2023/24 Season

[Craig_H]

We've evolved. When we had that front line, the midfield never scored. Now we're scoring loads more from midfield, but fewer from the front three (bar Salah).

I think the kidnap may be catching up with Diaz. It was amazing how he kept playing (and playing pretty well) while it was happening, but I think it's taken a toll. Hopefully Jota will be back soon and we can give him a break.

Gakpo just seems a bit too nice at the moment. He's a classy player but he gets outmuscled too often, and it's less to do with physique, and more to do with attitude.

Nunez, God only knows. At the moment he looks like either a Haaland or a Cisse in development. We can't rely on him at all yet though, I agree.

If you’re going to point to the midfield and say they’re replacing the lost goals, that’s fine. Except, it’s not happening. We are definitely not scoring “loads more” from midfield.

In the league this season, number of goals from number of appearances:

Dom Szoboszlai - 2 goals from 17 appearances
Gravenberch - 0 goals from 12 appearances
MacAllister - 1 goal from 14 appearances

Even when we add in Trent, Endo, Jones & Elliott:

Trent - 2 goals from 16 appearances
Elliott - 1 goal from 14 appearances
Endo- 1 goal from 13 appearances
Jones - 0 goals from 9 appearances


So in total, that’s a whopping 7 goals in the league from 7 midfielders (although Trent isn’t really a midfielder).

But the point stands. We definitely don’t score anywhere near enough from midfield, to come anywhere close to compensating for the goals we’ve lost from Mane & Firmino.

Add to that, the fact that Nunez, Diaz and Gakpo also aren’t really scoring many - and it’s a problem.

[Pablo]

I don’t think we’re going to sustain a title challenge unless something major changes & quickly.

We have one player we can rely on to score goals for us, and he’s going to be missing for a month. The other forwards are proving themselves to be unreliable and I fear for when Mo goes to AFCON.

We went from a trio of Mo, Mane and Bobby, who were all capable of scoring goals and putting up good numbers, to a quintet of forwards, only one of whom we can rely on for goals.

I don’t know what’s happened to Luis Diaz but he’s lost the ability to beat a man. He doesn’t even believe he can beat a man and doesn’t seem to try anymore.

I find it hard to have much faith in either him, Nunez or Gakpo. None of them are really making a meaningful contribution.

Craig were you always so relentlessly negative?

Yes we aren't all that, but luckily for us no one else is this season either.

We're at the halfway stage now and we are right in it. I see no obvious reason, other than bad luck with injuries, for while we will drop off and Arsenal/City won't do the same.

For me it will all come down to luck with injuries. Feels like Arsenal hardly ever get any!

[Craig_H]

Craig were you always so relentlessly negative?

Yes we aren't all that, but luckily for us no one else is this season either.

We're at the halfway stage now and we are right in it. I see no obvious reason, other than bad luck with injuries, for while we will drop off and Arsenal/City won't do the same.

For me it will all come down to luck with injuries. Feels like Arsenal hardly ever get any!

I genuinely believed we could win the league this season but the last two games have opened my eyes. And I’m disappointed at the realisation. If you want to call that negative?

We aren’t good enough and the margins are fine, which is what makes it even more frustrating.

Teams who win league titles gobble up opportunities and we’ve failed to do that in the last two games. We’re not ruthless or relentless enough. This weekend has panned out perfectly for City and I think they’re going to come roaring through in the second half of the season.

To win the league, we need to grasp the opportunities on the field (eg, at least 4 points from the last 2 games) and we need to step up off the field and strengthen the squad. That isn’t going to happen either.

We’ve played all of the other sides in the traditional “big 6” this season and we haven’t won a game.

In isolation, you could make an argument for each one but to have won none across all 5, just isn’t good enough.

There’s a huge opportunity for us to win the title this season and we’re short of what’s needed. Worse than that, we won’t address the shortcomings either.

[baitman]

Is i too early to send Diaz a ransom note and see if it improves his form again

[ric.williams]

Second despite playing rubbish all year and dropping points. Imagine when / if we play well?

[BigChief]

Second despite playing rubbish all year and dropping points. Imagine when / if we play well?

I'm hoping beyond hope to win the league obviously. But realistically I'm adjusting my expectations to finishing second on the off chance that City's titles are scratched and we get another PL this way.

[Doc_Piptorious]

A point off the top going into Xmas day.

Think we are at least allowed to dream of the possibility of winning the league this season.


We are certainly in the title race. Chance of a cup or two as well.


Season in terms of results has already exceeded where I thought we would be in the table at this point.

I expected a transitional season with a 3rd or 4th place finish and would have been really happy with being between 3 to 5 points off the top come Xmas.

[Buzzo]

Ooft. Square in the feels. YNWA

[ame="https://youtu.be/X_k4ExM_jCA"]“Once In A Lifetime!” | Klopp, Diaz & LFC Squad's Emotional Surprise For Inspirational Dáire - YouTube[/ame]

[Irishnev]

Ooft. Square in the feels. YNWA

“Once In A Lifetime!” | Klopp, Diaz & LFC Squad's Emotional Surprise For Inspirational Dáire - YouTube

Wow…. that was emotional

[baitman]

Bloody hell, I think I've got some gravy dust in my eye

[BG1973]

Amazing lad

[Buzzo]

[ame]https://twitter.com/lfctransferroom/status/1739729797368971710[/ame]

[Irishnev]

Tierney

[ame="https://twitter.com/theanfieldbuzz/status/1740060645872070913"]https://twitter.com/theanfieldbuzz/status/1740060645872070913[/ame]

[Mark79]

Tierney

https://twitter.com/theanfieldbuzz/s...60645872070913

Damning. Tierney is corrupt as ****.

I still feel like it goes under the radar. Many brush it off as ‘everyone thinks refs are against their team’.

A ‘highlights’ reel from the last few years would really lay bare the scale just how many ‘WTF!?’ decisions he’s contrived to give against Liverpool.

[kingfunk]

I’m kind of glad we were not top of the league for Christmas Day, it didn’t bode well for us on a few occasions now... Really hope we can Push on in the new year and hope the owners back Klopp if he decides he needs reinforcements.