Liverpool (A) Post Match Thread.

[pavelsrnicek]

Something that strikes me is that Pep has been outdone a number of times by Klopp, he is his nemesis, Klopps tactical skill in pressing the opposition is outdoing Peps skill in passing calmly and with purpose out from the back.

Pep needs to adapt to that, not sure how, but blindly sticking to "his style" isnt working in this case and tbh is a bit luddite approach. He needs to find a different way, maybe even play a little defensive :O

Pep has won 6 league titles to Klopp's one, so I would think that Pep's approach is fine.

The issue yesterday was poor passing way, way before the crazy 8 minutes. Between Otamendi, Stones and Fernandinho we gave the ball more often in dangerous areas than they have in the previous 10 matches. We have been pressed many times but passed through the press but our passing was so poor yesterday that we couldn't do that, it made for a far more anxious performance than we've seen before. We needed someone to control possession for us but unfortunately the one man who could was on the bench as he was ill.

 

[HarrytheBlue]

Our ongoing problem against Liverpool is that we are tailor made for the way they play. They’re all about insane pressing all over the pitch and lightning counter attacking, and when your own game is based on possession high up the pitch and you haven’t got any pace at the back (bar Walker), it’s a recipe for trouble. Where they’ve struggled under Klopp, and Rogers before him, is against muscular deep lying teams who play on the counter themselves - Burnley, Palace, Watford. We come gift wrapped and I would hate to draw them in the Chimps League. They’d be our most troublesome opponent

To be honest, I still think Liverpool's continual attacking game suits us and our 'risk and reward' ethos and vice versa. We made a series of uncharacteristic basic errors from some of our steadier players - numerous short passes to red shirts when we had more than enough time to make the pass and were without the best player in the Prem - albeit he was on the bench. Generally, most of the team plays well simultaneously, but yesterday a significant chunk of the team was well under par. It happens - even to the Barcas, Bayerns and Madrids. Despite that, if Sergio and co stay onside for Kevin's free kick, and wait a second longer, that Liverpool defence would very likely not have dealt with it and someone is one-on-one with Karius - 4 - 4.

 

[HarrytheBlue]

Pep has won 6 league titles to Klopp's one, so I would think that Pep's approach is fine.

The issue yesterday was poor passing way, way before the crazy 8 minutes. Between Otamendi, Stones and Fernandinho we gave the ball more often in dangerous areas than they have in the previous 10 matches. We have been pressed many times but passed through the press but our passing was so poor yesterday that we couldn't do that, it made for a far more anxious performance than we've seen before. We needed someone to control possession for us but unfortunately the one man who could was on the bench as he was ill.

Agree totally.

 

[HarrytheBlue]

Being rational we've looked a little jaded in recent matches and Liverpool always go to another level against us.
Probably a game too many when not at full tilt.
Would Mane be able to pick the top corner again, i doubt it.

He hit it like a golf sand wedge - had about five minutes to set himself, look up, set himself again, look up again, adjust his feet and ping. So uncharacteristic of us to make life easy for the opposing striker. Pep will force the team to watch that move, the mistake leading up to it and all the other basic errors.

 

[shevtheblue]

Good post.

Missing Silva, Mendy and GJ hurt us badly yesterday. Their stand ins aren't up to dealing with a team like Liverpool who were well up for the game urged on by their cultish following.

Hopefully this season will see us win some silverware but next season with some key additions should see us become the real deal which I don't think we currently are (I don't think Pep thinks so either)

BTW for all the praise for Liverpool and they did do well, it took several brainfarts from City players to hand them the game. Oh and it was a foul on Stones. All this 'he's got to be stronger' is bollocks. A push in the back is a push in the back and is a foul.

CTID

Agree mate, i couldn't believe it wasn't a foul. But i thought they got away with a lot in that game, some really tough challenges that usually would have been pulled up and that would have taken the bite out of the game as well as quietened the crowd. As it was, not many fouls were given when they should have and it just helped them overload us and give their self-important fans more to shout about, a lot like it helped us in the home game. The run their left back did in chasing down our players was ridiculous, it's something that gets the fans on side but we dealt with it and never, at any moment, did we give up on our principles. Like you say, next year should be something even more special.

 

[shevtheblue]

He hit it like a golf sand wedge - had about five minutes to set himself, look up, set himself again, look up again, adjust his feet and ping. So uncharacteristic of us to make life easy for the opposing striker. Pep will force the team to watch that move, the mistake leading up to it and all the other basic errors.

Some players looked a bit 'leggy', it happens and in all fairness to our boys it's not something we have been able to say about them this season.
I'm just proud of how they kept going and fought until the end, yes they fucked up, but all we can ask for them is to keep going and keep fighting to win, even at 15 points ahead. I'm sure Pep told them as much in the post-game talk.

 

[Metalartin]

I originally thought Silva being on wouldn't have made that big of a difference because the lack of movement upfront was the reason we didn't create as many chances as the norm, given that we had plenty of possession in the right places and KDB was actually very good. Having thought about it though the minutes that followed going behind 2-1 were where the game was really lost, 2-1 was totally recoverable with the time left on the clock... we played the ball into trouble(players already under pressure) which then makes the press easier for them, to force a mistake later on in the sequence. Silva is brilliant at finding the right space with and without the ball to relieve that pressure... for example there wouldn't have been that pass back to Otamendi in the first place or the need for Ederson to come out and clear that ball so hastily.

In short those 9mins wouldn't have happened for me and those 9mins were at odds with the rest of the game(anyone doubting that check the stats, count how many of those chances Liverpool had came in those 9mins alone) a draw may have been more likely perhaps unless Liverpool tired in the latter stages. That's only a fully fit, mentally ready David Silva though which he obviously wasn't so we went with what we had.

Also I don't know why we were expecting anything less than excitement at our misfortune, the press are no fans of City to begin with and they are bored of having to praise us now. They finally have something else to write about so expect them to give us nothing(barely any will talk about the foul on Stones that's not as interesting) and milk it for all it's worth, it's the nature of the media game they don't need any encouragement to come up with new topics based around a City loss the fact that it was Liverpool was the icing on the cake for them.

 

[Fat Chance]

Our ongoing problem against Liverpool is that we are tailor made for the way they play. They’re all about insane pressing all over the pitch and lightning counter attacking, and when your own game is based on possession high up the pitch and you haven’t got any pace at the back (bar Walker), it’s a recipe for trouble. Where they’ve struggled under Klopp, and Rogers before him, is against muscular deep lying teams who play on the counter themselves - Burnley, Palace, Watford. We come gift wrapped and I would hate to draw them in the Chimps League. They’d be our most troublesome opponent

If the two league games are anything to go off the hypothetical chimps draw would have been 4-8

 

[HarrytheBlue]

Some players looked a bit 'leggy', it happens and in all fairness to our boys it's not something we have been able to say about them this season.
I'm just proud of how they kept going and fought until the end, yes they fucked up, but all we can ask for them is to keep going and keep fighting to win, even at 15 points ahead. I'm sure Pep told them as much in the post-game talk.

I agree - have said so in another post. Like you say, it happens.

 

[give & go]

why cant liverpool play like that every week

we have