Energy and Pace

[alexmcity]

It's becoming undeniable that Liverpool have raised the bar regarding work rate. Whether they are doing it with legal methods is a theme for another discussion. Thing is that our team lacks a bit of energy and pace.

With Sane being out we have only one really quick player in midfield and attack - Sterling. Kevin and Foden are relatively quick and that's it. Jesus isn't slow and I expect big things from him but pace isn't something which he has in abundance. Sergio was very explosive earlier in his career but not now.

Gundy and Rodri are not quick either, Stones isn't quick, Laporte is quick but not very quick. Basically, only Sterling and Walker are very quick players in this team. And only several players have excellent fitness levels, e.g. Bernie, Foden, Walker...

We need to inject energy and pace in this team. If we are about to replace Sane with another winger, he must be quite quick. We need a quick forward to replace Aguero and a quick CB to replace Otamendi. The league and football in general is getting more and more dynamical.

 

[kaz7]

The bar was already raised..by us

 

[alexmcity]

The bar was already raised..by us

Yes, regarding style and point total needed to win the league. But in terms of running and especially sprinting...They compensate our superiority in technique with running and being utterly robust. Think it won't harm us to add more energy and pace in the team in the summer. Which I think we are going to do.

 

[bluemoonste]

It's becoming undeniable that Liverpool have raised the bar regarding work rate. Whether they are doing it with legal methods is a theme for another discussion. Thing is that our team lacks a bit of energy and pace.


I agree ... we look pedestrian at times wanting to walk the ball in every game.
Zinchencko shot from 30 yards the other day n scored n it was like a breath of fresh air ( albeit deflected )

We're seriously lacking pace. Foden ignites the team when he plays but losing Sane was a massive blow.

Gundogen slows everything down when he comes on.

Hopefully Mendy will get back to the rampaging player we bought from Monaco and Walker can get his head in gear.

 

[Ban-jani]

We raised the bar in 17/18 but now we look miles behind Liverpool in energy and pace.

Liverpool’s football isn’t that special, it’s good but it’s not close to the swashbuckling pass and move stuff we played in our 100 points season.

What they are is incredibly effective in transition from defence to attack, at winning the ball back, work rate and they have exceptional quality.

Klopp seems to have taken the famous old quote “football is a simple game, complicated by idiots” to form a side that are perfect at doing the simple stuff well.

I think accusations of cheating/drugs are pathetic without any evidence so let’s park that.

I just hope they have a blip that stops them beating our records.

 

[remember arthur mann]

 

[franksinatra]

It is sadly both those factors. There is not a bit of pace in Pools midfield three but they are everywhere during a game closing players down and harrying the opposition.

Also going forward our wide players moving inside so we have to wait for the width to be created by the fullbacks and both Walker and Zink/Mendy light years behind Pools fullbacks with regards creativity.

It has been said numerous times but the team lost its pace when Sterling moved onto the left as he rarely uses his speed now to run past defenders with or without the ball, but just runs at half pace laying the ball off sidewards to the supporting fullback.

Our way of playing, in addition to
Sanes injury have added to the issue.

 

[blueparrot]

We don’t play the same way as liverpool, we play from the back through midfield. They miss out midfield and play long balls in behind. Even with Sane we never really played with the same kind of energy as Liverpool. Sooner or later , looks like later than I expected it will blow up lime it did at at Dortmund. And sooner or later teams will sop leaving space for those long balls in behind them.

 

[alexmcity]

We raised the bar in 17/18 but now we look miles behind Liverpool in energy and pace.

Liverpool’s football isn’t that special, it’s good but it’s not close to the swashbuckling pass and move stuff we played in our 100 points system.

What they are is incredibly effective in transition from defence to attack, at winning the ball back, work rate and they have exceptional quality.

Klopp seems to have taken the famous old quote “football is a simple game, complicated by idiots” to form a side that are perfect at doing the simple stuff well.

I think accusations of cheating/drugs are pathetic without any evidence so let’s park that.

I just hope they have a blip that stops them beating our records.

There is no direct evidence of them cheating but the fact they run more than us while rotating less and getting less injuries to boot raises suspicions. Agreed though, if their methods are perfectly fair, then we might expect that their superhuman fitness levels might drop and they might get injuries (which we don't wish them).

Pep is following Cruyff who insisted that technique trumps physicality. I like this philosophy. But Cruyff himself was a very gifted athlete, he was utterly explosive.So, while technique and intellect are utterly important, so is physicality. Pep knows it vey well but he will always prefer a slowish player like Gundy or Silva over a great athlete. That's part and parcel of his philosophy but we need a bit more energy and pace next season. Klopp's template is to have the fittest players even if they are technically limited like Henderson, Milner...But they are perfect for his approach which is more Germanic, as it were, whereas Pep's is more Latinic and centred around technique.

 

[AshtonBlueMooner]

The energy and pace comes from fast transitioning of defence into attack. Yesterday, and for much of this season our players were taking 2, 3 and 4 extra touches before releasing the ball, allowing the opposition to put good defensive shapes in place, often 2 banks of 5 that gives very little opportunity to breakdown. Our players are quick enough but our play hasn't been. As an example, as soon as Angeliño delivered 1st time crosses, we score. It's not rocket science. I love David Silva and everything he has done for this club but playing him and Gundogan together always delivers the same result, slow build up play. It was only when Phil Foden started attacking players and getting quick little passes off that we looked like we could create anything. We are without doubt missing Sane but it's the slowing down of counter attacking plays that is really hurting us.