Liverpool Banter 2

24 Aug 2026 22:45:37
Ed001 I'd love your opinion on wirtz.
It feels like since he has come in, the midfield balance has been out of kilter.

Is it more of an issue with the double pivot? These 2 not protecting our defence enough, allowing wirtz the space he needs and pushing too far forward. I think our midfield has too many wanting to be batman and none prepared to be robbin

Or with wirtz himself. I gave him a pass last season with the terrible tactics. As a club we really need him to be a success.

Thanks in advance

{Ed001's Note - there is a lot wrong at the moment, has been since last season, and it is going to take a while to sort out. There is a problem with Wirtz not being vocal and demanding enough of his teammates. He just keeps going and will often end up being on the cover for the other two who have vanished up field. He should be screaming at them every time that happens to make sure one of them stays back.

Obviously there is the issue of the two of them roaming forward at the same time, but it is not just that they abandon their defensive responsibility, it is also the timing of their movement. They don't make runs for Wirtz to find when he is on the ball, both of them really only run forward when they have the ball, when he has it, the whole team just stands around expecting him to wave a magic wand and have them appear in front of goal with the ball at their feet. So annoying to watch them all also watching him on the ball.

It is bad enough that he has Gakpo, Isak and particularly Rio playing musical statues in front of him, acting like the music has stopped every time Wirtz gets the ball. Or, in Rio's case, when he hasn't got the ball as well, as he only ever wants to come short and receive the ball into feet. Hopelessly lacking in any intelligent movement.

Wirtz needs to be stronger and direct the rest of the team to give him something to play a pass too. Szoboszlai seemed to spend the entire game ahead of Wirtz anyway, which is worrying as there is such a lack of defensive cover behind and the defence will not push up any more with Virgil controlling it. He will just run away and make the space bigger.

Iraola has a lot of work to do to organise them or replace those that can't listen and learn. It should be easy for Szobo and Gravy to sort out between themselves, but it takes time to overcome natural inclinations. Constant repetitions in training is the only thing that can really fix it.}

24 Aug 2026 23:51:24
I'm not seeing any plan making Wirtz work, which is worrying. Looks like Kieta mk2. Hopefully, I'll be wrong this time.

25 Aug 2026 00:09:17
I personally think Dom wasn't happy last season losing his position to Wirtz either.
That probably spurred him on to have such a good season. But, it's like he doesn't want to sit deeper and let Wirtz dictate play.

25 Aug 2026 00:16:50
@p1, Wirtz is nothing like Keita, and his career will take a very different path to Keita's. Wirtz is not only a lot more talented, but he has an outstanding attitude to football. The latter did nothing but be an expensive pain in the a** for 5 years.


There are two things about the current LFC team that frustrate me more than anything - 1. The collective apathy of our players towards defending, and 2. Their inability to realize that Wirtz is the best player in the team and they need to build around him.

25 Aug 2026 00:06:03
My view Ed, is that you can't make a silk purse out of sows ear. You're not making a defensively minded midfielder out of a player who's spent his entire career doing the opposite. Only way I see this being fixed is by bringing in someone with some defensive nous, discipline & physicality. Something all our midfielders lack.

25 Aug 2026 07:08:35
Surely ed1 it's management, slot last season and in the 1 game of this season areola, telling grav to push forward? Grav was v good at sitting in midfield season we won league so he can do it. I can't believe grav has just decided by himself to push on futher, in today's game in particular where everything is micro-managed he has to be under instruction to do so.
If u played as a 2 in midfield years ago it was simple enough between u and your partner, if u go I stay and vice versa.


Looking at wirtz now for a good while now, no doubt ability is there and no doubt our team isn't set up particularly well for him but i do wonder does he lack that 'arrogance ' to actually be a main man in a team, to be the player that attack is built around. He seems v timid by nature

{Ed001's Note - Iraola tells them to play as a pair and one should drop if the other goes forward. Yesterday Szobo just ran forward immediately and constantly like he did under Slot, constantly playing ahead of Wirtz, let alone Gravenberch. That is something he needs to learn not to do. Also, when Szoboszlai is that far forward, Gravenberch has to understand that he simply cannot stray forward. The team as a whole needs to learn as they still applied Slot's backing off defensive tactics, rather than Iraola's press, which allowed Newcastle to get in very easily without pressure on the ball. They did begin to do it more and more as the game went on, which is good.}

25 Aug 2026 07:29:56
It will take a while ed1 for us to be in sinc no doubt. I think criticism has been over the top, Newcastle away wasn't simple starter don't care what anybody says. Though I can see why people angry with 2 goals that we conceded, just so soft threw centre of pitch.
Next few games v winnable let's see how we get on

25 Aug 2026 08:24:31
We can all agree that we want Wirtz to succeed. He has to prove his worth this season and there'll be nowhere to hide after next May. Time will tell.

