Perspective

[Yozza]

Are Fabinho and Mane expected to be back for Sunday?

Hopefully they'll be back for Saturday...

[Doc_Piptorious]

What is our ideal midfield three?

Fabinho in the CDM role, Thiago as the pivot, Henderson as the box to box.

[Exiled_red]

...makes you wonder why then that Klopp and his team insist on playing CMs in the CB position... even when we now have two new CBs.
Has to slot in Kabak and/or Davies in the next run of games and move Hendo and Fab back to their proper positions. If we still get beat then it's about the attitude, confidence or fatigue of the team - and not the fact that players are constantly played out of position which disrupts the style and flow of our play.

Would also be interesting to see if the drop-off in attacking play (chances created, shots/shots on target) is affected by the lack of proper CBs playing too.. as that would be the obvious link.

Those stats are obviously with the 3 CBs who know the system. I feel that Klopp was really in a no-win situation, the new guys clearly don't know the system and hadn't played together or in the PL before, if he chucks them in and we get hammered and it destroys their confidence etc it's unfair on them and we are ****ed for the rest of the season, if he doesn't and we lose anyway we all ask the what if questions... If it weren't for a couple of **** ups by Alisson which you can't account for I think we would have got at least a point yesterday with the Henderson and Fabinho partnership.

If the game hadn't have been against City maybe he would have been keener to take a risk. I said before the match I would have gone half and half, with a CB pairing of Fabinho and Kabak and stuck Henderson in midfield, who knows if that would have been better or worse. I think we have to play at least one of the new guys vs Leicester.

[Exiled_red]

What is our ideal midfield three?

Henderson, Fabinho and one other, last year the other would have been Wijnaldum, since Thiago came in you would think him, Jones has been in decent form too. For me I would start with Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago and see how that goes for starters, on paper I think that is the best 3, see what they do on the pitch and adapt as necessary.

[Irishnev]

Fabinho in the CDM role, Thiago as the pivot, Henderson as the box to box.

Although I’d like to see the “real” Naby with Fab and Thiago. I know he doesn’t shout as much as Hendo though......

[Doc_Piptorious]

Although I’d like to see the “real” Naby with Fab and Thiago. I know he doesn’t shout as much as Hendo though......

More a case of he is not available as much as Henderson and thus cannot be relied upon to be part of a regular starting trio for now...

[Kenneth]

So there seems to be a consensus that it's Fab that is most needed in MF. So Hendo and another CB would be better than Fab/Hendo or Fab/someone else, if we need a MF at CB still. Moving Fab forward would provide more cover for the inexperienced CB pairing. Seems eminently sensible.

[Doc_Piptorious]

So there seems to be a consensus that it's Fab that is most needed in MF. So Hendo and another CB would be better than Fab/Hendo or Fab/someone else, if we need a MF at CB still. Moving Fab forward would provide more cover for the inexperienced CB pairing. Seems eminently sensible.

Would not disagree with you on that.

[Exiled_red]

So there seems to be a consensus that it's Fab that is most needed in MF. So Hendo and another CB would be better than Fab/Hendo or Fab/someone else, if we need a MF at CB still. Moving Fab forward would provide more cover for the inexperienced CB pairing. Seems eminently sensible.

I would prefer Henderson in midfield and Fabinho in defence than the other way around, I think Henderson has the greater influence on the game and the tempo at which it's played than Fabinho does.

[Kenneth]

Well that consensus didn't last long.

[Exiled_red]

Well that consensus didn't last long.

You're welcome

[Paul12]

Really what has happened is the positive reaction to our injury crisis has come to an end; it is bloody tiring having to concentrate twice as hard and it has caught up on us. Also, the novelty of how we play with midfielders in defence has worn off; opposition know how to play us. And the high volume of games is working against our natural game. So we are now at a crossroads and how we react will determine whether we can recover enough to still challenge for the Top 4. Next week we must play one of our new defenders, getting probably Hendo up the pitch; against weaker teams we should be playing both (or Phillips). That gives us a bit more flexibility in our midfield choices and, by strengthening the midfield and central defence, we can give the full backs some time off. So, fresher full backs, better central defence, and better and fresher midfield. And hopefully Joto soon. So, while I see winning the league gone unless City blow up (and they WERE going yesterday), I see Top 4 as still very achievable.

[Exiled_red]

Really what has happened is the positive reaction to our injury crisis has come to an end; it is bloody tiring having to concentrate twice as hard and it has caught up on us. Also, the novelty of how we play with midfielders in defence has worn off; opposition know how to play us. And the high volume of games is working against our natural game. So we are now at a crossroads and how we react will determine whether we can recover enough to still challenge for the Top 4. Next week we must play one of our new defenders, getting probably Hendo up the pitch; against weaker teams we should be playing both (or Phillips). That gives us a bit more flexibility in our midfield choices and, by strengthening the midfield and central defence, we can give the full backs some time off. So, fresher full backs, better central defence, and better and fresher midfield. And hopefully Joto soon. So, while I see winning the league gone unless City blow up (and they WERE going yesterday), I see Top 4 as still very achievable.

Next weekend is massive though, us playing Leicester, Man Utd, West Ham and Chelsea likely to pick up points a win as well as giving a much needed confidence boost (especially if to the new guys if they play) but also puts us looking at a battle for 2nd with Man Utd and Leicester, a defeat could see us in 6th deep in the battle for 4th with Chelsea, West Ham and Everton. A defeat doesn't change the situation much points wise but I think that psychologically it could have a massive effect.

[Pablo]

When were City going to blow up yesterday? I didn't see that to be honest. I know we got the equaliser but they were much the better team through the entire of that 2nd half.

I've accused City of being bottlers before, and I do also think they had a bit of a mental block against at times, but I didn't see any of that yesterday. I thought they were depressingly in a different league to us from kick off to final whistle.

[BigChief]

When were City going to blow up yesterday? I didn't see that to be honest. I know we got the equaliser but they were much the better team through the entire of that 2nd half.

I've accused City of being bottlers before, and I do also think they had a bit of a mental block against at times, but I didn't see any of that yesterday. I thought they were depressingly in a different league to us from kick off to final whistle.

Yep I had that sinking feeling after our penalty that we weren't going to score again if we played 180 minutes. A 1-1 draw would have given Klopp a false impression that maybe these tactics (and players) were working and we were back. Plus it would have given Utd some belief that no.21 was still alive.

Sometimes a bad beat is better in the long run than a timid surrender. I still think we will finish second placed comfortably this season.