Liverpool Article 29 Apr 2024
West Ham United v Liverpool
Yet another lacklustre performance as Liverpool limp towards the end of the season, it is reminscent of when Alex Ferguson first announced he was leaving Manchester United and they lost their way so badly he changed his mind. If I remember correctly, it also happened to Rangers when they were going for 10 in a row Scottish titles under Walter Smith. It ended up costing them the title I am sure, though I could be wrong on that one. It was something everyone was worried about when Klopp's statement came out. The season is just meandering to a finish now, with a bunch of players that seem to have given up and are just marking time for the season to end. The problem is that there is not a lot Klopp can really do now, other than drop them all and play the under 21s! Salah showed that being dropped can still provoke a reaction from some players, even if being fired up did not really produce any results on the pitch from him. Having said that, it was not like he was given much time to affect the game. In fact I do wonder if Klopp provoked Salah just before he was set to go on to get him fired up. Mo is a very placid sort of person but when he went on the pitch he was clearly fired up and looking to win that match.
To be fair, the performance did pick up at the start of the second half, with Liverpool one down they came out and attacked. They got the two goals, though it must be said there was a lot of luck in both, and looked to have the Hammers on the ropes. Just as I am thinking how good it is to see a bit of fight in the team, Liverpool allowed West Ham back in by reverting to slow passing around the defence and midfield. I know they want to control the game by keeping the ball and not allowing the opposition to get on it, but they can do that just as well by going and getting a third while West Ham were there for the taking. You can press high, win it back and then play a safe ball, rather than a quick counter to maintain control. I know the thinking is to have more control by keeping possession, but if you want to do that, then you need to build a team to do so. Liverpool have not really done that, the signings have been confused between players for the high intensity style and ones for the slow, laboured, controlling play.
If you are going to play it, then you need centre-backs who are ball players, yet Konate is the one that was signed. He is a more intense type of player and not really a ball-player. In fact you can go through the transfers since the Premier League win and the same confusion clearly applies. Jota and Tsimikas came in as well as Thiago back then. Thiago is perfect for a controlling tactic, but Tsimikas and Jota are all hustle and bustle, high-intensity workers who are unsuited to it. The following season it was Diaz, Konate and Elliott, none really suited to playing a slower game. Then there is Nunez, who is certainly not a player for controlled play. But that same season saw Gakpo, Carvalho and Ramsay too, all of whom look better suited to a bit more control. Even the choice of Melo on loan seemed to be to provide another Thiago-type in midfield. Then we come to this summer and it was back to players who want to play with intensity. It makes little sense as a recruitment policy and it is no wonder the style of play is not working so well when the recruitment is so confused.
That does not excuse what is currently happening on the pitch, with no one picking up players, closing down opponents or attempting to win headers. Once again Liverpool conceded simple goals by not challenging in the air. Antonio had so much space it is astonishing. That is simply not good enough and there is no excuse for that.
What I do find most strange is that more is not being made of the moment when Areola, after pretending to be hurt to waste time, rolled the ball in front of him and started pulling up his socks. It was a ludicrous mistake by a keeper who is prone to dodgy moments and Gakpo had spotted it and raced forward to get the loose ball, only to be stopped by the referee. Anthony Taylor's decision was outright corruption because he covered up his blatant mistake by ordering the Areola to go down and calling on the physios, even though Areola made no attempt to claim he was injured. He was too busy looking embarrassed and confused. It is one thing for a referee to make a mistake, but a responsible person owns up to their error rather than attempts to cover it up. I could have respected Taylor for holding his hands up, but now I am just even more sure that he should be immediately sacked from the Premier League referee's pool. Forget that Taylor has altered a result by his actions, it is the lack of responsibility he showed and lack of respect for fans watching the game. The reason why Pierluigi Collina commanded respect on the pitch is not because he was perfect. He made mistakes too, but he owned them and held up his hands to them.
If ever there was a team that set up to give Liverpool a chance to win, without playing well, it was West Ham once again. Moyes' attitude of 'knife to a gun fight' pervades the whole Hammers team and they sit back and invite pressure, despite their defence being very much a weak link right now. It was strange to see two teams coming in off the back of bad results and yet neither were fired up to go out there and take the game to the other. Neither side were closing down the opposition, making it so easy for the other to just play right through them, but they also seemed to lack the ambition to do so most of the time. What they really lacked was ambition. They were always happy to settle for a point and were so placid and deep they almost threw that away. Each time they did attack, they cut through the Liverpool defence so easily, you would have thought they would be tempted to attack more, but they just wanted to get straight back into their defensive positions and sit in front of their own goal.
Quick notes on the players:
Alisson - he needs some protection from the defence, as opposing teams are able to just stroll through it at will right now. He did make a mistake, dropping an easy catch, but quickly made up for it with a save afterwards. He was not really under any kind of sustained pressure though, West Ham were too content to sit back for long periods of the game.
