I want to kick a magpie (post match thread Newcastle away)

[MomoWASright]

Do I put this on Klopp? Yes and no.

We had the chances to win it. Easily. Salah and Firmino could’ve had us 3-0 and cruising. But our front 3 look fucked. Playing Jota in midgetland could fuck our season up.

Robbo is our player of the year. I loved the “keeper” shouts from Ali. Fuck the rest of them.

We have a wobble and still top of the pack. Get Jota and Thiago in the side and we go up another 3 levels.

 

[Fabio]

Agree with this, but feel his substitutions (or rather, the timings of them) left a lot to be desired.

 

[Shay_K]

Make some lemonade, Thiago is back, if that doesn't work have a beer 🙂

 

[Shay_K]

Do I put this on Klopp? Yes and no.

We had the chances to win it. Easily. Salah and Firmino could’ve had us 3-0 and cruising. But our front 3 look fucked. Playing Jota in midgetland could fuck our season up.

Robbo is our player of the year. I loved the “keeper” shouts from Ali. Fuck the rest of them.

We have a wobble and still top of the pack. Get Jota and Thiago in the side and we go up another 3 levels.

Yep, loved it when he went toe to toe with their CB

 

[MomoWASright]

Make some lemonade, Thiago is back, if that doesn't work have a beer 🙂

Im still okay with how the season looks. Beat the scum and the oligarchy lot and we are champs.

 

[Frogfish]

4 of the bottom 6.

1-1 A Brighton
1-1 H WBA
1-1 A Fulham
0-0 A Newcastle

 

[the count]

Do I put this on Klopp? Yes and no.

We had the chances to win it. Easily. Salah and Firmino could’ve had us 3-0 and cruising. But our front 3 look fucked. Playing Jota in midgetland could fuck our season up.

Robbo is our player of the year. I loved the “keeper” shouts from Ali. Fuck the rest of them.

We have a wobble and still top of the pack. Get Jota and Thiago in the side and we go up another 3 levels.

It is strange, considering our woes with injuries in central defence, that the loss of Jota seems to have hurt us most so far.
No doubt, when we have Jota back firing on all cylinders our lack of cover at centre half will bite us in the ass.

 

[Frogfish]

Do I put this on Klopp? Yes and no.

We had the chances to win it. Easily. Salah and Firmino could’ve had us 3-0 and cruising. But our front 3 look fucked. Playing Jota in midgetland could fuck our season up.

Robbo is our player of the year. I loved the “keeper” shouts from Ali. Fuck the rest of them.

We have a wobble and still top of the pack. Get Jota and Thiago in the side and we go up another 3 levels.

And Jota fucked in a nothing match is on Klopp too (as was Matip's first injury, in a nothing match). He needs to start protecting his players more this unprecedented season and defo needs to start making subs earlier. I don't get why he always waits and waits and waits and often gives players 5 mins or less. Did Shaq. even touch the ball today ?

 

[MomoWASright]

And Jota fucked in a nothing match is on Klopp too (as was Matip's first injury, in a nothing match). He needs to start protecting his players more this unprecedented season and defo needs to start making subs earlier. I don't get why he always waits and waits and waits and often gives players 5 mins or less. Did Shaq. even touch the ball today ?

That game in Denmark was a piss take. Who said we wanted the £2 million in prize money? That is easily eclipsed by winning the league and sponsorship that came along with it.

 

[Whaddapie]

I'm as annoyed as everybody else here, and I get that, in hindsight, the changes that should have come didn't... But I struggle to really blame Klopp for this one - He didn't miss enough glorious chances for an 8-0 win. The players did. The chances were there, and nobody could foresee us missing EVERY one of them, like we did today.

Also, it's easy to claim that Shaq would have unlocked their defense, but there's a reason he hasn't played much for two years, AND he hasn't kicked a ball in weeks AND we did unlock their defense - a lot - we just couldn't fucking finish. I cannot remember the last time I saw a goal live such a charmed life.

As poor as we played for long periods, that's a 3-0 win if ANY of our front three play well. They just ALL decided to be shite tonight.

 

[MomoWASright]

They’re all fucked and should have been rotated with Jota over the last 4 weeks.

 

[Hansern]

Its been a weird season. Loads of strange results and performances.
The players, for most teams, look knackered at this point.

