Pre Match | Liverpool vs. Ajax | CL Matchday 5 | Tuesday December 1st 20:00h | Anfield

Neco will start and we need to figure out how to help him.

My two suggestions would be

  • either a midfield 3 of Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum

or

  • play Mané on the right side to help him out more than Salah does.

Or maybe both.

Alisson
Neco Matip Rhys Robertson
Henderson Fabinho Wijnaldum
Mané Salah Jota

A draw would secure the K.O. stage and i don’t really care if we finish the group as 1st or 2nd.

Get a result against Ajax and play the U23 in Denmark.

Y.N.W.A.

7 Likes

Yes play Henderson in front of Neco and he will help the young player and Neco will have someone near to pass the ball to. I agree with @GermanRed starting 11.

3 Likes

Players like Firmino and Salah have to step up their game. Really good ones like Ronaldo do that in difficult times.

When the going gets tough the tough get going that is what expect from those two and all will be fine against Ajax

7 Likes

Aaaannnnddddd…here’s to another 3 days stressing about who will be fit/ who might be back/ who might be injured because they weren’t pictured in training.

I don’t want to be hard on the lad but I wouldn’t have Neco anywhere near this despite the fact we’re down to the bones. Not sure what the answer is at RB, maybe bring Tsimikas in to plug that gap?
Apart from that the team more or less picks itself.

1 Like

The only player I presume who has played right back for us is Fab now? Trent, Milly, Gomez, Neco would have been the four thought of and if we think starting Neco again might not do him any good, then maybe continue playing Rhys/ Philips along with Matip at CB and Fab at RB. Or Tsimikas as LB with Robbo CB, if we don’t want to play any of the youngsters at CB. Although I wouldn’t prefer this option and would rather go with Tsimikas at LB and rest Robbo.

The last player I want playing RB is Curtis, he got caught charging up the players pre maturely and clearly isn’t a defender.

5 Likes

This is the game to play Neco in fact. If Neco wants to make it in Liverpool, this is the game to show the kind of mentality he has, coming back strong after getting sub off at half time, being written off. I don’t know whether he will ever make it but as much as I think fans are very quick to write off certain players while being patient with some according to personal preferences, I also think players have to be responsible for their own career to be taken seriously as a top player in a top team. Klopp is patient but he is not going to wait forever and this goes out to every single player out there whether it is Neco or Keita or Minamino or Ox etc

4 Likes

I would have Fabinho start at RB if he’s up to it. Williams is struggling and this is not the game to be taking chances. Re-introduce him gradually when the pressure is less and there are more senior players available to guide him. Although that might take a while.

1 Like

Someone in line to return?

Shaq? Keita? Trent?

At least from bench?

Anyone???

No Origi? :wink:

1 Like

I know we don’t have much choices, but playing Wijnaldum against Ajax will be like abusing him at this point. Maybe we should play Curtis Jones or play Firmino.

4 Likes

image

Need to squeeze every little drop out of Gini!!!

5 Likes

Please, no Origi.

4 Likes

Is that because he is in a bottle?

6 Likes

Agree with @GermanReds line up. Its been a bad week at the office and I think we need to play the best team possible to get the job done here. re-uniting the midfield three that were so consistent last season will hopefully bring some real solidity and allow us to dominate, helping to keep pressure of the defence and hopefully allow Neco to express himself a bit more. Any combination of the front four would be fine by me. No idea what we do about the Wolves game but I think we have to listen the one game at a time mantra, it was a mistake making to many changes against Atalanta, could have been putting our feet up now if we hadn’t.

3 Likes

I would like to see none of Neco and Curtis on RB.
For me it has to be a player with more experience. If not Fabino then let Gini play RB.
Neco needs time and Curtis is more valuable in midfield.

3 Likes

I used to see Neco as a solid backup to Trent when needed, now I’m nowhere near convinced he is ready. The more I think of it, him deleting his social media account shows weakness rather than resilience. The abuse he received is not even in the same universe of others that constantly get slammed. I also disagree that Mo doesn’t help, he actually helps a lot with tracking back, and is most of the time an easy pass.

I expect to get the result that ensures the last game is not a dead rubber. This is the standard way we deal with the group stages.

No Origi, No Taki, No exceptions on that hard rule. You have 1% permission to put Taki on the bench, and 15% permission to put Origi on the bench. Make it so.

The injury updates coming from the club is really pissing me off. It’s not the injuries, it’s the total lack of useful information. As I fan I like to know how our injured players are doing. As far as injuries go, even the wrong news is better than no news.

2 Likes

Neco needs a loan move to a Brighton so he can play regularly.
My issue with him is whenever he plays he gives away so many silly fouls. If someone goes round you then you don’t have to foul them and get a yellow that makes you walk a tightrope for rest of game.
The penalty yesterday was another moment of panic .
Hes young and probably is trying too hard so a loan will do him good. Trouble is he’s needed as we have so many injuries and a heavy schedule.

6 Likes

Ideally we’d have two dead rubber CL games to rotate and rest heavily. With the loss last time hopefully we take care of business against Ajax. Usually you want to finish first to avoid a stronger team in the knockout, but it doesn’t always work out that way, so what will be will be.

I will be watching their center back to see if he has much about him, as there have been links.

Play Neco. He’s a bit raw and rash sometimes, but the main need is a bit of experience. Play him, and protect him with Hendo on that side too, as others have said.

1 Like

We’re short enough in midfield as it is, there’s nobody to spare to take Neco out the firing line. Play him, or move Tsimikas over, keep the others to cover the middle.

I’d think Henderson, Matip, Mane and Jones come into the side for this. Alisson will start. Salah and Fab will probably start. It’s just a question of the other 4.

Do the business in this one. 5 day break. Full steam for Wolves, 11 changes for the midgets. Simple.

5 Likes

Allison
Fabinho-R.Williams-Matip-Tsmikas
Henderson-Jones
Jota-Firmino-Mane
Salah

Subs: Adrian, N.williams, Robertson, Origi, Wijnaldum, Clarkson, Minamino

Threadbare squad to play with. We would need our attack to be on song to pin back the opposition from now on. Hopefully we can seal progression into the knock out stages and rest a couple of players.

2 Likes