Should Liverpool have given sporting director more power at risk of losing Klopp?
The Mailbox ponders whether Liverpool might have been better off keeping Michael Edwards and allowing him to replace Jurgen Klopp. Also: an idea to stop timewasting; and Man Utd get a kicking.
Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…
Klopp or Edwards?
In light of the shambles Liverpool are currently making of the transfer window (the third window in a row they’ve looked utterly incompetent), it’s become quite obvious that the departure of Michael Edwards has had a bigger impact than anybody at the club could have imagined.
Having done some digging I discovered a piece of information that will make Liverpool fans sick to their stomach: back in 2021,
Edwards identified the need for a midfield rebuild at the club. The aging James Milner and Jordan Henderson’s contracts were due for renewal and he pleaded with the club not to renew, having identified two young midfielders he believed were perfect for the club. Their names? Bruno Guimares at Lyon and Enzo Fernandez at River Plate. And this wasn’t yet the World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez, he was available for around £15 million. Jürgen Klopp, in his infinite wisdom, refused, instead insisting on offering the 31 year old Henderson a four year contract worth £200k a week, then offering Milner another extension a year later.
In an alternate universe where Liverpool back Edwards’ intuition and follow his plan, Liverpool are currently rocking the best midfield in the league rather than desperately bidding hundreds of millions of pounds for players who don’t want to join them after the season has already started.
My question to Liverpool fans is this: if you had the opportunity to go back to 2021 and have the club sack Klopp and allow Edwards to pick his successor, would you take it?
Keith B
Read more: Even Chelsea chaos under Boehly shames Liverpool’s mismanagement above Klopp
Wretched Red Devils
We’re 65 minutes into this match and an expect they’ll nick a 1-0, but Man Utd fans should be both worried and embarrassed.
When your best player has been Aaron Wan Bissaka and you’re struggling to break down a relegation favourite with a near full strength side, there’s clearly problems.
I wouldn’t be laughing at other clubs for their signing/non-signings when your own expensive squad is playing like this.
Shambles
Peter B
…Well, that was about 427 times more nerve racking then I expected an opening day game at home against a severely weakened wolves to go. A wolves team btw who had their manager jump ship a week before the season started and lost their best midfielder and captain this summer. This should have been a walk in the park for us, not the absolute madness that ensured after our quite fortunate goal. A few observations
1) once again, we are made to look like total underdogs at home after going ahead. Why aren’t we able to control games better after going ahead? Everytime we go ahead at home, we seem to decide to give up all hopes of keeping possession and effectively stop playing football with 11 men behind the ball. You’d think it was a team with their first experience of Premier League football, not the team with the third highest wage bill on the planet as recently revealed on this site. Ten Hag has done wonders to eradicate much of the laughably bad “just go out and play for the badge lads” amateur management of Ole. However I can only the manager for this frantic mentality, he’s got to do a better job at calming the troops and asserting more control, especially at home.
2) that was a stone wall penalty, no question about it. Couldn’t believe our luck when VAR decided to wave it off. Onana has tucked himself in to a bit of a corner with his pre season bollocking of Maguire. He’s now put immense pressure on himself not to make any errors, as the media (and possibly even his own teammates) will go right for his throat the moment it happens. And the only reason he didn’t potentially cost the team two points today was an incredibly bizarre (and incorrect) refereeing decision. Don’t blame Wolves fans for feeling wronged, I would in that situation.
3) Antony, Antony, Antony. I want this boy to succeed so badly, but this one is a busted flush. Absolutely nothing on offer of substance. A waste of space out on that wing. Hoping the rest of the team can compensate for the lack lack of end product from him.
All in all, am of course delighted with the result and the 3 points, but it is disappointment at the poor performance after taking the lead and the total lack of control that is the overriding theme of this game. It’s a very, very lucky 3 points, and undeserved when you take that woeful penalty call in to account. I’m concerned about the season, given how badly we’ve struggled agisbt a team in total turmoil. Will have to improve massively next time out.
Harry S
…Wolves were all over United. Even as their energy faded late on, they still seemed the most likely to score. Plenty of energy and organization. Keep this up and they won’t be relegated.
Kilman has been very solid, can see why Spurs wanted him. Cunha, Gomes, Nunes, Nouri and Neto too.
Garnacho had an awful game. I’ve lost count how many times he has lost the ball, but it is comfortably more than anything he has done with it. He is clearly being targeted by United to start attacks, but it is not working. Surprised he stayed on the field as long as he did. Sancho was very impressive when he came on. He looks like he’s got his mojo back.
Not a fan of Rashford upfront. He seems like a passenger, and doesn’t add much to the attack. United don’t look set up to play through balls to him and I am not sure how else they expect him to score or add value going forward. Fairly sure Silva had more shots, and he was a sub. He needs to start on the left, and nowhere else.
Onana had a solid game. The penalty situation was controversial. Those situations are not normally penalized for Gk’s, and even defenders rarely have a penalty given for that. That said, he was hit. That also said, the ball had been headed away by the time the collision did happen. All-in-all, I think they got it right. Penalizing this means a review of defending challenges in the box, which could incentivise further advantages for forwards and disinsentifying defensive actions.