We really miss Virgil and his ability to pass it up the field from defence. Everything moved so slowly. That improved drastically with Thiago though, lets hope he keeps fit now.

We badly need a new CB. Phillips isnt good enough, not his fault obviously, but he just isnt.

 

[gkmacca]

4 of the bottom 6.

1-1 A Brighton
1-1 H WBA
1-1 A Fulham
0-0 A Newcastle

And we're still top. I'm sorry, we don't think you're quite right for the job of spin doctor, nor, indeed, someone with his feet on planet earth. Happy New Year.

 

[Dreambeliever]

I thought we played well and on another day we win easily.

We did more in this game than a lot of matches we’ve won over the the last 18 months.

Salah’s miss was very unSalah from that spot.

Thiago was superb when he came on. Keep him fit and we’ll beat most everyone.

 

[RedStar]

Weve played much worse this season, this was a very odd game. We were miles better than Newcastle but through a combination of dreadful finishing and some smart goalkeeping they stayed in the game. Im not sure how Firmino managed to miss an empty net from 4 yards out but it happens. Usually when one of the front 3 is off somebody plays a blinder and covers for them, its rare they all play badly in the same game but thats what happened today unfortunately. Mané was giving the ball away all game long.

Defensively I think Phillips is a concern, he will be targeted by opponents as hes very slow on the turn and lacks pace, he gets drawn towards the ball and forced into rash tackles. Trent seems to be taking an awful long time tonget back to match sharpness. Some players seem to come back and never miss a beat, Trent clearly isnt one of them.

In retrospect Jones shouldnt have started here, he took an hour to shake off the impact of fucking up against WBA. With Thiago back I think he needs a break, hes done well but meeds to work on his decision making. You cant fault Milner for effort but he really doesnt offer much in midfield these days, hopefully Thiago and Gini are ready to go against Southampton.

When we lost VvD and Gomez if you told me wed be top on New Years day Id hsve tsken your hand off. In truth weve been very inconsistent and if wed kicked on after beating Spurs we would be putting some daylight between us and the rest. Instead weve looked lethargic and complacent at times. The draws are killing us, next two games are huge.

 

[MomoWASright]

Those draws are killing us but beating our rivals is money in the bank. So it’s even and we still are the best team in the league. If we can get and keep Thiago and Jota for we will push on.

 

[moron]

Hi All

While I was waiting for my Pizza - you guy got me stressed with your match updates. So don't really know what happened other than what you guys posted, but I got the 2nd half and like the general sentiment so far on this thread, I was actually quite happy because we created loads of clear cut chances - and we got a draw because for once in a long time our front men fired blanks, and clearly tonight was a night of high statistical bad luck. Which gives me hope that maybe we reached the top of the bad-luck curve that includes the following:

(Note MBDXF = Morons Bad Luck X Factor)

• Vila result (ill fortune of the mind of our players (possible witchcraft - MBDXF - 3X),
• the Injuries (major game changing player injuries - VVD - MBDXF - 10X),
• shitty VAR decisions (major points lost - MBDXF 2X),
• the Brighton game (late goal fluke - MBDXF 4X),
• key injured player group (no recognized CD - MBDXF 8X)
• the WBA game (late goal fluke - MBDXF 4X),
• Newcastle goalkeeper having the game of his life (too many missed chances in one game - MBDXF 7X).

That is a lot of bad luck - and despite it all we are top of the league with a big enough goal difference to keep us there (thanks Wroy). I expect our front three will be fired up for the next game like no other to make up for the shit show tonight - all I will say with regards to why Klopp waited so long for Shaq - is because I think he has tremendous loyalty and faith in the front three, just like it was a good thing he started Jones tonight to show he wont' have him blamed for WBA final result as he played quite well in that game. Also - I think we sometimes forget we just cannot play with the same confidence with the makeshift defenses we have had to play with - did anyone ever think we would be without any of our three recognized central defenders ? - I don't know what the stats are but are we actually as a collective team having to do more running to defend in numbers than we have had to do last season when VVD, and Gomez were around ?

Can I just say that the new cripple we signed - hit some lovely passes as we expect him to do, but I have no faith he will be available for the next game.

Anyway - hoping the new year we will have a good start, and Southampton will be without their manager on the touch-line so hoping we have some advantage over them.

