Match Day Thread Liverpool v Brighton

It all is.

The forwards bar Diaz and maybe sometime soon jota can't press properly like we used to.

The midfield ability to get about and shut things down 100% is part of it.

But we can't ignore vvd either. He can't do what he used to

Add it all up and that's why I am saying we need to change the system to suit what we actually have.

 

Am I going blind,? Can't see us v Rangers match Thread.

 

^^^^ this is it

 

Looking forward to the NBA starting.

 

TBH this whole tsmikas and IBWT thing is getting real old real fast. draws are no good.

 

I'd like to see Diaz and Nunez either side of him at the moment, direct running and genuine pace may push the opposition back and enable the midfield to push up.

 

I've never been too worried about Bobby- while it's inevitable that he may not be as good as he once was, I thought reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated.

Totally agree though that we need to change our system to suit what we now have.

 

I don't think we really want the midfield to push up. I genuinely think we need to be rethinking that now.

EG.

Alisson
Matip VVD (stand closer together and defend FFS)
Trent Robertson (tuck in and play quasi CMs
Fabinho Thaigo (go play)
eliott...............Firmino .................... Diaz (width stays wide)
salah/Jota/Nunez (whichever plays up front)

I am more interested with his system in packing the centre of the park and providing genuine depth to the defence. The full backs are treated radically defferent and told they don't bomb on down a line or run into the no 9 channel like lunatics. THey are parked as CMs in fornt of the narrower CBs who should be focused on providing each other cover.

the issue i then see in this system is Fabinho and thiago playing rather more advanced... or trying to. this frees them a little wheich they seem to do anyway ey would not be attacking cms would they?

I've glued elliott to the wing just to see what whould happen. It is a quais 4231.

I just don't think our players have the legs any more to run about and genuinely press up. I just have not seen it out of anyone bar diaz. There's too many gaps to play though and the simplest pass splits us wide open as there's no thought to cover behind once that press fails.

At our best we stifle sides and prevent them form playing out. Cutting passing lanes, forcing errors etc. Right now its the simplest task in the world to walk past tent or elliott or henderson or thiago etc and play a pass forward where its 2 on 2 v our cbs.

 

Said numerous times over last year or so that we are no longer a pressing team from the front. We might try and pretend to be, but Bobby mane and Salah that were once experts in it, mane has left, Bobby never had pace but had a burst and coukd get to players, that seems to have gone and same with Salah. Still has some pace but not electric like he was.

Means we trying to press with full backs up high but teams can pass through that front 3, and suddenly they’re turned and running at fab and Hendo who seems to have lost a bit of mobility, and thiago who was never the most mobile. With TAA and Robbo still pushed up high on the press, suddenly left with huge holes out wide.

Not sure about tucking full backs in, wouldnt want Robbo anywhere near a cm position, and would still leave gaps behind.

We either need to reinvest in 2 mobile midfielders, one to cover/then replace fab, and another to be more box to box to replace Hendo. Let Nunez and diaz run around up top and press (they are both good enough to do it).

Or we go total opposite way, and drop in. Once you lose the ball, drop back and get into a solid shape. Full backs sit alongside your cb, thiago and Hendo tuck in to force teams out wide. Problem with that is, we don’t win any high turnovers so are going to only win ball back in our half which makes it harder to create openings.

Klopps got some work to do, to try reinvent this squad which has unfortunately aged over the last 3 years with the only reinforments in the prime 22-24 age range coming up top in Jota diaz and Nunez.

 

the thing is we are not pressing full backs up. they are sprinting on after the ball out wide is played by a gk and rarely get there.

none of the team are doing it.

About the tucking full backs in. The issue for me is nobody is covering so we need to get the bodies into cover spots. and we can't invest til january (minimum) so we've all these games to play between now and then and IMO job no 1 is stem the flow of goals against.

the only real way to do this is to be a conte and pack in as you've said with shape but that requires people willing to block a corss etc. We have proved a few times we can "dig in" but the key word you used is reinvent.

We cannot do the same things in the same formation again and again with it not working. some changes are needed to exploit what we have.

And we have Thiago's passing and a few forwards who've score a few goals so unlike 2020/21 when we couldn't buy a goal and losing 0-1 etc we are now in a situation where despite all being fit they are throwing goals in time after time. need to stem the goals and providing a depth of cover to prevent breaks is the only way to do it.

 

this explains what i've been hammering on about for months.

Massive gaps being left by very very very basic errors that need to be resolved. All teams need to do is thump it down our left and chances are without even aiming the ball when they clear and they are likely to get a break on us.

The vid shows the massive gaps we leave. it doesn't even talk about the ajax goal which was absolutely the same story. trent wandering about out of possession not in a good full back position, not tracking runners and there channels to play in all over. 1 on 1s any where you want to have them.

