not fearing failure will rob football of something for me in the long run, but I’m loving the ride so far.
Chris C, Toon Army DC
He’s a bright one…
Graham Potter is such a good manager that he soundly beat his future, vastly more resourced self.
Paul, Gooner
VAR…yes, again…
Once again, yes once again I’m writing into football 365 to point out an egregious VAR error. Mitrovic should have seen straight red for his studs up challenge into Gana’s ankle. No question. Ref gives him a yellow and VAR doesn’t even bother.
What angers me is that we had Allan sent off against Newcastle last season for a very innocuous challenge. Straight red they gave him. Nowhere close to the dangerous challenge by Mitrovic.
When will the league just bin VAR. It hasnt helped anything and made the game worse. Zero consistency from the on pitch officiating made worse, not better, worse by VAR.
I’m confident that every other club has these issues but Everton are special when it comes to correct officiating calls. Last time a player was sent off against Everton for a straight red?
Over two years ago. No other club even close. Last season someone put together a list of calls for and against Everton. I don’t need to tell you which way that list was slanted. It’s readily available on the interwebz.
Bin VAR, train the officials better.
Rant over.
TX Bill (just getting tired of the slanted officiating) EFC
