We started last season solid but unspectacular and as the season progressed we morphed into the opposite. This is especially true in the last couple of matches, which bears the question: what has he and his staff been working on?
Because it really looks like the only thing we’ve worked on during the summer is how to attack low blocks more effectively. The only time I recall us being this open and naive in recent memory is under Rodgers and during Klopp’s first years.
Obviously, these aren’t promising signs if we are to defend the title successfully. We look like an assortment of talent, rather than a well-drilled team.
We were quite open throughout Klopp’s tenure to be fair and it looks like that. Last night was really sloppy. The passing was dreadful and the ball would be saved or would go out, it would show a replay and come back to the match and Newcastle had the ball again.
I’m not absolving the players. Far from it, the entire neighbourhood must have heard me when Kerkez did what he did.
It’s just that I can’t explain how disorganized and lost we look at times and that’s not entirely down to individual mistakes, despite their preponderance. Especially, when you take into consideration how solid and disciplined we were this time last season.
We said it a good number of times last season, but the side plays with far less control when Alexis isn’t playing and that in turn results in the defense looking more stretched. We shouldnt be so reliant on one player, but the pattern is a pretty well observed one by now.
I don’t know the score it may be at 2 - 1 and we had 2 attacks where the ball ended up, one time at Cody’s feet and the other at Mo’s and both lobbed a soft cross to each other with no one else in the box and I think both crosses went straight of play and offered them the chance to launch the ball forward again.
Both occasions it was poor decision making in the context of the match, I do think in games like these Mo needs to help out more defensively or use someone that does.
The balance is definitely off and I expect us to improve as we go. In Wirtz, one of the three midfielders is now more attacking than before. We haven’t fully seen the upside of that yet, but we will as he integrates and gets up to speed with the Prem.
We also missed Grav as the defensive midfielder in game one.
Finally, the defence is not a unit yet, and it looks to me as though Konate is having one of his slightly lackadaisical spells - still a very good player, but he doesn’t seem quite as focused as he was last season, especially in the period before Endrick injured him. Before that happened our defence was watertight.
So, there’s work to do in the training ground to get the balance right, and to get the defence playing as a unit. The key to winning the league this season, for me, is to make sure we stay in touch at the top while we make those adjustments.
So far there have been some obvious issues, but I will take 6 points from 6 all day long, while we keep working to solve our issues.
Is this for real? His dad is on the phone most days criticising his tactics? FFS, Arne really is a relaxed MF. Maybe he should tell his dad to call Amorim instead?
I was listening to a conversation comparing slot to arteta. They commented on slot’s laid back attitude and suggested if he failed to get a laugh from something like this he’d just shrug andmove on. Arteta on the other hand would berate you for not getting the joke, explain to you why it was funny, and then hire a joke writing coach to try to get marginal gains out of his press conferences
