Trusting Klopp to have an alternative to Werner…

Matt Stead
Timo Werner RB Leipzig Chelsea

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Trusting Klopp on Werner and more
If I’m honest, I really wanted Werner at Liverpool. He seemed to be very enthusiastic about playing for Klopp and Liverpool, and appears to have all the qualities that would make him a star at Anfield. He would have added significant depth to the attack as well. I do understand that Chelsea’s offer of guaranteed starting positions would be a major swing in the sales pitch, and the fact is that it would be next to impossible to cram him into the starting line up at Liverpool as it currently is, due to Klopp’s preference for a three-man midfield, and the fact that Werner is not an upgrade on any of the front three. You could argue he scores more goals then Bobby Firmino, but we already have goal scorers in Mane and Salah. Firmino’s un-selfish nature is a major reason why those two are able to put up the numbers they do, and I think I speak for the vast majority of Liverpool fans when I say I would not like to break up that trident.

However, all the truly great teams that win multiple leagues and tend to have significant depth of quality in attack. Barcelona at one time had Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Pedro on their books. Real Madrid’s dynasty of the late 2010’s had Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Asensio and Vasquez. Manyoo, back before they were a laughing stock, had Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov in 08/09. I have full faith that Klopp has a plan on adding that depth and refreshing the attack, of that there is no doubt. And that is why, although I wanted Werner, I am not concerned about missing out on this transfer the way I was with Rodgers or Benitez, because Klopp has proven himself to be a master of picking a player and a master of the transfer market in general. He has earned trust, and I am actually excited to see what his next move is.

Now with regards to the Werner to Chelsea transfer. If Chelsea do end up sealing this transfer, and can sign a quality center-back with experience, they are the most well-equipped side to challenge Liverpool and City next season. Whether they can actually win the league next season is improbable, as I feel that it will take a bit of time to break this Liverpool-City duopoly which has taken form. It is highly unlikely that both of those teams would drop off so badly together in the same season, which is what would be needed at this stage for any other Premier League team to win the league.

I do however feel that Chelsea are the ones who will start asking questions of the top two. Spurs are in my opinion going to be dismantled and start from scratch, Arsenal have shown promise under Arteta but require major surgery in defence and midfield, and Manyoo will spend another 200 million this summer to move one place higher in the league to a lofty fifth place, and continue their absurd transfer activity that has led to them spending more money than Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus in the past five years. All in a desperate attempt to escape the clutches of Thursday night football against the mighty FC Astana. Leicester are an interesting one, as Rodgers really does have something cooking there, and has a solid base of young players with whom he could create something special. Big question mark on how they will replace Vardy’s goals though, and I think that variable makes their future volatile atm because they don’t have anyone within the squad currently who can produce the type of numbers Vardy does.

Bottom line, Chelsea are looking like a strong outfit next season, provided they complete the Werner transfer and bolster the defence with not just experience, but quality. They would be strong across the whole park, with incredible midfield depth, and searing pace in attack. Congratulations to them if they pull it off.
johnnyWicky

 

 

Hair today, gone tomorrow?
Did Sancho just throw Liverpool fans the perfect excuse to pretend they never wanted him anyway? Sit tight and enjoy the ride.

Not an ABL (sorry to disappoint & take away the oft-repeated response)
Ashish Singh

 

Who is a decent DM now?
Sorry Aaron but we’ve moved on few years since Kante was the best DM in the EPL. Unfortunately, Kante and Fernandinho played very few games as the DM for their teams in this season.

Fernandinho, when not out injured, has been filling in central defence. Rodri has been playing the DM role, as Fernandinho is expected to pass the baton over soon, it was clearly a chance for Guardiola to fit both players into his team.

Kante is playing much further forward these days – when he gets a game. Since Jorginho joined he has not really played as a DM. Jorginho played as the pivot under Sarri, who then pushed Kante further forward. This year we are seeing Jorginho, Kovacic and Mason Mount all get more game time and starts in midfield, ahead of Kante. Even Barkley is getting game time, as Lampard looks to try and create a balance between defense and more offence. Chelsea have fallen apart a few times this year as Lampard changes things up. And what happens when Ruben Loftus-Cheek looks to come back after injury. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lampard move Kante on to create some funds for his other purchases.

If we look at goals conceded Liverpool at 21 are significantly better than City at 31 and Chelsea at 39.

The best outside of Fabinho is definitely Ndidi – and that shows with Leicester at an impressive 28 conceded. However, the copybook is blotted by seven more defeats and four more draws.

But consider that Liverpool throw everything forward, including the full backs, especially the full backs as often their most creative outlet, so that puts a lot of pressure on the DM. Klopp also demands that they intercept and/or deter an attack rather than making last ditch tackles and, in pressing and intercepting look to creating an attack or keeping the pressure up – not just momentarily relieving the pressure.

In other words, it’s much harder to play the DM role in a team playing in the Liverpool style and with the pressure they have been under all year, which is why I think Minty was right.
Paul McDevitt

 

 

Does Ole need the restart more than Klopp?
There’s been a lot said about Liverpool needing the season to end and thankfully the mails about Liverpool fans being willing to sacrifice lifes/void the season are gone. But is there someone who needs this stretch of games more?

I was hardly surprised to see Ole back in the Top five sack list and a balanced article about what has gone well or wrong,before the phony war ends and we expect Sarah to pop out of hiding with the words low-block cut and pasted into an article after the first draw/defeat.

This debate can be ended in these next two months  – get more than 20 points including a majority against the smaller teams and win at least one of the two cup competitions Utd are still in and the Ole in section will rightly say keep another year, Get as most people are forecasting 12 points or less struggling to make an impact against teams who defend and we’ll be flooded with a litany of ‘Utd will be rubbish’ doom sayers/Lots of people witch schadenfreude /Hire Poch now mails and articles which will be fully justified .I’m hoping we won’t end up with what usually happens a set of results in the middle that can be interpreted either way.

Don’t get me wrong Liverpool/Klopp need football back for at least two games – anything after that is about breaking records. Utd and Ole need the whole season to finish so the future can be clearer one way or another.
Timi, MUFC

 

Hammers gonna hammer
As a West Ham fan, can I just say that the phrase ‘un-weighted points per game method’ already fills me with nausea and dread. I have no idea what it means, but I just know that it’s the kind of phrase that completely fits in with our umm eclectic club.

I remember as if it were yesterday going down with a team including, deep breath now, David James, Tomas Repka, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Trevor Sinclair, Paulo Di Canio, Freddy Kanoute, Jermaine Defoe, Glen Johnson and Steve Lomas, with by far the highest ever points total to go down. You couldn’t make it up. After 20 years of season tickets and continual heartbreak, I went from finally having a team that, given another 12-24 months, genuinely could have emulated the lads of ‘85, for years to come, to everyone leaving for peanuts.

I could barely read the recent excellent article on Joey Cole. I was there (with 25,000 others) to see him in the FA Cup YOUTH final at UP. He was and will always be my favorite ever player. And just like that, by some freak maths, he was gone, with everyone else.

Whilst I have no pretensions that our current squad is of that caliber, our last five games are winnable, to say the least, culminating in Villa at home last up. I just have a looming feeling that another freak apocalypse is on the horizon. ‘Un-weighted points per game’…it’s coming isn’t it.
Mike, WHU

 

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