It’s not just European nights we do well on, we haven’t lost at Anfield in the Premier League for over 3 years, so of course it’s a valid concern.
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I wanted to quote you but I dont know how to do that with ease om the phone. Anyway, just wanted to say that while the crowd gives us an advantage, the by far biggest one is to play on the pitch you know intimately. So I am not sure I like that much the claims that we did not have proper home advantage. I think it goes without saying that our players have an advantage on the Anfield pitch compared to Leeds, who last played there decades ago:)
Also, how do I quote on the phone ?
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I don’t think we hear this often enough.
Thanks !!! 20characters.
Our entire approach to the game is to apply suffocating pressure to the opponent. It is absurd to suggest that a loud crowd does not amplify that. Due to the way we play, there is an additive, maybe synergistic effect that clubs who play a different way (city) or have a less furverent game day support (city) do not have and so will not suffer from not being present.
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The only difference could be the refs who used to act like they are not afraid giving big decisions against us, and not getting intimated by the crowd.
But that won’t matter if the refs itself are useless. So no positives, lol.
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On LFCTV’s Match Reaction show after the game,Jason Mcateer made a good point about the crowd making a big difference to how players play.He said that when Anfield is packed and the crowd are in full voice,players are switched on a lot more,you’re more focused about whats happening on the pitch and also the crowd will let you know aswell.
When playing in an empty stadium,he likened it to playing a reserve game or training match,where you’re not fully focused,you try silly things that you normally would’nt do during a game because the pressure is off and you have nobody to really slaughter you if it doesn’t come off,plus it doesn’t really mean anything in those games.
It’s why he thought VVD tried that silly side kick to let in Bamford to score,if the Kop was full,they’d have warned him and he’d have kicked it into row Z,he also thought the 4 defenders going away to play for 3 different countries and playing 3 different defensive tactics,was also one of the reasons our back 4 were slightly off their game aswell,as when he was with Ireland,he was told to just kick it up the pitch and get rid of it but when he came back to LFC he had to remember not to give the ball away or he’d get a kicking for it.Makes some sense in a way i guess.
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Good point above about all crowds no being equal. Our crowd gives a decent advantage to us with the passionate support, for sure. Some teams like Man City are used to playing in front of a manufactured atmosphere, pump up the volume on the speakers, so for them it will be an advantage to play in empty stadiums as their whole style is quite sanitized.
They can just go to work, do their job, and the emotions at the game… part of what makes football so compelling, are not in play the same this year, but it won’t affect an emotionless, soulless outfit like Abu Dhabi’s Man City. If anything it will help lift them.
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the discussion is being had right now is it not? It’s only that I do not agree that crowd impact should be a reason as to why the team is unable to hit high levels or maintain focus. It’s a new season, we are the premier league champions. On those facts alone we should be able to drive ourselves and execute accordingly.
I recognise the role crowds play when it comes to pushing teams on. This I agree on, heck why would you be a fan if you cannot appreciate crowd impact. But given the COVID situation and all that, these are the parameters that need to be played in. Fans will be back in some capacity next few months unless something goes wrong (knock on wood). In the meantime we have a flurry of incoming fixtures. Chelsea, Carabao cup fixture TBD and Arsenal. Of those 3 Arsenal is the one most of us have circled. Why? Because its at home and its against a team who have somewhat gotten the best of us in the last 2 encounters. If that’s not enough motivation, we need the players to defend the home front even when the fans are not there. Keep the Anfield record strong as time goes on and people seek ways to overcome the COVID situation. For Chelsea what more motivation do you need? Lampard opening his mouth and yapping, taking shots at Jurgen. This should already be sufficient motivations for our players who KLopp has called Mentality giants.
Even if we lose, which is perfectly fine, I just don’t agree that lack of crowd should be the reason we give. It’s ok if others want to use it I guess ok, but i don’t think that is the reason we leaked goals all throughout pre season and then now.
It is not the only factor, but it is definitely one of the factors.
Just because we have to acknowledge that this is the situation we have to deal with does not mean we have to pretend that all teams are affected equally by the situation.
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I can respect that point sure. I don’t have to 100% agree but I can respect it.
I don’t see the pretending aspect here, I agree that the crowds play a factor, but if we don’t have the crowd then what are we supposed to do? Not play the game? If its affecting teams why even bother playing? And if you want to play , how does one overcome that? Our staff and team are there to provide solutions to the problem. We need to find ways to overcome the lack of crowds during this period, not just simply be resigned to it.
Ok, not “pretending”, lets try “not understanding the difference.”
You are rejecting the idea that it IS having an effect on us on the basis of us in practice having to find a way to deal with it.
Given that its just been one game so far, I do concede at this point that it is better to have a wait and see approach when it comes to this point.
The team has had games to adjust to this and have pulled out some decent performances. The game against Chelsea was one last season and the Crystal Palace game last season , which has shown this team is perfectly capable of turning on the engine when need be. I feel its about refining and hitting those strides in performance on the pitch. That’s just how I feel about it. Anfield is special in itself, its a representation of the fans, and that should be enough pride and motivation for the players moving forward I hope, at least till fans can return to the stadium once again.
Nik. Just for Clarity. Liverpool and Man City are both playing games behind closed doors. Which team has lost the most from this?
If your talking about finances, I’m not entirely sure, perhaps we have suffered heavier losses on the financial side due to loss of match day revenue and a lesser commercial revenue stream.
If your talking about football, its hard to tell. City have lost games and we have lost games. City could not progress any further in the champions league despite defeating Real Madrid so… maybe they have lost more on that front?
If the point is to say, we don’t have a crowd and that makes us therefore worse off than City? I don’t agree that we are a lesser team to city just because the crowd isn’t there. Do we lose the impact the crowd gives and the for example the famed fans greeting the opposition team bus at the front and the area surrounding the stadium that usually instills fear into our major opponents? Yes we do miss that. So on that front maybe we lose somewhat in comparison to City.
Is that what you mean?
I’ll just jump in and say Liverpool has been majorly affected compared to City. City is used to playing in stadiums with no atmosphere. Ergo Liverpool is more affected by not having fans.
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What I mean is that Liverpool’s match atmosphere is something that Klopp has been at great pains to ‘weaponise’ during his tenure. He saw how important it is, just as he knew how much he needed the yellow wall at Dortmund. Other teams have atmospheres and make a good noise, but I can’t think of another club where the connection between the players and the fans is so essential and tangible.
Of course all clubs are getting used to closed doors, but any rule change will benefit disadvantage some more than other. If the game scrapped substitutes the less fit teams would suffer more than the fitter ones. If you banned managers from the sidelines sone clubs would suffer more. It just happens that banning crowds is going to hit us harder than anyone else.
To be honest, the thing I worry about most this season isn’t squad depth or injuries, it’s that when this team needs it’s 12th man to lift it, it won’t be there. Damon Albarn going ‘woohoo’ is a poor substitute.
To go back to make original post, it’s the cry of ‘That’s just excuses’ that pisses me off. If you want to call it an excuse you can, but sometimes excuses are valid. Mourinho is getting shit for his post match comments, but he isn’t wrong that their pre-season was really fucked up for a variety of reasons.
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