04 Oct 2018 03:23:04
Quick thoughts

- Napoli played well, but we didn't half make it difficult for ourselves and were sloppy in possession
- our workmanlike midfield is fine when our front three is firing but we seem to have lost that killer touch upfront
- we are starting to look a bit tired in the legs, think we needed to rotate for the last game

I'd like to see us playing Shaqiri in midfield against Citeh. get some energy back into the attack with some momentum through midfield. Ideally a 4-2-3-1 with Sturridge upfront and Mane, Firmino, Shaqiri behind him

Still in good shape and we haven't lost any critical games, but this weekend is key to us getting back on track as we haven't been at our best.


1.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 06:23:11
I hear you, SG Red. But I wouldn't start Shaqiri in midfield. He is a great creative player, but is nowhere close to our other midfielders in defensive / press qualities. He will get there, and is still learning the ropes of our pressing style, but I believe it will take time.
I would start with the same starting lineup as yesterday (potentially change Keita for Hendo if he is injured), and have Shaqiri and Sturridge as planned 60th min subs if we need to up the ante on goal scoring.
Being in front of our home support at Anfield will fire the team on. I think we need to improve the number of bodies in the box when we attack. Firmino and Mane are playing pretty deep, and the midfielders hardly ever make a run into the box these days. If we can mix things up with runs from midfield, it will free up our forwards to do what they do best.


2.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 06:41:19
Like Ed1 I just think it was a bad performance against a very good side after a tough run of games. The plus side is we are seeing we have at last got a top class keeper.

{Ed001's Note - were they a very good side last night? I didn't see any evidence of that. Like us, they were awful and struggled to get anything going.}


3.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 06:56:10
Yeah not a great performance and Napoli played well especially when they didn’t have the ball. Salah has very little space in games at the moment. Seems to get swarmed by defenders. That’s something Klopps going to have to work out, how to get front three firing again. Big plus last night was Alisson. My word we have a goalie there boys and girls. Thought CBs had a good game too. We still have a good chance to qualify for CL. Bounce back for Sunday now.

{Ed001's Note - did Napoli play well? I must have watched a different game because they were crap too I thought. Just slightly less crap than us.}


4.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 07:19:17
I disagree, Ed01 respectfully. Napoli were way better than we were. We were crap all over the shop.

{Ed001's Note - disagree all you want, but Napoli were dreadful as well. They were just less dreadful than Liverpool, which is why the game was so bad.}


5.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 07:31:46
Ed001 I think people mean naps played well because they where clearly up for it more then us closed down and wanted to win more


Allan had a good game set there tempo I thought.

{Ed001's Note - Allan played well, but that is no surprise as I said in the summer he should have been the one Chelsea bought not Jorginho. However the rest of the team were woeful. Insigne was shooting like he had his eyes shut, their passing was as poor as us and it was nothing to do with being closed down that saw us give the ball away repeatedly. We were messing up simple passes through poor touches or slips under no pressure. Napoli were crap last night and will have to improve a lot if they are to go any further, but I doubt they will as without Sarri they are half the team they were.}


6.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 07:46:11
Thats what this sites about, we all have our opinions and on this occasion I can't agree with yours Ed1. Have a good day.


7.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 07:57:30
I am starting to feel sorry for Shaq. Salah is way out of form but Shaq still doesn't get a start. He must be beginning to think that he is undroppable. Salah has no incentive to do better as well. Klopp stI'll can't make game changing substitutions.


8.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 08:27:19
Aside from all the times this season when he has made game changing substitutions?


9.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 09:25:58
Napoli were good, especially in the second half. They didn't give us a sniff. Koulibaly is incredible. Watched him for the 1st time last night.


10.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 10:41:05
Ed your right I think the one thing we lack is a controlling midfield who dictates play for me Ruben neves would b perfect then the likes of allan, I still would of liked fekir even though he is not a midfielder he is creative and a goalscorer, although our front 3 have done great things I feel the service behind them could do with improving.


11.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 12:35:01
I agree with Ed1 wholeheartedly here. Napoli were really poor last night it’s just that we were really, really poor. Had Napoli played well they’d have done us 4-0 we were that bad.
As it goes they needed a last gasp goal to beat a team that pretty much walked around for 90 minutes and gave them the ball back every time we got it.
I’d be lying if I said I’m not a bit concerned I really didn’t think we had a performance like that in us. City could go either way. We could’ve had one eye on that game hence the poor showing so could be firing on Sunday or, heaven forbid we actually tried our hardest last night and could lose confidence for Sunday.
I just hope it’s not the latter because even if we play 100% better than we did last night against City they will hammer us. We need an extra 200% all over the pitch on Sunday.


12.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 13:01:11
In my opinion both teams were shocking but I don't think Liverpool really tried to win in the second half. If they did I think they would have been comfortable. It seemed like they were happy with a point.
When you don't try to win you are always in danger of losing and that's what happened with a late goal.
It just doesn't suit the team to sit back and absorb when the game is in the balance.


13.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 16:13:15
Agree with SG,

Shaqiri was signed for a purpose and its high time we play him. What is this “he hasn’t learned the pressing”? Nonsense. He works hard and I don’t care if he doesn’t track back enough. We could ask the two CM’s to hold the line but cannot afford to play without a 4th attacker which has been our real issue this season. No goals from midfield and when the front three aren’t firing we look like Chelsea without hazard!
City would come and score. We need to out score them.

Hendo, Wiji and Milner won’t score goals. Shaqiri has a better chance to nick one.
When did our CM ever made runs into the box other than AOC? Most of them wants to play the deeper role to avoid this. I don’t expect them to charge into the box as their composure is pretty poor anyways.
Shaqiri is a must if you want to beat city under any kind of score line!


14.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 16:18:45
This problem with the simple passes being messed up by poor touches has been happening all season. It will resolve itself - let us just hope that it begins on Sunday. I don't agree with the calls to drop Salah - the knack of scoring goals will only reappear on the pitch. if one or two other players could come up with goals it would remove the pressure a little.


15.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 18:09:02
look, we got out played, out passed and didn't offer anything, thank god Allison and the defence all played well, or it could have been worse, and let in 2 or 3 goals,
Salah has to be rested for a couple of weeks, he looks weak to me,
I just hope that we raise our game and beat City, or we won't be winning any League .


16.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 19:10:31
Harry, as much as I agree with you with that midfield selection as it is set up to contain rather than drive forward, Shaq for me, is STILL not the answer here esp. in a game where we simply could not hold on to the ball esp. in the second half, to save our own arses. I can count how many times we had either a free/ goal kick and as and right after the replay of the play that led to them (which is about 30 seconds), Napoli already had the ball back/ we already lost it. I was stunned into disbelief. Whether Napoli were crap or not, we can disagree on that all we want BUT what is inexplicable, is how pathetic we were at doing the simplest of things, as Ed01 said.

As for dropping Salah, that is ludicrous, IMO. He may be struggling right now BUT he still strike fear into the opposition and I'm sure Pep is having flashbacks of how he ripped them a new 3 of the 4 times we played last season. If you think Pep is sleeping easy cos Salah is having an rough time, he of all people knows that Salah can go off on them come Sun. Salah plays and Shaq waits his turn, end of.


17.) 04 Oct 2018
04 Oct 2018 21:34:48
BRover

If Shaqiri is not the answer then we should not have signed him! It’s as simple as that! We chased a similar left footer in Fekir and then signed Shaqiri.
You do realize we are actually playing with 2 DM in every match. Ie Henderson and Wijnaldum.
How do anyone expect us to score goals?
Not only they couldn’t score but they cannot control the tempo either.