Pre Match Arsenal (A) - Sunday 16:30

[Fabio]

I don't know why our striker barely touching the ball, when we struggled to get anything going in or around the penalty box is drawing such ire. Perhaps the criticism should go on gakpo, diaz, jones, gravy, elliott, etc etc etc because whats jota meant to fucking do?

 

[Fabio]

That was a terrible performance not worthy of a team chasing the title.

Cowardly and littered with mistakes.

It’s “just” one game but can’t help but feel let down.

It'll be the start of a string of bad results, just watch. The mentality has shifted

 

[Modo]

A fit Szobo, Bradders and Nunez from the start and we would have won.
We could have won this game too, if it wasn't for Van Dijk

 

[Fabio]

A fit Szobo, Bradders and Nunez from the start and we would have won.
We could have won this game too, if it wasn't for Van Dijk

Issue is, bradders won't be selected for a while now as trents back.
I just wish klopp would tell trent to play as a fucking right back at times

 

[binomial]

Oh he tried, several times but he can't do it alone?

100% agree with you there, but we single out Diaz for not being able to do the same thing? HELLO

I'm gonna crack on with my ratings now and you're gonna fucking like it whether you like it or not!!

 

[Brizzle]

Who’d have thought a month ago that 75% of posters would be saying we’d have won that if Bradley started.

This isn’t even about player quality, it is about tactics.

We had no plan, and the players just hoofed it for 60 mins then once we actually had some control we conceded by our CB & GK failing to clear a random hoof ball.

Our squad players weren’t good enough tonight.

Gravy was dreadful. Gakpo poor. Macca had his worst game for us. Even Ali had a stinker after his great save for the lead up to Saka’s tap in.

The return of Endo, Mo, Szobo & Bradley can’t come soon enough.

We had the chance to go 8 points clear and played as timidly and brainlessly as i think I’ve seen us in 12-18 months. What was the team talk? What was our plan? Did we forget about all learnings from the FA Cup game?

Huge missed opportunity.

Our many second places (in the league or cup finals) this past decade have been decided by freak errors or brain farts. I really hope this won’t be another one of those.

 

[Fabio]

100% agree with you there, but we single out Diaz for not being able to do the same thing? HELLO

But diaz actually got on the ball! he ran and people and wasted passes! The reason jota didn't get involved was BECAUSE of performances like diaz'!

 

[Frogfish]

A fit Szobo, Bradders and Nunez from the start and we would have won.
We could have won this game too, if it wasn't for Van Dijk

Sorry but just as much blame, even more perhaps, falls on Ali. Maybe VvD should have cleared it but he left it for Ali ... who fucking air-kicked FFS. I think he could even have stayed in the box and let it come into his arms.

And then the next goes through his legs. Sigh.

 

[Fabio]

Sorry but just as much blame, even more perhaps, falls on Aali. Maybe VvD should have cleared it but he left it for Ali ... who fucking air-kicked FFS. I think he could even have stayed in the box and let it come into his arms.

And then the next goes through his legs. Sigh.

Van dijk was barged in to him. Alis got no fucking chance of clearing that. He could have let it come i nto the box, but then if martinelli gets round van dijk it's a similar issue.

You clear the ball and don't let it bounce. Centre back basics were not followed

 

[Brizzle]

Sorry but just as much blame, even more perhaps, falls on Ali. Maybe VvD should have cleared it but he left it for Ali ... who fucking air-kicked FFS. I think he could even have stayed in the box and let it come into his arms.

And then the next goes through his legs. Sigh.

my view on this is that even if Ali makes the shout, Virgil can choose to ignore it and
clear it. It was poor. But we had one shot on target all game.

 

[Brizzle]

But diaz actually got on the ball! he ran and people and wasted passes! The reason jota didn't get involved was BECAUSE of performances like diaz'!

Agreed. Multiple moments he was open for a better shooting opportunity

 

[Frogfish]

Van dijk was barged in to him. Alis got no fucking chance of clearing that. He could have let it come i nto the box, but then if martinelli gets round van dijk it's a similar issue.

You clear the ball and don't let it bounce. Centre back basics were not followed

I didn't see VvD barge into Ali - I thought that happened just before they reached him but Ali could still have kicked it (he missed it completely) or even taken it on his chest/stomach away from the pair of them and then cleared it. Or let it come into his arms.

Both could have cleared it without any problem. It was an horrendous mistake that cost us the game.

 

[KopRed]

my view on this is that even if Ali makes the shout, Virgil can choose to ignore it and
clear it. It was poor. But we had one shot on target all game.

He needs to either take it down or head the ball away. Especially with Martinelli lurking. He seems too cool today for the simple stuff.

If i remember correctly we gave up a similar goal before, under quite similar circumstances involving Virg and Ali.

 

[Frogfish]

He needs to either take it down or head the ball away. Especially with Martinelli lurking. He seems too cool today for the simple stuff.

If i remember correctly we gave up a similar goal before, under quite similar circumstances involving Virg and Ali.

Yeah I was thinking the same. Can't remember the match.

 

[tomasjj]

If there is doubt and pressure, VVD has to launch that ball into orbit

 

[binomial]

Ratinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngs time and boy am I in a fucking foul mood.

Ali 2 - WHAT THE FUCK.

