Liverpool Banter Archive December 20 2016

 

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20 Dec 2016 23:28:01
It amazes me how fans of other teams (and some of our own fans) don't rate Hendo. Just because someone doesn't skin 5 players and bang it in the top corner doesn't mean he's not integral to the team and the way we play. The lad's a class act if you ask me and a worthy captain.

Believable30 Unbelievable1

20 Dec 2016 23:42:09
I've just read a stat 200 more forward passes for Jordan than the mega money Pogba ๐Ÿ˜.


21 Dec 2016 00:33:33
But he does bang it in the corner doesn't he?


21 Dec 2016 00:38:36
Its just people being sheep and not being able to think for themselves. Once something is said over and over again people start thinking its the truth. I ask anyone to explain why they think Hendo is rubbish and they spout the same nonsense that oh he passes backwards, he can only do 2 yard passes etc. Then when you prove and show them that this isn't the case, they make up some other nonsense that isn't true. Poor lad can't win.


21 Dec 2016 01:14:34
First name on the teamsheet for me. The statistics back him up but, like Wijnaldum and Lucas, his contributions aren't spectacular enough for praise. Anyone with half a brain and a vague knowledge of football can see he is the lynchpin of our midfield.


{Ed002's Note - With those criteria it is a suprise that all Liverpool fans can't see it Annie.}

21 Dec 2016 06:34:10
Mainly because people don't understand his role in the team. For a large portion of people a CM means spraying Hollywood passes across the field ๐Ÿ˜Ž. Either you are a Gerrard or nothing.
As long as he breaks up the play and stop the opposition coming to us I am happy. A holding midfielder first task is to hold the line and stop the attack. There aren't too many player who are excellent passer of the ball from deep. I could only think Xabi and Pirlo.
They should check what Busquets does at Barcelona or Rabiot at PSG.

My concern is with Wijnaldum who inspite of given luxury to go forward have not scored more than a goal this season and doesn't influence the game like his position should be doing.

The idea of buying Wijnaldum was to have someone in the middle who makes those runs from midfield to attack and score goals. This is not happening according to me.

That is the reason Klopp is looking at Hector Herrerra ( A B2B player to play alongside Henderson ) .


21 Dec 2016 06:39:12
Due to his simple style of play fans tend to miss the work he puts in, for a player who just found his feet he realy deserves more.


21 Dec 2016 06:42:06
Eric Dier or Wictor Wanyama doesn' make those Hollywood passes in fact none other Carrick could actually make a pass from deep.
Once we have our own Dembele to play alongside Henderson people would eventually shut their mouths.


21 Dec 2016 07:23:34
When you watch Hendo live at the match, week in week out you really can appreciate his value to the team.

That's why fans from other clubs have no idea when it comes to Henderson.


21 Dec 2016 07:25:51
The work Henderson puts in gets unnoticed. Klopp kept him on as captain and Henderson is proving his worth to wear the armband. Hendo will run through brick after brick wall and still come out at the other end fighting and never gives up.

At this point our midfield ain't going to be the same without him. He dictates play, recovers the ball, makes tackles, creates chances etc etc etc. What more do people want when that is exactly what Klopp expects him to do?

The disgusting tackle by Barkley on Henderson saw Klopp holding his head as a lengthy injury to Henderson will have to see a change in how we play and set up the team which at this point, if it ain't broken then no need to fix it.


21 Dec 2016 07:28:27
That's very true Nicky D.
He's Klopp's captain and he is very rarely rotated. That says it all for me.


21 Dec 2016 08:00:01
You can't possibly compare Hendo with Wanyama ๐Ÿ™ˆ.


21 Dec 2016 08:04:41
People say about how he only passes sideways but if you really take note in a match you'll see that he's always looking to get the ball forward and get an attack going. For me he is outstanding and a terrific well rounded midfielder.
I noticed in the Everton game that Lallana was pointing at Hendo when Klavan had the ball. This sort of thing happened a few times so clearly the players have been told that everything starts with Hendo when we're playing it out from deep. What an underrated player he is.


21 Dec 2016 08:39:23
I'm more than happy for everyone to continue under-rating Hendo.

Whilst a few of our, and many of other teams fans are bitching and moaning about how rubbish he is, Hendo can just get on with what he's best at - driving our team forward and protecting our defence.

The more he's berated, the less chance there is of a massive offer coming in for him, as I wouldn't want to lose him.

That said, scouts from other teams will likely have the same opinion as me, that Hendo is a rock around which you build a team, so we'd better watch out!

Although I was sceptical at first, ยฃ20m is turning out to be a bargain for the lad.


21 Dec 2016 08:53:19
Most people can't see his value for one of two simple reasons. The first possibility is that the only comparrison they are willing to make is to Gerrard and although he is excellent, he's no Gerrard. The second, and by far more common reason, is they simply don't want to. They either made a stance, or never actually watch Liverpool and judge him on the awful way England play, or don't want any LFC success or any other reason but it boils down to they just don't want Henderson to succeed.


{Ed001's Note - personally I think it is more down to the fact that what he does is not what you see on TV and the pundits don't highlight it. If they highlighted it, he would be suddenly seen as a great player. It was the same last season with Kante, at the start of the season I was banging on about how great he was and people were laughing at me. Then some pundits said it and highlighted it on TV, next thing you know everyone is on about how good he is.}

21 Dec 2016 08:58:30
Logan

He doesn't dictate and that is what pissing people off ๐Ÿ˜Ž. That is down to our system. We don't play the usual CM/ DM Combo most of the teams play. In fact we share the midfield into three players. Henderson, Wijnaldum and Lallana.

The lack of goals always meant Klopp will have to play him somewhere else and hence he did not buy a holding mid in the summer. Henderson has done well in his new role.

Liverpool don't play spraying 50 yards pass to full backs rather we play a lot similar to Barcelona of Arsenal. Short pass into the channels and the players themselves moving in between spaces to recieve the ball. One reason Lallana comes handy in this system as he occupies those spaces in between lines.

The only way to dismantle Liverpool is to impose physicality what Everton tried doing all game. because it's impossible to stop the flow of Liverpool passing system.


21 Dec 2016 09:08:45
Exactly my point Ed001.


{Ed001's Note - if only more people had access to the scouting sites it would help them see the light.}

21 Dec 2016 09:57:48
And how many Hollywood passes does Kante make lol? Still the best CM in Europe. It's down to the system what players do on the pitch. It's down to the manager what they act on the pitch.
Henderson is not under rated but certainly not worshiped largely due to the victim of 3 managers who played him in three different roles one after another year after the year.
2 good years in his current role will make him a good holding player

Am I happy with his role? No. because I always wanted him to emulate Lampard. ๐Ÿ˜Ž.


21 Dec 2016 10:37:23
I also feel that a lot of players don't get the recognition they deserve because of the lack of success, just look at Mark Noble, he was outstanding for West Ham last season and yet received no recognition and was incredibly overlooked for the England team for the permanently injured and unfit Wilshire. I honestly don't think Kante would have received the hype and recognition if Leicester hadn't have done as well as they did and won the League. Success breeds attention which will then be turned into recognition and praise because clearly you are doing something right if the team have been successful.


21 Dec 2016 10:43:06
With Hendo the best is yet to come.

As Klopp improves the squad Henderson will get better and better.

It's all down to confidence.

I rate him highly.


21 Dec 2016 11:12:58
Let's be honest the only time rival fans watch each others teams is when they play each other - and I admit this applies to myself to - so their subjective opinion, based on two games a season, is usually what you're hearing when you hear criticism of Henderson. Even some of our own fans are somewhat blinkered when it comes to Henderson - I've heard a few calling for him to be dropped and/ or sold and heard it enough times for it to not be so surprising. What he is doing, the work for the team, will never make MOTD highlights or be something spectacular enough for pundits to focus on. But it's fine, let them underrate him - he's having a very good season, is quietly going about his work and is having a big impact on the way our team plays - for us it's happy days.


