Match Day Thread Vs Lincoln City (A)

Been a long time Franny. Sticking around for the ride?

 

I know I jinxed him and the he scored straight after, but the reason I think Lincoln were able to create those changes in the 2nd half, aside from their increased effort, was because of Grujic.
1st half he was virtually on top of the CBs, even dropping deeper into the back line to get the ball and coming back to help out. 2nd half he looked knackered, as the team pushed up he was struggling to get back, meaning his starting position was getting further up the pitch as the game went on, so leaving a gap at the base of the midfield for the lincoln forwards to run into.

 

First game for number of those players so can’t expect them to be fully fit for the full 90 mins. I thought Grujic looked decent

 

I have tears in my eyes ... we finally have some really good squad depth.

Taki is slowly but surely getting stronger and stronger, and will challenge Firmino in the coming months. Curtis Jones has a strong case to battle it out with Ox and could even be ahead of him.

Shall could be a Huge boost to the squad if he can stay fit. After Thiago, he's probably the best technical footballer we have.

Kostas has slotted in with ease and makes a lot more comfortable if we decide to rest Robbo. However, I do wish we have similar cover for the right side. I don't think Neco is good enough but will happily be proven wrong.

 

Don't get too excited, there is a mass exodus looming...

 

Nico is only just starting out, he's not there yet, but he will be.

Id put jones as best of the rest for the midfield slots.

Henderson, fab, wini and thaigo are the go to options.

Keita Jones ox and milner to come in

Then shaq and grujic etc

I dont think keita has done enough, I can see ox being moved on and wini only has a year left still, so space will open up for him to progress.

 

I agree with The Fool above , Neco isn't there, yet - but he's only just broken into the senior squad, so we need to give him time before judging. I said a few days ago I thought him a little bit immature in his play, and last night didn't change my mind about that. I still have high hopes for him though, and if anyone can iron out the wrinkles Klopp can.
Tbh, none of our FBs are that special when it comes to defending, but they're an integral and crucial part of our attacking strategy. Trent and Robbo are amongst the best in the world at what they do in that respect, so any back-up has a lot to live up to.
El Greco certainly looks the part so far, but he's 5 years older than Neco and has a lot more experience.

 

On Jones my only worry is if he gets near the box his first instinct is to shoot and i worry that he isn't checking to see if anyone is in a better position .
Mind you if he keeps getting 2 goals per game i'll let him off

 

That's decision making, something that's gets better with experience

 

You look at his goal v Everton and his 2 last night and both very similar. Reminds me of coutinho where he opens his body up and curls into that top right corner. Made all 3 of those goals look pretty easy as well which is a nice thing. Always good to have someone capable of scoring from outside the box. Means defenders can’t just sit off and force them to close down which also opens space behind.

Add in his others goals, one running onto a through ball and the other getting in the box at the end of last season and seems to mix up his goals.

 

His technique is very good, he’s got that quite rare skill of being able to make half a yard and get a powerful shot away without much backlift. From the little I’ve seen of him he looks a real player to me.

 

i just wonder if he feels the need to make an obvious impression when he does get a game .

 

Klopp will probably encourage players to express/ trust themselves. I recall Ox saying something along these lines and Klopp telling him to shoot more often, particular from outside the box.

 

Perhaps he just likes having a dig - never did Gerrard any harm.

 

A very fair appraisal, la

 

Like all young players with promise, he has to show that he can do it consistently over time - but yeah, he certainly looks like he's got what it takes.

 

If he doesn’t get much game time between now and Jan you should send him out on loan for the rest of the season imo.

 

Any ideas where?
I'd like to keep him and make sure he gets some time. A good reason for not chucking the cups as well.

 

It remains to be seen if Curtis Jones can go onto to become a world class talent like Trent, but he’s on course to be at least a very very solid squad player. He’s technically excellent, presses well, and most importantly he plays without fear.

the only criticism I have him so far is off the ball. He struggles to track runs and close space. I’m sure it will be ironed out

 

Wasn't specifically blaming anyone. Just pointing out that the reason the defence started to look ropey in the 2nd half, aside from VvD going off and Lincoln stepping up their game, was that the DM was tired and struggling to get back.
So overall the defence had a fairly decent game just tiredness of a few members, not just Grujic, Neco for example also started to look tired, came into play and gave Lincoln the chance to find those chances.