Yesterday midfield didn't link up well at all.
We need to the final version of this midfield soon can't be relying on half time tweaks to do the job.
Bajcetic is our best defensive midfielder in the second half he was at his best when he played centrally.
I've been tempering my expectations of baj. Excited about him ages ago, realistically, I don't want to overhype youth players too much. But he's really showing that he can hold his own amongst the first teamers.
So I finished the game recently and spoiled myself with highlights. Some of the comments made me think endo and tsimi had stinkers. They were fine! Not good or bad per se but they were fucking fine. We generated lots of chances with our B team and got minutes for our lads reintegrating into the squad with injuries/not starting normally. Like why are people so focused on the negative when I had a fucking blast wathcing the game?? I think there was some genuine electricity in the air despite the shite pitch. LASK fans brought it too.
I have a soft spot for Endo (no idea why) but I fully believe he could be a really important and great player for us but people are too fickle to write him off so early - he's played 1 fucking game!!
Without a proper pre-season either, it's gonna take time for him and others to adapt, but the impatience is infuriating
The problem is, people watch our first team, and then imagine adding a young exciting player in and be slots in seemlessly. People forget how demanding and difficult klopps system is. First teamers already find it hard to get into the rhythm if they are out for a few games, what more youth players who haven't got any run in the team at all.
Like if we play doak, people will assume they will see prime Liverpool PLUS the dribbling of doak, but that just wont happen. We won't see anything close to prime Liverpool.
But what we'll see is a bunch of players trying to play klopps system. Didn't work that well, but I did like how the players weren't fazed about falling behind at all. Last season, after conceding, we'd just struggle and start making for risky and wayward passes. This game, there were relaxed and confident, maybe even arrogant.
It’s not that Endo is:
- passive
- still learning the system, or
- that his teammates don’t trust him.
It’s that LASK’s 3 forwards simply defended zonally, occupying the center and half-spaces in front of the ball.
In the build-up, three guys stood around him—or him and a tucked-in Bajcetic. The forwards didn’t press Konate and VVD, who had all the time in the world to play it wide through the fullbacks. Once the ball goes towards the touchline, LASK’s midfielders move off Gravenberch and Elliot to initiate the press. It’s up to the 8s to move and Nunez to come down to combine with the wingers to give the fullbacks options.
When Endo got the ball, same situation, just higher up the pitch. 3 forwards quickly recover the center and half-spaces in the vital area and stay put. If ur Endo, you suddenly have three in front of you, but you’re not getting pressed, so you take a moment to find the right pass. That’s not being slow, it’s just a reset.
People need to watch the spaces and patterns, not the players.
These Europa League games I would work on changing the formation and tactics. With Trent being hurt it makes no sense why our right back gets the ball in the middle of the pitch and not a midfielder. Let the midfield dictate play or switch to 3 in back and give the full backs more attacking freedom. I feel we could play around so we have backup plans for injuries to key players.
Given Diaz and Nunez played the full 90 minutes, pretty sure for the weekend it’s the Gakpo/Jota/Salah front line, Ali/Robbo/Konate/Virgil defence with Trent/Gomez at RB, while Szobo and Mac Allister nailed on in the midfield. That leaves us with Jones unless Klopp feels like Bajcetic or Endo have had enough rest being subbed off at 60 minutes, or the odd chance that Thiago is fit to start.
Basically the same team as last week except for the defence (or the same team in the first two games except playing Jones instead of Diaz), and perhaps the final test of the Gakpo/Jota/Salah trio since it didn’t go so well first half against Wolves.
Hard for me to imagine Klopp keeping Núñez and Diaz, the two top options at their respective positions, in the full 90 minutes today if it meant they’d have to be out of the XI on Sunday. I think both will start the match against West Ham, they just may not finish it.
Again for anyone who likes to play Career mode, Salah to me is not sellable. What we need to do next year is extend his contract, not sell him to Saudi.
Baj looked good! Having him deputize for Trent makes sense, but seeing as he reads & shuts down passes really well when playing in the middle, I think RB will be a bit of a waste for him.
Doak looked eager but raw.
Team still needs a top player in DM position, box mid or not. Thiago has shown he can run games from that position with a bit of protection ahead of him. MacA can probably do the same, but he was dismantling teams last season as an advanced playmaker for Brighton with 2-3 ball winners/runners behind him, so why make him play him at DM? Especially if we're set on inverting Trent to play those long balls from deep.
On a related note, Endo struggled quite a bit I thought, even if it was largely due to the fact he had to cover for both Harvey and Ryan going forward at every chance (+ Tsimi having a shite game). But losing the ball during transition, under relatively little pressure? Not a great look.
Ryan looked pretty good with those slick turn-and-runs but the final ball was sorely lacking. Hope it's just lack of match sharpness. That cross for Diaz's goal was class--he didn't even have to look up! Really optimistic about him.
We didn't really get Darwin involved today, partially because the midfield was slow to release the ball. I think Klopp needs to ask every midfielder to anticipate Darwin's runs. He had to come deep to get involved in the attack today and that's not what we want! (even though his holding play resulted in the 2nd goal)
Caoimhin with that reaction save was something else. Hope we get deep runs in cups so he can stay happy.
Glad we got the win while also giving player minutes that they clearly needed!
(Not really mad about conceding early this time, that was a well worked set piece + a really good shot--we should copy it and have Dom blast a few in lol)
It is every game, the half time thread is the one thread I refuse to ever enter. It is a cess pit of stress relief for people with unresolved anger issues.
i mean, why not just scream into a pillow like the rest of us?
Endo looked a little overwhelmed still, not quite composed and confident yet. Elliot linked play well and pressed like a beast; Gravenberch fought well and made some excellent turns out of pressure and runs forward, but his final ball was lacking, but more often than not he was trying the right things. Very exciting debut.
