He didn’t look ‘right’ from the start. He couldn’t protect the ball to save his life!
I don’t remember the last time I was on the receiving end of such abuse from rival fans this side of the world. It sucks… 
One get’s used to matches and results like this, at least I’m. Our forwards are either injured or hopelessly of. The only one who can score a goal at the moment is Salah. Midfielders can’t score an important, the first one for instance, goal if their life depended on it and in the back, we have one or two midfielders who are not playing in midfield. Our opponents know this too and play mostly a modern version of the old Catenaccio, they defend with 10/11 man blocking everything that we throw at them and hit us at the break.
Well it is what it is, match officials do the last bit and we can write this year off, at least I have. Hope that the new guys, the returning of Jota and our midfielders to the spots where they belong can secure top 4.
Looking tired and stale. Top quality players making silly mistakes, not moving the ball quickly enough, etc. The injuries have meant that we cannot rest players when they need it. Having said that maybe a few players need to take a good look at themselves . Maybe we can pick it up again on Sunday. Hendo back in MF would help as would the return of Sadio.
This is the problem with having 2 CMs as DMs - its not the goals conceded - not been too bad in that area its that the current midfield have contributed zero (well, must be close to zero) goals all season.
Gini, Milner and Thiago have about 2 goals between them all season. Henderson isnt a huge scorer of goals and neither Fab. Ox is finished, Keita probably dead and Shaq inconsistent but doesn’t get many so you have a midfield contributing zero goals so if front 3 misfire no one else is scoring.
Then take away VVD and Matips aerial presence at set pet pieces and we have a quite a small team.
I did find it odd that Davies didnt play. He isnt playing v City if he cant get in against Brighton. Wouldve released Hendo into the middle.
I just feel Davies will get a few mins here and there and be gone in the summer if other targets like either one from Leipzig are brought in.
Klopp knows how to deal with this kind of teams. His players know how to deal with this kind of teams. Quite obviously they are not doing what they are supposed to because they’re mentally burnt out. And like I’ve already said Klopp is going through it as well. His setup didn’t help things at all, it probably made it worse. However, it’s doubtful whether or not the performance would have been much better if he had played Jones from the start or Tsimikas or what have you. If a player’s head isn’t in the game, there is little he can do other than take him out and yesterday there were too many out of it.
Klopp is caught between a rock and a hard place. He has several starters that could use with a rest like Wijnaldum and Robertson and yet due to injuries and lack of training time he doesn’t trust their deputies to step in and perform.
A particular highlight was when Robertson cut in and into a shooting position and Origi tackled him to kick the ball out of play. 🤦♂
I just don’t agree sorry. This season yes injuries/fatigue has played it’s part but honestly I think back to last season and at the time it was put down to us already having won the league but on reflection we were pretty woeful, especially when teams sat deep.
It’s a clear blueprint to play against us, and how many times do we have to see the same results before we conceed that we just don’t know how to beat it?
You can’t tell me looking at the above our gameplan is correct? Where is the width? And when after 45mins of banging our head against the same wall why didn’t we change it? We just changed players and kept doing the same thing… It has to be tactical, and there is the problem, the tactics are not working. Heck I’d love us to put Phillips up front for 45mins and just bang crosses in… See what happens.
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So, if the reason for last night’s debacle is fatigue, the likes of Robertson, Gini and Milner should obviously have been rested last night. Robbo definitely looks like he’s running on empty and Milner playing three games in 6 days is crazy. How are those three players alone, expected to recover in time for the City game? It looks like, according to Klopp, we’ll be going into Sunday’s game with a team that’s knackered!
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This nails our problem against these low block teams, including the likes of United. All the passing is generally out to in. There’s no movement to get round the back and turn the defense.
Yes players are tired and the injuries are playing havoc but this is also a tactical issue. We have really struggled against these sides this season, so last night was not a one off.
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It was a straightforward chance as well. All he had to do was sidefoot it either side of the keeper and it’s a goal. Instead he goes for the Hollywood finish , trying to lob the goalie and scoops it over the fucking bar ! Our one and only chance !!
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So fucking annoying … he just runs straight into the first player in front of him. I can’t remember the last time I saw him go past his man.
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We seemed to get it right against Spurs and West Ham, who both used similar tactics to Brighton last night. I just don’t understand why we changed back to 4-3-3, it was fairly obvious Brighton would employ the same tactics. It was like Dyche and Allardyce were in the Brighton dressing room before the game and gave the team talk. It makes no sense to me, to switch from a game plan which worked, to one which never has against these low block teams.
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One big difference was Spur played a higher defensive line so I dont think it was quite the same. There was also a pretty nic amount of space between there midfield and defensive line. First goal was a simple ball over the top that got Mane in behind.
West Ham was again a little different in that the back 3 defended really narrow to the point where they were on top of each other. That gave Salah space in that inside right position, but also meant our passing was more naturally out to in.
Credit to Brighton last night, their defensive line was very solid and well positioned.
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We had tonnes of space against Burnley on the right but TAA and Salah weren’t great that night, it was there to exploit but they didn’t, Brighton covered the entire backline but we were breaking these teams down a year ago, to say it’s an issue with breaking them down that’s been a four year problem is wrong.
Are we missing Jota, yes and Mane was certainly missed yesterday, sad thing is the last four games (even the loss to Burnley) had got my hopes up the slump was over, not sure if that was the worst of the lot, probably Soton was on par with it.
They are shattered so god knows why Jones doesn’t start, he has to be confident that A) Fabinho will be right for Sunday and B) He is putting Davies or Kabak in the backline, or alternatively he is starting Jones.
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The most frustrating bit for me was, what in the 3rd minute we exploited the gap between their left back and center back and Salah was clean through on goal…
All that comes from Salah being outwide and then making the run off the back of the fullback. It’s a run that Van Dijk would find over and over, Hendo can hit the same pass. It was a huge part of Salah getting so many goals, exploting space, moving into space, going into the areas of uncertainty between defenders…
Did we do the same again? Nope, Salah came more and more central, played more and more static and we didn’t try again.
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Btw we still don’t have enough movement between their lines and never get a pass in betwen their lines.
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Think Salah is trying too hard to base his own game, and talents he has, to that of Messi…!
Unfortunately, the talents Salah has, really do become ineffective in 90% of the games against a low block side… Salah is a gazelle that needs space to run into, not try to beat the six man markers around him by dribbling with his predictable left foot like Messi, when a simple 10m sideways pass would achieve the same… Maybe it is the hard route it has taken him to reach the main stage, that it has become a mentality thing that he needs to be top scorer, not only in each game, but each season also…
Rush was also a gazelle, but he knew his limitations when it came to dribbling… but put a ball inside or anywhere near the penalty box, whether he plundered it in the goal, headed it in or muscled his way to toe poke it home, chipped or blasted it past the keeper, he knew instinctively what was needed to score.
With Salah, for all the talent he has, he lacks the killer instinct most of the time.
Where’d I say that?
Bounced off him a couple of times