PL Matchweek 9

[Live in the Now]

Nothing wrong with Matip. Next to a proper defender I´m quite confident he´ll be fine. Gomez is a talent. Should be third choice CD though. Moreno should be replaced.

Lol the idea Liverpool would ever buy two starters in one window. Liverpool is one of the only teams that would secure CL qualification for the first time in a few seasons and buy one starter. Complete madness and we all know it, and it's not only Klopp, this has been happening at Liverpool for a long time. They only spend money when selling a big player. Next summer they will spend some because Coutinho will definitely be gone, but they already bought one starter and will have to replace Coutinho, definitely won't buy two more.

Credit to Tottenham, Liverpool got the result they paid for and Tottenham have more quality. If Liverpool paid for quality maybe things would be different. The owners want to do everything cheap and end up being pantsed in the end every time. Cheap goalkeeper, cheap CB, no striker, cheap Championship LB, cheap Solanke who Klopp literally did not even know existed, cheap everything. Cheap Klavan too while we're at it. This isn't the only time, been going on ever since Benitez was told there was no more money left to spend and they sacked him the season after. Good times.

Can't wait until we hear there's no money to spend in January because they signed Oxlade-Chamberlain. You know it's coming and anyone who thinks it isn't is a moron.

In Liverpool's starting XI today they had two players who were signed in the last two seasons. One for 35 million and another one on a free. They've gotten the results they've paid for.

 

[Evilo]

hahahaha you having a good time today, eh?

Haha not really because I have nothing against Liverpool. I still see them finish between 3rd and 6th.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Nothing wrong with Matip. Next to a proper defender I´m quite confident he´ll be fine. Gomez is a talent. Should be third choice CD though. Moreno should be replaced.

Wanyama is a very good squad player. Nothing to miss for the best starting line-up. Both Winks - Dembele and Winks - Dier are better alternatives in my opinion. Even if I doubt Dembele will ever be fit again. And Wanyama will have spells where he is better than Dier.

I find that Matip could have done much more when Kane scored his first and was largely at fault for Dele's goal. Gomez is indeed a talent who will become a starter sooner or later.

Well, I believe that Wanyama and Dembele are of similar talent, but Wanyama became far more consistent whilst I also believe that Dembele's regression has begun. As for Dier, I have strong opinions on him. He's not the same as he was in 15/16. He may have his occasional great game but a lot of the time he is largely invisible or error-prone. Against Bournemouth, just last week, Dier was our worst player. He had no urgency and mostly drifted around. Bournemouth's two best chances were because of him not marking properly. He is number four in Spurs CM depth chart to me.

 

[Havre]

The first is close to 100% on Gomez. No excuse for the opposite full back to be behind the central defenders. You can see how Lovren actually quite intelligently was playing Kane offside. The third is rather random. Headers like that happen several times per game - just this time it lead to a goal. Mignolet should let Matip know he is alone. Agree it is poor by Matip, but he is also quite unlucky it leading to a goal.

Difficult for me to compare Wanyama and Dembele. Dembele is capable of doing things Wanyama could only dream of. Wanyama is slightly better defensively, but that is just slightly. Dembele is excellent at tracking players (normally - not against Dortmund). Wanyama is a bit tougher though - in 50/50s.

I do agree that Dier isn't consistent enough. Should have sold him for big money to Utd. Over a 12 months period he is better than Wanyama for me. Just so much more comfortable on the ball (his biggest problem in possession is that he thinks he is Pirlo at times).

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Gomez made a huge initial mistake for that first goal, but Matip could have defused the situation.

Dembele is Dembele. Fantastic at retaining the ball and opening up space. Whilst Wanyama is the more defensively solid. Superior tackling, aerial presence, etc. He became much more comfortable on the ball throughout the season too. He can make poor touches at times but you'd see him do the occasional but often succesful flick/roulette out of nowhere too. I believe that he can control games, like he did in the last NLD, just as well as Dembele. And as I said, Dembele is going to regress any moment now I feel.

As for Dier, I don't feel that he is in the same ball park anymore.