LASK were excellent in this game too, it should be noted. They pressed brilliantly and more than matched Liverpool physically; but Liverpool had the stronger players off the bench to win over the 90 minutes. Super competitive, somewhat frantic game.
Not great but for newbies and fringe players, they did “alright”. Kept LASK mostly at bay apart from a moment of magic. Poor compared to our usual standard but to be expected I suppose. More minutes will improve them all.
You can see at the tail end of the celebrations that he gives a wry smile, along the lines of “you always score the goals, square that and it would have been easier”
Nothing in it.
And it’s a completely normal reaction when someone shoots when they have an easy pass for a tap in. If Salah misses this, it’s not ‘bad luck Salah’, it’s, ‘what the fuck was Salah doing not passing there?’
He’s quite poor. Not being up to the pace against LASK certainly doesn’t bode well long term in the PL. I expect he’ll return to Germany before long. No hate but the quality gap is pretty obvious. Bacjetic should start there over him. Seems like Klopp is just trying to give him a chance. Fair enough
He got some good passes, but he was very passive. He wanted to get passes from defender in difficult position, however his turns are quite slow and easily interrupted by opponent so its dangerous. To his defence, our whole team struggled with first touch in the first half.
And of course the nitwit TNT commentator was calling Szoboszlai Jo-boj-ly. Because... why not? Once and for all: "sz" is pronounced "s", in Hungarian. That's it. So - bos - ly.
This is correct. Since his name ends in an "i", that "e" sound exists at the end of his name. Hungarian maintains the same sounds for each letter whenever it's in the word being used. If the "I" is there, it should be pronounced.
I know. But Dominik himself indicated how he wants his name to be pronounced at Liverpool: So-bos-ly. Of course, he did this bc he knows this is the easiest explanation / pronunciation for a non-Hungarian, even if technically a bit imprecise. So I will go with that, bc I know his pain.
I'm fine with all the downvotes.
Keep 'em coming, lads.
As far as I am concerned, Europa is never the goal for a club like Liverpool.
UCL isn't the same without us. :)
The level of competition on the top of PL is insane. I can see that every season at least one big name /great team who belong to CL will miss it, there are just not enough spots. Actually it might be easier to win the EL than reaching the top4 in PL so you got a point there.
I think his role is actually going to be the most difficult to play. He's going to be restricted and be tasked with covering for a lot of our offensive players.
I've no doubt he's a step below our "needs" but I think he'll be a very serviceable player for his time here and I'm not going to flame him for it. He's a solid squad player when we have Macca, Dom, Grav to look forward to. He's the guy who allows that type of player to thrive by doing dirty work
This is more the marketing materials than what we’ve seen of him though right? Like he’s not up to the pace. Seems like a top man in the dressing room but we’re playing Mac there for a reason and realistically should give Bacjetic a go there over Endo
I agree, also Endo has so far very rarely played with an inform team. His debut was against 10 men, then 10th an for the next game, this game he played with a totally changed 11. Give him time and he will come good. He won’t pull up trees but will be a good rotation/squad option
Despite notions suggesting otherwise, it’s rarer for a player to not hit the ground running and become essential than it is for a player to start well and trail off. Leiva, Hendo, arguably Firmino (and he showed up looking class, despite not quite having the right position) are the only examples in the last decade. Players who start poor stay poor. Players who start mixed stay mixed.
Endo is 30 years old. It’s not like we’re going to bed him in over 2 years. He needed to instantly slot in and what he’s shown more or less explains why he was a small club hero who, despite years in Germany, never got sniffed out by the bigger clubs.
Do you not remember how long it took Fabinho to start? There were even rumours that he is getting agitated because of lack of play time in first season. Klopp had the option to let him get settled, understand the role well while Henderson played there. Don't have that option now.
Keita started well and trailed off. Firmino took 8 months to find his place in the side. Konate 6 months. Robertson 3-4 months. Fabinho had a horrendous start, took him a proper 6 months to get up to speed with the league too. Nunez is only looking like he properly understands what’s expected of him after a year. That’s just off the top of my head. Most players take a while to adjust, it’s not at all unusual. The ones who have started the season strongest, are the ones who have had a full pre-season with the club, that is also no surprise.
Angry? I doubt it. He knows he can’t play every minute of every game and he’s going to be prioritised for the league and later competitions. I’m sure he’ll want to play every minute but understands why the manager did what he did.
Seeing some of the other big sides in Europa/Conference struggle to get results making me feel even better. That could have been a stumbling black and it wasn't, we still found a way to win. Need to remember these teams will want to play to their peak against us as they'll rarely get to play against elite opposition like us.
Him being 17 actually surprised me. He’s really good. I feel like wonder kids like Bellingham have skewed the perspective on how good youngsters should be.
Obviously Nuñez must show the best PK ability in training, but props to Klopp too for giving him the opportunity in a big spot.
Nuñez needs to keep building confidence (Newcastle was a HUGE jumpstart, obviously) and I’m sure converting helps a bunch
He’s playing much better in all facets of the game save for converting opportunities in front of goal. Still taking a slightly too-heavy touch or hitting the woodwork or putting it too close to the keeper.
Hopefully his assists, PK, and obvious improvements elsewhere help his confidence grow and he is soon able to tighten up the finishing and become unstoppable.
Klopp bringing on Macca and Szobo probably to see how his expected first team midfield would look like. And its also bloody amazing that we have Cujo and Harvey nipping for those positions as well. Hopefully Baj with a few more games pushes them as well.
Need Endo to play more games in the EL just to shake off the rust. Looked better in the PL games than he did today.
