04 Apr 2021 15:07:38
No matter what happens next season injury wise, i just hope that defenders play in defence and midfielders play in midfield.

The signing of Jota has been a brilliant piece of business by klopp and there is no doubt in my mind that had he not have been injured for 3 months we would have had many more points on the board.

TAA: what a way to respond to being snubbed by england, still if Gareth does not want creativity in his side that's his loss and before any body starts banging on about his ability to defend- Reality check the modern day defenders have no clue what defending is about.

Once again Nat Phillips who is all about defending old school wise and Ozan Kabak were excellent as a pairing they should only be split up now if one gets injured or suspended.

The partnership between Fabinho and Thiago is growing by the game, just having Fab in midfield has helped Thiago play his natural game and Milner who missed a sitter and ended up playing left back showed his versatility to the side.

Up front Salah once again showed how important he is in terms of finishing off chances although he could have had a hat-trick.

I thought Mane battled gamely but its plain to see he badly needs a goal as his confidence is very low atm as is firmino's although he had a lot more room to work in when klopp bought on Jota and we had all 4 attackers on the pitch.

As for Klopp he was more like his old self in the way we pressed and i loved his bravery with the 1st sub: Robbo off- Jota on.

A performance that showed why we are the current champions and with a bit of tweaking squad wise in the summer there is no doubt in my mind we will be challenging next season for the title.

In the meantime: roll on Tuesday!

1.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 15:35:10
This defenders must play in defence thing is just revisionism that ignores how dire the injury crisis was.
It would’ve been Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips at CB, both as raw as an onion to PL football and a situation almost guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes to boot.
The only shame of it was that it happened to be our two best midfielders who had to step in and, as has been pointed out, they were often covering for the other”s absence in doing so.
You can’t blame Klopp in any way I feel, the sheer amount of injuries and games just became too difficult to properly master.

2.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 16:01:37
Yes correct Juicer the choice at one time became Williams and Phillips which would never have worked.

3.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 16:35:25
Defenders play in defence and midfielders play in midfield. Yet there’s still some calling for Trent and Bobby to play in midfield.

{Ed001's Note - Bobby was a midfielder for large portions of his career, then he got moved into attack. Fabinho was a right-back for a large portion of his career. Players do change positions over the course of their career. Milner was a winger for most of his.}

4.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 16:50:33
Actually Juicer, Klopp has made mistakes, the game against Southampton (just as an example) played both Henderson and Fabinho in defence when Phillips was available, Literally gave it to them on a plate. The cup game against United, playing Williams over Phillips was a shocking decision, he gifted them the win with some poor defending, the game against Burnley he pucker Matip and Fabinho instead of Phillips (a game almost made for Phillips), the game against Everton, starting Henderson in defence instead of midfield pretty much gave Everton the game. Klopp has made mistakes and it’s not revisionist to say that, it is revisionist to say that Klopp has not made mistakes, the important thing is that he’s learned from that and is now playing an actual centre back partnership with a proper centre midfielder in Fabinho in front of them, I can see us catching Chelsea and I can see Leicester imploding so top four is doable.

5.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 17:02:41
Ed001 understand that mate and versatility is a great thing. I won’t mind seeing Bobby in midfield (the 10 role) if we change to the 4231 formation but not sure on him being in there in our 433. Same as Trent. He’s world class at right back. Moving him into midfield would take a lot away from us down the right hand side. Mines only an opinion though. Interesting to see what Klopp does especially when all players are fit. I think Hendo being out might make it easier to go to 4231 but when he comes back then regardless of the formation at least one of our big guns will have to drop out.

{Ed001's Note - I agree with you, but the reason Klopp has brought in players like Thiago and Jota is to enable options in the way we play. We won't play the 4-3-3 every week.}

6.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 17:17:37
We all know what type of player Klopp prefers and his style of football is both successful and highly entertaining.
Phillips never fitted into that, so we can’t blame Klopp for adhering to his principles.
Rather, that Phillips has done himself proud and grown hugely in a short space of time.
A part of this has been down to Fabinho and Henderson helping him out I think.
What would have happened to Phillips if he’d have got torn to shreds in his first couple of matches partnering RW in centre defence?
The best thing you can say is that Phillips has made Klopp and a lot of people now think twice. I’d have no problem at all if he stays at Liverpool and, equally, if he wins a contract to start somewhere else.
Ed001 always preferred him, I didn’t I must admit.

