When thinking about the midfield, easiest thing for me to do is compare it to a few seasons ago.
Windy, fab & Henderson.
It wasn't fantastic, it was functional. It functioned at a high level, but I doubt anyone in years to come will wax lyrical about it.
Now, would elliot get into it, no
Bajetic, probably not.
Thiago possibly if he's having a good day.
Bellingham? Again I'm unsure I'd swap Henderson
Mount for windy, again perhaps?
I suppose what I'm alluding to is it doesn't take 100mil per player to build a midfield, but also highlights how far off we've fell.
Bellingham would walk into that functional midfield. would walk in.
but your point is valid. the tactic is high intensity closing down every avenue to get that balk back in the opponents half. the second there's a viable out ball we are ****ed cos the opponent is in on the back line.
the midfield functioned well in that set up but now we have new issues to face.
the game as moved on since 2019/20. peopel have figures out how to play us.
now it's 10 men back teams looking to pump ball at a guy isolating one cb. they bypass the press. (villa 2-7. parked grealish at LW on the half way line and hoofed it at him. he was in about 10 times with absolutely no thought how to change. City did it to us in community shield with bravo on goal kicks ffs.
or its high press now like fulham and we can't cope at all cos team have realised that our CBs don't have too many options to pass to so a bit of a press and they can push us right back to keeper, we then hoof it away in the end.
A function midfield who can run all day is no longer enough. We need to be providing options for the pass and getting o nthe turn to get the ball to the forwards. We need also peoepl who can play against that deep lying team so the cbs are not the playmakers.
Thaigo can pass it but can't run.
elliott can run about and can shoot but his intercepting and tacking is poor
henderson won't tunr, he has to have space to play and face the right way. his running is less as well.
Fabinho's legs are seriously slowing up. he's improving a little but thats his limit and he will drop off again.
Milner could never play cm well, he's a fialed winger who drifts wide constantly.
jones is also a fialed winger really. he needs to move the ball quicker and learn to tackl
ox is another failed winger. just wants to be ahead of the ball all the time.
keita is a crock. the lad could turn and could tackel and could pass and dribble but he just has flopped.
if we look at bajcetic at 18. his reading of game is excellent. He can run, he can intercept, he can pass, he can shoot, he sees the game well. at 18 he offers just about every thing the adults do, just in a slight frame. He is doing really really well.
as i said teams have figured klopp out. they know to bypass the press if they want to sit deep or to press up on the cbs if they want to play higher up.
Sides can make us play wide by sitting in good shape and we just don't really go into the box enough for crosses and headers early so its tough to score and be free when the box is packed. they then ping the ball into the wide channel and can break.
Other sides like briton and fulham absolutely spank us cos they push up and we cannot cope. We are a back to play midfield putting the ball straight back at the cbs who then have no outball. Alisson is constantly under pressure to play a long pass out to full backs and control it and he frankly doesn't like kicking it without controlling it first. They give us a small chance to play in behind but push 3 or 4 on just to make us crack.
