GWT: 2017-18 Premier League Round 7

[Cassano]

I cannot

Whoops meant to say Firmino instead of Coutinho, but the point stands.

 

[Savant]

Whoops meant to say Firmino instead of Coutinho, but the point stands.

Firmino is in bad form right now. Resting wasn’t the worst thing in the world but Sturridge can’t play as a solo striker anymore. Also Solanke should play with Sturridge when he comes on, not with Firmino. Klopp’s subs ruined the shape.

 

[YNWA14]

Stop blaming the refs. If that was called offsides against Liverpool, I would have been furious. You can’t blame the refs if neither CB knew what they were doing on the play. They are a joke.

Also no room to complain if they are going to miss chances like that.

I'm not blaming the refs, but the officiating has been atrocious to start this season and very much against Liverpool. They still need to finish their chances but at the end of the day we're missing out on 6 points thanks to extremely shoddy officiating; it certainly doesn't help that our luck has been terrible.

Oh well. I'm sure the luck has to change sooner than later. Can't miss sitters at this rate all season just like the refs can't be this atrocious all season.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Like I said about Klopp he's a good coach an excellent motivator. However, his personality has made him into a cult hero for some. Highly overrated.

 

[YNWA14]

I was one of Klopp's biggest questioners since he's been here. Only now are others starting to see the things I've pointed out for a while.

I think that because of how our luck has run of late he's getting more flack than he deserves. It's not like he's setting the team up for failure. We've been very unlucky. That said he is very stubborn and a lot of his personnel decisions are questionable at best.

 

[Savant]

I'm not blaming the refs, but the officiating has been atrocious to start this season and very much against Liverpool.

extremely shoddy officiating;

the refs can't be this atrocious all season.

The team hasn’t been good and they haven’t been set up well.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Klopp should absolutely be on the hot-seat. As should Koeman and Shakespear.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Klopp should absolutely be on the hot-seat. As should Koeman and Shakespear.

And Bilic.

 

[S E P H]

Klopp is a great manager, but it seems that Liverpool was perhaps the worst team he could have gone to. He needs to go to a team which already have a solid defencive foundation like what Moaninho built with Man United.

Lacazette was so unfortunate to score today, Arsenal dominated, but if Man City played in the same game they can easily score six. Arsenal have trouble scoring two and one came from a set piece which isn't even a team generated goal. Ramsey and Iwobi were quite bad today consider how easy of a game it was for us.

 

[Live in the Now]

Nope, Klopp shouldn't be on the hot seat whatsoever. They are two points behind the third place team and they're playing terrible football. Can't get much worse and can only get better.

It is not his fault a player tackles the ball off someone else and it dribbles into the net. I would like to see what happens when Lallana returns.

 

[Savant]

Nope, Klopp shouldn't be on the hot seat whatsoever. They are two points behind the third place team and they're playing terrible football. Can't get much worse and can only get better.

It is not his fault a player tackles the ball off someone else and it dribbles into the net. I would like to see what happens when Lallana returns.

Klopp should be safe until the end of the season for sure. If they aren’t Top 4 they will have taken a step back unless they win silverware.

 

[phisherman]

Talk about overreaction here. Liverpool are where they're expected which is battling for top 6.

 

[Baxterman]

Nope, Klopp shouldn't be on the hot seat whatsoever. They are two points behind the third place team and they're playing terrible football. Can't get much worse and can only get better.

It is not his fault a player tackles the ball off someone else and it dribbles into the net. I would like to see what happens when Lallana returns.

I don't think he should be fired but perhaps now we can see some realistic views about him from the media and Liverpool fans rather than the overrating we have seen since his appointment.

And yes it isn't his fault that the ball bounced of Joselu and into the net but he should take responsiblity for the fact that his guys Lovren and Matip played that so horribly that Joselu was allowed a free run on the net to create the chance.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Nope, Klopp shouldn't be on the hot seat whatsoever. They are two points behind the third place team and they're playing terrible football. Can't get much worse and can only get better.

It is not his fault a player tackles the ball off someone else and it dribbles into the net. I would like to see what happens when Lallana returns.

The idea that a manager with twelve points under his belt from seven games should be 'on the hot seat' is absurd.

Newcastle's aim is to finish seventeenth this season, and from that perspective they can reasonably be classified as 'The Sort of Team Liverpool Have to Beat If They Want to Win the League'. Yet it's worth mentioning that they've only suffered one defeat in their nine home EPL games under Benitez to date. And even that defeat was goalless for the part played at 11v11.

Six points dropped against Watford, Burnley and NUFC is doubtless frustrating for Liverpool fans, but all of these outfits are enjoying respectable or better results so far this season.

 

[S E P H]

Firmino is in bad form right now. Resting wasn’t the worst thing in the world but Sturridge can’t play as a solo striker anymore. Also Solanke should play with Sturridge when he comes on, not with Firmino. Klopp’s subs ruined the shape.

I suggest that Firmino is not in bad form now, but isn't as good as people think he is. He's an extremely streaky player who tends to get lost in the play a lot. It's not that he's dumb or lacks the technical skills, but he just doesn't have the talent needed to separate himself from being a good player to a great player (he's in the same level as Giroud for me - good for Everton, not a good option for LFC aspirations). For Liverpool, if Salah or Mane don't score, they tend not to win the game. Mane is quite consistent and does a lot of damage for Liverpool, but Salah like Firmino is as streaky as they come back.