21 Dec 2016 12:00:17
Ed001 what scouting sites would you recommend looking at? I've realized most sites can't analyse football at all so any recommendations that actually give insights into the game instead of repeating pointless nonsense would be fantastic :)


{Ed001's Note - I mean sites like Wyscout and Scout7 that you can use to look at the data yourself. Not so sure their in-house analysis is of any use. The articles I have read on those sites were of a poor standard, I have to be honest, but you can see all the footage and GPS data from matches on there. You do need a subscription (or be able to log in via a friend's comp who is a scout which is how I used to get to see it) to use the sites though. It would be good if they offered a free-to-use version with more limited datasets or a limit on the number of vids you can watch.}

21 Dec 2016 12:13:15
he's one of the best players we have. He's so vital to us it's unreal, anybody who doesn't think he is simply haven't got a clue.


21 Dec 2016 12:48:24
he's our water carrier, and as a certain world and European Championship captain could tell you, there's nothing wrong with that.


21 Dec 2016 14:06:06
First of all, Pirlo was NEVER a DM. He was a DLP ( in a 4-4-2 diamond) when Carlo Ancelotti (then, at Milan) moved him there as he was unable to play the no.10 position as he lacked the pace and stamina to play there.


Now regarding Hendo, I have given up on people who don`t rate him as they will always make reasons 9however stupid they might be) for slating him without actually watching games for themselves so not point discussing this with such people. If you needhighlights from Sky and MOTD pundits explanations to make a judgement on how good a player is, then I can`t help you.

I love our Hendo EXACTLY the way he is. Capt. of LFC, leads the PL in forward passes, contributed 4 assists towards us being the best attack in the PL, and breaks up play that has helped LFC lead the PL in shots on target conceded, candidate for Goal of the season, courageous, brave and a class act off the pitch (see his post match comments on Barkley`s tackle) .
We need him to be Hendo, the guy Klopp is creating to be THE linchpin for the team offensively and defensively. True professional and an even better gentleman!


21 Dec 2016 08:15:08
Anybody who watches liverpool consistently will know just how integral he is to the way we play.

The funny part is that a lot of the critics being everton and united fans, 2 teams who have had many similarly not flashy midfielders - carrick, butt, fletcher, gibson, barry etc - and will defend them all to the hilt and tell the world how good they are, but cannot see how henderson is better than every single one of them. Ed025, i dare you to appear and try and name an everton midfielder since the turn of the millenium who has been better than henderson.


{Ed025's Note - this page is not long enough wooly so i will just say all of them, now im not a united fan but how you can say he is better than carrick is laughable mate, he does run a lot though...and then he runs some more..and thats it..

21 Dec 2016 18:38:15
Once upon a time that may have been the case ed025 but over the last 2 seasons his overall midfield play has improved drastically, his composure, patience, intelligence, breaking up of play and willingness to start attacks mean we wouldn't be half the team we are without him. Running when he needs to is just one part of his game now, something which he doesn't need to do anywhere near as much because the rest of the team is so much better at pressing. Lallana does most of the running in midfield now.


{Ed025's Note - oh right, maybe iv got it wrong then..theres a first time for everything wooly.. :)

21 Dec 2016 21:42:40
And where did I ever claim Pirlo a DM Hamilton. Your eagerness to prove me wrong lol.


20 Dec 2016 22:34:35
The BBC are reporting that the Cameroonian fa can ask Fifa to suspend Matip domestically during the AFCON if he refuses to represent them. Never heard of this happening before has anyone else? What do we reckon are the chances of Fifa going along with it? Slim I hope.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

{Ed002's Note - It has been asked on plenty of occasions for different competitions - but the FAs do not have powers like that (unless the player has been pretending to be injured) without a legal challenge.}

20 Dec 2016 22:52:45
Cheers ed merry Christmas.


21 Dec 2016 08:15:16
It's bizarre in my opinion. It should be an individuals choice who they play for, presumably there's no contract between matip and Cameroon. The punishment should simply be Cameroon decide he's never to be picked again.


21 Dec 2016 08:58:06
That basically is the punishment. Frankly I don't get why the international clubs care so much - if I was a manager (especially internationally) I'd never want to force or convince anyone to play for me. I'd much rather have XI on the field who were ecstatic to be there, proud of their call up and willing to give everything to win without thought.

Ed - has something happened with the Cameroon team in the past that has made players not want their call ups? Cause I've heard that several players including Nyom from Watford were making themselves unavailable not just Matip. It's a shame for international football so was just curious as to why it was focused on Cameroon seemingly.


{Ed002's Note - No.}

21 Dec 2016 10:27:39
I thought there was an history of failed payments to players due to disputes between Fecafoot and the Cameroon Sports Ministry. or at least I remember some headlines going back a few years where the players did not receive payments and refused to then play a match in Algeria.


{Ed002's Note - It is true of plenty of African sides.}

20 Dec 2016 19:39:24
Evening all Eds. Wanted to get in there early and wish you all the best over the festive period. Speicial mention to Ed025 for braving the site recently - are you a new addition Ed025 or do you just spend time on other fan pages? Either way it's nice to see fresh faces and opinions, no offence to the regular Eds.

Also all the regular posters hope you all have a great Christmas and new year, which means Liverpool winning all their games of course ๐Ÿ˜Š Peace and love to all!

Believable11 Unbelievable1

{Ed025's Note - cheers higgins and a merry christmas to you as well, im actually the everton ed but i like to come over now and again for a little chat and chew the fat a bit mate, its all just friendly banter as we obviously have different views on things but its all good my friend..

20 Dec 2016 20:51:20
Nice post Higgins HAPPY CHRISTMAS ๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ˜€.


20 Dec 2016 20:53:41
Merry Christmas to all Ed`s (even you, E025 lol) and Reds, alike!


{Ed025's Note - and seasons greetings to you all from us mate..

20 Dec 2016 21:52:56
I thought you are an Arsenal fan Ed025๐Ÿ˜Ž. Are you the oldest among the Ed's?


{Ed025's Note - not quite harry but im up there mate, i do edit arsenal and united at times as well as everton, there are some really good guys on them sites as well as on liverpool..

21 Dec 2016 05:51:43
id say its nice to see u hop in once in awhile ed25.


{Ed025's Note - nice one kaizer, its nice to pop in and visit your neighbours now and again for a little chat mate..

21 Dec 2016 06:35:55
Ed025, There are plenty of nice guys over here mate. Think you should pop up here more often then ๐Ÿ˜Ž.


{Ed025's Note - i intend to harry, a lot of my friends are reds and i get on alright with them most of the time so why not.. :)

21 Dec 2016 06:41:28
seasons greetings to every 1.


20 Dec 2016 18:01:08
Hi Eds and fellow Reds.

Why are fines imposed on players for disciplinary issues paltry considering their rather large weekly salaries?

Believable3 Unbelievable0

{Ed025's Note - the maximum they can fine them is 2 weeks wages NILO, as you say mate its not enough..

20 Dec 2016 18:01:08
Hi Eds and fellow Reds.

Why are fines imposed on players for disciplinary issues paltry considering their rather large weekly salaries?

Believable0 Unbelievable0

{Ed025's Note - the maximum they can fine them is 2 weeks wages NILO, as you say mate its not enough..

20 Dec 2016 17:40:52
Things that have happened since Everton won a trophy.

Believable5 Unbelievable2

20 Dec 2016 17:45:44
Fantastic!


20 Dec 2016 19:06:28
Not cool IMO.
Sorry to be a party pooper but we are hardly trophy laden in the last decade. We should just focus on LFC and stay classy ๐Ÿ˜Ž.


