2023/24 Season

[Craig_H]

Pretty sure the reason we stopped playing with our full backs so high up the pitch was that it left us too open to counter attacks and opposition sides were quick to expose this.

It also put massive physical demands on the full backs as they were constantly running the full length of the pitch. The effects of this was clear to see in both Robbo and Trent's drop off in form.

I think we got 99 and 97 points doing it, so it can’t have exposed us that badly.

[Kenneth]

Then we didn’t and got 67.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Couldn’t find a suitable loan so we decided our Nat can act as cover for Matip…… obvious what will happen

https://twitter.com/jamespearcelfc/s...14703660380458

Not great given he has looked out of his depth in Scotland.

One of those that in a way it is amazing he has had a career wioth a club like Liverpool for so long. Turns 27 in 4 months.


Very willing and game player that gives his all, but one of the worst defenders I have ever seen in terms of his positioning. Then again Harry Maguire is cut from the same cloth and became and 80m signing so there is always that hope


Would really hate to see Phillips playing within our current set up. Our quick CBs are being worked to the bone by it, so a more ponderous player with pooer positional sense would be horrible exposed imo.

[Irishnev]

Not great given he has looked out of his depth in Scotland.

One of those that in a way it is amazing he has had a career wioth a club like Liverpool for so long. Turns 27 in 4 months.


Very willing and game player that gives his all, but one of the worst defenders I have ever seen in terms of his positioning. Then again Harry Maguire is cut from the same cloth and became and 80m signing so there is always that hope


Would really hate to see Phillips playing within our current set up. Our quick CBs are being worked to the bone by it, so a more ponderous player with pooer positional sense would be horrible exposed imo.

I think getting top 4 with Phillips and Williams as CBs might be the greatest achievement of Klopp’s career. Both of them have failed massively since then and we missed a chance to cash in on the good impression they created by not selling them straight away

Phillips is a mid level championship player to see ball, head ball. I’m not sure what Williams is but failing at Aberdeen isn’t a great look and I thought I saw rumours of attitude issues from him

[Doc_Piptorious]

I think getting top 4 with Phillips and Williams as CBs might be the greatest achievement of Klopp’s career. Both of them have failed massively since then and we missed a chance to cash in on the good impression they created by not selling them straight away

Phillips is a mid level championship player to see ball, head ball. I’m not sure what Williams is but failing at Aberdeen isn’t a great look and I thought I saw rumours of attitude issues from him

I had forgotten about Williams looking equally as bad in teh Scottoish league actually.



But yeah 100% agree with everything in your post

[Buzzo]

I had forgotten about Williams looking equally as bad in teh Scottoish league actually.



But yeah 100% agree with everything in your post

Phillips not looked bad in the SPL mainly because he hasn't played a single minute for Aberdeen, he doesn't and hasnt once got into the match day squad. The best it has got got for him has been a place on the bench in the Conference League, and again he hasn't made it onto the pitch.

Aberdeen aren't having a strong season in the League either, so he clearly isn't impressing. Not getting even onto the bench suggests he isnt training well either.

With Phillips, and the nature of a lot of the challenges in the SPL it should have been the perfect move for him, with a lot of old school aggressive centre forwards.

I agree, us getting CL with those 2 at the back is nothing short of a miracle.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Phillips not looked bad in the SPL mainly because he hasn't played a single minute for Aberdeen, he doesn't and hasnt once got into the match day squad. The best it has got got for him has been a place on the bench in the Conference League, and again he hasn't made it onto the pitch.

Aberdeen aren't having a strong season in the League either, so he clearly isn't impressing. Not getting even onto the bench suggests he isnt training well either.

With Phillips, and the nature of a lot of the challenges in the SPL it should have been the perfect move for him, with a lot of old school aggressive centre forwards.

I agree, us getting CL with those 2 at the back is nothing short of a miracle.

Just as well then that Klopp rang me last night and said


"Read your posts....getting those players you wanted..... BOOM!"







Course giving I have probably named 3,657 players that does not really narrow things down

[Charly]

Id rather we got a DM than CB... And I think Nat is good enough as a 5th choice backup.

Compressing space all the time with a high line depends on you forwards finding space on tight areas, and we showed that its not always easy in our last game. Sometimes a lower line can open up space for Diaz and Nunez, which I think suits their game better.

Obviously Salah runs like a snail these days, so the extra space wont help his game, and thats if he has any puff left in him after the ACN.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Id rather we got a DM than CB... And I think Nat is good enough as a 5th choice backup.

Compressing space all the time with a high line depends on you forwards finding space on tight areas, and we showed that its not always easy in our last game. Sometimes a lower line can open up space for Diaz and Nunez, which I think suits their game better.

Obviously Salah runs like a snail these days, so the extra space wont help his game, and thats if he has any puff left in him after the ACN.

Probably is that there would be a good chance that he would not be a 5th choice CB. Konate and Gomez are injury prone so with Matip out long term the chances of both Gomez and Konate being out at the same time and our 5th choice becoming a 2nd or 3rd choice are pretty good imo.

