Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

Girly Gal · 03-01-2023 12:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120058086#Comment_120058086

How many defeats do they need to spur them on, the losses to both Leeds and Forest should have been enough, they've also had the best part of 2 months to work on their problems and should have known since the season started that reinforcements are required in midfield. None of our issues seem to have been resolved during the break, so, hard to see how they'll resolve it now with games coming thick and fast.

Until we return to something like our old form, I think we need to be prepared to be tactically more flexible and be willing to adapt to how the opposition is set-up. We seem to have only one way of playing regardless of whose available or the strengths or weaknesses of the opposition.

Fitz* · 03-01-2023 12:19am

Nunes played for Sporting Lisbon this season, and Wolves. So he won't be joining in the January window. You can't play for 3 clubs in the same season. I think that article above says that it is for a summer transfer though anyways, maybe just looking for an agreement now.

bdmc16 · 03-01-2023 1:29am

When Edwards left it always felt he could might have seen what was coming . An incredible team coming to end of its cycle with the funds lacking to compete and rebuild all over again. The fact Julian ward is resigning so soon and FSG looking to sell the club just doubles down those internally can see the problems for the foreseeable and huge investment involved to rebuild this team trying to compete when FFP has gone out the window.

We have some great attacking options and Allison in goal but the whole midfield and a lot of that defence needs upgrading or a revamp in tactics. Defensively I just can’t believe how bad we are , that corner Wissa has time to take down and shoot but the goal was ruled out in the box was shocking. VVD is particular is so bad at the moment it looks like he’s been targeted even more than Trent

awec · 03-01-2023 1:33am

The ruled out offside goal summed us up. A player being able to chest the ball down from a corner before shooting is genuinely farcical stuff. That should never happen.

I know it's a bit of cliche but you honestly wouldn't see that in amateur football. For someone to have so much time and space indicates a serious break in the system.

Ikozma · 03-01-2023 1:35am

This team is done I'm affraid and anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded.

We are still being subjected to ox,Jones,Keita,even hendo and milner are past their best,Elliott isn't good enough to play midfield for Liverpool,thiago is a silky player at times but I don't think he's the right player for us or a klopp team,fab played his first half decent game tonight for the first time in 6mths,we have huge problems in midfield when the majority of those players aren't good enough or past their best,klopp needs to grow a pair of balls and get rid of these players and demand money to spend or threaten to leave himself.

I dunno what to say about nunez tbh,how much longer are fans willing to wait for him to look like something other then a schoolboy playing in the yard,I've no problem in saying I think the lad is a dud and I've had enough of him now at this stage,hopefully gakpo comes in and takes his place as I can't stomach watching him for much longer.

Bleak times indeed,but all our own fault,we haven't bought a midfielder in over 4 yrs and never built on the squad when on top,sad to see really

Summitatem · 03-01-2023 2:12am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120058104#Comment_120058104

In the modern game with all the minutes they play perhaps not.

We were terrible against Leicester also ... We are as likely as Spurs to not get top4 now imo.

awec · 03-01-2023 2:12am

Even Klopp said in his interview after the game that Nunez should have scored his early chance. Honestly I think if it were any other player there'd be no excuses made for it.

Calling him a dud is very harsh, he is clearly an excellent player but the elephant in the room is that his finishing is absolutely brutal. He dragged a shot so far wide in the second half that it almost went out for a throw-in, which is something he's done numerous times, the sort of shot that any other striker would at least put on target. It's like the more time he has to think the worse he is on the ball.

I don't know what more the team can do. They are giving him absolute sitters and he's fluffing them. They aren't all difficult chances.

Zak Flaps · 03-01-2023 2:51am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120058332#Comment_120058332

This is all very negative, but unfortunately i agree with almost everything you said.

I think it's too early to call Nunez a dud. I'm willing to give him another while yet. But if he's still the same by the end of the season, I'll start to get worried.

yourdeadwright · 03-01-2023 10:20am

Its clear as day we need legs in midfield,

I know all the talk is saving money for Bellingham but we need a "Gini" we need someone with legs & discipline who knows how to block passing lines & tackle,

Even on the attakcing side everyone on here knows i don't rate Elliot at all ,

The more i think about it the crazier it sounds that he is our go to "attacking midfielder" Look at the other teams around us & who they use to attack form midfield , not only are they all better attacking than Elliot there all better off the ball ,

City have KDB or Gudgang /Foden at times

Chelsea Mount or Gallagher ,

United Bruno /Eriksen

Arsenal Odegaard , he get's injured there in trouble

Spurs not actually sure cause the set up without one really, Bentacur /Kulusevski

yourdeadwright · 03-01-2023 10:28am

Nunez just has to score the chances ,it would have effected the crowd ,given us confidence & knocked Brentford,

