07 Feb 2017 11:31:46
Hi ed001, love your work

You mentioned that the team has a very bad attitude problem which rears its ugly head when they play the 'lesser' teams. Which players do you believe are the biggest culprits? You mentioned Mane and Wijnaldum of having some history with it, but Mane has been absent for virtually the entire form crisis, while Wijnaldum didn't even get a minute against Hull.

You also mentioned that Liverpool have actually not been found out, they just haven't brought their real attacking game recently, indicated by the lack of tempo and movement around the opponents' 18 yard box. This may well be an attitude problem, but couldn't it be a bit of a Klopp problem too? Because I believe Emre Can's presence has a lot to do with it. He's been tasked with pulling attacking strings from midfield, yet he is slower and a sloth and has brought absolutely no tempo, yet for some reason Klopp persists with him. When we had the trio of Lallana, Hendo and Gini, the midfield far more zippier, and consequently the team was far zippier.

{Ed001's Note - yet Can was fine when we were on a good run, it is not one player, it is the group as a whole. We have really just two players who have shown a consistently good work ethic and desire to win in Firmino and Henderson. We have lots of players who work hard, but there is a difference between working hard like Lallana and that driving will to win that someone like Kante possesses. It is that we lack, so we are sloppy, less focused until it is a big game in front of the TV cameras and the crowd are driving the players on.}

1.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 12:52:59
Can was fine when we were on a good run because he was on the bench, wasn't he? Look, he's okay when teams don't park the bus and afford us space, but when they do park the bus, he is ineffective.

I do love the attitude of Firmino and Henderson, but even if we had a team of Hendersons or Firminos, do you reckon it still lacks a dominant galvanising personality? The kind of player with absolute confidence in his ability, and the confidence to berate his team mates when highest possible standards are not being met. A player who doesn't rely on motivation that is quite frankly not always there. You know, someone like Carra, Drogba, Terry, Keane, Vieira, C. Ronaldo, etc. Because even if you have eleven players on the pitch with the perfect attitude just not performing on the day, that galvanising personality can bark at them and help them find that extra gear. We don't have anyone like that. We don't have anyone that gets really angry when things aren't going the way they should be. It seems to me that this team relies way too much on motivation, predominately being either a big match or the crowd. This is why they get unstuck, because that kind of motivation isn't always there.

I agree about Lallana, he works hard, but sometimes without the sight of what is actually supposed to be achieved.

2.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 13:05:49
Someone like Steven Gerrard, His ability to score from anywhere. We do lack his excellent set piece delivery, His sublime free kicks and how about his long rangers. We lack that quality midfielder.

3.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 14:04:54
Have to disagree Harry. Midfield is just about the only place we don't lack quality. Henderson is excellent, Wijnaldum is very under rated, Stewart is a great little back up, Chirivella is a top talent, Lallana has done great moments, Mane is arguable our best player, Coutinho is a genius at times, Lucas is Mr reliable, Wilson and Woodburn have vast potential, Grukic has barely had a sniff, Can is not a bad option for more physical games. I fail to see how we lack quality in midfield. I think we perhaps lack pace in the wide areas. Hopefully we pursue Brandt and rectify that.

For me though, we lack a goal scorer, and then decent defenders. Origi is young, Firmino would be better just off a striker and Ings and Sturridge are injury prone and will likely be sold. Mariano has been touted on here.

When you look at the defence, we lack decent full backs on either side which hurts is in terms of stretching the play into wider areas. Aside from Matip, we have no top centre backs. And the goalkeeper situation doesn't need explaining!

Midfielders? Not for me. I think we have enough in the squad that Klopp should be able to find an internal solution. Every year we seem to sign midfielders and every year it is at the expense of us actually solving our glaring issues. We have never replaced Suarez, Riise, Finnan, Carragher or Reina.

We have signed Hendo, Coutinho, Lallana, Can, Wijnaldum and Grujic for midfield in the last 5 years. When does it end? We need to address the problem positions and stop stockpiling midfielders. The only change i would make is to replace Can for a pacey wide man.

4.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 14:54:33
Look, last summer, most agreed we needed a top goalie, we signed a midfielder, most agreed we needed a left back, we signed a midfielder,
we are still leaking goals, goals that a top side should not be conceding, some of the goalkeeping this season, ha also last season has been soo bad, we don't deserve top four, Klopp is thinking long term, we want a top team right now,
its so obvious that the squad is too thin, that we have too many average players in the team, come on Klopp, wake up .