{Ed078's Note - if only his teammates played to his strengths

24 Aug 2026 22:34:22
31 May I posted that imo I’d like Manu Kone for the 50 M Euro quoted at the time used in a double pivot. Now as City, Arsenal and a Utd all being linked he seems more fashionable.
My reasons were price (then before the over inflated prices)
His physical 6ft1 presence and ground covering ability.
Klopp and French national coach rate him.
Stats are well rounded and was the most fouled player in both the French and German leagues.

Likes to get stuck in.
Has played at u21 with Hugo and possibly Jaquet.
Was pictured in a Liverpool kit when he was a young fan.
However, he had a few muscle injuries that he recovered from quickly recently.
But the stat and money men at the club have more information at their disposal and will make other better choices maybe?

24 Aug 2026 22:03:23
Considering we were playing "monkey rush" yesterday, we did well to draw.

2-2 is a good result when your entire midfield runs up as a unit and walks back. Grav thinks he's KDB; he's not.

24 Aug 2026 21:49:03
City interested in Gakpo! Can we do a swap for Semenyo? 🙏

24 Aug 2026 22:19:22
Haaland preferably?

Fulham 2 Chelsea 3 Final Score. Rogers, Pedri, Palmer. Chelsea first goal after 1 minute play.

24 Aug 2026 22:20:35
Disaster to get rid of Gakpo in my opinion.

24 Aug 2026 23:33:38
I remember being mocked on here when I said Joao Pedro would be a better signing than Isak. 🤷🏻‍♂️

25 Aug 2026 07:19:35
Bit early to be gloating over that one, MK.

24 Aug 2026 21:47:32
If we don't sign a holding DM, this season is going to be painful. It realy is that simple.
The signs have been there all pre season and in Sunday's game.

24 Aug 2026 23:27:18
And last season!

24 Aug 2026 21:45:49
Personally think that Szoboszlai and Gravenberch play far too high.
To me their best attributes are having the play in front of them. So they can come onto the ball, not having their backs to goal.


Right now they plus Wirtz all want to play in the same areas. Which I feel suffocates Wirtz’s space.
And limits Szoboszlai’s shooting opportunities.

This is just my opinion though, I’m not a coach.

24 Aug 2026 21:58:55
Wirtz will never work at Lfc.

Lfc need a few transfers to fix this but more importantly a new sporting director.

24 Aug 2026 23:40:32
RedM, don't be dismissive of your own views just because you're not a coach. You are spot on. For Newcastle's first goal, Gravenberch was 18 yards from the Newcastle goal and Szoboszlai was 16 yards from the Newcastle goal. When the ball was given away, neither of our two "sitting" midfielders were actually sitting. Footballers nowadays seem to be brainless robots, so as much as Gravenberch or Dom should have recognised this themselves, Iraola will probably have to train it into them as second nature.



Personally, I've said it all summer. I think Grav will lose his place to Nyoni. Or maybe even a new midfielder, if we do sign one. He's a brilliant player if he is used as a no.6, but he's just not sitting. If he won't sit, then he's just an average box to box midfielder. Grav will not win in a straight contest with Dom for who is more worthy of giving freedom to break forward.

25 Aug 2026 09:00:52
Gravenberch is not a brilliant player and he isn't a six. He can't pass the ball well enough to be considered a top level six nevermind a brilliant one.

24 Aug 2026 21:34:21.
Carra, Fields, Robbo, Victor.
Please tell me we're signing a top midfielder.

24 Aug 2026 20:42:10
How's it going Ed001?

Do you think we are really going into this new season with what we have now? This Barcola thing been going on months it's almost laughable 😂. Surely we must pull some players in and quick

{Ed001's Note - anything is possible with Hughes doing the transfers.

24 Aug 2026 21:31:51
I think most fans have woken up now. The squad is dire in certain areas. Left back screams out. And the subdued midfield discussion is now front page.
I have no faith we're buying a midfielder. I think we're about to spend hundreds of millions on Barcola and Minteh, who I don't rate and won't be match fit for months. It's been an awful window.