Depth of defence issues

1. Nobody willing to cover a channel. (elliott)

2. Too many massive gaps means too much space for one man to cover. trent up field (anywhere he feels like which is even worse than being on a run than might bring a defender with him, if he goes infield it leaves a left full and left winger total free to go go go) and nobody sloting over like a henderson (whoi has been walked past this season never mind elliott who just hasn't a clue)

3. matip pulled out to RB = massive gaps vvd is just not covering and not willing or able to any more. Other can't then get back or are no longer able to in time (fabinho)

If you get that one ball into that left wing channel then anyone alive as a striker or CM for an opponent should know to absolutely sprint for our near stick as there a hole you can drive a buss through (FFS trossard is a lwb who should be having his ears pinned back by us going forward)

we can talk all we like about this blaming one or other player but in reality the system is shot through and the players are no longer able to cope. A fundamental change is required.

No intensity up top - only way to fix is use nunez, jota and diaz to run and run and run and then launch firmino and salah from bench. salah is not playying anywhere near the same pressure.

Midfield gaps. we are in massive trouble as nobody can close those lanes and frankly they are all coach to go at the ball so one pass and they are done.

Trent positioning. Its tantamount to negligence at this point from klopp and linders. It's clear this little ploy was fun for a little while to create chaos but its now totally counter productive. He can pass, he can shoot but he cannot do what he is doing wihtout a funamental change round him. if we want to continue with this suidical tactic then the only way to make it work is 343.
either be a full back/ right winger up and down the line (this creating worry for teams that their full back can't just go) Or be a CM not none of the above.

Defensively. Need to admit that prime vvd would struggle never mind old man time. its time to close the gaps and defend narrlowly. City are going to score 10 lads.

 

I think what we need.

------- CF --------
W --------------- W
---- CM DM CM -----
WB ------------- WB
---- CB CB CB -----
------- GK --------

It would be foolish not to take advantage of what skills TAA brings but as everyone above mentions TAA can't attack without leaving space behind him. An extra CB will allow the outer of the CBs to keep an eye on the space left when our wing backs move forward. Move them over a little when in attack to not leave a wide open space

Overall, I think this slight change to our current formation would make us a lot more stable and stop conceding as much, while allowing us to still attack and keep our width and suits the team we currently have.

 

well playing with 12 men usaually would give a team a bit of a boost.

However the same exact point remains. Our side used to love a 343. it gave salah and mane acres to play in behind the single wide man so if trent is to "wander" indfield all that we are doing is letting him off to do that pointlessly while teams can overload our right side CB.

Surely we simply say ok, 442, trent you are right midfield. don't **** it up.

Alisson
Gomez (only option) matip vvd robertson
Trent fabinho thiago Diaz
Salah jota​

We have to get robertson overlapping diaz to provide crosses from left and get trent corssing from right. two men in the box to score and a lump on the bench as a change.

Without the ball at least we can pull two banks of 4 and come narrow to shut the gaps.

 

.
Counting was never my strong point.

Only ten fingers.

 

always count the keeper using your dick.

massive pro tip that.

 

Only just caught the highlights. **** me, Brighton could have been 4-0 up at HT easy.

Fabinho looked so **** every attack, completely missing and not even trying to get back

 

Yup.
Vvd, fabinho shot through. Trent a joke. Matip totally over loaded. Salah, not pressing.

 

This is like an RHC post.

 

Can we say our players are tired.?. We went very close to win the league three times in four years, we only won it once.

 

no tired isn't the right word.

If you replace wijnaludm with thiago you have to assume there less running. But fabinho and henderson have massively declined. Fabinho is only 28 but looks 34. Henderson looks every day of his 32 years. salah is 30 but the sport scientists were agains this new deal on grounds of him slowing down. its cealr he has. Same for mane, i was happy enough he went.

the mane of 2016 and 2017. look back at videos of the pace that guy had and how he got about. that was gone last year. Bayern are seeing it now.

Trent.... he's just being lazy. he can when he wants to run about just fine. He expends energy getitng to the wrong place at the wrong time as well.

VVD is no longer a young man, hes 31, going to be 32 next summer. think about it. its snuck up on him as well


This is the same argument some folk have made season after season

@Jimmy Squarefoot every transfer window. Where the replacements. 3/4 years ago we were saying ok theres that front 3 but wheres the back up. We managed to have pretty much crap but we also sold them and honestly only had jota join.

We now have nunez, diaz and jota. we need to get more.

Same for midfield. kept ****, we all knew were ****. Ox, keita, milner. Now we are looking for options and we have none. The 3 jaded old looking men after left to play.

whatever word you want... stale? over the hill? they are all the same. we need to change it up big time.