{Ed001's Note - I would rather Klopp kept thinking long term, rather than bought short term fixes. That was the mistake Rafa made, just bringing in someone to fill in gaps, rather than waiting for the right player to become available. We tried to sign a left back, we were unable to complete the deal, so Klopp made do with what we have. He managed his resources, like he is paid to do. To me that is a good thing.}

5.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 15:19:00
Mk what planet do you live on? Midfield is the only place we don't lack quality. We have zero creativity in our midfield hence how we never break teams down. Teams also take a leisurely stroll though our midfield on the break and score.

6.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 15:22:53
Yes ed, but while he is managing his resources and we are winning nothing, the likes of Coutinho and Firmino will have had enough and want away. So in a few years time we will still be saying he is managing his resources, because we won't have CL football.

{Ed001's Note - so you would rather we went bankrupt chasing the dream? Or just buy any old left back when the ones that improve the team and fit the way we want to play are not available? That is exactly why we are where we are, because we just bought any old crap (such as your namesake) to fill a hole, rather than only bought the right players.}

7.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 15:24:01
think MK was not thinking when he said about that midfield. Seriously .

8.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 15:45:24
If Chelsea needed a goalkeeper or left back, they would go out and get the best, no wonder they are top of the premiership, and were struggling for top six, we need to look at the bigger picture, and not just think about the next transfer window, meanwhile, the whole squad is very low on confidence, and can only get it going for the Big games, something is very wrong, sort it Klopp .

9.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 15:52:30
How can anyone in their right mind say we lack creativity? We create more chances than any other team in the league. If it is creativity we lack than that would suggest we replace Coutinho, Firmino and Mane! What we lack is a goal scorer. Somebody to get into the right areas and knock a goal in games we are not on song. We had 22 shots against Hull. We get into the right areas but nobody makes that decisive run to get into a goal scoring position!

Our midfield dominates every game as well. Sorry but people are barking up the wrong tree and if you all stopped for long enough to think about it, you would realise it! Lacks creativity?! Our team has loads of creators. What we lack is a guy who will score 15-20 goals a season!

10.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 15:58:11
When Chelsea needed a goalkeeper of a left back they would go out and get the best? When they needed a goalkeeper they went out, got Courtois and let him grow and mature. They then slowly introduced him into the first XI and even when during the second half of last season when he looked bang average coming back from injury they kept the faith.

And when they needed a LB they went out and got Alonso. Not an awful player but hardly the best and the FB positions despite the investment are still the most obvious weaknesses in the side.

You literally have no idea of the topic you're talking about. You're just frustrated and want action. But sometimes inaction is the best long term action.

11.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 16:14:11
And as for people strolling through, that is nonsense. We concede less shots per game than any other side because the midfield is so good and cutting out opposition attacks. The issue is on the rare occasion a team does get out, our defence crumbles due to a lack of composite under pressure or someone dives in and gets left in no mans land etc. And then when they go past the defenders, we don't have a keeper we can rely on to dig us out every so often.

People are just frustrated at our form and throwing mud at anything it will stick to! The midfield is absolutely fine. If we sign a midfielder, who gets benched? £25m Gini still in his first season? £16m captain Hendo? £28m (arguably) player of the season so far Lallana?

It is whining nonsense. We already have a plethora of young talent waiting in the wings. Chirivella, Stewart, Grujic and Ejaria are highly rated. Brannagan and Virtue are valued highly. Wilson, Woodburn and Arnold can also play as attacking midfielders.

Sorry, but I will happily swim against the tide here because you are all talking bull.

{Ed025's Note - this plethora of young talent you allude to have done nothing to make me believe they are anything better than mediocre MK, TAA has done fairly well and i suppose ojo shows some promise but the rest need to step up markedly for them to be classed as great prospects mate..

12.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 16:42:38
I think we lack someone big in the middle like carvallo or a matic.