 

[Cassano]

Nothing wrong with Matip. Next to a proper defender I´m quite confident he´ll be fine. Gomez is a talent. Should be third choice CD though. Moreno should be replaced.

He is getting overrated IMO because he's the only decent defender among a pile of turds. He wouldn't be a key guy on the top European clubs.

 

[maclean]

Ox played really well at least.

By really well do you mean breaking up the wing and rounding three defenders only to shoot it wide or make a poor cross?

 

[hatterson]

The third is rather random. Headers like that happen several times per game - just this time it lead to a goal. Mignolet should let Matip know he is alone. Agree it is poor by Matip, but he is also quite unlucky it leading to a goal.

I heard that point made a lot on TV. It's understandable that Matip doesn't know to leave it, since he's facing the other direction from Kane, but he needs a should from someone. His keeper, his CB partner, someone.

 

[Havre]

Part of Liverpool´s problem at the moment. Lack of confidence in those kind of situations. Lovren at 2-0 the best example of course. He makes a stupid stupid mistake because he is stressed/afraid of making a mistake. No CD even playing in League Two would normally misjudge a throw like that. Matip´s isn´t comparable in the sense that it is far from as bad, but also typical for a defender lacking some confidence. He might be 99% certain there is no-one behind him, but instead of trusting that instinct he goes for the "safe" option which leads to a goal conceded. Just a downward spiral.

Spurs are at the opposite end of things. The goal they concede is just as lazy as three of the goals Liverpool conceded. But will the defenders be under the same kind of scrutiny? Of course not.

Not to say everything is down to spirals and "momentum", but it does make good things better and bad things worse.

 

[hatterson]

Matip´s isn´t comparable in the sense that it is far from as bad, but also typical for a defender lacking some confidence. He might be 99% certain there is no-one behind him, but instead of trusting that instinct he goes for the "safe" option which leads to a goal conceded. Just a downward spiral.

Well regardless of if an attacker is there or not, he shouldn't be sending that ball back into the middle at the top of the box. It's either got to go behind him and out of play for a corner or it's gotta to outside further.

 

[YNWA14]

Tottenham are a very impressive team right now. I wasn't happy watching that display, obviously, but at the end of the day the teams Liverpool are going to compete with for a top 4 position will likely struggle against Tottenham as well.

We go on to the next and hope we can regain some form of confidence.

Well regardless of if an attacker is there or not, he shouldn't be sending that ball back into the middle at the top of the box. It's either got to go behind him and out of play for a corner or it's gotta to outside further.

Yeah...as soon as I saw that header I had a feeling it'd be a goal against. Of course that was completely avoidable since Can could have had Alli covered (and was ball watching) and Can never needed to give up that ball in midfield, and even after he gave it up there was no reason for him to make that stupid tackle. While it was nervy from a bunch of players in one sequence Can destroyed any momentum that Liverpool had been building...and even worse, in extra time right before half. I honestly feel if Wijnaldum plays it's a completely different game...he's so important to our midfield especially in those games. The number of mistakes Can made overall...he was completely off the pace.

 

[Baxterman]

The team lost 4-1 due to major defensive issues and you think a mediocre MF like Wijnaldum completely changes that game?

Can wasn't even bottom 5 in terms of Liverpool players that game.

 

[Theokritos]

at the end of the day the teams Liverpool are going to compete with for a top 4 position will likely struggle against Tottenham as well..

Chelsea won 2-1 at Wembley and neither ManCity nor ManUtd are likely to concede 4 goals against any PL team. So who exactly do you expect to struggle against Tottenham like Liverpool did? Arsenal and ... ? Also, when you say "compete for a top 4 position" you mean "compete for #4", right?

 

[Havre]

Well regardless of if an attacker is there or not, he shouldn't be sending that ball back into the middle at the top of the box. It's either got to go behind him and out of play for a corner or it's gotta to outside further.

