Rest seems to do fuck all in terms of their performance and organisation. Maybe a step-up in class is the slap in the face they need
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100% you’d hope they have some fucking pride left and want revenge for being humiliated 4-0 in Naples.
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They all got amped up for City at home. Maybe this can have the same effect
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Pride won’t help them have fresh legs and clear heads. They may want retribution as badly as we do but desire alone won’t be enough.
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Guess the two wins vs City didn’t happen then? When they clearly did show some desire. This fatigue excuse would hold some weight if we didn’t witness vastly different performances vs City.
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These games are often the case when most fans want to see a completely changed side and it almost never happens.
I don’t think Klopp will take this game so lightly. It’s not only our group situation, which is practically solved (hard to see us chasing and winning by what, a 5 goal difference to win the group).
It’s a game against a pretty serious opponent, regardless that they also might make some changes.
We will make certain changes for sure, but I still expect it to be a pretty serious side out there and with the only normal approach at a club like Liverpool of giving 100% to win the game.
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Alisson
Trent-Konate-Gomez-Tsimikas
Henderson
Milner-Elliot
Fabio
Salah-Nunez
I think we will rest VVD for this one and allow Gomez to take the LCB spot. Gomez seems more like a utility man at present and a pretty good one at that. Henderson and Milner to provide the leadership from midfield. Fabio in his favoured role. Salah and Nunez to play themselves to form.
Exactly, what happened when we had 2 weeks off? Lost.
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Seems very weird to be at matchday 6 just after Hallowe’en.
Tough choices facing Klopp in this one, even setting aside the extremely unlikely group-topping 4 goal win. Does he chase a performance in hopes of building momentum, but risk both extra fatigue and further demoralizing his first selection? Or does he play a weakened side and risk having the whole club feel the demoralization anyway?
At what cost though? Recovery is finite. There are points where you can dig yourself a hole you cannot get out of in time for your next performance. Even in that situation good athletes can still summon a one off top level performance, but at the cost of a much bigger hole being dug with recovery.
We have no option but to keep moving forward because we have no control over our calendar, but if we want to manage this recovery issue we’ve got to be careful about the levels we asks the players to dig to. If this was a game we needed a result in, then sure. Put it on the line and deal with the consequences, but it’s not and its not worth the impact to our next few performances.
@ILLOK is right that we cannot just throw the kids to the slaughter, but what the balances is between these two poles is I have no idea.
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Id like him to try any ideas he feels may help us.
I can’t remember the last time we played well after a lengthy layoff. Bizarre. And it predates Jürgen
Our record against Napoli:
2 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats.
Alisson
Ramsay Konate vDijk Robertson
TAA Thiago
Salah Carvalho Nunez
Firmino
Honestly not sure how this would work but midfield needs a shake up and I’d be fine with trying it, getting our two most talented ball players in the middle of the park. Thiago is the best defender we have in midfield. Trent seems to spend his time looking longingly at central midfield. I’d give it a go, probably wouldn’t work but Henderson and Fabinho are playing like absolute shite so may as well give something else a try.
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Means we are due a win or draw to even it out.
Not arsed about this one. The Tottenham game will be big, but this one? Everything is already said in this group. No need to spend much energy or thought about it. If we lose, it was to be expected given our current form, and if we win, a little bit of the feel-good factor is back, like after the Ajax game, but with no real accountable difference.
The Tottenham game on the other hand will be huge for us. I know… one game at the time. But I’m quite sure that our players are already focussing on this one. If Klopp puts out a team of eleven youngsters and squaddies tomorrow night, I’ll completely understand it.
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Sadly some of our players seem focused on games ahead none of them involve us.
I’m sad to say that but it’s starting to factor more in my mindset.
Kelleher Ramsay Phillips Konate Tsimikas Fab Bajcetic Corness Milner Frauendorf Carvalho
I would love to win here, regardless of topping the group or staying 2nd.
Important on so many levels. Champions League is the competition we will try to win, and the Napoli defeat should be the exception, not the rule. We need to build momentum in this competition.
Then we’ll have enough time to regroup for the knockout stages, maybe also a transfer or two…
8 Likes
Win, lose or draw we finish 2nd in the group, so I don’t see any point in risking injuries but with our owners I expect Klopp to have to play for the win to get the 3m or whatever it is for victory.