Liverpool (A) | PL | Post-Match Thread

[Bluefen]

worked well then.

Because only 2 of the 4 midfielders put a shift in and a severe lack of options on the right

 

[HarrytheBlue]

He seems naturally an anxious man though Pep. He's great, seems to have a genuine heart for people but his nervous tick seems a symptom of anxiety. Probably manifests itself when tested in do or die.. type games. .Key reason why i think CL is beyond us really...and wh the fuck did some (a lot) sing that turgid national anthem..ok it winds them up..but also winds up a lot of City fans...embarrasing

He's a high energy individual - if he suffered with anxiety he would not be coaching any club.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

Think a few of our fans went in a bit cocky, really. Well they're still a very good side built almost entirely to take advantage of our weaknesses, this is their biggest game of the season, and we struggle at Anfield. If I can have another cliche, I think this was one of those games where they needed it more than us. The tactical tweaks wind me up when they don't work, and make me think Pep is a genius when they do. But Pep gets paid to make those decision because frankly I'm a footballing idiot and he isn't. We've had worst days at Anfield and still come good in May.

 

[bluemc1]

I went! I didn't need to hear it on the TV.

No it wasn't from start to finish.

There were plenty of quiet periods during the match from Liverpool fans

The KOP did sing at times before Salah scored. Once Salah scored the whole ground joined in.

Did you hear City fans singing "where's your famous atmosphere?" And going ssssh?

I’m not trying to get into a our fans better than their fans debate
Listening on the TV, every challenge, every appeal, every throw in, corner, misplaced pass of ours, everything was very loud and roared for
In amongst you own fans you hearing your own as it’s right next to you but I’m not saying it for the sake of it mate
You won’t hear a louder atmosphere and as sustained as there today all season

It’s no coincidence that no matter which players we have on the pitch, no matter what formation, over the last 5/6 years when we’ve had some of the best teams we’ve ever seen, our players crumble, they can’t handle the atmosphere

 

[eyalluvitt]

We’ve lost the last three games we’ve played against them unless you’re talking just pl? Even then it’s more than two in five seasons though.

I’m talking league games at Anfield

 

[Manchester_lalala]

The trophy was almost in our hands and he totally ruined our chance of lifting it..... A major sacrifice made by thousands of Blues to go there despite the pandemic and all we had to do was play our game... Pep fucked us over that day... Call it what you want

Give it a rest. Part of the parcel of being a football fan is being able to accept losses as much as you can wins.

 

[HarrytheBlue]

Isn’t that what a forum is for?

Read my comments about opinions.

 

[simon23]

Have you seen Pep's comment about referees instructions before the game? Taylor gave a briefing that in effect meant he would be ignoring 50/50 challenges or soft fouls. He did this throughout the game, so fair play to him. But why then overturn our goal, which fell right in to this category of foul?

Well it had nothing to do with a 50/50

It did give our player an unfair advantage...Im pretty sure Haaland didnt mean to do what he did (or the outcome at least) but the scouse player would have got to the ball if he hadnt been pulled to the ground so it directly affected the play and what happened.

 

[hinchcliffes bulbous conk]

Fuck me. Read the first few pages and packed it in. Knee jerk reaction twats everywhere. VAR fucked us again and Cancelo had a fucking mare.

 

[hinchcliffes bulbous conk]

Well it had nothing to do with a 50/50

It did give our player an unfair advantage...Im pretty sure Haaland didnt mean to do what he did (or the outcome at least) but the scouse player would have got to the ball if he hadnt been pulled to the ground so it directly affected the play and what happened.

No he wouldn’t, he was already falling down. Watch it again.

 

[Bald fraud]

Watch the all or nothing documentary and when we play the scousers pep is terrified of going there. Apparently today he was sat on his own in the dugout for ages before the game. All a bit weird and must rub off in the players

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Can’t disagree he is top drawer I just don’t think they’ll last the pace.

They have a good attack and good defence but for me their midfield isn’t creative enough.

 

[SamBlue]

Can see the same happening at Arsenal and Spurs.

Pep just changes and experiments for the big games. Nothing we can do about it.

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.

 

[M43 blue]

They 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.

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 did

 

[thanatos]

Someone needs to explain to me how KDB is meant to impact the game when he’s sat on the touch line away from the ball. Your best player is basically relegated to a few touches on the counter and that’s it. So bizzare

 

[jimharri]

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?

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.


It's bloody stinging at the moment, though. No point denying it.

 

[St.Pauli support]

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.

Yup, we're far too soft. And no change in tempo when we should be chasing the game. Poor.
As much as I like Pep's fair philosophy our team also needs to be able to switch and play aggressive and dirty if the opponent is playing like that. Passpasspass isn't enough then.

You have to stand your ground like Bernardo, the full team has to be in fighting mood.
1 yellow for Akanji says it all...

Maybe Pep should stay in the coach next time at Anfield and let the players do the job, he really doesn't help a bit.

As we said before it would be a test like a CL semi - and we didn't pass it. Poor spirit.
It needs addressing within our coaching team. It's a problem.
Pep can't solve it though, as he is part of it.
Hope there's a players' meeting to adress the topic.

 

[Jesus H Gabz]

He 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.

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 product

 

[OB1]

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 :-)

He changes things every game but it seems people only notice when we lose.

 

[lazerblue]

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.

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!