absolutely, requires balance. right now, Bajcetic provides that quickness that Fab and Hendo simply cannot provide. but Thaigo has the guile which can sometimes offset a lack of speed.
Yep, although pace is becoming more and more a sought after attribute in players nowadays a lot of it is still about being mentally prepared. Players like Casemiro Matic Gundogan have never relied on pace to get them out of danger. They use their brain in making sure theyâre positionally in the right place at all times and tactically aware of any danger in a defensive phase of play and then you have players like your David Silvaâs, Santi Cazorlaâs, Phil Coutinhoâs and even Mesut Ozilâs who never relied on pace to excel in the Prem and this is probably more in the bracket of where Thiago and Barella would fallâŚthose players had a phenomenal understanding of the game, the vision, the craft, the guile.
Modric
Iniesta
Xavi
Xabi Alonso
Pirlo
not big or quick, but masters of positioning and awareness.
You got it and the list goes on.
You canât touch what you canât see right, all of those were untouchable. Now you see me, now you donât. (Although maybe poor Xabi would argue that after feeling that karate kick from that ugly manc all them years ago)
Weâll get it right this summer simply because we have to, the biggest summer weâve had in a long long whileâŚso many decisions to be made, gonna be a goodun to see how it all unfolds.
None of the players you mentioned played in a system that required a high pressing midfield. Unless youâre advocating a radical shift to how we play, they would suffer similar issues which we currently face.
You canât have both marauding fullbacks and a technical midfield. Someone has to do the hard yards when we donât have the ball
1 Like
You missed our Molby,
He couldnât even run!
Phil did, and he was an important cog in it. As does Gundogan at City.
Athleticism and pace are always good to have, but it is decision making, how well someone plays the game in their head, that far more defines whether someone can play in a high tempo game.
1 Like
Played football like he was playing squash. Stood in the middle and made the opposition run round.
3 Likes
Itâs not all black and white, especially at the top level. And it has layers, thereâs a big difference between a Modric and an Ozil or Isco (also in different parts of their career).
We cannot have only mad runners, we wouldnât even be at this level if that was the case. Regardless if your principle is more ball orientated or press orientated. If youâre a big club that wants to have a protagonist side competing and winning things, like it or not, with time youâll face deeper blocks and there will be more control needed in order to break those and reach the consistency nedeed to win multiple things.
Like always, itâs about balance. Not losing your principles (which we have this season and not by choice, we have to repare that this summer and that wonât be achieved only in the transfer market or finding our new âmidfield savioursâ), but having layers. The top of the pyramid is having a side that can win in multiple ways and even change during games sometimes, have different layers of plan A. Consistency comes last, as itâs the most difficult thing to achieve.
This summer thereâs no doubt that we have to help our midfield with some fresh legs and minds. Our attack most probably wonât have to be touched in the transfer market, but we have 2-3 new players who will have to learn (some more, some less) how we want to defend. Because it starts from them. Training pitch time, lots of it, thatâs called pre-season.
And then of course, help our defence a little bit with 1 CB signing, but more importantly, make less mistakes as hopefully our game gets back to a more âcleanâ one and they mostly defend higher up the pitch, so thereâs less chances for those brainfarts when weâre pushed back (which of course, you always want to avoid and work on improving, be it through training or simply having better players).
1 Like
Bobby going? is this actually confirmed ?
Sad day if so, amazing player, utterly unplayable when he is at the top of his game.
Would leave the club a legend imo.
3 Likes
Elliot is not a midfielder.
2 Likes
I know Twitter is full of idiots but quite a few reports saying he has told Klopp he will not sign a new contract and heâll leave in the summer.
This was perfectly accurate.
1 Like
Its a good football decision to let him move on.
3 Likes
If Bobby is going then it is sad, but understandable. The new team is emerging, and he is down the pecking order. Age, and increasing niggly injuries will further limit his game time at Liverpool moving forward.
He is a smashing player and has given us many excellent moments, so if this is officially confirmed, he leaves with his head held high, with our thanks, and with the assurance that he will always receive a warm welcome back at Anfield.
Si senor.
3 Likes
But the thing is our forwards are usually speedy fellas. I canât see Elliott reaching that type of speed unless there is a dramatic change in our playing styleâŚ
Firmino wasnât/isnât speedy.
Long term, if Nunez develops and succeeds as Liverpoolâs first choice number 9 centrally over the next couple of years, we might have different types of players on the sides.
That doesnât mean we would have two Luis Garcias or Yossi Benayouns or Dirk Kuyts around Nunez, but maybe he would become a figure around which we would build the rest of our attack.
Or maybe a combination of the two (a more combining one on one side and a runner into space on the other side), which we see a lot in football.
Itâs also not all about speed. Elliott is certainly not a Salah type of player, but at least heâs mobile, aggressive. That needs to be channeled well and make him effective on and off the ball.
Right now, thereâs no need to say Elliott is this or that. He needs to focus on remaining a Liverpool player. Look at Phil Foden, he plays mostly in attacking positions, but also played everywhere so far. Who knows where he ends up eventually.
3 Likes
having the oposition players run around him,
was his way of tiring them out! 
If this is true then itâs exactly the reason why we are where we are in terms of not being able to evolve and improve the squad. Klopp is too loyal towards ageing players. Firmino will go down as a club legend and itâs the right time to be moving on.
5 Likes