20 Dec 2016 19:28:30
With ya on that Ron.


20 Dec 2016 19:42:42
It's what the Mancs did to City, every year putting a banner up of how long City had to wait to win the league.
Now they aren't laughing.


20 Dec 2016 19:46:27
Agree with Ron. That vid reminds me of that horrible one of what's happened since we won the league. ๐Ÿ˜ข.


20 Dec 2016 19:46:35
Booo! Party pooper Ron!


20 Dec 2016 19:54:54
With Ron on this one too.


20 Dec 2016 20:55:42
Jezza, that is just WRONG! Loved it!


20 Dec 2016 21:10:20
The World ended since we last won a trophy (Trump's election. ) queue
flying cabbages and tomatoes.


20 Dec 2016 21:58:09
Nah I love that vid, just forwarded it onto all my bitter mates. :)


{Ed025's Note - i think its quite sad really, for a supposed big club to have not won their own league for 26 years i dont really think you can make fun of any team.. and you call us bitter...dont be a plonker all your life mate..

20 Dec 2016 22:33:23
Because the Everton fans wouldn't do something similar if the roles were reversed would they? However, I prefer to maintain a sporting attitude and see it as harmless banter.


20 Dec 2016 23:17:26
We've been grossly mismanaged over the years, add that to the Gillette and Hicks Fiasco we're lucky we have a club at all.

In all fairness to John Henry and co.
They have done a good job. With the new stand etc.

Although I strongly disagreed with the sacking of Kenny and the hiring of Brendan Rodgers.

I'm probably old fashioned in my outlook though.

Happy Christmas everyone.


21 Dec 2016 06:37:06
Never seen Ed01 more happier than yesterday ๐Ÿ˜Œ.


20 Dec 2016 16:55:36
When we were in Europa League we understandably always seemed to play domestic games last.

Seems like now we are always last despite not having European football.

Has to be a conspiracy.

Believable1 Unbelievable5

20 Dec 2016 15:38:10
what do people think about adama traore from middlesborough? Could he be a good replacement for Mane when he is at the AFCON.

Believable0 Unbelievable6

{Ed002's Note - Liverpool cannot sensibly buy a player to simply replace Mane who will be missing three or four games - what would they do with him afterwards?}

20 Dec 2016 15:49:05
What do people think of Sheyi Ojo from the U23s? Could he be a good replacement for Mane when he is at the AFCON?


{Ed002's Note - That is the entention Zeddicus but many fans just want new players coming in to replace all of the existing players - then perhaps two years in "transition".}

20 Dec 2016 15:52:38
thats true. but he would also improve our bench, but would rather see ojo back on the bench when he is fit.


{Ed002's Note - And Liverpool has no interest in him - and it would be the end of Ojo if Liverpool were to buy him.}

20 Dec 2016 16:06:42
That Traore was shocking for Villa. Not saying that's his measure of him as a player but he was really dreadful.


20 Dec 2016 16:24:44
Clearly, the OP doesn`t know who Adama Traore really is nor why Barcelona got shot of him, he was that dreadful. If he knew, he wouldn`t have posted that question.


20 Dec 2016 17:19:40
Apart from pace Traore offers nothing. He's an awful player. Wouldn't want him anywhere our club. Also I don't get why so many people are calling for us to sign someone to replace Mane when he's at AFCON. Talk about wasting money.


20 Dec 2016 17:37:21
Thanks Ed002, I completely agree, as does Klopp I believe. Ojo, for example, is now 19. If he's not getting the odd start in situations like this (injuries notwithstanding) then why have him here? I do despair about all of the money some fans want us to waste!


20 Dec 2016 19:53:03
Give Ojo and Wilson their shots. They deserve them. If Coutinho recovers on time and slots in back into the team, then we can't be worse off than now. And it's not a bad place to be in.


20 Dec 2016 23:18:40
I don't think we will sign anyone this January.


21 Dec 2016 04:21:33
Adama Traore is a headless chicken. Terrifying pace, excellent feet but absolutely no footballing brain what-so-ever. You saw him encapsulated perfectly in the performance against us - got to the byline a few times after skinning one (or two or three) of our players then dumped the cross out for a goal kick or lingered too long and tried to do too much and lost the ball. He's not good enough. Also apparently has serious attitude problems i. e. doesn't work hard enough in training. I want to see what Ojo can do.


20 Dec 2016 15:13:19
Next six league games include city, utd and Chelsea. think we will have an idea of any chance after those six. There are three cup games in between, do we rest first teamers? And does he strengthen in Jan?

Believable3 Unbelievable0

20 Dec 2016 16:07:56
We've got lots of reinforcement coming in January - Coutinho, Ojo, Grujic, Stewart, Gomez all nearing first team fitness.


20 Dec 2016 16:26:42
What is this thing about strengthening in January? We ALREADY have players Hijkle mentioned (esp Couts and Studge), coming back from injury or do people just wanna see signings just for the heck of it, with no idea of how they would fit into a well-oiled machine that we currently are? Sheesh!


20 Dec 2016 17:33:59
Would love to see a top centre half come in to play alongside Matip we are a bit thin in that area but if the right one's not available it's not a massive problem to wait until the summer. Perhaps a left back but again not massively urgent.


20 Dec 2016 17:49:51
Agree with Pip. If the right CB and LB be become available then great, but the club shouldn't target short term options.


20 Dec 2016 17:55:14
I personally think we need another attacker, we don't seem to be able to change games with players at the moment. Mane is off for a month the cup games will build up then we will look thread bare. Firmino gone right off the book needs more competition in my opinion.


20 Dec 2016 18:20:57
Firmino is one of our key players, pivotal to the way we play yet you think we should buy someone to compete with him when we also have sturridge and origi. MADNESS.


20 Dec 2016 20:57:55
We need no one.


20 Dec 2016 21:54:13
Did you honestly just say we need something in attack? Are we not leading the league in goals scored? While essentially have sturridge on the bench the entire time, and missing couts for several games. When Mane goes, couts will be back and you'll have an attacking 3 of firmino, couts, and studge/ origi which I'm more than happy with.

I'd be happy if we bought no one. Happier if we bought a LB, and giddy if we bought a LB and a world class CB.


20 Dec 2016 22:17:37
New signing can also change the dynamic and not always for the good. We are reaping the rewards of a decade of excellent recruitment at youth level. It would be a kick in the teeth to those that are genuinely good enough to get games like grugic, ojo, gomez, alex arnold, woodburn etc. So no, i am in favour of giving them the chance to prove themselves and not buy just for buyings sake.


21 Dec 2016 06:45:53
Adama looks very over wieght could be wrong but .


{Ed025's Note - its not his gut thats too big ore, its his head and his mouth mate..

20 Dec 2016 13:26:14
There are stories in today's press linking us to Kasper Schmeichel- I did ask if he would be availble after Leicester go out of CL a few weeks back.
Would he be an improvement on our goalkeeping situation? -most definitely, he would.

Believable2 Unbelievable11

20 Dec 2016 13:39:13
i am happy to give karius time. only want a keeper if mignolet is leaving and ward leaving on loan as well.


20 Dec 2016 14:19:54
I'm not sure Kasper is the answer. He's not a massive improvement on Migs IMO.


20 Dec 2016 14:20:08
That should only be addressed in the summer, unless like kaizer has said, one or two of the GK leave. In terms of schmeichel, I know he's a good young talented keeper with some decent experience but I'm not all that convinced, I think if we where going in for someone like that we should have done so before Karius, who is a similar type of gamble. If we are in need of a keeper in the summer, we should buy one that will definitely improve the position and there's no ifs and buts. There was ifs and buts with Karius.


