Everton vs Liverpool - Premier League (19/20 - Game 30)

[Charly]

I think our fullbacks make us tick. If we lose one and end up with Gomez covering, we are playing with one foot behind our back.

Perhaps Coutinho on loan is a good move as it would allow our midfield to start creating again. Apparently 91% of our chances come from our strikers and fullbacks. That leaves a whopping 9% of chances from our midfield (and centre backs). Thats fine when both fullbacks are firing in top quality crosses, but stop those and you stop the whole team.

Our midfield plays its role well, but sometimes we need something a bit different to open up teams. I think if we had just played City we might have got a spanking.

Hopefully we can sort the fullbacks out as without Matip or Gomez in the middle, Lovren is free to bring a bit of "excitement" to our defence that has been missing most of the season.

Also, Gomes is utterly unsuited to a system like oura as a fullback, left back doubly so. Perhaps in a Benitez or Houllier team. I rather see Ox or Wij bombing down there.

[baitman]

If we play like that then palace will beat us.

[Saveloy]

If we play like that then palace will beat us.

They won't and we won't.




Might bet on a 0-0 though

[Buzzo]

We are always ****e after some time off.

Was a decent run out and a point closer to the title.

We ended up switching formation way too many times because of the changes and lost all rhythm. For parts of the first half we looked bright.

Robbo and Mo were missed massively, but hopefully that means it’s strongest XI v Palace.

Naby had some nice moments, including one amazing 1-2 with Bobby and after are torturous start Fab played the best he has in ages.

[Buzzo]

[ame]https://twitter.com/merpollfc/status/1274743951786942464[/ame]

[Fredo]

I thought we played well for 20 minutes from the start of second half and controlled the game most of the time. Injuries and substitutions disrupted our flow. Palace on Wednesday and will be a tough game as they thrive on the counter and are a solid team, but I think we will win comfortably.

[labourRed]

Only if it’s now 1.25 points for a draw

Edit: oh yeah, draw against City means we need 2 fewer points

Haha, i knew I'd snag one of you.

[danperkins]

It's pretty much where we left off to be honest. It is the same for every time coming back so there is no excuse. Mini out wide just doesn't work, the poor fella just lost so far. Same with Origi out wide, it's just a waste. It does seem that when one of our fullbacks is missing the balance of the side goes out the window. There is no doubts Mo was a huge was loss too, he is so important to us.

[Irishnev]

It's pretty much where we left off to be honest. It is the same for every time coming back so there is no excuse. Mini out wide just doesn't work, the poor fella just lost so far. Same with Origi out wide, it's just a waste. It does seem that when one of our fullbacks is missing the balance of the side goes out the window. There is no doubts Mo was a huge was loss too, he is so important to us.

Jurgen likes versatile players who can plug many gaps but without them being a natural it that position it can affect their performance. Taki doesn’t seem to be a wide player and neither does Ox tbh and it showed last night in a competitive game.

Forward cover is a must - we have said that time and again because a prolonged injury to Mo or Mane and we struggle. Back up left back is also high on the list of improvements. If the AFCON is on next year a forward line of Bobby, Divock and Taki isn’t inspiring

[Exiled_red]

I found that game really odd, not just in terms of there being no fans there and that affecting the game and the way that we played, I think that Everton were happy with a draw and without the crowd to roar them forward they were more comfortable sitting back and sticking to that game plan, yes they had a couple of really good chances towards the end, but I think that the point holds.

As I feared we don't tend to do well after a break, we are a team that thrives on momentum and we have lost that and I think without crowds there it will be more difficult for us to get back to playing at that higher pace for 90mins.

Obviously Salah and Robertson were huge misses for us, the left side looked totally disjointed particularly when Gomez was playing at LB (I've said before he really isn't a fullback). But that side did have more of the play than the right did, for the first half TAA was really out there on his own with no support, Henderson was trying to get involved do there a bit but that was it.

To be honest I found some of the decisions Klopp made a bit odd. IMO it made sense for him to play Keita in midfield as someone who would get forward with Firmino and Minamino both looking to drop deep, so that we have an extra forward thinking player. It really occurred to me last night that Minamino is a back up to Bobby rather than Mane or Salah. and I don't really think that the two can play together in a front three, maybe one of them can drop into midfield for some games I don't know. I found it odd that Klopp started both Firmino and Minamino but neither of them finished the game. Ox came on in the front three which really doesn't suit him and I don't really think that he did much at all in the game. When Origi came on I wasn't sure where he was supposed to be playing, both him and Mane seemed to be spending a lot of time out on the left. I also don't think that the number of changes helped (it was good that we had them as we picked up a couple of injuries) but it felt that there was no cohesion in the side for probably the last quarter of the game.

The biggest thing that I took out of this game is that we need to sort out how we play when certain players are missing. Robertson was a huge miss, and while Milner has been a decent stop gap, we really need someone who is a natural LB to come in, Milner's knowledge of the game is decent enough and I think hides so things, but when Gomez at LB we really lost something. Similarly we need to figure out a way of playing when we don't have the regular front three. We obviously aren't going to have the same quality in back up as we have in the first 11 but hardly any of the backups are even similar in style to the players that they are replacing (even if they are nowhere near the same level). Minamino looks a replacement for Bobby, but Origi and Brewster (ok he's out on loan at the moment) are both central strikers, if we are sticking with them going forward we need to find a way of playing that works. I wonder if we will keep Wilson because he is in terms of style the closest to a replacement of the wide forwards.

[Shaggy]

Shame it was so ****

[ame]https://twitter.com/ben_rumsby/status/1275011020373794816[/ame]

[Maxiedge]

Everton away & Man U away have been drab affairs in recent memory. As the home sides, they have no impetus to attack and are happy to keep it tight and counter.

We get a lot of opportunities to shoot outside the box against these teams but none of the lads seem to fancy it. Would love to get someone in who can just welly it at goal.

[Buzzo]

There was a moment in the second half where Hendo got the ball in space and he definitely could have driven forward and tried a shot, but he took his time and passed the ball out to Trent. Ox is the one player that sees these gaps quickly and exploits them, and has a high % of scoring goals with shots from distance but he was left wing where his is always terrible.

Overall, we just lacked a bit of match sharpness Klopp included.

[Irishnev]

There was a moment in the second half where Hendo got the ball in space and he definitely could have driven forward and tried a shot, but he took his time and passed the ball out to Trent. Ox is the one player that sees these gaps quickly and exploits them, and has a high % of scoring goals with shots from distance but he was left wing where his is always terrible.

Overall, we just lacked a bit of match sharpness Klopp included.

We have people talking about points records and smashing Everton etc. The only record that matters is getting the 30 year wait addressed. If we draw the next few games so be it as long as we win the league.

The media who have had nothing tangible to write about can **** off with their anti climax narrative as well - I dont care how we win it as long as we win it. Nobody will remember boring draws when we life the trophy. Added to that when we do win it a massive weight will be lifted off us and maybe we will open up in games.

I was as frustrated as anyone last night given the long wait but Everton away where we dont often win under a manager who knows how to stifle us was never going to be easy. Add the lack of games and missing players and things get compounded.

5 more points and **** the rest of them

[baitman]

Its pretty obvious that matip and gomez are good defenders but are made of bog roll.
Bringing lovren on leaves us wobbly, and whats the back up plan to that...
Hoever would be a better winger than minamino.