United were very fortunate to leave OT with 3 points today. Their only good chance was their goal, and Wolves on another day could have had 3. United will need to work hard this week, as Spurs will be licking their lips. Harry was looking as glum on the bench as United did on the pitch. One of United’s weakest assisters’ setting up one of their other weakest goal threats was the shining light for United today, which was the somber positive of the day.
Calvino
Job done
The first half was poor from a United standpoint. There were numerous times when Onana had the ball with players who werent opening up or creating any space for him to play the pass which resulted in slowing the game down and passing around the back. Even though im happy to have Onana I always felt last season that of course De Gea was not great with the ball at his feet but even if he was our players never create the space or open up like players from City or Liverpool do which is why with De Gea you saw many kick outs with no player picked out. Thats my fear for this season is that we have the new shiny upgraded version of the keeper but the rest of the team still do not offer any help or get in to positions for Onana to take advantage of. The rest of the half we just looked average really. Our attack still isn’t great without a proper number 9 as all the attack does is run with the ball until theres no more space so they pass it which just resets the play. Wolves did look quite good cosidering they lost Lopetegui last week. I do think Gary O’Neil is a good up and coming manager who could do some good things with this wolves squad.
The second half was a bit better than the first. Still some things needing to be fixed if we want to really challange. Once Sancho and Eriksen came on United started looking a bit more fluid which is what resulted in them taking the lead through Varane with a good cross from Wan-Bissaka. Luckily once we scored we were able to shut up shop and defend until the end to get the three points. One thing that i noticed this game is that we need to get that Amrabat deal in as Mount is not what we need in the 8 postion. In this game Casemiro was a one man band doing all the defensive duties which luckily he succeeded in but he will not be able to do it all season or agianst better oppostion. Mount feels like more of a cover for Bruno than an 8 in the system as he is good at running and leading a press but lacks the defensive ability to help in the midfield which a player like Amrabat has and I believe would help Casemiro but also be able to let Bruno get into spaces he can as Amrabat is also good going forward.
Overall, Even though the performance was not great atleast we got the points. We will need to work on getting into space for Onana to use his long ball skills. Hopefully we can get the Amrabat deal done soon as we definitely need a proper number 8 if we want to have a successful season. I do think Mount can add to the team but just not as an 8 unless we are playing a very weak team which will be rare. I did like seeing Pellistri come on as I feel he is a player for the future and I hope this season he can have a season like Garnacho last season where he gets mintues regularly off the bench until Ten Hag feels he is ready to start and work from there. Now its onto Spurs on Saturday where I hope we look a lot better than today.
Max Of Whitegate.
…Play like sh*t and win? Sign of champions…
James, MUFC
Clear and obvious
Wolves were denied a penalty against Newcastle last season for their keeper clattering into Jiminez
I thought that was as clear a penalty as you’d ever see until tonight’s game – how has it not been given??
Tbf the way Wolves played they’d have smacked the penalty wide but still should have been given.
I wrote earlier this week that Wolves had nothing to be scared of this season and so it proves on tonight’s game. They just need a striker and they’ll fly up the table. Not sure why they let Costa go, he could have had another season. Appreciate why Jiminez went and genuinely wish that man all the best.
F!£k VAR
Sara HTFC (yes my partner is a Wolves fan which is why I’m emailing and nobody cares about the Championship)
Wasteful Wolves
How can such an obviously talented player as Matheus Cunha, turn the process of scoring a goal into a Mr Bean sketch?
John, Shropshire
No yellow peril
I caught the end of the Arsenal – Forest on Saturday and saw Ben White pick up what was surely the first time wasting yellow card of the season?
It got me thinking what a useless disincentive yellow cards are for time wasting. In all but the rarest of occasions the punishment for the player is usually games away, if at all (accumulative yellow cards), and it wastes even more time. I actually went back and checked the timing on the above example. It took the ref 24 seconds to book White for time wasting (12 seconds between the ball going out and him picking it up, 12 seconds of him standing there looking around). It took the ref 4 seconds to book him and tell him get on with it, before White took another 5 seconds to throw it in. Of course, Forest then knocked the ball back out of play almost immediately, allowing White to waste another 14 seconds. In total, Arsenal managed to waste nearly a full minute of added time on a couple of throw ins and their only punishment is Ben White might accumulate 5 yellow cards a match or two earlier than he would have done.
As long as the punishment is so weak, players are always going to abuse it. White isn’t going to speed up taking a throw the next time Arsenal are defending a 1 goal lead.
So, how do we increase the punishment? Simple, no more yellow cards, just reverse the call after a set period known in advance. If a throw in isn’t taken within 5 seconds of the ref calling play, it gets reversed and the opposition get a throw in. If a free kick isn’t taken within 10 seconds of the ref blowing his whistle, the opposition get a free from the same spot. If a corner kick isn’t taken within 15 seconds (to allow the big lads lumber up from the back), it’s now a goal kick – the same in reverse if a goal kick isn’t taken in time, it becomes a corner to the opposition.