20 Dec 2016 15:04:18
Kaspar Schmeichel is 30 years old. Loris Karius is 23. The only common thing between them is that they play the same position. Even if Mignolet leaves in the summer, I wouldn't replace him with a keeper who was two years older (even though keepers do have longer careers) . And would Schmeichel even accept to be a No.2? Bringing in Schmeichel is a complete non-starter. That's not where the future is.


20 Dec 2016 15:55:57
Completely agree with ra, and there was a decent article in (I think? ) the Daily Mail - can't lay my hands on it now.

Schmeichel is more of a keeper who releases the ball long to start a counter attack than play it to feet. He is however quite good with his feet and a good shot stopper. He has a few years left as he is only relatively young for a keeper at 30. He would cost, however, ยฃ20m plus.

The article concluded that if Schmeichel were available for a similar fee to Karius, at ยฃ5m, he may be worth it. But given the different in style and his cost, he isn't the right fit for Liverpool.

I would definitely agree.

I must admit, I still think of Schmeichel as a young keeper, but at 30, he really isn't.

I would rather replace Mignolet with a very experienced keeper when he leaves, or invest in Karius and Ward as our No1/ 2. We definitely do not need 2 No 1 keepers, GK just isn't that sort of position.


20 Dec 2016 16:37:32
To be faie kasper could have another 8-10 years at the top. Also he is a premier league winning goalkepper and actually helped his side to it unlike mignolet who should still have drop kicked demba ba haha.


20 Dec 2016 16:48:46
Schmeichel is not who we need. Listen, we all want a top class GK at LFC and so do I BUT they are all taken OR they were taken at a younger age, got improved by good coaching and good defences built around them and voila.

Spurs got Lloris at 23 as well and tho he didn`t usurp Freidel in his first season, we all knew he was the future. They coached him up, built a good defence in front of him and now look what he`s become.

Since, can`t get a Navas, DDG, Lloris and the like as they`re all taken, we simply have to do a Lloris as in, invest in Karius, coach him up good (Achteberg needs to go for obvious reasons), improve him and let`s see what he can do in 18 months. We need to create our own top notch GK like Utd and Spurs did with DDG and Lloris.


20 Dec 2016 17:00:45
I had no idea he was 30, wow. Still same thing applies.


20 Dec 2016 17:42:00
Completely agree, Hamilton. And if Danny Ward is willing to stay as our No 2, knowing that is his LT role, as Brad Jones did and others before him, then I am happy with that. As long as the GK coach is changed, or a more experienced one brought in. Would love to see Clemence back (as the coach, not a backup keeper! ), but he's probably got enough on his plate already, especially given his age.

Kman, I know what you mean, I could scarcely believe Kasper is 30! I think its because he was out of the limelight for a bit, and I'm of an age to remember when his dad broke through at United, so surely his son can't be 30?!?!?


{Ed002's Note - His father is well in to his 50s.}

20 Dec 2016 18:09:39
Ed002, I know, it just makes me feel old that I remember Peter breaking through and his sons now.


{Ed002's Note - We are all feeling old Z.}

20 Dec 2016 19:07:39
I've forgotten what it feels like to feel old ๐Ÿ˜ฉ.


20 Dec 2016 20:18:59
It's a minor point, Hamilton, but Hugo Lloris was not developped by Spurs. By the time he joined them in 2012, he had already won considerable praise with Lyon and Champions League; had been playing for the French national team for almost 4 years; had been their keeper for the 2010 World Cup, and even their Captain. He was the keeper for the Lyon team that beat Liverpool in the 2009 CL. Your point on De Gea is valid though.


20 Dec 2016 21:04:04
Sorry, Ra. You are right. I totally missed that as I`m an avid Ligue 1 follower for over 20 years and having lived in France and saw Lloris come through the ranks at OGC Nice BUT he was not capt. at the 2010 WC, Evra (yes, that guy) was, just a tiny detail. My point was that he was not world class when he came to Spurs hence, was developed to actually be world class. That was my main point. That is what we need to do with Karius especially as Klopp sees him as the future. There is definitely a very good GK in him as his credentials in the Bundesliga cannot be ignored. Migs regardless of him being brought back, is NOT the answer and Klopp knows that.


20 Dec 2016 21:19:59
unless we're a signing an already established keeper then I am happy to stick with karius for the long term. we play as a unit and you may notice that our best defensive performances are the games where as a unit we limit the opposition's chances. and when we concede, typically those games we are all over the place (starting in the midfield. )


20 Dec 2016 12:12:04
Other than the red card incident, thought mike Dean reffed the game well. Was particularly happy with the fact he didn't just automatically give a free kick whenever a player threw themself to the ground.

Believable7 Unbelievable2

20 Dec 2016 13:03:13
He did ref the game well Tommy, but I really thought that he should have pulled Barkley up when he kicked the ball away to stop us taking a quick free kick .


20 Dec 2016 10:57:17
Well done to Liverpool last night we played until the bitter end and got our just awards. If Ross Barkley is the future of England god help your team.

Believable14 Unbelievable0

20 Dec 2016 12:56:37
Barkley cannot even make the England squad nowadays. Hardly the future for England.
That aside, nice to see us nick a win i stoppage time against the bitters. Always satisfying when that happens.


20 Dec 2016 10:44:14
Ed001! Is there a particular reason why Klopp typically leaves his subs til so late in matches? Just his style? Or he puts most of his trust in the starting XI?

Believable3 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - because his team is dominating, if they weren't doing well then he would make changes sooner.}

20 Dec 2016 10:59:55
Because he doesn't want to disrupt the rhythm of the team. But sometimes I scream at him not brining on players ๐Ÿ˜Ž.


20 Dec 2016 11:42:04
I do think he's leaving it too late but this has been a recent thing. Until the injuries to Coutinho and Sturridge, Klopp made every sub in every game with 2 coming between the 60th and 70th in most games. Since those injuries he's been making 1, maybe 2, and usually late so it could also have to do with the quality and fitness of bench options with so many out injured.


20 Dec 2016 11:42:37
Probably because our bench isnt' that good.


20 Dec 2016 12:44:24
He does it to annoy Sweet Chin Music ๐Ÿ˜Ž.


20 Dec 2016 13:07:21
I would agree with ed on this most of the time, but weren't creating enough clear-cut chances. We were dominating but our threat in front of goal seemed to be fading after Firmino's one v one early in the second half. From then on our opportunities were a hopeful scissor kick and a shot from Firmino off a corner. I thought Klopp was cutting it every fine with his timing of the Sturridge substitution, but the important thing is he still made the substitution instead of settling for a hard-fought draw.


20 Dec 2016 16:56:02
You don`t just make changes to a team just because the rule book says you can. There`s a lot more thought that goes into it. Klopp doesn`t make changes because we as per the Everton game for example, were all over them in the second half and tho we didn`t create chances galore, it was a tight game with minimal space to create.

If you make a change then, you could disrupt the flow of the game. he made the change for Studge because they were nackered and were on their knees so at that point, bringing on Studge and Can (who can drive from midfield with speed) to take advantage of this, was the idea behind the sub and it was brilliant reading of the game.

And when the game was almost done, he put Lucas on to shut up shop. that is brilliant coaching and great use of your subs. There`s a reason he`s the manager and we`re not.


20 Dec 2016 21:26:42
yea that's truew hamilton, but let's be honest. would had we not scored the goal, would you not question the timing of bringing on impact subs?


20 Dec 2016 21:25:27
thanks ed001! I get the sense that Klopp ultimately trusts the guys he has put out on the field to do the job. and only makes changes when he absolutely has to. I did wonder if it was a trust thing with our wider squad, which I wouldn't be surprised at because imo we have a strong starting XI but still a bit thing wider than that.

cheers bro!


