09 May 2017 23:24:29
Dont know if this has been asked ed01. What is your opinion on when Klopp decides to make substitutions? For me a lot of the time it feels as if it is left too late for the player coming on to make a difference. The Southampton game for instance. Why wait until the 70th minute to make subs when the players looked devoid of ideas from the moment the 2nd half kicked off.

{Ed001's Note - I just see a manager who doesn't feel like he has the options on the bench to make a difference, so he hangs on and waits. When he had quality on the bench, he made the change at half-time when things weren't working. So I am giving him the benefit of the doubt that he just doesn't feel those on the bench are fit/good/different enough to make a genuine difference other than to provide fresh legs towards the end.}

1.) 10 May 2017
10 May 2017 07:36:44
Great reply Ed1.

{Ed001's Note - we will only know for sure when he does have a decent bench, rather than a bunch of kids that are, by their very nature, inconsistent and cover players. You never know for sure whether kids will come on and have a stormer, have a stinker, or try too hard to impress and do something silly such as Grujic's tackle. The cover players are purely there in case of injuries, so we have little to change a game, unfortunately.}

2.) 10 May 2017
10 May 2017 09:31:47
IMO the first XI should be playing better rather than having to rely on a substitute to make something happen. We did nothing against Southampton until Lallana and Sturridge came on and, even after their introduction, our attacking play was minimal. The first team needs to be doing more - subs should really be used to give youngsters first team experience and perhaps replace tiring legs - I don't think their primary function should be to try and save the day, that rarely happens even with teams who do have good subs to use.

3.) 10 May 2017
10 May 2017 09:56:01
I loved Grujic's tackle. It was a bit nasty which I think we miss sometimes. You have to let the opposition know you're there and yes perhaps he went too far but we have become too nice as a team lately.

4.) 10 May 2017
10 May 2017 10:10:09
I don't think nastiness is the point though pipscreamer - I think it's more to do with drive, determination, heart. Grujic's tackle was poor, but he was making if because he was trying to make an impact, because he desperately wanted to affect the game. Other players need to do it - not be nasty - but really try to have an impact on a game rather than just coasting through and relying on others to step-up. That's what I've noticed in a lot of games this season - players shrinking and expecting others to come up with the goods - every player needs to step up and put in a shift, there are simply too many in our squad happy to waltz through games and take the easy option in every situation; in short they are not playing like winners.

5.) 10 May 2017
10 May 2017 14:54:02
Spot on, Seano and Pip. You may not be a winner BUT you can be a leader through sheer will and desire cos you simply hate losing. Carra was a leader cos he hated losing, wanted to prove people wrong for doubting his ability and played like it all thru his career. That is what we need from the senior players.

I don't mind Grujic getting stuck in cos at least it shows that the kid cares and wants to make an impact and it shows he can't be bullied. Having said that, some of our players REALLY need to step up and become leaders on the pitch. Klopp cannot do everything even tho, many expect him to.

Players have to take responsibility on the pitch and let others know that shrinking will NOT be tolerated. They should be able to give as good as they get to the opposition to let them know that this will be no cake walk. We seem to do that vs our top 6 rivals BUT in some way, cannot replicate that in other games. That is my concern.