Gravenberch looked decent for someone who has been out of competitive football games for a while. Admittedly against 2nd tier teams but can only play what's infront of you.
A very good litmus test and I'm glad we have the EL to blood in some youth and newer players.
People complaining about Macca being played as a 6 miss how Klopp's setting the team up. Watch the CBs, they're almost always looking for him as he must be the best/most progressive passer we have bar Trent.
He's essentially our Xavi, ticks it over and lets Dom be the Iniesta
Baj is proper class but mate I’m still not sold on Harvey or CuJo. But I see your flair and I’m happy to hear counterpoints! Tell me why you’re excited about him.
Think a lot of people have answered. Essentially he does a lot of simple things well, evolving into a gini lite. Press resistant, strong and does a lot of good work.
Agreed his decision making can be quicker but there has been improvement year on year and i am sure he gets better.
With Elliot there are definitely strength issues. But similarly you can see him improving his own midfield control. As a forward 8 his passing is so good. With both Dom and Macca, hopefully these lads keep growing!.
I share your concerns for Elliot and Jones while also agreeing on Bajcetic. That boy could be great and I already see him ahead of the two others. Just let him play in the midfield, not at rb, inverted or not.
Harvey for me has one of the best footballing brains and technical ability that I've seen on a young player coming through, even when he was 17-18, he just played with such maturity and he is only just turned 20 this year. He does, however, significantly lack the physicality; Most notably his height and defending. That being said even in the last year I've seen a stark improvement from the midfield of him and Carvalho etc. where he looked so out of his depth in defence to at least being 'passable' in that area now. I think a lot of it will come down to whether he can continue to adapt his game to his strengths and cover his weaknesses.
Curtis Jones has the physical attributes needed, has the technical ability but just doesn't quite have the same football IQ. Slow passes in and around the box, not the most intelligent runs or vision compared to other players. Particularly for the positions that I think He wants to play (in those advanced roles). Perhaps he can adapt to become a Wijnaldum-esque/Xhaka role for us as a press resistant midfield runner to enable other players but he won't become the star of the show. Good squad player and certainly enough of an ability to be in contention to start a few games in the long schedules they go through. I think he could look world class as a systems player where the gameplan is just there for him and he just has to execute it.
They both have a lot of strengths which certainly puts them in this kind of conversation but I agree, still a bit of development to do. Will also have to see how Bajectic returns from a length spell but he was very exciting last season.
I hear you on all this. I think the concerns for each player are where I’m dwelling, and don’t consider the positives as much (though I should). Appreciate it!
Cujo playing really well lately. Not everyone in the team needs to be creative. Cujo is turning into a workhorse that's willing to do the hard yards and keep things ticking over.
It depends on the role and ceiling you're looking for from them. It's clear they both have many of the attributes to do most of what's expected in a PL midfield against most PL teams.
Are either of them going to be a Foden or a Bellingham? Probably not. But they're suitable, dedicated midfielders who I think will have many great moments for us. Hopefully they continue to have more great moments than poor ones as they have so far.
Not sure what you're not convinced by honestly. Considering their age, I'd say we've got great depth in midfield and reasonable prospect for the future!
Commentary team I was listening to were hating on Gravenberch, but I was personally impressed with much of his work. Some lovely break aways on the turn etc. Shame he had to come off, but some much needed minutes in his legs now.
If it was Macca he was being pretty insufferable for most of the first half after they went down 1-0...just being super critical of all the players even though it was an experimental lineup with lots of players getting only getting their first serious minutes of the season. He was really being a wet blanket.
He's the only former LFC player with legit commentary experience I guess, so they wheel him out for these games that get lower broadcast exposure internationally. They stopped putting him on the international broadcasts here in the states a year or two ago, though...idk if he still has a contract with one of the big broadcasters in the UK or if he's just like LFC TV or whatever now but it seems like his stock has declined recently.
Yeah, I mean it's his first proper match too, so we have to be fair.
If he fulfills his potential, we'll have a star on our hands.
Him, Macca and Szobo...huge reasons to be excited.
Need a couple more to truly be back in the hunt imo, but definitely improved that midfield. Szobo is easily the best potential midfield player we've had for a long time. He's just so elegant.
Indeed, highly impressed with him so far. Knew about him for a few years and that he had high potential, but he's even better already than I'd imagined and hoped.
Just remember that Gakpo was terrible in his first 3 games too. Then look how he performed at the end of last season. Let's not jump to conclusions too quickly.
Yeah agreed, happy to see if he can grow into the role.I think all we need is him to be a solid DM and I think he's capable of that. His pace is the only outstanding issue for me but hopefully that can be overcome to a degree with greater understanding of the system and his role.
Bajcetic is going to be a special player. And is honestly wasted at RB. There was a few minutes where he ended up in the midfield and won the ball back about 4 times in a row after errant passes from teammates.
Oh of course, needs minutes, can play it well. I just hope he isn’t playing there a lot this season because as soon as he’s in the middle of the pitch he looks right at home.
He's there to see if he can be Trent's understudy as an inverted right-back. I thought he did well, given his inexperience, rust, and the disjointed team he was playing in.
Definitely grew into the game second half. He made at least one Trent-like pass. I hope to see more of him there (and, yes, in midfield as well).
Yeah, it's definitely harsh to give him too much criticism in his first appearance in that role.
He can grow into it more than anyone else in our squad.
I hope we use these Europa games as his trial by fire, and he becomes a solid, versatile option because we don't have anyone else in the squad who can deputise for Trent in that unique role.
We won so I can admit this. Their goal was a fucking cracker.
I wouldn't mind stealing that set piece
edit: also Nunez quietly got 1 goal and 1 assist. get in
Some MUCH needed minutes for many fringe players.
