I hope in and around CL games we "rest" him. It's only August and he kind of already looks just... "slower".
Poll Ekitike our main man?
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You're going to be disappointed.
I know. Whilst he's sneaking "G/A", I don't see him being dropped.
But really, I think he's part of the reason we are poor defensively. I feel like we should be allowing Wirtz (the future leader of the team) to cheat defensively, but we can't because we still have Mo doing that (and delivering tbf). But it's making us too open, too slow to recover and playing too fast on transition.
Well there are 6 weeks when we don't have to consider it 😉
Benched / challenging the front two for a start / playing if we’re switching to a 4-3-3
Benched.
Much as I hate Mo.'s lack of defensive involvement just to sit on the wing and rarely get a look in - Wirtz would be worse. He doesn't have the pace for that and his defensive contributions and Dom-like engine would be infinitely better as box-to-box. Maybe Ekitike or Isak (if / when he arrives).
I genuinely think that's our long term vision
I could understand letting Salah off his defensive duties when he was our only real goal threat, but we've got a good striker now, as well as Wirtz as a creator. Salah should be told to work like everyone else.
I just like it as a potential option Arnie could go to in a game where Mo is playing poorly. i.e. PSG away/home.
I don't think he'd ever start with a diamond.
His attacking output was so unreal last year, it made sense in the league. In the CL, when he was barely able to beat Mendes, we were found out completely. That's when having others we can turn to like a Wirtz, Isak, Ekitike combination would have helped us. If PSG have locked down our wingers, let's have the option to beat them centrally with our two CFs (and FBs providing our width).
I'm kinda for letting Isak rot and seeing if he actually lives up to his word of never playing for Newcastle again or whether he pussies out and reintegrates mere hours after the window shuts.
I think we missed a trick not going for David personally or even someone like Kalimuendo, they'd have been ideal 2nd choice 9s for Hugo right about now.
I think we missed a trick not going for David personally or even someone like Kalimuendo, they'd have been ideal 2nd choice 9s for Hugo right about now.
Yeah I think it's just obvious that ideally you don't want an attack basically designed around a single player. You want different threats to make you less predictable and less brittle. If that means we can't carry Salah not working to the same extent then he's going to have to work.
We want Isak. We're prepared to pay the fee. We're not credibly linked to any alternatives. All the alternatives are mediocre.
Insofar as we can continue to push for the transfers it's the only way forward.
Insofar as we can continue to push for the transfers it's the only way forward.
Erm, to underscore my point, in considering alternatives to Isak, would anyone try to get Richarlison away from Spurs?
Lead the line, throw himself around, in a good run of form, knows how to man the BBQ, replace some lost South Americans.
No? Exactly. Isak it is.
Lead the line, throw himself around, in a good run of form, knows how to man the BBQ, replace some lost South Americans.
No? Exactly. Isak it is.
He can't, and he won't. We would have to play him for 60 to 70 minutes, and really manage his games, and he won't go for that either.
Do we actually know this for a fact though? I just looked it up and he ran more and sprinted more per match than any of his previous 3 seasons.
I think the idea here is for Slot to have two, solid Number 9 options that he can choose between and compete one against another. Pit them against each other. Slot likes to do that. He prefers certain players and then tells others "if you want to play you gotta be better than that guy. Gotta do more." He likes to put players into such a position and then have them compete for his good favour. Not everyone reacts well to that. It is crude.
I think that's Slot's idea. The problem is that they are very similar as players. Can't be played at the same time. And we will see how they will respond to that. Number 9s usually like to be played and played firmly and constantly. Be the firm name on the sheet when it comes to the forward line. Some Number 9s do not respond well to hot/cold treatment. All of the greatest Number 9s were first names on the team sheet. All of them. Number 9s are confidence players. They need their confidence and they need their momentum. They feed off of the crowd.
Nunez very obviously struggled with that. He lacked confidence a whole lot in part because he wasn't treated as a solid, firm, constant Number 9. Instead, Klopp preferred others so he had to compete. A big-name arrival to Liverpool that ended up on the bench to Jota/others (Jota wasn't even a Number 9) (Klopp didn't believe in Number 9s. He played Firmino as part of a front 3. A false Number 9). Nunez never found his groove. F. Torres is an opposite example of that. Caught fire as the world's best Number 9.
Could Slot play two Number 9s? I don't think so. I guess he could bench Gakpo and play Ekitike there, or Isak, with the other be centrally positioned. But I don't think that is his idea.
The positive thing in all of this is that Liverpool has a truly tremendous midfield. Including three top-class, forward-looking central midfielders in Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Wirtz. Number 9s love such players. So that if Isak doesn't catch fire perhaps Ekitike will (and vice versa). I mean, Liverpool IS loaded with great options especially if they get Isak.
That's a good list. Except that Batistuta should be higher. Much, much, muuuuuch higher IMO. (But I could be biased on that very last front). Still, Batistuta had it all. Batigoal was his nickname, and "legendary finisher" was a great finishing touch added by the Google AI.
I think that's Slot's idea. The problem is that they are very similar as players. Can't be played at the same time. And we will see how they will respond to that. Number 9s usually like to be played and played firmly and constantly. Be the firm name on the sheet when it comes to the forward line. Some Number 9s do not respond well to hot/cold treatment. All of the greatest Number 9s were first names on the team sheet. All of them. Number 9s are confidence players. They need their confidence and they need their momentum. They feed off of the crowd.
Nunez very obviously struggled with that. He lacked confidence a whole lot in part because he wasn't treated as a solid, firm, constant Number 9. Instead, Klopp preferred others so he had to compete. A big-name arrival to Liverpool that ended up on the bench to Jota/others (Jota wasn't even a Number 9) (Klopp didn't believe in Number 9s. He played Firmino as part of a front 3. A false Number 9). Nunez never found his groove. F. Torres is an opposite example of that. Caught fire as the world's best Number 9.
Could Slot play two Number 9s? I don't think so. I guess he could bench Gakpo and play Ekitike there, or Isak, with the other be centrally positioned. But I don't think that is his idea.
The positive thing in all of this is that Liverpool has a truly tremendous midfield. Including three top-class, forward-looking central midfielders in Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Wirtz. Number 9s love such players. So that if Isak doesn't catch fire perhaps Ekitike will (and vice versa). I mean, Liverpool IS loaded with great options especially if they get Isak.
That's a good list. Except that Batistuta should be higher. Much, much, muuuuuch higher IMO. (But I could be biased on that very last front). Still, Batistuta had it all. Batigoal was his nickname, and "legendary finisher" was a great finishing touch added by the Google AI.
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