21 Jan 2021 22:04:46
It's frustrating because we know these are good players. When we had the likes of Diouf, Le Tallec, Nunez, Jovanovic etc. toiling away ineffectively it was one thing. The players weren't good enough. Recruitment wasn't good enough. Managers for the most part not good enough. Owners and directors obviously not good enough. Easy to identify the problems back then.

But now we have good owners, an excellent recruitment team, a manager with a track record of winning things and a squad full of players with CL and PL medals in their pockets.

I don't accept that they've lost motivation because we've already won the league last season and the CL before it. Players don't think "yeah, I have the medal now, don't care anymore. " I don't buy that the squad has 'peaked' and are on the downhill run either, most of our players are under 30. Not having Fabinho in midfield hurts us definitely, but I don't think it's solely, or even mostly down responsible for everything going to wrong in the top third and in the opposition penalty box.

I don't think blaming Firmino, or Trent, or Salah, or anyone is the answer either. It's not a problem with individual players, even five or six of them. It's just not working for anyone out there and the longer it goes on the more tense the players are getting about it and the less natural their play is getting in the box. There's a lot more attempting to walk it into the net going on in the last five games than there ever was under Klopp. Shots from angles are being passed up in favour of trying to thread or cut back an impossible ball to one red shirt marked by 3 defenders.

I think Utd, Tottenham and Leicester will have dodgy patches so I'm not majorly worried about the top 4 at this point. Hopefully this is our bad patch and it'll end soon. City will probably get out of range though.

1.) 21 Jan 2021
21 Jan 2021 22:16:36
I think we need a change of formation. Teams have worked us out. 4 2 3 1 or 4 4 2 let's mix it up a bit. I thought Origi looked dangerous tonight and Minamino needs a chance.

2.) 21 Jan 2021
21 Jan 2021 22:17:34
Sr fab was in midfield when we were beaten by 7 at Villa. There’s lots of reasons why we are in the position we are currently in but lots of them are just excuses. Every team we’ve put out in the games we’ve not won have been good enough to win those games. Especially as most of them haven’t even looked like attacking us (bar Fulham who actually outplayed us for long spells) . For the last 5 games we’ve pumped poor cross after poor cross into the box when every team we’ve played that is their strength and it’s not ours. It’s not the fact we have no plan B sadly it looks like we have no plan A either.

3.) 21 Jan 2021
21 Jan 2021 22:20:32
Good post mate. Spot on.

4.) 21 Jan 2021
21 Jan 2021 22:23:06
Origi showed again why he doesn’t start. Didn’t think he played well, had a ridiculous pot shot in the first 10 mins that might as well have been a conversion.
Missed a 1 on 1 that 9/ 10 would have gone in. He’s simply not good enough.
I respect and appreciate the work rate and all the important goals he has scored for us. But for me he has to go in summer.

5.) 21 Jan 2021
21 Jan 2021 22:27:30
OP, It seems to not matter who we field or what formation we play, we create chances but CANNOT score to save our souls. Even when we have a golden chance offered to us by the oppo., still nada. I’m at my wits end.

6.) 21 Jan 2021
21 Jan 2021 22:35:40
We have managed all our injuries well until the last 5 games. We are playing players out of position and its creating problems through the middle of the team. As long as Matip is fit then Fabinho, Henderson if fit should play in their normal places. Henderson can give the impetus ( spelling ) and Fabinho the cover needed for Thiago to play further foreard and supply the passes the front 3 need.

Put Phillips at the back, but other than that don't change it.

The front 3 are struggling at the moment but sometimes the right pass from midfeild, the pressing will be better with Henderson there. We spent £45 million on Jota and he is injured. We can't go out and spend for the short term.

We are 6 points behind. that's all. The first time we have had a really poor run for 3 years or so. So pkease cut the team dome slack and stay positive no matter how difficult that feels.

7.) 21 Jan 2021
21 Jan 2021 22:43:11
Wiltshire your right. Can’t have it all boys got to take the rough with the smooth had it too good the last 3 / 4 years.