13.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:08:51
Nah MK, I'm sorry but it is you that is talking complete bull if you think that midfield has enough quality to take us forward. The only genuine central midfielder that is anywhere near good enough for me is Henderson. Lucas, is a decent squad player but his days of being an underrated force in midfield are over and he will never get a run of games under Klopp so he is on his way out. Everyone knows the insufficiencies of Can, they are very clear now and it is obvious he shouldn't be a regular first team player at this moment in time. For me Can is only useful against certain opposition. As for grujic, there's an obvious issue there, I'm not sure what it is but he is completely out of favour even when fit, I assume he'll probably go out on loan or something. Stewart, is simply not good enough, I'd rather that squad player be someone like Can instead of Stewart, he's a decent young player but he won't cut it at Liverpool, I think the best move for him would be a move to one of the newly promoted sides next summer. Some of the other ones you listed have done nothing to suggest they are ready for the first team yet so they shouldn't be in the way of an impending signing that may add real quality in midfield. In an ideal world you would like to say well we don't need to sign anyone in midfield because we have chiravella or ejaria coming through but it isn't the case. They will get the odd chances here and there but holding back a signing that might fix this area, no not for me, we will never compete that way. It's unfortunante but it's football.

If you consider lallana and wijnaldum genuine central midfielders, then you have a problem understanding midfield. It's the system we play that allows these two to play more centrally but let's face it, the one doing the midfielders work in midfield is Henderson. Lallana and wijnaldum apply pressure high up the field and sometimes track back but with no real defensive quality, there job is to create and add fluidity from midfield, which wijnaldum doesn't do often enough. So if we are talking about a midfield three, I would say the area that needs improving is either the CDM role where hendo plays which then pushes hendo forward alongside lallana, or where wijnaldum plays, someone with more central midfield quality, someone that can play box to box and can contribute both ways effectively playing alongside hendo and lallana. That's an improvement on the first 11 we need to make, midfield is a very weak area. In terms of personnel I think it might be the weakest. It will cost but I believe we need to make quality over quantity signings this summer for the first time in ages. That might mean a decent spent on certain areas that need fixing in the first team. For me these areas are LB, CB, CM and forward of some sort maybe a winger or striker depending on who leaves and possibly a goalkeeper depending on if Mignolet leaves. That's 4-5 players, I hope we keep it simple.

14.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:17:32
we are out of top four cos other teams are getting better results right now, we were right behind Chelsea only a short time ago, they look really strong now, and have so many great players, we really need a to buy and sell this next transfer window, I only hope Klopp gets in the right players, we seem a million miles away from winning the premiership right now . but I can see us getting our act together soon, but only when the players have recovered, all the high pressing has taken its toll on a paper thin squad, if only Klopp had brought in one or two players in January, a blind man could see that once Mane was gone, and the players missing, points would be hard to find, top four seems gone, top six, well maybe .

15.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:23:10
I love Ed's first response. If you wanna single out Can, then I can single out Studge, Origi, Lovren, Migs and the lot. That is too easy. Our whole team is struggling right now and it is down to attitude issues and a willingness to bring our A game in EVERY game we play. How do you explain us being the best team vs the top six since Klopp arrived yet have MASSIVE issues vs lesser teams. our team as a whole, don't ashow the same level of passion vs these teams like we do vs the top 6 and this sadly, predates Klopp. This mentality has held us back for over a decade now and will continue to do so if not sorted.

Check the Swansea game for a minute. We only played for 15 minutes when Firmino (one of the true warriors in the team) single-handedly dragged us level. Show me another player that plays out of his mind like he does. Bar prolly Hendo who plays injured and gives his best on one leg, you won't find any. That is the issue.

That sense of urgency, drive and desire to win (or lack thereof) is what we had in the first half that we are screaming for. Even Klopp blew a gasket reportedly at half time at Hull so if we can and he can see it then, you know it's there. Players will have to step up and be counted cos there is nowhere to hide anymore. This is GO time.

16.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:24:18
What a strange thread. MK I'm with you on this one. Zero creativity in our midfield with the likes of PC and Mane. Nonsense! For me, the way we play relies on fluidity and understanding which has broken down due to injuries (annoyingly through pointless internationals) , AFCON (ditto) and confidence sapping results with perhaps a lack of being up for it thrown in for good measure. The creativity is still there just need to recapture that form.

17.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:33:15
Someone big? Like 6ft Hendo, 6ft Can, 6ft5 Grujic, 6ft Stewart, 5ft11 Lucas?

Yeah I see your point. Load of oompa lumpas in midfield! Get them all out!

Matic and Toure aside, how many centre mids in the top 6 are actually 6ft3 or taller? I think Pogba might just be 6ft3. Hardly helped him in the air against our 6ft2 Lovren though did it! Dier maybe who can't get a game ahead of Sissoko or Wanyama?

18.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:39:58
To go against the mold, I think it's simply defence and GK that are the problem.
Think of all the Lucas/ Klavan/ Mignolet and Karius howlers this season alone.

