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Y.N.W.A Thread III: Enter 'The Normal One'

saint.nick

Coach
Messages
19,401
It's just so disappointing. He's been courting Barca for a year, which is fine, but why then sign that huge contract in January? The guy's trying to go to Barca yet in the meantime signs a new deal that gives Liverpool all the leverage? Without even a release clause? It just doesn't make sense. If he really wanted to leave then he should have just ignored the new contract and made it easier for all parties by leaving as soon as that window opened. And it's not even that, it's also the massive distraction he has caused only a day out from our first game. Infuriating.
 

Haffa

Guest
Messages
15,882

This tweet sums up the football world.

Southampton to Celtic, celtic to every scottish club...
 

saint.nick

Coach
Messages
19,401
After supposedly learning from our defensive mistakes last season and having a whole pre season to fix them, the defence looks just as bad, if not, worse than last season.
 

cb4

First Grade
Messages
9,576
Puzzling.

Solanke was killing the pre season, scoring for fun.
Subs Bobby off for Origi who is so one dimensional its not funny.

Takes Salah off, who was running behind Watford for fun for James Milner.

But his biggest blunder? Gomez for TAA.
Incredible.
Should have been for a Mid/Forward and just compact the field.

Spent money on a left back to be left out of the squad.

Roll on.
 

saint.nick

Coach
Messages
19,401
When you build a team, you start with the defence and work your way from there. However, whether by design or not, I feel that Klopp has done the opposite. It's bizarre that Liverpool have been so good at improving the attack and so shit at improving the defence because fixing the defence is typically an easier job. Brush up on the defensive organisation and you're halfway there. But instead we've got a backline of bumblers who panic at the first sight of danger.

Our defensive troubles are both due to the players and Klopp's training/setup. There is more Klopp can do by himself to fix the set piece defending, it looks completely disorganised. But as for defending in open play, I just don't think he's got players who know how to defend when they are more exposed as a back four, and we can't fix how exposed they are as it is just a consequence of the playing style. Lovren is too panicky, and Matip is not a leader and defensively average. No idea why Moreno gets the nod over Robertson just because of one good game against Bayern in a friendly. TAA is a bright spark at least.
 

Jack_Napier

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
3,622
I just don't get how an apparent quality manager and his assistant can't see how ordinary we are in defence. The fact klopp hasn't added quality in defence for the 4 or 5 windows he's had is just mind boggling.

How he has gone from having Hummels and Subotic at BD to being satisfied with f**king Matip and Lovren in a much tougher league is either Ignorance or just plain stupid.

Sell Couts as he's proving he wants to disrupt the team and reinvest every cent in the defence. Grovel to saints and pay whatever they want for VVD, find another decent CB if we can and get rid of Lovren and Matip from the starting 11.

Sort the GK out as well. Migs did well towards the end of last season but looked like his old self last night. Either give Ward or Karius a shit and stick with them or buy better than we clearly have.

So disappointing seeing same old errors cost us yet again.
 

saint.nick

Coach
Messages
19,401
I just don't get how an apparent quality manager and his assistant can't see how ordinary we are in defence. The fact klopp hasn't added quality in defence for the 4 or 5 windows he's had is just mind boggling.

How he has gone from having Hummels and Subotic at BD to being satisfied with f**king Matip and Lovren in a much tougher league is either Ignorance or just plain stupid.

Sell Couts as he's proving he wants to disrupt the team and reinvest every cent in the defence. Grovel to saints and pay whatever they want for VVD, find another decent CB if we can and get rid of Lovren and Matip from the starting 11.

Sort the GK out as well. Migs did well towards the end of last season but looked like his old self last night. Either give Ward or Karius a shit and stick with them or buy better than we clearly have.

So disappointing seeing same old errors cost us yet again.
I think Klopp can see it, it's just that he trusts way too much that they can improve. I don't understand what he sees in Lovren so much that he was willing to keep him as a permanent mainstay if it weren't for VVD knocking on our front door.
 

Jack_Napier

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
3,622
I think Klopp can see it, it's just that he trusts way too much that they can improve. I don't understand what he sees in Lovren so much that he was willing to keep him as a permanent mainstay if it weren't for VVD knocking on our front door.
It's almost worse if he can see it and chooses to continually trust the defence. We concede far far too many set piece goals and goals through complete lack of focus. Klopp shouldn't be allowing it to be a constant problem. Have faith in the players but it's literally taking the piss going forward.
 
Messages
13,797
Funnily enough, for all his flaws, Moreno was probably the second best of the back 4 on Saturday (with Trent Alexander Arnold being the best). He didn't stuff up defensively unlike the centre backs - and that is saying something when you look at Moreno since he's been at LFC.

As to Mignolet, he needs to stop wasting time with getting the ball back into play. If he was, maybe Watford would not have had 5 minutes of stoppage time in the second half to get their 3rd goal in.
 

saint.nick

Coach
Messages
19,401
Funnily enough, for all his flaws, Moreno was probably the second best of the back 4 on Saturday (with Trent Alexander Arnold being the best). He didn't stuff up defensively unlike the centre backs - and that is saying something when you look at Moreno since he's been at LFC.

As to Mignolet, he needs to stop wasting time with getting the ball back into play. If he was, maybe Watford would not have had 5 minutes of stoppage time in the second half to get their 3rd goal in.
It's quite ridiculous isn't it, is that yellow card really worth the extra 5 seconds he's wasted?

The good news is that Liverpool are capable of reorganising their defensive shape to keep clean sheets, which the last run of games in the previous season showed. The bad news is it meant the goals dried up until the last two games.

I'm liking the idea of us playing more like Spurs, the way they play isn't too dissimilar to us, yet they seem to have such a better defensive organisation - the best defence last season - yet not at the expense of goals either, since they were also the best offensive team. Surely it can be something to consider for Klopp? Because the way we play, which lends to leaving the back four open and exposed, just isn't suited to our defenders because they are primarily not good enough to handle it. If we had, say, United's 08/09 back four, it'd be a different story. But we don't, we have panicky defenders with no leadership.
 
Messages
13,797
Liverpool beat Hoffenheim 2-1 away, apparently something no team in the Budesliga could do last season. Lovren played poorly again by all reports.
 

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