Post Match: Liverpool v Sheffield Utd (EPL 24/10/20 8pm)

The Albert Match Days
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A very important win for us. I have the feeling that everything was against us in the last 4 matches - injuries, bad luck, referees, VAR…

Last night was similar - absurd decision by VAR - giving United a penalty, but at the same time they decided not to review that Fabinho’s tackle was not a foul. This is fuckin football, not ballet.

We looked good befor the farcial decision by Dean and Mariner, but after the took the lead we lost our heads and Sheffield dominated for long periods of the 1st half.

But after all the players stood strong and once again scored two goals to win a very, very difficult and hugely important match.

Alisson was solid and dependable, that is all I want from LFC’s goalie.

The defence is our big problem and I just have the feeling that without VVD we won’t become champions. McBurnie totally dominated in the air and they constantly bullied us. Their big chances was in the 92nd minute when McBurnie once again won a header and Burke was in a great position to score with 2 of his teammates close to him and we only had 2 defenders behind the ball. Luckily he missed and we won.

We have conceded 14 goals in 6 games and that is too much. And it is clear that teams such as Burnley, Palace, West Ham, Everton, Spurs who have big and strong forwards will exploit our frailties at the back. Not signing a center back was an absolute stupidity /something I wtote at least 50 times in TIA’s forum/. We had the perfect example with City last season, when they lost Kompany and decided to continue with 3 center backs and Fernandinho as an emergency option. Well, we all know what happened with Laporte and City’s season.

Matip is injury prone and yesterday we had six injured players - AOC /another injury prone player/, Keita, Tiago, VvD, Tsimikas and Matip.

TAA’ s form since the start of the season is a cause for concern. Opponents double him up and don’t let him use his delivery and defensively he is our weakest link /at fault for Everton’s leveller and looked out of his depth vs. Leeds and Harrisson. Never mind his display vs. Villa/.

But of course there are positives too - Henderson is a great example of the courage and fight instilled in this team. Great assist, a real leader, captain, leading by example. Looking at his stats I will just say: Take a bow, son!

Jordan Henderson vs Sheffield United:

• 90% passing - 83/92 passes
• 1 chance created
• 1/1 aerial duel
• 1/2 tackles
• 3 clearances
• 3 interceptions (most in game)
• Not dispossessed

Gomez was shaky in the first 30 minutes, but slowly grew into the game and was our best defender. Robbo is playing like a man on a mission. Trent can look at his display and find a great example. Fabinho lost something after the stupid penalty decision and I still think that it is absurd to play our best defensive midfielder as a central defender, but sadly Klopp has no choice at the moment and probably for the next 2 months at least.

Gini was solid and reliable as usual, but I still think that sometimes he needlessly slows down the play, esepecially when we have options to attack with speed and the opponent is not well organized.

The front 4 looked fine. Still I did not like the fact that after Sheffield United scored their goal we lost our balance and played with long balls. And when the opponents shut up the full backs we don’t seem to find a way to attack with purpose through the center. Firmino was lost for large period of the match and he played in the number 10 position, which is fundnamental, when your team plays 4-2-3-1.

Bobby scored the vital first goal, but I still feel he needs a break, Jota looks like a top player and I think that Salah, Mane and Diogo could build a great partnership as the front three in 4-3-3.

Well done to the manager who found way to steady the ship after Virgil’s injury and two poor league results. We are missing players, the referees and VAR are trying their best to stop us too, but Klopp finds a way to win points, to grind out results.

Yesterday we played 4-2-3-1. Probably one of the reasons was that the manager did not have enough fit midfielders /Milner was not 100% ready and looks like Juergen was not very pleased with Jones’s 45 minutes vs. Ajax/.

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750×737

Courtesy r/LiverpoolFC on reddit

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Are you going to explain xgchain or are you going to make me look it up?

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First time I read of it…and you know what, it went right over my head. (I hate stats.)

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The 4-2-3-1 formation we deployed yesterday gets far more penetrating with Thiago alongside Jordan. Gini was doing a proper Ray ‘the crab’ Wilkins yesterday.

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Certainly looks that way doesn’t it? I had concerns about him against Ajax in that anchor role. This just adds more wood to the fire on that front.

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Disgraceful decision for their penalty no two ways about it. The first tackle of theirs given a yellow could easily have been a red as far as I´m concerned. They were dirty, not impressed at all. the shove on Gini and Klopp gets a telling off by the 4th offical.

It´s also easier for inferior teams to stay in the game longer due to fitness, which allows them to stay organised. No surprise later into the game we often take control as the other team has knackered itself out.

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One problem is we never set up a 4231. It’s 424 or 523 depending on where Firmino is.
Agree I think it would work better with Thiago however we need to find a 10 who will play between the lines for it to be effective. More technical teams could have a field day against us otherwise. Also our forwards need to move a bit when we are in possession.
I really did not like it and the way we play it I refuse to call it 4231.
N.B before the game i said to my son that’s a 4231 formation, it won’t work with Hendo and Gini as the pivots (mainly because Gini hasn’t a clue). I didn’t forsee Firmino being so completely useless as a 10 and noticed that 2nd half Jota was trying to do that a bit.
Personally I would drop it as a plan as even with Thiago we have too many players who don’t have a clue what their roles are.

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It was more 4-2-4 in game, but you maybe need to rethink the 5-2-3. Gini did look absolutely clueless yesterday, and I am usually a fan, but I dont remember him actually putting anyone through with a pass. The front line was cluttered and it costs us vital attacking space which impacted upon the effectiveness of our quick attack. There basically was no quick attack. Unusually we scored both times against two banks of four with crosses from out wide. Dont know whether Klopp will drop it; he seems to be adjusting the formation of the team for two reasons. Firstly, lots of other teams seem to have worked us out, and are packing the area in front of our full backs. Villa did this to great effect. Secondly, it seems Virgil’s injury has Klopp spooked. I agree without a proper 10 and an orthodox 9, this system seems prone to ineffectiveness.

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The 4231 was an expirement to get more out of Firmino. Would you class it as a success I’m doubtful that one change effected every other attacking player for most of the game.

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Second half Hendo often dropped back between and behind Fabinho and Gomez (when we had possession) that’s why I said 523 as Firmino came in like a 6.
Our biggest problem despite Gini and Firmino looking lost was the defense staying very deep and the frontline pushing up which just made the space between the 2 too great for 2 midfielders. We just couldn’t find how to get the ball up the pitch and ended up passing back to Alisson then hoofing it to Salah. This problem is easily remedied however requires discipline and aloso that the staff notice it as it wasn’t changed in the 2nd half (infact it got worst) I am not sure they cottonned on. (Then again we often miss the obvious during the match yet seem to get it right in the next match so we’ll see).
Perhaps we are over compensating for the loss of VVD? (dropping the defensive line deep yet not training the forwards to regulate tyhe distance?)

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VAR is killing our NRL over here too. A team scores a decent try. Then they watch it from a thousand angles from the time the team got off the bus before finally giving what was a blatantly obvious try. People are over it. Just for the sake of trying to build crowd expectations in the stadiums.

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