They have a good attack and good defence but for me their midfield isn’t creative enough.Can’t disagree he is top drawer I just don’t think they’ll last the pace.
I can actually definitively see it against Spurs, like 101%. The Dippers and this lot are horrible for us and their game set up, although completely different from each other, causes us trouble up ever since Pep came in. And we suffered a big deal against Arsenal last season and they are much better now season, with more energy and better game control. No other high quality team suffers so much when the game turns into a table tennis, and 7 years on Pep doesn't seem to be closer to solving it. Why the fuck does he start Bernardo up front, when he's been starting him in the MF for so many games this and last season is mystery to me. And in this kind of a game with high intensity/high quality opposition, Haaland ratio of number of touches per/per goal/per game turns into a problem, because inadvertently we end up playing with a player down.Can see the same happening at Arsenal and Spurs.
Pep just changes and experiments for the big games. Nothing we can do about it.
Yeah there was time in that first half where foden was one on one against milner but he didn't fancy it we was well to slow in getting up the pitch that meant Liverpool got back even kdb was throwing his hands up at the defence and Midfield because of it there was a point second where are back 3 passed it together and Salah I think walked back slow and still got in his half before we didThey played it very well. The couple of times he did get by him on the outside, Gomez was anticipating it and cut the danger out before Foden could get to it and pick a pass.
They covered all our usual routes into the box. Stopped the supply.
Give them credit. They knew snd always know what we are going to do and play a game that counters it. It’s a high energy game in which they have to press quickly and together. But they continually do it against us and break with pace. It’s a simple plan, but they do it because it works against us. They just have to have the desire and unfortunately they did…. More than us.
In 18 head to head games (in all competitions) since Pep officially took charge of the team, we've won 5 times (one of them a penalty shootout, which is probably officially classed as a draw), and also drawn 5, meaning that we've lost 8. That implies that in matches against them, then yes; they have been the better side more often than not. But we're generally better over a nine month league campaign. If we win the league again this season, today's game will be consigned to the annals of history.They are better than us are they? 4 league titles to 1 in last 5 years says otherwise. Even the rags have beaten us regularly in the last 10 years but who is better over a season?
Yup, we're far too soft. And no change in tempo when we should be chasing the game. Poor.No sympathy for us today. De Bruyne disappeared most of the game. Cancelo was exposed several times. He can't defend for toffee. Haaland had an off day. Only Foden and Silva for me got decent pass marks. We got what we deserved.....nothing. We're far too soft at Anfield. We're beaten before a ball is kicked. Only win in 20 years was when there was not crowd and Liverpool were on a shocking home run. We have work to do now as the London clubs will be a real challenge this season. So disappointed we didn't kill Liverpool off. Big chance and we blew the audition.
Top post blue, at last some common sense on ere, read a lot negativity, this is on Pep, KDB didn’t turn up, we bottled it etc etc, when the fact is we got stiffed to enhance the productHe has got a point.
Fabinho was obstructing Haaland from the Ball, and already falling back.
Taylor likely saw the little Shirt Tug right then, and ignored it.
No foul...
No free kick awarded.
We go on to score a goal from another phase of play.
Ref instructed by VAR to go and take a look at 2 issues 1st issue being Ball under control in keeper Hands. It wasn't.
They go back even further to the Shirt tug, the Shirt Tug the ref likely saw but let go, because he wasn't going to blow for it.
Goal disallowed.
All about the consistency for me.
We see this behaviour happening in 9/10 corners, and open play all game, Goals are scored. Referees are not instructed to go to VAR monitors to disallow a Goal for a Shirt Tug in a different phase of play.
Some might call it Paranoia. I feel when we play the cartel teams all our goals are forensically analyzed to find any reason at all to disallow them.
Next week will see goals scored, that involve a small Shirt Tug in the build up play ignored. Zero VAR intervention, Goal given.
They actually changed Hand Ball rules after robbing us.
VAR gives a fail safe level to in game corruption.
And we are more often than not on the receiving end of it.
We dont lose many games these days.
Defeats are rare, and few.
One inescapable fact is, when they do happen Pep changing the system, and way we play has been a common denominator in pretty much all of them.
I know Pep is big on Stats.
Maybe someone should tell him next time he gets the urge to change a winning system and play style in a big game.
Stats say it wont end well :-)
aye, it wasn't pep who took abysmal free kicks, it wasn't pep defending like a school kid, it wasn't pep ambling about in midfield like he had all day, it wasn't pep that couldn't complete a pass to a team mate, i thought we were over cautious at times but ffs get the simple things right!It's been quite the read this thread so far and I've still 30 odd pages to get through.
I can understand frustration after losing this game but reckon Pep deserves a bit better than he's received from some quarters.