much wider than that and you know it. there's precious few clubs who would swallow 5th but after a full preseason to look that far off tactically and physically there would be pressure on other managers. hilariously I was told by you lot that taking a draw knowing what I kind of knew was likely now I'm told I'm knee here the other way.
Draw was a fair result, but if we got the option to play it over, I still wouldn't settle for a draw, I'd roll the dice and go for the win again. You don't win anything by drawing games.
There are still some big questions over Klopp’s coaching. There are large parts of the games where we just don’t look cohesive or have any real identity. I hope he can rediscover it
I do think a competent DM ironically will fix the attacking side of things, allowing A Mac to play in his best position, but the defensive side of things is a real problem that signings alone won't fix.
Jota got booked for it too. Does always amaze me how when a player squares up to another, ref ends up booking both. Not sure what Jota was meant to do. Dive out the way of the guys head?
the ref managed to book both players. var are never interfering with that. blame Taylor. clear hand ball. ref looks about clearly hasn't seen it and so must see it on screen to make a call bt abdicated to var who make a decisions on what grounds? ref didn't give pen so we can't over turn. ref sees clear handball and you can literally see the panic on his face until he looks over at lino and is relieved to see a flag. ref books 2 players for demanding cards and books trent for time-wasting yet misses clear deliberate hand ball 2 mins after booking their chunky lad. was a clear second yellow totally ignored.
Trent was taking too long to take the throw in. I don't think it was deliberate time wasting though, just couldn't find anyone in space to throw for.
"Taking a draw" before a ball is kicked is rank defeatism - completely different to offering an assessment after the game that a draw was a fair result.
Started the game really well, then just struggled for like the last 60 mins. Szloz bloke looked good, but he shouldn't be asked to cover too much defensively as he wasn't great at it, we really need that DM. Same for Alexis, too good to be in that defensive role. We always struggle against a 3-5-2, but was disappointed we never looked like taking control again in the game
I think Chelsea made us look good the first thirty. But then they improved a lot and we no longer looked good. Both teams definitely need a defensive midfielder. Thought second half looked more.profesional quality for both teams though. Either that or I was numbed.
Klopp made a good point. Are attacking players gonna get booked when they line up a free kick now? How long do those take, free kick is given, all the defenders slowly trott up from the back, attacking player stands over the ball for 10-20 seconds before the deliver it. Normally a good minute or two from foul given to free kick actually taken after all the faffing. Why is a throw in seen as less important? And the teams that do long throws from up field and get players forward, are they gonna be booked cos they stand and wait? It’s a hot topic for first few games and imagine will die down after a month like most initiatives but surely common sense needs to be used. Cutting down time wasting is great, everyone is for it. But surely a ref can tell what is actual time wasting (winning or drawing when underdog) and trying to frustrate the crowd or players throughout the game, or delaying the game in final 10-15 mins. Taking time to take a throw in, 60 mins in, in a 1-1 game between two top sides where player is clearly looking for an open player isn’t time wasting.
Technically a free kick, a throw in, a goal keeper holding the ball... They all have really short windows that they are supposed to be completed in. However referees are instructed to overlook all that to maintain the flow of the game. It's one of the things that irritate me, the completely arbitrary way in which so many calls are made. Not saying refs are deliberately biased or have ill-intent, but I do think a rule should be a rule and not something that's there just in case the ref wants to rule on it. That said, Trent was taking too long by most standards.
This is where all these new rules are great but one refs time wasting is another’s just taking it just in time. I’ve not timed the TAA one, I’m sure someone prob will. And you can then compare it to every throw in taken in the games across the weekend and I bet 100% he wasn’t the longest. If gonna start doing things like that, ref needs to say, You’ve got 10 seconds from now or it’s a yellow card. they need to give some kind of warning so players know how long they have as diff refs gonna have diff limits. Or go all American and have a countdown clock. Or solve all these issues with 60 min games, clock stops when out of play.
Wasn't a handball though. If that's the other way around we'd be calling the ref a **** for giving it.
I agree but just want to point out that Fabinho completely changed us when he signed so it could make the difference
