That wasn’t my point, unless you foresaw this season’s collapse. Thiago, Ox and Keita have been injured plenty of times before but we’ve dealt with it.
BillyBiskix:
To be fair quite a lot of fans have been arguing for the midfield to be strengthened now for a long time and it’s a bit of a stretch to say that bringing in Arthur on loan has addressed that issue. To be equally fair I was happy to go with what we’d got given no one was leaving but it was obvious from the first couple of games that things weren’t right. Add in to that all the injuries and some people could justifiably say they saw this coming so why didn’t JK and FSG etc. These days every one has to find someone to blame when something goes wrong which is why we have these cretinous arguments about it all being Klopp’s fault/FSG’s fault when the situation is obviously more nuanced than that.
Bottom line is we are where we are we now and I don’t see the point on focussing on things we can’t do anything about unless people are obsessed with wanting to be seen to be proved right on the internet. Now we just have to make the best of it. Adapt the tactics to suit the players we’ve got available, try to find some form and hang in on there then review the situation in January.
I don’t know anyone who hasn’t wanted a midfielder or two for years. At the same time, most like you and me were more than happy to head into the season with what we had. That’s why complaining and throwing accusations left and right now is more than disingenuous. Everybody screwed up. FSG, Klopp and the fans for not pressing for more reinforcements.
rab:
On paper we have the numbers to be relatively comfortable in this area of the pitch. On the pitch itself though, we have to rely on the same bodies too often and that’s the problem.
Elliott is going to be a long term absence. We’ve seen Naby miss a game having kicked a blade of grass and we know his international trips often end up with him fatigued or injured. Thiago has already missed five games having played less than 180 minutes so far this season. Ox has played less than 30 minutes of PL and CL footy since the opening day of the season. Hendo is well out of sorts and Milner is currently covering at right back.
I talked about replacing Wijnaldum’s minutes a few times in the summer and was told they could be spread around but I think that’s proven to be wishful thinking. I think the concern is, can we really push for another player in that area with so many bodies already unless we can shift one or two on.
October 2021.
I understand what you’re saying but a teenager in his first season at Premier League level can’t be seen as a replacement for your most reliable midfield option of the past five years. He’s a talented kid for sure but it’s a stretch to think he could be as dependable as Gini already.
If Naby, Ox and Hendo weren’t as prone to injuries and Milner wasn’t 35 then maybe you can take that gamble. As it is, we’ve been unlucky but you can hardly say the warnings signs weren’t there.
November 2021
April 2022
I’m not trying to toot my own horn here and say I know more than anyone and especially more than Klopp and co but the midfield regeneration has been an issue that has been discussed on these boards for at least a year now. The concerns voiced then are the issues we’re seeing now. The calls to move on from some of those not able to stay fit or contribute enough and to bring in some more reliable, energetic and physical midfielders have been loud and clear and then often shot down.
There was one very prominent poster who like to lay blame for this not happening at the door of FSG but for the majority, the concern has been around loyalty shown to players beyond perhaps what is best for the team, too many injury prone options and the seeming contentment with the options we had.
So no, people aren’t lying. They’re right to have been concerned and they’re frustrated that their fears have played out in reality.
Again my point wasn’t about predicting that we’d have injuries and problems but about foreseeing that we’d be in such a mess a few months after almost winning the quadrable. As for the midfield issues, I largely tend to agree with you. We should have been more proactive, we should have refreshed the squad before getting to this point. Fact is though that at the time it didn’t seem like a priority and a lot of what is being thrown at Klopp and FSG now comes with the benefit of hindsight.