• You may have to login or register before you can post and view our exclusive members only forums.
    To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Pre Match - Newcastle (H) - 1st Jan 20:00

Status
Not open for further replies.
Curtis quietly assuming the role of our most consistent midfielder. Meanwhile Slobby misplaced so many easy passes in dangerous situations that it is starting to become an obvious downturn in form. Who is it calls Curtis a generational talent. Might be onto something.

We're also going to miss Endo, who has grown into an important player for this team.
Oh fuck you've done it now. We'll never hear the last (you're supposed to downplay it to keep him in check).
 
Another ridiculous Liverpool Newcastle game.

Thankfully we were largely on top, but it was far closer than it needed to be and yet again this club is taking years off my heart.

Lovely to see Jota back in time for Salah leaving. That really could be crucial come May.
Didn't we win every game last time there was an AFCON when Mane and Mo went away?

We have Diaz back and looking like he's fully recovered, Mac is back just in time to cover Endo, Gomez looking like a better LB than Robbo or Tsimi, Konate back and getting up to speed, Jones taking it to a new level and Jota back and firing too.

We have a tough run but we'll be fine.
 


That 1st goal was made up of so many good plays and decisions in the build-up:

1. A good bit of tracking back from Jones, helping out Trent and collecting the ball after Joelington attempts to cut inside.

2. An aggressive long pass from Trent (the ref played good advantage for the foul on Jones) and Nunez holding off the defender to lay off the ball.

3. Impressive acceleration from Szloboszlai to get to the ball ahead of Gordon, then a great decoy run to create space for Diaz to cut in.

4. Superb vision from Diaz to pick out Nunez unmarked on the right. Salah immediately gets himself into scoring position, of course.

5. Nunez deciding to pass in that moment - absolutely the right decision that turned a difficult chance into a tap-in.

Beautifully worked team goal!
 
Last edited:
Raaaaaaaaatings time.

Ali 6 - No chance with either of the goals, nothing else to do otherwise.
Trent 6 - Average performance, another example where he shows himself to be the weak link in defence. Gomez deserves his chance, or just sign a new RB to play as a RB.
Ibou 7.5 - Take 0.5 off as you could put the first partially down to him with helping Trent out a bit better otherwise thought he was brilliant.
Virgil 8 - World Class.
Gomez 8 - Going from strength to strength, shutting up a lot of us doubters who wanted him gone a long time ago.
Endo 8 - Gonna miss this lad when he’s gone, one of the first names on the team sheet…now looks like he’s gonna have to work his way back.
Szobo 6 - Played his part setting up the first with his trademark striding run but first half he was noticeably poor which you can’t ignore.
Jones 7 - Much more like it, needs to be getting in the box more often as he’s capable of making things happen.
Salah 8 - Was looking like being one of them games from Mo but he came alive to great effect at the end. Too hot for the mags.
Nunez 7 - Much better from him than in recent weeks where he wasn’t getting any chances and got an unselfish assist. Gutted he couldn’t get his goal.
Diaz 7 - Signs of Diaz of old tonight, definitely doesn’t look like a guy short on confidence or lacking in pace.

Jota 8 - Was it a bit of a dive? Wasn’t it? Either way a very positive impact, great to have him back.
Gakpo 7 - Another positive contribution from the bench, did his best to miss mind but involved in some good build up play.
Grav 6 - Didn’t really notice him.
Mac 6.5 - That pass to Jota….

Your ratings are always generally fair- except you always tend to give Nunez +1 and Trent -1.

At some point though, you’re going to have to accept that there’s a reason the RB inverts and it’s not just about Trent - another RB and we’d likely be asking him to do the same.

Trent’s being used in a slightly different way as an inverted FB because he’s got a different skill set to most other RB’s, so is being used slightly differently.

If you’re clinging to the notion that we’re going to sign a rampaging RB that’s going to run up and down the right touchline like he’s on train tracks, then you should probably prepare yourself for some disappointment.