You just HAVE to score them

The worst thing about the miss is it 'll fester in Nunez himself & he'll be thinking he is cursed,

Has to be a confidence issue ,I think he needs to get 2 goals in a game , then just 1 in the next he'll be flying ,

yourdeadwright · 03-01-2023 10:39am

Hendo is hugely missed at RCM ,

Henderson for all his faults constantly makes that inside to out run down the right wing that means he has to be tracked & it opens up space for Mo or Trent to step up in to , He does it time and time again Elliot does not have the pace or stamina to do it like Jordan & it means the whole side is rarely ever opened up ,

I was watching England V USA in the world cup & England really struggled, Hendo came on & made that run twice in the space of about 3 minutes & both times England got chances from Tripper entering into the space with time on the ball.,

I'd love to hear from the player on what they think has gone wrong or what has changed

SlickRic · 03-01-2023 11:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120057271#Comment_120057271

Maybe.

But physically we look a shadow of the team we were. It's shameful and neglectful.

We were destroyed by Dewsbury Hall on Friday, and bullied in transition by Brentford last night.

rob316 · 03-01-2023 12:09pm

We need legs, Henderson and Gini were never the most technically gifted, but they covered the spaces and worked their socks off. Klopp is still trying to play the same way with inferior or past it players, that is the long and short. It's left our defence exposed which has left our world class goal keeper exposed.

Salah I expect so much better from, Nunez been ridden for missing chances but Salah is guilty of it too.

Fabinho has just fallen off a cliff, he's only 29 he should be only approaching his peak now.

It's an aging squad you can't escape that and as we didn't recruit from a position of strength we are looking at a transitionary period before been ready to challenge again.

yourdeadwright · 03-01-2023 12:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059071#Comment_120059071

100% agree with the first part, Can you remember us blowing teams away in the champions league with our pure pressure & energy in midfield , Even Milner & ox back then had les for days , I recall De Rossi off Roma saying our midfield was like a pack of wild dogs,

Lets also not forget we used to have Bobby dropping deep as a 9 & being an extra body at the base of the opposition midfield that is gone now to ,

The midfield used to make the platform for the full backs & front 3 to perform its become far to slow & nice in there ,

SlickRic · 03-01-2023 12:14pm

In this system, Gini is arguably a bigger miss than Mané. And he's never been replaced, and his exit coincided with Fab and Hendo's decline.

Basically our legs disappeared, and we've never quite recovered. Last season was spectacular, but it felt like we got away with plenty of games where we didn't really have the energy and control we should have. This season, the wound is gaping.

Osmosis Jones · 03-01-2023 12:25pm

I think pretty much all the concerns about midfield were fully voiced before the season started...but I don't believe anybody could have foreseen such a steep drop off for Fabinho this year. Even if everything else stayed the same, we'd be in a far stronger position if he just maintained his form.

Even when he's timing his tackles and winning the ball back like he has been slightly more recently he still looks a shambles on the ball, Thiago had to take a yellow card yesterday because he turned the ball over when he received it under no pressure.

doc_17 · 03-01-2023 12:27pm

FSG have spent the guts of £200 million on attackers this past year and none of them were available last night. I think they need to get the book out now and get a midfielder. Otherwise, we won’t make top 4. Then we go to UEFA Cup on Thursday/Sunday and that’s difficult for us. The spiral sets in. We cannot afford to miss out on CL league football. The I think we will catch Newcastle, but City, Ars, Utd and Spurs will probably fill the top 4.

Girly Gal · 03-01-2023 12:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059152#Comment_120059152

Why do you think we can catch Newcastle and that Spurs will get top 4? On the evidence so far, Newcastle look much more likely to get top 4 than Spurs. I think Newcastle were third over the calendar year of 2022, behind city and Liverpool. They are not a flash in the pan, unfortunately they are here to stay, will likely strengthen again this month, while we dilly dally about maybe signing a midfielder next summer!

The club needs to act now in midfield or else resign themselves to finishing outside the top 4. Winning the CL is probably our best chance of qualifying for next season's CL, and I don't really fancy our chances against RM

brevity · 03-01-2023 12:43pm

I'm blaming our Pep today. I think he's trying to implement something that is clearly not working.

Osmosis Jones · 03-01-2023 12:50pm

Salah is still being almost completely played out of games, perhaps he's being expected to do too much. It's rare enough you see him receiving a pass in a scoring position, he's always out wide and being expected to start and finish our attacks.

