15 Aug 2019 12:35:53
Really proud of boys again especially Gomez who has come back and looks like he means business
just my opinion but lasat night Chelsea had Kante who for me who close to being man of the match after mane
Our midfield could not cope with him at all, and for me it is still the one area we lack a truly world class player goalkeeper defence and attack we all have a person or someone we can deem as world class, fabinho is very good but not world class, I just imagine what someone like a kante would do in a team like ours
I must say though he looks a class above that Chelsea team now does Kante and can see him moving soon.

1.) 15 Aug 2019
15 Aug 2019 14:08:06
I'd agree with that mate, though I think our midfield issues were down to rustiness more than anything else. Additionally, the heat made it hard for us to press. For me Fabinho is the best in the world at what he does (I don't consider Kante a traditional CDM) .

I agree we don't have a world class midfielder, but I also think there's only a handful of those currently playing. With Vidal, Silva and Modric all feeling the effects of age I'd only have Verratti, Saul KDB and Kante in that list.

2.) 15 Aug 2019
15 Aug 2019 14:10:17
Jonchow, Kante had room to operate cos the structure was not there. Again, it has nothing to do with "needing some world class player from somewhere" stuff we keep hearing. No matter who you have, if the structure is too open like it was last night with Milner and Hendo supporting the front three and the FB's, you leave gaping holes in CM for the opposition to operate and run at you esp. if Fab is left all alone to defend against multiple runners.

You also say Fab is good, not world class. That to me, is not the discussion. If you have runners coming at you at will, having Makelele won't help you there. The team structure is unbalanced and even Klopp said so himself and gave reasons why. Having a new player won't help us here. We play team football and our system does not condone passengers. That is what we are having now, IMO.

3.) 15 Aug 2019
15 Aug 2019 15:56:16
All 4 of the players who played center midfield - Fabinho, Henderson, Milner and Wijnaldum, struggled pretty bad yesterday. It was concerning because they are there because of their experience and tactical acumen in Klopp’s defensive system for big games, and they didn’t show any of that.

4.) 15 Aug 2019
15 Aug 2019 16:49:49
So Redwolf you don't agree that a kante ( and I never said over one game) would improve our midfield or someone of that world class type?

5.) 15 Aug 2019
15 Aug 2019 17:33:48
Johncrow, that is not my point. If you asked if Kante would improve us then of course, he would. I was making a broader point which I described in my post already. Chelsea's midfield knew what they were doing and pounced on almost every mistake we made in midfield cos well, their midfield was set up well, ours was not. Our midfield looked incompetent at times and like I said, it won't matter who you have. If the shape, structure and scheme is off, Kante won't improve us until that is fixed. That is my broader point.

6.) 15 Aug 2019
15 Aug 2019 17:35:02
What I couldn't believe last night was the outstandingly poor passing from Matip, almost every ball was given away by him. I also thought Joe Gomez and Matip were far too casual in defence. This really troubles me as ever since preseason started our defence has been uncoordinated.

7.) 15 Aug 2019
15 Aug 2019 18:12:07
For me is that Midfield won the champions league and super and was 1 point from the title
so imagine if we added to that would could be achived you keep harking on about last night you do know the season is more then one game or pre season games mate which last night was akin to
long term we need a world class midfielder imo
but al alwyas I totally respect your opinion
our best midfield set up in the right way and playing well still is not as good as man city or real madrid or maybe even A Madrid.

8.) 16 Aug 2019
16 Aug 2019 10:24:27
Good point Johncrow Jr but what even is a world-class midfielder? Or who would fit the bill? a lot of fans say the same, but our midfield is set up to be more comolex, balancing the press with build up play. Take one piece out of our Jenga tower and our dynamic changes. I'm not sure a Couthino would fit into the squad for this reason as players like this want the centre stage, not the dirty work. That's what makes Hendon and Gini so frustrating to watch. Side to side football is not attractive but if posession is lot we get it back and start over. Normally we end up getting out way and overpowering teams. Perhaps the solution needs to be an attacking midfielder from the bench when teams park the bus. But world class players won't do that, so who? Perhaps the question needs to be have we got the right attacking players to change the game from the bench? Food for debate anyway.

9.) 16 Aug 2019
16 Aug 2019 12:15:30
Johncrow, I could not be arsed about what midfield systems other teams play cos that is not how football works. These teams play diff. styles of football and their midfield setup dictates what players play in them. Hence, comparing City's midfield system to ours is preposterous cos both midfield setups are made to accomplish different goals.

This is why City and Barcelona struggle for the most part against us. It is cos our midfield is set up to press, harry, recover the ball higher up the pitch and then dish to the front three to feast upon a vulnerable defence. That same midfield is the reason Barcelona and City got knocked out in the CL by us. It is not about who has the best midfield/ midfielders. It is about who has the most effective midfield setup and you won't know that until they go head to head and based on results, Klopp's midfield has come out on top vs Barcelona and City. As for A. Madrid or Real Madrid? We'll see when we play them again.