PL 2020/21 Season.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Quotes from the unnamed agent of an unnanmed senior Liverpool player.

Then lots of mentions of other unnamed sources close to players who say things about the team's form.

More unnamed sources that discuss Klopp, the German national team job along with the Bayern Munich job and some more unnamed sources close to the club for quotes about the Nike deal.

Even had some unnamed sources from rival clubs popping in with quotes about the Liverpool team

The only actual named quote in the is the one from Carragher when he called the team mentality midgets


"What a lot of cock wombling" a source close to The Athletic was heard to say in relation to the article.


"We just make any **** up and then pretend to have a source" said another source close to a bus stop near a place.


"We ran out of crayons to keep them amused so we let them type up a few articles for us and you can quote me on that" is what we were told by the unnamed travel agent of a guy who once watched a Liverpool game on a televison in the window of a Currys store.

[Mark79]

Pepe, please repay your debt by summarising . Thanks in advance.

I’ve tried, but even in summary it’s still not brief.


Klopp

• Klopp retains full backing of the board.
  
• There would have to be normality in the world, in terms of the squad fit and fans back in the stadium, before doing anything like sacking Jurgen.
  
• Klopp’s commitment to Liverpool is only intensified by the recent setbacks.

Finances

• Loss of CL revenue estimated at £40-£50m, excluding extra commercial impact.
  
• Staff and players contracts include percentage reductions if the club do not qualify for the Champions League.
  
• Liverpool’s £30-million-per-season Nike kit deal does not contain a penalty clause if Liverpool spend a season out of the Champions League.
  
• Liverpool’s overall financial health remains strong.

Transfers

• The club insist the money is available for Klopp to strengthen his squad this summer and insist it was there to be spent — on the right player — if he had been available in the past two windows.
  
• Reinforcements are now being prioritised at centre-half and centre-forward.
  
• Klopp is particularly hopeful he will be allowed to freshen up his front three positions.
  
• Kabak’s start has not been straightforward and it would be surprising at this stage if Liverpool retain the player.

Squad morale

• Players are at a loss to explain Anfield form.
  
• Even pre-Xmas, players privately admitted they had started to feel “mentally drained” after past three years.
  
• Sources close to Liverpool players speak not only of physical exhaustion but also a psychological malaise that has gripped the squad.
  
• Liverpool are highly unlikely to appear in the International Champions’ Cup in the USA or China this summer, in attempt to give the players a break.

Injuries

• Liverpool’s players have missed a cumulative total of 178 Premier League games between them, compared to other leading teams such Leicester (121), Manchester United (109), Manchester City (93), Tottenham (68) and Chelsea (50). Crystal Palace are top but 40 per cent of their total is from three players.
  
• Suggestion that players may not have trained at their usual high intensity so as to avoid picking up further injuries to add to Liverpool’s concerns.
  
• Now a greater insistence that players do additional physical work before returning to the first team from injury.

Salah

• Salah’s current deal expires in 2023, Liverpool are unsure as to whether Salah is bargaining for improved terms on Merseyside or seeking a way out of the club.
  
• He hates being substituted and his relationship with Mane is, according to several sources, imperfect. Otherwise well liked by players and staff.
  
• His agent is difficult, but Edwards is used to this.

Thiago

• Thiago’s understanding of Klopp’s counter-pressing is still falling short and not yet at the same levels as those of Fabinho, Henderson and Wijnaldum.
  
• Thiago has also felt exposed by the absence of a holding midfielder beside him for much of the campaign.
  
• It is just adaptation, not a problem of attitude, professionalism or confidence.

Davies and Phillips

• Liverpool’s recruitment department had been monitoring Ben Davies for 12 months before signing and he recorded high scores on the club’s internal data metrics.
  
• Davies is yet to demonstrate in training that he is ready for the team, although he is said to be improving.
  
• Nat Phillips was due to be sold to Championship club Swansea on deadline day in October.

Upshot

The hope is that the return of key players, supporters, a summer of rest and another transfer window can reenergise a team that only eight months ago appeared destined for a period of sustained domestic success.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Pepe you deserve kudos for taking the effort to do that.

[~LFCHistory~]

Very good article and a lot of positives in it.

[Mark79]

Pepe you deserve kudos for taking the effort to do that.

Just copied and pasted as I went along.

And now we can look forward to Robo and Buzzo’s thoughts

[Buzzo]

That’s a great effort Pepe! I reckon there’s a career in summarising The Athletic articles.

[Mark79]

There’d certainly be no shortage of work in that job.

[Fivex]

5 balls for the summary

[Roboklopp]

Thanks Pepe. Was taking the piss, but much appreciated.

[Norbs]

[BigChief]

Thanks Pepe. Was taking the piss, but much appreciated.

[S-RED]

looks like a lot of national sides have three games, mad if true

Sadio 2 games 26th & 30th
Mo x 2, 25th & 29th
Naby x 2, 24 & 28th
Kabak x 2, 27th & 30th
Jota x 2 27th & 30th
Gini x 2 27th & 30th

TAA & Nat x 3 games !!! 25th, 28th, 31st ??
Thiago x 3 games !!! 25th, 28th, 31st ??
Robbo x 3 games !!! 25th, 28th, 31st ??

No players in England squad BOOM !!

[S-RED]

Southgate has dropped TAA for Trippier & Walker, hahahaha clueless ****

[Corndog]

Wouldn't have mattered even if he didn't Reece James has been the standout english RB this season so far.

TAA is just going through a blip, he'll be back for the euros no doubt.

[Exiled_red]

Southgate has dropped TAA for Trippier & Walker, hahahaha clueless ****

Good it will give him a break, he's probably knackered.