28 Aug 2023 10:22:06
ed1 - I'm getting a little worried with Trent this season. and it has nothing to do with the usual clap trap about his defending.

I fear he is going to spend a lot of mental energy this season figuring out the hybrid role, his priorities as a footballer and applying all of that to be effective on the pitch. I can't remember the exact moment, but there was a part of the match where it seemed to me like he just needs to be either in or out of the midfield. and that playing him half-way in between, in the long run will damage his game.

The other thing about it is that our midfield needs energy and he can bring that with his youth and eagerness to nail the role.

This summer was the time to transition him to midfield as he is the perfect age about to hit his prime years. Instead I fear we're going to waste some of this development by just confusing him and wasting his energy figuring out this random role that he'll never use if he played for any other club and certainly not for England.

and now that Mr. Intensity has spoken up, we all know who to thank for it lol.

{Ed001's Note - I did tell you all a long-time ago whom wasn't fault for the changes in tactics, most people did not believe me though! And I fully agree, Trent is all over the shop, trying to do everything and be both, when he could simply just do one very easily.}

1.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 13:18:27
Maybe we should start playing with 10 men Ed. That way everyone everyone can play what their usual role used to be. Everyone look confused with this inverted nonsense. Wonder if Trent himself is OK playing this inverted stuff. Not to be dramatic but I feel more confident seeing us playing with 10 men instead of 11. Everyone look soo confused.

{Ed001's Note - Trent is happy playing for the club mate, he will just get his head down and work on it rather than complaining. Especially while the team is winning.}

2.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 13:38:58
Ed001, I’ve always been a big advocate of playing Trent in midfield but I’d rather him just playing RB than this inverted FB b*llocks. While we play this system we’re always going to have problems down our right side, and he’s always going to get the flack for it.

{Ed001's Note - has to be one or the other, you can't expect any player to play both roles, not even Pele or Maradona could do that.}

3.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 13:43:30
So Ed, the story about him going to a podcast saying he is responsible for this inverted stuff is true then. Him betting a year of his salary to convinced Klopp to convert Trent into inverted full back aka "to dominate midfield" .

{Ed001's Note - he has been saying a lot more than that this week on podcasts.}

4.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 13:50:44
Exactly Ed001, I’m constantly seeing people moaning about him being caught out of position! How can he be caught out of position when he doesn’t have a set position. When we lose possession he cannot be expected to move from midfield to right back in less than a second. This tactic is never going to work. It doesn’t seem too bad when we have 70% possession but when the game is end to end, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

{Ed001's Note - exactly. If it is introduced when the team is dominating the game, that would be totally different. But to start with it is just inviting trouble.}

5.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 14:05:28
Yeah, OP and Ed01. Trent seems to have a lot on his mind and a lot seems to be unnecessarily being put on his shoulders. He is a top lad and takes/ welcomes the responsibility but someone needs to step in here and take the burden off the lad.

Look at both errors that led to goals vs Bmouth and at Newcastle. He had not even secured the possession of the ball, he was already thinking of what he would do next hence, his touch fails him. That means he has too much to think about playing essentially two positions if not more depending whether in or out of possession. This cannot be good for him and one day, this may come to a head and he could get himself sent off, for real. Just my take.

6.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 14:06:36
Edd001 why is he betting a salary on dominating possession when we are far worse now possession wise now and look awful. He should be sacked.

{Ed001's Note - I agree, he needs to go or be demoted at the very least.}

7.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 14:06:52
I don’t think the hybrid role works for anyone. City were far more effective with Cancelo bombing on the left hand side and Walker staying back to cover the high line on the right. City’s team is perfectly set up to use the hybrid system and they’d still be better without it, so it definitely doesn’t work for us.

8.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 14:07:48
And as for Pep, I’ve never known an assistant manager with a vastly over-inflated ego like him. I don’t even know why he’s bragging about the system being his idea though, everyone can see it’s not working!

9.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 14:36:49
Ed001 I on the belief if somethings not broken don’t mend it. I don’t believe Trent can’t defend so I think keep him at right back he is only second to KDB for assists since he came in. All the Bollocks started last season affecting both Trent and Salah the beginning of the season Salah’s goals where down as he stayed out wide and Trent’s assist where down as he was not get forward down the wing. And if it’s Gakpo or Nunez upfront they’re both better size strikers than Bobby so get the crosses into the box like we use to. All Robertson we are losing his biggest strength of getting up and down as much with him not putting nowhere near as many crosses.

{Ed001's Note - exactly, we are moving away from the strengths of our players due to Lijnders thinking he is more intelligent than anyone else and feeling a need to prove it. If he was that intelligent, he would not be so desperate to show his intellect. He would be content to just get on with doing what works.}

10.) 28 Aug 2023
28 Aug 2023 15:06:31
If he had more intellect and knew what he was doing he wouldn’t have been sacked by NEC when he was their manager.