{Ed001's Note - if he had more options on the bench, that were playing well, then he would no doubt look to make changes earlier. It is difficult at the moment, the main man to bring in, Sturridge, is not just struggling for fitness, he is also woefully out of form and his touch is off. So you don't want him on for 30 minutes, when his poor touch might end up leading to them getting an advantage.}

20 Dec 2016 21:48:26
ye true that ed. I suppose at the same time, and if the correct opportunity arose for the team, sturridge does need match fitness too. I'm sure we'll see his minutes increased over time and hopefully his form returns in time too.


21 Dec 2016 15:03:23
My point exactly, Ed. Again, there`s a reason he is the manager and we are not and you just explained it right there. Also, it was clear Studge did not have even 20 minutes in him since he`d only returned to training a couple of days before and only had three sessions. These are the nuances that people don`t get hence, they moan without studying the situations further.


20 Dec 2016 10:14:40
Klavan and lovrens performance was 10/ 10 for me. Many on here say it's our weakness playing against players like lukaku which it has been but the decision making from the pair last was exemplary! They let lukaku win the first ball if they could not but always put enough pressure on that the second ball could be contested. If the ball to lukaku was not as good they managed to beat him to it! All round great centre back play.

Wijnaldum has got a bit of praise here and yeah he was tidy but I know he can do more he has the capabilities to impact the game more from the spaces he found last night.

Sturridge well exactly the type of player we needed in the end last night, when we don't have couts especially we don't have many people willing to just get it out the feet and hit it. In a tight game like last night it was exactly what was needed.
9/ 10 times that shot comes to nothing which is why he isn't starting, would he have even got the strike if he didn't have fresh legs? Either way theirs not many players better with that capability we could bring on that can make something happen when our football isn't breaking the nut.

Believable13 Unbelievable1

20 Dec 2016 10:56:34
Everton targeted our left hand side and as good as Milner is we need a solid LB in the summer. Coleman dragged him for good. Everton missed Mccarthy and his relentless pressing. Gareth Barry slows down the game and once Mccarthy was subbed of we got more grip on the midfield.

Sadio Mane will be missed. I am not sure who will replace him. His pace, acceleration and his goals. Is there anyone in the league who is better than him in his role? except Hazard and Sanchez.


20 Dec 2016 10:57:30
Lovren even took one for the team blocking Lukaku on the one occasion that he threatened to run through towards goal. The other teams do cynical fouls very well. Nice to see our players doing it too.


20 Dec 2016 11:03:03
Well said ShaneK someone with a bit of sense at long last.


20 Dec 2016 12:46:35
Yes it's such a shame that Lovren has these odd lapses where he looks like he couldn't defend to save his life.
Most of the time he is very solid. I think he needs to work on his concentration.
Klavan was great. Good signing, written off too early.


20 Dec 2016 13:43:36
Coleman was the best player on the pitch last night and he would drag most left backs around so its not a fair assessment of milners ability. I thought klavan done brilliantly last night, another clever signing by klopp imo.


20 Dec 2016 16:00:32
My concern at the beginning wasn't Evertons frantic pace, I knew they wouldn't be able to keep that tempo, it was Liverpools loose passes and sloppy touches which made me think we might not be able capitalise once we started to dominate. Seemed to be a lot of poor touches once we got near the Everton box.
Wijnaldum for me seemed to take one two many touches at times, and slow things down but maybe that was because of the poor control and passing. Clyne got up and down well, but again, poor crosses and mistimed control/ letting ball run out meant no end product. I think sometimes instead of piling on pressure by getting ball back into attack quicker when Everton cleared, we seemed to relieve the pressure on them by unnecessary passes backwards. Still on another night round have been 3-0 and a win is a win, with a clean sheet to help defence confidence.


20 Dec 2016 17:18:21
The game looked like the Utd game a bit in the first half as we struggled mightily to respond to the physical and aggressive challenge everton proposed. this led to uncertainty and loose passes in our play, which is expected BUT we weathered the storm excellently and our defence gave them nothing. Klopp referred to this in his post match presser BUT we rectified it in the second half, wore them down and then killed them off.

I thought Klavan was outstanding at CB and if Migs had nothing at all to do in a derby away from home vs Everton, your defence is doing an outstanding job then. credit to Klopp and the whole team.


20 Dec 2016 08:50:54
So we can't grind out games? We can't win ugly? We can't rise to the occasion when things are not going our way? I think we settled these questions very clearly last night.

Some observations: Is it me or does Lovren play far far better on the right side? I'm aware he's a righty and it's natural, but the difference is noticeable. Klavan had a good game, but I would temper that with the fact that Everton hardly posed any threat aside from Lukako's hulking runs into nowhere. And Clyne and Milner were industrious as usual. (It's just really quiet on here about our defense. Where are the guys who slate our defense almost daily? Hypocrites. Where's the "we need 3-4 goals to win because we'll always concede" guy? ) .

Sturridge was MOTM for me. Sure, Mane was buzzing and a threat all night long. And Origi worked hard too. But true champions decide games by themselves. Whether it's with only 1 or 90 minutes on the field. This is what Sturridge is all about. A really frustrating player (from a fan's point of view), but the man can decide outcomes and which other players can't, no matter how hard they try. And my take on the Henderson/ Barkley debate is that it's a clear no contest. Henderson showed real leadership during and after the game. Barkley simply showed he's a loser and a thug. Devoid of any class, whatsoever. And that was clearly a red. I'd also like to say that while I had tremendous respect for him as a player, Koeman is showing what a whining weasel he is as a manager. Complaining that Lovren should have gotten a yellow (and consequently a red) because Coleman got one also, is pure, spineless fantasy. Lovren was already backtracking after the first push, while Coleman was running around looking for other players to confront once he saw Lovren was not going to bite at the bait. It's a common tactic to deflect your own team's deficiencies by bringing in the referee. And we saw the big gulf in class between Klopp and Koeman in the post match comments. Klopp simply said "have a look and judge yourself if that was a red". Koeman did his smiling weasel act.

Believable9 Unbelievable5

20 Dec 2016 09:21:06
True champions might decide games by themselves but Man Of The Match awards are earned by the best performers over 90 mins. Klaven or Wijnaldum for me.
Nice productive cameo by Sturridge though.


20 Dec 2016 09:44:07
Little premature to say last night proved anything, it was just one game. Having said that it was the sort of match that most champions have once or twice a season, we didn't really deserve to win but we took the three points.

The Sturridge thing I'm on the fence for, he had the telling contribution to us winning the match but it involved a huge slice of luck and he was very rusty the rest of the time.

Delighted with the result, the less said about the performance the better.


20 Dec 2016 10:10:09
Some of what you say is a bit off the mark my friend, in my opinion.
We haven't proven we can "grind out results" just by nicking an injury-time winner against a very mediocre Everton and how on earth was Sicknote Sturridge M. O. M.?
Also, t hose critics who say we need to score X because we'll concede Y are generally alluding to a widely accepted principal that our defence is our potential downfall.
You surely can't deny that, without Matip, Gomez, Sakho and a specialist LB we lack a quality and presence that our makeshift defenders have been mostly getting away with so far but . well, square pegs!
If we lose Sakho (probably) I'll be disappointed and frustrated because he's a class CB. I like Klavan as a steady defender when we don't have to defend too much and Milner likewise. Both are great when we're attacking but our defensive frailties are down to square pegs in round holes! And don't get me started on goalkeepers!


20 Dec 2016 10:20:02
although its true everton hardly were a threat, i must say we have struggled in the recent years with strikers of lukaku's mould; big, strong strikers. so it was good to see Klavan managing him very well. Lukaku hardly troubled Klavan, he was excellent on the night.


