Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

Gakpo:

Nunez:

That was Everton. Mo's goal but Gakpo was lightning up the pitch

I was the same as you initially, he seemed quite passive in his play and I wasn't sure what he had. Hard being thrown straight in to the team, in a new country etc so I wanted to give him time but I want convinced

The last few games though, he's really kicked on, I'm delighted to be wrong. Two great finishes yesterday, the second was sublime, and looked good all round :)

I actually think he's a decent YouTuber, heart on the sleeve for reactions but quite balanced when he does post match.

Didn't make it any less enjoyable thom

Salah has scored more goals against Man Utd than any other club in his career. Man City & Spurs just behind them. He's such a big game player.

Don’t ever take days like yesterday for granted.  I know we’ve had the 5-0 at Old Trafford last season, and the 4-0 at home, and then what happened yesterday, but those maulings don’t come around often at all.  To have witnessed three in 18 months is beyond what anyone should expect.

This was a reality check for Manchester United.  As I’ve said to anyone who’ll listen, they were never what many said they were.  They’re good, but nowhere near great.

More importantly, it was a reality check for Liverpool.  We’ve been utterly spoiled over the last 5 years.  If it wasn’t for Pep and the Wall of Money, this team would not only be a Liverpool dynasty, but a Premier League dynasty.  It has given me more joy than any Liverpool team in my lifetime.  They have earned trust beyond measure.  They have earned time and patience to get things right as things are reset.

Should we have done more to get midfielders in to the club?  Yes

Have we thrown away this season because we couldn’t/wouldn’t move the mountains needed to make sure we remained competitive at the top end this season as certain players went on a downward trajectory?  Yes

Should we have dealt with injuries better than we did?  Possibly

Did Klopp take too long to go back to basics - getting us solid at the back, and going from there?  Yes

But yesterday was a timely reminder that Klopp has the ability to get this team to where it needs to be again.  Yesterday was proof that certain players are bedding in nicely, and for me, we’re a couple of good summer signings away from being a title contender again.  Gakpo looks sensational.  I can’t express adequately how good he was yesterday.  If Salah was the knife that twisted in United’s chest when they were already dead, Gakpo was the sniper who got the job done.  He had Firmino’s elusiveness, but his 2 goals show a speed, directness and finishing ability that mean he is a scary, scary prospect for this league.  United had no clue what to do with him.

Klopp can do this.  We needed this result.  In a season where so much has gone wrong, and where we are transitioning in every since of the word, we, as a fanbase needed a reminder that we are fúcking blessed to have this man at the helm.  He knows what he’s doing, and he will have us challenging and punching above our weight against the megabucks of this league again.

And finally.  Jordan fúcking Henderson.  I’ve criticised him as much as anyone.  But how proud I am to continue to have a man of class as captain.  Despite everything this season he has been exemplary in his attitude and how he’s carried himself.  He is the embodiment of how I want the club represented.  As opposed to the embarrassment opposite him.  Henderson, while waning, continues to be a credit to anyone who is a fan of the club.

Now beat Bournemouth, lads.

Ah but when theres no dodgy decisions theres always the old faithful to go back to Liverpool were just lucky

Loved this moment too, Bruno has a kick out at Bajcetic who instead of hitting the deck rides the challenge and keeps playing...unlike Bruno who completely gives up when his deliberate foul doesn't work out.

He's got all the bad bits of say Suarez without the talent and work rate. Comfortably the player I dislike the most

Thanks ceegee. I was focusing on the giant 7 rather than the name though 👍

Fair enough, I'm still probably a bit touchy from yesterday lol. I'm sure you can understand why a united fan would assume the worst when someone wears a Suarez shirt specifically to rile up United fans.

3-0 down in a Champions League fixture and you're doubting us?! 😀

Milner out on the left doing the Ronaldo stepovers in the 91st minute was such a nice moment, that needs a GIF

Crowd also singing Viva Ronaldo, such an embarrassing day all around for Manchester United

Ya everything went in but some fantastic finishes especially gakpo x 2. Bit like the 6-1 stoke game years ago, I was actually laughing at how everything went in against us.

Great article here showing the tactical plan used yesterday, and the brilliance of Gakpo.

When they described the interaction of the forwards on MOTD, it felt like it was the beginning of a new front three.

I don’t mind admitting that I didn’t see that coming at all, and I posted on here saying that I feared Casemiro and Rashford would do a lot of damage. Couldn’t be more delighted to be proved absolutely wrong.

Delighted for Darwin and Gakpo on a human level also, they’ve both had challenging starts to their time and shipped a fair bit of criticism. It’s not easy to join a team in transition but I think they’ve really shown their quality recently.

^^

Ha sorry I have the number 7 stuck in my head today

No punishment for Fernandes putting his hands on the ref, genuinely surprised with that one as it's usually something they're very strict on AND they've been doing a lot of PR regarding the abuse referees get recently.

I was stunned when I saw that live yesterday. How he got away with it is beyond me.

Just some satire to ridicule United once we took the lead, it took on a whole new meaning after the game, with No7 being Ronaldo's number, Milner mimicking Ronaldo stepovers ect

As per usual their PR stunts seem to only effect Liverpool, Klopp banned for shouting at the ref and Javier Mascherano was sent off for chatting back to the ref when they were playing Man Utd

It's quite simple.

There are a large portion of them who were realistic and knew exactly where they were in terms of their development. They knew they were a good team, but not quite great yet. They're taking it just fine and are circumspect about it.

Then another portion truly believed they were back, and were full of hope. many of them were dead inside last year when we hammered them twice because they knew what was coming. This season that group fully expected to get something, likely a win, so they are absolutely irate and confused.

All I'd ask is we score first.

Another great aspect about Nunez being on form now is it frees up some space for Salah on the opposite wing. Teams cannot double mark him. No offense to Ox but when he was out on the LW, opposition teams could afford to defend more on their left side to stifle Salah, and Trent, and as a byproduct attack more down that wing themselves. Ox just didn't offer that multi dimension threat down the outside.

A by product of having both of these players on the wings occupying full backs and centre backs being worried is it let's Gakpo drift around into pockets of space and be the link man between the lines.

Early days yet but it feels very 2017-2018 Liverpool attack. I'm not sure what happens when Diaz is back fit but it will be interesting to see over the next few months and there are certainly reasons to be hopeful of a top 4 spot and for next season again. We need to see it more consistently but we have seen just how it can work now. I wouldn't get too carried away with the 7 goals but the interplay did impress me.

Gakpo was all over the place, in a good way, very false 9. 20 duels he competed for. He only won 8, but he was making a nuisance of himself, putting himself about. putting in the hard yards. A few nice turns and dribbles too, drawing fouls. He picked some nice times and spaces to pick up. And that's not even mentioning his 2 goals.

Ironically enough, I think yesterday could well have been Nunez's worst performance for us, the first half certainly was. His link up play was non existent in that half when it is usually better. But then he goes and scores 2 goals in the second half while playing a bit better. He's gonna be a monster for us next season when he is fully settled. At the moment he is trying to be his all action self while also being the clinical forward. He needs to fuse them together better perhaps. Save some energy for the right times.

Salah is Salah is King.

I would also just like to point out that within the past month or two we have had people on here (and IRL) calling for Klopp's head. You should all be ashamed of yourselves!

Michael Owen spoke with Pep Ljinders about coaching at Liverpool.

Video on NBC Sports