TIFO IRL did a really good breakdown of what Klopp’s doing with Trent in that role, what’s working and what’s not working. I think it’s really helpful in explaining why inverted FB’s are more common now.

Have a look :

 
GC0z282WYAAP_It

Total dominance, statistically. Love how we still produce 17 fast breaks despite dominating possession - that’s showing real hunger for goals.

Also, our style of play is so much watchable than City’s.
 
Szobo is one of the best players at turning a defensive won duel into a fast break. His ball progression is insane. Same with Gravenberch.
 
Anyway, think I'm more worried about losing Endo san than Salah now. Him and Jones ran the show. Szob and Grav really need to find some form fast.

And what about Gomez. Living proof that you never know, even the donkey might turn it round.

Yes, likewise. It just can't be stated enough how much leadership, winning mentality and will to win Endo showed last night. When we were struggling, he was driving the pace of our attacks when in possession. He gave everything. It was like if we put Suarez's desire to win into a small DMs body. Insane.

He will have off games, but he has settled into this team insanely well. The best outcome now (for me) is that we find a nice 'double pivot' for next few games with Jones & Mac Allister before Endo returns having led his country to glory at the Asian cup and swaggers back in and takes us on that winning run to #20.
 
It was the last touch on his heel that sent him down. The ball was close enough for him to catch it and tap it in the net.

What a pass!! Welcome back Mac
Dude he dived.. The touch was so soft it didn't affect him, he took another step and then threw himself on the ground... Very disappointed in him for that...
 
It wasnt a dive. Dubravka even confirmed in an interview post game that it was a penalty.
 
There can be a foul that doesn't involve a player being tripped.. so he 'made the most of it' but it wasn't simulation in that there was no contact.

Not sure where I stand on the whole thing. Would VAR or the ref give a foul for the GK missing his 'tackle' without Jota going down? Probably not - which is part of the problem.

I'd be livid if it happened to us.
 
It wasnt a dive. Dubravka even confirmed in an interview post game that it was a penalty.

It was both in my opinion. He was clipped by Dubravka which was enough to get the ref to blow for a pen (which VAR were never going to overturn), he still could have scored but instead, rather dramatically, fell.

I'm fine with it being a pen, I just wish Jota had stayed up and scored without needing it. The fall was clearly over dramatic
 
Jota couldn't win there.

If he stays on his feet, stretches for a shot and it gets blocked or goes wide, the ref isn't calling it back for the penalty. Newcastle go down the other end and equalise. We all go mad about not taking the penalty.

Or does go down, everyone else has a shit fit. Fuck'em.
 
Jota couldn't win there.

If he stays on his feet, stretches for a shot and it gets blocked or goes wide, the ref isn't calling it back for the penalty. Newcastle go down the other end and equalise. We all go mad about not taking the penalty.

Or does go down, everyone else has a shit fit. Fuck'em.

Indeed, and if this was Harry Kane they’d call him clever instead of diving.
 
Jota couldn't win there.

If he stays on his feet, stretches for a shot and it gets blocked or goes wide, the ref isn't calling it back for the penalty. Newcastle go down the other end and equalise. We all go mad about not taking the penalty.

Or does go down, everyone else has a shit fit. Fuck'em.
We wouldnt have even known it was pen.. If a professional footballer can't score from there then he should give up playing football... He dived and I'm really disappointed in him.. Can you imagine the outrage if that happened to us
 
  • Like
Reactions: dee
Surprised there is any outrage for Jota. He clearly felt the ball was getting away from him when the clip helped with so he went down. I hate the fact that if you don’t go down refs don’t give it and we’ve had a few of those already this season. I’m more than ok with Jota going down when he felt contact. It wasn’t a dive but it was soft but the clip prevented a tap in and he may have missed had he stayed on his feet.
Onwards and upwards!
 
By the way how good was it seeing Jota race clear, you just knew he was taking it around the keeper. He loves to do it. Pity he can’t teach Nunez that skill.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom