27 Dec 2022 11:51:08
Hello Ed01 and hope you are having a great Holiday season. On the Villa game, I observed that IMO we bossed them off their pitch in the first half and got a well-deserved 2 goal lead esp. in midfield with the press for the most part, like it was in the Spurs game.
However like the Spurs game, we seemed to drop off and try to soak up pressure and counter them which we know, does and has never suited us under Klopp. I saw a lot of people criticizing the midfield or defence BUT I disagree. I think we may have dropped off on purpose which of course makes it look like we were under pressure since we stopped pressing, something Ljinders has been advocating for, apparently. Do you agree or was it a case of just of us getting overrun in midfield and defence?
Cheers, man.
{Ed001's Note - teams always drop off and counter when they get ahead, it is a natural thing players do. That is why so often a team with a 2-0 lead ends up throwing it away. The other team steps up and takes advantage. It is something we have always done under Klopp too, but we had Mane and Salah destroying teams on the break so it helped us in the past. We just need to be deadly on the break again and force the opposition to hold extra players back. Gakpo should certainly help with that, he is a goal threat.}
27 Dec 2022 12:32:34
Many thanks for the response, Ed01. I am fully aware that when teams have a 2 goal lead, it is natural for them to drop off and try to protect the lead and the biggest example was the recent WC final so I get that. I do agree that with Mane and Salah on the counter, teams would obv commit more resources at 2 nil down and we would always be a threat on the break with such speed demons out in space on the break.
I just wanted to know your opinion on this topic. As for Gakpo, I have never seen him play so I have no opinion on him. I hope he provides us with pace and goals as well. Cheers and Happy Holidays, man.
{Ed001's Note - I just think it is one of those things that you can't do anything about. Klopp and Pep are two that do try to get their players to push up when winning, but both also like at times to draw the opposition on to them so that they can attack the space in behind. I hope that we will go back to the way we used to play of hitting teams early and hard, so that we can drop off and conserve our legs for the rest of the season late in games.}
27 Dec 2022 12:41:19
Villa cut through us far too many times. They had many chances. Until the subs came on in the second half we were all over the place in midfield.
27 Dec 2022 12:54:32
Salah and Nunez both outpaced the Villa defence on the break from the half way line with the ball yesterday so we def still have that in the team. My kids tell me Nunez is quicker than Salah and fastest player in premier league but that could be fifa talking.
{Ed001's Note - he was clocked as the fastest player in the Prem, nothing to do with the video game. Is it Opta that do the Prem stats? I forget. Whoever it was, he was the fastest.}
27 Dec 2022 13:06:58
We were wide open through midfield the whole game and allowed crosses to come in. The game could have been 5-4. Luckily Watkins and Bailey were as profligate as Darwin was.
27 Dec 2022 13:41:08
Nunez is faster imo, just needs some of Salah’s composure in front of goal.
{Ed001's Note - yes, that was what I was saying, Nunez was clocked as the fastest player in the Prem.}
27 Dec 2022 13:44:44
We don’t have any pace or power in midfield. I’d argue that our strongest midfield is hendo, fab and Thiago and that epitomises my point. Great players, great balance but seem a yard off a tackle, a yard short to beat someone, no recovery pace and I’d argue all 3 look finished at 65 minutes.
27 Dec 2022 15:03:34
Midfield is Shot after half an hour.
27 Dec 2022 18:24:29
I’d much rather have Hendo, Fabs and Thiago than the three fastest midfield players in the world. Skill over pace every day of the week. Just my opinion. And happy to admit that if Hendo, Fabs and Thiago were the three fastest in the league I’d be even happier.