Swansea (A) - Post Match

[Lecter]

I think that's a bit harsh as his point is presumably that the individuals aren't doing what they are trained/supposed to.

To implement the absolute best of what Klopp wants to do with a team I think it has become evident this season that we just need slightly higher quality individuals in the longer term who make less mistakes / pull off great things in the critical situations. Statistically we're a much better team at not conceding chances than we are goals which makes me think the problem ultimately comes down more to players than systems.

If we had a top class keeper, and a real quality partner for Matip, I think that would go a good way for us really seeing a defensive improvement.

Agreed bit harsh blaming Klopp

We haven't played well for a few weeks now but today was a nadir (hopefully)

[labourRed]

Yeah, the loss of form has been alarming.

Unsure why Coutinho was hooked. But the crumb i'm clinging to is that Matip is to come back. Klavan has been awful so looking forward to him being the back up to the back up - hopefully next season.

A Sakho/Van Dijk swap would be a dream.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Say what you want about that but it's quite obvious who's to blame... IrishNev the ****ing jinx

Aye. Let's hope he gets some dodgy battered sausages in the Lobster Pot tonight

[Exiled_red]

Klopp signed Karius,so he doesn't and i'm sure he's said GK isn't an issue + gave Mignolet a new 5 year contract as for a decent cb,he seems to want to persist with the current players,he knew the problems in defence and gk and has not addressed them tbh

He has brought in Matip who looks to be an improvement, and while I would like to have seen him do more in terms of bringing players in, that said being out of Europe is a significant handicap to bringing in top quality players, we have seen an improvement in Lovren, perhaps Klopp thought that those two would be good enough to get us through the season and into europe, at which point we would be in a stronger position to strengthen and to be fair I don't think that that is a terrible approach. The problem is the lack of strength in depth, because Klavan is a significant step down from those two and he has played more than most of us would have liked this year.

[Exiled_red]

Yeah, the loss of form has been alarming.

Unsure why Coutinho was hooked. But the crumb i'm clinging to is that Matip is to come back. Klavan has been awful so looking forward to him being the back up to the back up - hopefully next season.

A Sakho/Van Dijk swap would be a dream.

I assumed Klopp didn't think he was ready to play the full 90mins having just come back.

[fidget]

We need another Mane type
I'm not bothered about value in this transfer window.
Just buy someone

[Doc_Piptorious]

I think that's a bit harsh as his point is presumably that the individuals aren't doing what they are trained/supposed to.

To implement the absolute best of what Klopp wants to do with a team I think it has become evident this season that we just need slightly higher quality individuals in the longer term who make less mistakes / pull off great things in the critical situations. Statistically we're a much better team at not conceding chances than we are goals which makes me think the problem ultimately comes down more to players than systems.

If we had a top class keeper, and a real quality partner for Matip, I think that would go a good way for us really seeing a defensive improvement.

I think we could have Neuer or De Gea in goal and we would still be getting similar results (although to be fair our results have be far more good than bad this season) if what was in front of him, in terms of back four and midfield, played in the same manner as today.

Think a quality CB alongside a fully fit Matip for an extended run would make a world of difference.

Then again maybe the right pairing is already at the club and we just need for players to be available enough for those partnerships to flourish. We have already seen good runs of form this season when Matip and Lovern got a spell as the CB duo, and last season we saw a similar run of form when Sakho and Lovern were paired.


My gut feeling is that a fully fit pairing of Matip and Sakho would work very well more often than not, but what with Sakho having burned bridges the chances of seeing that pairing get an extended run is slim to none.


I do think at times we are lacking in terms of getting the play from the back through the midfield. We often seem quite laboured and slow in playing the ball from the back and then through the middle third. That is where centre backs who can play the ball out quickly would make the world of difference as it would mean that using a full back would not be our default setting for pushing out. Lost count today of how often the keeper or a centre back looked for the fullback as the outlet when not under pressure or when the midfielder, after hing received the ball from a centre back, then stalled and looked for the full back. Yes we use full backs for width (especially with Mane unavailable) but having the ability and confidence to move the ball quickly from the back and through the centre would allow the full backs the option of getting further up the pitch before making themselves available to receive the ball, and it would also get the ball to the likes of Coutinho and Lallana quicker if played through the centre at pace.


