[PL] Burnley (A) Post Match

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

Our problem is we play without a brain, its rather dumb football. Set pieces and counter attacks kill us 90% of the time, I'm not sure what the thinking behind this midfield set up is but it needs to be changed immediately.

[TheElephantMan]

Nobody played well today. Conceding the early goal killed the game for us, all they needed to do from that point was defend. We didn't have enough quality or pace to create anything. Very very poor today, but we'll play better than that.

[Maxiedge]

Very doom and gloom in here

I think we've assembled a very good team but we'll come up playing teams playing out of their skin like Burnley did and that's where I think we're missing a real world class player, to just be able to do everything that little bit better and open up a tight defence.

[Daniel 7]

Our problem is we play without a brain, its rather dumb football. Set pieces and counter attacks kill us 90% of the time, I'm not sure what the thinking behind this midfield set up is but it needs to be changed immediately.

I agree. We're great at gung-ho going forward when it comes off, but when it doesn't, when up against two banks of four, it just seems to revert back to passing from side to side aimlessly and then Coutinho loses patience and skies it over the bar. We should be better than that by now, we've seen enough of that to last a lifetime.

[Fredo]

Ball retention and keeping our patience is important. Conceding soft goals nearly every game is negating all the benefit you get with keeping the ball, when the other team just have to sit back and keep its shape until we lose our patience.

[BigChief]

I said this would happen against well drilled defences, where our own defence is actually ordinary. Oh how I so wish now that Barcelona thashed almost this same team back in preseason then Klopp would have had a chance to rectify.

Anyway, now I'm going to hunt down the sarcastic comments I got in that Barca thread.

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

I agree. We're great at gung-ho going forward when it comes off, but when it doesn't, when up against two banks of four, it just seems to revert back to passing from side to side aimlessly and then Coutinho loses patience and skies it over the bar. We should be better than that by now, we've seen enough of that to last a lifetime.

Thats been our entire game plan for a few years now against the lesser sides that park the bus, hope that someone scores a worldy.

I worry about how naive we are, when we go forward I thought Klopp's system was supposed to help nullify a counter? We don't seem to have came on at all in that respect.

Other teams seem to 'turn the screw' but we don't, I can't put my finger on what that is, maybe its a lack of patience or ability to retain the ball in the final 3rd or maybe its just players decision making.

Once Burnley went 1-0 up it was perfect for them but we really should be doing much, much more.

[Daniel 7]

Ball retention is passe. Breaking at pace and clinical finishing is where the game is at now. Who's arsed about keeping the ball when you can sit in, remain disciplined, then bang it up to your quick, effective attackers?

[Slinky Skills]

I agree. We're great at gung-ho going forward when it comes off, but when it doesn't, when up against two banks of four, it just seems to revert back to passing from side to side aimlessly and then Coutinho loses patience and skies it over the bar. We should be better than that by now, we've seen enough of that to last a lifetime.

It's the same **** week in week out.

Feels like an eternity now. We will ****ing beat the Spurs cunts next week you watch and then it will be back to mediocrity the following week.

Drives you ****ing mad.

[Kenneth]

Ball retention and keeping our patience is important. Conceding soft goals nearly every game is negating all the benefit you get with keeping the ball, when the other team just have to sit back and keep its shape until we lose our patience.

It's the huffing and puffing without scoring that a) causes other teams to set up defensively and primed for the counter attack, and b) means we don't score and force them to come at us.

We are aways going to conceded goals, everyone does, but we need to have other ways to score goals. Brendan had the right idea when he bought Benteke, a plan B strategy that can turn corners, free kicks into cheap goals and points. He fluffed his lines but it made sense. Origi is probably the most effective at this stuff and should be starting games like this ahead of Sturridge imo.

[G]

Ball retention is passe. Breaking at pace and clinical finishing is where the game is at now. Who's arsed about keeping the ball when you can sit in, remain disciplined, then bang it up to your quick, effective attackers?

Sean Dyche saying similar in his presser. Having the ball a lot wins you nothing, you need to do damage with it as he points out, its what LCFC showed us all.

[Fredo]

Ball retention is passe. Breaking at pace and clinical finishing is where the game is at now. Who's arsed about keeping the ball when you can sit in, remain disciplined, then bang it up to your quick, effective attackers?

You can't break at pace if the other team is sitting back, so it's crucial you have patience. It's not playing at a slow pace all the time though. It's about switching it when required by injecting pace when needed. We can't have that with Milner at left back for example as he will inevitably slow our attack down.

Also, Firminho's role is a bit of an enigma to me. Is he our main point of attack now, or is he some kind of playmaker as he does seem to come deep most of the time. When this happens, we need one of our wing players to move into the space he leaves, but neither Sturridge nor Coutinho were doing this effectively today.

[Daniel 7]

Sturridge is looking a poor option just now - there were times today where he looks like he can't run fast enough to be effective anymore. He drops too deep and when he's there, wants too much time on the ball. I've been a huge fan of his over the years, but I have my doubts about whether his peak is well and truly gone. (Similair for Henderson)

[Gibbo]

If a £30m bid came in for Sturridge would any of you take it?

Think I would. Definitely.

[Phoenix07]

Sturridge is looking a poor option just now - there were times today where he looks like he can't run fast enough to be effective anymore. He drops too deep and when he's there, wants too much time on the ball. I've been a huge fan of his over the years, but I have my doubts about whether his peak is well and truly gone. (Similair for Henderson)

As I said in the match thread, people bang on about him playing up front on his own, yet his movements are always so deep, and we're just transitioning into a side that has runners to get beyond i.e. Mane. Sturridge works best with another strike partner, as he can then have the freedom to roam around the pitch, while the other striker can stay advanced.

I've thought about this for a while, but what about Sturridge as a No.10? He lacks the pace, but has the brain and clever movements to spot space. This would allow Origi to stay in advanced areas.

Origi gives us the directness to get beyond defensive lines, hold the ball up, as well as the technical ability to take defenders on quickly, and shoot.