7.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 18:42:44
Agreed Ed001, it’s incredibly frustrating to hear people accuse Klopp and the club for being complacent, for not adding what was necessary. They added exactly what was needed in the summer, finding two players who couldn’t have fitted the description for our needs better. The only thing is they haven’t had the chance to show it at all, due to injuries and disruption.

I think most rival fans will be shocked to see a very different Liverpool during the run in. Round pegs in round holes, a stable centre back pairing, the ceasing of injuries leading to a less fatigued squad that is able to rotate, along with key players like Fabinho and Jota returning, it all hopefully points to a good run of form that nobody else will expect. Even the nonsense refereeing decisions against us seem to have subsided for the time being. Notice how Thiago put in an obviously great performance, yet the moronic rival fans calling for his head (none of whom ever seem to have watched him play) have suspiciously disappeared.

The people who’ve been kicking us while we’re down are fearful, and they should be.

{Ed001's Note - glad someone else saw how good Thiago was, he ran that game.}

8.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 18:45:08
Its ok people saying Phillips this Philllips that NOW! The blokes doing well and were calling him Nat Van Dijk. But AT THE TIME no one, including meself thought he was good enough for Lfc. It would only take for Benzema to roast Nat on Tuesday for a lot of his new biggest fans to turn on him, and it would be back to "how could klopp go into the season with just VVD, Gomez, Matip andthe likes of Phillips.

9.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 21:03:15
Anyone who would turn on Phillips should that happen on Tuesday, ought to hang their head in shame. He’s not VVD, no one should expect him to be at that level, but that lad has barely put a foot wrong. He’s massively stepped up to the plate, hasn’t crumbled under the pressure he’s been under and playing with various partners. He’s headed everything and I think his positional play has in the main been pretty spot on. He’s a case of someone grabbing his chance with both hands, as I say I’m not saying he’s the best centre back in the league but I think he is playing as the best version of himself. I wish Klopp had kept faith with him earlier in the season and we’d had fab in midfield, what a difference having him back in centre mid has made, I am delighted for Philips and I think he’s proven himself capable of a career in premier league football.

10.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 21:52:16
OP, I have no idea what point you are trying to make with your first paragraph even tho I agree with your overall point. Are you saying Klopp played mid’s out of position to make some stupid point or to make him look like a genius? I’m sure you know we had an injury crisis that we only had Phillips and Rhys at CB’s left in the squad or did you miss that?

Sorry but that part of your post is just revisionist/ hindsight schtick that literally meant nothing then and definitely means nothing now. We all knew the crisis we were in at the time and those coming on here now to say Klopp made mistakes playing midfielders at CB are just like pundits: Lecturing everyone just to sound like geniuses after all the facts have been known. When Klopp leaves, such people should apply for the job so they can grace us with their enormous “managerial acumen”.

11.) 04 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 22:06:31
I agree with 6 times, Klopp and the coaching team have made mistakes. Playing midfielders in defence was most definitely a mistake, it's not revisionism as a lot of people called it while it was happening and yes at 1 stage maybe for 2 games that would have meant Phillips and Williams but I would argue with Fab in front of them it would still have been a better option! Phillips was always better then Williams could never understand why Williams was ahead of him an obvious mistake by Klopp and his coaching staff as Phillips is now being picked regularly ahead of Williams. Jotas injury was also avoidable. Fabinhos form in midfield only further highlights the error of playing him as a CB.

12.) 05 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 23:44:55
I don't know how Klopp keeps his job with all the experts on here knowing better than him.

13.) 05 Apr 2021
04 Apr 2021 23:53:44
I stand by my opening comment fellow reds. Play defenders in defence and midfielders in midfield.

Fabinho has come out and said how he did not enjoy playing in defence and i am sure Henderson would agree if asked.

If we had a situation where Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams were our centre back partnership i agree that would not have been a ideal situation, however they would have been massively helped by us having the strongest midfield we could field, Having Fabinho and Henderson in there would have offered more protection to the rookie back line.

Having said all this what's done is done and in the words of Tony Soprano : its best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Appreciate all the feedback. I love reading all the comments. Happy Easter everybody!

14.) 05 Apr 2021
05 Apr 2021 08:14:21
He keeps his job because he is a fantastic manager who has done a brilliant job at our club. That doesn't mean he hasn't made mistakes this season.