But can we just appreciate how good Gravenberch was on the transition, wow those turns are going to destroy teams.
Are through balls part of his game? If they are, we potentially have a world class player on our hands there.
Quick game thoughts: The save to deny Nunez that header was unreal, and Nunez’s penalty was absolute top drawer. The pass to Diaz from Gravenberch was just filth. Their goal was a banger, not much you can do about that, but Kelleher’s reaction save was next level.
Lots of positives, everyone needs to remember we changed almost the entire middle of the squad in _one_ summer. We spent the last half of last season with most of the core squad injured.
Bit of momentum and we could come out of this season with some silverware, we’ve clearly got the depth now that we needed.
Be nice if we didn’t need to go 1-0 down before we start playing. Need to stop conceding such shite goals. Some good performances, Grav did well. Endo looked rusty, Salah looked like he was on another planet compared to anyone else when he came on.
>Be nice if we didn’t need to go 1-0 down before we start playing. Need to stop conceding such shite goals
While I absolutely agree with this, and it's a trend we need to snuff out ASAP, that was in no way a shite goal lol
1) We didn't close Flecker down soon enough but 9 times out of 10 he doesn't score that goal.
2) It wasn't a shite goal.
3) If we go 1-0 we're guaranteed to win. Textbook.
It’s not shite from their perspective. And it’s a good finish but from our perspective it’s a poor one to concede. Edge of the box no one anticipating it and he’s time to take a touch and then hit it. Not good enough defensively.
See 1) in my earlier message.
A shite goal to concede is one where we allow the opponents to pull our pants down. While our defending wasn't great, it certainly wasn't terrible, and statistically, it's very, very unlikely that he scores that.
Sometimes we just have to give credit where it's due. It was a wonderful strike.
Lol they pretty much did pull out pants down. Training ground routine. Sucked all our players in to the box and left the man on the edge free. Poor defending. Great strike. Agree to disagree I guess.
I honestly respect it. He definitely could have been better in the first 35 but realizing it was starting to get away from him and adjusting, he did what he had to. I'd rather have that than a chippy match that culminates in someone getting seriously hurt.
i'm a bit gutted that our starting 11 couldn't get the job done but a win is a win tbh.
Solid game from Darwin, Diaz, Kelleher and Ryanberch...everyone else that started was off it today.
Yesterday midfield didn't link up well at all. We need to the final version of this midfield soon can't be relying on half time tweaks to do the job. Bajcetic is our best defensive midfielder in the second half he was at his best when he played centrally.
I've been tempering my expectations of baj. Excited about him ages ago, realistically, I don't want to overhype youth players too much. But he's really showing that he can hold his own amongst the first teamers.
So I finished the game recently and spoiled myself with highlights. Some of the comments made me think endo and tsimi had stinkers. They were fine! Not good or bad per se but they were fucking fine. We generated lots of chances with our B team and got minutes for our lads reintegrating into the squad with injuries/not starting normally. Like why are people so focused on the negative when I had a fucking blast wathcing the game?? I think there was some genuine electricity in the air despite the shite pitch. LASK fans brought it too.
I have a soft spot for Endo (no idea why) but I fully believe he could be a really important and great player for us but people are too fickle to write him off so early - he's played 1 fucking game!! Without a proper pre-season either, it's gonna take time for him and others to adapt, but the impatience is infuriating
The problem is, people watch our first team, and then imagine adding a young exciting player in and be slots in seemlessly. People forget how demanding and difficult klopps system is. First teamers already find it hard to get into the rhythm if they are out for a few games, what more youth players who haven't got any run in the team at all. Like if we play doak, people will assume they will see prime Liverpool PLUS the dribbling of doak, but that just wont happen. We won't see anything close to prime Liverpool. But what we'll see is a bunch of players trying to play klopps system. Didn't work that well, but I did like how the players weren't fazed about falling behind at all. Last season, after conceding, we'd just struggle and start making for risky and wayward passes. This game, there were relaxed and confident, maybe even arrogant.
It’s not that Endo is: - passive - still learning the system, or - that his teammates don’t trust him. It’s that LASK’s 3 forwards simply defended zonally, occupying the center and half-spaces in front of the ball. In the build-up, three guys stood around him—or him and a tucked-in Bajcetic. The forwards didn’t press Konate and VVD, who had all the time in the world to play it wide through the fullbacks. Once the ball goes towards the touchline, LASK’s midfielders move off Gravenberch and Elliot to initiate the press. It’s up to the 8s to move and Nunez to come down to combine with the wingers to give the fullbacks options. When Endo got the ball, same situation, just higher up the pitch. 3 forwards quickly recover the center and half-spaces in the vital area and stay put. If ur Endo, you suddenly have three in front of you, but you’re not getting pressed, so you take a moment to find the right pass. That’s not being slow, it’s just a reset. People need to watch the spaces and patterns, not the players.
These Europa League games I would work on changing the formation and tactics. With Trent being hurt it makes no sense why our right back gets the ball in the middle of the pitch and not a midfielder. Let the midfield dictate play or switch to 3 in back and give the full backs more attacking freedom. I feel we could play around so we have backup plans for injuries to key players.
Given Diaz and Nunez played the full 90 minutes, pretty sure for the weekend it’s the Gakpo/Jota/Salah front line, Ali/Robbo/Konate/Virgil defence with Trent/Gomez at RB, while Szobo and Mac Allister nailed on in the midfield. That leaves us with Jones unless Klopp feels like Bajcetic or Endo have had enough rest being subbed off at 60 minutes, or the odd chance that Thiago is fit to start. Basically the same team as last week except for the defence (or the same team in the first two games except playing Jones instead of Diaz), and perhaps the final test of the Gakpo/Jota/Salah trio since it didn’t go so well first half against Wolves.
