GWT: CL Quarterfinal Build-up and Leg One

[Machinehead]

Courtois looks about 7'4" in the net. Jesus.

 

[Savant]

Congrats to Real Madrid.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

One English pretender down, 1 or 2 to go

 

[Evilo]

Sarcasm?

He is having his worst season in a LFC shirt by a good margin.

Yes, because stat don't replace watching the game so I agree with you.
But statistically, he's having one of his better scoring seasons of his career.

 

[Burner Account]

Oh well. Hard to feel any kind of way this season.

 

[Evilo]

Tired of the refereeing and penalty decisions in this sport

Never makes sense

Problem is, one robbed BVB of a goal in the first leg.
And gave a "gentle" penalty to City in the second.

Once again, we can say that the reffing has put a bigger team through based on nothing but the name.

 

[Live in the Now]

Mane will be fine. Firmino won’t, I don’t know what else to say at this point.

 

[Evilo]

Foden should probably start in the euros.

He was not good today.

 

[Machinehead]

Mane will be fine. Firmino won’t, I don’t know what else to say at this point.

This is the way I feel.

Mane is just having a poor season.

Firmino relied a lot on deception to draw cover and opponents just seem to finally get it.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

He was not good today.

He was but ok

 

[Evilo]

Extremely unimpressed by all 4 team tbh.
Liverpool had zero passion, I was surprised. Good job from Real to frustrate them. Real reminded me of 90s italian football where you knew they were coming for a 0-0 catenaccio draw away and nobody could break it down.
City was extremely rubbish until the ref gifted them yet another decision. I think when the ball hits a part of the body before the hand the rule says it's not a handball. Am I right? If so, it's terrible yet again.
BVB wasn't very good either but at least scored valid goals. Haaland was invisible.
Bayern must be livid because they would have destroyed all 4 teams today.

 

[Evilo]

He was but ok

Other than his well taken shot on the goal, he was absolutely average.
He's had tons of better performances lately.

 

[Savant]

Extremely unimpressed by all 4 team tbh.
Liverpool had zero passion, I was surprised. Good job from Real to frustrate them. Real reminded me of 90s italian football where you knew they were coming for a 0-0 catenaccio draw away and nobody could break it down.
City was extremely rubbish until the ref gifted them yet another decision. I think when the ball hits a part of the body before the hand the rule says it's not a handball. Am I right? If so, it's terrible yet again.
BVB wasn't very good either but at least scored valid goals. Haaland was invisible.
Bayern must be livid because they would have destroyed all 4 teams today.

Yeah I agree with this honestly. This year sucks.

That’s what LFC have looked like in the league most of the season. If they don’t breakthrough they run out of ideas. Many fans blame missing the crowd, but every other team has that problem too. The team has a ton of problems but If Salah isn’t scoring no one else is except maybe Diogo Jota. They didn’t deserve to go through and they really don’t deserve to make the CL next year either so it’ll be interesting to see how they reload. They need to bring some goal threats in this summer more than anything else. LFC has a very very flawed team right now

 

[Machinehead]

If you look at xG, we've at least been playing better lately, to point where if you add VvD and Jordan Henderson, you look at the side and say "yeah, this is probably a trophy contender."

But we still need a move or two besides getting healthy. I'd really like to add to the attack.

Jota was a brilliant signing and infused everything I want. Had he been healthy the whole year, top 4 isn't in question. But he kind of puts you in a weird spot where you want him starting but if he does, you have NOTHING on the bench.

 

[Machinehead]

Yeah I agree with this honestly. This year sucks.

That’s what LFC have looked like in the league most of the season. If they don’t breakthrough they run out of ideas. Many fans blame missing the crowd, but every other team has that problem too. The team has a ton of problems but If Salah isn’t scoring no one else is except maybe Diogo Jota. They didn’t deserve to go through and they really don’t deserve to make the CL next year either so it’ll be interesting to see how they reload. They need to bring some goal threats in this summer more than anything else. LFC has a very very flawed team right now

Mane-Firmino-Salah are about 4-6 months past the expiration date of most of the great forward trios. This just seems to be something that happens.

Jota instead of Firmino and Mane stops being a Championship player and you've got something. I don't think they're that far away.

But even if you're going with that, and even if they're good, 82nd minute and you need a goal, your current options would be a shot Firmino or Divock Origi. That's the biggest hurdle imo.

 

[AB13]

Not saying the rumours are true but *IF* a team was using PEDs, and then suddenly weren't able to post COVID due to regular testing, I reckon the difference would look a lot like Liverpool 19/20 to 20/21 Liverpool.