15.) 05 Apr 2021
05 Apr 2021 09:49:07
DKenny, and what mistakes are those? And mistakes according to who and what? Hindsight? People acting like geniuses after all the facts are known? Nobody can say Klopp made mistakes cos none of those saying it, have the information and empirical metrics needed to make such decisions that he had at the time so you saying he made mistakes or me saying he did is based on absolutely nothing concrete. Klopp did what he thought was best based in the info he had and that is that.

I don’t claim to be a genius nor an “I told you so” but it seems many on here want to be that from a position of ignorance of the information that Klopp had at the time. Seriously, I wonder how Klopp can hold on to his job with the experts here lecturing him about what he should have done from a position of ignorance and hindsight.

16.) 05 Apr 2021
05 Apr 2021 11:18:51
Revisionist word of the day on someone’s toilet roll?

17.) 05 Apr 2021
05 Apr 2021 20:02:25
Klucas87, is that where you write your words of the day?

18.) 05 Apr 2021
05 Apr 2021 20:20:18
I watched every single game that LFC played last year. And I honestly feel we lucked out by very small margins in many of the games to end up with the kind of record we had. We were still better than anybody else and therefore more than deserving of the title. But the point is that we had some luck on our side. And then the summer ended and Klopp and Edwards decided to face the season with only 3 senior CB's on the books. They tried to buy but were either restrained by lack of funds or lack of availability of the right player. Bought Jota and Thiago instead. Not a bad decision at all, one would think. One of the CBs (VVD) played every single game since 2 years, and the other 2 were alternating being available (between injuries) well enough. And Fabinho could be counted on to come in whenever needed for a game here and there (because that's how much we used Lovren as the 4th CB) . And probably the luck would continue also.

And then the luck went away. VVD went out for the season. Gomez went out for the season. And then even while being on top of the League at Christmas, Matip went out for the season a bit later. Fabinho stepping in for a game here and there was not enough. Henderson had to be marshalled in too, because the young guns were either not fully ready or good enough. That left a hole in midfield. A dysfunctional defense and midfield ended up affecting the attack too. Basically your typical domino effect. The confidence took a huge hit. And all kinds of errors started creeping in. We looked like a different team from the year before. And to add to the misery the stands have been empty since a year.

I'm not saying it's Klopp's and Edwards' fault for not bringing in a 4th CB. Hindsight is always 20/ 20. I think they both made a well studied decision based on the analytics and their experience in management (and they know helluva lot more than us keyboard warriors no matter how many years we have been watching the game) . I just think that it was a big risk to take (and they knew it) and the club has had to pay for the risk that was taken. Nobody on this planet could have foreseen a C.V. resulting in a shorter season, games closer together, empty stands, and greater physical demands on all players. But imagine one of Fabinho and Henderson staying in midfield, not having to play a single game at CB, and how many of the 9 games we have lost could have ended differently then? And imagine a 4th CB (who could have been bought in the summer) playing with one of Henderson or Fabinho until Kabak was bought in January. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with Philips or Williams. They've done the best they could have and their efforts have to be appreciated, but they're clearly not good enough to backup senior CBs for a title winning team (my opinion), nor do they give Klopp what he wants. Kabak, in my opinion, can be as good as Gomez in a year or two, playing and training with VVD. I just think the club could have done a better job with risk management, especially with a title to defend.

19.) 07 Apr 2021
05 Apr 2021 20:24:30
KK7, then that would make Fab a hypocrite cos after the Ajax game away in the CL, he said that he enjoyed playing CB and would not mind playing there till the end of the season if needed. He said so right after the game where he was voted MOTM. So was he a hypocrite then or is he a hypocrite now? So your first premise has been totally dismantled.

Secondly, you say that having Phillips and Williams while not ideal, would have been better with Fab in midfield. Clearly, That did not occur to Klopp till you brought it up. Also, how would that have helped. In the Spurs game with Fab and Williams in defence and Hendo in DM, ALL the chances in open play for Spurs including the goal came from Williams side. He was being targeted for fun even with Hendo at DM. Putting a Phillips who is much better now than he was then, next to a vulnerable Williams would have been a disaster under those circumstances. We won the game yes BUT what happened, happened.

All on all like you said, it is in the past BUT I do not like is the constant revisionist history going on here on this topic as if the rest of us where in a coma when stuff was hitting the fan in real time and not paying attention. Hindsight means nothing to me. Never has. Never will. Cheers, bro. Love your posts.