Alexander-Arnold - when he is out wide, it creates so many problems for the opposition as it drags them out to deal with him, but every chance he gets Alexander-Arnold moves into the centre leaving an absence of width on the right and reducing his own options to play passes. West Ham were so narrow and compact, that they were always open to a switch of play or to put it wide into space from the centre, with so much space to play the ball into but there was never the option open to switch it right. That made it so much easier for the Hammers to defend as they only had to worry about the left side.
Quansah - while he did not have a bad game per se, the fact that he and the rest of the defence stand off and allow opponents to just stroll through them and make no real attempt to shut them down on the ball, it is difficult to say that he played well. Also, allowing so many free headers for opposing players from set pieces and crosses is poor defending.
van Dijk - completely out of sorts in these final weeks. He is constantly stood off watching while opponents play through or attack headers. He did manage to get to a couple, but is still far too passive when the ball is played into the box.
Robertson - was a little subdued in the first half, as he sat back providing cover on the left most of the time. Second half he was much more the marauding full-back of old and caused havoc. His goal had a lot of luck about it (the keeper should have done a lot better) but he was there and took the shot when the chance came. It was worrying that he pulled up lame in the final few minutes.
Endo - not really the game for him as West Ham sat off Liverpool and never really made it into a battle. Soucek was so deep most of the game he was playing as an auxiliary centre-back, so there was little reason to have a specific defensive midfielder there.
Mac Allister - got forward well but his passing was not at its best. West Ham did close off forward passing lanes well as they were sat so deep and narrow, but he was trying to force forward passes at times.
Gravenberch - flattered to deceive. Had some good moments but his end product was poor. Needed to do a bit more.
Diaz - once again plays well, causes havoc but still needs to provide more end product.
Elliott - another one who came too narrow. The lack of width down the right was a real problem and he was not helping by moving all over the pitch. Yes, he was trying really hard, but he needed to use his head more and hold the width.
Gakpo - he ended up too deep, trying to play in the centre like Firmino used to. It really does not suit him and he would be better on the left, but he does offer good workrate and it was his shot that, though going badly wide, ended up in the back of the net via a couple of ricochets. It was also his bright thinking that should have led to a late chance to win it, if the referee had not shit the bed the way he did.
Gomez - replaced Alexander-Arnold in the 78th minute. Came on too late to really do anything.
Nunez - took Endo's place in the 78th minute. His biggest part in the match was probably holding back Salah before they came on.
Salah - also brought on in the 78th minute, to replace Diaz. Looked fired up, and not just because of his disagreement with Klopp and lack of hug. He was positive and got forward well, though his passing and end product was still not there.
Szoboszlai - came on in the 90th + 1 minute in place of Quansah. A strange substitution and he had no chance to do anything of note.
Tsimikas - never came on to take the place of the injured Robertson because he took so long to get ready.
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Liverpool Article 27 Apr 2024
Everton v Liverpool
A truly awful performance from Liverpool, almost every player failed to turn up. Trying to write this review is very difficult to do without swearing, my notes on the game were nearing 50% curse words! How do you express just how bad Liverpool played without emphasising it with a sprinkle of swear words. Truly awful does not really tell you the truth of it, while truly fucking awful at least comes close. The thing is that losing happens, we as fans can cope with that, it is when our team lets us down that bothers us. Playing badly is fine, it is not trying that really hurts because they represent us out there on that pitch and it is like they are saying we fans do not matter enough to bother trying. In reality there is lots more to it, but that is the feeling it leaves behind, which is why fans get so upset and some can act irrationally. It is because it genuinely hurts. Even more so when it is a rival and you know that there will be a hundred gloating messages on your phone afterwards.
That is not really relevant to this review, it is just me prevaricating rather than ripping into the team. The thing is that this has been coming. There are so many things over the last couple of years that have been holding Liverpool back that now, with hindsight, it feels like maybe Klopp should have left two years ago, much as I love him. I was clinging onto a hope that he would somehow come back to being Klopp, the Klopp that was a breath of fresh air (and not fresh of breath air as I initially typed for some unknown reason!) and brought that heavy metal football that was so enjoyable to watch and brought so much success. Instead he has been moving further and further away from it. Now when I look back and remember how he tried to step back before the start of last season to let Lijnders have more control to develop him as a successor, that should have been the moment he left.
Since then Klopp has not invested all of himself in the job, which is sickening when you consider the huge amount of money he is paid to do so. I get there is stress and pressure, but it is first world problem stress and pressure of the privileged rich. And this is why I had so much trouble with this review and it took me longer to even get started than normal. Criticising Jurgen Norbert Klopp as a Liverpool fan feels so wrong. He has brought so much joy that it is not that I begrudge him the money or wanting a break, I am annoyed that he stayed too long. Instead of dreading him going, I am now actually just looking forward to it all being over. It is a shame because it should not be that way after all he has achieved. It should be like when he left Dortmund and the BVB fans were just broken-hearted. Instead it is almost going to be a relief.