Even if you just took out the howlers, we'd be better off.
Hendo and Lallana are having brilliant seasons, Can and Wini not quite there.
Our strike force has been in formidable form since our dip.
I think sometimes it's easy to make problems bigger than they need to be.

19.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:25:56
Got to disagree there Ed025. They are all good prospects in need of a chance. Particularly Chirivella, Wilson and Grujic.

Look at your man Davies. Nobody outside of Everton knew who he was and now he has been given a chance he is flying.

Liverpool have farcically gained a reputation as a club who give youth a chance, and yet we don't. 180 minutes in a reserve team against Exeter or Plymouth does not count.

Arnold is our only lad who has had a proper chance in our first team, and as you rightly say he looks the best prospect. Is that because he is the best, or because he has been blooded in properly?

{Ed025's Note - a very fair point MK, we all like to see a youngster come though and make his mark and its a pity that more managers dont give these youngsters a chance as it could save the club a fortune mate, but it seems they would rather buy a foreign player who may or may not cut the mustard than give a kid a chance, so in the words of the late great john lennon..."all we are saying..is give kids a chance".. :)

20.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:43:46
A string midfield presence would help IMO; someone who knows how to manage the game, street smart would help both the attack and defence.

21.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:55:29
I agree with Kman; the midfield is not as good as we think it is (and I don't include Coutinho or Mane as midfielders here) . I particularly agree with him that we cannot just wait and hope that Ejaria or Chirivella will be ready to play regularly for Liverpool in the future. We have already seen with Emre Can having made no real progress in the 2 and half years he has been here and if we don't act in the summer and bring in players who are ready to take the next step (like Kante at Chelsea, Wanyama at Spurs), we are going to go through the same cycle we always seem to every 2 years.

22.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 17:55:36
Well, we had a chance to stick with Karius BUT the moaners on here took sides with a manc who was bullying him cos he made two mistakes (clearly he's the only GK in history ever to make a mistake) and failed to protect him all in the name of "he's losing us the PL" nonsense, in favor of a benched, known failure in Migs. Now that the known failure is back to being a failure, we have a GK prob. IMO, we don't. What we do have, are impatient fans who can't wait to slate our own instead being patient with them.

{Ed025's Note - i agree that karius needs time noah but when you are in one of the box seats for the title like you were you cant afford passengers mate, karius looked very green and made mistakes that cost points (not that migs is any better) so you can understand the fans frustrations on that score, liverpool should have bought a top quality keeper and got shut of migs for me, they knew he was a liability but failed to address the problem...how many times do you need to get punched in the face before you learn to duck, as they say..

23.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 18:02:54
Spot the people that do not know the difference between central midfielders and attacking midfielders/ forwards. Mane and coutinho play RW and LW respectively, they are forwards in our set up not part of the 3 in midfield.

24.) 07 Feb 2017
07 Feb 2017 18:54:43
Ed25 - I think tho that we weren't really expecting a title challenge this year. Although that is obviously our aim every season because "we are liverpool". but in reality if we think back we forget easily that this team was still slowly putting pieces together. I really think our early success derailed the reality of what kind of team we truly are.

And to MKs point about the midfield, we do have very strong players there but the for me is still a bit imbalanced. Lallana, gini and hendo i think is our best combo there as it provides a lot of running and a touch of creativity. But I still think its too heavily loaded towards runners. Lallana has great skill but isn't a great technician or link up player. Sevilla's midfield tore us a new one by technique not by running us to death and that subtle difference is something I think needs addressing to take our midfield to the next level.

{Ed025's Note - it seemed to be working very well early on faith..

25.) 08 Feb 2017
08 Feb 2017 07:50:47
I still believe Roy Keane was spot on when he said if you match your opponent's physicality and aggression, your superior class will win you the game. Liverpool have been sorely lacking at times.

26.) 08 Feb 2017
08 Feb 2017 09:28:35
People thought we were in a title race. I never thought so as I posted at the time that, we are a year too early for it BUT people who got suckered into thinking the title was on, got desperate and beat up on Karius, who I think is a talented GK. Whether it worked out early on or not, is irrelevant cos we all knew at the time that this team had holes in it and still needed improvement.

Klopp picked Karius and the sane knew he would need time to adapt but others thought he was the second coming of Thibault Courtois and were suddenly shocked to learn that lo and behold, he's just a young, talented GK that needed to adapt and needed a good system to protect him while he bedded into the PL. Just saying.