Trent 4 - Back to the bench you go lad.
Ibou 5 - Minus 1 for the silly sending off, can't judge him for not being quicker than Martinelli when left exposed....that can happen.
Virgil 3 - I think Virgil actually deals with if he communicates to Ali to stay put.....but WHAT THE FUCK
Gomez 6 - One of few to come away with any credit.

Mac 7 - MOTM, kept on going.....shame about the pissheads around him.
Gravy 3.5 - Anonymous, may aswell have played with 9 but at least he did play a decent pass to Diaz for the goal.
Jones 5 - Had a few more touches than Grav without doing anything but that's actually hindrance because he needs to be releasing the ball a lot quicker......he managed to make Jorginho look better than him tonight.

Jota 3 - See Grav, except he didn't play any good passes.
Gakpo 4 - Had a pop at goal early on, only other time I saw him again was when he kicked it straight out for a goal kick by the corner flag.
Diaz 5 - Technically got the assist, worked his balls off but nothing really came off for him.

None of the subs did anything of note......special mention to Thiago though, we wait 11 months for him to return and he miskicks it straight to an Arsenal player. Just fuck off would you.

Not gonna blame Klopp too much because there's not much else he could've done but the set up first half was terrible.

 

[Irishanfield]

Sorry but just as much blame, even more perhaps, falls on Ali. Maybe VvD should have cleared it but he left it for Ali ... who fucking air-kicked FFS. I think he could even have stayed in the box and let it come into his arms.

And then the next goes through his legs. Sigh.

That 2nd goal is on vvd more than Ali. Firstly he let the ball bounce and secondly clear it unless you get a shot from the keeper which he didn't. Looks like Ali thought Virgil was going to clear it and when he leaves it Ali doesn't have the time to adjust his feet properly to kick it

 

[Frogfish]

That 2nd goal is on vvd more than Ali. Firstly he let the ball bounce and secondly clear it unless you get a shot from the keeper which he didn't. Looks like Ali thought Virgil was going to clear it and when he leaves it Ali doesn't have the time to adjust his feet properly to kick it

Then don't kick it - take it on your chest or let it come into your arms (it would have and Martinelli was on the other side of VvD and could never have got to it). And what was Ali doing rushing right out of his area for if he didn't shout for it?

VvD could have cleared it but when he doesn't Ali makes a god almighty mess of it ... and VvD had made it clear he was leaving it to Ali.

 

[binomial]

Actually I'm so pissed off I'm giving Trent a 3 and Ibou a 4.

 

[Brizzle]

We had the worst possible outcome from the two Arsenal games since Christmas. Won the cup and lost the league.

 

[binomial]

They both take the fucking blame. If Ali doesn't come out and collide into Virgil, he fucking deals with it. Ali is the one that can see Martinelli coming.....Virgil is focused on the ball. One of them needed to communicate to the other, end fucking of.

 

[Brizzle]

Then don't kick it - take it on your chest or let it come into your arms (it would have and Martinelli was on the other side of VvD and could never have got to it). And what was ali doing rushing right out of his area for if he didn't shout for it?

VvD could have cleared it but when he doesn't Ali makes a god almighty mess of it ... and VvD had made it clear he was leaving it to Ali.

He made that clear to everyone but Ali

 

[Brizzle]

Regardless… one of them needs to be trying to clear it. I’d much rather they fuck up by both trying than watching both outsource responsibility to the other. Piss poor.

 

[localny]

Lads, beat City @ Home and the league is ours. The league is still in our hands.

 

[Buddha]

Lads, beat City @ Home and the league is ours. The league is still in our hands.

Not if we throw in another performance like that it isn’t…

 

[darkstarexodus]

This is how it's going to be now until seasons end.

Begs the question of where we play Trent for best effect. I'm in favour of either Bradley or Gomez starting at right back ahead of him.

I don't think Trent is a 6. Is he a right sided 8? Where does Szobo play then?

Trent's talent demands that we find a place but it's not a coincidence that we looked far better with Bradley in the side recently.

 

[Brizzle]

Lads, beat City @ Home and the league is ours. The league is still in our hands.

The league is also in City’s hands

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

The league is also in City’s hands

And not far from being in Arsenals too, they're away to City at the end of next month.

 

[Frogfish]

Begs the question of where we play Trent for best effect. I'm in favour of either Bradley or Gomez starting at right back ahead of him.

I don't think Trent is a 6. Is he a right sided 8? Where does Szobo play then?

Trent's talent demands that we find a place but it's not a coincidence that we looked far better with Bradley in the side recently.

Klopp is going to side with Trent because he's the captain. Even though as you say we looked far better with Bradley at RB (no surprise - many of us have said for ages we've lost width and defensive stability since we started playing the inverted RB - and yet we're still top of league).

It will be interesting to see what Xabi does with Trent. A great player but without an obvious slot in our team since Szobo is a far better RM.

 

[TheRedCrusade]

I have been predicting that City would have overtaken us by the end of our tough run (now over) but this isn't the finishing line. I still think we'll take the title. Today was a bad day but that was an exception to the way we've been playing lately and we will soon have Szobo, Mo and Endo back.

We'll beat City at Anfield and go on to the title. Today was just an aberration.

Only hope I have is, this is the kick in the back required for Liverpool to propel us back to win as many games as possible after this.