And, looking back at it now, it should have been foreseen two years ago as it was so obvious. It is not just when he started to step back, it was allowing Lijnders to write that book, just before completely abandoning the intensity it was named after. Taking Lijnders tactical advice, despite his tactics being so abysmal he could not even last a season as a manager, allowing him to write a book, letting Lijnders take the credit for just about everything that ever happened and appear on podcasts and do interviews like he was the prime mover behind everything. The book was a huge red flag from an assistant, who is just one assistant in a team of them. But it is mostly the abandonment of Klopp's ideology on football, the high-octane 'heavy metal' football, in order to move over to playing slow, turgid, possession football, with no width, that really is the biggest issue. I can understand that evolution is necessary and that there were ways to make it better, but there was no need to throw it all out of the window the way Klopp has.
Last season was abysmal, but people blamed it all on the midfield being past it, rather than the tactics being poor making the midfield look done. People were claiming it was the players' ages that stopped them pressing with intensity like before, but it is clear that it was Klopp's choice to play with less intensity. It was Klopp who decided that style was done and moved on to something different that simply did not work. Instead of abandoning it after the way it failed him, Klopp has doubled down on it by buying a whole new midfield instead. The problem is that he bought midfielders who suit the old way of playing, rather than the new way. And what it has resulted in is the team conceding the first goal in a match 22 times this season. Earlier in the season the team would be changed back to the old way and rescue it most of the time, but it was always going to catch up eventually.
Then Klopp made it even more messy by announcing his departure at the end of the season, while there were still months to go. That was always going to provide a short-term boost as the players wanted to go out with a bang for him, but also that was always going to fade and lead to the players struggling to motivate themselves. Add that to Klopp losing his ability to motivate with everyone knowing he was going. It is little wonder the performances have become so lacklustre as Klopp looks lost on the sidelines now, almost resigned to the defeats as the time ticks down, when he used to just get more and more agitated right up until the final whistle blew. What it has led to is a team sleepwalking through the end of the final season, which is ending with a whimper amid turgid football. The amazing thing is that this season has been characterised by turgid football, by giving away the first goal constantly, yet still somehow ending up competing at the top of the league. If someone had told me that before the season started Liverpool would be in this position at this point, I would have been delighted by the thought. Even after the first few weeks, I would still have thought it was a ridiculous idea.
The most frustrating thing of all is that being top of the table was clearly a false position because it was achieved in spite of the tactics, rather than because of them. Or maybe the most frustrating thing is that I am having to criticise Klopp? I really want to just enjoy the end of an era, to see the players give their all for him to end it on a high and to leave me nothing to say but to eulogise about a man who turned us, most of us anyway, into believers.
Everton played well, they had a simple plan - win free kicks in Liverpool's half and then put the ball into the box. To that end, they did go down very easily shall we say, helped by the referee giving them every decision even though there was, at best, minimal contact. However that was not why they beat Liverpool, it just made it a little easier for them. Why they won is because they attacked every ball in the air and chased everything. They outworked Liverpool completely and it was a fairly comfortable win. The question that needs to be asked is why they have not been able to play like this more regularly. However, this week they have earnt their moment to gloat as they were by far the better side and fully deserved their win.
Quick notes on the players:
Alisson - one of the very few who actually bothered to turn up, but was given absolutely no protection.
Alexander-Arnold - terrible performance. I do not understand why a player with his vision cannot spot the need for someone to get down the right and put the ball in. There were acres of space out there but still he constantly inverted to where there was no space, right up until Klopp made his first set of changes. Clearly at that point he was given instruction to stay wide. It is so frustrating watching a player of such quality failing to use his brain and do what fits the way the match is going, rather than just mindlessly following instructions that are clearly idiotic. I get he wants to play midfield, but he needs to do what is best for the team first and foremost.
Konate - he was bullied by Calvert-Lewin, but at least he tried. The biggest problem is that having Alexander-Arnold constantly inverted left him almost playing right-back when the team had the ball, and he is not good enough on the ball to push forward out there. Nor should he have been asked to, as it just left a huge space.
van Dijk - the worst performance I have ever seen him give. All the worst characteristics of van Dijk came to the fore in this game and he was far too busy moaning to the referee or throwing his arms up and blaming everyone else for his failings to actually do his job. He failed to win a single first header from an Everton setpiece, most of the time not even getting near them despite almost all of them being played into his area. The second goal he never even challenged for, when it was his ball to win. This was all about attitude, it was so poor in this game, like he had already given up. After such a stellar season, it is a shame to see this happen.
Robertson - another completely off his game. He has not come back from his injury spell well, like many players he is looking like a different player on his return. It often happens when a player has missed a significant spell with an injury. They often just need time to get back to their best. However, he really needs to do better defensively, especially stopping crosses against a team like Everton.
Mac Allister - another who was terrible. He is not at his best at the base of the midfield anyway, but he was particularly poor in this match, which seems an odd choice to play him there anyway. Everton, and Dyche teams in general, are known for being physical and direct. This was a game for a fighter like Endo to start, but it is just another one in a number of very strange team selections by Klopp recently. Mac Allister is very good at keeping possession, but he tends to do it by passing back and sideways when deep, rather than looking to thread passes through the opposition defence like he will when higher up. That just put Liverpool in trouble, added to by the fact that the ball was moved so slowly, just rolled around, allowing Everton plenty of time to organise and making it easy for them.
Szoboszlai - he has been struggling for a while, since he has had time to learn the tactical set up of the team, rather than just playing the way he feels is right. It is clear he needs the high press, high-intensity football to be effective. This slow, methodical build-up play is not helping him, until that changes, he is going to struggle, as are the rest of the team.
Jones - another who had a poor game, though he tried to get on the ball and move it forward, what he did was completely ineffective. He just ended up being overrun.
Diaz - the one outfield player who had at least a half decent game, though once again he was let down by a complete lack of end product. He did work hard, winning the ball back a number of times, but he just needs to work on actually producing something at the end of it.
Nunez - his touch was poor and it cost him the chance to score a number of times. That is something he really needs to improve on, with a better touch more chances will come and he will get more goals. It does look like he was lacking confidence, which can easily be a part of the problem.
Salah - his performances have been poor for a long time now, after a good start to the season. It is becoming a real worry now, but he was dreadful once more and missed a number of chances. He really should not be in the team right now, he does not deserve his place.
Elliott - came on in the 63rd minute to replace Szoboszlai. Worked hard, at least tried to make something happen, but his attempts to put the ball into dangerous areas was poor.
Endo - brought on for Jones in the 63rd minute. At least brought a bit of bite to the midfield. He did get caught out on the ball initially but quickly got adjusted to the pace of the game.
Quansah - bizarrely came on for Konate also in the 63rd minute. No idea why he was brought on, I am not sure what it did or what it was meant to do.
Gomez - replaced Alexander-Arnold in the 84th minute. A pointless late double substitution which showed Klopp had given up on chasing the result and was just looking to save legs.
Tsimikas - took Robertson's place in the 84th minute. See Gomez above.
27 Apr 2024 17:35:41
I think it's good for Slot that Klopp is not going to finish on a high at Liverpool as Klopp has said when asked about the appointment of Slot. Fans' expectations won't be too high and hopefully, it won't take Slot too long to get the team performing at the highest level again.
Liverpool Article 23 Apr 2024
Fulham v Liverpool
After the way things have gone in recent weeks, the performance in this match was much less important than the result. It really was a case of just making sure Liverpool got back on track. Which is good because the performance, though much improved, was still very ropey defensively. The problem with the inverted full-back returned in full as players get confused by the defensive demands placed on them. With its requirement for other players to provide the width when the full-back inverts, the midfield is often emptied. That leaves a huge gaping hole at right-back and a midfield that is empty so opposing players can easily get at the Liverpool defence. The full-back is there, which can help cover the midfield gap, but then it leaves the full-back areas empty, usually requiring a centre-back to move out there to cover, leaving a gap at centre-back. The midfielders are busy chasing back into midfield, rather than getting out to the full-back area, so it leaves the open door at the back that we constantly see this season in particular. It is an overcomplication and utterly unnecessary.
It is also not helped by a lack of real closing down when deep in the Liverpool half. The press is something that happens high up the pitch, but when the team drops into defensive positions, there is no one getting tight to opponents, unless a forward chases back, with the notable exception of Endo. The rest want to just stand off and look to pick off loose passes, but are not putting the pressure on to force mistakes. That is why it was so easy for Fulham to score their equaliser, everyone stood off them and allowed them to play through far too easily. I know it is van Dijk's style to sit off when a player is running at him, and it works for him almost all of the time in that situation, but once the team is set in defensive positions then they need to get right in the opposition's face and make it difficult. Instead, they stand off and make it easy.
Thankfully the team looked much better going forward in periods of the game. The press was not as intense as in the past, but it was still able to get a few mistakes from Fulham. The key to the win was fast ball movement. Not all the time, but just in periods there were times when the team passed the ball with pace, rather than the slow, lethargic stuff that has been eviedent in recent weeks. It makes a huge difference as it gave the defence no time to organise. With Fulham already being a team that struggles to organise defensively and is very reliant on individual defenders' pace and power, it left them there for the taking. For once, Liverpool were actually able to put the ball into the back of the net when needed to take advantage.
