It hurts so much… 
To be honest with you after 13-14 I had accepted that we would probably never win another title just because competing with CFC/MCFC without oil money is tough. The fact we’ve won the League with a (comparatively) shoestring budget (in terms of net spend) is nigh-on-unbelievable. But I think the biggest part of the equation has undoubtedly been Jurgen (even if we question his decisions on a match basis, he’s still been bang on with his overall strategy IMHO) and I am not sure how much FSG have realized that they would be nowhere near a title without him. Sure, you can say that was a good decision by them to appoint him, and it was, but I feel the title was more Klopp than the owners. These may be obvious points and people are free to disagree but that’s my perpsective.
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I said Kabak because i can see us getting him, he’s improving over his first couple of games already and played well his last game. He’d also be 4th choice alongside Ben. As for Millie, i never mentioned him. Hendo has a few more good years in him yet.
We have plenty of attacking midfielders, Shaq, Ox and Keita all play there as their best position in my opinion, not well just now but then nobody is playing well so its hard to judge them. Plus of course we have Jones who i think will make that position his own next year.
Form this year has been terrible but do you honestly think all 11 players have just lost their ability? Everything is still there if we get our players back with a bit of confidence. Losing your best players in 4 positions out of 11 is likely to affect any and every team. Not just the best players but your backups and backups to you backups.
I hare sounding like im defending this team because they should be doing better but those stating Klopp will go and we need an whole new team etc (not saying you are) really should take a look at the circumstances. It may not excuse it all but has to be taken into account. I just hope Klopp waits to see what happens next season. The only real mistake ive seen is the high defensive line which i hope we drop even with our 2 fast CBs back
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Positives to take from today’s game?
Thank God we’re not playing Leipzig at Anfield. 
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The domino effect from the losses at the back has fucked us this season, and losing Jota prevented rotating at the front. That’s all it is. Injuries. Maybe the tempo of the last three years has taken it’s toll? We don’t need to do much to be in contention again next year, but we do need to improve the size and quality of the squad a bit. If we have better luck with injuries next season we’ll be fine. If we have another year of injuries like this one, or we have a year relatively injury-free and still end up being shit, then serious questions need to be asked. As it stands now there is enough grey area to give the club the benefit of the doubt. YNWA.
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I’m basing that on a series of unfortunate events, the impact of which and the combination of which left the team really beside themselves.
It started from last season, which saw us lose our flow due to the lockdown. Up to the interruption, we were just unstoppable. Had won it already. After the lockdown, we would already observe blips here and there. The uncertainty of whether the season would conclude didn’t help either. We were the only team with something at stake. For anyone else, it just didn’t matter (ok, it did for teams going down, but I mean for anyone else). Lifting the trophy was so surreal.
Then the simply ridiculous pre-season and fixture frequency, which would have been ok on its own, but in combination with the diabolical series of injuries just became such an obstacle. I’m not sure you realize the consequences of all that, I mean on how many levels it affects our game. What you see (seeming lack of effort, inability to score, etc.) is the side-effect of all that, but you give me the impression you think it’s the root problem.
And not to forget that the team has to overcome all these unpreceded problems without their fans, that just ups the level because by now confidence is in the mix of problems as a result, and fan support that would normally be the main external remedy for that is just not available.
City lost only a single player in Laporte last season and fell 20+ points behind us, yielding the title chase by winter. Even with their depth, I really doubt they would have been able to cope with the serial long term injuries that we had faced this season. Their covid strike at the start of the season temporarily showed how they’d fare this season, had these absences been long term. But once they got their squad back soon, everything was back to normal. It the case for us, with a player going out for every player returning, and with the amount of starting 11 players out for the season still increasing.
So yes, I really disagree that any other team would have coped better, and I disagree that based on the situation there’s any point to judge this team whether they’re the worst we’ve ever seen. They play in the worst way possible at the moment, yes, and no wonder how it came to this to be honest. It’s only surprising because we know what this team is capable of. The surprising part is how we managed to still be top of the table until Christmas, but it could only last for that long and all these problems would inevitably take their toll.
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We’ve gone for a different route since then. But the Ox, Keita, Lallana, etc have all failed to delvier for various reasons (Ox with what looks like a career setback injury).
With a tactically astute midfield of Fab, Henderson, and Gini, allowed the forward line and fullbacks freedom, hence we never missed a Coutinho type player and could cope with Ox, Keita, Shaq and Lallana being out injured or disjointed when playing.
With CB injury crises in full on madness mode, a player like Coutinho would be perfect to feed the front three.
Players like Raphina, Mason Mount, Maddison, etc offer the type of play that our present midfielders do not.
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Can we play all remaining games away from Anfield please??
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Less of the we, talk for yourself! 
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Good post, but I disagree with this bit:
In our last six matches before the lockdown, we had narrow home wins against West Ham and Bournemouth; we had lost at Watford and Chelsea (in the FA Cup) and the two Atletico Madrid games.
It could be argued that the wheels were starting to come off before Covid struck.
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No we have Jones he does much much more.
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Was going to read the whole thread but saw this and decided I’d save myself some time and not bother.
I’m going to make a prediction right now.
Sometime between now and the end of the year I’m going to go to Anfield and watch Liverpool fucking destroy hapless shite like Burnley, Everton and Fulham.
It will be a Liverpool team containing a maximum of 3 of those 10 outfield players who started today’s game. 4 or 5 of those 10 outfield players who started today will be playing for different clubs.
Jurgen Klopp will be our manager on that day.
Mod Edit
Please tone down language
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Make an appointment with your Doctor.
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Somehow I knew these jokes would happen, but I posted anyway. Sign of the times. 
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Somehow, we have to brighten the atmosphere on here.
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You’re not kidding. I was just thinking this morning, it’s been a fucking hard year, and getting through it isn’t nothing!
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Are you talking about the one that won the league last season or the one that played today, with maybe 3 regular starters?
Just to be clear?
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Mistimed it a bit, true. But I still don’t think it was falling apart pre-covid:
The narrow wins was something we were used to in the season (just look for how many narrow wins we had all season, and it’s very characteristic of champions btw, City had it, United had it back in the day, ditto Chelsea etc.), and the margin of the win or the performance doesn’t take away from the result, finding the way to win the match.
Not counting the cup game either, as it was never our focus or never looked like winning those before that anyway, simply a different competition that we never seemed to be equally committed to.
Counting Watford as a blip for sure, but that’s one game.
The return of the Atletico game which was before the lockdown but during the outbreak and should never have happened, we were actually superb up until extra time and Adrian’s blunder, and we didn’t have Alisson, which we would had the game been postponed (other games in the same week did get postponed, and the situation in Spain made one wonder why the game went on)…and first game we were fine too.
I’m only seeing that as one bad day at the office with Watford, and one half of extra time suicide, rather than wheels starting to come off before covid.
I was going to take a very small smidgen of comfort in seeing manU being humiliated by the other wancs. Just built up the will power to switch on the internet after our tussle with scotty fuckin parker. 
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Didn’t we lose to those chip nicking seagull bastards as well.
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