Just looked up the 2 Milan goals, Matip looked poor on both, Alisson on the 1st. We just seem to have problems with our defensive lines when VVD isn’t playing.
I don’t think it was a lack of Virgil last night (albeit with him it might not happen like that). The CB’s are good enough. The issue last night, as Jurgen alluded to post match across a number of interviews, was that we were so good we kind of forgot about the basics (over confidence?) and let AC Milan get back in.
It is a concern that it happened, but at the same time, you need this events to take place to get better/stronger. Can’t see the players switching off like that again, and can’t only rely on Virgil.
Also, AC Milan deserve credit for their goals too - well taken. If we score those goals we laud our attackers and don’t consider it as bad defending from the opposition, but good play from us.
If Mo scores the penalty we win the game with ease. Mo would have been fuming last night at himself, so high are his standards. No chance he’s being replaced as penno taker.
5 Likes
But he was present for the 7 goals we conceded against Villa last season, so it is also safe to assume that it could happen
3 Likes
Just when I’d finally erased that aberration from my memory…
2 Likes
100% - hence the “might”
It was a lack of vigil, not Virgil.
I thank you.
2 Likes
Completely agree he’s not good enough to be a regular.
It’s more the run up than the shot. I think he is looking to see where the keeper plans to move. I’m assuming that half the trick is actually the stats from the backroom staff who will determine what a keeper will normally do. I did find this clip of last night’s miss from an unusual angle - someone in the Main stand near the Kop:
Mo does his weird jiggle but the interesting thing is that the keeper appears to have very little lateral movement but he appears to move forward as soon as the kick is taken.
Thought Ali should have went with his foot for the first goal instead of trying to get down on it.
1 Like
Just seemed a bit ‘rooted’ to the spot I feel, could, should? have closed down staying big sooner and faster like he ‘normally’ does. Getting down like he did for a big man is very difficult so yes either foot or closing imo are better options.
He hasn’t missed in 4 years so he was due one. He used to just hit it as hard as possible but more recently he has definitely worked on his technique and has started to place it, with power. Last night was the first for some time I can remember when he’s just hit it as hard as he can down the middle. He doesn’t hit it into the bottom right corner that much and his run up seems to make that more difficult because he’s starting from quite wide right which naturally favours hitting it into the left hand side of the goal. I’ve got no worries about him. He didn’t catch it right last night. I certainly wouldn’t want anyone else of the regular starters taking them.
1 Like
not advocating a change in PK-taker now, but we did ok with Hendo and Milner taking the pens not that long ago as I recall.
Very nice to get off the mark with three points. Performance wise it was mostly excellent, but a bit wasteful as we should have been out of sight. Then a little sloppiness at the back and next thing you know we are fighting to get something.
On the positive side we dug deep, which shows our mental strength.
On the positive side we also gave some minutes to Joe, who is a smashing player and needs to ease back in too.
On the negative side it looked a close game going by the result, but it wasn’t. Too wasteful and too sloppy at the back, but a win is a win, and on we go!
PS - looking forward to seeing Konate get going too. League Cup, ease in. We are in a good spot with the defence, two are up and running, two need some minutes, plus there’s Nat who never let us down last season.
1 Like
Pearce was reading my comments…
" “We lost the plot and got carried away by our own football,” explained Klopp. “We didn’t keep it simple anymore offensively, and defensively we were not well organised. When spaces are too big, not even [Fabinho] can sort it and the last line were slightly too deep.”
It’s unimaginable that Liverpool’s backline would have been carved open so easily if [Van Dijk] had been out there. Communication let them down as runners weren’t tracked but the Dutchman has to be handled sensibly following his long absence after rupturing an ACL."
7:2
2 Likes
We’ve done OK with Mo. 17 consecutive penalties scored before last night. Pretty impressive record. Henderson took one penalty for us 6 years ago. Milner doesn’t play often enough any more to be a designated taker but he’s definitely an option if he’s on the pitch.
6 Likes
Thought it was a pretty decent performance bar a few minutes of less than optimal defending which they managed to capitalize on.
We are creating plenty of chances, which is good news just need to take them with a bit more efficiency and we would be well out of sight in these games.
Great 3 points to get when Madrid and Porto shared a point. Gives us the early running in a v tough group.
Didn’t Fab took one for us and missed it? I remember it was mentioned that he was one of the key penalty takers at Monaco. Nonetheless, it has to be Mo when he’s playing. I feel confident with him that it’ll go in and he’s managed to score even under incredible pressure situations as well.
2 Likes
Anyone else disappointed with our subs bar Jones last night (excluding Milner who got little time)?
Ox, Mane and Thiago in particular I thought were poor and were probably more threatening for them than us.
I read an interview a bit back with a football statistician (I don’t think it was one of our guys) where they said that statistically the most effective way of taking a penalty is to hit it down the middle because the goalkeeper usually dives one way or the other and the penalty taker has the highest chance of hitting the target. The caveat to this is that if the opposing goalkeeper knows the striker always hits it in the middle it’s possible the worst way as the keeper will know to stay stand their ground.
I do wonder if designated penalty takers have a shelf life. I’ve seen it in other clubs whereby a once reliable spot kicker becomes completely ineffective - presumably because they have become predictable.
Anyway, I’m not going to lose sleep over Mo yet.