 

[Machinehead]

Not saying the rumours are true but *IF* a team was using PEDs, and then suddenly weren't able to post COVID due to regular testing, I reckon the difference would look a lot like Liverpool 19/20 to 20/21 Liverpool.

If a team lost the world's best CB, literally all of his backups, their captain and best midfielder, and effectively their #9 because he became a third division player in one offseason, I reckon the difference would look a lot like Liverpool 19/20 to 20/21 Liverpool.

 

[Savant]

Mane-Firmino-Salah are about 4-6 months past the expiration date of most of the great forward trios. This just seems to be something that happens.

Jota instead of Firmino and Mane stops being a Championship player and you've got something. I don't think they're that far away.

But even if you're going with that, and even if they're good, 82nd minute and you need a goal, your current options would be a shot Firmino or Divock Origi. That's the biggest hurdle imo.

I’m not so sure Mane is coming back. It’s not just his scoring but his touch is gone too. He isn’t the youngest. All I’m saying is I’m not selling Salah if we have to move one of the three

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Other than his well taken shot on the goal, he was absolutely average.
He's had tons of better performances lately.

I didnt say he was elite today or had the game of his life. I just said he should probably start in the euros. He worked his ass off today, had the GWG last game and a crucial goal today.

 

[Live in the Now]

If a team lost the world's best CB, literally all of his backups, their captain and best midfielder, and effectively their #9 because he became a third division player in one offseason, I reckon the difference would look a lot like Liverpool 19/20 to 20/21 Liverpool.

Then their other #9 for three months. Multiple other midfielders too to the point where they almost didn't have enough midfielders and CB's at the same time. And then before this tie they lose even more players because of international bullshit.

It is what it is but I bet in the modern era no team ever lost more games to injury. Major injuries too and not just pulled muscles and twisted ankles. They did well to do this well.

 

[Live in the Now]

Not saying the rumours are true but *IF* a team was using PEDs, and then suddenly weren't able to post COVID due to regular testing, I reckon the difference would look a lot like Liverpool 19/20 to 20/21 Liverpool.

They're not testing more for PED's. They're putting swabs in noses.

All these teams are doped in some way and you would have to be in denial or just a plain idiot to believe they aren't. That's not why they're not winning. They still have similar energy level, it isn't that. The team dropped in quality and they have two players who have absolutely lost their skill this season.

Didn't anyone see Goretzka? They don't test for PED's at all in this sport and any claim from the authorities that they do is nonsense.

 

[Machinehead]

I’m not so sure Mane is coming back. It’s not just his scoring but his touch is gone too. He isn’t the youngest. All I’m saying is I’m not selling Salah if we have to move one of the three

I would be open to moving Mane to help us retool, building the front three around Jota and Salah.

We may need to bring in multiple pieces because it's a quantity issue as much as it is quality. We don't need superstars, we just need *more* impact Premier League players. Teams like City, United, Bayern, and Real are who we're supposed to be competing with.

Guys like Origi, Shaqiri, Minamino, and Ox are closer to Norwich City players than players on the four teams I mentioned. This is not a new problem but it's coming to roost.

I think having to have the same front three all the time because everyone else sucks wind, even against the lesser sides, is probably contributing to their decline.

 

[AB13]

They're not testing more for PED's. They're putting swabs in noses.

All these teams are doped in some way and you would have to be in denial or just a plain idiot to believe they aren't. That's not why they're not winning.

Didn't anyone see Goretzka? They don't test for PED's at all in this sport and any claim from the authorities that they do is nonsense.

I definately believe many teams are guilty of doping and I have said that a few times. To different extents, though.

 

[Live in the Now]

I definately believe many teams are guilty of doping and I have said that a few times. To different extents, though.

Nope, it's pretty much the same. You need to look at why nobody ever tests positive for PED's regardless of how they look or play. Then take into account that the players sprint at least 10 times more than they did in the 80s and almost all of them don't pull muscle tissue very often.

I think our results are just due to drop in quality. They're running the same, even the backups. A lot of the players on this team can't pass though. Today was one of the first times our CB's were actually passing the ball to the right place.

 

[Machinehead]

Also, Alisson randomly being ass cost us a few points. I think he'll be fine when he's back behind a Premier League defense partnership and his decisions become easier to make, but that also can't be ignored.

The wild theories might have legs if the same roster just sucked with no explanations. There are like twelve explanations.