We only seem to have 3 ideas for how to score goals at the moment:

Long ball over the top to Nunez - it's proven an effective play in creating chances, but Nunez has squandered almost all of them. We also play a few high balls from defence for Nunez to head down but he hasn't often made a good connection with those yet.
Pass left to right through midfield and defence until we get bored and one of our fullbacks lashes a cross in to nobody - Again this worked better when players like Mane/Diaz/Jota were in the box because they all have really good movement and can put away a header, Salah has never been an aerial threat and Nunez never seems to be in the right place for these crosses, so it all just looks aimless.
Give it to Salah and see what happens - Mostly nothing this season. Salah has some of the best individual moments of brilliance in this club's history, it's difficult enough to do what he does while being marked as tightly as he is and being genuinely singled out by the refs, but now that we've got no other serious attacking threat he can be double and even triple teamed right out of the game. It's become particularly easy to get multiple defenders on Salah now due to the combination of him playing so wide where Trent and Elliott both seem to find themselves for most of the game too.

DrumSteve · 03-01-2023 3:12pm

I wonder what has actually happened to Fabinho, he looks a ghost of his former self in the last year or so.

BorneTobyWilde · 03-01-2023 3:22pm

One defeat is better than two draws, we just need to win another 5 on the bounce now

Summitatem · 03-01-2023 3:23pm

VVD being crap, Hendo tired/jaded/old...Salah nowhere near his best.

That drop off in performance doesn't motivate or inspire the rest .....it does the opposite.

yourdeadwright · 03-01-2023 3:23pm

Something has to be going on behind the scenes ,

Why have so many people left the club recently ,

Why would Klopp say yes to Gakpo knowing it means no new CM when in the summer he want one ?

Makes no sense at all ,

rob316 · 03-01-2023 3:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059217#Comment_120059217

This and I've been thinking the same, is the coaching just gone stale? Fresh ideas needed? We can't keep playing a watered down version of the past 3 seasons.

rob316 · 03-01-2023 3:30pm

Only one player can walk off that pitch every time with their head held high, that's Alisson. Outstanding every game, saved us so many points this season.

I think Robertson has been brilliant since he came back from his injury too, he just drags the team 30 yards up the pitch. I like the greek but he doesn't carry anymore near the threat Robbo does.

That is really about it for positives.

Infoseeker1975 · 03-01-2023 3:48pm

We have the best goalkeeper in the league and we still look like we will concede at least 3 every time we play; since the WC the 3-2 v City where they could have scored 6/7, 3-1 v Villa where they could have scored 3/4 in the first 10 mins of the 2nd half, Leicester was a game where we could have conceded more than one and last night they could have scored 4/5 - it is very difficult to win games knowing you need to score 3 or more goals.

Our options up front look good when all are fit and age profile is good, the midfield has been screaming out for additions since 2021, additions who are first team starters and just one per summer, nothing has happened and now we have players who should be still developing on the fringes of the squad getting lots of game time.

FSG are not spending 150-200m on getting 2/3 new midfielders who would then need time to adjust. We are at a crossroads and probably need new owners as the money in soccer was bananas a couple of years ago but it has moved well beyond that currently, a 30m player 2-3 years ago is not 60m+.

I am exhausted thinking of how we would need to rebuild, why Klopp would stay knowing he will have nowhere near the resources of Newcastle, Utd, City, Arsenal, even Spurs and in recent years Villa, Everton, West Ham and Wolves have spent a lot more than us.

I think the goal is to try and stay in the race for top 4; I sadly see Utd as getting 3rd easily enough and it is Newcastle who will drop off a bit, then it depends on Spurs and Chelsea so we might be able to still be involved with 10 games to go.

yourdeadwright · 03-01-2023 4:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059992#Comment_120059992

Robbo's cameo last night showed everyone what exactly what is wrong ,

As soon as he came on the tempo raised because of his intensity , its just so obvious that is what we are missing, Look at our best game this season City at home we had it in droves & they struggled, Once we lose it WE struggle,

Our midfield needs new legs its really that simple, Diaz & Jota are also two big misses because they both bring that intensity & a bit of nasty niggles , We need legs & aggression ,

Mo used to be one of the few in our starting 11 who wasn't that aggressive but he almost rode the coat tales of the likes of Mane ,Jota, Diaz & would remain cold & calm for when chances presented themselves in chaos , he seems a bit lost at the moment,

I think Jurgen knows what is missing its just hard for him to get it out of what's available , He made point of getting of f his seat to cheer Bajcetic for that press & tackle at the end of the last home game ,

brevity · 03-01-2023 6:13pm

If the players cannot play that pressure game due to age or injuries, then it's upto the coaching staff to set the tactics accordingly.

