I'm fed up of reading about Keita and VVD so i thought i'd have a go at doing something else. Aplogies if it's crap, I got tired.
From the euphoria of the 2-1 win at Chelsea, 6 - 1 win over Watford and last minute Mané goal vs Everton there was a Hull, Leicester and Swansea result which seemed to erase the confidence from these previous highs.
The Arsenal game at the beginning of the season had it all, free flowing attacking football, individual moments of brilliance, not knowing how to hold on to a lead and a tight finish. This pretty much summed up Liverpool’s season in one game, the fact it was followed by a 2-0 loss to Burnley the week after also compounded the issue. Liverpool seemed more confident last year when playing the bigger teams. Why did going up against Conte, Ibramovic and Kane not bother them as much as going up against Allerdyce, King and Niasse?
Confidence
‘Confidence in contagious, so is lack of Confidence’, Vince Lombard.
How many times have you heard a Manchester United player of past talk about the ‘belief’ that they would find a goal, Liverpool often find themselves in a juxtaposition with this belief that they would concede one instead! How many times did Klopp’s men get themselves ahead, only to fail to see the game out?
The first example of this ‘belief’ came at Tottenham back in August, when an excellent performance was undone by Danny Rose’s gifted equaliser with 18 minutes remaining. Bournemouth overturned a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in laughable fashion, Adam Lallana‘s early strike at home to West Ham looked to have sent the Reds on their way to a routine win, only for sloppy goals to put them behind. Benteke’s brace at Anfield, Ibrahimovic’s header at Old Trafford spring to mind, I’m sure there are more. However each of these games were followed or preceded by a rout of another team so was there a confidence issue so early in the season?
Jurgen Klopp said the Sunderland game was a seminal moment in the season and he has to make sure this doesn’t happen again. A lack of confidence in the squad would suggest a lack of leaders in the team but with the likes of Henderson, Milner, Lallana and Can regularly in the team was this always the case?
When looking back over the season the run of bad form or confidence came sandwiched in the middle of a terrible cup run. Games which Liverpool should have won they threw away or won very unconvincingly. Draws against Plymouth a Loss against Southampton and Wolves. In my opinion it was these games which done the most damage to the confidence of the Liverpool squad, not the Sunderland game, and it wasn’t even the first team which inflicted the damage. Would Liverpool’s season have been different if they were to beat Plymouth Argyle convincingly after choking at Sunderland? If so should the lack of signings last summer come under further scrutiny? A lack of confidence is contagious and Liverpool seemed to have a wide spread epidemic at that period. Klopp has another cup competition to deal with this year in the form of the Champions League, one in which you cannot play your reserve team in. How are Liverpool going to react if they receive a bad result midweek then the same players have to play a team set on parking the bus at Anfield on Sunday?
Game Managment
If some of the bad results were not all down to a lack of confidence, could it be a lack of experience with dealing with pressured situations? ‘Game Management’ to coin a phrase from Brendan Rodgers.
How do Liverpool deal with this problem? A lot is made of Liverpool’s ability to roll over teams in short burst, press and win back the ball when they lose possession, however this does not always happen and the Reds high press can often leave the back 4 (usually 2!) terrifyingly exposed when the counter attack is on. Managers know this, often commenting on it before games and this was especially prevalent against Palace and Bournemouth last season.
Wijnaldum, Henderson and Can are often the midfielders tasked with tracking back, however they can often find themselves up the pitch engulfed in the gengenpress. Lucas was Liverpool’s best asset in terms of game management, good at slowing down the play, tactical fouls, nudges, and interceptions, yes he got caught short a few times last year (hello Mr Vardy) but that was mainly at centre half, now he is gone I expect James Milner to be the one who steps up in this department. A seasoned veteran who has been in pressured situations before with Man City and Liverpool. The year at left back will have given him an improved defensive awareness and his ability to spot areas which require cover when caught short on the counter attack and this is something Klopp can use to his advantage. Of course Liverpool need to be winning or drawing to be able to use these skills and unfortunately for Milner I feel that this is why he will not be starting a lot next season. His role will be coming on as a substitute to provide experience and a cool head.
