They will get you a roof but not a 15k one!
Youâve got to ask the question when looking at new recruitsâŠon these displaysâŠdo you want to play for LFCâŠmight be a bit of of downer at the momentâŠ
Linda - âWhat fancy restaurant you taking me to tonight loveyâ
John - âNot tonight hun, Liverpool need me to invest few bob this summerâŠthereâs some ready meal in the fridgeâ
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Well today we got spanked. We didnât play that badly, we just got outplayed and then our heads went down. Such is life. We need to regroup and work out how to improve. Citeh were way ahead of us in ability, tactics, the dark arts - everything that you need to succeed. They were ruthless. We huffed and puffed but ultimately their class showed. We do have good players, not as many as I would like,but not enough to compete with an arab state it would seem. Is Klopp getting the best out of what he has? - probably. But for some of the goals today Citeh had an extra man - you canât give them that advantage. They will destroy you with the talent they have. Isnât that tactics, or were Citeh just that good that tactically we couldnât compete?
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They got demoralized the moment they let the second goal in. They are not playing for some cannon fodder club fighting to stave off relegation, they are playing for one of the best teams in Europe over the last 5 years.
Theyâve allowed themselves to slip into this nauseating passive, self-defeating mode that has got to be rooted out.
JĂŒrgen Klopp delivered an honest assessment on how Liverpool were outperformed by Manchester City in Saturdayâs 4-1 defeat.
The Reds were beaten in the Premier League at Etihad Stadium by second-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish.
Mohamed Salah had opened the scoring in the contest and given the visitors the lead in minute 17, though Julian Alvarez netted an equaliser 10 minutes later.
Read on for a summary of Kloppâs post-match press conferenceâŠ
On his thoughts on the game and Liverpoolâs performanceâŠ
The obvious, I would say. The obvious, what everybody could see. The first half was OK, not just because of the result but because of the performance as well. Of course, City had more possession and these kind of things, but that always happens when we play here. We scored a wonderful goal, could have scored a second one in a really good counter-attack. Then, I would say the situation was rather unlucky when Kevin De Bruyne gets a touch on the ball and rolls through Robboâs legs. From there, of course City was doing really well. So, 1-1, thatâs OK, thatâs a basis, and then you come out of half-time there is an open ball in midfield and you donât even have a challenge. They pass the ball to the outside, we are too deep in the last line and from there, again, City are doing well.
You have to defend City in the moments where you have the opportunity to do so. If you are too deep, too passive or whatever, then they use that immediately. That was for 2-1⊠3-1 [was] super quick after how I remember it, and I have to watch it back obviously, we have a three or four versus one situation against Grealish, but in the end nobody has a challenge and the ball arrives in the box again. They can finish by taking the rebound. Then you saw what happened.
We were not there anymore; we were completely open, we were too passive, too deep, too far away from everything. If you look at the game, I think we had around about four performances which were OK: the two midfielders with Hendo and Fab worked a lot, tried to close gaps, Cody especially in possession and Ali, of course, and then thatâs obviously very difficult. If you want to get something from here, then you have to play 11 players, 14, 15 players have to be on the top of their game and that was not the case again. So after being 3-1 down, it is anyway difficult to come back here. I think we had a situation for a 3-2 maybe when Robbo broke through on the left side, but then apart from that City could pretty much do what they wanted because the spaces were too big, and so we are rather lucky that they only scored one more. Thatâs it now.
On whether he can explain why Liverpool started the second half in the manner they didâŠ
No, I cannot. You donât know 100 per cent if the team started like this or a player started like that or whatever. I have no clue why we didnât have the challenge there when the ball was open. No foul, nothing, just no challenge. Really difficult to understand. When you let them on the ball and they can cut inside and pass the ball and use their speed and the formation and all of that, then it is not about mental stuff in that moment â you just try to sort the things you can sort. It was not possible there. No, I donât think it is really to explain, but we all saw what we saw.
On picking the players up to go again on Tuesday at ChelseaâŠ
Yes, but we have to do that tomorrow. I told the boys now there is nothing from my side to say for tonight. Everything is obvious and everyone needs to think about it and then tomorrow we have to talk about it, but that was nothing for now. It is not a lot of time, but it is time â we donât play tomorrow, we play Tuesday. We should play better, especially more consistently. Being good while youâre feeling good is OK, but not being good when you donât feel 100 per cent is obviously not possible in the Premier League.
Thatâs what happens in the moment; we spoke about it in the press conference yesterday. Being 1-0 down this year changed pretty much everything for us. I donât like to mention these things, but I cannot ignore it as well. Again, today we concede two quick goals and, again, then it is super difficult here â if not nearly impossible â to come back from a two-goal deficit, but you can make it a bit more difficult for them if you stick to the things you did in your good moments. That was not there anymore and thatâs why then the difference was so massive. It is not nice to be part of the team when the crowd starts [oles] with each pass. It is not nice, but it still happens from time to time.
