12 Sep 2026 16:57:11
I just don't get how everyone can see the gaping holes in midfield yet the club doesn't do anything about it?
A real frustrating watch, and mainly because it's same old same old.
Really want Wirtz to work, but as a No 10 I just can't see it. Too much of a luxury with the style we are trying to play. He and Sobozlai in the same team just can't work in my opinion, they just get in each others way.
Really feel for Isak as gets zero service. Wirtz seems to slow down play - alarmingly he is reminding me of Adam Lallana - great skills and moments but no real impact and never seems to make the right release/pass/shoot choice.
Hope to be proven wrong but something needs to change here as the middle of the park is just empty. If we can see that why can't they?
Also a minor moan but VVD always seems to head the ball back into the middle and danger area rather than just getting rid or playing it safe and heading out? I guess if we had a midfield there it would help!
Agree2
12 Sep 2026 17:19:25
Wirtz was a needless buy when we had Dom.
12 Sep 2026 16:56:59
Not beating or even scoring against a shocking Fulham side isn't good enough at all. They're conceding for fun and we barely hit the target.
Szobo and gravenberch don't offer enough at all at the moment, rather have macca and nyoni in there.
Midfield is non existent again.
Barcola and wirtz looked to be linking up well in moments, something that will grow with time hopefully because quiet for the most part.
Jaquets looks composed as anything which is great to see, best bit of transfer business we've done in a while.
Agree1
12 Sep 2026 16:53:19
THAT was an utterly atrocious performance from Liverpool, and each and every member of that team, Jacquet aside, should be ashamed. Anfield crap for yet another 3pm kick-off.
Agree1
12 Sep 2026 16:52:32
Not what I expected. What's going on with this midfield. What are we as fans not seeing as to why Nyoni and even Endo doesn't get minutes. Wirtz needs resting imo.
Agree1
12 Sep 2026 17:20:29
Wirtz needs benching.
12 Sep 2026 16:52:26
Yeah it's going to be a long year. Don't know whether it's Iraola or just the squad he's been given. But we play some awful football.
Agree1
12 Sep 2026 16:48:45
Very poor but I think it's sth we can expect
Champions league then a Premier League game can the level still be high
Their not ready yet
But maybe later on they will be.
Agree0
12 Sep 2026 15:48:28
The spaces in midfield are massive. Fulham are just strolling through us. Grav and Dom do not work as a double pivot.
I appreciate we had a tough game midweek but why take out MacAllister who worked well with Dom.
Team need a rocket up their a$$ to up the tempo and press.
Agree5
12 Sep 2026 15:58:18
No excuse midweek game they came out thinking it was a stroll in the park. the left back needs to taken off and never put a red shirt on again awful display. Gravenberch the same his heart is not in it at all.
And Alison his head gone not getting his move maybe goat but he is not playing like he is a goat. VVD has gone missing. Fulham have been by far the better side and have given us a first half football lesson.
12 Sep 2026 16:03:21
I know Andoni prefers 4231 but watching us I'd love us to go 433.Theres just so much space in that part of the pitch and then mix that with Grav and Dom been in there makes it a recipe for disaster.
I know the thinking is Wirtz gets the ball closer to Isak and the opposition goal but I'd he doesn't give us enough to sacrifice that added security.
12 Sep 2026 16:17:54
You can't blame Gravy. He's clearly sitting where Iraola wants him to sit which is far deeper
We are almost a 3 at back out of possession with the wingbacks becoming mids and szobo and wirtz coming deeper for a 2 gcentral oing to a 343. Aurojo though isn't pressing his man and tsimi. is tsimi. But had been replaced as I wrote this. I'm sorry but Gravy is clearly doing the job he's been told to do. Sit between Jacquet and VVD.
{Ed001's Note - was he told to give every pass away then? He was awful.}
12 Sep 2026 16:19:53
Wirtz, Barcola and Munoz spent half the game in our half. We need midfielders you can rely to do a job to allow these players to spend more time further up the pitch, in and around isak.