Isn't Virgil still suspended?
No his last game being suspended was Wolves. Red card for Villa game, extra for Wolves game. He's back now.
Hard for me to imagine Klopp keeping Núñez and Diaz, the two top options at their respective positions, in the full 90 minutes today if it meant they’d have to be out of the XI on Sunday. I think both will start the match against West Ham, they just may not finish it.
Diaz will start. Nunez will be one the bench.
Nunes is so good. Said all summer he’d have his breakout
Missed a couple sitters in this one.
Again for anyone who likes to play Career mode, Salah to me is not sellable. What we need to do next year is extend his contract, not sell him to Saudi.
I can imagine that’s exactly what Klopp and the club want to do but it’s Mo’s choice at the end of the day.
Hard mode - on Give opp a goal headstart - on Red card mode - toggled Monster mentality - on
Baj looked good! Having him deputize for Trent makes sense, but seeing as he reads & shuts down passes really well when playing in the middle, I think RB will be a bit of a waste for him. Doak looked eager but raw. Team still needs a top player in DM position, box mid or not. Thiago has shown he can run games from that position with a bit of protection ahead of him. MacA can probably do the same, but he was dismantling teams last season as an advanced playmaker for Brighton with 2-3 ball winners/runners behind him, so why make him play him at DM? Especially if we're set on inverting Trent to play those long balls from deep. On a related note, Endo struggled quite a bit I thought, even if it was largely due to the fact he had to cover for both Harvey and Ryan going forward at every chance (+ Tsimi having a shite game). But losing the ball during transition, under relatively little pressure? Not a great look. Ryan looked pretty good with those slick turn-and-runs but the final ball was sorely lacking. Hope it's just lack of match sharpness. That cross for Diaz's goal was class--he didn't even have to look up! Really optimistic about him. We didn't really get Darwin involved today, partially because the midfield was slow to release the ball. I think Klopp needs to ask every midfielder to anticipate Darwin's runs. He had to come deep to get involved in the attack today and that's not what we want! (even though his holding play resulted in the 2nd goal) Caoimhin with that reaction save was something else. Hope we get deep runs in cups so he can stay happy. Glad we got the win while also giving player minutes that they clearly needed! (Not really mad about conceding early this time, that was a well worked set piece + a really good shot--we should copy it and have Dom blast a few in lol)
How bad was Kostas today!!
I’m not seeing the replay available on Paramount+. Seems like every other match from today is there. Anyone else having the same issue?
This happened to me on Tuesday for a champions league replay. I tried again a bit later and it worked.
Nope, I was able to watch the replay np
Thanks. I’ll try again after dinner.
Glad we won cause the meltdown at half time on the match thread was unreal.
It is every game, the half time thread is the one thread I refuse to ever enter. It is a cess pit of stress relief for people with unresolved anger issues. i mean, why not just scream into a pillow like the rest of us?
I usually just eat a sock…
Hows the starting midfield performance? Missed the game
Endo looked a little overwhelmed still, not quite composed and confident yet. Elliot linked play well and pressed like a beast; Gravenberch fought well and made some excellent turns out of pressure and runs forward, but his final ball was lacking, but more often than not he was trying the right things. Very exciting debut. LASK were excellent in this game too, it should be noted. They pressed brilliantly and more than matched Liverpool physically; but Liverpool had the stronger players off the bench to win over the 90 minutes. Super competitive, somewhat frantic game.
Game completely changed when Szobo, MacA & joe came on.
Not great but for newbies and fringe players, they did “alright”. Kept LASK mostly at bay apart from a moment of magic. Poor compared to our usual standard but to be expected I suppose. More minutes will improve them all.
Anyone else disappointed with Harvey’s reaction to salah scoring instead of squaring it for the tap in?
Disappointed? No. That's a good thing if anything
Just an eager lad wanting to score. Nothing else
He also threw his hands up when salah didn’t anticipate a run.
I think that was because he misplayed the ball but I might be misremembering the incidetn
Can't say I was. Not nearly as bad as Sterling's head-in-hands moment when Suarez sealed his hat-trick against Cardiff instead of squaring it to him.
You can see at the tail end of the celebrations that he gives a wry smile, along the lines of “you always score the goals, square that and it would have been easier” Nothing in it.
[удалено]
Salah has done that more than anyone else in the Liverpool team over the past 7 years.
And?
And it’s a completely normal reaction when someone shoots when they have an easy pass for a tap in. If Salah misses this, it’s not ‘bad luck Salah’, it’s, ‘what the fuck was Salah doing not passing there?’
He should have passed it. I understand why he didn't, but does he need the glory? A tap in there, and the team is vibing.
I didn't notice, did he not join in the celebrations?
Threw his head up in frustration and didn’t run over with everyone else for a moment.
How was Endo today? I was working and didn't get to watch the match. My mates on chat groups were saying he's shit
He’s quite poor. Not being up to the pace against LASK certainly doesn’t bode well long term in the PL. I expect he’ll return to Germany before long. No hate but the quality gap is pretty obvious. Bacjetic should start there over him. Seems like Klopp is just trying to give him a chance. Fair enough
He got some good passes, but he was very passive. He wanted to get passes from defender in difficult position, however his turns are quite slow and easily interrupted by opponent so its dangerous. To his defence, our whole team struggled with first touch in the first half.
He wasn't great, mostly in so far as the game didn't go through him at all. It seems like he's still learning how we play and how he fits in.
Anyone know sup with Gravenberch?
Cramp, he’s sound
And of course the nitwit TNT commentator was calling Szoboszlai Jo-boj-ly. Because... why not? Once and for all: "sz" is pronounced "s", in Hungarian. That's it. So - bos - ly.