That would be a real disincentive to time wasting.
Jerry
Tindall rule
Paul McDevitt, I claim that these the new laws* are directed at Newcastle United because the idea has been widely suggested in the television, print, and online press, both in the US and in England. The one-guy-in-the-box rule has actually been dubbed the “Jason Tindall rule.” Eddie Howe was directly asked about the it during his press conference on Friday, for goodness’ sake, and replied with, “it’s…strange.”
I stipulate that the time changes originally come from an IFAB directive. It’s entirely possible –even likely — that PGMOL’s writing of the law for the league and implementation was entirely neutral. But after the constant discussion of last season, it doesn’t quite feel that way.
The rules aren’t going to hurt Newcastle more than they hurt any other team; I’m not worried about that. I’m saying that it’s disturbing that the league would target NUFC (or any other club), even in a petty way. They did they same with the transfer self-dealing rules; somehow, this was never a concern when City or Chelsea did it, but the rule was passed quickly after the PIF sale was approved. Two guys in the box evidently wasn’t an issue until Jason Tindall got loud. Teams have wasted time for 140 years, but last season, NUFC received more public accusations of it than I’ve ever seen about any club. Perhaps the Saudi’s essentially unlimited wealth make NUFC a different category of threat, but it doesn’t really seem that way from where I’m standing.
I do agree that the card-waving rule is welcome. However, I noted that Almiron didn’t get a card when he did it after Martinez dragged him down. That may have been because the referee actually booked the keeper, but I figure Almiron still deserved the card.
Chris C, Toon Army DC
PS – An unintended consequence of the time-wasting rules was that in the US post-match coverage was generally curtailed because of matches’ lengths (What? They’re gonna drop ads?). Others might prefer it, but I found it unpleasant. There’s something about that time of recollection and depressurization that feels like part of sport.
Palace stay in the title race
Pundits like to say that you can’t win the Premier League on the first day of the season, but you can certainly lose it, and in that respect, Crystal Palace kept their title aspirations alive.
*For a club like Palace, playing a newly-promoted team on opening day can be a bit of minefield. It’s easy to imagine, given what’s happened over the summer, that Sheffield United would have looked at this as a game they could win and, by doing so, drag an established Premier League club into the relegation picture.
*Roy Hodgson named as strong a team as could be expected and they appeared to pick up where they left off last season. It’s been a fairly quiet summer for his side but his most notable signing, Jefferson Lerma, started in a midfield two alongside Cheick Doucoure. They were an effective two-man screen in front of the defence, forcing United wide or into shots from distance.
*Odsonne Edouard started up front and I was pleased for him to get on the scoresheet. He’s a talented and hard working player, but didn’t match it with finishing the chances created for him. Typical Palace. His goal on Saturday was a great bit of centre-forward play, getting on the end of a cross from Jordan Ayew.
Ultimately, Palace’s play could have resulted in a more flattering scoreline, but beating inferior opposition was the most important thing.
*Eberechi Eze has inherited Wilfried Zaha’s “he’s just too good for you” song. Still the most accurate chant in all of football.
*Next up Palace host Arsenal next Monday. Hodgson versus Thomas Partey could be a fun battle on the wing.
*United were a bit underwhelming, if we’re honest. They looked more like the team that were relegated two years ago than the one that finished comfortably second in the Championship last season. Perhaps it’s distorted by two of their best players from last season, Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye leaving on the verge of the season, and the additions to their squad, Gustavo Hamer aside, look like players for the future instead of for right now. Their undoing in their last Premier League spell was that they made Rhian Brewster their record signing. It’s not Brewster’s fault – you should never break your transfer record to sign a player from Liverpool – but he was a prospect in a team that needed proven quality. Hopefully this unfinished Palace side wiping the floor with them will be a wake up call and they can improve their fortunes.
*As for Palace, their first XI looks pretty good but the squad still seems thin. There are already injuries to a couple of players and it will not take much more before Hodgson is forced to choose between an experienced player working out of position or someone totally unproven in the Premier League in some positions. Michael Olise is one of those injured, but this hasn’t dissuaded Chelsea from trying to sign him. He was signed as a young player who could improve the team and be sold for profit; you can’t commit to this approach and then complain when someone tries to sign one of your best players.
The most disappointing situation, however, involves Vicente Guaita, though, is the most disappointing. It isn’t entirely clear what has gone off, but it appears to date back to when he was injured last season. Sam Johnstone deputised capably and kept his place when Guaita returned to fitness. Through preseason – at least the portions the Spaniard participated in – they were sharing playing time, which apparently wasn’t an acceptable arrangement. Guaita is 36 and is presumably aware that his time to play top flight football is running out. However, he has gone about rectifying this in the worst possible way. Refusing to join up with the squad and then having his agent use his account to reply on social media to the club’s official account posting the lineup with “am I not a Palace player? Why am I not in the squad” achieves nothing beyond making him look like a petulant child, complaining about having to do a chore until you give up and do it yourself, at which point they pivot to “oh so now you don’t actually want me to do it”.
Ed Quoththeraven