On whether he has to pick himself upâŠ
You donât have to worry about me. I watch things, I analyse things, then I go again. My emotions were never my problem. There are moments on the sideline where it is my problem, but not after a game. I know what I have to do but I have to make sure it arrives in the right places.
On what he made of the contributions of his substitutesâŠ
Super difficult coming on in a game like this. We are in the situation all together, I donât want to take them out of the situation but I donât think they were now the problem today. They didnât change the game, thatâs true, but thatâs it.
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Where have we caught our roof damage?
Sorry, couldnât resist. I agree there will be investment but we should not have needed such a massive rebuild.
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There will be changes in the summer. It wonât be a repeat of last summer. This season is just about somehow getting through it.
Although Harvey is being lambasted by many on this forum, these games this season will be rewarded in the long run. Good learning experience for a young player.
Klopp sees something in the kid, so it the long game.
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Klopp always honest in his post match reflections. There will be changes int he next game, even if we had won, for rotation.
The players need a big reaction on Tuesday against another financially doped team.
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Cant have a future here then. Hes not injured
Sometimes the food as wellâŠ
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We have no idea whatâs happening to that ladâŠ
Iâm also leaning a bit to @Mascot âs position regarding JĂŒrgen hanging on to players out of loyalty and/or misplaced confidence in their ageing bodies. Someone in the club hierarchy needs to sit him down and have a word about that.
I think the flashes of good results just shows that these players havenât forgotten to play football, and we are not suddenly a bad sideâŠand if anything, exactly that the mental side is not the first thing that is gone this season (like @Hope.in.your.heart, I believe itâs naturally affected by the physical breakdown, but not vice versa).
Had it been a primarily mental thing, we wouldnât be as good vs the top sides (even with today into account, weâre still high up the top 6 mini table).
Itâs just that we canât be consistent this way, without the physicality in top level (looking at our stats of distances covered and running, itâs very clear our physical side and intensity, such crucial parts of our style, which were top of the related charts for years, makes this clear).
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If Klopp is still holding that opinion in Oct 2022 till the bloody world cup, then Klopp must be legally blind. The only reason LFC didnât get anyone in is that LFC cannot afford anyone that can help us significantly in Jan 2023.
Itâs that simple.
Whichever way you cut it the squad needs turnover. If itâs mental then this collective have now been through three/four near misses after a supreme effort (Madrid twice, City twice, Sevilla at a stretch). Some of that mental scarring can be permanent (whatâs the point when City get all the players plus favourable calls, Salah and Karius getting assaulted with no restorative justice, Thiago getting injured in the warmup and playing with painkillers etc etc)
Iâm sure some of that played in ManĂ©âs mind when he left. Who wants to get the shit kicked out of them and at the end of it all get shafted to the title?
If itâs physical then thereâs no way back. 30+ and your shelf-life has been used up at least at the PL level and in the style we play.
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I am really down in the dumps right now. I feel really sorry for our gaffer. How do you pick the players up after this bashing?
I am beginning to hate FSG, but I am trying not to, as they have done some good things with the club.
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The length of Hendersonâs contract would be my main eyebrow raiser. Beyond that I donât see too much loyalty being dished out that has been unmerited.
We might say that some of them could have been sold along the way, but at that point you need offers, and the player needs to accept the offer.
If in the summer we see extensions for players who donât deserve it, or a refusal of a decent offer for a player whose time is up here, then fine, the loyalty case builds.
But up to this season, Kloppâs loyalty has been a plus point. It has helped to create the great culture that has seen us have a period of success.
For various reasons the wheels have fallen off this season, but I wouldnât say Kloppâs loyalty is a big factor in that. Mind you, it is fair to say that it is something to watch, as our business needs to be decisive this summer.
And Arthur 
It really is Aquilani all over again
Durability and physicality has to be near top of the criteria for the next set of midfield recruits
Is that not what we have? We have a separate set up that deals with recruitment. JK does not control this - from what posters here have said. Ergo we could have brought in people last year or the year before. Did JK say no to new players being mentioned? Was he advised that the current players (when fit) will do? In the end fresh legs were sorely needed and we didnât get them. Iâm not sure what has happened to the development of Elliot and Jones and the other mids⊠Stefan B looked good, like the aforementioned were as they were coming through and before injuries, but is now broken and whether he comes back is up for debate.
Frankly the sound bite of âonly the right playersâ rings a bit hollow atm. We have been too passive and standing still (or just hoping) is never a good strategy in business or in sport.
Anyway, roll on 24-25 season.
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