20 Dec 2016 11:09:25
Found it difficult to understand how both Barkley and Coleman stayed on the pitch last night. Great strength shown by the team to withstand the roughhouse assault they were under, particularly in the first half. A very good win.


20 Dec 2016 11:15:45
While i don't agree Sturridge was man of the match the rest is 100% correct. I don't know what game you were watching Annie Fields.


20 Dec 2016 12:37:45
Anfield Pete - I can see where you are coming from. I wrote that post from a very pragmatic and practical point of view. While I agree they were mediocre, at some point you have to factor in that they're a perennial mid-table team that can't be taken lightly. We've lost to teams much lower in the standings, and that still has to count for something. I agree that we're a better team with Matip and Sakho (even though I think you are a little premature with placing laurels on Gomez - he hasn't played a single senior game yet as a CB) . And as far as the Sturridge comment is concerned, my perspective is that I have seen so many of the "world class" stars just coast along in a game, adding very little, and then in one moment, come up with one spectacular move or kick, which basically turns the tide and decides the game - not saying Sturridge is world class. This is what I was referring to. We definitely have harder working players than Sturridge. If MOTM was applicable only to the hardest working players in a game, then keepers would never qualify. De Gea, for example, routinely turns games around with one or several decisive moments, and yet he is not the hardest working player on the pitch.


20 Dec 2016 16:36:20
I really liked what I have seen from Klaven recently, for me when Matip is fit he should play alongside him, see how he gets on.


20 Dec 2016 08:39:04
firmino was full of running as usual, however i noticed that he's seems to have more pace today than i can remember, am i the only one seeing that?

dont think he had the best game bt i'm very happy that the team continued pushing for the goal. very happy with the 3 points.

Believable8 Unbelievable2

20 Dec 2016 12:44:41
Less weight now he's cut the top knot off? ๐Ÿ˜‚.


20 Dec 2016 07:34:21
Dear liverpool
Merry Christmas
Love sadio mane.

Believable17 Unbelievable1

20 Dec 2016 09:18:54
Merry Christmas too.
mane is money.


20 Dec 2016 12:29:40
Show me the mane.


20 Dec 2016 12:47:47
I'd like a happy new year too please Sadio ๐Ÿ†.


20 Dec 2016 01:06:14
Ed025, i see you call henderson a dire footballer, can i ask where you get coverage of gaelic football? I assume that's what you've been watching because we obviously aren't watching the same game.

Believable11 Unbelievable0

{Ed025's Note - i just dont get what he actually brings to the table wooly, please enlighten me as to what actual use he is, an ash tray on a motorbike imo.. :)

20 Dec 2016 09:25:45
He brings clamness and composure in that middle. Henderson stops the attack from opposition and that is what he asked to do. He does that without being called as a Specialist player.


20 Dec 2016 09:11:14
He would be great playing rugby as he never ever gives a forward pass. I see that he has made most passes this season but most of them are to the player who has just passed to him. Highly overrated - bring in Can.


{Ed001's Note - hahaha, that's the funniest thing you have ever said.}

20 Dec 2016 10:33:20
Papetwee - he's made the most successful long passes (most of which would obviously be forward), and he's made the most successful tackles and interceptions i. e. won the ball more than any other player. In other words, you're talking nonsense fella.


20 Dec 2016 11:15:32
Before last evening's match he had made 1436 passes -379 more than Kante of Chelsea (36% more) . I still suggest that the majority of these have been interchanges that have produced no advantage. Even the long passes across the pitch tend to go behind the recipient and cause a hold-up in any attack.


{Ed001's Note - Makalele very rarely made forward passes either, I guess you don't rate him then? The advantage could be nothing more than maintaining possession or moving opponents about creating space. You must have hated the old Liverpool teams, they made more back passes than forwards, I am sure you know better than Bob Paisley about the game though. Clearly.}

20 Dec 2016 11:49:40
I guess people don't understand Henderson's role. If you are expecting him to do a Modric then that is not his job in the team. He is more like a stopper in the middle for us and he has been doing that fine.


20 Dec 2016 11:52:42
Hendersons contribution to our team is hard to explain unless you watch loads of Liverpool games, on MOTD he might just look like a workhorse but in reality he controls our midfield and without him in the team we play a hell of a lot worse.


20 Dec 2016 12:33:03
the problem with "fans" like you papa is that once you've made your mind up about a player, it won't be changed regardless. hendo also had 4 assists this season in the league, only couts (5) and lallana (6) have more. add to that he plays a much deeper role than the other two its not bad going.

on another note, we're second in the league with almost half the games played, most of the bigger teams have played us on their own turf - i struggle to see how anyone can still find reasons to bash our players.


20 Dec 2016 08:02:32
Hendo's got more of a football brain than Ed025 has a brain because let's face it, Hendo's everything but a headless chicken.


{Ed025's Note - your very easily pleased the IB hes mediocrity personified, you obviously know very little about the game..

20 Dec 2016 08:03:12
Keeps possession, controls the tempo of Liverpools game, always open for the pass, covers so much of the pitch in 90 minutes, his work rate is staggering. he basically keeps things ticking over for us. he's not steven gerrard, he will never hit double figures but he's a massively important player for us.
Barkley is a yard dog.


{Ed025's Note - he does run about a lot abo, then he runs about some more, then some more..that makes him a runner not a footballer mate..

20 Dec 2016 08:22:49
Ed025's this is what I love about this site everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Happy Christmas.


{Ed025's Note - and the same to you mate..

20 Dec 2016 08:43:55
Ed025
When we signed Henderson a said he would go on to be integrals and captain- and was asked if I was sane!

Sounds daft, but what he brings cannot be underestimated.

Tempo

He makes others play - take him out of our side and we are lethargic in possession, we don't press and we look far less of a side.

As a coach, I would love a Hendo in our side.


{Ed025's Note - makes others play?..hmmmm. how about him playing a bit and making a valid contribution instead of running around like a spare part and looking busy?

20 Dec 2016 09:25:55
Ed, Henderson brings industry, stamina, work rate, energy, a superb passing range, strong positional sense, good technique (as evidenced by his ability to hit long range screamers and make the long range passes) . As aforementioned has a great shot on him from distance, can put a great ball in when given the opportunity to cross (doesn't get much opportunity in the No.6 role), isn't afraid to put his foot in, is a team player, has a degree of physical strength, which combined with his 6"2 frame, means he doesn't get barged off the ball, he isn't a powerhouse type midfielder a la Yaya Toure but he's strong enough. He is also very composed and a great leader. He however strangely seems to lose all his composure when in front of goal, while he isn't afraid to put his foot in, he isn't the most tenacious or aggressive of players, he can also play within himself at times and not take the risk on, despite having the ability to test the keeper from distance or execute a 50 yard pass perfectly.


{Ed025's Note - you make him sound like the perfect footballer lil, talk about making a silk purse out of a sow,s ear, you make him sound like messi...messy would be a fairer description mate.. :)

20 Dec 2016 10:26:01
I find it interesting how managers above our pay grade and knowledge, both at club level and international level pick Henderson as a captain of their team, yet fans and ed025 still knock him. We are all entitled to our opinions of course but jaysus give the man a break. he is our captain!