MORON

 

[juniormember]

Well at least we have Thiago back. Almost everything he does is meaningful, and his forward or diagonal passes come from situations where you’re certain all our other midfielders would go sideways.
And his leap. Didn’t notice it before but I don’t think he lost a single header. He probably jumps as high as Mane.
Felt shite about the result but have decided that creaming about Thiago will see me through to the next game. What a player.

 

[Frogfish]

And we're still top. I'm sorry, we don't think you're quite right for the job of spin doctor, nor, indeed, someone with his feet on planet earth. Happy New Year.

You really don't need to play at being the club apologist. They've got a whole media dept. who are far better at it than you. You seem to be all over the forum trying to put out fires.

If I were debating with a Manc or Bluenose then my tone would be different but in this forum we can at least be honest.

If you think we can continue to draw multiple games against bottom 6 teams (4/5 so far, the only win being 2-1 H Sheff Utd, we haven't played Burnley yet) and win the PL you are deluded. It's like giving City or United a 5 point head start.
This team are that good they may be capable of overcoming that in a normal season ... but possibly not with the fixture congestion and without VvD, Matip & Gomez for large parts of the season.

 

[Frogfish]

They’re all fucked and should have been rotated with Jota over the last 4 weeks.

Many are clearly showing signs of mental fatigue if not physical.

 

[Frogfish]

Well at least we have Thiago back. Almost everything he does is meaningful, and his forward or diagonal passes come from situations where you’re certain all our other midfielders would go sideways.
And his leap. Didn’t notice it before but I don’t think he lost a single header. He probably jumps as high as Mane.
Felt shite about the result but have decided that creaming about Thiago will see me through to the next game. What a player.

It was instantly noticeable how he plays a far more vertical game than any of our other midfielders. Always looking, and often finding, a slide rule pass through the opposition midfield, straight to feet. An utter delight to watch.

 

[Brizzle]

It’s obviously better than anyone expected after losing VVD, Joe, Thiago to be top, but it’s frustrating to know what we’ve missed countless opportunities to be clear. Based on what we’ve seen we know there will be more of the same and it feels like we could fall away.

something needs to change - hopefully new fresh legs featuring more is exactly that.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

On another day, we win that game 6-1 or something.
We had really good chances, and we blew it.
I'm very frustrated and disappointed because of the last 180 minutes, but we also have to put it in perspective.
We're top of the league despite rarely have our top 3 CBs on the pitch, and one of our primary creators (TAA) being well off the pace.
I think if Thiago can start playing now - he'll alleviate the pressure on TAA, and become another creator, as we are not that imposing on the right anymore. Robbo & Mane still create at on down the left flank.
I think Klopp has to re-assess two things
1) It's a tough year, where all teams are dropping points and struggling. He has to be smarter with his subs - if we're struggling, change the game up earlier - be it with subs or a positional change.
2) He *has* to protect Mane. Last year, every penalty Mane won, you had MOTD, the press and various managers calling him out as a diver. This year, he's been hacked to absolute bits on numerous occasions with nothing being given, and yesterday, he won a penalty and nothing ... Unless Klopp highlights this, this garbage will continue.

Happy New Year ... we may be struggling, but better to be struggling on top than to be struggling at the bottom.
Up the mother fucking Reds.




This post has been sponsored by @Mamma Mia Productions

 

[Gary25]

I thought we were shite again.

 

[Mamma Mia]

On another day, we win that game 6-1 or something.
We had really good chances, and we blew it.
I'm very frustrated and disappointed because of the last 180 minutes, but we also have to put it in perspective.
We're top of the league despite rarely have our top 3 CBs on the pitch, and one of our primary creators (TAA) being well off the pace.
I think if Thiago can start playing now - he'll alleviate the pressure on TAA, and become another creator, as we are not that imposing on the right anymore. Robbo & Mane still create at on down the left flank.
I think Klopp has to re-assess two things
1) It's a tough year, where all teams are dropping points and struggling. He has to be smarter with his subs - if we're struggling, change the game up earlier - be it with subs or a positional change.
2) He *has* to protect Mane. Last year, every penalty Mane won, you had MOTD, the press and various managers calling him out as a diver. This year, he's been hacked to absolute bits on numerous occasions with nothing being given, and yesterday, he won a penalty and nothing ... Unless Klopp highlights this, this garbage will continue.