Like all Marco Silva sides, Fulham play pretty football which is effective going forward but disorganised defensively. Their big mistake against Liverpool was the lack of width in their team. Liverpool really struggle against teams which use attacking width but Fulham had little width in forward areas and they failed to get their full-backs forward enough to threaten. That was a mistake that cost them badly, as they failed to really put Liverpool under any real sustained pressure at the back. That turned it into a much easier day for the Reds than it should have been. They were very passive in general, another issue with a Silva team, a lack of fire in the belly. It is all on Palhinha to put some grit into the side and, despite getting away with a few early fouls which would normally lead to a booking, once he was booked that is mostly gone as he has to be careful. They need more players willing to put a foot in, rather than just waiting on the opposition to make a mistake and gift them the ball back.
Quick notes on the players:
Alisson - once again he is there when needed for the team, though he did not have a lot to do. What makes a real difference is his ability to launch quick counters with a throw or kick. Alisson makes a huge difference to the play, no matter how good Kelleher is, he is a clear downgrade on the Brazilian. That ability to spot and execute a quick launch forward after catching the ball is key to the team's ability to put opponents under pressure and force them to keep players back when they are on the attack.
Alexander-Arnold - his return also makes a huge difference, brilliant as Bradley has been, that ability to split the defence with one pass has been sorely missed. There is only De Bruyne in the Premier League that can be compared to his range of passing and vision. It did not always come off but it causes so many problems for the opposition when he gets the ball at his feet. I would just like to see him play properly in midfield, as the inverted full-back role still unbalances the defence too much for my liking. Then Bradley can play as well, as an added bonus. Beautiful free kick too!
Quansah - much more comfortable against Fulham, who are not a physical team in the main. They are a team that is very technical, which made them well suited to Quansah's strengths. He did seem to be playing within himself, no doubt being more cautious due to his errors in the past. It will have done him good to get through that match without any real errors.
van Dijk - in the main he had a good game, but there are times when he needs to close down in the box and he is stood off, such as for the goal. Liverpool make it too easy for opponents to make chances by doing this. He does deal with crosses, being positionally sound, but just needs to be more aggressive at times.
Robertson - very poor game, he kept making misjudgments and gambling to cut out balls that he failed to reach. Going forward he is always a threat, but the Liverpool defence is already stretched by the way it is set up, taking himself out of the game with silly errors like that just makes it much harder for the team as a whole. I would think it is just a lack of match sharpness after his injury, but it does need to be watched in case it is a sign that he is losing his pace.
Endo - at times he gets overrun in midfield due to it being emptied to provide width, plus his desire to pick out a progressive pass can be a weakness when he gets caught on the ball. He just needs a bit of help sometimes.
Elliott - worked so hard, really ran himself into the ground trying to shove the Fulham crowd's boos back down their throats, but nothing really came off for him. The passes, the shots, the crosses, whatever he tried as a final ball, particularly the free kick he attempted, just failed to work out. He was often the one providing the width on the right, which meant there was a space in the middle and he struggled to get back to protect the defence. He just does not have the mobility of Szoboszlai and Gravenberch.
Gravenberch - putting aside his excellent goal, the Dutchman had a good game. He worked hard, chased back when needed and supported the attack when he could. His big weakness has always been a lack of effort, that seems to have vanished now.
Diaz - worked hard, gave Robinson a torrid time but again the end product is just lacking. That is a big worry with him. His skill is exceptional, he is quick and works extremely hard but he does not create enough chances nor score enough goals.
Jota - struggled to get into the game but, as usual, he come up with a goal. If he can just stay fit for the run in, there is always a chance of him being the goalscorer that has been missing in recent weeks.
Gakpo = playing in his favoured position on the left he was excellent, probably man of the match. He worked hard, was extremely direct, attacking Fulham at every chance. He could have done with a goal to crown his performance though.
Salah - came on in the 74th minute to replace Diaz on the right. With the game pretty much over, he did not really get into the game enough to make an impression.
Nunez - also on in the 74th minute, replacing Jota. Without early balls in behind and crosses into the box, it is difficult to get the best out of Nunez.
Mac Allister - the third player in the triple substitution in the 74th minute, taking Gravenberch's place. Worked hard.
Gomez - brought on to replace Alexander-Arnold in the 79th minute. Added a bit more solidity at the back as he held deeper and wider than Alexander-Arnold had been doing.
Szoboszlai - arrived in the 86th minute to take over Gakpo's slot on the left of the attack. Very loose in possession, giving the ball away a few times with careless sideways passes.