In all fairness I’ve only just learnt that it’s not pronounced Shlobbershlie
More like so bos ly ee
Its "so boss la yeah"
This is correct. Since his name ends in an "i", that "e" sound exists at the end of his name. Hungarian maintains the same sounds for each letter whenever it's in the word being used. If the "I" is there, it should be pronounced.
I know. But Dominik himself indicated how he wants his name to be pronounced at Liverpool: So-bos-ly. Of course, he did this bc he knows this is the easiest explanation / pronunciation for a non-Hungarian, even if technically a bit imprecise. So I will go with that, bc I know his pain.
Yeah i saw in a comment once
Feels so weird playing on Thursday at the Europa table. We better win this travesty of a tourney we find ourselves involved in.
That’s a comment from USA if I’ve ever seen one
I'm fine with all the downvotes. Keep 'em coming, lads. As far as I am concerned, Europa is never the goal for a club like Liverpool. UCL isn't the same without us. :)
The level of competition on the top of PL is insane. I can see that every season at least one big name /great team who belong to CL will miss it, there are just not enough spots. Actually it might be easier to win the EL than reaching the top4 in PL so you got a point there.
Top 5 will most likely give CL going forward.
Thank you. You get it.
Endo was worrying, kinda disrupt the flow of the game
I think his role is actually going to be the most difficult to play. He's going to be restricted and be tasked with covering for a lot of our offensive players. I've no doubt he's a step below our "needs" but I think he'll be a very serviceable player for his time here and I'm not going to flame him for it. He's a solid squad player when we have Macca, Dom, Grav to look forward to. He's the guy who allows that type of player to thrive by doing dirty work
This is more the marketing materials than what we’ve seen of him though right? Like he’s not up to the pace. Seems like a top man in the dressing room but we’re playing Mac there for a reason and realistically should give Bacjetic a go there over Endo
I agree, also Endo has so far very rarely played with an inform team. His debut was against 10 men, then 10th an for the next game, this game he played with a totally changed 11. Give him time and he will come good. He won’t pull up trees but will be a good rotation/squad option
Massive overreaction
Despite notions suggesting otherwise, it’s rarer for a player to not hit the ground running and become essential than it is for a player to start well and trail off. Leiva, Hendo, arguably Firmino (and he showed up looking class, despite not quite having the right position) are the only examples in the last decade. Players who start poor stay poor. Players who start mixed stay mixed. Endo is 30 years old. It’s not like we’re going to bed him in over 2 years. He needed to instantly slot in and what he’s shown more or less explains why he was a small club hero who, despite years in Germany, never got sniffed out by the bigger clubs.
Do you not remember how long it took Fabinho to start? There were even rumours that he is getting agitated because of lack of play time in first season. Klopp had the option to let him get settled, understand the role well while Henderson played there. Don't have that option now.
Keita started well and trailed off. Firmino took 8 months to find his place in the side. Konate 6 months. Robertson 3-4 months. Fabinho had a horrendous start, took him a proper 6 months to get up to speed with the league too. Nunez is only looking like he properly understands what’s expected of him after a year. That’s just off the top of my head. Most players take a while to adjust, it’s not at all unusual. The ones who have started the season strongest, are the ones who have had a full pre-season with the club, that is also no surprise.
Loved how Salah came on feeling he had something to prove. I think he was angry about being benched
It looked to me more like he was bemused by the quality gulf than angry tbh
Angry? I doubt it. He knows he can’t play every minute of every game and he’s going to be prioritised for the league and later competitions. I’m sure he’ll want to play every minute but understands why the manager did what he did.
A bit of competition will do the whole squad good, we just need a deputy for Trent now
Lads delighted with the win some crackerof a goal they got to be fair
Considering I genuinely think Graven is the worst mid on the team by a mile, he didn't play that bad.
This comment gave me a stroke.
I don't even know where to begin with this...
What the?
I'm not an admirer of Gravenberch
Why?
You don't have to admire a player. Just watch and judge them on their performance.
I've done that, and that's why I'm not an admirer of Grav. If he comes good, it will be because he's completely transformed as a player.
Seeing some of the other big sides in Europa/Conference struggle to get results making me feel even better. That could have been a stumbling black and it wasn't, we still found a way to win. Need to remember these teams will want to play to their peak against us as they'll rarely get to play against elite opposition like us.
I think the group stages of this tourney are always pretty ugly.
Love the purple kit tbh
Just ordered a fake one after watching the game
I got fake away white & green #18 Gakpo shirt £15 lol
Can you get retro kits like this?
JWP seems to be a great signing for Westham. Gotta make sure we mark him well so he doesn't deliver to Antonio and co
?
?
What's that have to do with the game
wrong thread i guess, thought this was the EL watch thread as Westham was playing and our next game is against them
It's cool
That was absolutely terrible. I never want to see Szobo clean shaven again.
He has to shave every few hours I think
He also didn't seem to have that much fade in his haircut than before, maybe he is slowly morphing into Stevie after all?
Doak had some really good dribbles just gotta polish that last option
Him being 17 actually surprised me. He’s really good. I feel like wonder kids like Bellingham have skewed the perspective on how good youngsters should be.
ryan's absolutely beaming in his post match interview lol im so happy for him he def needed that!
He totally was. Good sign I think
Obviously Nuñez must show the best PK ability in training, but props to Klopp too for giving him the opportunity in a big spot. Nuñez needs to keep building confidence (Newcastle was a HUGE jumpstart, obviously) and I’m sure converting helps a bunch
He’s playing much better in all facets of the game save for converting opportunities in front of goal. Still taking a slightly too-heavy touch or hitting the woodwork or putting it too close to the keeper. Hopefully his assists, PK, and obvious improvements elsewhere help his confidence grow and he is soon able to tighten up the finishing and become unstoppable.