I believe a lot of the players have had every ounce squeezed out of them mentally and physically and they haven't had adequate players to cover for them. Specifically the midfield. It has really done serious damage.

Talisman · 03-01-2023 6:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120060716#Comment_120060716

This is Klopp's first attempt to rebuild his own team. At Dortmund he stepped down when faced with similar issues and the team had finished 7th in the league. The failure to bring in a midfielder to rejuvenate the team in the past two years rests with Klopp and Ljinders.

03-01-2023 9:44pm

Liverpool have now conceded more goals than Everton, and the same number as West Ham who occupy 16th and 17th places in the league, and our GK is the best performing member of the team. Worrying times if that isn’t addressed very quickly, we could be hockeyed by RM and fail to even qualify for Europe next season.

Cartman78 · 03-01-2023 10:03pm

Well Everton are doing their very best to overtake us on goals conceded

TitianGerm · 03-01-2023 10:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120061735#Comment_120061735

Joyce has an article in the Times today. Main points below are taken from Reddit.

- Liverpool are wide open. Conceding 51 big chances so far this season - 3 per game. 3rd worst in the prem behind Leeds and Fulham at 55 and 54 respectively. Arsenal have conceded 19

- Compared to this point last season, Liverpool have conceded 30 more big chances - the high line isnt as effective

- The press has been wound down by Klopp. Perhaps because of a belief that the team could not sustain it all season after the last campaign

- Liverpool's prem rankings for sprints, distance covered and high-speed runs are all down

- It may be a tactical choice, by pressing less, there is more space for Nunez and Salah to make runs

- Liverpool are unclinical. They have the most big chances in the league, coupled with the lowest conversion rate. Behind Everton in 19th (28% vs 27.6%)

- Klopp has misplaced trust in his midfield options (highlighted by the rant in August about how great the midfield was) with the complaint of them being injury prone and ageing ringing true

- With only Thiago signed as a permanent midfielder in 4 years, an overhaul is needed - Nunes is being tracked but for summer.

RonanG86 · 04-01-2023 12:23am

Klopp was interested in both Tchouameni and Konrad Laimer in the summer, but Tchouameni preferred Real Madrid and Laimer wants to join Bayern and is expected to agree a deal to do exactly that when his RBL contract ends.

Whether he chose not to pursue alternatives cos he didn't like the available options, or we didn't have the money to after signing Nunez (seems unlikely we'd have gone in with just Jota, Diaz, Salah & Bobby had we signed someone like Tchouameni. Although there could've been a cheaper forward option if our big signing was a midfielder instead of Nunez), we won't know for sure, but despite his public pronouncements and what Paul Joyce thinks, it's clear Klopp was looking for a midfielder in the summer.

As for Gapko, I suspect a combination of a long term injury to Diaz and the possibility that Man U would come in made us move now rather than in the summer. Much as we did with Diaz last year.

At this point, on the assumption we can't get [insert your £80m midfielder of choice here] in the Jan window, I'd try and sign McKennie from Juventus. They are apparently willing to listen to offers on him, and he looks to have a bit of ability, drive and energy.

~Rebel~ · 04-01-2023 12:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120061904#Comment_120061904

Going for Nunes in the summer for some big fee would be beyond annoying given how closely we were linked to him just before he signed for Wolves. Could've had him already in, settled, and playing if we'd just acted.

Talisman · 04-01-2023 2:12am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120062727#Comment_120062727

I think that's a failure of the transfer committee setup. If the manager decides a player isn't needed for a position then there is no signing until they change their opinion.

Fitz* · 04-01-2023 10:08am

A big hatchet job on Ljinders here. The first time that a real journo has done a piece on him, after Carra spoke about him and how much influence he has on Monday night.

https://twitter.com/TeleFootball/status/1610547542176980993

Some interesting points here;

Ljinders & Klopp declined Nkunku last summer (there has been some talk of others being in the same boat as this too)
Three of the four big signings that Liverpool have made in the past two seasons – Díaz, Darwin Núñez and now Gakpo – have been advocated by Lijnders. Matheus Nunes is another Lijnders recommendation.
Lijnders, 39, regularly takes first-team sessions

Did Ward, and possibly Graham, leave because of how much influence Ljinders was having in terms of recruitment and style of play?

jones · 04-01-2023 10:11am

Is Klopp too loyal with players? Loyalty is a good thing in general but there are times when a manager needs to be ruthless. Think of Ferguson in his pomp etc it's like Klopp is just too pally with the players at times.

TitianGerm · 04-01-2023 10:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120063287#Comment_120063287

I'd say they are fishing for someone to blame.

