Atalanta (a) Europa League 1/4 Final 2nd leg

[Exiled_red]

[ame="https://twitter.com/michael_reid11/status/1781068421242765750"]https://twitter.com/michael_reid11/status/1781068421242765750[/ame]

[kingfunk]

https://twitter.com/michael_reid11/s...68421242765750

Thats somehow both amazing and disgraceful at the same time.

[spud_gun]

Its a pretty damning and a reflection as to where we are as a team just now.

The attacking outlets just aren't there.

Gakpo and Nunez have on reflection been poor additions to the squad.
Diaz has shined on occasion
Mo has declined

A far cry from Mane, Mo and Bobby ripping it up every week. We really were spoiled.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Worst players, for varying reasons, for me on the night were not the newer players but rather the ones that are supposed to be our top class mentality monster spine of the team players.


That is not to say every new player did well, but our been there done that players looked clueless at times.


Decent first half as a team, poor second half.


A number of senior players look like they have checked out on Klopp/the club. Hope the new manager is taking note of that if he needs to raise extra funds to bring in a few new faces.

[Mark79]

I don’t think anyone has checked out on Klopp. And even if they had, surely they’d still be playing for the trophies at this stage?

I think what we’re seeing is a mixture of tired players who have been overloaded from completing on 4 fronts with limited rotation due to injuries, and those returning from injury who are still working back to form and fitness.

[danperkins]

I don’t think anyone has checked out on Klopp. And even if they had, surely they’d still be playing for the trophies at this stage?

I think what we’re seeing is a mixture of tired players who have been overloaded from completing on 4 fronts with limited rotation due to injuries, and those returning from injury who are still working back to form and fitness.

Agree with that, although hard to ignore the potential effects of players hearing that Klopp is off at the end of the season. I think so much pressure has been piled on, the notions of the perfect ending to Klopp's LFC career winning the treble, the romance of it all. What a way for him to leave kind of thing & I'm sure Klopp himself and the players were desperate for that... maybe too desperate. I suspect it's a combination of things and unfortunately for us, it's gone sideways in a dramatic fashion.

[Angryred]

Yeah, the wheels have fallen off the bandwagon spectacularly!
We weren't helped with injuries / off form to key players at the wrong times.
The new midfielders that have come in didn't have any experience to help them along in such a big club so someone like Henderson or Milner's experience would have been crucial for them in that aspect.

They will learn from this & probably aided by another midfield recruit by the new manager will put them in good stead in the next few years.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Agree with that, although hard to ignore the potential effects of players hearing that Klopp is off at the end of the season. I think so much pressure has been piled on, the notions of the perfect ending to Klopp's LFC career winning the treble, the romance of it all. What a way for him to leave kind of thing & I'm sure Klopp himself and the players were desperate for that... maybe too desperate. I suspect it's a combination of things and unfortunately for us, it's gone sideways in a dramatic fashion.

If the pressures of chasing the biggest silverware and the expectations of playing for one of the most iconic clubs in the game is too much, then go play for Burnley.


These are pros at the top end of the game. This is the stuff that anyone at the top end of their profession dreams of and expects.

Don't care if you are a sports person, a coach, an analyst, a business owner or the person working on a shop or factory floor that prides themselves on being the best at what they do.

Things are good you dig in, things are crap you dig in.

Sorry if that sounds too simplistic or idealistic to some, but that's how you win at whatever you are doing.

Yeah you get set backs. Some you can see coming, some blindside you, but if you get it into your head that you are going to fight and ****ing fight hard, then you feel that bit less tired.

You get it into your head that you cannot win or someone else is going to get ahead of you, then your legs are heavier, your mind is not switched on as much and you just quit a tiny bit every time it gets hard.

You are like me in some ways Perkins. You have some health stuff in your life and you are a business owner. You know how to quit when things get tough or you get up every day and you look to improve? No need to answer because you are above ground and your business is above ground, that's answer enough.


What we seem to be seeing the past few months is players still trying but on some level having checked out, supporters (be they in the stands or on forums) checking out to some degree when they see performances that look off.

It just seems like one big collective shoulder shrug and to me that seems so so weird.

Will we win the league? Maybe, maybe not. A realistic look at the table suggest we probably will not, but we are still only two points behind the league leaders with six games to go so we still are in the hunt and our attitudes should be one of let's just go at everyone as hard as we can for those six games and then see where we are at.

Instead it feels like we are just coasting towards the end of the season just to get it over with.


With started this season hoping to get back into the CL and maybe finish 4th.

We currently have a trophy in the bag, had runs in two other cups and are sitting 3rd in the league two points behind the leaders with a chance of catching them.

We have already exceeded most expectations this season withg an outside chance of it still turning into a dream season.



**** realistic takes.

**** we have had some bad results of late.


Six ****ing games left. We need to just go for it on and off the pitch. The worst that can happen is what the "realistic" take right now is. Which is that we finish the season a bit ahead of what our expectations were last August.

Nothing at all to lose and a hell of a lot to gain.


Six games. Just dream about the what ifs for that long until we know what becomes the what is.


**** quitting. **** being realistic for a bit.


We have a puncher's chance. As long as we can still throw leather we are in it.

Life, love, sports. If you are still in, you can win.

[Mark79]

Agree with that, although hard to ignore the potential effects of players hearing that Klopp is off at the end of the season. I think so much pressure has been piled on, the notions of the perfect ending to Klopp's LFC career winning the treble, the romance of it all. What a way for him to leave kind of thing & I'm sure Klopp himself and the players were desperate for that... maybe too desperate. I suspect it's a combination of things and unfortunately for us, it's gone sideways in a dramatic fashion.

Good point, if there’s a mindset issue among the players, then I’d agree it’s much more likely to be that they’re struggling under the pressure of desperately wanting to give Klopp the perfect send off, rather than they’ve stopped playing for him.

[Kenneth]

I don’t think they’re as sentimental as that tbh. I just think the idea that it’s not going to happen this year has taken hold. Without that belief, what’s left? There is no motivation to impress Klopp or his team to cement a place for next season (like we saw from jones this time last year). Some players are probably looking at others and feeling a bit let down by them, when leadership loses some authority then the collective ethos thing can show cracks and the tools the manager might use to fix things are blunted. Even the captains position isn’t as secure.

I’m sure everyone wants to win, wants Klopp to have a good send off, wants the group to succeed etc, but there are other less constructive wants too, they’re human beings with egos and aspirations. People want to be in the starting line up, want a move in the summer, want a new contract, want to play a different position or different tactics, want a seat on the senior players committee, want someone else to leave, want a rest because they’re knackered, want to pull a Keita in the warm up because their knee is sore etc etc etc, but the management team have less authority with which to keep those things in check.