Happy New Year ... we may be struggling, but better to be struggling on top than to be struggling at the bottom.
Up the mother fucking Reds.




This post has been sponsored by @Mamma Mia Productions

I haven't gone back to check, but didn't you start a thread about lower expectations once Virg was ruled out for the season?

Glad you're trying to keep perspective, but I'm not pleased that you've been frustrated and disappointed. We need to work on that.

There's plenty of actually shit things in the world right now. Liverpool Football Club isn't one of them.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

I haven't gone back to check, but didn't you start a thread about lower expectations once Virg was ruled out for the season?

Glad you're trying to keep perspective, but I'm not pleased that you've been frustrated and disappointed. We need to work on that.

There's plenty of actually shit things in the world right now. Liverpool Football Club isn't one of them.

May have been me - I still think we can win the league but we need to start being a bit more ruthless. Gut says worst case scenario is top 4 but this team feels like it should be winning everything, hence my 'frustration and disappointment'!

As for your closing sentence, concur ... hope all is well in SA .. Still haven't been able to come back to pay respects to my gran ... and now her sister in law is on the respirator in CT, yah ... hopefully 2021 is saner, calmer and healthier for all of humanity, heck - even for man u fans.

 

[Dreambeliever]

It’s obviously better than anyone expected after losing VVD, Joe, Thiago to be top, but it’s frustrating to know what we’ve missed countless opportunities to be clear. Based on what we’ve seen we know there will be more of the same and it feels like we could fall away.

something needs to change - hopefully new fresh legs featuring more is exactly that.

The only reason we are top is because everyone else has been hopeless.

 

[mark1975]

I've not really read any of the post match stuff in the media or on here.

We played well in patches again and as usual, the players who look like they give a fuck are the same ones (Henderson, Robbo, Milner), while Salah looks his usual "only happy when he scores" self.

Klopp is a brilliant manager, he's won everything and deserves the trust of everyone, but the niggling criticism I've always had of him is that he doesn't change things within games quickly enough. Phillips was struggling throughout the game and he should probably have changed it at half time. Any problems we had stemmed from his nervousness and not being very good on the ball, the one on one was laughably bad. As loathed as I was pre-match to see Henderson at the back, the way the game panned out it would have been common sense to take Phillips off at half time and push Henderson into the backline, or bring Gini on to do the same.

We then have Thiago and Shaqiri sat there on the bench in a game that was screaming out for that kind of creativity. Granted, we created clear chances that we fluffed, so maybe a different attacker would have been an option too - personally I thought Firmino was back to being gash and it would have made sense to take him off, push Salah central and bring on Shaqiri wide right, as he would have wandered centrally and fed other players.

Returning to my point about Klopp, regardless of whether we are top, the last two games were ample opportunity to create a gap at the top, with tougher games ahead of us. It's not petty or spoiled fan stuff, it's blatantly fucking obvious. We'll rue these dropped points if we slip up at Southampton and other sides capitalise with their games in hand. It's great that we're back in the mix, especially given the torrid injuries we've had, but some decisions this season have been frustrating - a sluggish willingness to try to change approach and that ridiculous away game in the CL where we shot ourselves in the foot by playing first team players unnecessarily. If we'd had Jota available of late, I'd wager he'd have been the difference between draws and wins. It was an idiotic decision, regardless of what success Klopp has had, and it just made his moaning over scheduling look ridiculous. As does refusing to utilise the depth of his talented squad.

 

[Squiggles]

Klopp certainly could have been more adventurous last night - Wijnaldum was a strange substitution in the scheme of things - but I honestly think IF we keep Thaigo fit then we comfortably move ahead of the pack. We're a different side with him on the pitch and can attack from all areas of the pitch. The quality he adds to our game mitigates our vulnerability at CB.

I don't think Jones or Phillips did themselves too many favours, but they are arguably carrying too much responsibility than their talent/years provides, so it's hard to be critical.

Trent was blowing hot and cold, like he's done for much of the year. Salah and Firmino should have comfortably got a goal apiece.

We have to improve sharpish to beat Southampton and United.

 

[tomasjj]

There is little spark in our play. More labourious.

We needed a break, one like united got in injury time against wolves.
Both us and them look tired mentally.