To me it's not just anyone but quite a few. Going back to summer two years ago Klopp was saying we didn't need a midfielder, then the same again this summer. If he keeps saying it then maybe he actually believed it.

Coaching staff have to take some responsibility for the change in style of play which is exposing the shortfall in midfield, allowing the defence to be ran at far more often and taking our attackers and threat further from goal.

Medical staff and fitness staff need to do better in having players ready to play and in top condition.

Recruitment staff need to do better in convincing Klopp that the players picked as potential purchases are the correct options for the club and press the issue of needing to have adequate backups.

FSG haven't done much wrong, they've done what they've said from day one and I don't expect them to put their own money into the club to fund transfers. The ones running the club (Hogan et al) need to free up some funds if available assuming our wages haven't affected purchasing to much.

I'd also like to point out that if we hadn't signed Gakpo we'd be stuck with just Nunez and Salah until Diaz and Jota return given Bobby is breaking down more often. I have 0 issue signing him as we did actually need a body up top to help out. We have the numbers in midfield (which Klopp keeps saying) but now we need someone with quality to slot in in January as well and then another one in the summer and the following January. Those new first team starters then leave you with Thiago, New, New and that lets Fabhino rediscover his form, Henderson to be managed better, Elliot, Carvahlo and Bajcetic to develop. Milner could be kept around as a stop gap and to help young players.

Edit: obviously the players have to have a look at themselves as well considering that they have performed poorly in the main this season as well.

yourdeadwright · 04-01-2023 10:27am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120063287#Comment_120063287

i don't understand the Pep hate,

Look what we have achieved with him as our number 2 even up to the last day of last season , mental how all of a sudden its his fault ,

Fitz* · 04-01-2023 10:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120063362#Comment_120063362

I think it started in the summer with the book stuff. And the irony with it being called 'Intensity' when that is now the very thing we lack.

Personally, I don't mind the book.

I do have an issue with having a major influence over recruitment. He is the assistant to the head coach. His job is coaching, not player recruitment. And I've said the same about Klopp having too much say in that area too.

dogbert27 · 04-01-2023 10:56am

If we're supposed to be agreeing a deal for Nunes for the summer and we are supposed to also be chasing Bellingham in the summer then we are not going to signing a midfielder this window.

Unless the talk of the Nunes deal is a smokescreen for bringing someone in under the radar.

Who is a realistic midfielder that can be bought this transfer window?

mormank · 04-01-2023 11:19am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120063453#Comment_120063453

Honestly we could do alot worse than Douglas Luiz of Villa. Only 24 and can cover the 6 and the 8 position, would surely be happy enough starting most games but not all unless he excels and is in his last 6 months of his contract so shouldnt take much out of the fund for another new mid in the summer.

Not to mention you can never have enough Brazilians in the team. I'd be happy enough even with him or someone of that ilk as I fear we just won't get any midfielder this window tbh.

yourdeadwright · 04-01-2023 11:39am

|Reports VVD is set for a few weeks out with his Hammy ,

~Rebel~ · 04-01-2023 11:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120063536#Comment_120063536

He would’ve been a good target last summer, but just signed a new long term deal in October so he’s out as an option now I’d say.

rob316 · 04-01-2023 11:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120063287#Comment_120063287

Definitely interesting and makes some sense but still feels like a witch hunt on Pep.

I don't like the idea of a number 2 having so much influence on the transfer strategy, coach the team leave transfers to the recruitment team. I don't even like Klopp having an increasing influence, we were doing quite well as things were.

Osmosis Jones · 04-01-2023 12:10pm

The Pep stuff feels like such a scapegoat to me, the last time we were this bad we had journos claiming that all of our success came from Buvac and we'd never be good without him. I'm not sure how much anyone not involved with the coaching staff actually knows about how they function.

TitianGerm · 04-01-2023 12:16pm

https://twitter.com/_pauljoyce/status/1610584437791637505?t=QGkm4x5Ukw1TspCWRQeqkw&s=19

More good news

citytillidie · 04-01-2023 12:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120063795#Comment_120063795

He hasn't been the same all season a spell on the side lines was needed just not being injured as the other 2 CB are injury prone

awec · 04-01-2023 12:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120063756#Comment_120063756

Yea exactly, nobody knows this stuff.

I doubt there is a cookie cutter definition of what an assistant manager does, cause I would bet it varies depending on the skillset of the assistant and the skill set of the manager.

Assistant manager is a very senior position at the club, would it really be an issue if they have an input into signings? Not really, IMO. And an assistant manager regularly taking training sessions seems like something that would be totally normal to me.

The assistant isn't there to put out the cones before training and pick them up again after.

Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

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