Liverpool Article 16 Apr 2024
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
Liverpool have reverted back to the slow, measured play of the early part of the season after the return of the injured players. The kids brought energy and enthusiasm, plus the bonus of a return to the high intensity 'heavy metal' football, that made watching Liverpool under Klopp such a pleasure, as that is the way they have been brought through playing. Unfortunately, as soon as the first teamers were fit, the kids were dropped straight back down to the U21s and replaced with the first teamers and the return of Pep Lijnders patented 'I can out-Pep Pep' methodology. It failed miserably last season when tried, but this season Klopp has doubled down on it and gone all in on the passing for passing's sake, no width and slow, boring football that Lijnders advocates. That this team is in contention at this stage of the season is a minor miracle, one which Klopp has contrived to almost throw away completely in the last few weeks. It amazes me that someone with Klopp's knowledge and experience in the game has listened to Lijnders, who showed in a spell as a head coach that he has absolutely no tactical clue whatsoever. Excellent coach that he is, Lijnders is not a tactical expert, he has no original ideas, even when taking the credit for all sorts of 'new' things introduced at Liverpool since his return, he admitted that all of them were simply copied from other clubs. You do not beat the richest club in the world by simply copying them, but that seems to be the current plan. It makes no sense when they can simply buy better players for that system.
The problem is that all the momentum has gone out of the season now too, which is going to make it extra difficult for the coaching staff to turn around with them all leaving in the summer. This is where the problem comes with Klopp announcing he was leaving so early in the season. Initially it creates a determination to win for him, but once that has gone there is little Klopp can really have to work with when it comes to pushing the players to do more in training and in matches. Now he is reliant completely on the good feeling that has undoubtedly built up between him and the playing staff - but that can only do so much. It can make the players run all day for him, but it can't make them suddenly turn poor tactics into brilliance. It is not going to magically move all the defenders out of the way so that all those shots in a crowded penalty area can be calmly aimed into the corners away from the keeper. It is such a shame to see the Klopp-era ending with a damp squib, after all the years of brilliance he brought, it is now on the players to change that for him and give him the send off he deserves. It might be too late to turn it around and win either trophy, but they can go out like a Klopp team, with heavy metal, exciting, attacking football using width and quick ball movement.
I have seen a lot of talk about how Palace played well and they have been given a huge amount of credit for the win, but I personally was not very impressed with them. Their two wide men, Eze and Olise, are lazy tracking back and are reminscent of Diaz - lots of flair and showy touches but little actual real effect. Their defence was all over the place and relied on getting bodies in the way of shots to keep Liverpool out, something which is not effective in the long term, but can pay off at times. They are a team that, based on that performance, Liverpool could, and should, have beaten. That is the most frustrating thing from a Liverpool point of view, this was not being well beaten by a good performance, but being well beaten by a poor team that did not even play to their own capabilities. Well, to be fair, Hughes played to his capability, but that capability is lower league journeyman level. It is players like Wharton who did not play at anything like the level they are capable of. Not even close. If Liverpool lose to teams like this, playing so poorly, then they do not deserve to win the league. As for Palace, they are where they are for a reason. Glasner has got his hands full turning them into anything other than a team that avoids the drop each season, but they do have a gem in Wharton to build around.
Quick notes on the players:
Alisson - almost the only player to come out of the game with any credit, making a save when it was needed, but did not really have a lot to do and so ended up getting further and further forward as the game wore on.
Bradley - was having a decent game before his injury, though he was not getting forward with his usual drive and energy. The ball was getting out to him too slowly (or inaccurately a lot of the time) to allow him to really maraud down the flank.
Konate - like all the rest of the team, he was too far off the opposition and got caught out at times not knowing whether to be out on the right or in the centre. The understanding at the back was just not there for this game, making it very easy for Palace to get at Liverpool if they wanted to.
van Dijk - needs to do more talking than he did in this game. His performances this season have mostly been back to his best, but he was poor in this one. Not just defensively, where he was standing off rather than making the challenge, but even his passing was off. Added to that, when the team was looking to him for leadership, there was little sign of it.
Robertson - he once again gave his all and was marauding down the left, as much as possible. However, just charging down the flank mindlessly was not enough, the link up and his delivery was not quite there. Defensively he was poor and caught out of position far too easily.
Endo - the wrong game for him, there was no need for a player who could mix it up as Palace were just sat in. He was the only player trying to close down though for long periods, but almost every pass into him was just playing him into trouble and putting him under pressure. For a less creative midfielder like Endo, that is just a recipe for disaster and he struggled to have a positive impact.
Mac Allister - for a while after Liverpool's form dipped, he was the one shining light in the team, but for some reason the last couple of games has seen his form desert him completely. This was a worse performance than the ones he was putting in during the early weeks of the season. He rarely played the ball forward, when he did he gave it away, but the most annoying thing was watching him stroll around for 90 minutes taking extra touches and passing it back and sideways casually like Liverpool were 5-0 up in a meaningless testimonial game. If anyone could be said to embody the Red's lacklustre, listless, limp performance, with its complete lack of urgency, it was Mac Allister.