{Ed025's Note - he does offer something obviously diker...im still trying to work out what exactly mate.. :)

20 Dec 2016 15:55:17
My two cents on the Henderson debate is when you have a midfield three, each of them have to be able to bring something different to the midfield, whilst doing the basics of a midfielders job the same way. Hence why we saw gerrard, alonso and mascherano as the best liverpool midfield we have seen in years. Each one of those players brought something different to the team and each role was vital to allow the other player to do his job. Whilst we have nothing near the same balance, you can't logically think that Henderson, who is pretty much the only midfielder in our starting 11 that offers any genuine defensive cover and tactical intellegence to do what wijnaldum and lallana try to do, which is to bring the ball out from midfield into attack. That's essentially asking all three of midfield players to join the attack at every opportunity, we would be the team being out scored. Every time Henderson has either been out with suspension or long term injury we have suffered. His role is overlooked in the same way Lucas was back when he was vital for us. Whilst I agree he can look for the forward pass more often, and maybe score or create more goals, it's simply not his bloody job to do that. If you swap Can for Henderson we are F'ed. Fifa players do not understand the logistics of real football, not everyone is gerrard. If Henderson is out somehow (god forbid) we would miss him more than we have matip, coutinho or lallana, but that would fly right over some people's heads.


{Ed025's Note - you make some valid points there Kman, my beef is when fans say he is brilliant when hes obviously not, i will have the "does the dirty things" bit and the covers a lot of ground malarkey but lets not think of him as the second coming thats all mate..

20 Dec 2016 16:39:17
Henderson is the heart of our team, he's almost got the whole package for me. He's outstanding, I cringed lastnight when that divvy did the tackle on him, luckily he was alright, I feared the worst.


20 Dec 2016 20:40:22
I understand what you're saying ED, everyone's entitled to their own opinion and I respect yours as I understand some of the criticism levelled towards certain players. I was actually directing my post at papetwee who seems to have no idea about hendersons contribution to our system and thinks Can is a better fit without giving any indication as to how he would be a better fit. Cheers though ed, have a good one mate!


{Ed025's Note - in the end Kman it is just about opinions, there is no right or wrong and for me its healthy mate..

21 Dec 2016 11:13:04
The role klopp has asked him to play means he is not being the dynamic midfielder ed25 obviously favours, unlike the world class players in the everton midfield ehem. If we bought a proper defensive midfielder i imagine hendo would play on the left or right of the midfield three much like lalana and be more of a creative force like he used to. As it stands he is required to be more diciplined defensively and be the water carrier so to speak.

Either way he is effective in the roles he is asked to play in the team and that is all you can ask of the man. Are there better players than hendo in his current role, yes undoubtedly. Is hendo like an ashtray on a motorcycle as ed25 so eloquently put it, well we know that is disingenuous so don't rise to the bait people.


20 Dec 2016 00:59:10
Am I right that you're an Evertonian Ed025? If so, hats off to you for so many replies tonight.

Believable6 Unbelievable0

{Ed025's Note - i am burkey but also a football fan mate...cheers..

20 Dec 2016 09:26:18
He is an Arsenal fan Burkey ๐Ÿ˜Ž.


20 Dec 2016 00:09:39
Ed 25 have you lost some sort of bet to be running through all the excitement of a derby win been a Everton fan personally I thought we controlled the game but where lucky to come out with three points.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

{Ed025's Note - i actually thought you deserved it in the end jamesy, not scoring when we were on top cost us...mind you we never really had a clear cut chance the whole game mate..

20 Dec 2016 11:17:12
Honestly thought Everton were never 'on top' - you had good moments of pressure in the first half with some nice intensity but time and time again they failed to to anything with the ball, especially with Lukaku having such great success in holding up the ball and winning nearly every aerial duel, nothing came of it because of lack of support.


{Ed025's Note - i agree with that hwb, lots of endeavour from us but a lack of quality where it mattered mate..

20 Dec 2016 13:22:45
Fair play Ed025, that's were Everton lost the game, had they scored first half, it would def have been more difficult for us to win this derby, but Migs was never really tested at any time, it was then just a matter of time before we scored, as we were the better team for the last 60 mins,
I thought that our defence was really good, and it set the team up for a very big away derby win .


{Ed025's Note - good summary that redforever, i cant argue with any of that mate..

20 Dec 2016 00:02:03
I see ED025 is about, I have a couple of fellas who are Evertonians where I am in the midlands keep harping on about Koeman getting money to invest and a lot of it at that, are they right? I can't say as I've personally seen anything to suggest that but looking at tonight you could do with some added quality, maybe he'll have a dip in the window in January?
Anyway good win for us in a scrappy game, thought the two centre backs were superb and kept the big man quiet and for a change we looked assured at the back, and its no good saying well they had nothing to do, do you not think that was maybe down to being well organised and stifling them before they had the chance?
As for the Hendo comments I've always thought he was a marmite player but how often does he give the ball away? Yeah not very often, growing into the captains role better than I thought he might, got to say I do like that Klavan!
Merry xmas to all the eds and all the lads and lasses who frequent this wonderful website, hope you have a goodun and a very happy new year!

Believable4 Unbelievable0

{Ed025's Note - we do have money now richie and we are looking to dip into the market come january, dont be surprised if we are the biggest spenders in the market and as you say we do need players, good summary of the game there mate and all the best to you..

20 Dec 2016 08:05:08
LOl Ed025. To be big spenders, you actually need half decent players to want to sign for the dross that Everton have become, and i simply do not see that changing anytime soon. I read a lot of people saying Koeman made a side ways step from Saints to Everton. My opinion is he went backwards.


{Ed025's Note - you may change your mind after january mate, liverpool are not all that to be fair, decent enough but miles behind the big boys..

20 Dec 2016 06:30:56
any chance of match review ed? .

Believable1 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - just literally posted it mate. Sorry took a while to do.}

19 Dec 2016 23:57:58
Ed001, how can Chelsea be exposed/ beaten? Very sick of pundits and "experts" making out there invincible and the title is already theirs. How should Liverpool go into a game against them? Cheers mate.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - by attacking their fullback areas. A back three against a front three forces them to either drop their wingbacks in to cover, or a midfielder is constantly forced to drop deeper. Then you can control the midfield or you can hit the spaces out wide. They are not the best defensively, they are just so clinical going forward that they only need one or two chances to score. Very few teams are that clinical, so they only need to make a couple of chances, but can afford to give up a couple (so far anyway) to make them. Once you have the opposition frightened by your attack, they become less positive going forward, which makes it easier to defend against them.}

20 Dec 2016 07:11:32
I've been thinking exactly the same ed, back threes are strong against central attacks so you need to stretch them out wide. It's just a shame that we won't have Mane to help us do that when they come to Anfield.


{Ed001's Note - that is a big problem against them. We have to hope the three we play up top have a good game without him.}

20 Dec 2016 08:07:45
Mane will be missed against Chelsea. Alonso is the big weaklink in their 5 man defense and we will not have Mane to tear him a new one. Maybe instead of shoehorning Sturridge or Firmino on the right, Klopp may actually give Wilson or Ojo a run out and see what they can do to Chelsea's fullbacks. If both pass with flying colours, then just maybe we may not need another winger in the summer afterall.


20 Dec 2016 09:19:47
Ed, the importance of all our front 3 having a good game against Everton can't be understated. We will Origi out wide, not Firmino. Against most teams, we can get away with Origi excelling through the centre but Firmino being average out wide. But having quality out wide against Chelsea will be of particular importance, and considering Firmino's record through the middle this season, we are not really missing anything by shifting Origi away from the centre. The ball needs to go out wide, and then they must be able to hold the ball up and wait for options to quickly burst into the box once the defence is stretched.


20 Dec 2016 17:28:43
I have posted the very same observation of Chelsea`s weakest links that Ed provided before.

Tottenham ware the first to expose this, so did City, palace and Sunderland HOWEVER, Chelsea still won with pretty much their only chance of the game and these teams could not punish them when the opportunities arrived.

We are the only team I think, who can match up with them. Our front three with their movement and quick interchange, will cause them havoc and also, they do not have an X factor in Llalana like we do, one who can press, attack, defend, create and score, all from CM.

