It’s the laziest criticism possible to just say JK needs to try something different as if he has an endless amount of options. As far as I can see these last few games the team has more or less picked itself.
The front 3 pick themselves. Jota injured, Minamino loaned out to offset the loan fee we had to pay to get Kabak in, leaving Origi who has been brutally bad for nearly 2 years now. Our two best midfielders have been filling in at CB (when they’re not injured), Keita constantly unavailable, Ox stinking the place out. We’re on our 102nd different combination at CB, Tsimakas has been injured all season, Neco looks well short of PL quality. And we’ve used all 3 goalkeepers because of more injuries.
It’s an extraordinary set of circumstances. Of course JK has made mistakes and some of the decisions (playing Jota in that meaningless CL game) have cost us, but his methods, his training regime made us the best team in the world over 5 seasons. If there was anything fundamentally wrong with them we would have imploded a long time ago.
The truth is that he has worked miracles these last couple of seasons. The squad management, the coaching, the tactics have all been the best in the business. They had to be because he’s had a relatively small squad, but you can only keep plates spinning for so long and he’s simply run out of plates. Added to this I think mentally we are weary. It;s our resilience and will to win that’s got across the line in so many games these last two seasons but the desire is just not there now. The players look defeated the second something goes against them. City’s dip last season was not as bad as this but it was still a dip after 2 seasons of near perfection and I think we are seeing something similar here.
I don’t see any major improvement coming this season. It may get worse before it gets better but I hope JK gets a chance to reset and rethink in the same way Guardiola has at City. We owe him the time to do so.
Well, for me the biggest puzzle to solve will be…after we know, where we end up at the end of this season.
If we finish around 8th,that’s a big if…as nothing’s decided yet, then it leads us to bigger problems
No money coming from champions league.
Our owners believe in self sustainable model, which means one of Salah or Mane will be sold. Not bobby, because they will need to sell the asset which draws the highest money to support another rebuild of this squad.
There’s more chances we will fall behind City and Chelsea even further because of them having bottomless pit of money and us going through another rebuild for a few years to close the gap again.
Sadly, I won’t be surprised if we ended up not getting a target or two in summer because we don’t have the ability to be ruthless in the market and that will set us back further, as target will be acquired in Next Jan or Next year summer.
Also, if either of Salah or Mane gets sold, it will be insane to expect for the replacement to come and score 20 goals in the league next season.
All in all, the probability of us taking another 2-3 years to get back to our level looks more right now, than immediately being back next summer.
We have lost our fear factor…the winning mentality and the ability to play till the last whistle. This all won’t just come back on it’s own after a pre-season which will be clouded by Euros.
We looked head and shoulders above the rest of the league along with city at the beginning of this season.But, the gap will just become extremely small by summer and with our limited finances it will be an uphill struggle to get there quickly.
I don’t know what or who is to be blamed for our current plight, but it remains to be seen if we have missed a golden opportunity to build an era of winning or not ?
I certainly agree… however, I think with Gini leaving, may be one of Gomez/Matip departing and us was not making top 4 will probably ensure Salah/Mane to be sold. This indeed triggers a mini rebuild.
Also, the squad/fringe players needed to be replaced or will leave themselves for more game time, which is another part of the cog which will require tuning again !!
My biggest fear is the longer this continues, the more likely it becomes that Klopp just walks.
Given his personality and that he will be shouldering a lot of the pressure. As well as stresses in his private life he might decide to have a break from football again.
We talk about the players needing a rest. Klopp looks like a man who needs a rest too.
I think Jurgen knows we’ve had a number done on us this season in a number of ways and there’s fuck all he can do about it right now.
Next season could be a different matter.
It´s true, and there is now a lot of talk about Klopp taking over etc. in the German media. No surprise tbh. He is for sure wanted, but doesn´t mean that it´s happening.
3 more years of heart tablets it is then…!
Wouldn’t have it any other way :0)
C’mon Jurgen… Back to hunger, basics and winning trophy ways to wipe that simpleton smirk off the face Neville and the rest of those Sky pundit Knob***ds
