But how good? World class?
And performances last season or are we ignoring last season in the discussion?
I´m not saying you are wrong. I´m just curious about why and how good you think they are.
I think he was a bit slow to see the danger as well.
Van Dijk was poor too. He should have been pushing them away frrom Elanga´s side or screaming at Jacquet to go to the ball so Van Dijk could go cover Elanga´s run. He has to take charge of that situation.
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Szobo absolutely has the physical attributes to do what Hendo did but he doesn’t seem to have the game intelligence.
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There is nothing elite about Frimpong and Kerkez, though.
I hate to say it, but Isak/Wirtz are fast becoming the modern-day Carroll-Downing
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Gravenberch has shown he can do a job like Gini. What we seem to be missing is that guy who hounds and hunts down. Szoboszlai showed some of that when playing right back but doesn’t do it when in midfield.
Of course with Gravenberch and Szoboszlai our transitions are pretty woeful at this level.
Tbf I’m not trying to big up Hendo and certainly don’t want to big up Gini however they are examples of how I see a way for us to evolve. Stop over committing and do the hard work. The problem I see is ATM they don’t look fit enough for that hard work. Iraola has one hell of a job on his hands.
I’ll just take advantage of the discussion and point out I feel we have lost a lot of character over the last few years. I hope this can also be sorted, if it is a problem.
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Grav and Szobo have been world class at times for us. Wirtz and Isak were for their previous clubs which is why we spent the money on them. Time will tell if they are the right fit for us, but I’d rather be hopeful and get behind them.
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Agree on Frimpong. Haven’t seen any evidence that he is a right back. I’m still hopeful for Kerkez
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This is where I lay the blame squarely on Hughes.
Frimpong is a wingback
Not a fullback.
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That’s a complete miss read of what is being said. All the players you mentioned worked hard and often rather than put a tackle in put a shoulder in. It’s about balance and nous. ATM it appears we haven’t got the balance correct and asking players to over commit even more is just going to compound the problem.
These days even defenders at this level can destroy an over commited challenge. In fact they often wait for it.
To think anyone is advocating that players shouldn’t make tackles is ridiculous. The idea is to not miss so many tackles leaving us open.
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Aside from those players being worse than Hendo, Gini and Fab, do you not think though that it´s a very different team. We don´t have the best front 3 in the world anymore and we don´t have unbelievably creative full backs
So that functional and solid midfield would tighten things up but wouldn´t allow us to create and score enough
Agree on the character too.
Let’s cut out the insults, please @Sportbilly1966 @MickyE .
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I’m in the more positive camp. The end result wasn’t what we wanted, and the performance absolutely not there yet, but I did see some progress from last years football and in particular the same game last year - despite that being a better result.
It’s going to take some time, and players need to be able to be more positive and make mistakes because of that, without being hauled over the coals.
Last year with Slotball against Newcastle we managed just 5 shots, 4 on target, xG 0.7 with 62% possession, and this was with Newcastle being down to 10 men after Gordon was sent off just before halftime. Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool: Rio Ngumoha, 16, scores 100th-minute winner for Liverpool in Newcastle thriller - BBC Sport
This time 27 shots, 7 on target, xG 2.7 with 61% possession. Late Szoboszlai penalty rescues point for Liverpool at Newcastle - BBC Sport
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Re Wirtz…false 9 with the new wingers either side of him?
I think thats the only position he will work out for us.
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Two very disappointing goals to concede but overall a tough away game out of the way and a point gained.
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Maybe. It’s not a terrible shout, but on the other hand I want to see how Iraola shapes it. I think Isak is a very good striker, and if we can get it going he will bang in the goals. We are at the start of the Iraola journey, and I don’t know to what degree coaching will tighten us up and improve the attack, and to what degree new signings will.
Probably a little from column A and B.
So far it is one game, an away draw at a fired up Newcastle. If the double pivot is Grav and Szobo it needs work, so they have more discipline and a better defensive instinct as to what could go wrong. Or we might need a signing in there who does that with aplomb.
Where that would leave Wirtz remains to be seen.
On the other hand, stick say Barcola on the left and Minteh on the right, and Wirtz will all of a sudden have more options to hit instead of the main go-to trying to thread the eye of a needle to Isak. And if wingers like that are in the pitch, it would also help Isak see more of the ball, from all angles, not just from Wirtz.
So many things are open ended for me. It’s not an unreasonable question to ask how Wirtz works in all of this. Is the midfield then too light? Or do we just need to change the blend behind him? Will that be with a signing, or with coaching? And what affect will better wingers have on all this - for example Minteh’s pressing and hard work (I know he is currently injured) will help to tighten things up.
I’m keeping an open mind and I hope to enjoy the journey! I won’t overreact while Iraola gets his feet under the table and forms his team and squad. There will be some hiccups, but I’m watching to see if a devastating red force might emerge as it all comes together.
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Very well put. There really is too much overreaction here after 1/38th of the league season. There are issues, but we have the chance to address them. I’m looking forward to watching us grow.
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Wirtz was just down in the right corner seconds before this, so he ran 30 yards to get back into a defensive position and be able to double the guy with the ball. All he needs is for Dom to not let him turn inside away from the double, and that is exactly what Dom allowed. A textbook example of how good defending focuses not only on not getting beaten, but picking the one way you cannot be beaten and protecting against that, and so much bad defending is about allowing that one bad way to happen.
Wirtz needs to work harder to influence the game. There is some mitigation for a 10 needing a team playing well enough to the get ball to him and have enough people wanting the ball that he can create something for them. But when you’re this expensive there is a baseline level of influence you need to have that he hasnt shown enough. But we dont need to worry about his over all work rate. He arrived with a reputation of a player who works his socks off and you can see it in his play with us, which is why he was hooked after an hour. He just needs to make it more effective. Its pointless working hard to get into position to receive the ball in a dangerous area if you get pushed off it so easily.
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Is there merit in saying that it took Slot a full season to “deprogram” (for the want of a better word) Klopp’s methods, which still won the league! and another season to instil his “style”….
From yesterday’s evidence it will take some time to “reprogram” them, but there were some green shoots imho. But I am a glass half full guy.
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Could be
That is assuming it was all Slot and not a personnel problem, at least in part
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