I’m not convinced the rubber boots halves from Mane, or Jota looking like he’s never played football, or Mo dribbling into 3 players is part of the game plan. However We certainly did used to press better and with more intensity.
The biggest change for me has been a huge shift this season of the better teams refusing to go toe to toe with us. Instead they sit off, let us have the ball in front of them, basically copying a low block counter attack playbook from the likes of Sean Dyke, inviting us to break them down, which for the most part we fail to do. Which I agree to your point the chances created are rarely clear cut.
So yes we’ve scored record goals because against pretty much every other team us at 95% is more than enough and eventually we get a break, but the better teams can concentrate for the full 90 and we really struggle to break them down. Typically leading to us resorting to low % hit and hope type of balls and crosses, then turn overs and the inevitable goal on the counter.
That’s why I wonder if Klopp is ready to break up the fab three and get something a bit different, bring in someone who can make better space in the box and keep the ball meaning we can keep up the pressure.
You’re aware we set a new club record for goals this season?
We were held to nil just six times all season, it just so happens three of them were finals.
None of them were against defensive low block type teams.
This narrative that we can’t breakdown low block teams just isn’t true. It’s true of yesterday but let’s be honest, we still created chances and dominated the game.
Haha no doubt! Just with Klopp saying the other day about how he can’t wait to rebuild the team I wondered if we might spend a bit this summer like we did in 2018 when we brought in Alisson, VVD, Fabinho, Keita and Shaq (although it should have been Fekir if his ‘entourage’ hadn’t fucked it up).
I thought we broke Real Madrid down quite a bit and created plenty. A combination of iffy finishing, and a worldy from Courtois, shut us out. It happens.
I didn’t see too much to be concerned about in terms of our approach.
Our attack is being refreshed and it has been happening before our eyes anyway, with signing Jota, Diaz, now Carvalho, and probably another if Mane goes. And then when Mo goes another will come in too.
Alright mate, chill your boots. What you said isn’t true, just pointing that out. Nothing to do with hunting likes so wind your neck in.
We’ve scored against every team we’ve played this year bar one. That includes every team in the Premier League and every team in the CL bar Real Madrid. That isn’t 5%.
And that one team we didn’t score against, the keeper got MOTM. That suggests it’s not that we couldn’t break them down, just that we could beat him on the day.
What you’re basically saying is good teams are hard to score against if they adopt a defensive style. Well that’s hardly cutting edge insight is it? It’s also not a reason to rip up the way we play because beating low block defensive teams is difficult no matter your approach, that’s why they do it.
Not only that, the real challenge of being involved in all competitions so deep in the season is not the total mount of games, but the way it forces you to squash to many games into the end of the season. So for me the issue was 63 games per se, and more what it forced us to do through April and May
So the situation is that we have our 3 main* forwards on the last year of their deals with one seemingly certain to be wanting to edit this summer.
It would have been a disaster to need to bring in 3 new players in in the same season, replace their big game experience and their goal scoring tallies whilst bedding them in. Thankfully Salah is staying but I think it means we are going to need to go hard this summer so that we can also prepare for Salah’s departure next summer.
The difficult thing is knowing that our 3 players can be had on the cheap because of the contract situation while we will need to push the boat out to get the right replacements. No question the player we will bring in will be a lesser player than the player they replace (at least initially) but will almost certainly cost more than we will make from the sale.
I think we’ve had the luxury of believing transfer miracles grow on trees because of Edwards (and Klopp). If another Diaz can be pulled out of the hat I’ll be super impressed.
I would love it if we could sign 2 of the 3 soon-to-be-out-of-contract forwards but I think I’m dreaming.
I don’t know if the cost differential is guaranteed. For example Rafinha at Leeds is rumoured to have a clause in his contract that allows him to leave for around £15-20m if relegated. There may be other examples where players of interest become available to us for a price we are more than happy with.
I think we the advent of five subs we would be missing a trick. Preferably it is one more, a substantial player, plus Carvalho, who will hopefully settle and do very well indeed, though I wouldn’t count on him too much initially.
Gnabry for Mane, both sides cook the books to suit, with regard to the fee. They don’t want to lose him, but he is going. We don’t want to lose Mane, but he is going. Both teams lose a big player, but gain a big player too.
I think we will sign another forward, I just meant if we don’t I’m not going to worry especially if Taki sticks around and Carvalho defies my expectations (which are hopeful but realistic). Bringing in a midfielder is my bigger priority.
