It was 6 weeks earliest. No need to rush him but we need to be ensuring he has sufficient match fitness for the Bayern game. I can understand why people are uneasy with Lovren as you do not know which one turns up. If he doesn't panic we have a good chance of winning this game. It is worth noting the last two goals have targeted our right side as you get no change from Andy and big Virg.
And we'll be targeted there too tonight. I can see Milner being asked to play on the right of midfield to shore us up in this game.
bar arsenal goal was a direct consequence of robertson stopping while he looked at ball and starting to run again by which time his man was gone. you are right, sides do try run down our left but the ball across is targeting robertson not vvd and vvd is eating anything coming his way up. Robertson is the one getting caught at back stick... but thats arsenal game where his missus was virtually in labour.
That is why I want us to play 4231 with mane on the right to ensure we create our own overload on that side. Salah can drift to the left to keep the LB or LWB in check.
it won't happen. all you do is end up with Robertson overloaded the only way to do this is 433 with salah and mane actually doing their defensive jobs. you need a right side cm linking with rb. same on left side.
Remember it is a double 6 pivot so there is Keita/Shaq and whoever plays on left of the pivot to assist Robbo. The right is Wij Mane and TAA while left Hendo/Fab, Keita/Shaq and Robbo. I am looking back to the game in the CL at City. The amount of pressing and overloads were ridiculous but they blew off by HT and we were able to assert ourselves in the second half.
The issue is just look at how this worked v arsenal away. Milner decided for some reason he was a left winger not a midfielder and hung round really wide leaving 80% of the pitch to one CM. I am looking at every big CL and top 4 game klopps played and he's gone 433 the very biggest question to my mind is what to do about citys non LB situtation. Ok mane can attack there nut sure salah cutting in and running at the person forcing fouls and drawing LCB is the very best thing we can do. Set up to exploit that with salah right and we need a RCM behind covering TAA? I fully expect TAA to sit deeper playing ball wide to salah and not really over lapping so IMO having mane on left to work with Robertson who will provide all width is vital. Klopp IMO has been subbing mane in last two games to keep everything he's got for a massive performance up and down our left side. Consider it like this Alisson (passing to salah) Lovren --------- VVD TAA------ Fabinho Henderson---- ----------------------------------------------Milner (running about)------Robertson ----------------------------------------------------------------Mane (tucked in on half way) Salah----------------------firmino-----------------
I can't recall a game of such significance for us at this point in the season. For many obvious reasons. I think that it is a game we should do everything to win and will win after an initial cat and mouse game. When you look at the table, it is a game City will feel they must win at all costs. That will provide them with momentum and will peg us back and will end our unbeaten run. Which psychologically and symbolically is important for them. But the pressure will get to them. For us, a win means the title is ours (sorry to the superstitious here! ) A draw means we are still in the driving seat and the momentum is still with us. If we lose it is how we cope with that which will determine the destination of the title. How often have we seen a team having a bad set of results after a long unbeaten run? Klopp would have to regroup and keep the drive to the title going. But fingers crossed it won't be needed and won't happen.
depends on the city fan. If they are actual football fans and not plastics in other words. Real fans know the score. Plastics always think they will win. Its going to be a close game and it will depend imo on referee calls. The only time 01 Mar 2015 Liverpool v Manchester City L 2-1 Premier League 21 Nov 2015 Manchester City v Liverpool L 1-4 Premier League 28 Feb 2016 Liverpool v Manchester City W 1-1 League Cup final (pens) 02 Mar 2016 Liverpool v Manchester City L 3-0 Premier League 31 Dec 2016 Liverpool v Manchester City L 1-0 Premier League 19 Mar 2017 Manchester City v Liverpool D 1-1 Premier League 09 Sep 2017 Manchester City v Liverpool W 5-0 Premier League 14 Jan 2018 Liverpool v Manchester City L 4-3 Premier League 04 Apr 2018 Liverpool v Manchester City L 3-0 UEFA Champions League 10 Apr 2018 Manchester City v Liverpool L 1-2 UEFA Champions League 07 Oct 2018 Liverpool v Manchester City D 0-0 Premier League theres only 2 times LFC have lost to City in last 11 games! League cup final where coutinho decides he's a dick and juggles ball then takes awful first pen (game 1-1 AET) and When mane got sent off. the game this time last year we caught them and took their unbeaten record away. It was 4-1 but they came back to 4-3. They utterly panicked under our press. We destroyed them in CL as a result. they changed their systems and got it wrong. this season pep changed his style against us and drew 0-0. So for any city fan to think they will play their own game and just beat us is deluded.... but so is any LFC fan thinking this is a cakewalk. IMO there will be one or two moments only in this game that will swing it one way or the other. its how either team reacts and if they take their chance when it comes.
For me this is about attitude. Last january we ruined thier unbeaten season but having nothing to lose and high pressing them and thier defence folded. City can easily do this to lovren for example. I would tend however to agree with you. If LFC get a 10 point lead over city and 9 point lead over spurs then theres no excuses with 17 games left not to win this league. Leicester showed how its done. they ignored all other comps and really went for it. I detected a bit of that V arsenal. I thought we reacted to thier goal and really said no these are our points. If we can play angry as klopp says and take this great team apart again... then we will see. Irrespective I expect heavy rotation Monday night no matter what the result.
I can tangibly sense the weight of 29 years of history bearing down on us. I want us to rise up and tell the wholw world we're the best again. What a ****ing massive game. COME ON, YOU REDS!!!!!
Good that you quoted the 4-3 game. I think that is how we should approach this game. They cannot seem to keep a clean sheet and any pressure on that defence plus our previous encounters, you can see them panic. We need to shut the Etihad period. One thing though is I have not seen anyone mention is the role that Firmino will play. If he has another Arsenal type performance, that should take Fernandinho out of the game. If he has a bad game City win and the reverse is true.
Good point on Firmino. 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 he is clearly a bit deeper and hopefully makes it difficult for him. I don't see it being a 4-3 game, they will be desperate for the win and thus keep it tight and try to beat us 1-0 or similar.