Jones - struggled to get into the game, though he did show urgency at least, he was not able to impose himself at all. Missed the best chance Liverpool had, but even that was rushed as he lacked the pace to get away from the defenders when he broke through.
Diaz - he is great to watch but, for all his running around he accomplishes very little. He does not make runs in behind, nor does he attack the box. But, to be fair to him, the build up is so slow at the moment that there is little opportunity to do either.
Nunez - he is working hard and giving his all but it is just not happening for him. The team is not playing to his strengths and has failed to do so since buying him for most of the games. He needs the high press, the quick ball movement to get the best from him. He is getting caught offside because the ball is too slow in being released. Nunez is a player that is running around trying to apply the press but on his own, as everyone else is just dropping off and watching attacks develop. If the team returns to a high press, high intensity, fast-flowing attacking style, then he will be ideal. If it sticks to this slow, ponderous sideways ball movement, then he is wasted and will never prosper.
Salah - it was astonishing that he was not taken off. His performance was astonishingly bad, the worst I have seen from him. He was almost like an extra player for Palace, he was that poor. It is like he has forgotten how to play, his first touch has gone missing, his passing was wasteful and his finishing was utterly abysmal. Everyone is entitled to an off day, but Salah's season has gone from bad to worse as it has gone on. Age seems to have caught up with him.
Szoboszlai - brought on at half-time for Endo. Brought some drive and energy but nothing else. Even when he got the chance to take a shot, the entire defence was able to be in place to make it more difficult.
Alexander-Arnold - replaced the injured Bradley in the 48th minute. Immediately he came on he took up station in central midfield, removing all width on the right and making it easier for Palace to stay compact defensively. It showed as his passing became more and more desperate as the half went on, with him trying to force passes and make something happen.
Gakpo - took the place of Diaz on the left wing in the 66th minute. A bright spot in the game, he showed pace and ability, driving at their defence and causing them to actually adjust, bringing out players to double up on him.
Jota - came on for Nunez also in the 66th minute. Never got into the game at all. Flitted round the edges of the game but the team was not getting the ball into him enough.
Elliott - Jones went off so Elliott could come on in the 82nd minute. I do not understand why he is not getting a chance to start, his performances have deserved that, while few others in the Liverpool side can say the same. Maybe the problem is that he constantly plays with high intensity, the old Klopp-style, and seems to struggle to slow down and play the new, boring, measured approach.
Liverpool Article 10 Apr 2024
Manchester United v Liverpool
Deja vu. That is the prevailing feeling after watching that match so soon after losing an FA Cup tie at Old Trafford in almost exactly the same circumstances. Completely dominating the game, creating numerous chances that are wasted, only to end up failing to win the game after letting Man Utd back in to the game in the second half. It also must be pointed out that mistakes at the back actually cost the game, but if Liverpool had taken their chances in the first half, the game would have been well out of sight by half-time and the mistakes would not have mattered. However, Liverpool did not put their chances away, so you have to look closely at those errors as match-defining moments. For me though, the biggest error was made by Jurgen Klopp, by starting the game with Quansah over Konate. Quansah is a good, young player, but Konate is simply a better player and defender at this moment in time and for a game like this you go with your best players.
There have been so many times that an inability to finish their chances have been a problem for Klopp's Liverpool. Whether the front line was Mane, Salah and Firmino or the current three of Diaz, Nunez and Salah, missing chances has always been a problem. There are so many varying reasons for each failure to score, but the truth is that this has gone on so long and through so many players that the issue is clearly something more than an individual player. Whoever replaces Klopp in the summer has to figure out how to get a more clinical edge in the team, it is hindering the club badly, it has now cost the team a place in the FA Cup semi-finals and dropped it off the top of the table in games against a team that are markedly inferior right now. Game after game it has seen the matches much closer than they should have been as well, leaving Liverpool a long way off Arsenal in terms of goal difference as well.
Man Utd are a bit of a mess at the moment, but they still have individual talent at their disposal. That talent can get them results sometimes, especially if they are up against a team that decides to take up almost none of the ridiculous number of chances they give up every game. They really need to figure out how to stop giving up those chances though. They have brought in a goalkeeper to play a high line but have not got the centre-backs to do so. Ten Hag is clearly intending to play a high defensive line and has set up the team to play that way, but the centre-backs are just too scared of pace to hold a line and allow space in behind them. So they drop off, but the midfield and the forwards are not dropping with them, leaving a huge hole between midfield and defence. Until they sort out that issue, they are not going to be able to move the club forward and become a consistent team that can regularly challenge at the top of the league.
