07 Feb 2021 23:50:00
Come on eds 001 what's going wrong at the moment, value your insight as always.

{Ed001's Note - it is a combination of everything. The lack of time to work on the problems in training is amplifying a lack of confidence. Players missing through injury is a big issue on its own, but added to the packed schedule means that those who are fit are being overused due to a lack of options to rotate them. Each game adds to those issues, as the players become more tired, they are not getting time in training to work on their fitness and the performances then suffer, which causes confidence to ebb further and so on.

Contrast that to City, who have just 3 players out injured, one of them, Ake, has not established himself in their team anyway. When they did start to pick up injuries, there was an outbreak at the club that forced games to be postponed, giving them a chance to rest players and they have looked refreshed for it. And then there is the size of their squad meaning they are able to continually rotate and refresh the line up.

Having just that slight break has made all the difference to City, despite the circumstances of it. They look fresh as everyone else has hit the wall and is struggling with fitness concerns, enabling them to edge away at the top while the rest stumble. I am hesitant to term that lucky, as I am sure all those that were ill would not consider it so, but it has worked out to their advantage. You can see the difference in energy in their team from anyone else in the league.}

1.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 07:09:19
I agreed with everything ed. but if we want to be the best. this is one of the obstacles we have to overcome. I have 💯 confidence in klopp and our boys. they have given everything for us in the last few years. now when they need us im going to be there for them 💯. they will bounce back. it's klopp not Hodgson. ynwa reds.

{Ed001's Note - me too mate.}

2.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 08:07:54
Ed1 Kopp is making poor decisions at the moment, we are becoming bad champions and continually making excuses, we need to get on with it, can't keep blaming it on injured players.

{Ed001's Note - but injured players are the problem, why can't it be blamed on the actual problem? What a bizarre thing to say.}

3.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 08:55:10
Because moaning about it isn't going to bring the players back ed. stop talking and just get on with it.

{Ed001's Note - what are you talking about? Read the posts, this is not about moaning so give it a rest and take that to one of the whiny threads rather than waste my time with it.}

4.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 08:56:22
Ed1 so is it not a managers responsibility to build a squad to cope with those injuries?

{Ed001's Note - don't talk soft. You clearly are deluded if you think any manager could have built any team to cope with the injuries we have had this season.}

5.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 09:10:36
You can't just stockpile players with the thinking that 3 starting CB's will get injured.

{Ed001's Note - apparently you now need to have 10 players for every position.}

6.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 09:22:38
Just curious Ed I’m terms of when you think Klopp will make the changes at the back or when you think is the right time.

For me I think he just needs to put kabak and Davies in immediately and let them build up a partnership. I know that brings it’s own problems but I believe Hendo and Fab offer far too much in midfield for either of them to play any longer at centre back.

That should hopefully bring balance back to the way the team plays.

I think Klopp has done a wonderful job in managing the injuries we have had. to have been in the title picture for so long was an achievement but he now has that backup he needed and if he doesn’t use it I think that’s a major mistake.

{Ed001's Note - I think he should have started one of them at the weekend alongside Phillips personally. It was the perfect game to drop a centre-half in because no one expects much of them in a game against City. I don't understand why Klopp is so reluctant to use Phillips, he has not let us down at all.

Getting Henderson in midfield, and keeping Fabinho out of the backline, would have made a huge difference in that game. It was far more of a risk bringing him back into the side after his injury than dropping in a new boy would have been. He was clearly not ready and rushed back.}

7.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 09:35:19
MR, you can blame Klopp all you want BUT it will not change the fact that the amount of injuries we have had (ALL senior CB's out for the season) along with injuries/ CV affecting players leading to lack of rotation, is wat has ruined our season. This is not complicated.

"It is the responsibility of the manager to do. ". To do what exactly? Be a miracle worker? Pep lost ONE centreback for half a season and their season crumbled and they had 3 other fit senior CB's to play (Stones and Otamendi) BUT he chose not to play them. If Klopp had done that then, you would have a point. Klopp did not so well, you don't.

Klopp has lost all his senior CB's along with other players like Mane, Thiago, Jota, AB1, Hendo, Fab, TAA, in and out of the team for spells. You tell le what team and manager can survive that and mount a title defence of note. Yet you want to judge Klopp on a standard that you know NO other manager including him, can meet. Like Ed01 said, "Don't talk soft".

8.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 09:58:07
Couldn't agree more ed, why a new cb and phillips didn't play is beyond me, it would of took Gini out the midfield, which is much needed and could of pushed Jones further up to take an ever slowing down Bobby out the side, we have the solutions now we need to be putting the players in the correct positions now, its not like we are breaking up a winning side to put players in, bed them in now and get the midfield back to what it should be, we were 30 yards deeper than City yesterday and have been since hendo and fab dropped back, we need to push sides up the field and start to train bobby on controlling and passing the ball again, he needs a break from the side, he is getting deeper and deeper and breaking to many attacks down, he looks shot to me.

{Ed001's Note - don't mention Gini! He stays fit and plays so many games because he is doing nothing!}

9.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 10:42:57
Morning Ed1
Do you think the fact that City and Utd started their season later than others has had an effect on their fitness at this point too?
They are occupying the top spots so I wondered if this was a factor in them being fresher or just a coincidence.
They both struggled at the start of the campaign but now are in form.

{Ed001's Note - possibly, it is difficult to say what effect that had on them. It is something I had not considered to be honest, until you mentioned it.}

10.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 10:47:16
It not just injury, there is a lot questionable decision by klopp. Refusing to play Philips at cb. Keep playing wijnaldum as no.6 where clearly he is more attacking minded player

With 2 creative midfielder like thiago and jones I don't think firmino need to dropped too deep in match.

Minamino also should have been given chance after his performance at palace match, but now he is being loaned out.

11.) 08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021 11:36:12
Lancaster on Bobbie, he is coming deeper and deeper cos we are NOT pushing the team up as a solid block and pinning teams back for the reasons we all know about. That is the issue there. It has nothing to do with Bobbie, per se. When we do this, the press is better and the team is closer to Bobbie so when he drops deep, he is dropping into the final third, not into his half of the pitch.

In the games where we have done this, Bobbie has been at his best and links up better, plays better, creates and scores like he did at Utd, WH and Spurs. One is a knock on effect on the other, IMO.

I agree that one of the CB's should have played BUT maybe Klopp did not fav. Phillips on the ball vs City and did not want to throw Kabak or Davies in the deep end vs City in case they drown. I disagree with his thinking but there you go.