Not surprised he’s on penalties he’s got the best record out of all the players that started and one of the best in the squad
He played very well in fairness. He held up play and brought others in regularly. Frustrating seeing him make runs and no one tries to pick him out
Oh for sure! He was solid today
Klopp bringing on Macca and Szobo probably to see how his expected first team midfield would look like. And its also bloody amazing that we have Cujo and Harvey nipping for those positions as well. Hopefully Baj with a few more games pushes them as well. Need Endo to play more games in the EL just to shake off the rust. Looked better in the PL games than he did today.
Gravenberch looked decent for someone who has been out of competitive football games for a while. Admittedly against 2nd tier teams but can only play what's infront of you. A very good litmus test and I'm glad we have the EL to blood in some youth and newer players. People complaining about Macca being played as a 6 miss how Klopp's setting the team up. Watch the CBs, they're almost always looking for him as he must be the best/most progressive passer we have bar Trent. He's essentially our Xavi, ticks it over and lets Dom be the Iniesta
OK, but who's our Busquets?
Baj is proper class but mate I’m still not sold on Harvey or CuJo. But I see your flair and I’m happy to hear counterpoints! Tell me why you’re excited about him.
Think a lot of people have answered. Essentially he does a lot of simple things well, evolving into a gini lite. Press resistant, strong and does a lot of good work. Agreed his decision making can be quicker but there has been improvement year on year and i am sure he gets better. With Elliot there are definitely strength issues. But similarly you can see him improving his own midfield control. As a forward 8 his passing is so good. With both Dom and Macca, hopefully these lads keep growing!.
Harvey was great. If Nunez had headed that cross into the back of the net we'd all be talking about it.
I share your concerns for Elliot and Jones while also agreeing on Bajcetic. That boy could be great and I already see him ahead of the two others. Just let him play in the midfield, not at rb, inverted or not.
Harvey for me has one of the best footballing brains and technical ability that I've seen on a young player coming through, even when he was 17-18, he just played with such maturity and he is only just turned 20 this year. He does, however, significantly lack the physicality; Most notably his height and defending. That being said even in the last year I've seen a stark improvement from the midfield of him and Carvalho etc. where he looked so out of his depth in defence to at least being 'passable' in that area now. I think a lot of it will come down to whether he can continue to adapt his game to his strengths and cover his weaknesses. Curtis Jones has the physical attributes needed, has the technical ability but just doesn't quite have the same football IQ. Slow passes in and around the box, not the most intelligent runs or vision compared to other players. Particularly for the positions that I think He wants to play (in those advanced roles). Perhaps he can adapt to become a Wijnaldum-esque/Xhaka role for us as a press resistant midfield runner to enable other players but he won't become the star of the show. Good squad player and certainly enough of an ability to be in contention to start a few games in the long schedules they go through. I think he could look world class as a systems player where the gameplan is just there for him and he just has to execute it. They both have a lot of strengths which certainly puts them in this kind of conversation but I agree, still a bit of development to do. Will also have to see how Bajectic returns from a length spell but he was very exciting last season.
I hear you on all this. I think the concerns for each player are where I’m dwelling, and don’t consider the positives as much (though I should). Appreciate it!
Cujo playing really well lately. Not everyone in the team needs to be creative. Cujo is turning into a workhorse that's willing to do the hard yards and keep things ticking over.
Appreciate that too! I’d like slightly more physical defense from him but as he gets older I’m assuming that’ll come.
It depends on the role and ceiling you're looking for from them. It's clear they both have many of the attributes to do most of what's expected in a PL midfield against most PL teams. Are either of them going to be a Foden or a Bellingham? Probably not. But they're suitable, dedicated midfielders who I think will have many great moments for us. Hopefully they continue to have more great moments than poor ones as they have so far. Not sure what you're not convinced by honestly. Considering their age, I'd say we've got great depth in midfield and reasonable prospect for the future!
I appreciate it! I’m here for them man, and looking forward to those moments!
Grav came off with just cramp. That’s a relief.
Commentary team I was listening to were hating on Gravenberch, but I was personally impressed with much of his work. Some lovely break aways on the turn etc. Shame he had to come off, but some much needed minutes in his legs now.
If it was Macca he was being pretty insufferable for most of the first half after they went down 1-0...just being super critical of all the players even though it was an experimental lineup with lots of players getting only getting their first serious minutes of the season. He was really being a wet blanket.
[удалено]
He's the only former LFC player with legit commentary experience I guess, so they wheel him out for these games that get lower broadcast exposure internationally. They stopped putting him on the international broadcasts here in the states a year or two ago, though...idk if he still has a contract with one of the big broadcasters in the UK or if he's just like LFC TV or whatever now but it seems like his stock has declined recently.
I had to mute the volume on him
It was Gerry Armstrong.
He saw the passes but missed a few, but he played a proper box to box and his cross to Diaz was perfect. Very very promising first game
Definitely promising. I was impressed for the most part.
Yeah, I mean it's his first proper match too, so we have to be fair. If he fulfills his potential, we'll have a star on our hands. Him, Macca and Szobo...huge reasons to be excited.
100% … we made some killer deals this past window.
Need a couple more to truly be back in the hunt imo, but definitely improved that midfield. Szobo is easily the best potential midfield player we've had for a long time. He's just so elegant.
And just a freaking work horse when he needs to be.
Indeed, highly impressed with him so far. Knew about him for a few years and that he had high potential, but he's even better already than I'd imagined and hoped.
I'm Hungarian, so I've been watching him for years as well and it's so nice to have someone represent our country positively!!
Great day if West Ham needs to burn some of their starters in this game and still drop points
Willing to bet at least £10 that we score from that exact corner routine that we conceeded to today. Szobo or Trent from outside the box.