The big question left is whether or not Ten Hag is the man to fix their problems. That is still uncertain, and it is difficult to judge him considering the mess above him that he has had to deal with. Certainly the recruitment needed to be taken out of his hands and that is now done, which should make a significant difference, especially as the negotiations will not be handled by the incompetents that were dealing with them before. Will he get the time? We will just have to wait and see.
One thing on the game overall, it did lack a lot of the blood and thunder that you expect from a match between rivals. I know neither team really plays that way, but there was little real fire in the performance from either team. There was only one real moment of controversy, the Casemiro foul right at the end, which really should have been a red card. Hard to understand how that was not given, but I am not sure United would have suffered if he was out banned with his tendency to just pass the ball straight to an opponent anyway! I have always considered Casemiro to be an extremely overrated player, who lacks mobility and fitness, but I never realised just how bad his passing is until he moved to the Premier League. He is fine if it is a simple 5 yard pass, of the kind that was all he was required to make while in the Real Madrid team, but anything else and it almost always goes astray. It is little wonder Man Utd struggle to control games with him in the engine room.
Quick notes on the players:
Kelleher - I have seen people apportion blame to him on the first goal, but I disagree, he was where he should have been in order to receive a pass. The first one was not his fault. The second he could do nothing about either. Overall he had a decent game, though I still feel he lacks the required vision and range of passing to really make the Liverpool system work. The team miss that ability to launch a quick counter.
Bradley - struggled to start with, picking up an early booking, but grew into the game and became a very potent attacking force during the first half.
Quansah - this game showed why, in the past at Liverpool, most young players were usually dropped back down to the reserves after a run of games. He has been playing well and getting lots of plaudits but there has always been a bit of arrogance about his game which needs to be removed until he has earnt the right to it. More importantly, when he makes a mistake, he needs to learn from it the first time he makes it rather than continually making the same error. His giveaway of the ball by a slack sideways pass early in the second half was not the first time he had done it. In fact it was his third or fourth time he had played it blind across the backline, but he had got away with it in the first half. For me he should have been taken off at half time because of them, and that is not hindsight as I was having a rather heated conversation with the screen after the second time he made the same mistake. You don't want to stop young players from making mistakes, it is how they learn, but they have to actually learn. They should not need to be responsible for giving away a goal for them to learn. Especially an intelligent lad like Quansah. Taking him off at half-time would have given him the wake up call without needing to make another mistake and cost his team the win to do so. But that was not done, so now Klopp has to find a way to deal with the aftermath and that means he has to give Quansah his backing and hope the lad will not let it affect him. Quansah seems capable of shrugging it off and getting on with it, but he has to start learning from his mistakes the first time he makes them.
van Dijk - the whole defence and midfield were at fault on United's second goal, including van Dijk, but other than that he was not really troubled at all.
Robertson - marauded down the left in usual fashion but for some reason his delivery was completely off. His corners were not at his usual high level either.
Szoboszlai - worked hard, got up and down well but the final pass or shot just failed to come off for him. In a game of such small margins, those little moments made all the difference. Unfortunately the one really good chance that came to Szoboszlai got caught under his feet. He had to dig it out, so the shot lacked power and was at a nice saveable height and close to the keeper. If that ball had just been in front of him to hit properly, things might have been totally different.
Endo - another solid game, but it was probably not the game for him as more creativity would have been useful at the base of midfield.
Mac Allister - once again the best player on the pitch, though maybe not a performance of the same level as his previous game. He is running games now and producing some masterful performances. He is still able to help protect the defence but the addition of Endo has allowed him to shine further forward.
Diaz - a good goal, but other than that he was not at his best and did not attack his full-back in the way he has been in most games recently. At his best he ties a full-back up in knots, twisting and turning them inside out, but he never really tried to do that. As usual his finishing was very hit and miss.
Nunez - another not at his best. Wasted a few chances to score or play someone in. It was one of those off days for him.
Salah - his finishing was absolutely abysmal, he looked sluggish (which maybe due to returning from injury and fasting for ramadan) but his passing was good. It makes me wonder if he would not be better playing deeper, off a forward like Nunez to play through balls to him. He certainly seems to have become a better creator than goalscorer at the moment, though he did score the penalty that gave Liverpool a draw.
Gomez - replaced Bradley in the 66th minute. He was not able to provide the same attacking intent and never really got into the game.
Jones - came on for Szoboszlai in the 66th minute. It felt like he brought a bit more control back into the game and helped settle Liverpool down.
Elliott - took Endo's place in the 69th minute. Buzzed around like an angry bee, getting on the ball as much as possible and trying to create something. It was while he was looking to produce something that he was fouled for the penalty, though it was on the soft side.
Gakpo - also came on in the 69th minute but to replace Nunez. He tried but it never happened for him. He struggled to really imapct the game.