Think you make a good point about compressing space but I would disagree that we are not doing it quite in the manner you say.

What we have done, imo of course, by moving TAA in and trying to create an overload system (the so called box) is make our team very narrow and the space we have lost is not that space between the midfield and the attackers but rather the loss of two pro-active flanks especially the right one.


We have zero presence of note on the right flank anymore. Other teams can pretty much just focus on marking Salah out of the game because there is no RB going to overlap, there is no real risk of crosses or of us trying to double up on their left back.


On the left flank we have a little bit of movement from Tsimikas (and Robertson before his injury) but now our LBs are having to be less attacking as they have to be ready to become a LCB thanks to TAA's position being accomodated by the team as a whole.

Our left sided attackers seem to have forgotten how to go on the outside and go at a full back, especially Diaz imo as he was the one best suited to doing so.

And Gakpo, who seemed to excel in a wide left sided playmaker role in the Dutch league and also for the Dutch national team, never gets used as such when he plays for us.



We seem to want to insist in a set up that looks like it needs a mobile LCB instead of a CB, but still try to show a LB in there and ask him to be both LB and LCB at the same time.


Our results have been good, very good in fact this season, but think this is the most unbalanced and most narrow looking team I have seen us have under Klopp and that includes his first 12 to 15 months when he was ringing in the changes.

We are more a grind results out team now than a free flowing one that goes for the throat. Not a bad thing when the results are right, but makes me wonder if it is making us that bit easier to figure out and if the tipping point between us grinding out results and the other team getting joy might be a very fine one.


To touch on the DM over a CB comment. You offer me the choice of only one and the choice is a top class DM or a top class CB, then I would say the same as you and say DM.

However I do think if we want to persist with the box set up long term and TAA being in the middle is to be a full time thing, then we need both a high calibre DM and a high calibre(or one that looks to have the potential to be )LCB.

Just seems the more the current set up is in place the more we are saying we need a DM, we need a CB, we need a RB we need a RW/RM so that we can get the best out of TAA. Think I am more of the thinking that when you reach the point that you are looking at buying players to try and suit a single player that you are asking the wrong questions with regards how a team should be set up.

[Charly]

It seems to me that the current players dont suit the system, which seems to be there to placate TAA. We need to go back to what did work, imho. Fulhbacks overlapping and getting crosses in. Aproper DM and false 9, with inverted wingers... We did pretty well with that IIRC.

[Le Chef]

Phillips not looked bad in the SPL mainly because he hasn't played a single minute for Aberdeen, he doesn't and hasnt once got into the match day squad. The best it has got got for him has been a place on the bench in the Conference League, and again he hasn't made it onto the pitch.

Aberdeen aren't having a strong season in the League either, so he clearly isn't impressing. Not getting even onto the bench suggests he isnt training well either.

With Phillips, and the nature of a lot of the challenges in the SPL it should have been the perfect move for him, with a lot of old school aggressive centre forwards.

I agree, us getting CL with those 2 at the back is nothing short of a miracle.

Not surprised he isn't getting minutes for Aberdeen, he on loan at Celtic

[Buzzo]

Not surprised he isn't getting minutes for Aberdeen, he on loan at Celtic

Williams!

[John Barnes]

Huge huge games coming up which will possibly make or break the season....west ham in the cc then Arsenal in the league and fa cup .... hope the players can sort themselves out and Salah can rediscover his scoring

[Craig_H]

It seems to me that the current players dont suit the system, which seems to be there to placate TAA. We need to go back to what did work, imho. Fulhbacks overlapping and getting crosses in. Aproper DM and false 9, with inverted wingers... We did pretty well with that IIRC.

I’m not going to say that another way of playing can’t be successful. But I totally agree with this.

[Corndog]

It seems to me that the current players dont suit the system, which seems to be there to placate TAA. We need to go back to what did work, imho. Fulhbacks overlapping and getting crosses in. Aproper DM and false 9, with inverted wingers... We did pretty well with that IIRC.

No offence but the part about designing the system to placate Trent is rubbish.

The management team has clearly chosen to change the tactics of the team and the reasons for this are spelled out in Lijnders book, that they want to evolve how the team plays to give opponents different things to think about and adjust to the reality with 95 pct of teams set up against Liverpool with a low block, where there isnÂ’t as much space to exploit in behind defences.

ItÂ’s no coincidence that it comes at a time when City have done similar and before them PepÂ’s Bayern with Lahm in a different way.

ItÂ’s also no coincidence that the change in tactics comes after the team evolved from a counter attacking side early in klopps reign to one that dominates possession and field position more completely and proactively.

The teamÂ’s game philosophy is something more like Klopps gegenpressing plus total football. Not dissimilar to peps own philosophy which is fundamentally built on the principles of Cruyffs total football.

Why is Trent chosen to play a hybrid role? Simply because his range of passing, his dribbling and shooting make him the most dangerous player for the team to have in that position. That and heÂ’s going to be around for ages still. You could probably have tried Matip as the John stones as an alternative but heÂ’s older now and not able to play as many games.