The signing of Andrew Robertson will also help in providing an actual threat up the left hand side of the Liverpool attack. James Milners tendency to cut inside often gave the oppositions right hand side an excuse to hang around the half way line as wasn’t going to provide the key pass or run which Liverpool needed and made tracking him a secondary thought.
Obviosuly signing Virgil Van Dyke and Keita would do a lot for the confidence and game managment of the but as they aren't Liverpool players I won’t comment on them yet (Only Via Whatsapp and Video)
Anxious Anfield
Now from someone who has been going to Anfield since I was a five year old boy, there really was a sense of dread on occasions last year when a team who we knew was going to defend rocked up. It didn’t happen when we had the ‘nearly year’ a few years before, nor in the first part of the season, and was summed up by the Middlesbrough game with Chris Bascombe commented on the ‘Institutionalised anxiety’ which had gripped the fans. I was trying to think about what the difference was between the two seasons. The first reason I can think of was the Injuries and suspensions we had around the January time. Mane was Gone, Coutino and Henderson were injured and it is understandable that the crowd became anxious. A lack of pace and direct running crippled Liverool and hopefully the signings of Salah and others will address this issue.
The other of the reasons I can think of was the genuine lack of a world class player who could make the difference.In the year that nearly was, Suarez would put teams to the sword if they laid back and would confidently do so, last season Liverpool lacked a genuinely world class player who could change the game for us when it wasn’t going our way. The only way we can change that this year is by keeping Phillipe Coutinho. Yes, Coutinho was there last year but I don’t feel he was that genuine world class player he will be next year (mainly due to injury and recovery). I do feel that next year he will step up and his development would certainly point towards this.
We all know Coutinho has the ability to score some outstanding individual goals but an ability to effect the game week in week out was something he had just started doing. Last season was his best at doing that but often he didn’t know what to do when teams would double/triple up on him in the final third, using the inside left as a sort of comfort blanket he would cut in and shoot when it often wasn’t the best option. The West Ham game was his stand out game for me, it was something which I think surprised even Coutinho himself, picking up the ball in his own half he found himself with an extra 10 yards of space and was able to see more of the pitch in front of him. Too far out to shoot, West Ham would run towards him leaving their men and he exploited it. This shift in position, coupled with devastating passing and running was truly awe inspiring and I feel that this may be the ‘Plan B’ which the media and fans oh so craved last season. If Liverpool are needing a win one solution is to bring on Sturridge, drop Coutinho further back and have him feeding the balls to Sturridge, Salah, Mane and Firmino the movement would be devastating and even the best and biggest buses will struggle to cope with this.
Plan B and the future
Klopp come in for a lot of Criticism last year about not having a plan B whilst playing against teams who could break down defensive teams who sit back, he has dismissed this criticisms numerous times stating that he changes his plan A for most games so why have a plan B. A valid point and I agree with him, I also don’t think the squad had the options for a ‘Plan B’. It was well documented that depth of Liverpool squad was an issue and the lack of quality of the bench was obvious for all to see as the season progressed.
The signing of Salah and the return the fitness of Henderson, Mane and Sturridge provide Klopp with four quality options for his plan ‘A’ and if the above can stay fit and firing there will be a lot more options for Jurgen to work with. However are Liverpools most important signings yet to come?
If Liverpool can sign Keita and Virgil Van Dyke the quality of the starting 11 goes up immensely and players who were once considered a ‘shoe in’ suddenly become squad players. Anchellotti hinted at it this week when announcing the signing of James Rodriguez.
“James can replace Thiago (Alcantara) because James can play in offensive midfield, and we think because James can play on the right, that he can replace (Arjen) Robben and (Franck) Ribery.
“James can also play on the left and as a midfielder… we did not sign James to replace anyone. We brought in James to have a better team and with James we have a team with better quality.
Keita challenges everyone in the Liverpool midfield and has the ability to put any of them on the bench, thus making them all try better to not be the one he replaces. The same can be said for Mati and Lovren. Whilst many see VVD as a replacement for Lovren a new 100k a week deal certaintly hints that Klopp doesn’t see it this way.
A lot of fans are calling for the club to look for alternatives to these signings but there are not many players who can put that amount of pressure on the squad. If someone is signed who is not as good as what we have what is the point, it will only breed a lack of confidence from the manager in what we have already and we all know what happens when that happens.
