Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

Anyone got the fantasy football code

I wonder what will happen to him now, no loans forthcoming for him?

Will he be like 4th choice keeper I wonder?

Makes no sense with that other Pitaluga kid around

I like to think they are saving on not getting a midfielder this summer because they will go all in for Bellingham next summer.

I was also wondering are they waiting to see how Neto comes back from is injury before going for him in January before Salah and Mane head off to AFCON.

Yup, been like this for a long while. And it makes sense to be honest. The players version is a proper slim fitting athletes top, while the 'stadium' version is a bit more basic and, erm, 'forgiving' of the average fans girth. So I've no problem with the concept - but the prices are absolutely obscene alright, especially the stadium version really (even though its cheaper), which is always lacking in the quality fabric and finish of the player one. Stadium version should be 50 quid max imo.

Klopp put the journalist on the spot by asking what a replacement for Wijnaldum would do to improve the midfield. The answer was to score more goals.

The way Klopp sets up the team, scoring goals isn't a primary function of the midfielders and that's not going to change no matter who is signed. Goals from midfield are a bonus.

Klopp has to say stuff like that. I wouldn’t read too much into it.

That's the journalists for you, they are absolutely rubbish at asking interesting questions to get managers to give more than soundbites or have information on hand to hold them to the fire when they give a response. The obvious response is to state the injury record of all of the other midfielders throughout their career and the fact Gini played 40+ games every season he was here.

If we get off to a bad start how long before some fans start with the Klopp out and he lost the dressing room stuff again.

Kind of feel it's brewing already for some.

It's been run through a fair few times how all the problems at centreback and midfield affected the how frontline operated, so it's reasonable enough to suggest that fixing those issues also fixes the fundamental problem up front. If the centrebacks start further forward, so too do the midfielders and fullbacks, and subsequently the forwards. So they're all closer to dangerous areas on the ball, and are getting better service from support players (like thiago, robbo and trent) from much more dangerous positions, while themselves being in much more dangerous positions. Mane was also just in really bad form on top of all that. Maybe he comes good again, maybe he doesn't, but it seems like he has Klopp's confidence, and that's kinda good enough for me at this stage.

As for the 'proper number 9' thing, for better or worse Klopp clearly sees the two wide positions as being where the goals come from, with the 9 being a facilitator. I presume he thinks that if you go for a 9 that sits in there to score goals, that you are then blocking two very effective wider forwards from moving into the spaces where they can be their most effective, giving you a net loss in production. Seems like Taki was brought in to do the same role as Bobby, but it hasn't worked out yet. I think we need someone young there sooner or later, but I wouldn't expect that new person to be an out and out 'proper number 9' either.

I understand what your saying but even as a plan B its strange no number "9|" has ever been bought,

Lets be fair Firmino has struggled for 2 season's now ,

Plan B has been Origi, who is a proper out and out number 9 centre forward. But even at his best and sharpest, he's never gotten many minutes since Klopp changed to the current system because how he (and any out and out number 9) plays is totally at odds with everything else everyone else in the team is trying to do. So in theory it's nice to have, but in practice they're just gonna be sitting there 95% of the time, and then they're cold and rusty whenever they come on for 6 minutes at the end of a match.

So in reality I don't really think Plan B is as great an idea as it intuitively feels - ideally what you want is other options to tweak Plan A and make it work better when the starting lineup isn't breaking through. Jota's ideal for instance, as the team can play the same way, but he brings something a little different. That's not to say we couldn't ever get a player who can do more of the traditional no 9 things, but they HAVE to be able to play Plan A perfectly well as well, otherwise it's just a waste.

I don't disagree on Firmino though, and I'd like a young option there as an alternative - I just wouldn't expect that option to be a different type of player to Firmino.

I will still say Klopp losing his mother and Ali losing his father in the New Year also played it's part in that run of bad form, This group of players are so close there is no doubt in my mind that it had an effect on the entire squad especially with the stress everyone was under during the lockdown and neither Klopp or Ali could return home to bury their parent.

All of it combined, along with the pandemic and major injuries in the squad probably had a negative affect around the place but they stilled pulled themselves together and put in a 10 games unbeaten run to make sure last season didn't drag into this season. That along with other factors gives me confidence.

I just hate the no VVD = Liverpool are not good enough, we where still top and scoring and defending at our regular rate with one first team CB playing. We've had the best prepared pre-season by the looks of, a lot of the major players in from the start of it. TAA, Mane and Salah all having extended breaks and our opening run of fixtures is pretty good. I'm pumped for the season to start.

Might just be a case of him looking at the other players in his age group and position at Liverpool, and not seeing much of an opportunity to break in ahead of them - he's got Musialowski (17), Balagizi (17), and Kaide Gordon (16) to compete with. I'd imagine Utd gave him some assurances of his place over there.

Oh yeah I was just ranting to myself and typing away, I just meander a long and forget what I was even trying to write up. Was just having that discussion of no VVD Liverpool fall apart with a friend and was listening to some PL preseason podcasts and everything Liverpool based seems to be VVD is only just fit and is he enough to right Liverpool and nothing else is taken in account. Thiago (21 games), Henderson (17 games), Jota (21 games), Fabinho (10 games) all missed large chunks of the season to go along with our CB's but it's just not even mentioned.

Klopp is persistent to say the least , I wouldn't go as far to call him a one trick pony, but he does persist with the same style and personnel. It's a given that he'll have Firmino playing the same role this season, but that ship sailed last season, teams were playing the ball anywhere Firmino was not, and he was then ineffective . It's now a thing when playing Liverpool, for the opposition to avoid playing the ball anywhere near Firmino, so the things Firmino is there to do,winning the ball back, and hustling people into mistakes, he can't do.

The new owners of Melwood God & Carra have a new podcast

Journo's James Pearce and Dom King join them this week from what was the managers office discussing the last week with Liverpool.

Sounds like Hendo's contract will get sorted.

He's got his own Godcast already. The lad he does it with is a twat but some episodes are decent enough. It's very repetitive tho

zea60h

Dont know if its that one you want but i set up a league for this thread years ago and thats the regenerated code i did just now. Theres over 100 who hover around still 😂

Games against Norwich really make me realise how much I miss Suarez

You're right, but I don't see that as a positive to be honest.

There were times last season when he persisted with his standard 4-3-3 formation, when it wasn't working, and he hadn't the personnel available to operate it properly, eg no proper centre backs, Fab and Henderson not available as a DM pivot.

Sometimes you need horses for courses, and there were times last year when we needed to match up with the opposition, eg put an extra man in midfield or go to a diamond, or a simple 2 up top, and it wasn't done.

You gotta be flexible.

Not having a dig, but having a dig!

Look, I believe in Jürgen, of course I do, but he's not infallible, he's not perfect, and everything that was done last season wasn't perfect - and to suggest we shouldn't question any aspects of team management on a discussion forum.... Well I dunno, why log on if you don't want to read differing opinions.

Of course I'll praise Jürgen and more to the point FSG. As you say, just look at the mess Arsenal have become with a parasitic owner more interested in using the club as an ATM than helping them compete. As with Klopp, FSG haven't been 100% correct in every decision they've made in recent years, buy like him they have gotten the big decisions right, and both the team and the club continue to improve and compete with the other clubs that don't have to worry about where the money comes from.