There are great CM out there, alot out there in fact who are better on paper than what we have honestly. And not just now, even when we won everything, our midfield, if based on reputation or abilities, are nowhere world class but we were indeed a world class unit. There were very specific qualities why our midfield trio of Gini, Hendo and Fabinho were successful. If all we need are young energetic midfielders, there are not much to consider, the market is full of that. But are there many who can replicate, the energy, the selflessness, the discipline, the ability to listen and follow instructions to the last detail and put team above all. These qualities are not always obvious and appreciated and only when Klopp gets to talk to the players and in actual play. But we gotta move on of course, no one can play forever but for those who think itâs just about getting younger, fitter players, and who are better on paper, think again.
This model weâve had of getting near-proved or near PL ready midfieldersâŚwith the recent alarming uptick in transfer prices and FSGâs continued intransigence at paying a high price for a top playerâŚ
We have to make a choice.
We either pay top rate for a ready-made top player or we scout well for gems like a Caicedo or a MitomaâŚBEFORE the likes of Brighton find them.
Yes I hear some chirping up about âbut but FSG always sanctioned a high fee if we went for the RIGHT playerâ
Well, the right player will now cost even more plus as it stands with this squad we need a LOT of right players.
There are two models open to us:, buy 1 top, expensive player or buy 3/4 less expensive, possibly good, players. â1â and all your eggs are in one basket and only an injury away from it being a wasted investment. â2â and there is the possibility that none will be good enough.
Iâm still slightly in favor of option 2⌠it is what has worked for us.
How about one expensive and one prospect?
hereâs hoping but we have been reluctant so far.
Both have worked to be fair. Salah, Mane, Robbo, etc. on one hand and Virgil & Ali on the other
âIf you look at the game, I think we had around about four performances which were OK,â he told reporters.
âThe two midfielders, Hendo and Fab, worked a lot, tried to close gaps, Cody, especially in possession, and Ali of course.â
Lost at how he thought Fab and Hendo had a good game, Hendo at times did try to get on the ball but turned the wrong way on numerous occassions, Fab offered us very little in either direction.
There mustâve been around 30 million viewers who watched the game globally and I donât think any of them wouldâve said Fab and Hendo performed ok, well other than Klopp and the handful of City fansâŚbut there is a cause to say Klopp wont always say what he truly believes to the media.
He said they played ok - the others by omission played less than ok. I can go with that assessment - just. Though I would add Jota to the ok list also.
The goal straight after half time was a killer blow. Whereas in the past weâd have had a 50-50 chance of getting another goal, now we just seem to deflate and give in.
With the signing of Thiago Klopp tried to evolve our midfield and our game. Totally understandable because teams started to sit very deep against us.
Didnât work out and it was also the beginning of the end for our high pressing game.
Surely weâre going to sign two new midfielders in the summer and I wonder do we start all over? Going back to basics. High press. Three midfielders who close the gaps to allow fullbacks and front 3 to do their thing.
Or will Klopp try to continue this evolution thing.
To go back to what we were, will need a major rethink as teams seem to have developed systems to beat the press. Also, it isnât just how we press it is now that teams are starting to press us and are doing it successfully, we just arenât good enough at playing from the back and cough up possession too easily.
We donât just need athletic players we also need players that are comfortable on the ball, even John Stones looked better on the ball in midfield than some of ours currently look.
Donât know if I missed something, but weâve gone from recuperating from that horrible, unlucky 20/21 season to a great run to finish 3rd and then went a few goals short of a quadruple in the following season.
Weâve had many smaller and bigger steps under Klopp, almost each year. Sometimes itâs not only from one individual to different individual. Teams change, whether we like it or not.
The key is not to lose our principles (especially if they brought us success), which we have this season. But we had them with the vast majority of these players. So itâs very unfair to put it down to one player who has actually performed alright this season and has no big issues with our idea.
Some will be moved on, some new ones will come in. Natural process. Will that do it? No, it wonât. It will help. We will need a few things to click in order to return to where we want to be. The majority of the squad will remain together. It will be surely how we buy/sell, but also (if not more) how we use it altogether. From a new pre-season onwards.
Going back to basics and closing gaps? Yeah, by all means letâs do that. Letâs just not forget that closing gaps in our team starts (or should start) from the attack. Then the midfield. Then further back. And in that aspect we have dropped massively this season.
I canât put a finger on why, but it seems to be that we havenât been in sync enough (very disappointing, even having a few new players up top and I include Diaz in that, despite his promising first half a year) and also physically we havenât looked right. Which can also be connected to mental fatigue.
Our attack will need clarity and execution. How to behave in all phases of the game, but especially when we donât have the ball. Training pitch time and proving it in games. Learning how to play together because right now we still have no idea whatâs our main front 3 going into next season. Nunez certainly wasnât signed for the fee we paid to play long term on the left side. If he plays central while Mo is here, that is again, something different and they have to prove they can do it and we can be successful with that combination.
Our midfield will need a few fresh faces, legs, but also quality. On the right side, help with the balance between Trent and Mo. On the left side, help with our build up and control. Know when to speed up and know when to pause.
Our defence will have to follow by pushing up and making us compact again, cut out the individual mistakes as they hopefully have less to do (less leaking from the front all the way back), raise some performances (Trent largely, Virgil lately) and hopefully also 1 signing to provide us with quality and competition.
So⌠yeah, if the whole problem would be that 1 player or one part of the team, we would remove him and all problems would be solved.
He sees the team as a team. Sometimes the obvious damaged parts in a machine are not necessarily caused by the parts but by another part not working well and causing the damaged parts to wear out earlier than it should.
For us, the midfield that won us everything, Fab, Hendo and Gini took time to click. And again the other parts of the team worked really well to complement what this trio can and cannot do. It almost have to be a perfection of abilities and attitude to make that team work and it took time. Now we can only hope that the ânewâ generation rebuild, Klopp can again develop that same team who never looked like world class individually but became a world class unit when played as a team.
So it isnât Fab that is playing poorly it is other players fault
He is and has been poor but is he the only one at fault. I believe Klopp donât think so. As Klopp said and took specifically to highlight that, the midfield worked hard, that does not mean it was effective and itâs effectiveness is not necessarily just because only Fab was bad.
The same way that we won everything because as a team we played above ourselves, when we played so badly, it is not just because of one or two players. Fab is just the obvious visible result of the machine that has broken down
I disagree his legs have gone and if the team is struggling he isnât the one to help put it right, has he even put in a 7 out of 10 performance this seadon or even a 6 out of 10.
I hate seeming not to back our players but he has been way out of sorts this season and also at the end of last year.
Donât disagree he might need to go. After all if we were to make changes, personnel will be a major area. But to me, itâs not just a single player thatâs only change anything.