From the euphoria of the 2-1 win at Chelsea, 6 - 1 win over Watford and last minute Mané goal vs Everton there was a Hull, Leicester and Swansea result which seemed to erase the confidence from these previous highs.
The Arsenal game at the beginning of the season had it all, free flowing attacking football, individual moments of brilliance, not knowing how to hold on to a lead and a tight finish. This pretty much summed up Liverpool’s season in one game, the fact it was followed by a 2-0 loss to Burnley the week after also compounded the issue. Liverpool seemed more confident last year when playing the bigger teams. Why did going up against Conte, Ibramovic and Kane not bother them as much as going up against Allerdyce, King and Niasse?
Confidence
‘Confidence in contagious, so is lack of Confidence’, Vince Lombard.
How many times have you heard a Manchester United player of past talk about the ‘belief’ that they would find a goal, Liverpool often find themselves in a juxtaposition with this belief that they would concede one instead! How many times did Klopp’s men get themselves ahead, only to fail to see the game out?
The first example of this ‘belief’ came at Tottenham back in August, when an excellent performance was undone by Danny Rose’s gifted equaliser with 18 minutes remaining. Bournemouth overturned a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in laughable fashion, Adam Lallana‘s early strike at home to West Ham looked to have sent the Reds on their way to a routine win, only for sloppy goals to put them behind. Benteke’s brace at Anfield, Ibrahimovic’s header at Old Trafford spring to mind, I’m sure there are more. However each of these games were followed or preceded by a rout of another team so was there a confidence issue so early in the season?
Jurgen Klopp said the Sunderland game was a seminal moment in the season and he has to make sure this doesn’t happen again. A lack of confidence in the squad would suggest a lack of leaders in the team but with the likes of Henderson, Milner, Lallana and Can regularly in the team was this always the case?
When looking back over the season the run of bad form or confidence came sandwiched in the middle of a terrible cup run. Games which Liverpool should have won they threw away or won very unconvincingly. Draws against Plymouth a Loss against Southampton and Wolves. In my opinion it was these games which done the most damage to the confidence of the Liverpool squad, not the Sunderland game, and it wasn’t even the first team which inflicted the damage. Would Liverpool’s season have been different if they were to beat Plymouth Argyle convincingly after choking at Sunderland? If so should the lack of signings last summer come under further scrutiny? A lack of confidence is contagious and Liverpool seemed to have a wide spread epidemic at that period. Klopp has another cup competition to deal with this year in the form of the Champions League, one in which you cannot play your reserve team in. How are Liverpool going to react if they receive a bad result midweek then the same players have to play a team set on parking the bus at Anfield on Sunday?
Game Managment
If some of the bad results were not all down to a lack of confidence, could it be a lack of experience with dealing with pressured situations? ‘Game Management’ to coin a phrase from Brendan Rodgers.
How do Liverpool deal with this problem? A lot is made of Liverpool’s ability to roll over teams in short burst, press and win back the ball when they lose possession, however this does not always happen and the Reds high press can often leave the back 4 (usually 2!) terrifyingly exposed when the counter attack is on. Managers know this, often commenting on it before games and this was especially prevalent against Palace and Bournemouth last season.
Wijnaldum, Henderson and Can are often the midfielders tasked with tracking back, however they can often find themselves up the pitch engulfed in the gengenpress. Lucas was Liverpool’s best asset in terms of game management, good at slowing down the play, tactical fouls, nudges, and interceptions, yes he got caught short a few times last year (hello Mr Vardy) but that was mainly at centre half, now he is gone I expect James Milner to be the one who steps up in this department. A seasoned veteran who has been in pressured situations before with Man City and Liverpool. The year at left back will have given him an improved defensive awareness and his ability to spot areas which require cover when caught short on the counter attack and this is something Klopp can use to his advantage. Of course Liverpool need to be winning or drawing to be able to use these skills and unfortunately for Milner I feel that this is why he will not be starting a lot next season. His role will be coming on as a substitute to provide experience and a cool head.
The signing of Andrew Robertson will also help in providing an actual threat up the left hand side of the Liverpool attack. James Milners tendency to cut inside often gave the oppositions right hand side an excuse to hang around the half way line as wasn’t going to provide the key pass or run which Liverpool needed and made tracking him a secondary thought.