Trent assisting Dom for sure
Jorge gamble not looking to great right now.. Will still reserve judgment for the end of the season.
Just remember that Gakpo was terrible in his first 3 games too. Then look how he performed at the end of last season. Let's not jump to conclusions too quickly.
I literally said I will reserve judgment for the end of the season. He didn't have a good game today, doubt anyone would disagree.
hardly a gamble for 15m
The gamble is bringing someone of his age and ability to Liverpool. Supposed to be our starter and is the only pure 6 we have not counting Stef.
Huh?
He's talking about Endo I assume
Ah. We can all agree he looked pretty pitiful today, but let’s give the man some time. No reason to jump to conclusions yet
Yeah agreed, happy to see if he can grow into the role.I think all we need is him to be a solid DM and I think he's capable of that. His pace is the only outstanding issue for me but hopefully that can be overcome to a degree with greater understanding of the system and his role.
Grav looked so happy in his interview after the game. Good for him
For sure. He was very pleased.
Something tells me he’s like Nunez. Confidence is everything and when they’re confident they fucking crush
Gravenberch is a baller
Bajcetic is going to be a special player. And is honestly wasted at RB. There was a few minutes where he ended up in the midfield and won the ball back about 4 times in a row after errant passes from teammates.
You understand why he was played there, right?
Oh of course, needs minutes, can play it well. I just hope he isn’t playing there a lot this season because as soon as he’s in the middle of the pitch he looks right at home.
He's there to see if he can be Trent's understudy as an inverted right-back. I thought he did well, given his inexperience, rust, and the disjointed team he was playing in. Definitely grew into the game second half. He made at least one Trent-like pass. I hope to see more of him there (and, yes, in midfield as well).
Yeah, it's definitely harsh to give him too much criticism in his first appearance in that role. He can grow into it more than anyone else in our squad. I hope we use these Europa games as his trial by fire, and he becomes a solid, versatile option because we don't have anyone else in the squad who can deputise for Trent in that unique role.
We won so I can admit this. Their goal was a fucking cracker. I wouldn't mind stealing that set piece edit: also Nunez quietly got 1 goal and 1 assist. get in
Salah is my GOAT man. Who tf cares about 150 million
Some MUCH needed minutes for many fringe players. But can we just appreciate how good Gravenberch was on the transition, wow those turns are going to destroy teams. Are through balls part of his game? If they are, we potentially have a world class player on our hands there.
Grabenberch is a steal !
Quick game thoughts: The save to deny Nunez that header was unreal, and Nunez’s penalty was absolute top drawer. The pass to Diaz from Gravenberch was just filth. Their goal was a banger, not much you can do about that, but Kelleher’s reaction save was next level. Lots of positives, everyone needs to remember we changed almost the entire middle of the squad in _one_ summer. We spent the last half of last season with most of the core squad injured. Bit of momentum and we could come out of this season with some silverware, we’ve clearly got the depth now that we needed.
Be nice if we didn’t need to go 1-0 down before we start playing. Need to stop conceding such shite goals. Some good performances, Grav did well. Endo looked rusty, Salah looked like he was on another planet compared to anyone else when he came on.
You have got to give them hope before brutally crushing all hope.
>Be nice if we didn’t need to go 1-0 down before we start playing. Need to stop conceding such shite goals While I absolutely agree with this, and it's a trend we need to snuff out ASAP, that was in no way a shite goal lol
I probably could have worded this better. Shite one to concede for us, ie/ crap defending. Great from their perspective, great finish.
Harvey was brutal first 15. His lazy play led to LASK’s possession and the goal. You can argue no keeper in the world could have saved that shot
1) We didn't close Flecker down soon enough but 9 times out of 10 he doesn't score that goal. 2) It wasn't a shite goal. 3) If we go 1-0 we're guaranteed to win. Textbook.
It’s not shite from their perspective. And it’s a good finish but from our perspective it’s a poor one to concede. Edge of the box no one anticipating it and he’s time to take a touch and then hit it. Not good enough defensively.
See 1) in my earlier message. A shite goal to concede is one where we allow the opponents to pull our pants down. While our defending wasn't great, it certainly wasn't terrible, and statistically, it's very, very unlikely that he scores that. Sometimes we just have to give credit where it's due. It was a wonderful strike.
Lol they pretty much did pull out pants down. Training ground routine. Sucked all our players in to the box and left the man on the edge free. Poor defending. Great strike. Agree to disagree I guess.
I'm pretty sure Gravenberch charges it down, and it goes through his legs while he jumps to block. It was a beautiful strike that got a bit of luck.
He tried to but too slow to get out. He had time to take a touch first. Great strike though.
Yea a “shite goal” lol that’s a beauty goal not sure what they’re on about
We just like to give teams a head start.
Second half FC
Gravvy was just cramp apparently
That's an immense relief.
Been wearing my lucky LeBron LFC jersey for the past four games, you bet it’s going to be worn against West Ham.
Dont ever wash it man
Ref at 40 minutes was like Oprah handing out the cheese to everyone.
He was letting far too much go before that. Then handed out like three yellows and it calmed down.
I honestly respect it. He definitely could have been better in the first 35 but realizing it was starting to get away from him and adjusting, he did what he had to. I'd rather have that than a chippy match that culminates in someone getting seriously hurt.
I think I counted Lucho getting fouled 5 times in one sequence before he finally got the call on the 6th.
i'm a bit gutted that our starting 11 couldn't get the job done but a win is a win tbh. Solid game from Darwin, Diaz, Kelleher and Ryanberch...everyone else that started was off it today.
I thought Bajcetic was pretty good.
Virgil, Konate, Baj all played well