Sure. Already said I thought it was poor from Matip, but that header leads to a goal against 1 out of 30 or something? I say Vertonghen and partly Sanchez are making a bigger mistake on the Liverpool-goal (maybe even Lloris) than Matip on that Spursgoal. Completely a sleep. One run. One pass. One on one with the goalkeeper.

That header certainly doesn´t make Matip a bad defender. I don´t think he is amazing, but if Vertonghen retired today I would easily take Matip as a replacement (hypothetically - not saying a Pool player would want to move to Spurs).

 

[hatterson]

I haven't seen many replays of the Liverpool goal, but it did seem like Lloris should have been farm more aggressive and that he had plenty of time to get out.

And yea, that doesn't really change my opinion of Matip. I think he's a good defender and can comfortably start for a team who expects to finish top 4 and possibly make a run at the title. He shouldn't be the best defender on that team, but is good enough to start still.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

I haven't seen many replays of the Liverpool goal, but it did seem like Lloris should have been farm more aggressive and that he had plenty of time to get out.

You're right, and if you watch Verts, he slows down JUST enough to fall behind on the play, I think he expected Lloris to come out.

No excuse for Verts, but that was Lloris' ball all the way.

 

[YNWA14]

Chelsea won 2-1 at Wembley and neither ManCity nor ManUtd are likely to concede 4 goals against any PL team. So who exactly do you expect to struggle against Tottenham like Liverpool did? Arsenal and ... ? Also, when you say "compete for a top 4 position" you mean "compete for #4", right?

If you think Spurs look the same now as they did in August against Chelsea well...you probably thought Chelsea's early form last season meant they had no chance at the title.

Anyway, why does a team have to let in 4 goals to struggle against Spurs? Chelsea were very fortunate to get that result early in the season. United and City will likely both have problems with this very strong Tottenham side and I would be shocked if Spurs don't trounce Arsenal. Liverpool dominated United when they played and could have easily won that game, and United just lost to Huddersfield. Outside of City, and I would almost say Spurs as well, the 3 and 4 spot are pretty open.

 

[Evilo]

So Spurs are going to beat top 4 team, but you give Arsenal, whom you believe will end up 6th in the end. Or 7th, I can't remember.

 

[YNWA14]

So Spurs are going to beat top 4 team, but you give Arsenal, whom you believe will end up 6th in the end. Or 7th, I can't remember.

I don't actually follow what you're saying here.

I think Arsenal are weaker than all of City, Spurs, Chelsea, United and Liverpool yes, and if Watford/Newcastle can keep playing as they have and make a push somewhat like Leicester did I wouldn't be surprised if one of them pipped Arsenal also (Chelsea were, IMO, lucky to get that result against Watford).

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

If you think Spurs look the same now as they did in August against Chelsea well...you probably thought Chelsea's early form last season meant they had no chance at the title.

Anyway, why does a team have to let in 4 goals to struggle against Spurs? Chelsea were very fortunate to get that result early in the season. United and City will likely both have problems with this very strong Tottenham side and I would be shocked if Spurs don't trounce Arsenal. Liverpool dominated United when they played and could have easily won that game, and United just lost to Huddersfield. Outside of City, and I would almost say Spurs as well, the 3 and 4 spot are pretty open.

We have definitely improved since that Chelsea game. I think Pep is going to run a way with the title though. Regarding United, their most pivotal player was injured for both games, with more to come (last i heard atleast).

 

[Burner Account]

Remember when Liverpool didn't buy any CBs?

 

[Cassano]

Remember when Liverpool didn't buy any CBs?

Will never forget that they chose Ox over Lemar/CB. In Klopp we trust

 

[Live in the Now]

Will never forget that they chose Ox over Lemar/CB. In Klopp we trust

Lol I don't think Klopp is the person who chooses to spend 150 million or 35 million.

 

[Cassano]

Lol I don't think Klopp is the person who chooses to spend 150 million or 35 million.

Monaco accepted a 90m offer from Arsenal, but the player wanted to go to Liverpool.

 

[Live in the Now]

I think you're misunderstanding. Klopp wasn't the person who decided to only sign Oxlade-Chamberlain. I am very certain he would have wanted all three of those players.