Obviosuly signing Virgil Van Dyke and Keita would do a lot for the confidence and game managment of the but as they aren't Liverpool players I won’t comment on them yet (Only Via Whatsapp and Video)
Anxious Anfield
Now from someone who has been going to Anfield since I was a five year old boy, there really was a sense of dread on occasions last year when a team who we knew was going to defend rocked up. It didn’t happen when we had the ‘nearly year’ a few years before, nor in the first part of the season, and was summed up by the Middlesbrough game with Chris Bascombe commented on the ‘Institutionalised anxiety’ which had gripped the fans. I was trying to think about what the difference was between the two seasons. The first reason I can think of was the Injuries and suspensions we had around the January time. Mane was Gone, Coutino and Henderson were injured and it is understandable that the crowd became anxious. A lack of pace and direct running crippled Liverool and hopefully the signings of Salah and others will address this issue.
The other of the reasons I can think of was the genuine lack of a world class player who could make the difference.In the year that nearly was, Suarez would put teams to the sword if they laid back and would confidently do so, last season Liverpool lacked a genuinely world class player who could change the game for us when it wasn’t going our way. The only way we can change that this year is by keeping Phillipe Coutinho. Yes, Coutinho was there last year but I don’t feel he was that genuine world class player he will be next year (mainly due to injury and recovery). I do feel that next year he will step up and his development would certainly point towards this.
We all know Coutinho has the ability to score some outstanding individual goals but an ability to effect the game week in week out was something he had just started doing. Last season was his best at doing that but often he didn’t know what to do when teams would double/triple up on him in the final third, using the inside left as a sort of comfort blanket he would cut in and shoot when it often wasn’t the best option. The West Ham game was his stand out game for me, it was something which I think surprised even Coutinho himself, picking up the ball in his own half he found himself with an extra 10 yards of space and was able to see more of the pitch in front of him. Too far out to shoot, West Ham would run towards him leaving their men and he exploited it. This shift in position, coupled with devastating passing and running was truly awe inspiring and I feel that this may be the ‘Plan B’ which the media and fans oh so craved last season. If Liverpool are needing a win one solution is to bring on Sturridge, drop Coutinho further back and have him feeding the balls to Sturridge, Salah, Mane and Firmino the movement would be devastating and even the best and biggest buses will struggle to cope with this.
Plan B and the future
Klopp come in for a lot of Criticism last year about not having a plan B whilst playing against teams who could break down defensive teams who sit back, he has dismissed this criticisms numerous times stating that he changes his plan A for most games so why have a plan B. A valid point and I agree with him, I also don’t think the squad had the options for a ‘Plan B’. It was well documented that depth of Liverpool squad was an issue and the lack of quality of the bench was obvious for all to see as the season progressed.
The signing of Salah and the return the fitness of Henderson, Mane and Sturridge provide Klopp with four quality options for his plan ‘A’ and if the above can stay fit and firing there will be a lot more options for Jurgen to work with. However are Liverpools most important signings yet to come?
If Liverpool can sign Keita and Virgil Van Dyke the quality of the starting 11 goes up immensely and players who were once considered a ‘shoe in’ suddenly become squad players. Anchellotti hinted at it this week when announcing the signing of James Rodriguez.
“James can replace Thiago (Alcantara) because James can play in offensive midfield, and we think because James can play on the right, that he can replace (Arjen) Robben and (Franck) Ribery.
“James can also play on the left and as a midfielder… we did not sign James to replace anyone. We brought in James to have a better team and with James we have a team with better quality.
Keita challenges everyone in the Liverpool midfield and has the ability to put any of them on the bench, thus making them all try better to not be the one he replaces. The same can be said for Mati and Lovren. Whilst many see VVD as a replacement for Lovren a new 100k a week deal certaintly hints that Klopp doesn’t see it this way.
A lot of fans are calling for the club to look for alternatives to these signings but there are not many players who can put that amount of pressure on the squad. If someone is signed who is not as good as what we have what is the point, it will only breed a lack of confidence from the manager in what we have already and we all know what happens when that happens.
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