I wonder how many more players we need to lose before it actually becomes a problem? You can make a convincing argument that only two of the eleven that thrashed Luton would make it into Klopp’s preferred line up when he has a full squad to choose from.
That doesn’t mean these lads are ‘reserves’ as it’s very much a squad game these days, but Alisson, Trent, Konate, Robertson, Jones, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Salah and Jota are all probably starting if they’re available. They weren’t available though (or in the case of Konate and Robbo they were being rested for the weekend) and yet I thought that starting eleven still looked good. Not great, and you wouldn’t want to be playing that eleven every week, but it’s a sign of how strong the squad is that we can be without all of those players (I haven’t even mentioned Thiago, Bajcetic or Doak either) and still field a line up that didn’t have any glaring weaknesses.
Going into the game I was a little concerned simply because Luton never get battered and they’re in every game they play. If they lose, it’s usually by the odd goal and they normally score. If they scored in this one, would we have the firepower to get the win? That was the worry I had, but even though we went in at the break a goal down that worry had gone based on how the first half went.
I couldn’t believe how open it was. Right from the first couple of minutes we were getting in behind them and it’s not at all what I expected. I thought Luton would be deep and compact and force us to try and play through them, but they seemed to just go man for man all over the park and although we went in a goal down, it felt like a game we should have been leading by two or three.
It started early on. We’d already forced a couple corners in the first minute or two and then Diaz ran clean through from a ball over the top by Kelleher. I’m not sure how Luton allowed that as it’s the kind of chance you’d never expect to get against a side at the bottom, because they usually play a deep low block and won’t allow anything in behind.
Yet Kelleher plays a ball over their high line and Diaz runs clear. He should score, it’s an easy chance really. One of the easiest chance you can get when running through on goal as it’s a bouncing ball and the keeper is coming out. Knocking it over him and getting it up and down is so easy and I couldn’t understand what Diaz was even thinking. He hesitated and as soon as he did that the chance was gone.
I’ve watched it back and I think the problem is his first touch didn’t get it out of his feet and he never really got his body in position to just lob the ball over the keeper. And once he hesitated, that was that.
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