18 Jul 2019 14:29:11
Hi Reds and Ed001,

I'd love to read your opinions and analysis on what we need to take the next step in the PL i. e. beat City.

We only had 7 draws and a loss in the whole season, so clearly there isn't much we can do to improve.

Loss against City we can't legislate for because they are a great team. Perhaps Klopp could have played for a draw after Firmino equalised?

We can't blame bad luck. Yes if Stones hadn't nutmegged Salah (! ) when he cleared off the line, or if Aguero's goal against West Brom got cleared off the line rather than 2-3 inches beyond the line, or if referee had given Keita a penalty against Leicester, we could have won. But we had our own great luck at times- Mahrez missed pen, good luck with injuries to let players, Pickford the saviour etc.

What is it that we can do to go from a 97 points team to a 100 points team? I can only think of the failure to control games like Everton and Utd away in order to get that winning goal. Are fit Keita and Ox our answers to make that final piece of difference?


1.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 14:41:49
Between us and city now, it comes down to pure luck imo.


2.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 15:04:02
Salah, I can see why you would assume it is between us st City mate but it will be tougher this season to match or better what we did last season. Especially with City Spurs and the others all strengthening and us not. We need to avoid injury’s and of course a bit of look along the way.

{Ed001's Note - Spurs are losing players, I am not sure you can call it strengthening when you are likely to lose your best player. And I mean Alderweireld not Kane, as he is the most important and best player they have, but looks sure to move on. Unless they can convince him to stay they will not be stronger.}


3.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 14:41:49
Between us and city now, it comes down to pure luck imo.


4.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 15:09:34
Fabinho being there for the whole season will make a big difference. He's great at playing in balls from deep, people tend to forget he missed the first half of last season. Hopefully Ox's return, Keita adapting and Henderson being played further forwards will add goals from the midfield in order to avoid the number of draws we hand. Otherwise it'll come down to focus, drive and as Salah said, luck.


5.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 15:13:38
Where do you see Alderweireld going, Ed?

{Ed001's Note - not sure mate. There are a lot of options available to him.}


6.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 15:20:46
They have signed Ndomble though Ed who looks very good and possibly Ceballos and a few others they are looking at. I agree on Alderweireld but he is still there at the minute. Was meaning in general the clubs nearest to us from last season have strengthened, City, Utd. Done will laugh at Utd but AWB Maguire possibly Fernandes and a few others makes them a threat?

{Ed001's Note - Ndombele has only replaced Dembele a season late.}


7.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 15:38:33
Cant we sign alderwield? I know we got gomez and improving matip, but surely he improves us.
I mean virgil and alderweireld ably supported by trent fab and robbo is a defence nobody wants to face.
No doubt gomez can be huge and matip has improved but alderwrireld just makes us unbeatable and hence bring the title.


8.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 15:38:36
OP with all due respect, I am not interested in rehashing what happened last season. What we could/ should/ would have done in games X or Y to me is not the best way to approach the new season. For me, we cannot continue to replay games in hindsight like "had we controlled this game better, had Klopp done this or that, o the other in this or that game then. " cos it does not address the other games where we were extremely lucky to win or not lose. Football is not "If X then Y". This is why it is said that a season is full of highs and lows and you have to have more breaks go for you than don't.

What we must do is to learn from the last season on the things we know affected us like lack of FB options when our FB's were either injured or not playing well or more/ better options in attack which could have given us a better chance of winning more games, not that we would have won them. This will give us a better chance of those breaks that did not go for us last season, go for us this season. As for City, we could have beaten City twice last season and still lost the title to them by 1 point cos we have seen that before. Just my take.


9.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 15:41:04
Just something I thought of hhanif005 - But you're also forgetting that if we don't get 97 points then we won't challenge. City will also need to be bang at it to pick up that many points again. I'm not saying that they can't or won't but remember not only would we have to attain a high or higher level again but so will they.


10.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 16:46:22
GouldyTrueRed, I am of the belief that neither us nor City will get the same points tally as we did last season. I just don't see it but of course, I may be wrong.


11.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 20:05:57
Expectations are far too high from every Liverpool fan (myself included) regarding points. How many times in the history of the prem has a team finished on even 90+ points? People need to remember that this isn’t Laliga. A relegation battling team can take points from the top teams.

City couldn’t quite replicate the 100 points from the previous season despite us not beating them like we did last season.
If anything I think this season will probably be a 90-92 point winner and people shouldn’t be disappointed if that’s it.
Other teams know how us and City play, as hard to stop as both clubs are it can be done. City had there own extreme luck come the close of the season, a 2mm goal, kompany with an absolute screamer when they where struggling big time (he wouldn't be able to replicate that if he tried) and loads more like we had our own luck like you said.


12.) 18 Jul 2019
18 Jul 2019 21:13:31
Imo Spurs yes they're a decent team, very good overall but will they come close to the title? Nah not in my opinion, they're far behind Liverpool and City as are the rest.


13.) 19 Jul 2019
19 Jul 2019 01:41:02
Brewster will add goals and assists.


14.) 19 Jul 2019
19 Jul 2019 06:36:46
With regards to Alderweireld leaving, Spurs have basically gutted one of the best defences in Europe and patched it up with exceedingly average (or outright bad) players. It's no wonder they've gone backwards.


15.) 19 Jul 2019
19 Jul 2019 07:56:31
Last season is in the past. It will have no relevance to this season. We could finish 20 points less off but still win the league. We could also go the full season unbeaten say 20 wins and 18 draws and finish outside the top 4. Last season we did amazing but it counts for nothing this season if we do not challenge again. We have no god given right to win things. Last seasons hard work means nothing this season. It’s a blank page and Klopp and the players will write their own story again.


16.) 19 Jul 2019
19 Jul 2019 10:16:32
More points than them!


17.) 19 Jul 2019
19 Jul 2019 18:36:48
I see us mantaining the same level as last year. I don't remember us being particularly lucky. Of course we had bits of luck, good AND bad. We just look so hard to beat. Any team has to beat our midfield, get past our defence and beat alisson. Each of those units are extremely good. I think we'll go one better this season.


18.) 19 Jul 2019
19 Jul 2019 18:53:12
I agree akrubbish. I thought gomez looked great before his injury and matip won me over. i've always liked lovren. But apart from gomez, who is a injury worry, they don't fill me with confidence. Toby Alderwierald would make our back 5 the finished article imo.