And that bit about how ball playing centre backs would again bring us back to the two we have...Matip and Sakho. Seems to me that if we are not going to play Sakho, then we need to have another centre back who has the ability to bring the ball out from the back and who can get it quickly to the feet of the midfielders, which seems to be important to how we play, otherwise we have nobody to do so when Matip is out/injured.



The other thing that seems to be a tad glaring is our lack of pace with Mane away. Would love to see us bring in someone who can add a similar sort of threat

[Slinky Skills]

Mass exodus to the "We are in decline" thread. Chris - can you call us all corrupt cunts before we leave?

Not good that today I have to admit, credit to Swansea though. You can't take anything away from them, they played really well and attacked well and you get what you deserve sometimes.

As for us, really ****ing poor. We can't seem to defend and it's quite alarming the amount of soft, daft goals we let in.

Can, Lovren, Sturridge, Klavan and Mignolet are ****ing awful footballers and need ****ing off.

Not sure why we won't dip into the market, I really don't get it. As someone said above, we need a sure confident central defender to go with Matip. We could do with a new LB as Milner isn't a LB although he is doing alright there.

We're sorely lacking pace and width, especially down the left side. Appreciate we can do **** all about Mane but we need someone to stretch the play more, not sure why we don't give Ojo a blast down the left for a few games.

The season is crumbling a little now and I really can't see us finishing top 4, Chelsea will do us over as well big time.

[chadrtc]

Not seen you posting for a while mate, welcome back!

Then you havent been looking too hard!

[Exiled_red]

I want to see us go back to the system that saw us do so well in the first few months of the season, the Coutinho injury and subsequent change to the system and style of play has seen us struggle.
Results since then:

W 2-0 vs Leeds (LC)
L 3-4 vs Bournemouth
D 2-2 vs West Ham
W 3-0 vs Middlesbourgh
W 1-0 vs Everton
W 4-1 vs Stoke
W 1-0 vs Man City
D 2-2 vs Sunderland
D 0-0 vs Plymouth (FA)
D 1-1 vs Man Utd
W 1-0 vs Plymouth (FA)
L 2-3 vs Swansea

If you exclude the cup games where the kids played that's Pl9 W4 D3 L2 which isn't the worst record and there have been some tough games in there, but truth be told it's the results against the poorer sides that have let us down, Bournemouth, Swansea, Sunderland and West Ham are games you should be winning. Aside from the Stoke game I don't think we have played particularly well in any of them.

Now obviously when you lose one of your best players you are going to be weakened but I would like to have seen us just make 1 change eg bring in Origi for Coutinho and keep everyone else where they are, I don't like the rearranging of the front 3, moving Firmino out of his position, moving Lallana from midfield to attack I think it was this more than just losing Coutinho that messed us up.

[Fredo]

I've gone through the disappointment of the game. Went out and did my usual chores. I think all the players will be angry by now and use this as energy for the next games. I know Klopp would be thoroughly annoyed by now. There's still a lot to play for and we will get our swagger back soon enough and European football will cause the other teams problems hopefully.

[red g]

We need another Mane type
I'm not bothered about value in this transfer window.
Just buy someone

This. Allows lalllana back into mid, matip back in defence. Happy days ish

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

Only caught the first 30 minutes and it looked like it was gonna be a frustrating day, what went on in the 2nd half!?

Was it a case of Liverpool showing our weak underbelly again or was their more to it? We look very predictable at the moment, our performances have been below par for a while now, I wasn't expecting a 4-0 + like some but you can't be conceding 3 against this lot at home.

[Irishnev]

Say what you want about that but it's quite obvious who's to blame... IrishNev the ****ing jinx

I was waiting for that in my defence it is the first time I have seen them lose - was 10-0 up to today! That includes Istanbul btw

Working my way through the Frank plan and will post tomorrow on the game. Atmosphere shocking - people glared at you if you sang - they just expected them to thump them. Shocking at the back, poor team selection and we played in front of them.

V disappointed.

[BobTheCharmer]

I caught most of second half whilst at work. Origi was due to come on and then we equalised. I don't understand why he made that sub. There was over 20 left. We had too many forwards on getting in each others way and no midfield cover. Should have waited for 5 or 10 as we were on top. It's on klopp for me.

I also don't think we have an attacking plan. I know we press high. But it's all central and usually relies on an individual doing something to conjure a goal up. I don't see our amount of ball ever being converted to non stop pressure. The keepers aren't worked enough. We look predictable. Without sane we have struggled. We all knew we would. Why no cover? Lack of signings is ****. The summer is writing off another season.