Post match: Liverpool v Fulham (EPL 12/9/26 3pm)

There is a reason they are all time greats and he isn´t and won´t be.

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Watched the extended highlights and saw a few examples of stuff we need to work on on the ball demonstrated. Excuse the essay.

4:02 - When Muñoz runs off with the ball, Szobo doesn´t really bother getting up at any speed to help, but when he gets it he eventually makes the right pass but he takes just an extra touch too many. Nitpicking maybe but that extra touch just meant Wirtz had to wait slightly for the pass. Wirtz should have got the shot on target though.

5:56 - Jacquet did the right thing and zipped it into Grav who miscontrolled it and when he had space to control it and pivot. Sloppy. Araujo then wins it back and runs quickly back into position with urgency.10/10 for him. JJ did exactly what our CBs should be doing. Get it to the midfield quickly.

6:12 - Jacquet ends up with the ball and Szobo just stood next to him. JJ gives him it but instead of doing anything, Szobo just passed to a CB (Van Dijk) and trotted off like his job was done.
Van Dijk takes an extra unnecessary touch (touch and bang into WIrtz was the play) but Wirtz does get the ball. Meanwhile, Grav and Szobo stand around nowhere near him. Not even showing for the ball. How can this be our midfield on the ball? Wirtz should have gone right quickly and hit it to Isak or even over the top to Barcola, but our midfielders made zero moves to help. This is a common issue.

8:54 - This changed a bit as Mac came on. Look how much closer he is to Wirtz (and had just demanded the ball and not got it previously).

9:07 The best bit of interplay in the entire game and one of the few times we saw our midfielders exchange passes. Szobo initially didnt move when Wirtz got it but when he did get the ball, instead of going back, he works it between the midfielders and play the 1 2 with Mac, and gets a shot off. We need WAY more of that. Excellent.

Long story short - players taking too many touches, and poor movement from the midfield. The end result is not enough midfield pass and move and interplay.

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What I don’t understand is that Szob can do the give and goes in he final 3rd, I have seen it many times prior, but atm he doesn’t get in those spaces as much or go after the give.

I really don´t know. I wish I did.

He has no connection with Wirtz at all. None. Maybe he´d do it more with Mac.

Maybe he covets Wirtz’s position and is more about me rather than the team?

Hopefully not.

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I do think they are essentially the same player in our side.

Not that they are exactly the same in terms of traits, but I feel like Szobo is best in a midfield 3 as the more free player to run forward and shoot. Wirtz also needs to be the more free midfielder to go and create, knit things together or even score.

I don´t think they complement each other. Won´t say exactly Szobo is thinking only of himself but I think the two really don´t fit together.

Yeah I think ultimately Dom needs to be replaced.

I think Gravenberch as well so it starts getting complicated. We need these players to start performing and we have seen Dom and Macca do the business in various situations. This isn’t the case for Gravenberch unfortunately.

Personally I would replace him too yep.

The other option is replacing Wirtz and making Dom the star of the show. I think Wirtz´s potential is much higher so I wouldnt do that. Though we have given him a huge contract,

In the short term I think play only one of them at a time or play Dom or right back.

And now? :sweat_smile:

I’d keep both.

Grav is a concern at this moment.

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There’s lots of talk about refs atm so I was thinking was there any complaints about the on field ref in this game. I thought he was ok.

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Maybe a foul here or there went for them and a couple that should have been called for us werent…nothing remarkable. No chants of “the referee’s a wanker” from us or the Fulham away fans so I reckon he did okay.

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