Post Match: Liverpool v Forest (EPL 29/8/26 12.30pm)

All 4 goals conceded so far are diabolical. That said, it’s a bit too early to reach conclusions about the diligence and the discipline of the current group.

We haven’t even managed to play with much intensity yet and that’s Iraola’s hallmark.

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I am still kind of traveling (back home tomorrow), so could not watch the game and can not criticise the team. But I have seen the highlights, and what a wonderful goal that was by Munoz !

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The same old story as soon as I saw Oliver’s name in the officiating team I knew he’d rob us his old mentor SAF must have sent him a congratulatory text after the game. I know we could have played better in the first half but still a few positives and what a bargain Munoz turned out to be. Isak is a very odd character was totally anonymous, very happy so far with JJ and Araujo. Onwards and upwards. I was puzzled why Gravy was benched. I know I’m wasting my breath but I hope we forget about selling Gakpo.

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Virg is irritating me, he is defending his side very well but isn’t covering round, see his effort and positioning on the 2nd goal and he very very rarely players a pass through the lines and then blames everyone else by waving his arms.

Why make a run when you know he won’t pass it?

It is very easy to say that effort was the primary factor that with more effort we could have shut down something before it even became a dangerous situation.I did not conclude that it cannot be fixed, but I am skeptical that Virgil has it in him to pick it up and find the next level he needs.

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Wirtz at the heart of almost everything good and the few moments of incisiveness.

Munoz full of running and endeavour. Great goal and a couple other good positions he got into.

Jacquet just looks a baller. Tired later on but you’d expect that with missing most of pre-season.

Some decent bits second half. The penalty was a real kick in the teeth and just crap from everyone involved. Sucked the momentum out of what looked to be us building a head of steam. Did well to lift ourselves again after that.

Lots to work on but not all doom and gloom.

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Yeah I don’t know what happens to our old players as soon as they get a mic in their hands.

Another Bishop Desmond!

On the plus side I liked the fight we showed in getting level, twice. There are issues but at least we tried to keep going. They are also starting to look fitter. Munoz did well, nice goal. Nice poacher’s goal by Isak too. He will get us goals if we get some service in to him, and that will improve as the team and the shape improves.

Right now the midfield looks unbalanced, as there isn’t anyone who has enough attention on what can go wrong defensively. You want to be an optimist in attack and a pessimist in defence. The midfield needs a bit of both, and right now they are too optimistic for me, with no one ‘minding’ it. To my mind we could do with a bit more bite in the middle too.

Whether that is fixed with the addition of Camara, or the emergence of Nyoni, or more coaching, remains to be seen, but it is an issue.

It’s an intriguing shout to play Dom as a right back. His stamina can get up and down and he can still come into the half space to cross, and he can also pass from there as he sees the picture in front of him. If we have a threatening set piece he can still be up there to deliver.

But would it be viewed as some sort of demotion?

For me I’d get Camara in that midfield and Dom at right back.

I hope we also close on Minteh, and while we wait until he is fit Munoz looks like he can make a very good case for himself on the right.

Forest are a tricky customer, at least when they play us, so this represents an improvement in where we’ve been against them lately.

I’m an optimistic sort and I see a few signs that we are going to be ok, but we are very much a work in progress as it stands.

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They don’t need a replay of their decisions the know exactly what they are doing this Liverpool after all.

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That is the only that keeps frustrating me is the inability to stop conceding first aaargh!

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For all the criticism, defensively our right side is stronger than under Trent.
It’s the offensive side that needs to be improved.
There’re signs today that Gakpo and Frimpong can make it work

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As much as Dom was my player of last season (doesn’t mean that much), he’s a bit all over the place and a definite luxury. Id play macca/nyoni with gravenberch and wirtz. Need some structure to the midfield.

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I want to comment on the refereeing too. Forgot that bit.

It seemed very uneven to me. Forest went down easily and got a lot of free kicks that way. We barely seemed to get much. They also got the rub of the green with two big decisions to take a goal off for us, and give them a penalty.

It has been a multi-year issue and the likes of Tomkins has amassed reams of data to make a very serious case. We don’t get anything like what we should, from referees.

The problem with going there is that fans of other clubs will all have their own moans to make about refs, and even some of our own fans, especially old school fans, almost seem to go out of their way to be fair to the refs and in so doing, I think they overlook the serious issues that are mounting up over the years.

It can’t all be reduced to whether it was a penalty today, or whatever. Individual decisions are just that, and if I squint I can see that one, even if I think it was harsh.

But the refereeing story is a multi-year thing, with so much data, and it shows we are getting screwed over. It is potentially a huge scandal.

I don’t know what the answer is, but I half wonder if already, after a couple of games, Iraola is wondering why we seem to be refereed differently. Even the dope doing the substitutes missed two dead ball opportunities for us to get our players on, while he pissed about on the ground playing with his etch-a-sketch.

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https://x.com/MirrorFootball/status/2093711526976766231

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Does it work now…coz it didnt in the 2nd half…or was it the 4th official trying to waste time, for the Forest to score…why was the subs board left out at full time…thought everything was packed away…or left out to rub salt…

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Suspension incoming?

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Dale Johnson will come out during all decisions were technically correct.

But therein lies the problem. Football has many subjective decisions. Over a period of years, you can make a solid analysis.

The infamous example of the rate that Mo used to get free kicks. Looking at the numbers, a definite pattern emerges.

The pen is plausible. It’s just in practice, those situations are usually not given.

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I do not see it. We need a new manager.

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Yeah we gave it a good shot

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Some righteous anger from Alisson. Good lad.

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