Midfield without Fabs and Hendo

[rurikbird]

If, as most of us expect, Fabinho goes straight back into central defense the big question will be - how can we field a midfield with enough steel, creativity and goal-scoring threat to carry us until mid to late April until Hendo is back? With Keita and Milner returning, we now finally have some options – but how do you piece together this puzzle?

Thiago – undoubted class and his passing helps us circulate the ball quicker and more efficiently. However, he carries no goal threat and is a bit of a liability defensively (unless protected by someone like Hendo or Fabinho, which won't be the case for a while).
Wijnaldum – keeps possession, doesn't tackle, passes it safe, can be an attacking threat when given the license to get forward.
Jones – potentially has everything we need in his locker, but he's only 20 and some inconsistency is to be expected. Likes to roam and needs freedom to express himself. Yesterday's goal was only his 2nd Premier League goal ever.
Keita – we've been burned way too many times before to once again put our hopes in the Keita basket. Can help in certain games through sheer talent, but I wouldn't be building anything around him.
Milner – with Hendo and Fabs out, he's our only remaining "enforcer" (not counting Thiago's efforts at this), he can also create goals – too bad he's not 5 years younger when he would have walked into this midfield.

Looking at this picture, I see no alternative other than betting on the Gini-Thiago double-pivot, like with saw in the Sheffield game. Jones should be part of the rotation of the front 4; he can do many of the things Firmino does – let him be himself and don't burden him with the responsibility of a true "senior" CM. Keita can play a bit-part role while he's fit as he has the tools to slot into either one of Thiago's or Gini's roles. Use Milner for occasional starts and when we need to preserve a lead or give Robbo a breather. If the CB situation gets somewhat stabilized with Fabinho's return, we might just have a relatively solid base for the attacking players to trust and focus on their creativity and goal-scoring.

-----------------Alisson------------------
--------Kabak------Fabinho-----------
Trent------------------------------Robbo
-----------Thiago-----Gini--------------
---------------------------------------------
=======FRONT FOUR=======

 

[SummerOnions]

I don't think we have another option. Klopp doesn't trust Nat enough, Ox Chambo is clearly off at the end of the season, Keita will start if fit in tandem with Jones or Thiago, and Gini will start every game this season until he leaves, suffers a bizarre injury in his first game for Barca and ends up captaining Sparta Rotterdam in 2 years

 

[ibromurph]

In some of the smaller games, I think we need to consider Kabak and Phillips at the back. With Fabinho and Thiago/Gini/Keita in the double pivot and Jones/Thiago/Keita in the 10.

 

[HC]

In some of the smaller games, I think we need to consider Kabak and Phillips at the back. With Fabinho and Thiago/Gini/Keita in the double pivot and Jones/Thiago/Keita in the 10.

Massively this.

 

[rurikbird]

In some of the smaller games, I think we need to consider Kabak and Phillips at the back. With Fabinho and Thiago/Gini/Keita in the double pivot and Jones/Thiago/Keita in the 10.

I was thinking this too, but on the other hand the conventional wisdom in football is that you need your starting CBs to play as many games as possible together to build up understanding. Damned if you do, damned if you don't... On balance, I still probably would like to see Fabs in midfield as much as possible, even if it means breaking up the CB routine at times.

 

[Woland]

Well it's only Chelsea on Thursday so we can afford to fuck about and experiment

 

[rurikbird]

Well it's only Chelsea on Thursday so we can afford to fuck about and experiment

Play Salah at RB I say.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Play Salah at RB I say.

That's only if TAA is injured, otherwise, in goal.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Thiago, Gini and Jones

 

[RedStar]

In some of the smaller games, I think we need to consider Kabak and Phillips at the back. With Fabinho and Thiago/Gini/Keita in the double pivot and Jones/Thiago/Keita in the 10.

I think we are more likely to see Firmino drop back into the 10 with Jota going to LW and Mané through the middle when Jota is back to 100%

 

[Donavan Ried]

With Fab and henderson playing CB we look more solid in the back line...
But it takes away from not only our ability to dominate the midfield, but the ability to strike fast and in deadly fashion.
Not only does both Fab and Henderson see a pass, but they both are more than able to find that pass as well as chipping in we the odd goal themselves

 

[rurikbird]

Judging from Klopp's words at the press-conference just now, he doesn't want Fabinho to play out the season at CB with no possibility of returning back to the midfield. He brought up how Wijnaldum was perhaps our "most consistent player" this season, but implying that Fabinho at #6 would give us something different that Gini (or Thiago or anyone else) couldn't. So even if Fabs plays at CB vs Chelsea, I think Klopp will look for games where he can move up to midfield.

When asked about stability at CB he kind of joked that we've made so many changes there already, so maybe now we can just make a habit of it.

 

[mark1975]

Yeah, he implied that, and then stopped short of highlighting what we miss without him there, he sort of start to say it and then stopped himself, so I think we definitely see Fab's back in midfield sooner rather than later. His comment about Gini was interesting too (as you say Rurik). Klopp said he's probably been our most consistent player this season and then went on to say that he hopes he'll carry in that way in the future for us.

He also said he's not too happy about the Brazilian and Portuguese lads travelling for the internationals (he was asked the question), he said things are different with FA's throughout the world, but common sense must prevail in the current situation and the clubs must be put first, before we reach a situation where players have to quarantine on their return to the UK.

 

[rurikbird]

Basically I thought he clearly said that letting any players go to internationals whereupon they would have to quarantine on return back to the UK is out of the question. “The club is the one paying the salary and it should be the priority.”

Yeah, he implied that, and then stopped short of highlighting what we miss without him there, he sort of start to say it and then stopped himself, so I think we definitely see Fab's back in midfield sooner rather than later.

Yeah, he stopped short, but everyone knows that Fabinho’s physicality and tackling can’t be matched by anyone in this midfield - Gini will try to harass and slow down the attackers, Fabs deals with them decisively when they are in his area and more often than not turns defense into attack by winning the ball. We badly need that to make teams fear us again.