12 Sep 2026 16:29:08
Macca on. We've gone from a no man midfield to a one man midfield.
12 Sep 2026 16:43:28
To be fair we've just put the lone much further up our defense is about 10 years into their half. We will either score or invite a counter really compressed the midfield.
12 Sep 2026 16:46:46
Doesn't bode well for this season.
12 Sep 2026 16:54:20
Wirtz is not good enough imo and won't be good enough for a high intensity press. Yes he is running more and getting the ball back a few times but a lot of players do this from time to time. He loses the ball so much in every match.
12 Sep 2026 16:54:22
Really poor start to the season in the league. We've had an easy run of games and fluffed our lines.
Before any one comes on and makes excuses we had three £100m players on the pitch, at home, against a bottom three side, and looked the worse team. Go figure.
12 Sep 2026 16:56:08
Shocking performance from all on the pitch, that could have been Slot in the dugout today with that performance. Press was an absolute mess similar to our first half against Athletico Madrid, completely disjointed and yards off the pace of the game. Isak being starved of passes forward.
Szob and Gravenberch had zero composure on the ball in midfield and spent the game running with the ball rather than moving it quickly and opening up space. Concerning game, early doors but going to be a rough old season with those kind of performances.
12 Sep 2026 17:02:08
Sorry real-life. I completely disagree. His getting between the line well. But there's no point I. Passing it to the man who's fou d the space between the lines the. Not moving to receive the pass which happens all to often and why wirtz end up with 3 players round him we absolutely should be taking full advantage of that but he's not getting the runners on our passes into him and Isak are too flat and not coming from good angles
Wirtz is brilliant at pressingand covering when Dom misses places a pass or Barcola or gakpo. I think you must be watching a different match because the one thing Wirtz can do above all else is press brilliantly on a bad touch or when seeing danger on a counter.
12 Sep 2026 17:17:43
If you say so Phil. I don't see him doing anything that other 10s don't do. He's slow, not that strong, gives the ball away, doesn't run at his man or beat a player, shoots at the wrong time, makes bad decisions. Am I wrong?
12 Sep 2026 18:47:40
I do say so.
12 Sep 2026 18:47:24
Ed001 I was replying about the space in the midfield? If you want to change subject then that's fine. My reply was about the specific positioning. Let's not get into whataboutery.
{Ed001's Note - he wasn't doing that either but no idea whataboutery has to do with it other than you not knowing what that actually is.
12 Sep 2026 18:55:22
Whataboutery is not addressing a point being made, and then making an unrelated point. cmy point as a reply was about positioning.
At some point you will have to address Iraolas tactics and management why he took a job where he didn't replace either full back and got a loan signing and allowed us to go for Barcola where we had other priorities e. g DM
The buck stops with him here. You can't blame Gravy for 3 draws.
{Ed001's Note - you said that you can't blame him for being awful, my point was and still is, though it seems to have gone over your head, that you can blame him as he was the one who can't pass. Not whataboutery, just you unable to understand that you made more than one point.}
12 Sep 2026 20:14:38
Phil, for one your argument was wrong when you said I said he 'doesn't press'. I said he is not built for INTENSE PRESSING SYSTEM. He is not strong enough nor fast enough nor dynamic enough to play the type of press AI wants. And everything else I said he actually does. If you can tell me one thing that you've seen him do well since he's come tell me and if I'm wrong I will be wrong. I do not use emotions to judge players, I judge them from what I see.
Because he runs and finds space that's not good enough. Adam Lallana rand and found space and so far looks better than him.
12 Sep 2026 15:47:31
Szobo and gravy look awful, a non existent midfield.
Tsimikas showing why kerkez is the starter left back.
It will take time with the new manager but we do need a personnel change in the midfield.
Agree3
12 Sep 2026 16:19:20
Tsimi first touch been awful. But his right foot cross is still better than Kerkez best left foot cross.