24 Aug 2026 21:36:19
BTW, Jones is gone, a homegrown player, and we could have easily signed Wharton by now. For what we need, Wharton alone would have been a massive plus.

24 Aug 2026 21:41:55
The way it's going, it's only a matter of time before some of the greatest fans in the world are talking with their feet.

And by that I mean walking over to their internet routers and turning the WiFi off.

24 Aug 2026 21:57:15
We were better than last season yesterday. Lots of shots for what they were worth. Mostly we looked to play forwards. The way Newcastle targeted the space behind Kerkez was scary! I thought he was quick!!! My God, he was ripped a new one. Was fuming with Grav for the first goal, no way should he have tried to pass.

Shot was required. Breaking down the move left us wide open. The midfield was deserted. The second goal too just showed the need for a sitting midfielder. Just like last year, disappointing. We simply must get a 6. Oh what I'd do for a lighthouse right now.
Scraped a point. We deserved at least that.

24 Aug 2026 22:05:43
You'll upset a few of the delicate ones with that post, JK!

24 Aug 2026 22:49:26
Ron Funk,
Minteh will be a big success at Liverpool. So will Barcola. It's almost as if you missed Klopp's 9 years at Anfield, where he relied on raw pace in the wide forward areas.

24 Aug 2026 20:10:48
Who the hell are we playing if Frimpong is injured or costing us goals making mistakes? Mcconell, Araujo, injured Gomez, Endo, Szobozlai? I don't like what I see of Isak, plus he is injury prone, but we have no cover. The planning has been negligent and unacceptable. We will be lucky to get in the top 10 with this squad.

24 Aug 2026 20:41:36
Iraola said in the summer that they see Bradley as a long term solution. He’s back in a few months. If they feel strongly about Bradley being the future RB, it makes no sense to sign a new one. Araujo was probably picked partially because he can play RB.

24 Aug 2026 20:41:47
I agree, Hail. This exact squad, right now, finishes around 11th.

It's almost as if nobody watched us last season and totally forgot the obvious gaps in the team.

Messing around with left wingers, still tryna replace Sadio Mane, when our most reliable right back is Szobo. 🤦🏻‍♂️

24 Aug 2026 20:46:08
Um, Araujo.

24 Aug 2026 20:52:57
Very similar squad last year was reckoned to be our best ever and should walk the league. Drama queens. 😂

24 Aug 2026 20:53:41
Any update on when they reckon Bradley will be back?

24 Aug 2026 20:53:57
Blooming heck, Hailstones, I thought I could moan! Where's all the positivity of a new Head Coach gone? I'm not directing this solely at you, but a plethora of other posters, who are all on a downer.
Let's look at who we've lost in our squad:-
Salah - By common consent, way past his best.
Konate - Everyone wanted him rid of last season.
Robertson - Past his best. Getting pelters during title-winning season.
Jones - Most people's whipping boy.

Throughout last season, loads of posters on here were of the belief that our squad - despite players I've mentioned - would be walking the league if we hadn't had Slot as a Head Coach.



So, what's changed? I repeatedly said, throughout last season, that our problems went further than Slot and I was accused of being a Slot sympathiser. I wanted him out as well, but always knew no one would be able to come in and wave a magic wand.

Our frailties are for all to see, but they were there last season. It's just that a few folk were too blinkered to see it.

I'm still excited about this season, but I'm fairly sure there will be as many downs as ups.

24 Aug 2026 20:55:27
Szob probably better at right back than he is in midfield, Slot was right.

24 Aug 2026 21:20:10
That was Elanga's first ever PL goal for Newcastle after 33 PL games!

24 Aug 2026 21:32:51
Sob should actually be playing on the right imo and wake up tactically.

24 Aug 2026 21:51:15
It's one game, ffs. Seriously, people getting at Szobo. I know I shouldn't even bother commenting, but can't help it.
He's an unbelievable player, and we are lucky to have him. Fans would be happy if Madrid come in and we have to get used to watching him belt in screamers in that all white kit.

24 Aug 2026 22:48:54
I think Bradley is out until early 2027.

24 Aug 2026 23:21:45
I'd be playing Szob on the right as well, Ron, but more to facilitate a more disciplined midfield. Hopefully, with time, Ireola can get them to either push up the defence or get at least one of the midfielders to hold.