 

[Burner Account]

I've been fortunate enough to travel this past week, so also fortunate to not have caught much of Liverpool. But man does it seem like they have a hard time taking points.

 

[Live in the Now]

And yes it isn't his fault that the ball bounced of Joselu and into the net but he should take responsiblity for the fact that his guys Lovren and Matip played that so horribly that Joselu was allowed a free run on the net to create the chance.

That was the only chance they allowed though. Which is a pretty big improvement from the usual.

 

[Havre]

I don´t want to exaggerate how poor Liverpool are and how much Klopp is doing wrongly. I don´t think they are as good as Utd, City, Spurs and Chelsea, but it is close enough for anyone to win over 38 games. There is so much I don´t understand about what Klopp is doing though.

1. Lovren and Matip. Beaten to death so no real need to say that much more. Once again today they fail.
2. Mignolet / Karius. I believe Klopp was right in looking for an upgrade, but I really don´t see it in Karius. Way behind my "top 4" when it comes to goalies.
3. No forward suited to play as a lone striker. Firmino fits Klopp´s style, but he could easily play in other positions than as a no. 9. Sturridge is good, but not when he plays on his own up front.
4. A bunch of midfield players that could play as AMs/wingers, but hardly no-one who can sit deeper. Henderson is better when given some freedom. Can is hardly disciplined enough to play as a holding midfield player.

There is a lot to like about Pool, but I don´t get the way they are set up. And I don´t get the balance of the squad. I would have gone 4-2-3-1 with that team.

Henderson - Wijnaldum (not perfect, but the best they can do - Milner and Can covering. Milner I could see working well as a DM for one season - he is quite clever).

Mane - Coutinho - Salah

Sturridge

With Coutinho closer to Sturridge he is better. Firmino can fill in at any position. Excellent way to rotate and to always have someone coming off the bench with new energy.

Then come summer. Sell Coutinho (if the money is still there). Revert to 4-3-3 with Keita and Wijnaldum/Henderson alongside a proper DM. Buy a no. 9 to play with Mane and Salah. Sell Sturridge. And obviously fix that defense.

 

[Deficient Mode]

Again, it seems you don't even see him play

I often feel like I'm not watching the same game when I talk with the Chelsea fans on this forum.

 

[Baxterman]

That was the only chance they allowed though. Which is a pretty big improvement from the usual.

That and the late corner that Lovren blocked with his arm.

But yes an improvement over the normal 4-5 mickey mouse plays for the Liverpool defense.

What would frustrate me most about Klopp if I were a Liverpool fan is that a lot (if not all) of the issues were and have been clear for at least a season now and Klopp seems pretty stubborn sticking with his plan rather than actually addressing them. He also seems more concerned with sticking with his style and game plan rather than adapting to the score or players he has.

 

[Savant]

LFC's xG differential in 2-2 Sevilla, 1-1 Burnley, 0-2 Leicester, 3-2 Leicester, 1-1 Spartak, and 1-1 Newcastle is +6.64.

actual GD is -1.

 

[hatterson]

I think the idea of Klopp being on the hot seat is ridiculous, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't take flak for the team making the same mistakes over and over again.

The team is terrible on set pieces (didn't cost them a goal today, but it has a ton recently) and the defensive line plays people onside or has brutal positioning multiple times a game.

 

[Live in the Now]

I think the idea of Klopp being on the hot seat is ridiculous, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't take flak for the team making the same mistakes over and over again.

The team is terrible on set pieces (didn't cost them a goal today, but it has a ton recently) and the defensive line plays people onside or has brutal positioning multiple times a game.

It is I would say about 95% of the time Lovren's fault. He needs to get rid of him, but after the van Dijk incident it seemed like the owners wouldn't even let the club bid for van Dijk. We'll see in January.

 

[hatterson]

It is I would say about 95% of the time Lovren's fault. He needs to get rid of him, but after the van Dijk incident it seemed like the owners wouldn't even let the club bid for van Dijk. We'll see in January.

I don't disagree about it being Lovren's fault the majority of the time. Matip isn't amazing, but he's solid enough to start. If he's your best defender I think you'll have trouble winning the league or going far in Europe, but if you had two of him you could be very comfortably top 4 and could catch lightning once in a blue moon. Lovren, on the other hand, clearly shouldn't be starting for a team that wants to be doing anything except trying to squeak into the top 4 on a good year.

The fault I'd place on Klopp about that is it seemed to be van Dijk or bust and there didn't seem to be any pursuit of anyone else.

 

[Savant]

I think the idea of Klopp being on the hot seat is ridiculous, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't take flak for the team making the same mistakes over and over again.

The team is terrible on set pieces (didn't cost them a goal today, but it has a ton recently) and the defensive line plays people onside or has brutal positioning multiple times a game.

The problem is that Klopp is Teflon despite the fact he keeps making the same mistakes. It’s a big problem. Klopp has too much cult hero status, and its clouding people from viewing things objectively.