Match Day Thread 2015/16 Premier League, Cups & Euro Watch

They are 22/1 for a reason. Our league is competitive but very average in terms of truly elite teams (There arn't any). Defensively it's also poor. Those odds should be a source of embarrassment for Utd. Mind you, exactly the same can be said of Liverpool who are even worse off sadly!

There was an article in yesterdays paper showing how Pool and Utd are on course for the lowest combined points total for well over decade. Watching that game yesterday, it was sad to see the biggest rivalry in England reduced to a mediocre mid-table clash with bragging rights the only thing at stake.

 

Tbf bragging rights have been all that's at stake in this fixture for as long as I can remember except perhaps once in the late 80's and 2008/09. Other than that, the two have rarely competed for the league at the same time. And the fixture has never really influenced success for either team.

You could have both teams in the bottom half of the table and it could still be a humdinger of a match.

No, sadly what was lacking yesterday was indicative of something different... namely, one team having a manager who is afraid to allow his players to express themselves, and the other team having a squad of players who have no real attachment to the club they play for. The end result was what we witnessed yesterday.

 

Fair enough assessment. That was two distinctly average teams yesterday who I believe will both miss out on top 4.

 

could do with a swansea win tonight....

 

It's almost like the ****ness of both clubs has brought th fans together somewhat in agreement for once though

 

Someone said Liverpool playing United was like 2 previous supermodels in their 70s fighting over who had the nicer nose - totally irrelevant.

But to be more accurate yesterdays match had more at stake: not the title of course but a loss for United would have led to van Gaal being under greater pressure, especially from their fans and the press. Also a win for us would have halted a poor run against United and made us real contenders for a CL place.

What we now have is yet more reflections of Liverpool's policy on recruitment , tactics, players and yet more navel gazing which I'm sure wouldn't have happened if we had won. The usual price of defeat.

I cannot believe a club of LFC's stature had only one recognised striker: benteke who is not even favoured by his manager. United have been heavily criticised for having only 2 recognised strikers. What is Klopp doing to address this? Isn't it his job to identify weaknesses and find solutions? Are we going through the rest of the season without a striker (except as a substitute ) ?

A great worry is that all teams will now target the GK and the defence at set pieces. Can Klopp rectify that problem ?

 

Yes

 

Done

 

He can but as far as I see he hasn't done anything about it so far. If he has looked into it then it has so far been unsuccessful.

 

So far teams have been allowed put the ball in on top of the keeper with 4 guys round and not one LFC player assigned to clear the keepers space.

So far not one run blocker has been seen on defensive or offensive corners.

We need to work on this.

 

This has been so obvious I was assuming it was deliberate.
I can only guess that the theory goes that it gives the keeper more room, and if he's impeded and there are only attackers around him, then it's easier for the ref to see it and give a foul.
It is odd, though.

 

we have 4 recognised strikers!

one is a total crock on 150k per week.
one has a bottom half and champtionship expereince level and is crocked also but is somehow a saviour if only
One is 20 and an international who post 10mil +
one is benteke

I'm sorry but then we can add the offcast badontelly...

Thats an awful lot of players. we should have 3 players to pick out of but we are picking firmino instead

 

Ings and Origi are perhaps unlucky, thoguh injuries happen. Studge, Benteke and Balotelli are our own fault.

 

In what sense is Sturridge our own fault?

 

yup. sturridge was given 150k per week while injured.

I find it madness to end up for 2 full years to depend on a guy who's managed no game time but won't be replaced due to the wages he is on.

We've been looking for someone to go with him not replace him IMO. plyaers to offer a different option to him not replace him. Benteke and balotelli...

 

You could argue that his 'bad luck' with injuries only really kicked in at Anfield after he signed his new £150k a week deal.

Back in the day when players wages were largely made up with appearance money and goal / win bonuses, do you reckon that he'd have still had his arse welded to that Box seat if his deal was made up in the same way?

 

You could also argue it only really kicked in when taken out of his Liverpool training schedule and playing for Hodgson the dinosaur

 

According to a #bbcsalford #poll Van Gaal is the most likely PL manager to be sacked next

#prayforvangaal

 

I have noted this. they have certainly gotten worse... co-incidence. I don't know.

February-March 2013 - dead leg and minor knock (missed three games)

May 2013 - ankle ligaments (missed no games) playing for england

November 2013 to January 2014 - ankle ligaments (missed nine games)

April 2014 - hamstring (missed one game)

July 2014 - hamstring (missed no games) preseason missed

September 2014 to January 2015 - thigh and calf (missed 32 games)

April to September 2015 - hip (missed 14 games)

October to November 2015 - knee and foot (missed nine games)

December to present - hamstring

..........................

contract was signed October 2014. to run to 2019

That was signed in the middle of an ankle injury and when he returned..... we went on the famous run.

since that run of form he's been consistently missing with new and consistent injuries. IT seems LFc thought it was down to a hip issue that tweaked hamstrings and he's missed both preseasons since.

one can only guess what klopp is doing with him now.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/liverpool-fc-transfers-klopp-considering-10743672

One striker they have scouted is Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams. The Spaniard has scored 10 goals so far this season.

“It’s not easy,” Klopp said.

“We are two weeks without a player so you think ‘okay, we’ll take another one’, but then in two weeks we have one too much or two too much.

“They all come back. Buying players is not too easy.

“We don’t have too many striking options that is true.

“It is the same with the centre-halves. Martin (Skrtel) will be a few weeks still. Dejan (Lovren), not fit. Mama (Sakho), problems. Kolo (Toure)? Experience. Very experienced! But he is great.

“So then we had to do something. We are always watching the offensive ends for what we can do. Probably, maybe or never. Then we have to make decisions about where we want to go.”

Could be talking about sturridge then...

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/spor...ews/aldo-liverpool-fc-needed-striker-10754335

....

We just don't know what the hell is going on. is he training or is he not trianing..

 

We knew he was injury prone when he bought him, or at least, we should have done. Even if not, it should have been clear last summer and the summer before that he can't be relied on to play a full a season. So then we have a choice - do we look to sell or do we keep him. Rightly or wrongly, we've kept him, i.e. we've made the decision to keep him for the few games a season he does play, knowking full-well that he's taking up wages, a place in the squad etc. Therefore it's our own fault that we're in this situation with him.

Although to be honest, Klopp's comments about him suggest that it's not just injury related anymore.

P.S. Not saying it was wrong to keep him, just that it was our choice to do so.