If our wide men get joy vs their wing backs, their CB`s will have to cover for them and that is where players like Llalana, Wiji and/ or Can can drive forward create and score. Chelsea has been figured out already and their streak will be broken very, very soon.


19 Dec 2016 22:53:43
Hi ed001,

Any chance for a match review? Would be much appreciated.

Merry Christmas :)

Believable3 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - Overall the game itself was poor, they were just intent on kicking our players and booting the ball to Lukaku, with no real attempt to play football. As such, we gave up very few chances to them. Even those listed as attempts were not great chances for them. We were not much better, particularly in the first half, when our passes were going astray a lot, but we did, after their initial early pressure, take charge of the game and dominate it after the first 15-20 minutes.

Though we never really made enough clear cut chances ourselves, which was a worry as they were poor at the back, leaving a lot of gaps, as their players allowed themselves to be dragged out of position trying to hack ours down. Unlike the usual style, where your defenders would look to get back into place the minute the guy on the ball played it, they were wasting half a second or so each time as they had a dig before getting back into place. If we had moved it quicker, we could have made a lot more chances. However we won and that is the main thing. Especially in a derby!

By the way, what on earth are refs doing these days? How many of these kind of hideous assaults are going to be allowed to go with just a yellow card as punishment? Someone's career is going to be ended by challenges like that! It was pure nastiness. Still, showed Barkley can do more than give the ball away and dive....

Oh, the bell who threw on the flare, grow up! You could have cost us the game.

Simon Mignolet - very little for him to do, but he did it well, apart from one tiny error when he put us under pressure with a pass. One mistake in 90min is a very good performance from any player. He wasn't really tested like, but mainly due to his willingness to race out quickly on the few times a loose pass or ball over the top threatened to expose the defence.

Nathaniel Clyne - still struggles on the ball most of the time, but he was not receiving the ball at the right times to really make the most of his forward runs. Again he wasn't really tested defensively.

Dejan Lovren - improved as the game went on, initially he made a few loose passes, but his passing got better as the game wore on. Defensively he handled Lukaku well, but Lukaku made it very easy for him and Klavan by failing to use his pace and trying to use his strength and power, rather than the pace the pair struggle with.

Ragnar Klavan - had a good game, handled Everton's attacks well. If anything he was bullying Lukaku.

James Milner - still not back to the form he showed at the start of the season. Never really exposed defensively but added little to the attack, especially his dead ball delivery.

Jordan Henderson - gave Ross Barkley a lesson last night. Broke up play and played it, never retaliated despite the treatment he received, when no one could have blamed him if he had lost his cool with Barkley, who had kicked him continually even before that shocking tackle. Desperately needs to work on his corner delivery though, they were once again utter dog turd. We need a dead ball specialist to stop him and Milner taking them.

Georginio Wijnaldum - a quiet game, as usual in the position he is in now, but quietly effective. Gets up and down the pitch well, always in the way of what they want to do and usually in position to receive a pass when we have the ball. Still needs to add some goals this season though.

Adam Lallana - not his best game, though it is difficult to play the way he wants to when the opposition are as sly as Everton were last night. Always involved, but never really able to create as much as he would have liked. Little pulls and pushes, along with the hacks, made it difficult to get his game going.

Sadio Mane - was kicked from pillar to post but was still able to react quicker than their whole defence to knock in the rebound from Sturridge's shot. He was excellent, even if his passing was a bit wayward, as it is very difficult to be accurate when your legs are kicked from under you as you pass. He really took the brunt of Everton's rough house tactics but never reacted, which was clearly what Koeman was looking to do, provoke him.

Divock Origi - not a particularly good game for Divvy, but he never gave up and kept working their team. He was in good part responsible for them dropping deeper in the second half and giving us a little more space. Their defence was worn out hacking him, Bobby and Mane repeatedly and started to look tired, while he was still full of running and movement.

Roberto Firmino - he is like the Duracell Bunny, never stops running. Not the best performance on the ball, but he kept going and going and their defenders will be having nightmares about chasing his shadow.

Emre Can - came on with Sturridge towards the end and put himself about well, making one challenge after an error at the back which shut down an attack. Worked hard, but never really got a chance to get into the game.

Daniel Sturridge - looked a bit off with his touch but hit the shot that beat the keeper, only to rebound off the post to Mane. That will do for me from a sub.

Lucas Leiva - came on in the dying seconds and barely even saw the ball.

20 Dec 2016 09:19:45
Sorry about the flare ed001, I couldn't help myself ;-)


{Ed001's Note - I should have guessed :-P

20 Dec 2016 04:12:57
a nice ugly 1-0 win, just what the doctor ordered, sometimes the points are more important than the performances, this was a massive win, I have to say when we signed mane I was dubious, boy has he proved me wrong, also well done klavlan, tonight he showed us why klopp signed him, lastly may I just say merry Christmas to all the eds ( chin up ed0025!} thanks for all you do, and fellow posters whose thoughts I enjoy reading and who make this a must read site, thank you all.

Believable6 Unbelievable1

20 Dec 2016 03:07:24
Hi Eds and Reds.

Am important win tonight not at our best Everton were thuggish in their approach to the game.

Do you think Santa could bring youg Jurgen a Seamus Coleman for crimbo.
He seems to have everything Klopp looks for in a player?
Dou you rate him?

Believable1 Unbelievable3

{Ed001's Note - is Klopp looking for a dirty player who has not played well in 3 years then?}

20 Dec 2016 08:32:09
What about Trent Alexander Arnold? Joe Gomez can cover right back, as can James Milner; Jon Flanagan might struggle to get back in Klopp's plans when he returns from loan. I think we have good cover for Clyne already at LFC, so right back wouldn't be high on my Christmas wish list for positions to cover. Merry Christmas Reds!


20 Dec 2016 23:04:37
I'll take it that you don't rate him so.
Thanks for the reply.


20 Dec 2016
New image uploaded to the
Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled, Jรผrgen Klopp gives Ronald Koeman his Christmas present.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

20 Dec 2016 00:41:23
We got what we deserve tonight 1st half we did not get out of 1st gear. Everton was good but not great in that half. 2rd half we what up 2 gears and tested there goal . Firmino was should put us 1-0 and did not then Joel made a great save to keep out firmino effect. Klopp seen Everton was on there feet and put on can and Sturridge. Sturridge gets a way and shots but mane and firmino follow up like goal scorer and mane put it away. 1-0 . The team step up tonight with Matip and coutinho ynwa.

Believable4 Unbelievable0

20 Dec 2016 00:21:28
I was at the game tonight, in the Everton end which kind of made the result even sweeter, though I had to sit on my hands when manรฉ scored!

I though Klavan was excellent tonight.

Believable11 Unbelievable2

20 Dec 2016 00:55:14
Not an easy thing to do. I once was in the Gladys St end when we won 3-1. My evertonian sister who's partner had let me have their seat spent most of the second half with her fingernails digging into my leg as a gentle reminder to shut the hell up.


20 Dec 2016 00:58:57
I was in the everton end too. I didn't hide it. It was pretty obvious when my veins were popping out of my head in excitement.


20 Dec 2016 02:48:04
In the everton end with me finnan top on ****in lovin life.


20 Dec 2016 00:07:37
What a great time to get a goal, it was a joy to behold, that's what football is about. Mind you, if Everton had done the same thing I'd be saying the exact opposite, fine margins eh? Haha. I'll take a stoppage time victory away to Everton in the Merseyside Derby any day of the week. Very important victory too as it keeps us neck length ahead of Arsenal and keeps us right on the heels of Chelsea, who we have at Anfield later on. Also Sadio Mane has been nothing short of a revelation since signing - and no I'm not over-exaggerating because of his late winner.

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