Not getting top four would be catastrophic, especially if fans still aren’t allowed next season.
It would mean trimming the squad yet perhaps having Europa League to deal with.
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I swear I’ve seen somewhere that it was reported that Matip has been playing the entire of this season with an ongoing injury. So you’re not too far off the truth it seems. And it also makes me seethe every time he’s described as injury-prone.
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Klopp sort said it when his season ender was announced.
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Inexcusable the football this season so far. Inexcusable also if we miss out on champions league and the consequences could be major. No goals in open play at home this year. Unable to break down teams. Defence is poor. Form is woeful.
FSG and or Edwards haven’t delivered. Klopp is great but this needs sorting. Players also. Not much is going right at the moment.
Well, if we’re going to be a mess, then let’s be just that having just won Champions League and Premier League and let that be because of dozens injuries and inexplicable refereeing decisions at Liverpool’s expense. My heart truly breaks for Klopp, he didn’t deserve this but it is happening to him and there’s no going back. I’d take the season ending right now with the table as it is at the moment (let Everton finish ahead, I’d give them that, so they could release that DVD). I honestly can’t stand watching the same game over and over again, same problems happening game in, game out, people tripping themselves over who will make the most fun out of our club. These players didn’t deserve it but Klopp deserved it the least of all.
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2020 was a tough year.
2021 hold my beer…
Burnley’s first win at Anfield since 1976
Brighton’s first win at Anfield since 1984
Failed to score in three games in a row at Anfield since 1984
City’s first win at Anfield since 2003
Everton’s first win at Anfield since 1999
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4 home games lost in a row, first time since 1923
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heres my 20 cents worth on the ‘blank the season’ theme working its way around a bit now.
cant be done and shouldnt be done…mentally and physically, we need to reverse this slump this season and get a mini run going…its very important, as much as we want to reset the season we just cant do it and think things will change on game 1 next season.
if anything it will be magnified x 10 on the first set back next season if we dont right the ship this season.
winning the champions league is not an option here becuase at some point, we will be mentally challenged on the field and will fall apart.
this is miles different from 2005, Rafas team had momentum AND the mentallity that he was working his squad out.
this is Klopps squad, these are well and truely his players, if they can somehow manage to beat Europes best but continue their league form it actually augers worse for next season.
to me everything, every inch of effort, needs to go into getting back to the Klopp basics, 100% effort, believing in yourself, taking initiative.
i have no doubt injuries, decisions and lack of atmosphere has hurt us to varying degrees, but much like Klopps swimming laps analogy last season (best analogy ive seen for a long time regarding not just football, but life) where when you are swimming a lap you dont pop your head above water to look around, the squad have to block out the noise…they have to assume every decision is correct, they have to accept VVD is not in the squad, they have to accept the stands will echo a bit, and they have to turn it around THIS SEASON
i am 100% sure of myself here, there is no reset button, there is no option to ‘concentrate on the CL’…i think all of those things lead to more issues down the track… we have 12-20 odd games to reset this slump, or next season could be catastophic.
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Maybe the motivation had been the hunt until the capture…
This group of players have given their all and owe us nothing…
Like others have said… It is Klopp that deserves better
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i think theres something in that also, i have a loose theory that Klopp prefers to be the hunter rather than the hunted.
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Does anyone else here feel that we should go back to the basics in terms of tactics and formation?
4-4-2 counter attack and (I hate to say it) ‘park the bus’ tactics. The CB injuries have basically prevented Klopp from playing his usual gegenpress style so instead of persisting with it, maybe it’s time to temporarily change formation/tactics just so we can get through the rest of the season.
Said it prior to the United game 
Cant believe how far we have fallen.
I said a month ago we might miss top 4 based on our form and we have actually gotten worse since then which is hard to believe.
The timing of all this couldn’t possibly be worse, no CL revenue next season means limited signings and potentially the loss of high level players to help balance the books given we already have a huge covid inspired financial wound.
At this point my expectations are 0.
Just hope we can hang on to Klopp and the squad we have right now and start fresh next season with a healthy squad and maybe without CL football we can use the reduced fixtures to our benefit.
I think sometimes we understate the difficulty of radically changing systems mid season.
A new system is something that is worked on pre-season or in longer breaks. You can’t just drop a new system on player when there is no time to work on it.
I doubt the team is doing much tactical work at the minute. It’s going to be game - recovery - game - recovery at the minute.
Going 442 counter attack is a very different style to that which we have been used to, and so I don’t think it’s particularly feasible right now.
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I’d also argue that its equally awkward for a coach to completely change their core system.
For an extreme example try getting Alardyce to coach tiki taka.
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Excellent post.
I un-liked it just so I could like it a second time.
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I get you but our normal style of play just isn’t working. Tactically something has to change otherwise we could find ourselves out of top 10 very soon.
I think we do need to do something different but not anything radical. 80% possession against Everton at times so the devil is in the detail I feel. We get punished hard for defensive mistakes and are for whatever reason unable to punish the oppositions defensive errors.
I think some adjustment is needed but not a complete ripping up of our tactics sheets and start again.
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I still think anything from 2-7 is possible in the Prem, but obviously if we want to finish in the CL spots we need to turn this around quickly.
I would start with playing central defenders in central defence, especially in the Prem. Get midfielders in the midfield. Fabinho is getting closer, don’t know how long Hendo will be out, but get Fabinho in the midfield, as we are getting outmuscled in there.
Get things on the front foot and push the opposition. Currently we are enjoying a lot of possession, but we are playing the game in front of them, which is comfortable to defend against. We need to force the issue more, get around them and behind them. Jota’s return will also help with this, as he’s a busy player.
I think it will be touch and go but late on we will rally enough and put in a little run to finish top four.
CL anything can happen, although with the amount of players injured, it will need a miracle to win it, as you suspect sooner or later we will come unstuck.
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Hmmmm. I think I know where you got your tactics from…
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